FULL MOONLIGHT---Ch 6----Educating Logan. (PG-13)

[lionsonleashes]

**************CHAPTER 6-----Educating Logan*******************

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own ‘Moonlight’, or any of its wonderful characters. I’m just taking them out for a run! No copyright infringement is intended.

SUMMARY: A multi-chapter action-adventure featuring Mick, Beth, Josef, Logan, Talbot, Guillermo, Simone, and a few really big werewolves, among others. Rated PG-13 for mild language and violence.

SPOILERS: Follows on from all 16 episodes of ‘Moonlight’, as aired on CBS. Follows on from Allegrita’s FanFic, ‘Presto Agitato’, Ch 1 & 2. (Mick and Beth ‘sealed the deal’ and are now lovers.) Follows on from Desdemona’s FanFic, ‘Silver’, Ch 1 thru 7 only. (Talbot finds out about vampires in general, and Mick in particular, the hard way!) Borrows, with Eris’ kind permission, her original character of ‘Karl’ from her many fine FanFics.

Ready? Hold on! Here we go!

*******************************************************


Slowly, Logan stepped out of the corner. Mick gestured for him to follow him across the room…..and Logan followed, hesitantly.

Mick arrived at the couch where Amy sat waiting. Logan’s eyes were darting from Amy to Mick and back again, but he continued to follow along behind his Foster-Sire.

Mick indicated the couch with a gesture. “First step is to sit down, Logan. Sit here beside Amy.” Logan slowly eased himself down onto the couch, but on the opposite side of it from the freshie. She turned and smiled at him. He stared back at her, frozen, deer-in-the-headlights.

Nightmarish images of his first feeding, so long ago, flashed unbidden through his mind. He had been so hungry….so hungry…..crazed with hunger…..nearly feral. That first taste when he bit down…..so wonderful…..so needed. Then came the sickening realization that he was cradling a dead co-ed in his arms…..that he had drained her…..killed her….because he was hungry…….

“Easy Logan….” Mick said softly, sensing the younger vamp’s rising agitation. “You’re OK. That’s a good start…..just sit there for a moment. Try to relax.”

Logan forced his attention back to Mick. He trusted Mick. So, apparently, did the freshie, Amy. She continued to sit quietly. Her scent carried no fear…..she was calm, and patient. He sensed something else from her that took him a moment to sort out……supportiveness? Yeah…that was it. She was rooting for him…..she wanted to help him.

Mick took the chair he had been sitting in from in front of Josef’s desk and dragged it over to the couch. He positioned it facing the couch, and a few feet in front of it. Then he sat down, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him.

“OK, Logan.” Mick began, “First thing you need to understand is the array of natural tools that you have available to you.” Logan blinked at him.

“An assortment of pheromones, endorphins, and enzymes.” Mick continued. “You don’t have to try to think about using any of them for a specific purpose…..your body knows what to do….just like it knows how to walk across the room. When you walk across a room, you don’t think about putting one foot in front of the other. You just think about moving from point A to point B, and off you go. You’re vampiric ability to finesse a donor is no different. With me so far?”

Logan nodded slowly. “I think so.”

“Good.” Mick smiled. “Now, start by relaxing Amy…..I want you to think about wanting Amy to feel very relaxed and comfortable.”

Logan didn’t think this would work. How could he make the freshie feel relaxed when he himself was a nervous wreck? But he gave it a try anyway, concentrating on wanting the woman beside him to feel comfortable and relaxed. He was stunned when he realized something was actually happening…..Amy’s pulse was slowing down, not that it had been rapid before, and she sighed contentedly. Logan realized he could sense the muscles in her back and shoulders releasing the hidden tension they had been holding. She settled deeper into the couch’s leather cushions, a peaceful smile on her face.

Mick smiled. “Good….very good.”, he said. “Keep that up, Logan. What you’re doing is called, ‘enthralling’, or ‘thralling’ for short. All vampires can give off a pheromone that produces this effect in humans.”

Logan turned to look at Amy. She smiled back at him with half-lidded eyes, clearly tipsy from whatever pheromone he was managing to put out. He was amazed.

“Now….” Mick continued calmly, “Scoot closer to her and take her arm in your hands.”

Logan shot Mick an uncertain look.

“It’s OK, Logan. It’s going to be fine. I’m right here. Do as I say.”

Against his better judgment, Logan slid closer to the freshie on the couch. She smiled at him. He slowly reached out and took her left arm in his hands, gently, like she was made of bone china. He turned her hand palm up.

“Good….” Mick said, nodding and smiling at Logan, “Now….can you see the blood vessels in her arm? Look, and focus.”

Logan didn’t have to focus…..he was hungry….he could see the vessels alright….tracing the length of the woman’s arm….lit up like a neon map. He could see the blood within those vessels. The blood called to him. He jammed his eyes shut.

He didn’t want to see those vessels! That was why he rarely left his parents’ basement. That was why he overate on bagged blood…..so he wouldn’t be hungry….so he wouldn’t see the blood vessels in anyone…..he didn’t want to see them….he didn’t want to feel the way it made him feel….the wanting…..he didn’t want…… to want……..

“Logan?” Mick said tentatively, “It’s OK…..I know what you’re feeling…and it’s normal. Just trust me. I’m not going to let anything bad happen, remember? Open your eyes.”

Logan slowly obeyed, his eyes sliding open. They had gone crystal-white. His fangs had descended. His face had blanched to pale white.

“OK….pretty good….all normal.”, Mick said softly. He glanced quickly at Amy to make sure she was still doing well. The young woman was watching Logan passively while leaning back against the couch’s deep cushions, her legs remained tucked up underneath her, her eyelids still at half-mast. A slight smile played at the corners of her mouth. She was fine.

Mick returned his attention to Logan. “We can always see the vessels in humans when we’re really hungry…..whether we want to or not. But we can also see them if we need to, or want to, even if we’re not hungry at all.”, Mick explained, “All we have to do is want to…..and it’s the only way we can accurately target our bite when we feed, so it’s a must. It makes the process safe for our donors…..because we can see where we’re going, and bite with precision. Understand?”

Logan nodded, but his crystal-white eyes remained locked on Amy’s forearm.

“OK, good.” Mick continued. “Now….one thing…..your facial pallor.”

Logan shifted his gaze to his mentor. “My face is white?”

“Yeah,” Mick smiled, “It’s not surprising…..considering how shaken up you are.” When Logan looked confused, Mick explained, “Our eyes always change, and our fangs always descend, when we’re going to feed……usually the teeth drop first, followed by the eyes shifting. But the blanching of the face is a threat-display, meant to intimidate an enemy. It happens unconsciously whenever we’re agitated, angry, or aggressive. Like in a fight with another vampire, for example. Or when menacing a human we’re especially pissed off at…..but you don’t want to let your face blanch when you’re feeding from a willing donor. It’s an indicator of agitation or aggression. Even humans flush red in the face when they’re really angry, so they are hard-wired to recognize a skin-tone change as meaning something. Our skin pigment change makes us look menacing, which is the idea. But, when feeding from a willing donor, you want to be seductive, not scary.”

“But I’m not angry with Amy!” Logan protested, “Why did I blanch?”

“You’re agitated.” Mick said simply, “And your feeling alittle cornered, literally, by this surprise ‘lesson’. It’s OK. Just concentrate on returning your face to its normal skin-tone.”

Logan closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, trying to relax. Mick smiled as he watched Logan’s skin return to its normal pale-pink. Amy’s soft smile also broadened slightly.

Logan opened his eyes again. They remained crystal-white, and his fangs remained down and locked, but his skin-tone was now normal. “Better?”, He asked.

Both Mick and Amy nodded in unison. “Much better.”, Mick said.

“Now….”, Mick continued, “Time to choose a vein to go for.” He reached toward Amy’s arm and pointed to the center of her anterior forearm, half-way between her wrist and her elbow. “Right here is the vein you want….it’s big and deep. Can you see it?”

Logan nodded, hypnotized.

“Can you see the difference between it and the vessel right beside it?”

“Yes….” Logan answered slowly, “The blood in the vessel beside it is…..” he fumbled for the right word, “brighter?”

“Yes…..very good!” Mick smiled triumphantly, “The vessel running right beside the vein you want is the artery. It looks ‘brighter’ because it’s loaded with oxygen. You’ll instinctively want to go for it, but you can’t let yourself do that. An arterial strike is very dangerous for the donor. If not properly managed, they can bleed out quickly. It should only be attempted by someone who is very experienced. Venous blood doesn’t have the high oxygen-content, but it gets the job done for us, and it’s safest for our donors. The forearm is also much safer than the throat. You don’t get to use anyone’s throat until you’ve gotten some serious experience under your belt.”

Logan nodded, “OK….so what now?”

“Now you numb her up.” Mick replied.

“How?”

“Give the spot you’ve chosen a lick with your tongue, but don’t bite yet.”

“Why?” Logan frowned in confusion, and he wasn’t at all sure he had the self-control to put his mouth on Amy’s arm without biting immediately. He was tremendously hungry.

“You’ve been thinking about feeding from her for several minutes. By now, your saliva is teaming with two enzymes in response to your thoughts. One is a topical anesthetic, to numb her skin, and the other is an anticoagulant, to keep her blood flowing freely once you bite.”

Logan blinked at him, absorbing this information. “OK.” He said simply. Then, glancing quickly at Amy first, he bend his head down to her forearm. He gently licked the area of skin above the large vein he had selected. Then he sat back up again, before he could give into the temptation to just bite now.

“How long do I need to wait?” Logan asked, looking at Mick.

“That should do it…..the anesthetic works very fast.” Mick replied,
“Numbs the skin in just a couple seconds.”

“What? Already?” Logan found himself feeling frightened again. The moment of truth was upon him. “Maybe she needs more pheromones? Is she relaxed enough?”

Mick grinned and glanced at Amy’s face. The young woman could barely keep her eyes open, and she was wearing a goofy grin of her own. “She’s been marinating in your pheromones for several minutes, Logan. She’s hammered, and completely ready.”

Logan took a deep breath and nodded. No more excuses. He focused on the vein he had chosen and bowed low over the center of Amy’s anterior forearm. He licked the skin once more, for good measure, and gently kissed the spot. Amy moaned softly. Logan hesitated for a few seconds, carefully lining up the tips of his fangs with the desired vein beneath them. He felt his fangs extend just a little further, automatically adjusting their length to reach the vein he was going for, with no conscious effort on his part. He bit down, his scalpel-sharp fangs sliding effortlessly through the flesh of Amy’s forearm.

Amy sighed and moaned again, very softly. Logan flicked his eyes towards her, trying to see her face without letting go of her arm. Mick felt the younger vamp’s anxiety spike again. He was afraid the human was in pain from his bite.

“You have powerful endorphins in your saliva, Logan.” Mick reassured him. “They effect humans like a narcotic, similar to the pheromones, only stronger, and they take effect fast. She’s not in pain. She’s enjoying you, just like you’re enjoying her. Now, withdraw you fangs from the wound. They’ve done their job, and are just a cork in the bottle at this point. If this were an arterial strike, or a very large vein, such as the Jugular in the throat, you would need to keep your fangs in the wounds to control the flow. But with the smaller veins in the forearm, you just let the blood come freely. It’s safe.”

Logan slid his fangs out of the twin wounds, but kept his mouth fastened over them. Amy’s sweet blood filled his mouth. He swallowed a great gulp of it, then again, and again…….he felt wonderful. The woman’s blood was the most amazing thing he’d ever tasted!
It was electric…..sending bolts of energy coursing through his body. This was way different from bagged blood!

“Slow down, Logan.” Mick said, “Don’t suck hard. That’s uncomfortable for the donor, and you might cause her vein to collapse. Just work the wound with your tongue, and allow the blood to come to you at its own pace.”

Logan hadn’t been aware he was pulling hard on the bite, but realized it as soon as Mick said something. He immediately stopped sucking. He licked the wounds and held Amy’s arm lower, hunching over it. The blood flowed quickly of its own accord. The vein was a large one. Logan let mouthful after mouthful fill him with pure delight.

“OK,” Mick said, “Pay attention to her vital signs. Her heart is starting to beat rapidly and her blood pressure is starting to drop. That means she’s given all she can give. Time to stop. Lick the wounds again, and this time, think of wanting the blood to stop flowing, and wanting the wounds to heal.”

Logan stopped drinking and followed Mick’s instructions. He was astonished at how quickly the blood clotted in the wounds…..the bleeding stopped. He looked at Mick, puzzled.

“More of our arsenal of enzymes….”, Mick said, grinning, “When we finish feeding, we produce another set of enzymes that clot the blood, and promote healing. The healing enzyme is stunningly effective. Not only will the wounds heal rapidly, but there should be little or no scarring.”

Logan sat back and looked at Amy. She was snuggled into the corner of the couch, a dreamy expression on her face, her eyes closed. “Amy?”, Logan asked, “You OK?”

Her eyelids fluttered reluctantly open. “Hmmmm…..Wha? Yeah….I’m just fine…..sleepy.” She murmured, smiling. Her eyes slid shut again.

Logan looked at Mick, alarmed. “Is she fine?!”

“You tell me…..what do her vital signs tell you?” Mick asked.

Logan cocked his head to one side, orienting on the sound of the woman’s pulse through her blood vessels. Her pulse was faster than it had been before he fed on her, a normal response to a drop in blood volume, but it was steady and strong. Her blood pressure was alittle low, but it was stable. Satisfied that she was, indeed, fine, Logan turned back to Mick.

“Now what?” he asked.

“Now you carry her back to her suite downstairs and tuck her in.” Mick replied, grinning.

Logan stood and scooped the dozing freshie up in his arms. She sighed and snuggled her head close to his chest. Logan smiled down at her. Mick opened the office door for him, and the two of them proceeded down the hallway, and then down the stairs to the Terrace Room.

Heather was waiting for them, reading a book in an overstuffed chair that faced the staircase. She stood gracefully and approached them, smiling first at Mick, and then at Logan. She peered into Amy’s sleeping face and gently brushed a stray hair out of her eyes. “Everything went well?”, she asked.

“Text book.” Mick replied.

“I’m so glad.” Heather smiled. “Congratulations, young man.” She said to Logan.

Logan bobbed his head politely in response. “Yes maam. Thank you maam.”

Heather indicated a hallway off of the Terrace Room. “Amy’s suite is down that hall, the third door on the right.”

“Thanks, Heather.” Mick said, smiling at the woman.

After getting Amy settled in her bed, Logan looked uncertainly at Mick. “We just leave her here by herself? Shouldn’t we get her some food or some OJ, or something?”

“Good question.” Mick smiled at him. He was so proud of Logan at that moment. “If we were on our own with her, the answer would be yes. It’s the vampire’s responsibility to take care of the freshie who feeds him, or her. But we’re guests in Josef’s house, and Amy is one of his Harem. He has an entire staff of maids whose only job is coddling Josef’s freshies.” Mick cocked his head towards the door and grinned. “And, unless I’m badly mistaken, there’s already a couple of them outside in the hall right now, waiting for us to leave.”

Logan nodded, satisfied. As he turned to follow Mick to the door, he heard a soft voice behind him. “Logan?”

He turned and looked back at the bed to find Amy’s eyes open. She smiled at him. “Great job kiddo.”, she whispered, raising her hand slightly above the covers to give him a playful thumbs-up sign.

Logan beamed back at her. “Thank you,” he said, nearly choking up, “Get some rest.”

She nodded and rolled over on her side, snuggling down into her pillow.

As they exited the suite, they met two of the Harem maids, who, as Mick predicted, were indeed hovering outside the door, waiting. Neatly attired in pale-blue maid uniforms, one carried a platter with an assortment of pastries and a pitcher of OJ. The other carried a pitcher of ice water, and a neatly folded silk night gown.

The two maids simultaneously nodded politely at the vampires, and bent their knees slightly in a brief suggestion of a curtsy. The younger of the two eyed Logan warily. She had heard he was a newbie? She knew that could mean danger…..but Logan seemed harmless enough.

Mick nodded in gentlemanly fashion at the maids, smiling broadly. “Ladies.”, he said. Then he tapped Logan’s elbow, “Come on, Logan. We’ve got work to do.”

They turned and headed back towards the Terrace Room down the hall. After a few steps, Logan glanced back over his shoulder to watch the two maids head into Amy’s suite.

“They’ll make sure she gets some fluids and nourishment in her?”, he asked Mick quietly, still worried about Amy’s well being.

Mick chuckled, “Count on it! And Amy’s been part of Josef’s Harem long enough to know the drill. They won’t give her any peace until they get her washed up and into that silk nighty. They’ll pester and prod until she drinks at least one glass of OJ and one glass of ice water, and eats one of those pastries. Only then will they let her go back to sleep. In the morning, a steak and eggs breakfast awaits her….standard morning-after fare for a recuperating freshie. Josef has a couple white-hat Chefs on staff to feed his Harem and his other human staff.”

Logan nodded, reassured that Amy would be well cared for.

As they emerged from the hallway into the Terrace Room, they were met by a very smug-looking Josef. He folded the newspaper he’d been perusing and tucked it under one arm, smiling at them.

“Was dinner satisfactory, Logan?”

“Yes sir, very much sir……thank you.”, Logan replied nervously. He was finally beginning to realize that Josef wasn’t just rich….he was also tremendously powerful, and very much in charge.

Josef smiled. “Good! I’m glad…..Now back to work. Let me know what you find out.” He clapped Mick on the shoulder. Mick beamed a proud smile back at his old friend. Logan had done well, and a large part of the credit for that achievement belonged to Mick.

Josef returned Mick’s smile, and then turned and headed up the stairs, back to his office, no doubt. Smokey, the cat, emerged from under the stairs, and after pausing to eye Mick and Logan, she darted up the stairs too, following Josef. Mick grinned and shook his head.

MLMLMLMLMLML*******************************************

Many hours later, the night was waning and dawn was approaching. Mick tiredly scrubbed his face with both hands and struggled to focus on the computer monitor before him.

Beside him, Logan had no trouble focusing. He never did, when it came to computers, Mick thought to himself.

Logan had endured Mick’s backseat driving on the computer this time, because Mick was the PI, and officially in charge of their internet search. Try there, hack into this, look up that, all night long……but Logan didn’t care. He was still feeling completely wonderful after his first fresh-feeding since his Turning. He had fed…. and the human was OK! She hadn’t died! The thought made him almost giddy. He had done it! He was beginning to believe that he could trust himself, trust his own self control. Maybe even have a life outside of his parents’ basement?

Mick sighed and leaned back in his chair, raking his fingers thru his brown hair. Nothing…..zip…..bupkiss…..the guy was a ghost. They had tried every angle either of them could think of, and nothing. Whoever their werewolf was, he knew how to fly under the radar.

“OK Logan,” Mick said, standing up from his chair, “That’s all for tonight. Let’s pack it in. Maybe we can take another run at it tomorrow night.”

“Alrighty then!” Logan said happily, and logged off, thinking of the luxurious suite, and posh freezer room, that Josef had assigned to him as quarters during his stay in the mansion. He wondered if Josef would let him bring his games over? The suite had an enormous LCD TV, tastefully concealed when not in use, of course. In any case, that plush freezer was going to feel good, and it would be the first time Logan had slept in a freezer that didn’t have ‘Kenmore’ or ‘Maytag’ stamped on it somewhere.

“You gonna crash for the day here, Mick?” Logan asked.

“No…..I’m headed back to my loft. I have to set my alarm and meet Beth when she gets off work at five. But I’m going to check in with Josef before I leave.”

They climbed the stairs together, Logan headed for his suite, and Mick headed for Josef’s office. Half way down the hall, Logan spoke.

“Mick?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think Kostan will let me feed from one of his freshies again?”

Mick smiled and turned to look at the younger vamp. “He’s hoping you will, Logan. He knows your situation, your past trauma, and he’s hoping to help you get past it and move on. Amy was hand-picked for you tonight.”

“Really?’

“Yeah….really.”

They stopped in front of the door to Logan’s suite. “Thanks man,” Logan said, “Thanks a lot.”

Mick smiled warmly. “You’re welcome, Logan. You did good tonight kid. You should be proud.”

Logan nodded, feeling embarrassed. If he had been human, he would have blushed. With on final nod to Mick, Logan opened the door to his guest suite and disappeared inside for the day.

Mick continued on down the hall to Josef’s office alone.

Josef looked up as Mick entered his office. “Well,” he said ruefully, “By the look on your face, I’d say you didn’t have any luck?’

“None.” Mick replied flatly, dropping into the chair in front of Josef’s desk again. “This wolf’s a ghost. I don’t know what else to try.” He glanced down as Smokey rubbed up against his legs. “Hey girl….” Mick said softly, leaning over to pet the cat, “Good girl.” Smokey purred and promptly jumped up into Mick’s lap again.

Josef watched the cat and shook his head, grinning. Once the animal had decided she liked Mick, she evidently decided she liked him a lot.

“I’m starting to get jealous.” Josef quipped, “I’m supposed to be Smokey’s favorite vampire!”

“She’s merely demonstrating her good taste.” Mick teased back.

“Damn cat.” Josef groused. “So, can I offer you a guest room, or are you taking off?”

“I’m going home…..but I wanted to ask you something first.”

“What would that be?”

“Earlier, at your downtown office, you mentioned having personal knowledge of an instance when a werewolf was a friend, even a freshie, to a vampire? I was wondering if you would care to elaborate?”

Josef grimaced, “Another time perhaps. It’s not a story I like to tell…..it’s actually rather embarrassing, so if I do tell you, you are sworn to secrecy.”

Mick’s jaw dropped, “It was you?! When you said personal knowledge, you meant first hand, it-happened-to-me, kind of personal?!”

“Yes.”

“A werewolf fed you?!”

“Yes. A very, very long time ago….. saved my life actually.” Josef said, looking at his desktop with a thousand yard stare.

“Come on, Josef!” Mick laughed, “Spill!”

Josef looked up sharply and glared at his friend, “Another time, I said.”

Wow…..OK…..clearly this really was a story Josef didn’t like to tell.

After an awkward pause, Mick said, “OK then, I guess I’ll go home now.”, and he started to rise from his chair, depositing Smokey on the desktop as he did so. She mewed in protest.

“Mick….” Josef said quietly, “I didn’t mean to bite your head off. I’m just a little on edge lately, between the Legion, and now this damn rogue wolf….”

“I know, buddy.” Mick smiled, “It’s OK. I’ll see you tonight.” He turned to leave.

“Wait Mick…” Josef said, “Take this with you. Carry it at all times until this rogue wolf is put down.”

Mick heard a thump on Josef’s desktop, and turned to see a large revolver laying there, complete with shoulder holster. Smokey sniffed at it, trying to decide if it was interesting or not.

“I have a gun, Josef.” Mick said. “I just don’t carry it most of the time.”

“You don’t have a gun like this one.” Josef said, “This is werewolf insurance. It’s a Ruger .480 Super Redhawk Alaskan , 5 silver rounds. I had them specially made. This caliber could take down a Cape Water Buffalo, or a Kodiak Brown Bear, with one shot. And this caliber, in silver, will knock down a werewolf too.”

Josef pulled out a box of silver shells and set them on the desk beside the revolver and the shoulder holster. “Take these too. Although, I can’t imagine needing to reload. You’ll either kill it in 5 rounds, or it’ll kill you. Either way…..you shouldn’t need to reload. Remember to wear gloves when handling the rounds….they are silver.”

Mick reached for the weapon and picked it up, turning it in his hands. It was a ‘snubby’, having a relatively short barrel, making it easier to carry. It’s finish was what was called a ‘dull-stainless’, non-blued steel, but not polished to a high-shine either. The weapon had an all-business look to it. It was heavy, an easy 3 pounds. Its rubber grip was broad, designed to disperse the tremendous kick of firing the very large caliber.

“A handgun like this is difficult for a human to fire, but they make them anyway.” Josef said, “It’s essentially a handheld cannon. It kicks like a draft horse and roars like a dragon, but it’s no problem for a vampire to manage, other than the noise…..the noise hurts.”

Mick slid the box of silver rounds into his jacket pocket and the slipped the jacket off. He strapped on the shoulder holster and settled the revolver in it. It felt like it belonged there, tucked under his left armpit. Suddenly, he felt safer in going outside. He slipped his jacket back on.

“Thanks, Josef.”, he said, “I’m glad to have this, but hopefully the Cleaners will find and kill that thing before I end up having to confront it.”

“Let’s hope.” Josef said with a tired smile. “So…..Beth will brief Talbot this morning?”

“That’s the plan.”, Mick replied, “I’ll grab some freezer-time and meet her at the DA’s Office at five. Then we’ll try to back-track the last victim to where the chase began, like you suggested.”

“OK…..good.” Josef said, “I’ll see you two at my downtown office this evening. Now go get some sleep. You’re going to need it.”

Mick nodded and left, heading downstairs. He passed the large and imposing Karl, Josef’s Head of Security, in the foray. They side-passed around one another. Karl was enormous. Six foot, eight inches of solid, lean muscle. His close-cropped blonde hair was so pale as to be almost white, and his eyes such a pale shade of blue that the shift to crystal-white was barely noticeable when he changed. He looked, physically, like he was in his late twenties or early thirties, but he was actually 248 years old. Between his coloring, his sheer physical size, and his perpetually stern expression, he had always reminded Mick of a white tiger. Only difference being that white tigers were a lot more vocal than Karl. The imposing vampire rarely spoke, and what little he did say was in a thick Eastern-European accent. The silent giant made Mick nervous. He had always sensed that Karl just didn’t like him, although he couldn’t imagine why. He had never so much as said a cross word to the big guy…..why should Karl dislike him?

Dismissing the speculation about Karl as he left the mansion, Mick made his way to the underground garage and climbed gratefully into his Mercedes. She sprang to life with a turn of the key, and he was glad he had left the top up. It would shield him from the rising sun as he drove home. Dawn was breaking on the horizon. He was tired. His freezer was going to feel good, and he couldn’t wait to climb in it.

Beth would be waking up soon. He didn’t envy her…..having to bring Talbot up to speed on the whole werewolf situation. ADA Talbot had only recently found out…..the hard way…..that vampires were real. Mick felt another twinge of lingering guilt for injuring Talbot, even though he had been pretty much out of his head at the time. He had nearly drained the man. If Beth and Guillermo hadn’t been there to stop him….well, he knew he would have, and Talbot would have died. As it was, Talbot only survived because Guillermo had brought bagged blood with him, intending to feed it to Mick. A-Positive, Mick’s favorite blood type. But it ended up being transfused into Talbot instead, right there in Beth’s apartment. Guillermo always took his emergency medical kit with him whenever he went out to help with vampire-related troubles. It sure came in handy that night. Talbot was incredibly lucky that his blood type was A-Positive. It was all Guillermo had with him, and the ADA had lost too much blood to survive a trip to the ER. Although, from Talbot’s point of view, being Mick’s favorite blood type would undoubtedly be seen as a very bad thing.

Now, after surviving that ordeal, Talbot was about to be told that werewolves were real too. Poor guy.

[coco]

Fabulous lesson for Logan
I'm sure Beth's talk with Talbot will be very interesting

[lionsonleashes]

Fabulous lesson for Logan
I'm sure Beth's talk with Talbot will be very interesting

Yeah.....while Logan's got a good start....the training wheels can't come off yet! And Beth is really gonna have her hands full with Talbot!

[wollstonecraft61]

Yay, Logan did okay! I knew he would! I love your description of Karl. He reminds me of that Russian fighter in one of the Rocky movies! Or Robert Shaw in that one James Bond movie he was in...Loving this story line, lions!

[lionsonleashes]

Thanks Woll!!! I'm so glad you are enjoying my story! Thanks also for taking the time to comment!

[jen]

This is quite wonderful, Lions.

Logan was resistant, but he came around very well in the lesson and Mike did a phenomenal job of teaching the computer specialist how to feed fresh.

And you did an amazing job of writing this fabulous fic.

Thanks!

Jenna

[lionsonleashes]

Thanks Jenna! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! :curtesy:
Lions

[jen]

Lovely chapter!!!!

Logan did good! Mick's explanation was great. And the freshie was just blissing out on the pheremones. Mick is really a wonderful instructor.

This definitely needs to be bumped up

Jenna

[lionsonleashes]

Thanks again, Jenna!

[jen]

bumpage

[lionsonleashes]

Thanks Jen! :curtesy:

[jen]

This is one of my favoite chapters

The lesson on feeding fresh was a huge step for Logan. It was also a huge step for Mick and gave us a look at some of the biochemistry behind vampires. We got look at Logan taking steps that will lead to a new life or him.

Also, we got a hint of what is coming--Phelan's introduction.

Fabulous!

Thanks!

Jenna

[jen]

Lions

This was a win-win-win for everybody.

Amy was bitten by a very careful, concerned vampire under the careful direction of another careful, concerned vampire--she couldn't be safer. Logan learned how to use the personal hardware at his disposal and Mick got a very positive experience in teaching.

Fabulous! Thanks!

Jenna

[francis]

Dr. Evil and his cat.

Loved how Logan fed on a freshie the first time, and how Mick guided him through it.
Maybe the werewolf that Josef was friends with could help them. Or maybe he's the rogue. Anyway, I have a hunch that they have to do something with this mess.