The Vampire's Curse

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Nik knew that he needed to set a meeting with Erika to see if he could find out more about her whereabouts 8 years ago.  He had to be very careful about how he approached her and the subject.  He did not want her to know that he was on to her, or that there was any special reason as to why he wanted to know.  He knew that he needed to find a way to exterminate her and her coven.  They were too inconspicuous.  Did not care if they drew attention to his kind or not.  The last thing that he needed was a hunter to come to Vegas.  His last run in with a hunter did not end well, and he hated that he had had to kill him. 

Nik reached for his phone to call Erika's emissary.  He had to make an appointment to see her.  They had crossed paths in L.A. and he knew that she would see him.  She had a thing for Irish men, undead or alive.  They had briefly been lovers in L.A. But his distaste for her penchant for humans was more than he could take and he left her.  Plus, his never stayed with any vampire for long.  They started to ask questions about his diet.  He did not like to talk about it.  His eating habits were his own choice and most vampires did not understand his opinions on it.

Nik looked up Erika's number in his phone and pressed call.  On the third ring someone answered, "Hello, this is Mikal, may I help you?"  Nik responded back to him, "Yes this is Nikolai Kavanah and I need to make an appointment with Erika."  The voice on the other end replied, "What is this in regards too?"  Nik thought for a minute about how best to respond and said, "I am an old friend of hers, and realized that we are both living in Las Vegas now and would like to catch up with her."  Nik knew Mikal, he was a lackey of  Erika's, had worked for her for years and could hear him on the other end flipping through what had to be Erika's appointment book.  Then he heard Mikal reply, "Well you are in luck, she had a cancelation tonight, and if you are free she can see you tonight."  "That would be perfect.  What time?" Nik asked.  Mikal promptly replied, "10:00pm, and do not be late."  Then the line went dead. 

Nik looked at the clock and saw that he had an hour until he was supposed to meet her.  He grabbed his stuff and went to his car.   He got in and started the engine; he loved the sound of his car.  He kept it well tuned and the roar of the engine was something that he loved to hear. It was a beautiful night, so he put the top down on the car and pulled out of the faculty parking lot and headed downtown.  Erika had a loft downtown near the Stratosphere.  He wished that it was so easy to find her covens nest, but Erika liked the finer things in life and always had her own place separate from the covens nest. 

Nik arrived at Erika's loft with time to spare.  He went to the front door and rang the buzzer.  Mikal replied through the intercom, "Yes, who is it?"  "It's Nikolai Kavanah; I am here to see Erika."  He heard the door buzz and click as it was unlocked to allow him to enter. Nik opened the door and ascended the stairs to the third floor where Erika's loft was.  He knocked on her door and waited for her to respond.  A few moments later she replied in a curt voice, "Enter."  He opened the door and walked in to see a stunningly beautiful ebony skinned woman sitting behind a large mahogany desk.  She looked up and when she saw him standing there a large smile split her face and she gracefully rise to her feet.  She was a shocking 6'in her stiletto heels.  Her silver dress clung to her slender body.  Her eyes lit up with recognition and she practically purred his name, "Nikolai, darling, it's been too long my love.  Why have you stayed away from me?"  She walked over to him with a sway of her hips and ran her hands up his chest and around his neck to pull him into an embrace, turning her face up to his for a kiss.  He wanted to refuse, but that to insult her that way would be dangerous to his health.  An insult to her could bring her guards in and that would not be a pretty scene.

He allowed her to kiss him and he opened his mouth to her when she pressed her lips and tongue against his mouth.  He wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to kiss him passionately. He returned the kiss with as much fake passion as he could muster.  She pulled back and held him at arm's length.  "Nik, it's been so long, what brings you to see me after all these years?"  Nik replied, "I just recently came to town and knew you were here, thought it was time for us to have a reunion my dear.  I am concerned about what I am reading in the paper." 

"What have you been reading in the paper and what does it have to do with me," she asked.  Nik looked at her and tilted his dead to the side and said, "Erika, you know good and well what's been in the papers and what it has to do with you."  Erika stepped back from him and walked back around to her desk and sat down.  She looked at him and steepled her fingers under her chin and pursed her lips.  "Are you sure you don't want to rephrase that Nik.  Be very careful before you start making accusations against me," Erika said. Nik sat down in the chair in front of her desk, "Come off it Erika, you know as well as I do that these murders have your name written all over them. It may not be you personally, but it's definitely your coven that is behind this.  This is Los Angeles all over again.  It draws too much attention to us.  The hunters look for things like this.  Do you really want to have hunters come here to Las Vegas, like they did in L.A.?"

"Of course not, those animals killer Sergio and you know how I felt about him, he was the love of my life," she said.  He could see the pain in her face when she spoke of Sergio.  He looked at her and took her had across the desk, "You have to be more careful, if you bring the hunters here then I do not know what will happen.  You know how I feel about feeding on humans, but I have in the past and I am not telling you not to feed.  Just be more careful."  He hated that he had to pretend to care about her, but for the sake of Angel he would do what he could to make sure that she did not get involved in this.  He already knew that when he met with her at his office tomorrow he would have to compel her to forget this nonsense, but if Erika knew that Angel was looking into this then he didn't know what she would do. 

"Look, Erika, I have known you for a very long time and I do not want to see the hunters come after you.  Just be careful.  That is all I came here to tell you.  I need to go now, but please think about what I have said."  With that Nik got out of the chair and came around the table to hug Erika before he left.  She stood up and wrapped her arms around him and pulled his head down for a kiss.  How he hated to kiss her, but he knew that he had to play it cool.  He kissed her back, stroking her tongue with his.  When he pulled away he could see the lust in her eyes.  He had to get out of there before she tried to seduce him.  He said goodbye and walked out of her office.  When he got to his car all he could think about was getting the taste of her out of his mouth.  He got in and started his car.  He loved hearing the roar of the engine.  He drove off in the direction of his house.  When he got home he poured himself a glass of pig's blood and sat in his chair in the living room and sipped the blood.  It never had the same fulfillment that human blood had, but it kept him alive and free of the guilt he felt for taking human life. 

He thought back to the last time he tasted human blood and remembered how beautiful she had been.  Miranda had tasted the same as all the others.  After slaughtering his village and killing Devon, the witch's daughter and triggering the curse he swore he would never feed on a human again after that.  It would last for about 25 years, and then he would find HER again and the cycle would repeat.  He shook the thoughts off and finished his dinner.  He got up and went to his room where he undressed down to his boxer briefs and crawled into bed.