Two nights later, I unlocked my office, turned the lights on, and set out bottled water for my new patients. The husband had insisted the couple needed an evening appointment, and had offered to pay five times my normal rate if I would agree to see them at nine o'clock in the evening.
It wasn't the money so much as...something I couldn't put a finger on.
However, I'd gone to school to be a therapist so I could help people, and I had a feeling I was capable of helping this couple.
Also, I was curious as to why they'd wanted me and no one else. I've acquired the unadvertised reputation for helping people in the BDSM lifestyle without getting hung up on their kink, but this gentleman had said nothing to make me think he and his wife were a part of the lifestyle. Still, I had the impression this would be an interesting session.
My office looked different at night, and my normal lighting wasn't enough without the sunlight spilling in from the windows. I lease space in one of those towers that invariably get built near hospitals, and I'm on the fifth floor so no one can look in the windows and invade my patients' privacy. It isn't a huge suite of offices — just the lobby where my assistant Eileen sits, my office, a bathroom, and a tiny break room. The waiting area is typical with chairs and a fish tank, but I've worked to decorate my inner office more like a home, as I want to put people at ease.
Kieran and Gwen Dixon arrived about five minutes early. They were both stunningly beautiful, and dressed well enough to have just come from a magazine photo shoot. They fit well in proportion to each other, but as they approached me I realized they were both short. I'm five foot two inches tall, and Gwen was a few inches shorter than me. Kieran was perhaps four inches taller than me, but next to other men he'd be quite short. Maybe it was the cut of the clothes, but I only noted their height in relation to me and hadn't noticed it until they were close enough to shake hands.
I welcomed them in and offered them a seat. I'd situated two of the chairs together, with a small table between. Close enough they could hold hands if they wanted, but far enough away to give distance.
I once again regretted the need for the harsh overhead lighting. During the day, with sunlight spilling in, a few table lamps gave enough additional light. Without daylight, I'd been forced to use the overhead fluorescents, and they interfered with the cozy, warm atmosphere I'd worked so hard to achieve.
"Did you bring the questionnaire I emailed?" I asked them.
"Apologies," Kieran said, "but we seem to have walked out and forgotten it."
This was unfortunate, as it meant I'd have to spend five to ten minutes asking questions instead of thirty seconds skimming the answers.
As I turned to walk to my chair, Kieran reached for my hand, looked into my eyes, and said, "My Lady, you will not take notes during the session, and you will accept what is said as fact without wondering how it can be true."
I felt something attempting to poke through my shields as he spoke, as if he were trying to get to the place my thoughts originate.
Someone coming through my shields could only be seen as an attack, but I was in therapist mode, where I'm focused on my patients and not myself, so I held my temper.
I removed my hand from his and lowered my voice to slowly say, "Mr.
Dixon, I am not your lady, I will take any notes I wish, and I will decide what to accept as fact and what not to accept as fact. This is what you're paying me for. Please trust me to do my job."
His face was one of surprise. Shock. And Gwen's face matched his — as if they'd suddenly discovered I was from the planet Jupiter and had rings circling my head. After spending five seconds staring at me, they looked at each other, and Gwen told him, "Let me make an attempt, with your help," as she reached for his hand.
Gwen spoke in an odd voice and looked at me with piercing eyes.
"Miss O'Shea, while we are here you will not take any notes and you will accept the things we say without surprise and without question."
The two stood as one, as if they were part of the same aura, and whatever was trying to get through my shields made it into my brain, this time. Their combined energies were trying to override my will and seemed to be trying to place a marker.
When I edit a home video and wish to put in a special effect, I mark the beginning and end, and then tell the program what effect to use on that section of video. Somehow, Kieran and Gwen had combined their power in an attempt to put some sort of double whammy on me, as if to mark a section of memory yet to be written. It didn't work, but it was very impressive.
Most of humanity would have no idea the couple had done anything, and likely would've fallen for the suggestion. Thoughts come into people's head and they assume they thought it, having no idea other people and beings could put thoughts into their heads.
While I analyzed what they'd tried to do and made sure they hadn't actually managed to do something, they visibly relaxed, as they apparently thought their little mind trick had worked this time. I debated with myself and decided I probably had a much better chance of figuring out what was going on if I played along, so I said, "Of course," and turned around to walk to my chair.
How did I know they were trying to poke around in my head? I spent a good part of my mid-twenties sitting in Native American sweat lodges, and my late twenties meditating on a Chinese mountain with monks. I took the phrase "finding myself" to a whole new level. I've spent a lot of time learning how to shield myself physically and psychically, and even more time learning which thoughts are my own and which thoughts were being placed into my head by others. These abilities saved me from their little trick.
"Here is the questionnaire you asked us to fill out," Kieran said as he offered it to me. "Please look it over and return it to us."
Hmmm. Interesting. They did fill it out, but I couldn't very well ask why they'd lied — not without letting them know their little trick hadn't worked.
Uneasy, I nonchalantly moved from my comfy chair to my desk so I'd be able to draw my gun without them seeing. I need to draw in a good bit of energy to use my metaphysical weapons, and if they could mess with someone's mind, it seemed a good guess they could sense someone loading up on energy. A gun seemed simpler at the moment.
I accepted the paper from Kieran on my way to the desk, and looked it over. They'd been married three hundred and fifty four years, they had a good sex life (the choices were unsatisfactory, satisfactory, good, great).
Before the current issues came up they fought less than once a month, and...
what? They'd been married three hundred and fifty four years? Alrighty then. Things were certainly getting interesting.
My friend Aaron was thousands of years old, and Nathan was around eight hundred years old, so I didn't immediately assume this couple couldn't be the age they claimed.
I'd been around not only those two shapeshifters, but also a number of werewolves, and in my experience the shifters had a specific kind of energy — one I'd learned to pick up on when I met someone, and neither Kieran nor Gwen had come across with the spicy, hot, volatile energy of the shifters.
I glanced through the rest of the form and looked up, meeting Kieran's gaze, then Gwen's. "Okay, so what brings you to see me?"
Kieran reached over and took Gwen's hand as she said, "Kieran and I are having jealousy issues and would like help working through them."
Kieran blanched a bit at her words, but didn't argue with his wife.
I was still thrown off by the amount of time they'd been married, and needed to verify it wasn't a mistake. Instead of asking a neutral question, I commented, "You'd think that after more than three centuries together you'd have figured out you love each other and are there for each other. Is this some sort of special circumstance?"
Gwen blushed, and for the first time I noticed how pale she and her husband were. "Yes, in a manner of speaking, but first we need to explain some things. You see, we are vampires and we need to feed on human blood. Kieran and I have both had human companions over the years who acted as a food source." She glanced at her husband as she said, "Humans who we cared about and who cared about us, whom we fed from in a mutually beneficial relationship." Her eyes tracked back to me. "This was considered necessary, and we both treated each other's humans with respect."
She spat the final word out, and I guessed this was probably at least part of the problem. But, I kept listening.
"In recent decades we've had access to bagged blood from the blood bank, and as a result we've spent a long while without human companions.
However, I don't find bagged blood as fulfilling as lifeblood direct from the source, and I've taken on another human companion." She looked at her husband again as she added, "For the first time ever, Kieran is jealous of my human."
Acting lessons. I needed acting lessons. My sixteen year old daughter is currently playing the lead in a local production of Cats and is practicing for the production of Alice Through the Looking Glass, which starts next month. I fell back on some of the things I've heard her acting coach say about how to keep her face composed for a certain emotion, and I worked hard to appear professionally detached. If I pulled this off I should try out for something myself.
I looked at Kieran and asked, "Do you agree with her explanation, or would you like to give me more information?"
"She has her facts correct, but neglected to mention she is in love with her human companion."
Indignant, Gwen practically spat, "Of course I love him! But only as a companion, the same as you've loved your past humans! I don't love him as I love you!"
I put my hands into the 'time out' sign and said, "So I can better understand the dynamics, I'm going to make a few statements and I'd like you to both nod yes or no, without looking at each other, as I make the statements. Okay?"
They both nodded yes.
"In the past," I said, "you've both had human companions at the same time, never one person with a companion and the other without one."
They both shook their head no.
"Okay, Kieran, can you explain how it worked in the past, then, when only one of you had a companion."
His speech was precise and proper, and sounded like a mix of accents.
Sometimes there was a touch of Ireland, but then a few words would have more of a British feel to them, and every once in a while something sounded almost French. Mostly it was just pompous American, though, as he said, "In the past, we usually each had a companion. However, there were times when one had left us, and Gwen or I were searching for another.
During those periods only one of us enjoyed a companion."
"So, even though one of you was without, you were still actively looking for a companion of your own, right?"
"Correct."
"And you're currently not interested in your own companion?"
He shook his head, his lips tight and his eyes shooting daggers.
"Okay, another question for both of you, again please either nod yes or no without looking at each other: Do you have sex with your companions?"
They both nodded yes.
"Kieran, why are you not interested, when you have been in the past?"
"Because it is enough for me to drink bagged blood. I enjoy not having to be tied to a human. I appreciate the freedom it allows me.
Companions were once necessary, but it took a lot of time and energy to keep them fulfilled, so they would stay and be happy."
I felt my eyebrows raise, but refrained from asking the question on the tip of my tongue, unsure how much Gwen's suggestion should keep me from asking.
Thankfully, Gwen answered my unasked question. "If a human companion is not happy in their role then they leave. In this age and place they are not our hostages, they come to us of their own free will."
I smiled in thanks at Gwen and looked to Kieran. "And you think it should be enough for Gwen to drink bagged blood as well?"
His eyes narrowed, his brows rose, and he dipped his chin and lifted it in an arrogant nod. I had a feeling he wasn't always an asshole, but wore it like a mask, now, to keep from showing his pain.
I looked at his wife and asked, "Gwen, you say you aren't fulfilled by bagged blood. Can you explain why?"
I couldn't believe I was managing to have this conversation without acting surprised. If I hadn't already known about werewolves, werelions, weredragons, and other assorted animal shifters, it's likely I wouldn't have been able to.
Gwen's voice was softer, this time. "When you drink from a companion you take on more than just their blood, there's a mind connection and I believe you take on some of their life force as well. I don't get this from bagged blood, it leaves me feeling cold." She looked pointedly at Kieran. "Even if I warm it up, first."
Seemed there'd already been some discussion about the cold versus warm thing.
"Question for both of you: Among the other vampires, are there others who've gone back to keeping a human companion after living on bagged blood?"
They both nodded yes.
"And, by chance, is it mostly female vampires who aren't happy with the bagged variety?"
"Yes," Gwen said, "though it hadn't occurred to me before. Of those in a relationship, I can think of a dozen women who've taken a companion, but only four men, all of whom are gay." She was still thinking, so I was quiet and gave her time. "I can't think of anyone who is currently single — male or female — who is living entirely on bagged blood."
This was sounding like a basic difference between males and females to me. "Kieran, can you understand that bagged blood doesn't do it for her?
Perhaps you resented the need for a human companion and thus can be happy without one, but she needs this kind of sustenance in order to be happy and fulfilled and… nourished? It isn't a statement of you not being enough of a husband for her, it's that she needs more than she's getting from the new and improved way of feeding?"
Now I saw anger as he burst forth with his shouted, "No! She was fine on it for years! It wasn't until she became besotted with this human that she decided bagged blood wasn't good enough anymore!"
"Gwen, how often do you see this human?"
"He lives with us."
Ouch. "Is that normal?"
They both nodded in the affirmative.
"Who sleeps where?"
Kieran took this one and spoke with a flourish, "We are Vampire! We do not sleep. We die at dawn and then arise as the sun sets."
Wow, drama, anyone? Maybe I could take acting lessons from him.
But, I wasn't supposed to be surprised by anything, so I plugged along professionally. "Okay then, who dies where and who sleeps where? And when does Gwen's companion sleep?"
Gwen's voice remained calm. "My human has a day job and his own bedroom. I spend a few hours with him between when I rise at sunset and when he goes to bed for the night around ten or eleven o'clock, the rest of my time is available for Kieran if he desires it. Or, Kieran could spend some time with us while my companion is awake if he chose, and if he could be nice, but he does not."
"Kieran, what's your biggest stumbling block? The time Gwen spends with her companion, or the things she does with him?"
Kieran looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "Both bother me, but the time she spends with him upsets me more than what they are doing. I had not thought of it this way before, but there have been things I wanted to do with her, or things I wanted to tell her, and I stayed away and said nothing because it would've started a fight to impose upon her time with him. I enjoyed the years it was just us, with no companions."
Okay, time for me to problem solve. I wasn't sure if I had enough information, but I really wanted to solve this in one session and not have to deal with this couple again. Because I was afraid I'd say something so they knew I wasn't mind-melted to their orders, I was willing to take a shortcut and help them out with a solution, rather than asking them a million questions until they came up with it.
Looking more at Gwen than Kieran, I asked, "Can we work to find a compromise, so Kieran feels welcome to impose upon those few hours a day you've set aside for your companion? He resents it's no longer just the two of you and he begrudges the time you spend away from him. Do you have any ideas of how to go about helping Kieran not feel as if he's lost you for a portion of every day?"
Gwen didn't appear to like this idea at all. She spoke fast and with a touch of an Irish accent I hadn't heard before. "Kieran is a tyrant about this!
I gave him an inch and he took a mile until I had to put me foot down and say the time from when I woke up until Mark went to bed belonged to Mark. When I said Kieran could impose, he managed to interrupt us every single day, and had Mark ready to walk out the door! And I didn't blame Mark for being upset, Kieran was awful to him!"
"Ah, so the two of you have already tried to find solutions to the problem, and this has led to the current arrangement." I paused a few moments as I considered the dilemma. "It seems to me you've tried the two extremes but haven't met in the middle. How does this sound — Kieran is allowed three nights a week he can impose on the time set aside for Mark.
Not all of the time on those nights, but some of it. He doesn't have to impose all three nights, and most weeks probably won't, but if something comes up then he can. The option's there should he need to take it."
They were both eerily still, like statues. I wasn't even sure they were breathing. I inhaled and continued, "If there's a function or event Kieran would like to attend with you in the evening, can you see Mark long enough to feed and then go to a play or whatever with Kieran? Or, if it's rude to eat and run then can you drink bagged blood that one night and give Mark the evening off?" I shifted my gaze to her husband. "Kieran will not create situations, but if they arise then he won't hesitate to make you aware of them. And, in exchange for this, Kieran will be nice to Mark and will make him feel welcome in your home." I looked at both of them and asked, "Does this sound equitable to both of you?"
They both thought it through, and then both slowly nodded yes.
I looked at Kieran. "You will be nice to Mark and you will make him feel welcome. And you won't intrude just because you can, but only when something truly comes up, or when there's an event you really want to attend with your wife. Can you handle that?"
"Yes."
I looked at Gwen. "Can you keep from blowing up at him for intruding? If you feel he's encroaching too much then give yourself at least six hours after the interruption, and then calmly speak with him when you're alone. If you cannot resolve the situation then you'll make another appointment to come see me and we'll talk about specifics and how to better handle a similar situation in the future. Does this work for you?"
"Agreed."
"You should both proceed with caution until you've reached a place of trust and comfort. Kieran won't take advantage, and Gwen won't assume he's taking advantage unless there's ample evidence. Gwen will be sensitive to Kieran's feelings and will make sure he knows how much he's loved." I looked back and forth to both as I spoke now. "And I can tell you both love each other, and are hurt by this rift. It's easy to take the love we have for one another for granted after ten years, I can't imagine how it is after several centuries, so both of you should go out of your way to show the other how much they're loved and cherished, and to see that everyone's needs are being met. Try to give each other the benefit of the doubt as you find a way to make your marriage work."
They both nodded again and I breathed a sigh of relief. Could it be this easy?
Relaxed, happy to have resolved the situation, I let my guard down and asked a question. "How many vampires are in town? I'm assuming there's a group, but are we talking a dozen, or hundreds?" I knew there were well over a hundred werewolves in town, and since vampires and werewolves are some of the best known mythological creatures, I wondered if their numbers were similar.
Their heads swiveled towards each other, their expressions a mixture of alarm and puzzlement. Too late, I remembered I wasn't supposed to question the facts.
Kieran spoke very slowly, "Why do you ask?"
I lost my actress face, and there was nothing I could do to get it back. I knew I looked as guilty as my daughter and dog had the night before when I caught her giving him her baked potato when they thought I wasn't looking.
I could feel the guilt written all over my face so I decided to come clean.
I spoke quickly and moved my hands around in the air as I spoke, a nervous habit I usually don't resort to anymore, but I couldn't stop. "I guess this is where I tell you it didn't work when you combined your powers, either. Right? I mean, I felt you make it through my shields, and I felt you trying to play with my willpower, but it wasn't so hard to hold on and keep you from messing with it." I shrugged and carefully placed my hands on my legs and willed them to stay there before adding, "I figured it wouldn't be hard to do as you asked and not take notes or be surprised by what you told me. And really, it's not so surprising to me that vampires exist. I mean, I know of other mythological beings who aren't so mythical, so why not vampires?"
They both spoke at the same time, with Kieran asking, "You knew we combined our powers?" as Gwen asked "What other mythological creatures are you aware of?"
I decided to address Gwen's question first since it was the shortest answer. "Just as I won't be telling anyone else of the existence of vampires, I won't be telling you of the existence of them."
To Kieran, I answered, "Yes, I knew what you were doing. I realize most humans probably don't figure it out, and you're wondering what I am.
Right?"
Hi tilted his head up so he was looking down his nose at me. "I do not wonder what you are. You smell human, ergo, you are human. However, you are the first human I've met in over sixteen hundred years who could stand against two vampires working together, and only the third human who could stand against me alone."
I decided to take the bull by the horns, as I figured they had some kind of directive to not let me live with knowledge of them they couldn't erase.
If that were the case I needed to know sooner rather than later. My hands itched for my gun, but my instincts told me to leave it in my belly band. I considered drawing energy into me, but once again my intuition told me they wouldn't react well if they noticed, so I didn't.
"Well, our time is up and I need to get home to my family." I wasn't sure if the knowledge I had a family would help keep me safe, but figured it couldn't hurt. "I hope the two of you are able to work on your compromise.
If you aren't then give the office a call and we'll figure out whether a phone conversation will help, or whether we need another appointment." As I spoke I pulled my laptop from the top of the desk, put it into my bag, and casually untucked my blouse in the back under my suit jacket so it would be easier to get to my gun.
The couple looked at each other and Gwen spoke first, "We need to talk to…I'd like to think she is trustworthy. I smell truth."
Kieran's nostrils flared. "Yes, but she's had a gun since we walked in, but just did something to fan the smell into the room. I suspect she gave herself easier access."
Damn. Vampire noses must be as good as shapeshifter noses. I needed to dig myself out of the hole I seemed to be shoveling deeper every time I spoke.
"Of course I adjusted my weapon. It's ten o'clock at night, we're downtown, and I'm about to walk outside to my car. It has nothing to do with the two of you and everything to do with me being a small female in the city at night."
I raised my empty hands so they could see them. "I didn't pull the gun.
It's still at my waist under my clothes. And, sorry about the change of conversation, but based on what Gwen just said, I'm guessing there's a rule stating if you couldn't erase my memory then you can't just let me walk away, right?"
Two affirmative but terse nods.
"Yeah, you aren't the only species with rules about who can know about you. Other species trust me with their secret, and I can assure you I'll keep yours safe, too. Besides, I'm also guessing you gave me fake contact information, so there's no way I could point to the two of you, and who'd believe me if I told the story, anyway?"
Kieran ignored my words and said, "You've had some sort of training.
You mentioned shields?"
I leaned back in my desk chair, trying to look relaxed. "I've spent my fair share of time in Native American ceremony as well as lots of time on mountains meditating with monks. I'm not psychic, but probably only a few steps short of it. Extremely sensitive, I guess."
"There is something you aren't telling me, you are leaving too much out. You've learned to be defensive. Have you learned to be offensive as well? You mention knowing other mythological creatures. Have they taught you things?"
I kept to my relaxed posture leaning back in my chair, and gave him a steady look. I knew he could smell my fear and anxiety, but I had it mostly under control so he wouldn't smell much. "I will not speak to you about any others."
I bet he was great at poker. His face was completely devoid of emotion as he said, "Please, come sit in the chair in which you started. Give me a moment while I ask for permission to let you go with knowledge of us. To do so means I am personally vouching for you until my Master can speak with you, but I feel responsible that I did not verify you were under our control before we started speaking. And, I do believe you are aware of others, besides us, which means they feel you are trustworthy. So I will ask."
I didn't like it, but I moved. Once I was seated, Kieran walked to the window and looked out. Time dragged on and I realized he must be talking to someone in his head. I very slowly began building up an energy reserve and hoped no one noticed. If I pull it in all at once then anyone who can sense energy or magic or whatever you want to call it can tell what I'm doing. Drawing on the energy around you in large quantities is kind of like slamming a magazine into a gun and racking it — it tends to make situations even more volatile.
After what seemed like five minutes, he turned towards me and said, "I'm sorry to make this sound as harsh as it will, but it's the best I can do.
You have a choice, we can kill you now, and your family and friends will be safe. Or, you can walk out and promise to keep your mouth shut, but should you ever tell anyone of our existence then we will kill you, your family, and close friends. If one of them strikes our fancy, we may give them the option of becoming one of us."
"Will there be some sort of trial, or will you just take someone's word for it and start killing?"
"You will have a chance to speak up on your behalf, of course. Also, it is likely my Master will make inquiries about you in the supernatural world to see who you are friends with, to verify you were already aware of others."
"I keep the secrets of others. I can keep yours as well. I do insist that should my honor ever come under scrutiny, you come to me with polite questions and not the assumption of guilt."
He nodded, pulled his wallet out, and removed a stack of cash as he stepped towards me. He laid it on the table beside my chair and said, "For services rendered. You have been most helpful. Gwen and I will walk you to your car to make sure you are safe." As I stood, he retrieved the questionnaire and handed it to Gwen. I locked up, and they walked me to my car and watched as I drove off.