Into Abeyance

Chapter 2 : Saved by the annoying, sarcastic side kick!

I blinked in surprise and leaned back on my chair involuntarily. The vein on his forehead was bulging furiously and I shriveled under his furious, indignant stare. My mind went completely blank and I started hyperventilating. I was starting to see bright red polka dots in the air.

“I am sorry, come again?”, I managed to say it out loud, while I blinked my eyes furiously trying hard to concentrate on the furious human glaring down at me rather than his overwhelming sweet scent..Okay calm down! you are not a blood lusting vampire...you have got this. 

He peered closely into my eyes and for some reason, I found myself averting from his gaze, not being able to handle the intense pain raging in his eyes. I blinked, surprised at myself. I was never one to avert eye contact. Why did this man look like he had the weight of the whole world in his shoulders? He looked worn out and beat but still formidable. 

“ I am sorry, have we met before?”, I tried again hopefully, my voice coming in strained as I decided to stop breathing completely as a defensive measure against his smell. Obviously, vampires didn't need to breath but we pretended to breathe to fit in with the human society.

“Oh for god sakes! Stop acting now. How could you not show up that day? I waited for you till midnight. Then I found out that you just vanished into thin air. Where did you go? Don’t you think that I of all people need to hear some explanation. After all, I had worked myself crazy, looking high and low for you.”, he spit every word in burning indignation.

I blinked in surprise and cursed internally. Okay! He obviously knew me from when I was a human, but the problem is I have no recollection of my life as a human. This is bad news.... I didn't think I would run into someone I knew from the past in the FBI headquarters of all places. A vampire loses her memory upon turning. And my Sire had assured me that I didn’t have any close ones nor any family and I was living a miserable life and he had made me promise him repeatedly that I won’t dig up on my past so that I won’t get hurt in any way. He had wanted me to start afresh, but I hadn’t foreseen that I would meet a person who had met me in my past the very first day I start my undercover mission. So much for my power of seeing visions. Some vampires have certain other powers other than their heightened strength and speed. My Sire can read minds, my instructor could control electric currants and me…..I could see visions….sometimes, its of the past….sometimes the present from seconds before it actually happens and sometimes way into the future. I risked a side glance at him again and cursed my luck again.

He obviously hates my guts. Did we have some kind of history together?

 My brains were busy working overtime, trying to figure out a solution. By the way, where the hell was that i***t? Shouldn't he be here by now? The i***t that I was referring to was my trainer s***h partner in crime. He was supposed to have my back and get my back in murky situations, so where the hell was he? Knowing him well, my guess was flirting with the receptionist down the hall. What should I do? Should I play along with this or should I come clean that I don’t remember him at all? 

I decided to go with the latter one since he was an FBI agent after all. Sooner or later, my lies would come apart and I couldn't risk angering him nor was I in a position to have someone on my back all the time, keeping an eye on me. Better to have him on my side than against me, after all he was the goddamn Chief. So, I decided to go with the story my Sire had prepared for me in case I run across anyone I knew from when I was a human. That story had some loose ends, that's why I was reluctant to use it on FBI agent, of all people. Calm down! It all depends on the person selling the story. I can do this.

I willed myself to calm down and forced myself to turn my head back and looked into those green eyes.

“If I had offended you in any manner in the past, I sincerely apologize. I had met with an accident two years back and had a loss of memory. I don’t even remember if I have a family or not. That’s why I was recruited by the FBI. Because I am person who doesn’t have a life.”, I said in an eerie calm tone and looked at him with my innocent, puppy eyes hoping and praying to god that he believes my story. Isn't it ironic, a vampire praying to god because of a mere human? 

I saw his mouth fall open in shock and a look of raw anguish passed through his eyes. In a split of a second, he had rushed to my side and took me in his arms. I blinked in surprised, taken aback. For the first time since I woke up, I felt safe…I felt content. He hugged me tightly. I could feel his thundering heartbeats beating loudly beside my still heart. My throat started aching uncontrollably, pining for a taste of him. I let go abruptly and looked at him, completely shell shocked.

“You are cold.”, he muttered to himself and I went still.

“So, I assume we were acquaintances. Are you one of my family members?”, I asked him innocently, when I full well knew that I have no close kin to speak of.

He sighed and looked at me dumbfoundedly as if he doesn’t have a clue at all how to deal with me.

“I …uhm..”, he began, then stopped as the door opened suddenly.

“Tora”, exclaimed the man in the black leather jacket who had just interrupted.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance while he continued smirking at me. Mike Goddamn Toronto……..

He is my partner in crime. Whenever our master sends us on missions, he is always my partner and he clearly had arrived before me. Though he looked like a man in his thirties, he was actually 350 years old. He was the cheekiest and flirtiest vampire I had ever met.

He had clearly been eavesdropping and sensing that I am in a tricky situation, he chose to intervene to save me.

I sighed in relief as I saw those familiar, round, blue eyes again while a part of me wanted to kick his butt for not showing up earlier to save me out of this predicament.

He was my trainer and the one who is supposed to keep me in check, but we had gotten on surprisingly well despite the generation difference.

Mike then turned his attention to the Chief and flashed his million-dollar smile as he cheerfully introduced himself, “Mike Toronto, reporting for duty, Sir.”

“Luke Kingsley, Chief Commander of Violent Crimes Division”, the Chief stated back calmly, fully composed.

He then raised an eyebrow at me and asked, “You too know each other”

Mike good naturedly pulled me in close, wrapping a hand around my shoulder while replying, “Of course sir, we are best friends”

Luke’s vein bulged dangerously as his eyes landed on the hand on my shoulder.

“Best friend? Really?”, he replied with an icy tone and I gulped involuntarily. Luke then shook his head then sighed as he handed us both identical blue files from the desk.

“You have two hours to catch up. Get to work after you finish reading this”, he stated firmly before exiting the room.

I breathed a sigh of relief while Mike let out a throaty chuckle.

“Couldn’t you have come faster?”, I snapped at him, annoyed.

“I wanted to see how my student would hold up”, he said in a proud voice and smirked at me.

I playfully kicked him and he yelped out in pain.

“Hey!”, he shouted indignantly.

I snickered as I sat myself and opened the blue file……the reason I am here for……