Safeword: Storm Clouds(44)

Norris just looked at her, like he didn't believe what he was hearing.

And then Kendra realized... "Wait, Gavin is gone right now, making me temporarily the second in command. You really did think you would see me and I would make everything right with Abbot for you, didn't you? You timed it so that you came when Gavin was gone? Dammit Norris! You can't walk in here and take advantage of me first thing! I am not the same woman I was a thousand years ago. I suggest you get on the phone, now, and grovel to Abbot. I'm not getting involved in that. This is between the two of you, and once the two of you figure it out, then you and I can talk. Maybe."

Kendra turned and went through the kitchen, into the pantry, and then opened the door that would take her to the basement and her suite of rooms. Twenty minutes later she heard Abbot in her head.

Kendra, it's too close to dawn to send him away right now, so I gave them permission to put him on the top floor for the day and he has been told to leave my territory as soon as he arises. He may then call me from Kentucky to negotiate entry in the proper manner if he wishes. The irony here is that if he'd called me before he came I'd have let him in with no negotiations.

Right, but this is Norris, still trying to one-up you. I'd just as soon you not offer him passage into the territory for a while, if you can do it without causing political problems with Marco up in New York. I can't believe I once loved him as I did, Abbot. And when he hugged me, I still felt something for him. But I guess I've grown up, finally, I'm not attracted to the bad boys anymore. And he was always a very bad boy. I just need to stay away from him.

I'm going to call Marco and see what I can get away with doing. I'll let you know what he has to say.

Kendra sat her laptop to the side and went to her bathroom to draw herself a bath. She had a huge tub, and when she got upset she took a hot bath. She carried her cell phone to the bathroom and sat it on the table beside the tub, just in case someone called that she needed to talk to.

She hadn't been in long when she heard Abbot in her head again.

Marco isn't very happy with Norris right now. He's calling him all the way home to be dealt with. Marco says that if I don't want to offer Norris passage into my territory later that he won't take it personally, under the circumstances.

Thanks Abbot.

Norris is asking to talk to you while he's here tonight, before he has to leave upon arising.

Of course he is. Okay, tell them I'm going to finish my bath and then I'll be up to talk to him. I don't want him to have access to the basement at all Abbot, if that's okay with you.

You are right, it would not be appropriate under the circumstances. He will be staying on the third floor in the bunk room. I'll let them know you'll be up in a while to talk to him.

So Kendra took another twenty minutes in the tub and then got out and dressed in a designer pants suit that flowed around her and some of her favorite shoes before going upstairs to talk to Norris. She needed all of the self confidence she could muster to face him and not let him make her fall in love with him all over again. She was not the same woman she was back then, and she didn't really want to go back.

When she got to the great room she saw him sitting on the sofa talking to a couple of the younger vampires.



"Norris, Abbot said you wanted to talk to me tonight before you went home?"



"Kendaline, I'm sorry I came like this.. I just thought... I'm sorry. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"



"Yes, but I'm not taking you there. If you want to talk then I suggest you begin talking. And, I go by Kendra now, as I'm sure you've been told."

"I've changed, too, Kendra. It's been a thousand years for both of us. I know we may have changed so much that we can't make it work now, but I still felt something when we hugged. I still want you. I'd like to take the time to get to know you again, see if there is anything there. We were once planning to marry, Kendra. What if there is still something there we can build on?"

"Norris, just go home and deal with your own Master, and then work on negotiating whatever you can with Abbot. Once upon a time I took great pleasure in skirting the rules, and you and I got along great. But now I'm one of the people in charge, I'm one of the people responsible for enforcing the rules and keeping some order amongst our people. I've grown and changed, and I just can't imagine that a relationship with you is going to work anymore."

"Okay Kendra, but... the moon is almost new. What about a night flight together. For the sake of old times? We still have time before dawn."

After sharing just that with Eric tonight, she didn't want to do it again with Norris. "No Norris, no night flight tonight. But I will spend some time with you since you are here for the rest of the night with Abbot's permission. We've got a nice garden area outside, let's go out into the night air and talk."