Silently Hunted

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

                Stefan had literally emptied an entire cabinet of all of its paperwork and looked to be using it as a new carpet for her office. Dismay filled her. She had been on the run, silently hunted b two ruling species, constantly having to stay in the shadows. And what seems to finally break her is her boss messing with her filling system. At least it wasn’t that he had just put a file in the wrong draw.

                Breathing deeply through her mouth, she had to make the conscious decision not to take note of the scents in the air, and how the blood flowed through Stefan calling to her. It would definitely serve him right. She must have made a sound, though she walked on silent feet, she was sure it had been a vocal sound of her distress. Her own mind not registering the sound due to the torment it was under.

                Other called her anal about her neatness. She had learnt over the years, if anything was not in its proper place then she had problems escaping. That had eventually seeped into other sections of her life. Her apartment and office space were both spotless. Except for…now. Her sound of distress had caught her boss’s attention.

                “Ah, umm…” he seemed to look around him for the first time. She knew he could be absent minded when focused on a problem. But this was beyond the pale. “Anya, you were…umm. There was a…” He seemed at a loss for words. She had never seen her forthright boss so out of character. Trying and immediately failing to take her eyes and thoughts off of the mess, she compartmentalised the pain, and the ability to converse.

                “Mr Vitsin, I. I am at a loss, sir. Is there a problem?” The compartmentalisation did not work so well it seemed. Deep calm breaths, otherwise she might be feeding her hunger sooner than she planned. And then she would be looking for another job, and it definitely would not because she had been found. It would be all her fault this time. No. It would be his fault for messing with her filing system.

                “Oh, er, no. No problem. I have a meeting, and needed the file.” He seemed to be collecting himself at last. Clearing his throat. “You were not here. What time do you call this?” Of course. Now it was her fault. At least this was something she was used to. “Of course, sir. I apologise for my tardiness. Can I help you find that file?”

                Standing and straightening his jacket, making himself once more the impeccable, the perfect CEO. The vampires would expect nothing less from those they allowed some feigned power too. “Miss Lapin, would you please locate the Belkov file?” Anya’s mind went blank. Well, there was something that could take her mind off of the office before her. “The Belkov file sir? You are not meeting with Mr. Belkov today, I checked your schedule last night.” She had made sure there was no meeting with Mr. Belkov or any of his associates. She did not need the vampire in charge of the outside Moscow dome finding her in the office of his new favourite CEO.

                “No, no. The meeting is not with Mr. Belkov. He is apparently too important to meet with me in person.” Now she understood the problem. The all-important Stefan Vitsin had had his ego stung by the very vampire he wanted most to impress. And the easiest way for him to voice that sting was to take it out on her. She had most definitely learnt to live with it over the last year. If she stood there and took it, knowing it was not personal, he usually ran out of steam pretty quickly.

                “He is sending his ‘human relations’ personal.” You could hear the air quotes in the words he spoke. She understood what he was feeling. Not only was he not good enough for the head honcho himself, but he did not even rate a vampire this time. But one of the lowly humans. Not many knew those humans had no choice. Most were threatened or tortured into their positions. Held there by the addiction of being a blood slave. Addicted to the pain of the feeding, they could not break free of the cycle once it had begun.