Decisions, Chapter 12

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Godric paced the upper deck of TSO as he waited for his Cara to appear.

This was the third night after his visit to the tiny part of the box-looking building she called home, and he ached to see her again…to inhale her sweetly delicious scent…to cup her cheek in his hand… to back her against the wall and fuck her senseless… It had taken more control than he wished to admit to keep from knocking on her door the previous two nights.

The night after his visit, he had contented himself with simply checking in with her guards and listening to her quite breathing as she slept peacefully before visiting the house he considered hers, where he then chose to go to ground.

Literally.

The higher parts of the generally low-ceilinged cave system under the grounds of the house were oddly, considering its location, “dry”…if dry meant not submerged under water at least some of the time. Such alcoves, some deeper into the subterranean sides than others, afforded plenty of room for a cot and anything else a self-sufficient 2000+ year old vampire might wish to have handy. As much as his older, more civilized self loved his creature comforts, his currently more primitive nature relished a more Spartan existence, so his effects in this shelter were few.

There was something innately primal about going to rest so far beneath the ground that appeased a part of Godric’s soul.

As he stretched out and relaxed, he enjoyed the irony of savoring the freedom he found in travelling light and sleeping rough while at the same time mentally listing of all the comforts and treasures he would proudly and humbly provide for his Cara.

He suddenly realized that he should prepare a place down there for his Cara. Should something happen to necessitate it, this was the perfect place to hide her from whatever troubles might come, but she would need…things, he was certain. She would need light to see, and a place to tend to her human needs. Those large plastic storage totes would be good to store clothing and provisions for her as they would not rust in the permanently damp environment.

The permanently damp environment may be a problem in and of itself, he then realized. Humans were not meant to spend much time in such an area.

He wouldn’t want her to mold.

Could a cave system even be ventilated? Yes, it could, he reasoned, but it wouldn’t help with the pervasive humidity. The never-ending supply of water coursing along the cave’s floor would negate any attempt at dehumidifying the area. It would not be a healthy place for his Cara to stay, not for long at any rate.

Oh, his Cara.

Eyes closed as he savored the safety and security he found within the womb of the earth, he relived the tantalizing memory of his Cara’s sweet, feminine scent.   To the soothingly distant sounds of water dripping, he relived the joy he found in the curve of her lips as she smiled, the flush of her cheeks as his ardent gaze had brought forth her heated blush, and the taste and soft silk of her lips crushed against his own.

He was lulled into his day rest reliving the feeling of being held tight in her arms, his head bowed into the curve of her neck, and her hands soothing and comforting him as they stroked his back.

The next afternoon, the one before this night, he had once again risen with a smile on his face courtesy of his Cara. He had then of course checked with the guards, and then perched for hours in his favorite tree outside Cara’s home. Despite his dirty and disheveled appearance, he had come perilously close to knocking on her door but was saved by that proverbial bell, of sorts.

Her phone had rung, and his innate curiosity had kicked in, so he had retaken his position in that tree. He had then listened as she spoke with that insufferable Steph who was bemoaning her current single status. No big surprise there, he’d thought caustically. After an interminable amount of wasted time she was finally freed from that conversation…only to have Roddy call. He was full of gossip regarding Cal’s “sudden” decision to move to Minnesota, and how he felt bad for the people of that beautiful state. Godric silently agreed, then listened as she turned down the man’s dutifully extended invitation to go to TKO that night, but allowed that she might be interested in going the next night. He was glad the glamour was still as active as it should be, but considered removing it soon. He didn’t want Cara becoming suspicious.

After that shorter conversation was over, he listened intently as she prepared herself a drink and a late evening snack, some sort of cardboard microwave meal if he correctly recognized the sounds and accompanying stench. Then he heard her phone ringing again.

He completely understood her exasperated huff – he really wasn’t all that taken with telephones even back when they were still connected to a wall. But these nights the damn things were supposed to follow you around every where you went so that anyone with your number could find you anytime they wanted. Cell phones, he knew, were mainly for the convenience of others, not their owner.

This caller immediately intrigued him, and not in a good way. She never said the man’s name, and the man never identified himself in such a way that Godric could track him down and forcefully interrogate him. He overheard her end easily, but the man’s voice was muffled enough that no actual words were discernable even with his superior hearing. He had easily distinguished the Steph’s screeching tones, and not only had Cara said Roddy’s name, but the man had excellent diction and so was effortlessly identifiable. But this male? Who the hell was he?

No matter, he thought with satisfaction, she didn’t speak with him for very long, and until this night he hadn’t heard her speak with him before, so he wasn’t concerned.

As dawn approached, with a heavy heart he headed back to the cave system. He would have preferred to go to ground near her apartment, but it simply wasn’t advisable to do so. The guards knew of his presence, and there were too many other mortals in the area.

Another long, lonely day passed ensconced within the safety of the earth.

When he rose earlier that afternoon, he mentally finalized a few plans, and once it was safe to venture out, he had flown to Eric’s home to bathe and don clean clothing. He had then written out a long list of things for Eric’s dayperson to procure on his behalf for his Cara, and then instructed that those items be stored in the safest and cleanest of his several warehouses.

He then instructed Eric to locate his previous dayperson and offer the man his former position with an appropriate raise in pay and benefits. The slightly older gentleman Were, now in his sixth decade, had been invaluable during his previous, more civilized, era, but since Godric had begun…changing, the idea of putting up with someone so close so often had become rather annoying. However, they had parted on very good terms, so he hoped to have Mr. Barnsworth back in his employ very soon.

Eric, of course, had happily agreed to the search, hoping it would be easier than finding the friend’s sister’s vampire. That search was fruitless at best – thus far his Child had only managed to rule out several vampires. Although he in no way wanted to draw his Cara’s attention to his intended actions, he was beginning to fear that the only way he could discover the name of the vampire in question would be to talk to Cara herself. Meh. While playing suave was second nature to him, he did not enjoy such things. Not anymore.

Even as he paced, he took what peace he could in knowing that Roddy would undoubtedly ask her to join him again tonight, and that according to her response yesterday, there was a slight chance she might appear.

Despite everything that had happened during the night of the ‘talk’, her friend Roddy was most assuredly still under his thrall. His ability to glamour was, of course, legendary, so regardless of what Pamela had ‘corrected’ about the incident, his original instructions to Roddy would stand until he, himself, removed them.

He let his thoughts drift for a moment. Eric’s progeny, Pamela, was a true gift to his bloodline. Smooth, focused, sharp as a tack, and capable of not only knowing what needed to be done but of taking the initiative and getting it done, she was indeed a grandprogeny worthy of pride. Granted she was as lazy as she could logically get away with, but she was intensely loyal and could be quite hardworking…when she deemed it necessary.

As per usual, she knew that the memories of Roddy and his boyfriend – a term that made no sense to him as the man was full-grown – needed to be adjusted before their departure and had taken care of the situation herself. She knew Godic’s glamour of the obnoxious piss-scented fool had been more than sufficient.

Just as he was about to make another impatient pass along the upper deck, he spotted Roddy and Bart entering the dining area. His heart sank when he saw that Cara was not with them, but consoled himself with the thought that maybe she would be meeting them later.

He forced himself to wait until they had been seated and given their drinks before silently gliding over to their table.

Several underlings fled from his path as he stomped away from the human’s table. Not only was his Cara not going to come in this night, she was apparently not feeling well, either. This would not do. In what way was she feeling unwell? Why didn’t she “feel like getting out”? When glamoured to repeat her exact words, Roddy had replied, “She said, ‘Nah, I’m staying in tonight. I’m tired, and I don’t feel like getting out. When I asked her what was wrong, she said, ‘I’m just not feeling all that good.‘”

The man had seemed too damn blasé about the whole thing – did he not understand how fragile the human body was? Did he not know that a person could be “not feeling well” one day and be dead the next? Not to mention how so many people who felt perfectly fine suddenly dropped dead for no foreseeable reason whatsoever!

Idiot!!

Ah, well, he thought. At least he had taken the opportunity to void his glamour of Roddy. His assistance was not only no longer needed, but if it were allowed to continue, his Cara might notice that something was amiss. She seemed to be rather more perceptive than the norm.

Silently seething over Roddy’s lackadaisical attitude and quite worried over his Cara’s health, Godric sped to his private rooms in TSO, kicked off his shoes with a snarl, and grabbed his phone. As much as he hated the damn thing, it was a connection with his Cara, and he would use it.

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**A/N: Just a short filler chapter, but I do love seeing what Godric is up to! Remember: Reviews definitely are inspiration!**

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