Loving Merritt Forever

Loving Merritt After 23

Merritt knew Levi was on his way. Time left on her own was short. When the pony returned her to the stable, without Levi waiting, or an employee rushing to pass on a message that her sire was here, Merritt found herself nearly giddy. She was still free and still not ready to face Levi again. Not until she knew how she felt about him now. She wouldn't be able to figure that out if he was with her. Being perfectly charming and impossibly handsome. 

Mary dismounted from her taller horse with the grace of someone who had eons to practice the skill. While Merritt stumbled her way through getting off the saddle and onto her own feet again. Knowing that a living body should feel tired after a long ride, Merritt still found herself surprised when things continued to no longer match her memories or expectations.

Merritt almost wished there was some way she could extend her time alone. She felt like she had barely had enough time to herself. "In another lifespan, I would have told someone as pretty as you to keep the worry lines from her forehead for fear of premature wrinkles, but now I shall instead be blunt and just ask what is on your mind?" Merritt was wildly unaccustomed to people paying attention to her, to be able to or to care enough to read her expressions.

Poor Merritt wasn't looking for snakes hiding among pretty flowers in long grasses. "I think my vacation is coming to an end. The stable hand let me know my sire has changed their mind about staying." Merritt would be back under Levi's control before sunrise. 

She had already accepted that as fact, and was caught off guard when Mary's expression changed entirely. "Oh what a spoilsport." Her voice like liquid honey, while her eyes sparkled with dark thoughts hidden behind her flawless, ageless face. "I was already planning to abscond from this location to my own private retreat not far from here, a place a nosy sire certainly wouldn't be able to easily find you." Mary was purring, body tense as she offered Merritt the extra escape she had been looking for.

Merritt gave away everything with one, radiant, joyful smile. Telling Mary enthusiastically that she would love a chance to see Mary's private retreat. Spend more time on her own, in more, intimate settings. Never once asking any questions about where she would be going, or whom else might be in residence at their destination.

Meanwhile, Levi was on a private plane, taking him directly to the nearest airport to Black Forest Church. Where a car would be waiting for him to drive to Merritt, who was going to find herself over his knee getting her ass worn out until the sunrise. Then given a chance to rest and recover, before he took her home, on another private plane, where he planned to continue to tan her ass the entire flight home for running away from him. For making him worry about her.

While Levi drew, ever closer, Merritt packed her one bag, and easily went with Mary towards the car the other vampire had waiting for their departure. Checking out, with her actual card. When Levi landed, he would get the notification that she had already checked out. Merritt found herself almost feeling high knowing that Levi would be very upset she had slipped through his fingers. That once again he had underestimated her.  That is what she was focusing on as Mary indicated to the driver they were ready to leave. The expensive luxury town car pulling away from Black Forest Church Resort smoothly.

Naught but an hour past Merritt's departure, Levi landed at the airport. Still a ninety minute drive from his final destination. Only to discover that Merritt had checked out of the resort she had tried to hide in. A place she only knew existed because Joy had revealed the secret of it to her. And in turn Joy had told Levi. Still trusting that Levi was deep down as reasonable and moral as she believed.

Levi thought himself completely at ease. Walking directly from the hotel entrance to Merritt's rented room. His little dove had been clever, but not clever enough to completely out maneuver him. Feeling smug, trying to decide how many spankings Merritt had earned, right until the moment he came to her door, and knew she was not inside, used their still intact bond to quest, and knew that Merritt was too far away to be on this property any longer. Regardless of how vast the resort was. Merritt was far away, and gaining more distance.

Levi moved with such speed through the building that he was nearly flying when his hands slammed against the solid stone of the main desk of the lobby. "Where is the guest from room 467." Levi growled at the incubus behind the desk.

"I'm sorry sir, the guest has checked out and left the resort. I have no idea what their plans were or anything that happened once they left the property." Compulsion, physical force, bribery, nothing would work against the immortal demon on the other side of the desk. Marisol Cruz was in charge of staffing and publicity here. She did not cut corners. The demon manning the desk did not budge from flawless customer service tone and manners, while offering absolutely nothing more.

Levi knew when he was outmatched. He couldn't afford to get into a fight, not somewhere that would draw attention immediately from the council at least. When Levi raised his hand in surrender, suddenly very concerned for how he would manage to find Merritt. She had no cell phone that he knew of. He did not know who she had gone with. All he had was their bond, and it was nothing like wolves. This was a tie that was always tenuous. Meant to be broken. Vampires spent much more of their time in solitude than with another being.

Levi hadn't ever met a vampire sired more than a century with their maker still tied to them. Merritt was different. She had run from him, she was certainly angry at him. She was still protecting their link. She could have severed it. Made it impossible for Levi to find her on his own. Levi knew that Merritt wanted to be found, she just wasn't ready yet. He had chased her even further underground. 

The desk clerk cleared his throat. "Rarer still." The demon muttered to himself. Shaking his head as if he needed to clear it. "If you are looking for the freshest belladonna I have ever seen, you should look hard around Jamestown by Lake Eerie." Immediately turning on his heels with a nod, to go towards the back office area. It was more of a hint than Levi had expected after already giving up. He couldn't understand what had made the demon change his mind.

Knowing that, by breaking confidentiality rules here the demon had risked either his lucrative employment, or easy penance for a crime that wasn't quite dark enough to earn some level of banishment from the pleasures of earth. Levi knew a true gift when he was given one, and turned, still looking just as angry as when he had given up and headed back out the door to his rental car. One that was not equipped with the sunproof glass. Meaning Levi had limited time to get driving and find accommodations to house himself safely for the duration of the day.

With nothing but a single point on a map to aim for, Levi started his journey. Driving far faster than was wise. Needing to make up the distance between himself and Merritt. She had not separated herself from him. She wanted to be found. Resonating in his head as a chant.

Merritt meanwhile had not been expecting a nearly six hour long drive with a near stranger. The first hour had been nearly pleasant. As Merritt expected the car to pull from the freeway at any moment.

By the third hour, Merritt began to wonder if she might have made a mistake in trusting a stranger to take her to somewhere unnamed. The woman with burnt walnut colored hair beside her in the hired car with a driver, was a complete stranger.

Merritt had felt invincible since had reconciled that she had died and returned changed. She wasn't feeling that way as the time driving to an unknown destination stretched out longer and longer. The car never breaking from the bone breaking speed down the highway, and her auspicious hostess never veering from being perfectly chipper and oblivious to Merritt's ever growing distrust of the situation in every single way.