Kickdrum Beating in My Chest Again (Alternate Version)

Chapter 118

!!!!!!!!!!Author's Note!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Everyone! Happy Friday (I know, it's late)! I hope everyone had a good week. Mine was good, but hectic. My in-laws came to visit us and we all took the trailer to Sonoma so they could go to the NASCAR race this weekend. My husband, son, and my in-laws are going to the race. I'm staying at the trailer. I have no interest in watching people drive in a circle, or in this case, a road course for several hours (No offense to those that love it, it's just not my thing!). The good part is that I will have lots of time to sleep in, work on this story, and relax. That's actually why I'm updating so late. I had to wait until things died down a bit before I could work on updating this.

So this week, we find out a bit more about what vampire blood can do to a human who drinks it, which is cool and will be important later on. Brad leaves after taking Patrick and Joe back to their cell. Brad is pissed that Patrick called his bluff and so he thinks of ways that he could get back at him without having to deal with Gabe. He also finds himself more drawn to Patrick recently. He meets with Gabe and they talk about the people that attacked Patrick and Joe in the shower this morning and Gabe tells Brad his plan for dealing with them. Elisa finishes up her work and heads back to her office after stopping at Brendon's Cafe on the way there. She meets up with her assistant and vents her frustration about not getting a court date for Patrick's case or getting him into protective custody. Lauren says she will redo the paperwork and send it again while Elisa calls four of her friends in the different court offices for help, but she can't get through to any of them.

As always, enjoy, tell your friends and if you like it feel free to leave me kudos or a comment! If you want to discuss the story or anything else with me, you can find me on tumblr @dancecoaster. Happy reading!

Chapter 118

********Trigger Warning for Mentions of Drug Use and Graphic Violence********

Brad had just finished dropping Stump and Trohman off in their cell. Stump was really trying his patience, so it was very satisfying when he dropped Stump on the ground very hard. It was a small way that he could get back at Stump without getting in trouble with Gabe. It'd really pissed him off when he threatened Stump and Stump called his bluff. There was no way that Brad was going to get in trouble with Gabe again so soon after his last punishment. Plus, he'd promised Gabe that he would never use that power on Stump again unless he was ordered to by Gabe himself. It also irked him that Stump had told him he would run to Gabe and snitch on him immediately. One of the biggest lessons in prison was not being a snitch. That also applied to guards and other prison employees. Maybe he needs a reminder that snitching is not a good trait to have or display. God, I hate that little man! You know, I did promise Gabe that I wouldn't use my powers on Stump unless I was ordered to...but what if Stump didn't remember it happening so he couldn't snitch on me? I could suck his life force and rough him up too. Gabe did say that he wanted Stump coherent for their private time. If I roughed him up enough, it could cover some of my tracks. I can also minimize his exhaustion from the process by increasing the pain he feels and bringing him back to slightly before we started. Then I would compel him to forget what I did and replace it with an equally terrifying memory so that he remembered the lesson I was teaching him. It's perfect! I just have to make sure I don't get caught.

There was something that had really been bothering him lately. Brad had felt himself being drawn to Stump somehow. It wasn't quite in a romantic way, but he felt some kind of connection forming with him. Brad wasn't stupid though. All vampires know that when humans drink a large amount of their blood for longer periods of time, that a bond can form between the human and the vampire. Brad imagines that a similar bond must also be forming between Stump and Gabe as well. At this point though, only the vampire would feel the bond developing, but the human would not yet. The bond must get much stronger and further along before the human will be able to sense it. Vampire blood does all kinds of strange things to humans, but every human is different, so not every human experiences the same thing. Some humans may experience heightened senses, intense sexual experiences, dreams about the vampire whose blood they have ingested, madness, and hallucinations, whereas other humans may only exhibit one or two of these traits. From what Brad can tell, Stump has only experienced terrifying hallucinations every time he drinks Brad or Gabe's blood. Brad knows what's happening but that doesn't mean he has to like it. It's a very odd feeling. Brad senses this bond developing yet he hates Stump and really enjoys causing him pain and suffering. Brad feels the almost overwhelming need to control Stump and the bond developing between them doesn't help with that. Perhaps as the bond progresses it will make more sense to him.