When I got in from work that Wednesday morning, I decided to check my
e-mail before I went to bed. I only had one message... from Asher.
It had been a little over a week since I'd heard from him. Three
weeks since he'd marked me as his human servant. I knew he'd been
busy setting things in order as the new Master of the City of
Orlando. He was still acting as lieutenant for Jean-Claude,
administrating his business interests in Central Florida. I think
he'd chosen this move, because it was really starting to eat on him
that he couldn't be with Jean-Claude the way he wanted to be.  I was
still mystified as to why he'd chosen to take a new servant after all
that time. Specifically... why me? I believe it puzzled him as well. 


After that first week, he'd distanced himself from me, communicating
only through e-mail. It was like he was afraid to get too close.
I'd continued on in my life as if nothing had changed. I kept my job,
kept renting the same room, and going on Saturday mornings to visit
my husband in prison.  Asher seemed to be okay with the fact that I
was married and still very much in love with my husband. I wasn't so
sure that Derik would be so understanding about Asher, when I decided
to tell him, though. He was already paranoid about my activities and
job. Prison had made it worse. He was so scared I would leave him.
But when I'd said my vows, I'd meant them to be for life. I still
did. 


I think that was one of the reasons I was shying away from taking the
fourth mark. It wouldn't be fair to either of them.  The message
Asher left was to meet him that evening back at Starbucks.  He didn't
elaborate.  I was suddenly nervous. I still wasn't sure how I felt
about Asher or what he'd done to me. I know I'd fantasized all sorts
of stuff about him, but that had been when I thought he was only a
fictional character.  I was also aprehensive about the fact that he'd
said he'd read all of my various posts on several Anitaverse sites. I
wasn't too worried about the stuff I'd said on Bad Popsicle's site,
even though it was fairly suggestive.  He knew that was mostly a
parody site and not to be taken too seriously.  Although, the chuckle
and look he'd given me when I'd asked him what he thought about that
site made me more than a little nervous.  No, what I was dreading was
when he would bring up my "French tickler" comment on one of the
boards on the Jean-Claude's Fashion Secrets forum. He hadn't
mentioned it yet, but I just knew he would eventually. (Editor's
note: That particular discussion thread has since been deleted from
that forum, so don't bother looking for it.)


Meanwhile, what to wear tonight? Yeef! I decided I'd figure that out
after I'd had a few hours sleep.  When I got up that afternoon, I
checked the Weather Channel to see what the temps were gonna be that
evening. Oooo, gonna be a cool one! It was early November, and a cold
front had come through that morning. I'd slept through the rain.
Looking out the window, I saw clear skies. It was supposed to go down
to 51 degrees, which was cool for Florida, just ask any of my co-
orkers. Personally, I loved it when it was cool; reminded me of my
native Tennessee.  I decided on the black turtleneck, black jeans,
granny boots, and the ankle-length, black suede-cloth duster I'd made
last Spring. Figured the silver and topaz necklace and earrings would
finish the outfit nicely. Might even take the time to do a little
make-up.  


Oh God, I thought, I'm acting like a teenager getting ready for a
date!  Shaking my head at myself, I headed for the bathroom to take a
shower.  Once I was out and dressed, I grabbed a snack and sat down
at my computer to see if there was any new e-mail and to see if any
of my favorite sites had updated recently. I also sent Kimmy an e-
ail to let her know what was up. Always good to have someone know
where you're supposed to be when you're dealing with vampires. Not to
say I didn't trust Asher, at least when I was with him. But, he had
marked me without asking me first. I preferred being cautious.
Besides, I hadn't actually seen him for two weeks.  I was looking
forward to my weekly visit with Kimmy on Friday. 


I was hoping she'd be a little more forthcoming on what had happened
Sunday evening before last, shortly before Jean-Claude, Anita and
their entourage had returned to St. Louis. All I knew was that she'd
shown up for our last visit with healing fang-marks. And when I'd
asked her who gave her the "hickey", she'd just gotten a far-away
dreamy look on her face. I was guessing that she had let Jean-Claude
use her as a pomme de sang. I knew she had a huge crush on him. Maybe
I could get her to 'fess up this Friday. Respect for (read: "fear
of") Anita had kept me from giving him anything more than a few
appreciative glances and polite conversation.  When Derik called, I
told him I was going to do some shopping that night, since I was off.
I knew I was only delaying the inevitable. I just couldn't figure out
the best way to handle it yet.


It was just after sunset when I got off the phone. I did a quick
make-up job then headed for the coffee house.  Asher was waiting for
me when I got there. I cocked an eyebrow and snickered a little when
I saw what he was wearing. The chunky, sky-blue sweater look sooo
cuddly and went well with the black jeans and boots. But what made me
smile was the black ankle-length leather duster. We practically
matched.  "You look lovely this evening, cherie," he said as he took
my hand to kiss it. Rather than kiss the knuckles as I'd expected, he
turned it palm up to kiss there. It was a lingering kiss with a light
teasing from his tongue, and it drew a shuddering gasp from me.  He
smiled at me. "You are blushing, cherie," he teased.  "Gee, I wonder
why," I laughed. "What's up?"  


Turns out that was a poor choice of phrases. His answer was to give
me a downright steamy look and a low chuckle before pulling me close
enough to him that I could feel what was up.  "I mean besides that,
you!" I tried for exasperated annoyance, but I didn't think he was
buying it. Scowls just don't work right when you're blushing. That
lopsided grin keeps trying to work its way in.  "Actually, cherie, I
wanted to apologize to you for neglecting you this past week," he
smiled. "And I thought that, to make it up to you, I could begin your
flying lessons in earnest."  My eyes lit up at that. I'd been scared
to attempt flight again after that first night, not without him there
to coach me... and catch me, if necessary. Strange that I trusted him
in that. Even after the sneaky way he'd marked me without giving me a
choice.


I guess my ready acceptance of that puzzled him, especially after
hearing the "war stories" of Anita's resistance in the same situation
with Jean-Claude. I simply realized that what was done was done and
no amount of bitching or railing about it would alter that fact. So,
accept it and go from there. Less stress that way.  "Shall we begin
now, or would you rather visit awhile first?" I asked. It had been a
week since we'd communicated.  His smile broadened into a brilliant
grin without the least hint of fang. How does he do that?  "Perhaps
we should attend to the lesson to begin with," he replied. "If
we were to... visit... first, I fear we wouldn't have time left for
any flying tonight." The way he said the word "visit" gave it a whole
other meaning than what I'd intended. "Oh, cherie, I've made you
blush again!"  "Turd."


That just brought on more of his chuckling as we walked outside.
"Stop that," I said.  "No," he laughed even harder, threatening to
give me sensory overload.  I was glad that the open front of my coat
covered enough to hide how much his voice was affecting my body.
Considering his behavior so far that evening, I didn't trust him to
keep his hands to himself if he noticed my reaction to his presence.
Didn't trust myself to try to stop him, either, for that matter.
My body was almost screaming for his touch.  It had been a little
over two years since my husband's incarceration, but my celibacy had
never bothered me before this.  


Once again, Asher led me into the shadows between the buildings of
the shopping center. Wouldn't do for someone to see our launch.  "Do
you remember what I've told you, cherie?" he asked me.  "Just imagine
myself flying," I answered.  "Oui," he nodded. "We will take it
slowly. You must perfect your control before going for speed. Are you
ready, Tamara?"  "I'm ready."  "Then come fly with me, ma cherie," he
smiled at me.  I kept my eyes open and focused on him, imagining
myself in flight. I felt the earth slip gently away as I rested my
hand in his.  Should've kept my eyes open the first time, I told
myself. Unlike my first attempt, I didn't waver or lose my
concentration this time. I was amazed at how easy this was.


"Alright, Tamara, it's time to work on your control," Asher was all
business, suddenly. It only surprised me for a second, and I
maintained my altitude. That seemed to please him. "How do you think
you would change direction or altitude?"  I thought about it for a
moment. I wonder, I thought as an idea formed.  Could be a good thing
I'm a Star Wars fan, too.  "The same as how I'm flying to begin
with," I answered. "Relax and simply do it."  I think I actually
statled him. "That is exactly right, cherie. How did you...?"  "Too
many science fiction movies and books," I grinned at him.  He arched
an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at me. It was my turn not to buy it.
I knew he was pleased with me. He spent the next hour and a half
putting me through various drills. I thought I did quite well.


Asher conceded, "Not bad, cherie. But your attitude seems to be a
little too flippant."  "I am not going to apologize for enjoying
myself, Asher," I said. "If you're thinking that I will, then you can
just bite me." Yep, I know, I broke one of my smartass survival
rules: never say bite me to a vampire unless you really mean it. But,
hey, it got the desired response. I made him smile. Grin, actually,
and this time he flashed fang.  "What a tempting offer," he purred.
Uh oh.  "Maybe," I stalled as he began to stalk towards me. "But
first... you have to catch me." And I launched straight up just as he
reached where I'd been standing.


"Oh ho! If it's a chase you want, cherie, a chase you shall have," he
laughed as he flew after me.  I actually managed to avoid him for
about half an hour. Although, I suspected that he was letting me.
Then I lost sight of him. Not good. I hovered just above some trees,
wondering where he was.  I gasped as his arms closed around me from
behind, and he nuzzled my ear. "I have captured you, ma cherie. Shall
I claim my prize?" I wriggled in a vain attempt to get loose. His
embrace was not crushing or painful, but it wasn't loosening any
either. Asher chuckled, "Struggle all you like, cherie. It just makes
my victory all the sweeter." He nibbled gently down my neck, pushing
the collar of my turtleneck out of the way. 

 
"You're really going to bite me, aren't you," I breathed. The effects
of his ministrations were making it difficult to think.  He licked
along the line of my throat, whispered, "Oui," matter-of-factly, then
struck.  Brilliant colors exploded behind my eyes and my body
stiffened in a silent scream. It wasn't pain or fear that paralyzed
me, but rather, overwhelming pleasure.  When I could finally think, I
thought, I could get addicted to this.  Plain old sex paled in
comparison to the sensations Asher's "kiss" evoked.  I saw that we
were back on solid ground. Asher stood, cradling me in his arms. 


A quick survey of our surroundings showed me that we's wound up
behind the Ice Den at the sportsplex. Nearby was the large pile of
ice slush from the zamboni scrapings of the two ice rinks inside.
Still carrying me, Asher walked over to the frigid mass. "What's
this?"  he asked.  I giggled, "Welcome to the only place in Central
Florida where you can have a snowball fight any time of the year."
"Well, isn't this touching. The new Master of the City and his pet
human," came a voice from behind us. "Really, Asher, is she the best
you could do?" "Set me down, Asher," I whispered. "I can stand now,
and you may need your hands free."  He set me on my feet and turned
to face our company.


A tall young man barely out of his teens, if that, stood facing us
with a contemptuous sneer on his face. A Harley T-shirt with a
crewcut? I blinked. Definitely mixed signals there. I wasn't
impressed. Asher appeared non-chalant, but I sensed an underlying
caution about him as he faced the boy.  "Your Ursa and I have already
made an agreement, Tim," he stated. "What do you seek to accomplish
by insulting my servant?" Woo! And I thought the slush pile behind me
was cold! (Asher had kicked in with the voice tricks on that last
phrase.)  "She had no right to make that agreement!" the boy
spat. "You're not strong enough to control this city! You have no
animal to call; even your human has no special powers or abilities!"
So, he didn't see me flying, I thought, a plan forming. And Asher
said he'd reached an agreement with the "Ursa." Werebears?


"She is your Ursa, she has every right," I stated.  "You stay out of
this, girl!" the boy growled. "This is between me and the vampire."
"Girl?" I arched an eyebrow at that. Hell, technically I was old
enough to be this kid's mother, I was willing to bet. Asher's voice
got even colder, as if he'd freeze the boys blood in his veins by
merely saying so. "Again, you insult my servant, and by association,
myself. For the past two years the bears' power and influence here
has been waning. My treaty with your Ursa is beneficial to the bears
as well as the vampires. It will keep other groups from trying to
take this territory and make it their own. I would expect you to be
grateful, cub!  But instead, you insist on trying to... how do you
Americans put it?.. piss me off!"


"We don't need any stinking vampires to hold what is our own!" Tim
screamed and launched himself at Asher. While they were rolling
around on the ground grappling, I turned to the slush pile. I broke
off a couple of pieces of the icy crust. Around one peice I packed
some of the looser, more snow-like slush, making a snowball.  I
pegged the slushball at Tim and caught him right in the ear with the
hard ice center. "That -- is -- enough!" I hollered.  He turned
toward me, snarling. "You need to be taught your place, human!" With
that, his face shifted and sprouted fur, until his head was that of a
bear on his still human body. Definitely alpha potential if his
temper and stupidity didn't get him killed first.  I didn't even
flinch as he changed and stalked towards me. Asher picked himself up
and came to my side, his face a perfect mask.  Tim stopped a few feet
from me, obviously puzzled by my lack of fear.  Time to baffle him
with bullshit.


"I'm sorry," I said in a bland voice, "Was this the part where I was
supposed to run off screaming in terror?" I gave Asher a light
backhand slap in the stomach. "Why don't you ever tell me these
things? Now I've missed my cue and made poor Tim here look like a
doof."  "You will fear me, human," Tim said, temper flaring again.
His hands stated to change into claws.  I walked right up to
him. "Y'know, Tim, sweety. I'd love to oblige you, but the
opportunity has already passed. Now the timing's all wrong. It just
wouldn't work," I said reasonably. "But I think I know something that
could salvage the situation."  "What?" Boy, did I have him confused.
"This." I was close enough now. I grabbed the front of his pant's
waistband and dropped the remaining chunk of ice down his shorts.


The look of shock on his young face was priceless, but I didn't take
much time to appreciate it. Rather, I took advantage of the
distraction to slip around behind him and get him in as close to a
full-nelson hold as I could manage. Then I flew up with the obnoxious
punk.  "Wha...?! B-b-but you can't fly!" he protested. I was willing
to bet that he was scared of heights. Good.  "Surprise, surpise,
Timmy-boy. Sure looks to me like I'm flying." He was grasping
desperately at my arms with one clawed hand and gingerly trying
to fish the ice out of his pants with the other. "Oh, and Tim, if you
so much as snag a thread on this coat, let alone scratch me, I will
drop you like a hot rock. You might want to look down and think about
it first."  He looked down and gave a high-pitched squeal. We were
hovering near the roof of the Maitland Tower, a little over fourteen
stories up. (That's pretty tall for something built on what used to
be swamp.)


"Now, if you promise to be a good little cub, I'll carry you back and
set you down gently. If not, well... we can just see if a lycanthrope
can survive going splat on the pavement. I'd say chances are good
that even if you do survive the internal trauma, you'll come out of
it crippled. Even your body can ony heal so much so fast," I reasoned
with him.  "You bitch! You wouldn't dare!" he sputtered.  "Might want
to rethink that, boy," I said. "You're not exactly light, y'know. I'm
not really sure how much longer I can keep us both aloft., and I
don't see Asher coming up here to help carry you. It comes down to
it, and I will let you fall to save myself." I bobbed in the air a
few times to really get my point across.  "Alright! Alright!" Tim
screamed in panic. "I'll do anything you want!  just get me down from
here!"  "First, lose the fur and claws," I ordered. "If you're alpha
enough to control the change that much, then you can change back
without passing out."


"NOW," I demanded when he didn't act immediately. He shifted back to
human form, and I took us down for a safe landing. As soon as we
touched down, he broke away from me and put a few yards between us.
His face was torn between fear, hatred, and awe.  Asher moved up
beside me. "I will speak with the Ursa about this incident, Tim," he
warned. "Do not threaten or attack me or mine again."  "The Ursa
can't stop me from fighting your presence here," Tim said
defiantly.  "Talk like that could get you declared rogue, Timmy," I
told him. "You don't want that. You'd lose the protection of your
group, and the bounty hunters would come and hunt you down. No
arrest, no trial, just an execution."  "I'll keep that in mind," he
said, then turned and ran off into the night.  That one's going to be
trouble, I thought.  


A handful of loose slush hit me in the back of the head. "Hey!"  I
turned to find Asher scowling at me.  "What?" I said.  Suddenly he
was there, crushing me to his chest. "Don't ever scare me like that
again!" he whispered hoarsly. "Y're crushing me," I mumbled into his
sweater. He eased up on his grip, and I could breath again. Mmmmm,
the sweater was downright snuggly and smelled pleasantly of his
cologne. I think I actually nuzzled some.  Asher started
chuckling. "The look on his face when you got him with the ice," he
laughed.  I had to laugh with him. "That was sweet, wasn't it."  "I
can't believe you did that, Tamara. Would you have really dropped
him?" Asher sounded honestly curious. It was a good question.


After some thought, I said, "If he hadn't cooperated, I would've had
to.  I'd've probably hated myself for it, but I couldn't let him hurt
or kill us."  "Are you sure you're not related to Anita?" he joked.
"Yep. And if you want to swap stories with Jean-Claude, go right
ahead," I said. "But I'm not gonna compete with her on who's
toughest. I know she'd win. Hell, I've never had to kill anyone, and
I'm still not a hundred precent sure that I could."  He seemed to
accept that.  He lifted my chin and engaged me in a lingering kiss,
tongue gently probing. When our lips part from each other, it was a
few moments before I trusted myself to open my eyes. I didn't want to
show the longing he stirred in me, even though I knew he could sense
it.  "Now, cherie, let us fly back to your car and then find a place
to visit," he purred in his most seductive voice.  I narrowed my eyes
at him. "Define visit."  He just chuckled..... I was afraid of that.