Chapter 32

Rob looked up from his book to see Elaina walk in when the door opened. He rose from the couch, dropping the book in the process, and while affecting a lighthearted manner, put his hands in his pockets and sauntered over.

"You know," he said, pulling his hands from his pockets and drawing her into a tight hug, "I'd get you your own key if I thought it would matter."

"I think I'd like that," she replied softly.

"Really?" Rob looked at her in surprise, and when he saw she was serious, he said, "Okay, wait here."

He disappeared into the kitchen. There were sounds of Rob rattling around in a drawer, then it got quiet. Rob returned to the foyer holding a key with a small steel ring in one hand, and in the other a key fob and a thin stainless steel chain with a clasp.

"I didn't know if you wanted your car key sharing a ring with it, so I brought a fob." Indicating the chain, he said, "I used to wear it around my neck because I was constantly losing it. I'm better than I was, but I kept the chain just in case."

He extended his hands to offer her the choice. She gingerly took the key, folding it in her hand and pressing it to her heart with her eyes closed.

"Keys given without reservation and of free will are talismanic to a vampire," she said with her eyes still closed. "Wherever you are welcome, then so shall I be."

She opened her eyes, and there was a shine that had nothing to do with pearls or emeralds. She reached for the chain next.

"I will keep it near to my heart. That this chain was once worn near your heart has meaning only to me, but know this: it means everything to me." She hung the key on the chain, then held out the chain for him to put around her neck. She turned away and caught up her hair, sighing when the cold links slid around her throat. The short chain kept the key out of her cleavage, letting it rest on her just below her collarbone.

She turned to him and let him see the key nestled near to her heart.

"I love you, Rob, more than I ever imagined I could." She slipped into his arms and held him, humming contentedly into his neck.

The intensity of the moment couldn't be sustained and they broke apart; he to fetch his book to put it away, she to take a shower and change into something more comfortable than the furry outfit she had on. It was a lemon version of the abominable snowman outfit she had worn before. Rob was wearing what was fast becoming his weekend uniform: a grey-and-red track suit.

They met up in the kitchen. He started coffee for himself and heated water in the teapot for her. She puttered around with her tea, putting a mix of different leaves in the infuser, along with things that were patently not tea leaves.

"Herbs," she offered to his puzzled look. "It adds dimension to the tea." He shrugged.

"So where did you go last night?" he asked once they had their hot cups at the table.

He could see she was debating with herself, fingering the key at her neck.

"I didn't think Dawn should have to face Sharon alone if she hadn't left," she finally said. "I went over to offer moral support, and back-up if she needed it."

Rob groaned and slapped his forehead. "I should've thought of that. God, that woman had the nerve to steal Dawn's phone, what else wouldn't she try?"

"It's okay, Rob," she offered soothingly. "I thought of it, and I had it covered."

She went on to explain what happened, not in as much detail as he would have, but covering all of the salient points.

Rob frowned. "That was last night. What about this morning?"

Elaina gave Rob a look for his impudence, and he faked a cower, pleading "Please, Mistress?" She smiled at his antics, then told him of the moving company, finishing up with her final confrontation with Sharon.

"Is she alive or dead?" He didn't sound like he cared either way.

"If she's dead, it's not by my hand," she replied. "But if she's stupid enough to come back... ?" The thought didn't need finishing.

"There are some things you need to know about Dawn," Elaina continued. "She's a submissive too, despite her forwardness with you. She did those things with you because she was trying to lead from behind; true submissives will do that. It's how Sharon got such a hold on her. Dawn just couldn't find the will to tell her no."

"What's that going to mean for me?" he asked with concern. "How's this going to affect the way she is with me?"

"It won't," she replied. "Just be yourself and stay aware of her feelings and reactions. She's going to keep leading you from behind; just follow her lead and you'll both be happy.

"Rob, you're not a true submissive," she went on. "If you were, you wouldn't have had that fight with your boss. You would have let it roll right over you and ignored it."

"Then..." Rob started.

"It's just with me, I think," she said with a sultry tone. "And if you think about it, it's only in the bedroom."

Rob harrumphed and changed the subject.

"How was she when you left?" Rob asked softly. Elaina smiled for his concern.

"She'll be okay, Rob. She's shaken, no doubt about that, but she's resilient. Give her some time before you start dating her again. Wait for her to come to us ... to you."

"I can do that," he said with quiet determination.

Later that afternoon, Rob and Elaina were watching an action movie on DVD, she now in a pair of his pajamas, when the fight scene on screen galvanized him. Paying close attention to the action, he pointed out one of the actors.

"That's what I need to learn," he said eagerly.

"So learn it," she answered with a calm smile. "Nobody's stopping you."

In his excitement, he abandoned the movie – and Elaina incidentally – and ran off to his bedroom. He shortly came back with his laptop and passed through to the kitchen. Elaina paused the movie and joined him at the table as he pounded out a search with his favorite search engine.

"What are you doing, sweeting?" she asked curiously.

"I'm hunting for a martial arts studio near here," he replied distractedly.

She scuttled her chair around so she could look over his shoulder and he put his arm around her so she could get closer. The search engine returned over sixty-eight thousand hits, but a quick search of the first page found a link that indexed forty-two studios within ten miles of his zip code.

"I'm not looking for a formal education in some archaic style," he said in frustration after reviewing some of the listings. "I just want to know how to hit so that the other guy stays hit."

"How about this one?" she asked, pointing at a website thumbnail that appeared to be a bit sparse, featuring a block of text without any flashy photographs as were displayed on other sites. Rob clicked on it.

"What's..." he squinted at the screen " ... karav magma?"

Elaina's laugh tinkled brightly. "I believe that says 'Krav Maga.' According to the website, it's 'a fighting style developed by the Israeli military for hand-to-hand combat, with an emphasis on subduing the foe quickly and decisively.'" She leaned back in his arm and pointed to the screen. "Sounds as if it's exactly what you're looking for."

"There's a picture of the guy who runs it," Rob said, and he clicked on the link. What he saw was an older man with close-cropped grey hair, possibly in his fifties, wearing olive camo pants with the cuffs tucked into black combat boots, and a matching muscle shirt. His exhibited a military bearing with his straddle-legged stance and crossed arms. The caption said his name was Archer McAlton.

"He's not quite what I expected in a martial arts instructor," Rob commented wryly.

"What? You expected Mr. Miyagi, perhaps?" Elaina snarked. "He's teaching a military combat form, not dance class."

"I suppose," he answered sheepishly. "It's just he looks so much like a drill sergeant, for Pete's sake."

"Why don't you give him a call and set up a meeting? Find out if he's what you want."

When he called the number on the website, he was pleasantly surprised when the owner himself answered the phone. Rob explained what he was looking for, and he was told he could come in Monday evening to discuss his goals and whether or not the class would be right for him. They exchanged good-byes then he closed the phone.

"Well?" Elaina asked curiously.

"He sounded very professional," Rob said, sounding satisfied. "We'll see after I meet with him Monday night."

"Good," she said in a practical manner, "Now, let's get back to the movie,"

After the movie, Rob was feeling frisky, and he began taunting Elaina with little kisses and nips all around her neck and throat. She began to growl at him and tried returning the favor, crawling into his lap and straddling his legs. At one point she actually got a grip with her fangs and pretended to shake him like a kitten with huge ball of yarn.

"Don't just play with your food," Rob teased. "Bite me if you're going to. I know it's been three days since you last fed."

She bit deeply into his shoulder, using her tongue to push saliva into the wound while her fangs sliced deeper. Rob felt the pleasure of her bite all the way to his curling toes, his gonads taking the brunt. He arched his back as the ecstasy rode him, and he fumbled with the drawstring of her bottoms in a frantic attempt to remove them. She helped by lifting her hips, wriggling to get them off her legs. Once they were free he tore at his own, the sweat pants making it easy for him.

With his diamond-hard cock now freed, he grabbed himself with one hand and her hip with the other and drew them together. With a shimmy of her hips to help line things up, he guided his cock to her center, and when he felt himself notch at her opening, he bucked his hips and drove himself in to the hilt. Elaina grunted at the sudden intrusion, pausing at her sucking until she adjusted to his presence within her. He continued bucking his hips, providing the friction that gave him his pleasure.