DISCLAIMER - I do not own the characters no infringement intended

PART 1 of 2

"Human Nature"

I offered my neck and he took my wrist instead. Shows me how much I know about vampires. Truth of the matter, until recently I thought all of this was bullshit. Now here I am in a desert motel with him feeding off me.

Mick digs hard, breaking the skin and creating rivulets of blood down my arm. I remind myself: Good girls don't let vamps suck them dry. However, somewhere in-between saving him and doing the right thing I couldn't resist liking it. How could I? Heat surges from the tip of my head to the bottom of my soles as Mick's grasp becomes tighter as his fangs clamp down harder. A sudden gasp escapes my lips, euphoria takes over, and all I want is my blood to flow faster.

I close my eyes as the sound of my heart pounds against my chest. I begin to sense other things now. Scattered array of emotions unlike anything I have felt in a long time: immense fear and love anger and hate. They were Mick's emotions.

Like a dream you only remember in fragments, I began to see Mick as a soldier, fighting; He was always fighting and then a blurred image of a dark haired woman. Just as everything came to focus, my chest began to hurt. Gasping, my eyes snap open. This was the moment. The moment where he I had to stop him.

"Mick. Enough." My voice came out breathy and I knew I had to focus or it would be too late. I hunch over and place my forehead against him. "Mick. Listen to me." I strain my arm in reaching over to him and manage to press my hand against his shoulder. "Enough, Mick!"

He immediately halts with his mouth still at my wrist, the sound of his hunger decreasing as he releases me.

"I'm...sorry, Beth." He whispers before falling back into the tub.

"No apologies, okay?" I give him a slight smile but he only managed to frown at me.

"Still sure you want to stick around?" He asks as his eyes began to fade from yellow to its natural hue of crystal blue.

"Now is not the time for stupid questions, Mick." I attempt to stand but fall slightly back down. Immediately, he reaches his arm for me and we lock eyes. No matter how much he wanted me to hate him...hate him for what he is...it mattered little to me. All we had to do was lock eyes and I saw the truth. The truth of our connection felt clandestine. We crossed paths and fate seemed determined to throw us together.

I wince a moment as I move my bloody wrist. Immediately, our gaze is broken. Mick snatches a towel, stands up, and wraps it around his waist.

"You should get going, Beth." He gets an extra towel and sits next to me at the edge of the tub. It's my turn to remain silent. The adrenalin rush is gone and I feel exhausted. "It's normal to feel a bit weak the first time..."

"The first time? I thought you didn't..." I pause as he takes the towel and wraps it around my arm. He's so careful and for a moment, I thought he'd kiss it...as if it were a boo-boo. Yet, it was probably in his best interest to avoid it.

"Well...I don't but Josef--" He stopped suddenly and brought his attention back to me arm.

"Josef?"

"Yes, he's a friend...let's just say he's has his harem."

I laugh slightly as he joins in for a brief moment. His expression turns somber,

"What?"

"I'm fine now. So will you in a day or two." Mick takes in a breath, still dodging my gaze, "Just go, please."

I won't argue with him. Not now. I nod and rise up. Pressing the cloth against my wrist, I stop at the door, taking one moment to look back at him. His downward gaze hones at the place where the last drops of my blood spattered on the floor.

Everything would be different now. I was different now.

to be continued...