Incompatible Means (Completed)

Chapter 8 Part 1

I stripped and went into the shower letting the water strip me of the sweat and tingles left over by the encounter with Roderick. He had to have been using some kind of compulsion on me, that was the only explanation. I wouldn't let myself remember his own looks of surprise at the magnetism of our shared touch. That was not important. It had to be because he was Archon of the city. Some sort of power that let him slip past the natural shields that protected me from other vampire powers. In all my experiences with supes I had felt their powers, detected what they could do when they tried to use it against me, however, the powers never affected me. I couldn't tell that he was actively using a power, although I was convinced whatever it was, it was most definitely working. It had to be his otherness, I couldn't believe anything else. If I did that would mean that the feelings were my own and that thought sent crippling grief into my chest, doubling me over. How could I possibly enjoy a kiss with a monster? Those monsters took everything from me, I was broken beyond repair due to their crimes.

Suddenly the smell of burning metal and the tang of coppery blood flooded my mind. I could hear gas hissing from the stove as a pan burned on its surface, the water long boiled out. The dark house was silent, a silence that fills up all available space until it feels that you'll choke on it. Slowly my feet carried me deeper into the house, my footfalls sounding like gunshots. Despite the silence, I know the house is not empty, I can feel them there. My heart lives here, in them, I will always know when they are close. Always. A part of me wants to frantically look around, to seek out whatever has alerted my subconscious to something being wrong, but the cold fear grabbing my heart directs me where to go. Only a few more steps and I will be in the living room.

NO!

I shut down the memory. My grief makes it harder than normal to put back into the box it belongs to in my mind. I pictured that dark pit inside myself where everything emotional goes. I shoved it all down so hard I slipped to my knees on the hard bathtub. Too weak to get up, I pull out of the pit, shutting the doors behind me. With every door that I slammed shut, I gained more control of myself. My tears stopped, my eyes seeing the shower around me without really seeing it. Another door slammed and my breathing was back to normal. After another, I straightened my back and stood. Once all the doors were closed I went about washing myself in robotic movements feeling nothing, thinking nothing. The empty trance continued as I put on sleeping clothes. Keeping with the same mechanical movements I called Daniel. He picked up after a few rings.

"Hey Ace, how did it go?" His voice is light and carefree. For a moment I hate him for it.

"Fine," I said in a flat voice.

"Are you ok? You sound off, do you need me to come over?" There was a real worry in his voice and I knew he would fly over there and comfort me if I said the word. I hated the thought of needing comfort. I was fine, I had dealt with it. It was over.

"I'm fine. This job is just harder than I thought it would be." Taking a deep breath I tried to put more humanity into my voice. Fake it till you make it and all that. "I've never had to be so involved with a mark before. Now I have to seduce the bastard. It's just – fucked up." There was a pregnant pause between us. "I think I may be out of my league with this one."

Daniel hesitated. "Then pull out. You don't need the money. You're like a miser, the only time you spend money is on books or jobs. Just get out."

I thought of Jack. I didn't want to disappoint him. I also thought of myself, if I couldn't finish this job what hope did I have at finding and killing the vampire I was after. If I started to let fear and uncertainty rule me now, I'd never see my plans through. I had to stick it out, this is the life I choose. Time to cowgirl up or whatever.

"I will figure it out. I'm just whining." Quickly I changed the subject. "Do you know if Hugo finished the design on that corset I requested."

"Why don't you call him and find out?" Daniel's voice made a valiant effort at returning to jovial, but I could still sense his worry for me.

"Ugh. I'd rather not. I'm not in the right head space to hear about how under-appreciated he is and tell him how I would be lost without him. I love the guy but he can make me feel like a crappy friend sometimes."

Daniel laughed. "You're a great friend, Ace. Just hard to get to know. Hugo mentioned sending a courier over to your place in the morning with all the goodies you requested and then some. Also to remind you how amazing he is blah blah blah." He paused. "So what happened tonight?"

I gave him a quick rundown of the events, skimming over any hot details about the kiss.

"Well, it seems like you have his interest. How did you manage that?" He asked with a slight suspicion in his tone.

"No clue Danny Boy. He asked me out for tomorrow night. I am going to finish the job then, this is feeling too out of control for me." I'm not sure I'm the one in the driver seat anymore, I finished in my head. There was a thread of tension that wormed through me with that thought. It was the first time in my career that I wasn't sure if I could finish the job or even come out the other side alive.

Daniel didn't miss the tension in my tone, "Why so soon? You don't even know where you are going. This is a stupid idea, Ace" he said. It sounded like he really wanted to tell me to quit, to just tell Jack I couldn't do it. But he knew me better than to say it out loud. With a resigned sigh, he continued. "If it gets too dangerous you get out, don't rush ahead. That's a sure way to get dead and you know it."

"If tonight was an indicator he will be trying to sleep with me tomorrow night." Daniel made a strangled sound on the other end, somewhere between a gasp and growl. I ignored it and continued on. "That will offer me privacy with him. With his bachelor status and impressive bank account, I'm sure strange women leaving his house isn't uncommon. It will be fine."

He wasn't so sure about that. Yeah, neither was I.

After I hung up I laid back on the bed staring at the ceiling. Even though my mind was empty sleep didn't come easy.  

*Sorry for such a long delay in post, school was treacherous last semester. I will finish posting this book within the next few days/weeks. As always let me know what you think.*