Bound to the Beast

Chapter 02

In Perspective of Lara Anderson
Bound to the Beast
Chapter 02: Bad Company

I knew I was being rather rude, but I didn't trust any outsiders that were vampires. Besides Spence, who has saved my life on more than one occasion. The man in front of me assessed me just as rudely but when his eyes finished travelling up my body, he had a grin on his face.

     "My name is Marcel Hollingsworth. Spence sent me to give you this." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelop to hand to me. I reached out and took it from him cautiously. 

     "How do I know this is really from Spence?" I said, eyeing the envelope skeptically. No telling what kind of dark magic could be hiding in the envelope, and I had plenty of enemies that were more than capable of pulling it off. I certainly didn't trust the man who looked at me the way he did, and very appreciatively. He was too good looking to be anything but trouble for the female sex. Vampires unfortunately had a charm to them, not just in appearance but in attitude. I looked at the handwriting on the front of the envelope that read- URGENT- and decided that it had been Spence's scrawling. I started to open it, but Marcel put a hand over mine quickly to stop me. 

     "Is there somewhere more private for us to talk? He wanted me to wait for you to give an answer."

     I considered him for a moment. He was a considerable size bigger than me, which would make him just over six feet tall with broad shoulders and large muscular arms. It was hard to size him up mainly because he was still wearing his night coat. He was definitely handsome though, with hair so black against skin so white, the shock of the contrast only served to make him all the more ghostly, all the more haunting. When he turned to look, his eyes were pale, like the lightest of blue petals in the strongest of sunlight. I caught myself staring for far too long so I replied, "If you'll allow Charley to frisk you I'll take you to my office."

     "Very well."

     I led him to the other side of the bar and signaled Charley to follow closely behind. After the three of them were around the corner and out of sight from the humans, I looked at Charley and said, "Frisk him... and be thorough, please." As long as he was unarmed, I could hold my own against him in hand to hand combat if need be, though I did have a small arsenal in my office just in case.

     "Don't you trust me sweetheart?" I heard Marcel utter, speaking through a smug grin. I stare at him blankly, not even slightly phased by his immaturity. I waited for an 'All clear' from Charley; because if he had any weapons on his person, I would sure be in for a surprise. And I hated surprises.

     Charley finished patting him down. "He's clean. Do you want me to stick around?"

     "No thank you. Go and man the door. We'll be fine." I glance at Marcel and said, "Follow me."

     I led him down the hall and into my office. I was nice enough to offer him a seat before sitting down behind my office desk. I lean back in my chair, noticing that even with his height it was hard to see him through my numerous stacks of paper.

     "Your monster of a bartender. What is he?" He asked as he settled into his seat.

     "Mason? He's a werewolf." Frowning, I leaned forward to move some of the papers off of the desk and to the floor. From the look of things they weren't going to get done anytime soon. Mason was somewhat too tall for his build; if he was a few inches shorter he would be all the more handsome for it. It was as if he stopped growing, only to be stretched on one of those medieval racks a half-foot more. If not for Mason's distinctive wolf scent, I doubt he would have shared with me his true identity.