Riding the Storm.

by Candace Blevins.

Chattanooga Supernaturals.

As the vampires begin to realize bagged blood isn't giving them what they need, Kendra goes in search of a human companion. She's been a Domme for the past thousand years, and has never had trouble finding human men who want to submit to her.

Eric is a human adrenaline junkie who spends his time hang gliding and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes when he isn't creating video games. And he smells of sunshine and blue skies - addictive to a vampire who's seen neither for nearly three thousand years.

Unfortunately, he's a Dom. But he's so full of life, and he gives her adventures when she'd forgotten how to live with joy.

As the two navigate their compatibility in bed, Eric must figure out whether he can handle living in Kendra's world, and the vampires have to figure out whether they can deal with their third in command submitting to a human they feel is so far beneath them on the evolutionary ladder.

While Kendra and Eric work through their personal challenges, they must also fight a group of powerful supernaturals planning to enslave Eric in an effort to exploit his skills and further their own agenda.

Can Kendra and Eric battle all of this to find happiness?

Warnings: This t.i.tle contains consensual BDSM (M/f and F/m), bondage, mild discipline, use of toys including a.n.a.l plugs, p.e.n.i.s plugs, cuffs, floggers, and canes. Also, the bad guys are subjected to torture and extreme violence.

Chapter One.

Kendra walked into The Billiard Club, thankful for the large crowd. It'd been decades since she'd sought out a human companion, and it was time to begin hunting in earnest.

Using bagged blood had seemed a good idea, and had certainly made meals simpler, but Kendra believed the vampires weren't getting what they needed from it. She'd supplemented bagged blood with the occasional human since she first switched, but it was time to reverse the situation and use the bags to supplement occasionally, while feeding from a human the majority of the time.

And not just any human would do. Kendra was convinced she needed the life force exchange she received from a personal relationship, which meant finding a human companion.

Her friends were worried about her, concerned she was just making it through day after day instead of living, and she was beginning to think they might have a point. She couldn't remember the last time she had an adventure just for the fun of it.

The main room of The Billiard Club was packed with too many bodies and countless smells, so she made her way through the crush of people towards the security room. However, as she was partway through the nightclub-themed billiard room she saw two guys who looked as if they were about to come to blows. She casually stepped a little closer, tuning into an argument about one of the men flirting with the other's girl, and the other denying she was the first guy's girl. Kendra rolled her eyes and quickly glanced at those watching the developing scene, and... bingo, there she was, standing off to the side, wringing her hands and looking guilty.

Kendra quietly moved to the girl's side. "Is there an easy way to get the two of them to back off?"

The girl looked at Kendra, her eyes flicked to the men, and then back to Kendra. "I don't know. Jake won't take no for an answer, even though I've told him I'm with Kye now. Kye thinks he's defending my honor, but Jake's going to kick his a.s.s. I don't know how to make them stop, but I'm really scared for Kye."

Sizing the guys up, Kendra could easily guess which was about to get his a.s.s kicked. The situation was rapidly escalating and it was time to do something, so she stepped towards them and asked, "Jake, explain to me what you think you're about to accomplish, here."

Both of the guys stopped arguing and looked at her as if she were an alien with green antennae. Unsurprisingly, the one she a.s.sumed was Jake spoke first. "Who the h.e.l.l are you?"

Kendra smiled. "Think of me as your guardian angel. Answer the question - what do you hope to accomplish by fighting Kye?"

Jake decided to be belligerent. "I don't have a f.u.c.king guardian angel, and this is none of your concern. Kye thinks Angel belongs to him, but she don't. I'm just trying to explain it to him. End of story, now beat it."

Interesting, the smell of a lie and the truth together. He'd almost convinced himself of it, but there was doubt.

She decided to try the logical approach first. "I doubt Angel belongs to anyone. Slavery has long been against the law in this country, you can't own another human. If Angel hasn't promised herself to you, and if she's chosen to spend time with Kye, then that's her decision. Has she asked for your protection, or has she asked you to back off?"

She could sense the answer before he said anything, so she quickly asked, "Shouldn't you do as the girl asks and back off? Let her make her own decisions about who she spends time with? She doesn't belong to anyone, she's her own person."

"No, no, no. See, if Kye will just leave Angel the h.e.l.l alone, then she and me, we can be happy together."

Now, she smelled truth. He actually believed if Kye went away then his darling Angel would come back to him. Poor, stupid, clueless boy.

More than just the surrounding tables were paying attention, so it was time to put an end to the discussion. Jake wasn't going to listen to reason, so she stepped towards him and spoke in a low voice. "You think you can beat Kye up and then it's you and Angel, happily ever after? No, you pound his a.s.s and Angel will help patch him up, hold ice on his boo-boos, change the dressing on his wounds, and give him lots of TLC while he heals. They'll grow even closer, shutting you even farther out. But that's not really the point, because you're causing a disturbance in a place of business. You have a choice - you can either nicely walk with me out the door, get in your car, and leave; or I can escort you out and have a nice police officer write up a report about how you're disturbing the peace."

Ah, the stench of anger and belligerence, and his words matched the smell. "I ain't disturbin' nothin', c.u.n.t, and I'd like to see you try to walk me out ah here."

Kendra had no problem granting his request. She said his name with enough of an edge he looked into her eyes, and his simple mind instantly belonged to her.

"We're going to walk outside, now," she told him, her voice a gentle suggestion.

He nodded, and she reached for his arm and walked him out. She asked him what he did for a living on the way out, he said he was working construction right now. She instructed him to walk to his car and get his keys out, which she promptly took from him.

"You smartened up enough to decide it was time to go. You realize Kye will be good for Angel, and you're happy for them." She gave him a second to a.s.similate her suggestion before adding, "You deserve to be happy, also. You'll find a trade you enjoy, and work towards becoming an apprentice and mastering the skills you need to earn a good living. You'll become a contributing member of society. You'll treat people with respect."

He nodded and she put him in his car, handed him his keys, and told him to go home and get a good night's sleep.

Most of her vampire friends made good natured fun of her when she gave humans suggestions to make themselves better people while she had them in her mental grasp. But then Men in Black had come out and Will Smith did the same thing, and she'd felt vindicated.

As she walked back into the club, she thought of how many Jakes there were in the world, and wondered how many she'd have to go through before she found someone she'd like to groom as a human companion. She was better than that at picking men, but even with her good judge of character and her ability to smell a lie, there was still no guarantee she wouldn't find someone who seemed perfect, and then somewhere down the line learn they had a serious personality flaw. But, it was a chance she'd have to take, because sometimes the benefits outweighed the risks.

Before blood banks, most vampires had taken on at least one human companion - someone they cared for and kept around as a food source. In this particular territory the human companions were never hostages, they stayed of their own free will, which was the way Kendra preferred it. However, this meant it took a good bit of effort to keep the human happy enough to stay in the relationship.

Kendra had loved the freedom of not needing to be dependent upon a human, but now she was looking forward to the intimacy and the extra oomph a relationship could provide if you found the right person. She wanted that sense of feeling alive again, and she wanted to find a man who enjoyed life to the fullest, with plenty of vibrant energy to share.

So tonight, Kendra was on her way to the security room to watch the camera feeds, and hoped someone caught her fancy. The part-owner of the club was the Master Vampire over most of the southeastern United States, and as his third in charge Kendra could go anywhere she pleased in all of his nightclubs, and regularly made decisions in his name when he wasn't around.

Kendra stepped into the camera room and the guy manning the cameras said, "Good job with him. Most in the room didn't even realize he was being escorted out."

"Thanks, but I'm not actually working tonight, I just saw a problem and dealt with it. I'd like to look through the feeds, and then I'll get out of your hair."

He nodded and pushed his chair back so she had access to the controls, and she stepped forward and looked across the monitors, flipping for different views here and there, hoping someone would catch her eye. No one jumped out at her, and she sighed in frustration. She'd gone to several of Abbott's other clubs over the past couple of weeks, half-way looking for a companion, and had decided TBC seemed the most likely place to find someone she might like. She didn't especially want someone prowling the bars specifically to meet people, and she'd noted men seemed to come here to just hang out with their friends. Specifically, they avoided the party billiard room, and the dance room, and headed to the laid-back billiard room when they were here with their guy friends. So that was where she headed.

As she walked past the billiard tables towards the bar in the quiet billiard room, almost every man in the room noticed her. Kendra hadn't been a particularly attractive human - when she'd been born several thousand years ago she'd been tall and lanky. In an age when the tallest men were likely to be five feet ten inches tall and most were a good bit shorter, she was five feet seven. When the social customs said fat was s.e.xy and skinny meant you were too poor to afford food, she'd been skinny no matter how much she'd eaten. Even as recently as a hundred years ago, she hadn't been considered attractive by the standards of the day. So she was more than pleased that she happened to fit the current ideal of what was beautiful - tall, with long legs, and she wore a size three.

The tanned look seemed to finally be out of fashion as well, so even her pale skin was considered attractive now. She usually dressed in stylishly cla.s.sic and flowing clothes, and was more likely to wear pastel colors than black.

She ignored the men staring as she walked through the room and behind the bar to pour herself a drink. She talked to the bartender a moment, wanting to broadcast she belonged here and wasn't a patron, before carrying her drink to the front of the bar and easing herself onto a corner stool so she could observe the room.

Eric noticed the beautiful blonde when she stepped into the room, but he finished his shot before situating himself so he could surrept.i.tiously get a better look at her.

She was looking at him when he looked her direction, and he held her gaze as he lifted his gla.s.s and smiled at her. She tilted her head and smiled back, and he forced himself to look casual as he lifted his chin towards her with a smile and then focused on the game once again.

He'd gotten a good look at her in those few seconds, though. Her vibrant, ice blue eyes had captured him from across the room, but not so much he didn't note how her clingy, lavender sweater hugged her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

During the next game, their waitress brought three beers and nodded to the blonde as she said, "Compliments of the house, gentlemen. Enjoy."

He acknowledged her by once again lifting his bottle, but finished his game with his friends, said goodbye to them as they took their leave, and finally went to talk to her.

She smiled as he neared, welcoming, and yet she seemed to have an icy veneer, her eyes evaluating him as one might a.n.a.lyze prey. He was usually attracted to women who were outgoing, friendly, and full of life, but he found himself drawn to the cool sense of danger emanating from this woman.

He wanted to caress the sharp edges of her jaw and cheeks, kiss and lick her neck until she thawed.

Instead, he told her, "It seems a thank you is in order, so," he raised his beer a few inches, "thank you."

"You're most welcome. It looked like the three of you had some sort of celebration going on, it was the least I could do."

Her voice went straight to his c.o.c.k, and he adjusted his stance a little, focusing on the rest of his body in an effort to keep his libido under control. "Yeah, my buddy asked his girlfriend to marry him last night and she said yes. I'm the last single guy at this point, so my friends kind of insisted I come talk to you. I was going to, even if you hadn't sent the drinks over."

"And are you single because you're against relationships, or just because you haven't found the right girl?"

So calm, together, self-a.s.sured. She was mid to possibly late twenties, and yet she looked out of her eyes at him as if she were much older. Instead of giving her a c.o.c.ky line designed to get her in bed, he answered honestly. "Last year, maybe a little of both. This year, probably the latter. I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie and I tend to scare most women off once they get to know me."

"And with a line like that, some of them will be scared off before they have a chance to get to know you. Tell me, why are you so scary?"

Her voice was like a cool caress, and he wanted to keep talking to her, though there was no way he was going to tell her he was a Dom who expected a lot out of a submissive. That wasn't the only thing that scared girls off, though. He wedged a foot on the lower rung of a bar stool and casually propped his hip against the top and answered, "My hobbies include rappelling, kayaking, skydiving, and hang gliding. Three years ago I made it to within a few football fields of the top of Everest, but the weather wouldn't cooperate to let us make an attempt for the summit."

"You're a hang glider? It's something I've considered trying. Is it hard to learn?"

He took a few seconds to consider her body language and expression, as her reaction was unexpected. He was used to people talking about the danger, or intimating he had a death wish.

Some responded as if they wanted a lesson, but it was only a manner of flirting. He didn't think it was the case with this woman, though, and she'd just gone from intriguing to d.a.m.ned interesting. "I'm one of the best, and I'm certified to teach. Flying when conditions are perfect isn't especially hard, but gaining the knowledge to be safe takes a good deal of effort."

"Do you have the thing so you can take someone on a tandem flight?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I do."

"Take me. Tonight. In the dark."

It was both challenge and request, and part of him actually considered the possibility for a half-second, but then his sanity returned and he remembered the million reasons it was a terrible idea. "Too dangerous at night, but I'd be happy to take you tomorrow."

"No deal tomorrow, Mister Adrenaline Junkie. I'll go with you tonight, not tomorrow."

Well, she'd nailed him on the adrenaline junkie thing, and they hadn't even exchanged names yet, which they really should get around to doing, soon. He took a drink of beer as he considered her, and asked, "You're serious?"

"Quite. The moon is almost full, and it's plenty bright outside. I have excellent night vision and the evening is calling to me. My name is Kendra, by the way."

"Eric. Nice to meet you, I think."

"You aren't sure?" Her cool blue eyes twinkled at him and seemed to warm a few degrees, and he thought again of all the ways he could go about warming her.

Again though, instead of aiming the conversation towards getting her into his bed, he told her, "Some people a.s.sume I don't value life, and have a death wish, but the opposite is true. I value life enough to fully live it, and now I find myself wondering which is the case with you. Something tells me you're the same as me, and you value life enough to truly live it, but I just met you, and before I take you on a night flight I'd like to be sure of your reasoning."

Kendra hadn't intended to feed from anyone tonight. She wanted to form an attachment first, or it was only marginally better than bagged blood. But this man was so alive. She was tempted to get a taste of him as soon as she had him alone, but she didn't want to have to make him forget anything, which also meant she couldn't actually tell him there was no danger hang gliding at night - since Kendra could fly, they'd just be doing it for the rush, for the feel of the night whooshing by them as they soared like birds on the wind.

When she took to the skies it was magical, metaphysical - wind wasn't necessary. Since she couldn't a.s.sure him there'd be no danger, she said, "All I can do is tell you I don't have a death wish. There isn't a way for me to prove it. I can tell you I'd love to feel the rush of the wind on my face, the experience of soaring through the night sky, but there's no way for you to know I'm speaking truth."

He studied her eyes a few seconds before asking, "You work here?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "Not exactly. There are a dozen or so clubs and restaurants in town I help manage, as a group."

"And I just happened to catch your eye?"

He said it as if he had no idea how he appeared to others - light brown hair with streaks of golden highlights Kendra had a feeling weren't put there with a bottle, but by time in the sun. He had beautiful blue eyes, a perfect nose, and abs that made her want to trace them with her tongue. The body of an Abercrombie model with the hair and grooming habits of a GQ model. Did it get any better?

"Yeah. You're... I don't know. Alive. Comfortable in your skin. I could feel your energy from across the room." He was so full of life, so perfect. She wanted to get him alone. She wanted to spend time with that soothing voice, those beautiful eyes, and the scent of sunshine and self-a.s.surance and raw male mingling in a blissful, happy swirl around him.

He was quiet again, considering, then seemed to make up his mind. "All right, Kendra. I'll take you on a night flight, but not tonight. I have rappelling gear for two in my car, if you want an adrenaline rush tonight, you'll have to live with doing it in a harness hanging off the side of a mountain."

Her stomach did a little flip-flop, which was ridiculous, but she didn't argue with it. "Deal. Let me grab my purse from the office, I'll be back in a few minutes."

As she stood beside him, she noted he was a good six or seven inches taller than her. He was well proportioned and so comfortable in his skin, her mouth watered just thinking of how he might taste.

They'd spoken a good ten minutes though, and not once had he fed her a line of bulls.h.i.t. She hadn't smelled the stench of a lie a single time, which was practically unheard of when meeting someone for the first time these days. People told white lies and fibs all the time as they gave the answer they thought most likely to get them what they wanted, but Eric had told her the unvarnished truth. He'd left something out once, but he hadn't lied.

She vowed to give him the same, as much as she could. She couldn't tell him she was a vampire, or admit to her abilities, but she'd do her best to sidestep telling an actual lie.

Chapter Two.

Kendra called home from her car to warn the other vampires she was bringing a human home long enough for her to change clothes, and threatened them to be nice. Lucky for her, everyone currently at the house except Gavin - Abbott's second in command - had to listen to her, and Gavin would be nice because it wouldn't benefit him to be an a.s.s.

When they arrived, only Gavin and Fawne were on the main level. She guessed Gavin had ran them all away from the main floor until her guest was gone, so she wouldn't have to answer so many questions about why so many people lived there. Kendra made introductions and ran downstairs to change, as she wasn't prepared to explain why she had to pa.s.s through three locked doors to get to her rooms. Needless to say, vampires are pretty cautious about their daytime resting spot.

Changing clothes didn't take long with her super vampire speed, so she was back upstairs in jeans, fashionable micro-fleece top, athletic shoes, and her long hair pulled into a ponytail in less than five minutes. She could've been faster, but managing the change too fast would arouse questions.

When she returned, Eric looked impressed. "That was quick. I barely had a chance to talk to your friends."

She grinned. "Yeah, that was kind of the idea."