The Psychic and the Vampire

Chapter Thirty-Two

“I wouldn't be surprised if you started to resent ever meeting me,” Viktor said as he navigated the traffic toward the veterinary clinic. “Between the abduction and Able being shot, and now you've lost your job, I think most people would feel resentful about things like that. Is that why you've been quiet since we left the office? Do you regret handing in your resignation?”

“What?” Ant said. “No, no, I wasn't quiet because of that. I could’ve been thinking about how comfortable this new vehicle is and how difficult it is to hear the engine with the windows closed. Very nice. But no, I'm not upset about the job. It was my choice to hand in my resignation and I believe that was the right thing to do. I was actually thinking about how I don’t understand how people can allow themselves to be so easily manipulated, like Captain Bains. I told him that it was happening, and he still didn’t change his mind.”

Ant sighed. “I do feel sorry for the cases I won’t be able to help with. I know my input can often reduce the time it takes for criminals to be brought before the justice system, and my testimony is often vital in cases where evidence is in short supply. But that’s not on me, or you for that matter. I’ve never been a police officer. I was just a consultant.”

“Hmm, fair enough,” Viktor said. “You would tell me if you were feeling any resentment toward me in any way, wouldn’t you?”

“I’m sure you’ve learned by now I’m bluntly honest,” Ant said simply. “My brain just refuses to work any other way. I would never resent you for things that are out of your control, and if your behavior bothered me any time in the future, I would say so. I do have one concern with us, going forward, though.”

“I’ve said before you can tell or ask me anything.” Viktor was sure his mate could probably feel how relieved he was by Ant’s honesty. They hadn’t talked much at all since being home…and yes, Viktor might have been a tiny bit obsessed in the way he kept checking that Ant was breathing. But he also understood most people needed to talk things out to overcome trauma.

“I’m worried you might have gotten the wrong idea about my life, quite frankly,” Ant admitted. “I agree things have been a little bit exciting lately. At least I think that's the word a person would use. Not that I see it that way – more hectic or chaotic - but anyway. I am a little worried that you might have gotten a misguided idea of what my life is generally like. It’s usually very boring. Just ask Bridget.”

Viktor laughed. “I don't know about you, but I could probably do with a bit of boredom. But explain to me what you mean about not understanding people's motivations. I'm curious how you see it.”

The traffic seemed really busy for the time of day, although it was around lunchtime, so Viktor assumed that was normal. He wasn't usually up before evening, back when his life revolved around Tony, so it could be that the traffic was always heavy. He wasn’t concerned.

The new SUV drove like a dream. It was just the traffic meant getting from the police station to the veterinary clinic was taking longer than he thought it would. But that meant they had a chance for a chat and Viktor was genuinely curious about how his unusual mate saw the events of the past few days and what had just gone on in Captain Bains's office.

Ant took a moment to answer. “Would you agree that Captain Bains is being manipulated?”

Viktor nodded. “Yes, I think that's more than obvious from what he said, from the way he was behaving, and then more importantly, from the things he didn't say such as the names of those concerned parties.”

“Ah, good,” Ant said. “I’m glad you picked up on that too. I was curious about that. But let's say that there are nefarious shadow figures working behind the scenes trying to manipulate prominent citizens. What do they get out of it? Like what would a person get out of forcing you to be apart from me or from me to not work at the police station anymore? I don't understand their mentality.”

“That’s because at heart you are a good person,” Viktor said slowly. “I think, and this is only from my experiences from living through various lifetimes and seeing how different people react to each other, and bearing in mind that I am a paranormal who hasn’t involved themselves in non-para activities that often, that pressure is likely coming indirectly from any one of the numerous criminal families in town.

“Tony was never the only one. But because of your known association with me now and the fact that these people believe I have inside info on how criminal activities in town are actually conducted, they could be concerned that I might steer you in one direction on a case that might have otherwise been overlooked by law enforcement. That’s just my take on the situation.”

“See, I don’t understand that line of thinking because that’s based on an assumption by these people that I can’t think for myself. Do people do that? Do people genuinely try to manipulate other people just so they can continue being criminals?”

“No criminal ever wants to get caught. We had a case like that just two days ago,” Viktor reminded him. “Thinking about this situation with the captain, though, he clearly didn't want you to leave, but he was convinced that your relationship to me wasn't important for whatever reason.

“Somebody, and clearly I have no idea who that is at this moment, but somebody who did have more of an awareness of what a mating is like between paranormals, put that option to him citing law and order. You heard what the captain said. He had been manipulated into believing that I would mess up a crime scene or act like a...what were his words?”

“Judge, jury and executioner. I didn't like that,” Ant said. “If anything, I was the one who did that, by telling you that I had seen how dirty those two were. At the time, I really wasn't in a frame of mind where I could have suggested, hey, just tie them up and put a sock in their mouths, and we'll let the authorities deal with it later. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how close to death I was, but I was concerned for all of us.”

Ant trembled and looked out of the passenger window, perhaps hoping that Viktor wouldn't notice. Viktor laid a hand on his shoulder briefly, and then put both hands back on the steering wheel because he knew that that was what Ant preferred.

“Bullets hit you,” Ant said, his voice still shaky. “I know they didn’t hurt you, but I watched them hit you. I didn't know. I've read Dr. Pike's papers, and I know that vampires are pretty much completely immune to most weapons a person could wield. They can heal from most injuries…they can…

“I could see their hate for you in Mike’s and Colin’s eyes. I could feel their anger, their rage, their frustration, and their fear. They were frantically trying to kill you, and I've never felt so helpless than I did in that moment. I am NOT a helpless person. I have never been helpless like that before. I don’t know what I'm meant to do about these feelings because I’ve never had them before.”

Ah, now Viktor understood. He had been equally angry and upset seeing Ant so badly treated by those two, and all they'd basically done was drag him into a room and swamp him with visions that Ant would probably have nightmares about for the next ten years. It was a good sign that Ant could express himself, even if he didn’t understand what he was going through.

“You need to look at it from another perspective,” Viktor suggested in a low tone. “What if, instead of feeling so helpless because you couldn't do anything while the bullets were shooting toward me. What if you swapped that thought out with I’m really lucky, fortunate, or whatever word you would prefer to use along those lines, that my mate is strong enough to withstand a major assault with multiple weapons. Does changing that perspective help you to see things in a more positive light?”

“Well, it beats what Bridget said at breakfast this morning.” But Ant was chuckling and that was a good sign. “She had this idea that we should just basically, you know, fix a smile on our faces and move on. I am truly thrilled for her that she see things that way.

“But then I think a lot of her thinking was that she was really happy to be in a spirit form. She’d never done that before.” Ant sighed. “I do hope she doesn't try doing that too often. I would be worried sick that she's not going to be able to get back into her body again, the way a living spirit is supposed to.”

“Is that what happened?” Viktor swung into the veterinarian clinic parking lot. “You were actually both out of your bodies?”

“Yes, of course.” Ant seemed surprised, but then his face cleared. “Ah, we've not talked about it yet.”

“I didn't think you wanted to talk about anything that had happened,” Viktor said quietly. “I understood. I was just giving you your space to talk about it when you felt up to it. But now I get it. That's how you could give me a message from Bridget about the dust and being a badass, even when she was clearly unconscious, because she wasn't in her body either?

“No,” Ant said, shaking his head. “Neither one of us were. I had been so overwhelmed by the vileness I was seeing, and I mean I was tired despite sleeping in because I’d traced her energy for so long. I hadn't had anything to eat, and then I saw Able being shot and then those bullets were pointed at you, too, but I was out of my body by then. It meant that Bridget and I could see and hear everything that was going on and talk to each other.”

He patted Viktor's arm. “She wanted to go on a spirit rampage. Can you believe it? In all my years of study, and all the papers that I've ever read, I have never heard of spirits going on a rampage. They can affect physical things, I'm not saying they can't. They can make the living aware of their presence. Again, I'm not saying that they can't.

“But she and I weren't even dead, we were just temporarily absent from our bodies, and I'm not sure how effective we would have been. But then we didn't need to do anything anyway, because you did.”

“And I'm glad I did.” Viktor pulled into an empty parking space and turned off the engine, applying the brake. “I’m glad that I was able to do something. Whether it was the right move at the time or not, I stand by the words I said to Captain Bains. I did not use unnecessary force. In fact, I believe my second half was remarkably restrained considering what we are capable of doing.”

“There you go,” Ant said brightly. “I feel so much better now. Although, am I meant to feel bad for Captain Bains because he's being manipulated and that will likely cause issues on any future investigations his officers might do going forward?”

“Nope,” Viktor said firmly, “because when it's all said and done, you did your job for them, you worked as a paid consultant. When they tried to insist on demands that you weren't comfortable with, you told them no and resigned. That is setting very clear boundaries, and it’s exactly what I would have done in the same circumstance. In fact, I remember thinking, back in the office, that you and I are very alike in that regard. We say what we mean, and then we stand by it.”

“That's kind of nice.” Ant smiled up at him. “Don't you think? It's kind of nice that you and I have that together. We have that in common.”

“Yes, definitely.” Viktor stroked down Ant’s cheek. “Now let's go and get our missing family member before we have to say anything mushy or lovey-dovey or anything else like that.” He gave a mock shiver, and Ant laughed.

“I'd never ask that of you. I'm not sure I'd know how to deal with that sort of behavior to be honest with you. But don't think I haven't forgotten the horny comments you made when we left the precinct. I will be revisiting that later on.”

“Damn it, now you’ve got me thinking about that again as well.” Viktor was still laughing as he got out of the car.