He could smell her warm body; the sweat that lightly coated her features and matted her hair was salty. Her blood scent was strong as well, rich werewolf blood was a rare delicacy and also very potent. The thought of feeding on her sleeping form was tempting but that was not the goal here. Werewolves resisted everything vampire, even the immense pleasure that a vampire bite promised, go figure.
He turned the sink faucet on and yelled into the bedroom, “Hey, Beautiful are you getting up any time soon?” He could hear the sheets rustle and a soft moan. “I thought I told you but maybe I didn’t, I have to be at work a little early today and it’s going to be a late night.” He idly ran his hands under the running water. “We have a planning meeting to strategize about corporate sponsors, funding, and locations for the new complex I pitched yesterday.”
A flash of black from the side of the mirror and a brown arm wrapped itself around his neck, efficiently cutting off the air flow.
“You and I both know you don’t have any planning meeting today, at least not while the sun is out.” Ansuya gripped Kenneth by the neck and was restraining one of his arms by his side. She leaned in close to his ear. “Let me go Kenneth. Or this world ends with your death.”
Kenneth struggled visibly to breathe. He was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. His eyes were bulging and searching the room wildly. Both of his arms were pinned, one by her body and the other was in a vise grip by his side. It was a very effective move, something he would have to look into training his people on that technique.
He gasped and sputtered and let his eyes roll back into his head. Vampires didn’t have beating hearts and so breathing wasn’t necessary. They all did breathe, most of them out of habit, just one of those human things that never went away. But they didn’t need to. That didn’t stop him from playing up the charade to the very best of his ability.
He made himself start to foam at the mouth and spit a little as he could not get any air into his lungs. He caught a puzzled look from the werewolf as he went more and more limp in her arms. He pleaded with her to let him go with his eyes, as he let his lids slowly close and his body fell completely limp and lifeless.
The woman held onto him for a few more minutes. Kenneth could feel her mind struggle with what she knew to be real and what all of her senses were telling her was real. The whisper of a ghost of a question, so quick and fleeting skittered across her consciousness. If he wasn’t concentrating on her he would have missed it. ‘Did I just kill a human man? My husband?’ The thought vanished from her mind like breath upon a mirror. She still held him in her inhumanely strong grip but the thought had been there.
Eventually he was dropped to the floor. He lay there for a few seconds before he inhaled fully and loudly, gasping and coughing, spraying spit and drool onto the carpet. He blinked rapidly, coughing harshly, and wiping his mouth he slowly got to his feet.
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“What in the hell has gotten into you? You could have killed me!” Kenneth was properly incensed and stared deeply into the woman’s deep brown eyes.
“You and I both know there is no death for you, you’ve already died. As for me killing you, that will happen one day.”
Kenneth turned away from her and leaned on the counter staring into the mirror, “Great, just great! My own wife wants to kill me!” He turned the water on and wiped his mouth again with the clean, cool liquid. “May I ask what it was that I did that suddenly makes you want to kill me.” Ansuya stayed poised and silent watching the undead man. “Sometimes I really don’t understand you, Beautiful, I really don’t. Is this a brown person thing?”
Ansuya arched an eyebrow at him. “A brown person thing?”
“Yes, a ‘brown person thing.’ I have done nothing but work hard and long hours to provide you with this home and everything in it. We were happy a while ago but all of a sudden, you’re trying to kill me! I don’t know what I did and you won’t talk to me! Did I somehow disrespect Shiva or Brahma or step on that elephant guy’s mouse friend! WHAT DID I DO?!” he threw himself against the wall and slid down its surface to sit on the floor, covering his face. “What’s the point if we can’t be happy together?” He carefully softened his voice to sound as hurt as he could. “What is the point of this house?” He lowered his voice to a hurt whisper, “This home is ours, but if you’re not happy with me this is just a shell with no meaning to it.”
He realized his mistake too late.
“Yes, this house is a shell, a shell of your making. Nothing here is real and I want it to end now,” Ansuya replied emotionlessly.
Kenneth let his anger flare. He jumped up from his spot on the floor. “Fine! You want a divorce, fine! I can’t live with someone who doesn’t respect me. Everything we’ve built together means nothing to you?! Then so be it! I’m out of here, Ansuya. Do me a favor; don’t be here when I get back. I don’t want to ever see your face again!” He stormed out of the bedroom, slamming the door as he left. He stalked down the stairs and crashed out the front door. He got in his car and drove off down the street.
How could he have been so stupid? He had her. He had her in his hands and a simple word erased all the progress he had made. His anger would not subside. He wondered if that was because he was mad at himself, or if he was mad at the woman who had been given everything she ever wanted and she threw it back in his face. So, what if this was a construct, a prison? It was the life that he had shaped from her own thoughts and desires, wasn’t that enough? Why was she fighting so hard?
Of course, if it wasn’t for the fight, the prize wouldn’t be as sweet. The trap was working, slowly. The thoughts he was planting in her subconscious were effervescing into her consciousness. The thoughts of him being her husband were there ever so quietly and gone just as a whisper, but they were there. The plan and the trap were perfect. Not even a werewolf could hold out forever. He just had to be a little more careful about his word choices.
He pulled into the familiar open garage and closed the door behind him. He got out of his car and opened the door into the void that let back to his home. He stepped into his bar room and sat down heavily onto his leather chair. He wiped his face with his hands and focused all of his concentration onto the elder running around her rat maze trying to find a way out of the trap.