Viekar came running out after a minute and quickly went to comfort me. "Ms. Langridge, he didn't mean it. He was just drained and was trying to focus on keeping his energy levels at a safe level. He couldn't answer your question and snapped at you. I should have warned you. Please don't be upset, you'll see when we go back in there. He feels awful about it."
"I suppose your right, I just never seen that side of him before." I go to stand when Bav comes stumbling out of the ballroom.
"Viekar! Somethings notrightwid ...." Bav collapses on the ground, the blue bottle is smashed on the floor as glass and its contents go flying. I rush to Bav's side and Viekar is by my side with a different blue bottle.
"Help me open up his mouth." Viekar instructs, tilting the blue bottles contents into his mouth.
As the thick metallic smell of copper starts to permeate the area, I see the contents are a deep blood red.
BLOOD RED?!
"Viekar... is... is... is that blood?" My voice shakes as I ask, when Bav begins to come to.
"Bav!" I exclaim only to be hushed by Viekar who pours more into his mouth for him to swallow.
"You just had to show off..." Viekar mutters, giving Bav another mouthful and helping him sit up after a minute, to still rest in my lap.
Bav groans and takes the bottle, chugging it down in one swift go. He leans back and tells Viekar, "Save your critiques for later, Viekar. I need to speak with Rakara."
Viekar still looking annoyed at Bav still gets up and bows to me, "Be careful of all the glass dear."
I look around and realize in my rush to take care of Bav I sat down in part of the broken glass and blood like substance in the bottles.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Rakara. It was not my intention to snap at you so." Bav says still propped up in my lap.
I take a deep breath and let it go, "It's alright, something else was wrong and couldn't answer my question. I won't hold this one against you." I take another deep sigh and ask the question I'm not sure I want the answer to. "But Bav, is this blood that you are drinking?"
"Yes."
My heart plummets and I feel sick. How could anyone drink blood like that? The smell of it permeates everything making me even worse. It smells putrid.
Bav gets up from my lap and snaps us to his bathroom, just in time too, because I'm throwing up into the toilet not but a half a minute later. While Bav holds my hair back with one hand, I notice in the reflection of the porcelain that he's still drinking the blood, making me throw up some more.
"How can you drink that! It smells so bad!" I finally get out when my stomach can take no more and is completely empty.
"You're smelling what's on your clothes, that bottle somehow was bad. It's something that we have to do to regain our magical power when it's been depleted, otherwise we could faint, go into a coma or die if we use too much." Bav rubs my back and hands me a glass of water.
"Is there not a better way? What kind of blood is it?" I ask wiping my face before I rinse my mouth.
Bav looks hesitant to say anything but sighs, looking defeated. "It's resourced from special facilities and yes there are better ways, except that it can become addictive and you take a life, not just blood. This way, is not as addictive and more can be extracted without the loss of life."
I merely nod, "Help me with my dress please, I have to wash the smell off of me."
After a shower and throwing away the now ruined dress, Bav lets me get dressed without touching me. Which is strange for someone who can hardly keep his hands to himself when I am clothed. He has been avoiding my gaze and even looking at me. I needed to get to the bottom of the problem.
"Can you help me with my dress?" I ask him to get him close to me. Once he has my buttons done, I turn and throw my arms around him, holding him close. "Do you think I have lost my desire to be with you? That I am disgusted by you? Because you are wrong to think that."
Pulling back from him to look him in the eyes, he just kisses me.
"Thank you." His voice is hoarse and full of relief.
"You are not obligated to thank me for loving you. How could I fathom not caring for you so?" I reassure him. "Now, I need to get back to the shop and make sure everything is alright there. I also need to interview the potential employees tomorrow."
"So you are needing to go home alone?" Bav strokes my back, his brows pinching together, "Is there something going on that I should know about or that you care to share with me?"
Taken aback, I push away from him gently, "What? Something going on? What in the world are you talking about?"
Bav pulls me back to him, "Nothing, sometimes you just act a little strange like you want me to leave you alone."
I chuckle, "Because I do, Bav. I am a independent woman, who's been on her own for a very long time. I like to have time just for myself, otherwise the only thing I would get done is wearing us both out."
Bav sighs, "Alright. Can you blame me for wishing to spend our nights together though?" He smiles devilishly down at me, his canines poking over his lips making me want to melt right then in his arms.
"Bav, are you trying to seduce me,..... again?" I grin up at him and flutter my lashes innocently.
He growls, his hot breath moving across the skin of my neck, as I gasp and open my neck more for his attention. "I may be, is it working?"
"I don't know, maybe you should do it again, see if it works this time." I sigh as his lips kiss my flesh and his teeth nip at my skin, making me shudder.
His husky voice purrs in approval, even as he says, "You are not going to make it home, if you keep this up."
His words pull me from my lustful stupor because he is correct. I must get home tonight. The Cogs have a meeting tonight, I must be present.
"You're right." I push him away gently, "I do need to get home, I have much to do and prepare for, without a distraction." I grin and give him a heated kiss. Grabbing my purse and placing it in my pockets, I stand ready.
"I'm ready. I'll see you soon, ring me tomorrow, darling." I inform him and he snaps me away with a blown kiss.
Looking around at my apartment, I sigh. I don't know how I will accomplish anything when I am married for the cogs.
After making sure I was respectable looking, I head downstairs to find the girls, training the new hires. I realized I needed a few more employees to help out around the place. It also gave Etty and Elaine a day or two off to do as they pleased. Dinah did great teaching our cook for the new store and Jordan our tea preparer. I hired him just to help in the packaging of tea that was being ordered up in the Gilded district and needing to be delivered. I had another talking tube installed just for orders.
I knew after today's soiree that business was going to be picking up, and need my new hires to help out. Jordan would need a hand with deliveries and I considered purchasing a motor carriage with how many deliveries were having to be made and the amount of items I was having to buy to keep my shop in stock. The egg and pastry breakfast idea has been a successful and required a second cook.
Business was doing fantastic and me needing to hire two more servers and Jordan an assistant, I knew tomorrow was going to be hectic.
"Hello girls. Hello Jordan." I greeted them as I walked to my office. I receive warm greetings back as I take my seat and start to assemble the stack of paperwork in front of me and begin to divide it accordingly.
*Knock-Knock*
"Come in." I invite who ever is knocking and in walks Jordan. "Hello, Jordan. What can I help you with?"
He seems a uncertain of speaking and I gesture for him to take a seat.
"It's about the interviews tomorrow. My cousin was supposed to be interviewed, but he got caught in bootlegger territory and they beat him awful bad. He can still work, he's just a sight to look at. He was concerned that you may not give him a chance, by the way he looks."
I lean back and put my fingers together to think. "Why was he in bootlegger territory?"
"He was taking home a girl he's been talking to." He shrugs embarrassed.
"IS SHE a bootlegger or related to one?" I ask seriously.
"I can not answer that, I don't know her that well. I've only met her once."
I rub my forehead and begin to shake my head, "I'm sorry Jordan, but I can't have some love spun fool, working here who could be influenced by the bootleggers or inform them of any happenings. I appreciate you telling me. I'll check with Milton, or Wellsew. They might be able to find him work, but my advice is, he gives up on the girl. I hope he recovers quickly from his injuries. IS there anything else you would like to discuss?" I ask him, continuing on with separating the papers.
"We need more containers for the teas. Also our rose hips, dandelion, lemon peel and berries are getting low too. Mrs. Sawyer's order is ready too, the porcelain maker called earlier to inform us."
He stands up and I thank him as he leaves. I make my notes to take care of those things tomorrow.
Everyone says bye before they leave, as I'm going over inventory, and I wave saying I would see them tomorrow.
I finish up my inventory check and go to get ready for the meeting. I had a very good guess, that tonight the meeting was going to be centered and focused on me.
Bloody Hell.