I Can Play You Like A Violin

Oh. This woman was really tempting fate. And it was…well it was interesting. Delightful really. Anthony hadn’t met someone like this in quite some time. It was incredibly attractive to him. And sure he’d likely lose interest not too long after, but it could be fun to draw out his dining experience. Just this once. 

Though Anthony quite liked compelling others, the power of it and the way that people submitted to his whims pleased him to no end, he could enjoy a day where he switched it up a little. This woman made it interesting enough for him to be in the mood for it.

“Darlin’, you’re makin’ a deal with the devil. But you’ll have no one to blame but yourself,” he informed her, leaning in to just brush his lips over the pulsing point of her neck. Oh she smelled good. And he was sure she would taste good too. But, Anthony knew of a way he could make it fun for them both.

He drew back from her neck and reached for her hand. “You should come home with me then. I do hope that you’re as…as valuable as you say you are. I do so hate to be disappointed.” Anthony was in a different mood now though, and it was an itch that he had to thoroughly scratch at…with this woman’s help.

Anthony didn’t really ask for permission again, starting to tug them both in the direction of his mansion. “They say consent is sexy…” a horrid image of that toddler vegan vampire or whatever popping into his head at that. Ugh. “So you’ll have to agree to the terms. Expect nothing normal. If you’re good for me I may even reward you properly.”

The devil? She huffed a small laugh at that. Please. The gentleman before her may be a wicked, bloodthirsty vampire who enjoyed bending people to his will, but Carla fully believed she worked for the devil—nobody was worse than Shuriki.

She couldn’t help the shiver of desire as his icy lips brushed feather light over her neck, a thrill of excitement tingling along her skin. 

This was not how she’d expected her evening to go—this was so much more interesting! Not that she typically spent her evenings going home with random strangers, in fact, she was usually quite picky about who she’d let buy her a drink, let alone who she’d allow to bed her. However, she enjoyed a bit of danger and this mysterious, sexy stranger had her thoroughly intrigued.

Her lips, quirked into a satisfied smile, pleased that she’d piqued his interest in return. “Honey, I have many, many talents,” she purred, allowing him to tug her along. “This,” she gestured her hand down her body and along her curves,  “being just the tip of the iceberg. If we’re good for each other, perhaps I’ll show you sometime,” she laughed, wickedly amused.

Anthony glanced her up and down and smirked. The woman had some serious guts. That was something he could respect, even if his hunger wasn’t going to make it easy to be friendly. Or even patient with her. How could he be?

“Is that right?” How amusing. She was a rather foolish woman. His amusement was still there, but he was more than ready to just take what he wanted. “You realize I can just take what I please and you’d be none the wiser, right?”

Anthony took a step closer as well, reaching out to run a hand through that beautiful hair of hers. “I’m not a very patient man darlin’. I think you’d be wise to tilt your head for me and give me what I need. I might even be gentle.”

Was Carla foolish? Perhaps. But her entire life was defined by saying and doing what was expected of her when it was expected. So anytime she had the opportunity to have a little fun and do things on her terms, she took it. Danger or no.

When the man touched her hair, her nerves buzzed with anticipation and, perhaps the barest hint of fear, but she didn’t balk. Instead, she raised an eyebrow at his bold frankness. He wasn’t even trying to hide what he was doing, and she—liked that. What? She dealt in secrets and lies so often that a little bit of truth went a long way with her—even when the truth was a bit on the wicked side.

“Hmm—” she hummed thoughtfully, pulling her hair away from her neck and ever so slightly leaning her head into his hand, exposing her neck, “I imagine you could, but where’s the fun in that? Do you not find it dull to compel me to your will, when I could be persuaded by simple manners, charm and—” she returned the favor, looking him up and down before finishing, with a feline grin, “—stunning good looks? I mean, if all you’re looking for is a snack, by all means, help yourself.”

Well Ollie’s smile disappeared though he managed not to cringe. It wasn’t a secret at least among his family he thought Elena was a bitch. Sure Ollie had made mistakes but it wasn’t about him. There were so many things he didn’t agree with and if she had a problem she needed to take it up with him and not the passive aggressive bullshit she did.

He still had to play nice.

“Here and there. There’s no way not to meet her when you’re dating her younger sister. She’s pretty cool yeah. At this rate you really are gonna have to meet her to make your own opinion outside of what you’ve heard.”

Carla did not miss the way the boy’s smile vanished within milliseconds, his demeanor going almost cold at the mention of the Avaloran crown princess. 

How very interesting.

It could be for any number of reasons: maybe she was a bitch or maybe it had to do with him dating her younger sister. The possibilities were endless, not that she was particularly concerned with why this guy wasn’t a fan. Carla honestly didn’t care one way or the other—she wasn’t here to be besties with the princess. Still, however, it was interesting.

“Well, I hope I get a chance to do just that, sometime,” she said with a smile, before changing the subject, “Ok, so I’m dying to know—is it hard dating a princess? I can’t help but wonder if having royal guards and the paparazzi all up in your business all the time gets really annoying?”

Anthony’s eyebrows shot up at that, though his lips curled up into a smile. He loved a woman who thought she was capable of handling someone like him. It was amusing. It would make it all the more fun to taste her blood. Perhaps he’d have to play with her more often. 

Civilized and well mannered. How amusing. Admittedly, Anthony could agree with that. Most vampires certainly were that. And even he, to an extent, was civilized and well mannered. And of course much more that than any of those foul beasts that howled at the moon. 

“Good answer. I suppose that means I’ll be nice to you,” Anthony replied, lips curling up in amusement. If she had said werewolf then Anthony wouldn’t have been gentle at all with her when he took what he wanted. But she was being good enough. “I do like feisty things like you,” he admitted, taking a step closer to her and cocking his head to the right. “But I am rather hungry, so if you could just tilt your head for me that would be wonderful.”

Carla snorted. Yes, actually snorted, a bubble of amused laughter sounding from her throat. Nice, indeed.

She wasn’t stupid—it didn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together and figure out that this refined night prowling gentleman was most likely a vampire himself. She also knew this meant that there was no way she was leaving this place without giving him what he wanted. 

Somehow, this did not scare her. Not really. She made a career of prowling the shadows of society, so she’d crossed paths with vampires occasionally over the years and knew how they operated. He wasn’t going to hurt her—probably. 

But none of this meant that she couldn’t do this her way. On her terms. And possibly have a little fun doing it.

Ollie raised an eyebrow at the woman’s dramatics before shaking his head. Who was he to tell someone how to react. Thankfully Isa wasn’t here or he was going to sneak her out before this mega fan could find her.

“I dunno about that. If you’re a nice person,” And she seemed like she was. “ they would like to meet you. Isa might live here but she still loves Avalor and everyone there.” What? Ollie would be the first one to sneak Isa out but he wouldn’t admit to that. 

As for who Isa was as a person, Ollie couldn’t help but smile. “She’s smarter than a million people put together and as kind as all those hearts. I don’t know what the tabloids say but I bet you they don’t hold a candle to her.”

Well, wasn’t that just adorable? No, really. This kid was cute, especially when he was getting all doe eyed about his girlfriend. Carla couldn’t help bu think it was kind of sweet. Plus, it was very interesting to hear that the younger princess was truly clever and kind—more like a real person and less like a royal. 

She smiled, putting her hand on her heart. “Aww, that’s the sweetest thing! I’m happy she has such a nice guy like you to watch out for her so far from home.” She paused, purposely hesitating a moment before asking, “And what about her sister? Have you gotten to meet the crown princess? I’ve heard she’s super funny and super cool!”

@spyinthepalace

Right. Errol needed a bit of…unorthodox outside help. And it just so happened that he had a few connections up his sleeve. Being the sheriff of Wiltshire County had its many perks and one of those happened to be a guy who knew another guy who had given him the information to contact a young woman known for some particular skills. 

Skills that, right now, Errol could use for his gathering information. 

He could have called in an old special ops favor, used up one of his contacts, but this was much easier. He’d asked to meet her at a public place, the park or the Deer, hell even Hatter’s could suffice. Errol wasn’t here to burn bridges. He needed her services, and he was going to be transparent about it, even if it was off the record. 

So when one of her underground contacts gave her a lead, mentioning the client wanted a public meeting in Swynlake of all places, she’d raised an eyebrow but agreed to the meeting. The trouble was, she couldn’t have anyone in Swynlake know about her true line of work, so she painted a brand new portrait for her locket just for this job—making over her features with a short ginger pixie cut, cerulean blue eyes, aquiline nose, and freckle spattered skin—the complete opposite of her usual much darker features.

When she’d arrived at the busy coffee shop, she’d almost turned right around and left when she saw the god damned high sheriff of Swynlake sitting at a table with a copy of Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” as per the instructions she’d given him—the signal so she knew exactly who she’d be meeting.

What the fuck could he possibly want with her? This had to be a set up. Or a trap! Why was she even here? Though, she reasoned, if it was a trap, she could handle herself. Perhaps it would be an interesting challenge. 

“Was it the New York Accent that gave it away?” Ollie joked because of course he was no from Avalor nor did he care that he wasn’t. He wasn’t about to throw himself over England’s royalty or the New York Yankees either. Any good Avaloran would be proud to meet them. It twisted in Ollie stomach and he tried not to make a face. It just didn’t sound very pleasant.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be able to meet both Elena and Isa pretty easily. Neither are hard to approach.”

“Oh! You’re so funny! I could never!” Carla/Rita laughed a little breathlessly, fanning herself as if she was overwhelmed by the very thought. “They’d probably laugh and think I was such an idiot! And I wouldn’t even be able to blame them! I mean—just look at me, I’m a mess!”

She sighed, eyeing the guy with a curious expression. She had to admit she found it interesting that anyone would be completely unfazed by the prospect of dating royalty. She wasn’t completely sure she bought it, but that was between him and that princess, wasn’t it?

Anthony snorted. “I suppose the view is lovely, but you’re getting rather close to private property.” He gestured vaguely in the direction of his large property. A manor that had more expensive items in it than anything else. He liked the luxury of it even if he didn’t use much of what was in there. 

He glanced the woman up and down and smirked, taking a step closer to her. “You would hmm? Are you sure you can handle that kind of excitement beautiful?” It was almost like she was giving him permission to take a bite of her. After all, the woman wanted some excitement.

There was nothing more exciting than a good meal to Anthony. “Well then why don’t we make things interesting hmm? Let’s play a game. Would you rather be bitten by a werewolf or a vampire? Don’t lie now. I want to know your genuine thoughts on the matter.”

Carla glanced in the direction of his gesture, her smile growing as she spied the large manor home in the distance. She could only imagine the valuables hidden away in such a lovely home—valuables she could pluck like cherries from beneath the owner’s noses if she so desired. If being the key word.

Glancing back to the much more interesting prospect standing before her, her eyebrows flicked up at his question, but she did not back down. Raising her chin up just a bit, she replied, “I can handle anything that comes my way—especially any beastly thing that prowls the shadows of the night.” It was true. Or so she thought. She’d been living in the shadows herself for many years and thought she’d seen just about everything there was to see. “As for your little game, hmmm—”

She paused, tapping her chin as she eyed him speculatively, wondering what it was he was looking for. There were three possible answers and perhaps she was supposed to say neither and get all faint and frightened like some delicate doll or some such nonsense. But she was not some delicate doll and she would give no one the satisfaction of seeing her act like one. Not unless it suited her fancy, of course.

Living by the lake had it’s perks. A lovely view, less closeness to the other neighbors, and a nice spot to catch a good meal if he took the time to glance out his windows for one. And Anthony had all the time in the world to do as he wished there. He had preoccupied himself with some light reading on the french revolution, thinking he might very well have enjoyed that time period if he’d been around long enough when he caught a flicker of movement out his window.

And of course, there she was. A rather beautiful woman, out by the lake at night. Ah how Anthony loved a foolish human. It made his life much easier. He was out of the door and over to her in minutes, a charming smile spreading across his face as he went to approach her. 

“What is a beautiful woman like you doing out here so late? Don’t you know there are dangerous beasts out there?”

Carla smiled, relieved at the sound of the pleasant voice behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyebrows flicked up in surprise at just how exceptionally handsome the man was.

In the back of her mind, however, she kept her guard up—her training and experience sending quiet whispers of warnings and reminders that a strange man approaching a woman so far from town in the middle of the night was rarely up to any good. Though, to be fair, she too was rarely up to any good and found that she was far more interested and curious than worried. 

Well, that was weird. Same with meeting anyone with his name. Another Rita. His mom totally had first dibs on her name. At the excitement about Isa and Elena was weird to Ollie too. Isa was Isa and Elena… was Elena.

“Yeah that Isa. It’s not that big of a deal. Well, she’s a big deal but because of who she is not her title.”

Oh. He was one of those honorable, noble types of blokes, wasn’t he? Carla maintained her carefully crafted fangirl expression as she mentally rolled her eyes. Right. He loves her for her. Whatever.

Giggling a little, Carla crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “You are clearly not from Avalor.” She sighed with an air of long suffering patience as she explained, “Where I come from, the royal family is a VERY big deal. They are our very own celebrities and any good Avaloran would be extremely proud of their royal family and excited to meet one of them.”

“There’s a handful at least I’m sure?” Ollie hadn’t missed when Minnie’s friend talked about the two kids in his class. Not that he had been around for awhile lately. Oh well.

“Her names Isa, I don’t think I got your name either?”

“I mean, I”m still super new so maybe there are more than I know. I did meet the crown princess the other day though—ran right into her on the street, it was WILD!” she gushed, going all star struck and giggly. 

“Oh, well my name is Rita, but—,” she said before pausing. “Wait. Did you say, Isa? As in Isabel? As in Princess Isabel Flores?” her eyes went wide with wonder. “You mean to tell me that you are dating one of the Avaloran princesses?!”

Ollie nodded taking a deep breath about the whole thing. It was a horrible experience. A horrible time and he only knew the basics from Isa. He never could know the true story even if he liked to relate his troubles in some way too.

“A little yeah. My girlfriend is actually from Avalor and she’s told me a few things here and there. It’s not a situation that anyone wants to be in so I’m sorry for what you’ve had to face.”

“Oh really?!” she said, her eyebrows flicking high with interest. This, of course was why she was here, this guy was dating Avaloran royalty. Who better to spill the beans on whats going on with that family. “

There aren’t a lot of us here,” she bounced on her toes, excited as she clasped her hands together in front of her. “maybe I know her! What’s her name?”