Bliss (The Custos) Read online

  "Look whatever you want I can get it for you." I tried to get a good look at my attackers faces but I froze when I saw the one who threw me in the cars eyes. That was when I started screaming.

  *

  London

  I could feel someone striking me, in the face with force and I don’t know if my mind shut down or if I refused to wake up but try as I might I couldn’t open my eyes. "I think you knocked her to hard." I heard one of the guys say, then "Fuck stop hitting her we won’t get all the money if she's been roughed up."

  Money, what money were they talking about? I wanted to tell them the money was in my purse and they could have my car to boot if they stopped hurting me but I couldn’t form words. Panic was damn near setting in when I heard tires screeching in the distance. "Jesus he followed us." I heard the same one who spoke before say. I felt my car rev to life and that knocked the fear of god into me because my eyes snapped open.

  It took a few seconds for my eyes to focus, and when they did I was face to face with the man who attacked me. Only I am almost certain he was not a man. His eyes were pale gray almost white with what I can only assume as blood swirling through the pale haze, a single black dot in the center. But of all the things that made me scream again were his teeth, er...Fangs.

  "What are you?" I asked, my entire nervous system racked by fear of this creature before me. Fangs? Cacius had fangs and now I was beginning to realize that this was no rowdy gang of Emo kids, but still refused to say the words screaming in my mind for fear of losing my sanity.

  His laugh was like a hyena, piercing my eardrums while he looked at his friend, who was just as frightening as this....thing. "I’m what you were afraid of when you were a girl...." He looked at me before laughing again, his friend now joining in with that same piercing cackle. "I’m the monster from under your bed." He lunged at me before I could move and I felt a searing pain across my neck.

  In that instant the passenger side door made a terrible cry as the metal hit pavement, just as the monster sitting in its seat was ripped from the car as well. I looked at the one driving, my heart in overdrive I was biting my bottom lip to make sure I was awake because this was so far out there. The look on the drivers face was one of horror when whatever malevolent being slid in through the now empty passenger seat and ripped the driver from the car, all in less than a second. Luckily the car had slowed in the last few seconds before it slammed into a light post in the near vacant parking lot.

  I was terrified, but I had seen enough movies to fear that my car may just explode any second, so I scrambled out of the back seat, my heals breaking as I lost my balance and landed on the ground. "Stay in the car." I heard a voice yell from a distance. Cops, thank god. I stayed where I landed and seen a tall man standing in the center between the two men who had attacked me.

  "Cash, it's a job man that’s all." My attacker said on a moan and I seen his leg bent backwards, then immediately he kicked and stood, his leg back to normal. I shook my head in disbelief.

  "No see, you were going to kill her, I seen it." The one they called Cash said before stalking back over to passenger freak. "I could smell it, and I am the monster under your bed." He glared into his eyes and I wondered if I had hit my head because this man didn’t seem taken back by the sight I seen. That of course was before he palmed a dagger, unlike any I had ever seen and stabbed the man in the chest, dropping him before walking to Driver freak.

  "Cash, I didn’t touch her man, I told Jack that they wanted her neat."

  "Neat means no biting and you tasted." He removed his head, of that I was certain and thanked God above that I turned my head at the last second.

  I kept my eyes closed but I could hear his footsteps as they ate the pavement in the five steps it took to get to my side. At least this guy didn’t fly. He crouched before me but I was too afraid to look, I feared those hateful eyes, and I feared my sanity. "London?"

  He asked, but he sounded further away, and I started to feel dizzy. "What's happening?" I asked but the words came out slurred, I wanted to scream for help beg someone to save me. But all I could do was fight to keep my eyes open.

  I forced my eyes to open, fearing that if they closed I would die. I could hear and feel my teeth chattering, I was cold, freezing but it didn’t make sense, and it was June in Texas, cold was impossible. I tried to focus on the man before me who seemed to be lifting me now and all I could smell was rain, the smell of fresh rain and I wondered if that was why I was so cold. "You, what did you do to me?" I asked my voice a vague whisper.

  I looked down at my body in his arms and felt a slight unease that should have been screaming fear but my mind was too far gone. I was soaked in blood, my blood and I was cold because I was dying.

  *

  Chapter Three

  Cash

  "Cash where are you?" Preacher asked from the other end of the line. I could tell he was smoking another joint and I wished like hell I could medicate right now, my drug of choice though was a bottle of Jim Beam black label and I was in desperate need. See Vampires were tricky, the Custos like Preacher and I, use substances to control our bloodlust and Infatuation.

  "On my way out of Dallas now, I have the mark and shit wasn’t pretty."

  Understatement of the year.

  "What happened is she ok?"

  "They ripped her carotid open, pretty bad, damn near drained me to fix it, she lost a lot of blood but I got the wound sealed. Got lucky though, she was out cold when I wiped her memories, she won’t remember she was bitten, only the attack but I wiped me from her memories as a favor." Favor because all I needed to hear was her calling me a stalker and psycho all the time. I could handle my share of blows but I hated name calling and after a few centuries as a Mercenary for the undead I learned to get in and out with as little complications as possible. I didn’t want to remember her but had no choice, she didn’t need that fate.

  Fuck I was tired, and I had another eight hundred miles to go before I could stop. Thank god for Infatuation. Any cop who tried to pull me over for speeding I would be able to handle and on my way. "We should be there in about four hours."

  "Are you keeping her asleep?"

  "No, didn’t need to. Her mind was so fucked up by what she witnessed she went under no problem."

  "The human mind is amazing, astonishing really. Protecting it's vessel from loss of sanity." Preacher was definitely high, he rambled like this whenever he had a little too much, but like all the undead he could chose to remove the affects, heal himself from the effects if he needed to.

  Before I could respond to his insight I felt The Princess's mind stir, the effects wore off sooner than I thought but I needed my poison and she gave me a reason to stop. Unless I wanted screaming for the next four hours I had no choice but to try and talk to her. "Preach she's coming to, in the throes of a bad nightmare." I didn’t bother with pleasant goodbyes. When Preacher was this high he would just keep on rambling to ramble.

  I flipped my phone shut and pulled into a Chevron, near the highway and deserted. If she wanted to freak, not a living soul would hear her, a Vampire might but they would sense me and assume she was my kill. Showing respect between the undead really was fucked up, but thank god for small favors right now. Humans involved cops and a lot of work I didn’t want right now.

  Parked near a gas pump I stepped out to fill the tank, the League paid for all expenses when on a job and I couldn’t help but laugh when I pulled out my Corporate AMEX. I knew the second she woke not because I heard her mind but because her scream damn near shattered the windows.

  And it was me she feared. How did she know who I was?

  *

  London

  I knew I was in danger, I knew I was dying and I knew that I couldn’t run fast enough. This place wherever it was, was thick with fog and cold. I could hear him, his voice calling to me and I didn’t want to answer the Dark Angel. So ran faster but not far enough, he was so close and the fog was thicker with each step. "....London....." I
could hear him, he was getting closer and I was slowing, my sides aching from the speed I was trying to gain. "Please God save me...." I cried, but it was too late, he took me by the arm, stopping me abruptly, the fog thick around us. Everything stood still including us as he pulled me into his embrace. "I have you London, your safe."

  I wanted to believe this Angel, I wanted to know that I was safe but my system was racked with fear. "....London, I have you...."

  Why did he keep saying my name like it was a plea? I looked up and seen him, my Dark Angel so beautiful. His was skin as pale as the moon and smooth like granite; a dark black mo hawk that looked blue in the moonlight and a swirling mass of tribal jumble inked across the sides of his scalp. Dark thick eyelashes surrounded cobalt eyes and accentuating the deep lines beneath his eyes and the paleness to his cheeks. His eyes, warm and inviting, not like the ones from my nightmare. "....Look at me London...." He whispered against my neck. I let my gaze fall upon him, now distorted his teeth like tiny daggers and his eyes a swirling mass of blood on white.

  "Look at me London." My eyes flipped open and I screamed, scampering back away from him, the Dark Angel in my dream was shaking me. "Oh God are you a screamer?" He asked me annoyed.

  Not like I could talk with his hand over my mouth and his hands on my wrists like manacles. "Let me go." I tried to say but it sounded like a pathetic moan. He laughed and shook his head. "Why is it that humans always try and talk, knowing that your mouth is covered and I won’t understand a word of what you’re saying?"

  I looked at him like he was just as big a fool for asking me a question when I wasn’t capable of answering. "Valid point Princess." He said and laughed again.

  What was he a mind reader? "Yes." He said in response to my own question.

  Mind readers, monsters and my freaky ass dreams, what next are zombies gonna attack me? "No zombies don’t exist; they are one on a very short list of wives tales. As for me yes I hear your thoughts and your freaky ass dreams and those two guys earlier were not monsters, they were Vampires." He put up his hand the minute he caught my next thought. "Yes, I’m serious and I am one also, but unlike the two from earlier I have no desire to kill you, unless you give me a reason, do you understand what I am saying?"

  Of course I understood, I’m as crazy as this guy,..er you and yeah I get it, big bad Vamp will kill me if I piss you off right? I figured it was easier to just let my thoughts direct them to him and save on the filtering right?

  He laughed again before removing his hand from my mouth. "Your pretty funny for the situation you’re in, I have to hand it to ya, you do great under pressure."

  I flexed my jaw when he finally released me, taking the opportunity to look around. "Where am I?"

  He looked at me his blue eyes practically stopping my heart. God he is beautiful. I felt my face go a hundred shades of red the minute the thought crossed my mind knowing he heard that loud and clear. "Don’t let it embarrass you Princess, its normal. We call it Vampire Infatuation. You’re not tolerant to Vampires because you haven’t been around them long enough. Give it a few hours and it'll get easier, in a week you'll barely notice me."

  "A week?" I asked, my voice hitching as the reality of my situation caught up with me....finally.

  "You’re gonna be a little slow for the next few hours while your platelets rebuild, I gave you all I could but you needed it. My blood will help with the infatuation though. But yea, a week at the most and maybe a few things here and there over the next few months but I'll wipe your memories and it will feel like Déjà Vu."

  Platelets? What the Fuc- He spun and covered my mouth before I could even finish the thought to scream. He placed a hand behind my neck as his leg swept behind my legs pinning me on my back, him hovering over me. Rather than fighting him, all I could do was close my eyes and breath, deep....God the smell of him was like Thunder storms in March, that fresh clean rain smell and something else, like pine maybe.

  "Jesus listen to yourself, Thunderstorms in March? I smell like fucking Rain?"

  My body and mind were at war with one another, I had these split seconds where I could think clearly then bam, here he is on top of me and all I care about is Rain and pine needles. Rather than fighting him, though my mind was fighting me to lick him I chose to stay still and shut my eyes. I could feel every ounce of his body that was touching mine and I honest to god had to stifle a moan.

  "At least you fight it Princess." He said before rolling back from me and reaching into the front seat. He dangled a scented tree car freshener in front of me. "Pine." He said with a nod before tossing it out the door of....

  "Why are we sitting in a Van?" I asked now that my mouth was free.

  "Because we are driving to Albuquerque New Mexico, and to answer you from earlier, we are still in Texas."

  "And why is it you are abducting me?" I asked while twining my fingers together to keep from trying to touch him. This Vampire infatuation thing was strange, I honestly wanted to do nothing more than run as far as I could get but I also wanted to rip his clothes off and lick him from head to toe. It was like Stockholm syndrome for the handicap.

  He laughed again and I knew he was hearing my thoughts and I wanted to smack him. "It's rude to read my mind, and even worse to laugh when it's your spell that has me thinking this way."

  "It's not my spell, it happens to everyone it's kind of our plan A when we need to feed, it makes it easier but I swear in a few hours you'll be able to control your mind."

  "Why?" I asked knowing he knew my question. I was desperate to know who and what and why.

  "Because there is a large amount of money on your pretty little head right now. Those Vamps from earlier, they are called Nex, they are death and Jack and Reaper both over a hundred years old could have killed you with their pinky finger. I saved you from that." He climbed in the front seat and started the van. "I’ll be four hundred seventy three this year." He said in response to my thoughts.

  "Okay, does Nex mean Vampire or something? And what are you?"

  "They are the Cruor Nex, loosely translated in Latin it means Blood death. We the good Vamps by any other name are the Custos Nex, guardians of death. We call ourselves the Custos or Vampire, they are called The Nex."

  "So what, The Nex are after me and the Custos are saving me?"

  "Exactly, good to see you’re on point Princess."

  "It wasn’t very hard to understand. What is, is why do you give a damn about a human?"

  He sighed as if he wondered that same thing. "Because human or not, we try to keep both sides happy. I'm a mercenary and I kill what they tell me to kill. When the Nex make moves that will reveal us, the Custos send me out to eliminate that problem. Being as high..... -He paused to look at me-.... Profile as you are it raises some eyebrows."

  "Do you know who put the bounty on me and are you keeping me safe or are you keeping me comfortable till payday?" I didn’t care about Vampire Infatuation or not, when it comes to life and death sexy Vampire guy takes a backseat burner and I needed to know if I were walking the green mile so to say.

  "No I have no interest in killing you; I am getting paid to keep you safe until this is over. And to answer your first question yes I do know who put the Bounty on you and I know why."

  I looked at him not needing to say or think the obvious.

  "I think you should think about that question before I give the answer because once you know the truth there will be no going back."

  "Yeah I don’t care I want to know so I can call my Father and get this taken care of, trust me he has connections that even a Vampire may fear." I looked at him, his face void of all emotion and in my experience that always meant something bad. "Look just tell me ok?" I asked my voice hitching like a traitor and showing my fear. Seriously I had never in my life wanted my dad but at this moment my life was in his hands and I really wanted my daddy.

  "You can’t call your Father, no matter what." He said before flipping on his blinker and pulling on the interstate heading so
uth.

  He answered the next question before I could ask. "Because you’re Father is the one who placed it."

  *

  Chapter Four

  London

  In life there are so many emotions, Anger, sadness, joy, fear but right now all I felt was shock, to my core. I couldn’t ask why, I couldn’t ask who told him this; I sat replaying his words over and over again. Your father is the one who placed it. This was too much for one day. This morning I wanted to shop for a new wardrobe and leave this place for a fresh start, now I am in a car with a deadly Vampire who 'won’t kill me unless I give him a reason'. Yeah that makes me feel better. Makes a ton of sense too.