Chapter 14

"I'm sorry the what?!"

"I know it sounds fuckin' stupid, because it really is, but every vampire-populated Area is governed by a Sheriff.  The Sheriff of Area 8, the Los Angeles Area, is woman named Isabella." Bruno was spewing so many vampire facts that my head was spinning. I had just gotten back in town from the first leg of my tour, I was swarmed by Paparazzi and now I learned that there were so many vampires that they had an actual political system set up.  I leaned against the wall, my arms crossed as I processed everything.

"So this, Sheriff....Isabella, how is she going to know what Robyn is? It's not like we can take her there."

"Yes we can..." He started in a way that I knew exactly where he was going.

"No, Bruno, you cannot glamour her, or whatever that hypnosis thing is that you do." I immediately dismissed that idea.  I could understand him using that power to get out of a sticky situation, like back at the 7-11, but to use it just to drag my friend to some powerful vampire? It didn't seem fair, or right.

"Look, Roxx, you can't begin to understand how much power this chick is rollin' with right now, and if we can figure out what she is we could save her life, and a bunch of other people's for that matter." Bruno opened the door and turned to look at me over his shoulder, "In and out, it'll be quick."

I don't know what possessed me to climb on his back, but I threw caution to the wind and hopped on him, my arms interlocked around his neck as I held on tightly and he vamped off to Robyn's Beverly Hills home.  When we arrived and he set me down, I almost backed out.  "This is a bad idea..." I began to object.

"Don't start." He gave me a serious look before turning to the door, clearing his throat, and proceeding to bang on her door in a rhythm and dance around while doing so.  Mid-dance, she opened the door, with a look of confusion before she burst out in laughter.  "Hello, I'm Bruno Mars with the Movers and Shakers Society of America and I'm here to inform you that unfortunately you cannot neither move or shake it, so we're going to have to revoke your membership."

She shook her head, "I'm sorry, you've got the wrong girl, I think that's the one you want." She laughed, pointing to me.

I gave a small, awkward chuckle, but I was too uncomfortable with the risk factor of all of this to really let loose and enjoy myself.  "You alright girl?" Robyn asked.

"That's my cue." Bruno announced.

"Wha--" Robyn almost asked, until she looked at Bruno and her expression was instantly blank, her hazel eyes empty, mouth partially ajar.  This technique still amazed me every single time.

"Robyn, we're gonna take you to the doctor.  You have symptoms of a bad disease and we need a specialist to find out exactly what's wrong with you." Bruno explained.

Robyn nodded slowly.  "I have a disease?" She asked slowly, as if she had just been diagnosed.

"No sweetheart, we're going to get some tests run on you to see if you do or not. You can't tell anyone about what happens at the...clinic though, alright?" He continued.  She nodded again.

"It's our secret." She said in the same dreamy tone.

"Oh...and we're taking your car." He added quickly.  Robyn walked away like a zombie and came back holding a pair of Bentley keys which Bruno took with a grin before releasing her mind from his captive hold, and just like that, Robyn was back to semi-normal.  Something about her was still dazed, but she was seriously under the impression that we were taking her to a specialist.  She sat quietly in the backseat, talking rarely.

"I don't even know where this came from, I just started having these symptoms and now I'm terrified.  Thank you guys so much for helping me out." She said.

"No problem." Bruno said, he was behind the wheel.

"This better work..." I muttered softly.

"Will you stop worryin'?"

I sat back in my seat and sighed, closing my eyes and letting the cool air conditioner travel throughout my respiratory system.  It took longer than I would have liked to get there, but soon the car was slowing down and Bruno was pulling into the extensive driveway of a large mansion.  It was Victorian in it's style with a beautiful fountain in the center of the driveway.  He parked and immediately a guard came up to the vehicle.  I tensed up, but Bruno was more chill than ever, rolling down his window as he turned the vehicle off.

"Can I help you?" The guard asked in a gruff voice.

"I'm here to see Isabella, I'm a registered vampire." He replied.

"Identification?" The guard put his hand out and Bruno took his wallet from his pocket, handing over a card that said American Vampire League.  The guard carefully looked at it and gave a small chuckle, "You're a year old. Young one."

"Yep. Just a tyke." Bruno cheesed.

"I'll let her know you're on your way." He stepped aside and allowed for us to get out of the vehicle.

Robyn looked around in amazement.  "This is some clinic!" She explained.

I clamped a hand over her mouth, forcing her to walk quickly.  "If you speak, the symptoms will get worse." I lied.  Bruno caught up to us and took my free hand in his own, interlocking our fingers and giving me a small, reassuring squeeze as we were guided inside of the mansion by another guard.  This place was heavy duty in protection, so I immediately assumed this Isabella woman was a big deal.  I tried to play it as cool as possible, but I was extremely nervous.  I mean, I was a human, after all, and vampires just revealed themselves.  If their government was as secretive as Bruno said, then this Sheriff surely wouldn't be all too pleased to see me and my supernatural wildcard of a best friend.

"Relax." He whispered.

Suddenly a seductively airy female voice came from the top of the large staircase. "When the guards said that the one and only Bruno Mars had arrived at my estate, I almost had them silver'd for such a horrid joke." An elegant woman came strolling down, taking care to land on each step perfectly.  She was tall with black hair that went down the length of her waist, and was in luscious pinup girl glossy waved curls.  She had a red rose behind her right ear and wore cateye liner and red lipstick, a black monroe birthmark right to the left of her upper lip.  Her dress was long and flowing, all ruby red with a slit up to her thigh and leopard pumps.

This bitch was gorgeous.

I narrowed my eyes.

"But alas, standing in front of me is the very talented and romantic musician himself.  I am honored to have you as a guest here." She finally reached the bottom stair and rested her creamy white hand on the banister.

"I am honored to be the guest in the home of someone so breathtakingly beautiful as yourself, Sheriff."

"Please, call me Bella." She smiled, her long black eyelashes batting.

"Are you growling?" Robyn whispered to me.

"No." I snapped.  I didn't even realize I had been fuming so outwardly.  I immediately straightened my posture.  Jealousy wasn't attractive and Bruno was extra flirtacious with everyone.  I accepted that when we first got together.

"You've brought dinner?" Isabella vamped over to where Robyn and I stood, caressing the side of my face.  I slapped her hand away and she laughed whimsically.  "She's fiesty."

"I'm not your dinner."

"She's mine." Bruno said sternly.  I didn't understand the meaning behind his words but Isabella's expression changed to disgust.  Her upper lip twitched in an almost snarl as she lifted an eyebrow.

"Pity." She said quietly, "She would have been delicious."

"I came here to ask for your help.  May I speak with you privately?" Bruno gestured to the parlour.  Isabella obliged and sauntered by, hooking her arm within his own and striding gracefully into the parlour, leaving Robyn and I in the parlour with the two guards standing blankfaced at the door.

"I really hope I'm not sick." Robyn sighed.  "You seem upset..."

"What?" I snapped out of my thoughts, "No, I'm fine."

"Roxanne..." She chided.

"Seriously, I don't like vampires as much as I thought I would." I finally admitted.  I didn't feel comfortable walking around, so I just remained where I stood, glancing at the mural on the ceiling.

"That Bella was a bitch.  I wonder what Bruno meant when he said you were his?" Robyn pondered.

"He meant I'm his girlfriend." I assumed.

"I don't know, he said it kind of like you were more his property than his partner, didn't you see how quick Bella backed down afterwards?...and weren't you two engaged?"

The memories of that night at the psychiatric hospital flashed in my mind before I pushed them back into the closet of my mind that they were locked behind.  I looked up at Robyn, "He doesn't have any more living records so we couldn't legally get married here; we postponed it." I lied.

"We have an imported Thai AB Negative that has just been freshly drained, would you care for a glass?" Isabella picked up the glass pitcher on the tray in the parlour and poured herself a glass.  Bruno wasn't hungry, as he had just recently fed from his lover, who happened to have the same extremely rare blood type; but he was a master manipulator and knew in order to get on the Sheriff's good side, he needed to do everything and anything for her.  Not to mention her being in such a high position of power could come in handy when discovering the motives of the Elitists.

"I'd love one." He said with a smile that could have made Isabella blush, if she had the ability to.  She poured his glass and handed it to him and they raised them simoutaneously, taking a sip.

"So what could I possibly help you with, Bruno?" Isabella sat back in her chair and crossed her legs, showcasing her long, creamy legs.

"Well, Bella, I recently fed from a good friend of ours, the young woman that was with my companion and I-"

"Ah yes, Rihanna if I'm correct?"

"Yes, her." Bruno continued, "I am, as you know, a newborn vampire, so I don't know much about the supernatural world and what other creatures possibly exist; but I felt uneasy because I tasted a darkness in her I had never had before."

Isabella nodded as she listened, "There are more creatures out there than you could ever imagine.  Maybe you have never experienced her type before? What's your kill count?"

"73." He replied quickly.

"Ah, never mind then you've killed quite a lot so I'm sure you've been exposed to a lot." She hummed to herself, taking a sip from her glass.  "Let me try the girl."

"I need to warn you, it was really hard for me to stop." Bruno stood up and offered his hand, which Isabella gratefully took as she stood to her feet and readjusted her gown.

"Bruno, my love, you are but a year old.  Power is like nicotine for you.  I am three hundred years old, I believe I can handle your little island friend." She smiled and he let her lead the way back to the main foyer.

Isabella vamped over to Robyn and grabbed her by her long, red hair, pulling her head sharply to the side so suddenly that even I shrieked.  Bruno vamped to the scene as well and placed his hand on Isabella's arm whilst Robyn screamed and fought helplessly.  "Shouldn't you glamour her first?" He asked with concern.

"I hate glamour.  Just another way for us to make things easier on humans when they have been the reason we've stayed hidden since the beginning of time.  No sympathy for their pain threshold, do you want help with your friend or not?" Isabella's voice was sharp, her fangs extended.

"Please! I'll take the disease just let me go! I have to go see my mother in a couple days!" Robyn pleaded.

There was no more Bruno could say, so he stepped back.  I was completely shocked by his passive attitude, so I charged forward and lunged for the woman, but Bruno caught me around the waist.  "ARE YOU JUST GONNA LET HER KILL ROBYN!? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" I shouted.

"Little girl, you are nothing but a blood bag to me, one that I would greatly enjoy emptying.  I am not going to kill your human friend, you would do wise to listen to the man who's saving your life this very moment." Isabella sneered, pulling Robyn's hair tighter around her curled fist.  At this point, tears were streaming down Robyn's face and I was on the verge of crying too.  As much as I fought, Bruno would not let up his hold.

"Baby, you need to relax, please." He whispered, but I continued trying to wrestle away from him.  He held me tighter, but when I refused to relax, he turned me around to face him........

And I was relaxed.  I was flying, soaring high into the clouds, drifting peacefully as I looked into his eyes and grinned.

"Just relax, and don't scream, don't fight alright? I need you to cooperate for me." His voice echoed in my brain amongst what sounded like violins.

Everything was going to be alright, so I agreed.  Why not? "Okay Bruno." I smiled.

Suddenly, I was dropped from the sky back into the mansion and I looked around and saw my best friend struggling in the hold of Isabella, but for some reason I wasn't concerned.  I didn't know why, I felt like I should have been but it didn't seem like a big deal to me.

"Are we finished with the antics here?" Isabella asked.

"Yes, I apologize Bella." Bruno responded.

She gave a fangy grin, "I suppose I can forgive you since you are Bruno Mars." She pulled Robyn closer, ready to sink her fangs in, when Robyn started chanting something with an angry look in her eyes.

'Jam tibi impero et præcipio maligne spiritus! ut confestim allata et circulo discedas, absque omni strepito, terrore, clamore et foetore, asque sine omni damno mei tam animæ quam corporis absque omni læsione cujuscunque creaturæ vel rei; et ad locum a justissimo tibi deputatum in momento et ictu oculi abeas; et hinc proripias'

"What the fu--" I started, but Bruno dropped me to the floor and I landed with a thud as he stared at Robyn, dumbfounded, as did Isabella.  I looked at the vampire guards and they were also stupified.  Robyn continued chanting the same thing over and over again.

' et hinc proripias'
' et hinc proripias'
' et hinc proripias!'

I jumped as the chandelier bulbs began to burst, one after the other, and the doors flung open, a harsh draft pouring inside.  Isabella had dropped Robyn, who continued to angrily chant the same words repeatedly, and in a flash, every vampire in the room fled off with their supernatural speed.  Once they were gone, Robyn fainted on the foyer floor, and I was left wide-eyed and terrified at what I had just witnessed.