Predators

Chapter 3

William watches the sun rise out of the window from the edge of his bed. Somewhere in the night the mermaid must have slipped away, leaving only her memory behind, not even a name. He almost convinces himself that she was nothing more than a dream, but the discarded, ripped up blue dress in the corner speaks of a different tale. Oh, she is very must real.

He squints as the light becomes brighter and brushes and absent hand through his dark hair, still groggy from sleeping – or the lack there of. A slight churning in his stomach warns him that it’s almost time to feed again. The mermaid’s blood had not been enough to fully sate his hunger. He’ll have to go hunting tonight again. It just goes to show, just because something tastes divine, doesn’t mean it’ll quench your hunger. William rises to his feet with a groan.

Damien would be here soon, and at the very least William had to look presentable when the son of his coven’s leader shows up. Frankly, William can’t stand the guy, but he has little choice. If something ever happens to Old Jylee, Damien will take over as lead. There is no democracy, no other choice, just Damien. William grunts again as he enters his bathroom. He jumps into the shower, managing to wash away most of the blood before returning to his bedroom to throw on his most presentable casual clothes. There is no way that he’s dressing up to meet with a vampire that was younger than him, no matter who his father is.

His phone rings when he walks into the kitchen to prepare a very special blend of coffee laced with O negative blood, his favorite. The phone switches over to the answering machine after a couple of minutes as William continues to ignore it. Just as he had guessed, Lilah’s voice booms through the machine. “Hey Will…  I know you probably had another of your wild nights and are still sleeping, but we really have to talk. I don’t like the way we left things any more than you do, and I was thinking that maybe we can meet for dinner to discuss exactly what went wrong? I’m willing to give you a second chance if you are willing to hear me out. Let me know soon. Okay, love you, bye.” The receiver cuts off and William is left staring at the box, his coffee now in hand.

The wonderful sent of blood drifts to his nostrils, and momentarily he is able to forget about the werewolf that had just called him. He takes a sip and savors the trail of heat the combination of caffeine and blood leaves through him. Just what he needs to fully wake up. He knows that he should probably call Lilah back and decline her offer. If she had only called him earlier… before he had spent the night with the mermaid he might’ve even been inclined to take the wolf up on her offer for reconciliation, but now? How does he go back to mediocre when he has had the best he could imagine? One thing no one could ever say is that mermaids are not good in bed. She had left him gasping for more, only to leave him hanging. William smashes his cup against the counter in frustration. He hates knowing that there is a woman that walks – or swims – on this earth that has placed such a strong spell on him. He knows that if he sees her again the desire to have her will be even stronger than it was the first time. Damn that woman.

Perhaps Lilah will prove to be a welcome distraction after all. The animal in her could stomp down any thoughts of the oddly soft and graceful creature that had granted him the pleasure of her company, even if it was only for one night. Without a second thought, he picks up the phone and redials Lilah’s number. She answers on the second ring.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist for too long,” she purrs.

A wicked grin spreads about William’s lips. “You know me too well, Lily.”

“You ready to repent for your actions?” A certain hardness has seeped into her tone, but William knows it’s more for show than anything else. She simply wants him to believe that she’s going to make him work hard for it.