Not What She Seems

chapter 16



The whole evening had exhausted Sylvia, both mentally and physically. Keith’s soft snoring alerted her that he had fallen asleep so she slipped quietly out of bed and padded down the hall and into her master bathroom. Once the shower was piping hot, she stepped inside and cleaned herself, lost in thought.

The sex she had with Keith eradicated the unusual sexual yearning she had felt around Mason earlier in the evening. She touched her lips briefly as her kisses with Mason replayed in her head. That man was sex on legs, even for her, and not just for the energy she could get from him. She worried how long it might take her to seduce him with whatever hang-ups about sex he seemed to have. There was no way of accurately guessing how long it would take Elora to seduce the Innocent she had found, if the rumors about her being seen with one were to be believed.

Her mind wandered back to Keith. Did what had just happened change anything between them? She didn’t know what his assumptions about the state of their relationship were now, after having slept together again. Nothing to do but take it as it comes, she figured.

After her shower she was unsure of where to settle in for the night. It was tempting to go back to the guest room and curl up next to Keith but she decided to sleep in her own bed instead. As she turned back the covers her cell phone chirped, signaling she had a message. She frowned when she saw it was Lilith. Her stomach became uneasy as she dialed her number without listening to the voice mail first. Was she calling to announce Elora had slept with an Innocent and won the Challenge? Or had the Hunter claimed another victim?

“You’re home, I assume?” Lilith began without any greeting.

“Yes, I got in a while ago. What’s going on?”

“Another victim was killed, sometime earlier this evening. A jogger found her body in a small park across the city, stuffed under some bushes.”

“When will the police get it together and get his guy? Do they have any leads?”

“I don’t think so, but there’s more. He left his calling card with the roses as usual but he did something a little differently this time… he wrote your name in rose petals next to the victim.”

Sylvia gasped as blood pounded in her ears and the world swam for a moment. She fought to regain control of herself. “My name? Did the police link it back to me?”

“No, it was only the first name. I believe the Lieutenant because he’s always been straight with me. He enjoys my girls too much to risk losing his freebies,” Lilith chuckled darkly before turning serious again. “I do hope you’re being careful, Sylvia. This Hunter is dangerous for all of us, but for some reason he’s obsessed with you in particular. Think carefully now. You really don’t remember coming across a man somewhere, some place, that seemed ‘off’? Made you uncomfortable?”

“No. Don’t think I haven’t been trying to figure that out.”

“Well, we’ll just have to wait for the police to do their job then. I’ll let you know if I hear anything new.”

“All right, thanks for the heads up.” Sylvia hung up and slid into bed. She tossed and turned for a long time, trying again and again to pick through each and every encounter she’d had with a man in the last few weeks. None of them seemed unusual or out of place; no man had set off warning bells in her head. Try as she might she couldn’t find a single sexual encounter, or even casual social interaction, out of place from her usual experiences with the men she encountered throughout the city. She had no answer to the question of why the Hunter was so interested in her.

~~~

Keith slid into bed with her the next morning, nuzzling her neck.

“Hey, sexy, why didn’t you come back to bed with me last night?” he murmured, his breath on her neck reawakening Sylvia’s nether regions with a jolt.

“Hey yourself,” she mumbled as she tried to pull herself out of the haze of sleep. “Sorry, I didn’t know if you’d want me there or not.”

“Of course I would,” he frowned. “You can sleep next to me any time you like. I hope you will.”

“Okay, tonight then.” Sylvia yawned. “What are you doing today?”

“I have to hunt, tonight probably. What about you?”

“No, I’m good for a while, but I’ll come with you.”

“Sure. I’ve been feeling a little pent up since I spent all of yesterday stuck in this apartment. What do you say we go for a jog? Maybe the Gardens?”

“I’d love to! I could use a good jog.” While she didn’t need to exercise to stay slim, she did enjoy it and a jog in the Public Gardens sounded like a nice way to spend part of the day.

“Maybe some other kind of exercise first, to warm us up?” Keith propped himself up on one elbow so she could see his playful expression.

“I thought you’d never ask.” She leaned up to meet him and their lips joined. Despite their rough romp the night before she was ready for him again. More than ready, eager. The centuries they had spent apart had not dampened her longing for him, and their recent union only made her yearn more for his touch.

Whereas the night before had been fast and furious, they took it slow with each other this time around. Keith explored and caressed every inch of her body while she shivered with pleasure beneath his touch. She pleasured him in return, releasing his erection from her mouth only when she sensed he was about to explode. She grinned up at him wickedly before throwing him flat down on the bed and straddling him. It was her turn to be in control this time.

Keith didn’t argue as she guided him into her and threw her head back, eyes closed, lost in her own pleasure. He grabbed her hips and met her rhythm, slow and sensual at first but quickly building to a frenzied pace. When he could stand it no longer he came, pressing her down onto him as she released in near unison with him, their cries of passion mingling in the otherwise quiet air.

Spent, Sylvia rolled off of him and lay beside him as she worked to recover her breath. That was a fantastic way to start the day.

“You can use my shower, if you like. You might as well move in here. I mean, if you want to.”

“I’ll do that.”

“I’ll go get something together for breakfast while you get ready.” She slid out of bed and slipped on a light silk robe from her closet before heading into the kitchen. Inspecting the contents of the fridge she found Keith had purchased lox, cream cheese, red onions, and bagels. She chuckled to herself, pleased he had remembered lox was one of her favorite foods. In the 1800s it had been a rare treat usually reserved for only the richest people who could afford to have it imported from the western part of the country, but he had once managed to find her some as a gift.

He came to the kitchen freshly showered and dressed just as she finished making the bagel sandwiches. He kissed the back of her neck before grabbing the plates to bring to the table.

“Are you happy, Sylvia? I mean, about what’s going on with us right now?”

“Yes, I am. But I’m a bit confused about where it’s going.”

“What do you mean?”

She put down her bagel and regarded him solemnly. “I mean… what do we do now, with this, we? I’m happy to be with you, but even you admit you’re still jealous when I hunt. I’m always going to need to hunt, Keith. That’s never going to change. So now what?”

“So now I work on that. Yes, I’m still the jealous type, and yes, I know you’ll always need to hunt. But you know what, Sylv?” He gently grasped her hands in his as he looked earnestly at her across the breakfast table. “You’re worth it. I didn’t get it before; I didn’t see how selfish I was being and how much it was hurting you. No, I did see it, I guess, but I didn’t want to admit your wasting away was due to my demands. I’ve hated myself every day since you left me all those years ago. Now I have a chance to redeem myself, not just to you, but to myself as well. I won’t blow it. You mean too much to me. It may take some time on my end, but I’ll do my best to work on not being so jealous. I know, in my head, those guys don’t mean anything to you, but it still hurts my heart to know you’re with them like that. Just give me some time for my heart to catch up with my head, and let me worry about my jealousy issues, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed, pleased to hear he understood her concern. Satisfied she was doing the right thing by giving their love another chance, she asked him where he wanted to hunt that evening.

“I’m not picky, really. How about a bar? Something low-key though. I don’t feel like going upscale tonight. You sure you want to come? You’d probably be safer here, now that the alarm system’s installed.”

She considered it a moment before shaking her head. “No way, I’m not staying here alone, even with the alarm system!” Now that the Hunter was escalating his game with her she feared being alone, even in her own apartment.

“It’s settled then. Finish your breakfast so we can get going on that jog.”

~~~

They rode the T to the Public Gardens. It was the perfect day to be outside. The air was unseasonably warm with just the hint of an autumnal nip in the air. The trees were almost at their peak colors for the season and Sylvia smiled to herself as they entered the park and passed rows of maple trees in brilliant reds and oranges. She wasn’t crazy about the Boston winters, but the autumn air and foliage more than made up for it, in her mind.

Keith set the pace for their jog, moving not so fast that she couldn’t keep up with him but just fast enough to push her. They wove wordlessly down the Garden paths, winding around pedestrians and fellow joggers alike. He chuckled and shot her a knowing glance when her appearance in the park disrupted a game of college Frisbee. The young men playing lost all interest in their game as she passed by, lithe and graceful in her spandex pants, her blond ponytail swishing gracefully behind her.

The Public Gardens were more crowded than usual that day since the glorious weather had drawn out so many folks looking to enjoy it while they had the chance. She paid them no mind, concentrating instead on feeling the pavement pound beneath her feet as her lungs sucked in the fall air.

“Yoo-hoo! Hello there!” A loud voice calling to her from the right made Sylvia falter mid-stride. Her jaw clenched as she turned to face the woman greeting her.

Elora perched daintily on the edge of a park bench set back between some high evergreen bushes. Sylvia hadn’t seen her as she passed by, nor the Innocent sitting next to her. She let out an inner sigh of relief to see Elora’s Innocent wasn’t Mason after all. Hers was a tidy looking young man in his early twenties.

“Hello, Elora,” she offered reluctantly.

“Sylvia, I’d love for you to meet my new boyfriend, Edward Hall.”

“Edward, lovely to meet you.” Edward jumped up to shake her hand while Elora looked on with a self-assured expression. Sylvia chose to ignore the ‘boyfriend’ remark. It was just Elora’s way of pointing out she had found an Innocent. Like she wouldn’t have picked up on that herself.

“I’m Keith.” He pushed his way past Sylvia to introduce himself to both Edward and Elora.

An awkward moment passed in silence among the group before Edward spoke up.

“Listen, we’re headed to ride the swan boats in a few minutes, would you two like to join us?”

“Oh, we couldn’t, but thank you for the invitation,” Sylvia replied before Keith had a chance to answer for them. “We wouldn’t want to intrude, and besides, we’ve got a jog to finish. Don’t we, honey?” She didn’t care for the way Elora was devouring Keith with her eyes, as if she were already picturing him entangled naked in her bed sheets. She had to put the kibosh on that idea before Elora tried to take it any further.

Edward seemed not to notice his date’s inappropriate interest in Keith. He also didn’t seem the least bit interested in Sylvia, which marginally disappointed her. She could begin an argument between strangers simply by walking past a couple, if the man took a blatant interest in her in front of his wife or girlfriend.

“Well then, perhaps another time.”

“That would be nice,” she lied. “We’ve got to be going now, but it was nice meeting you, Edward.”

“I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other soon,” Elora smirked as they said their goodbyes before Keith and Sylvia resumed their jog.

Down the path a bit Keith slowed down enough to talk while they jogged. “She’s a piece of work, huh?”

“Elora? You bet. I can’t wait to put that bitch back in her rightful place, which is anywhere but my territory. She’s got some nerve! And did you see the way she was looking at you?”

“Yeah, I kind of picked up on that. I don’t know how Edward didn’t,” he chuckled. “That poor guy doesn’t know what he’s in for, with that one. You ready to head home?”

“Yes.” She was pleased to hear him refer to her apartment as ‘home.’ They made their way out of the Gardens and rode the T back to the apartment.

Sylvia felt relaxed and happy as they entered the building. Aside from running into Elora, the afternoon had been lovely. All was right with the world for the moment, until she stepped off the elevator and saw the huge bouquet of roses sitting on her doorstep.

“Not again,” Keith murmured as he scouted up and down the hallway for any signs of the Hunter.

Anxiety clogged Sylvia’s throat as tears welled up in her eyes. This Hunter just wouldn’t stop. The feeling of security the new alarm system had given her was gone the instant she saw he had been back to her residence. He couldn’t enter the apartment without alerting the authorities when the alarm went off, but he could still let Sylvia know he hadn’t forgotten about her. She felt violated and dirty just knowing that monster had been at her door.

“He left a note again.” Keith gingerly plucked it out of the center of the bouquet as she stood silently watching him. It felt as if her mouth had gone too dry to speak.

He removed the note from the envelope and burst out laughing. Her mind couldn’t wrap itself around his reaction.

“It’s okay, Sylv, it’s not the Hunter.” He held the note out for her to read as she stood riveted in place, trying to digest what he was telling her. Her brain felt thick and soupy, as if putting meaning to his words required Herculean effort on her part.

“Go on, read it. It’s not from the Hunter, it’s from Mason.”

Hearing Mason’s name snapped her out of her terror. She took the note from him and read it greedily.

My Sylvia, Thanks for a wonderful evening last night. I look forward to many more together. Mason

The tension that had been building within her dissipated as soon as she saw with her own eyes that the roses were really from Mason and not the Hunter. She eyed the bouquet dubiously.

“They’re beautiful, and it was very thoughtful of him to send them, but I don’t want them in my place.”

Keith nodded. “Shall I put them down in the lobby for someone else to enjoy?”

“Please.” She appreciated the gesture but couldn’t bear the thought of seeing roses in her apartment again. The Hunter’s games left her unable to appreciate Mason’s kind gesture.

“Let’s get you inside first, then I’ll take care of them.” He unlocked the door and ushered her inside, leaving the roses as they found them.