Zacarias
Colours.
Bright, almost unbearably bright colours burst at him from every angle.
Zacarias squinted in an attempt to dull the onslaught of colours and light.
For nearly two thousand years he had seen nothing but black and white shades, yet now in this crowded bar he was being assaulted by a spectrum of colour he had long forgotten. He saw the assortment of greens decorating the canopies of the trees, the humans in their bright coloured clothing and dark hair dancing and drinking oblivious to his torment.
Zacarias had been shown colours by his younger brothers once they had found their lifemate's.
Lifemate's.
Had he discovered his?
He felt his heart jump and beat faster with adrenaline and anticipation as he scanned the crowded bar.
He hissed out a breath of anger, how was he to find her within all these people? He used all his hunting skills and senses to try to locate her.
His lifemate. She must be here; somewhere.
A Carpathian male only regained their emotions and the ability to see colour when they where in close proximity to their true lifemate, so she had to be close.
She had to be.
He strode through the humans, scanning every inch meticulously that he was treading. He would find her. He could do no other but find her. He caught a scent on a few humans that caught his attention. It was young, sweet, and was devastating to his senses. He knew it must be hers. He followed the fresh scent, but it seemed to surround him. That was always the difficulty with tracking through groups of people, the scent got carried and distorted.
Zacarias bared his teeth and allowed his eyes to become a flaming red as he glared at a man who dared step in his way. He ruthlessly searched the whole bar and still had no bearing on her. Where was she? Her scent was weakening as the time progressed.
No! Zacarias yelled his rage into his mind, he couldn't lose her just as he had found her! He felt a near uncontrollable instinct to kill all in the bar who dared stand between him and his woman.
Zacarias? I sense your anger?? Nicholas was the first brother to respond, and was obviously concerned over his eldest brothers emotional outburst.
I have found my lifemate. Colours and emotions have been restored. Yet I cannot pin point her location.
Do you wish for me to join you in the search?As usual Nicholas voice held no emotion what so ever, and was as ever practical.
No. I will find her.
Not for the first time that night Violet chastised herself for wearing 4 inch stilettos for walking back to her hotel along sand. Shaking her head at her stupidity, she climbed down the wooden panelled steps of the bar to start walking – well staggering - back to her hotel.
She had thought that getting away from all her problems would ease them in some way, but she knew now, however far away she ran, she couldn't hide from herself. Dancing the night away and drinking half a dozen cocktails wasn't going to make her a more worthwhile person. Trying to make it big in business had gotten her no where. No where good.
She had spent her early 20s at university and had expected to make her mark on the world. She had always been an A grade student and since she spoke several languages she had expected to make it. She hadn't. She had made mistakes, had worked herself to the bone and now at the tender age of 26 she was worn out and a completely different person to the one she had wanted to become. She had no personal life, no lovers, few friends. She had quit her job and was black listed by her previous employer. She doubted she would ever work anywhere more adventurous than the drive through at Burger King for the rest of her life now.
Violet cursed into the night air, her shoe was completely filled with sand now. Brilliant.
Bending over she attempted to untie the little buckle but due to her inebriated state she wobbled and found it impossible to see properly. Just brilliant.
Zacarias refused to commit defeat.
She had to be near… or was she? Was this a cruel jest by the undead, a trick?
No. He had smelled her scent in the bar.
Deciding to scout the surrounding area, Zacarias strode out of the bar, ignoring the seductive glances from more than one woman in the bar. He wanted to snarl at them, how could he want their overly perfumed, deceitful bodies over the one woman made for him, the one woman to bring him out of darkness. His woman. He had never betrayed his woman in all his long endless centuries and he wasn't prepared to start now, or ever.
As soon as he was clear of the over powering scents of the bar. He took a deep breath and scanned the area. He couldn't detect her in the immediate area, but he had scented her direction.
A small frown creased his immaculate brow as he followed the scent in less than a straight line. Had she been drinking? And then walking alone! He growled into the night, this would be the last night she would act so foolish.
He moved with preternatural speed along the trail determined to see her. He was unable to move as fast as he was capable at first as he was still becoming accustomed to the colours overpowering his vision.
Violet fumbled with the keys to her hotel room door, she could have sworn it was the silver key. Yet when she attempted to place it into the lock it wouldn't fit.
Confused Violet swung the key around the key ring and tried the next one.
No luck.
Letting out a sigh of annoyance, Violet tried the gold one.
Finally the door clicked open.
Pushing it open and locking it securely, violet flumped down onto her bed, not even bothering to remove any of her clothes or her sand filled shoes. It wasn't just the alcohol, she felt defeated by life in general.
Zacarias couldn't help the smile of satisfaction as he located her. He could smell her scent so powerfully here he knew he couldn't be mistaken. He had inhaled the scent numerous times while he hunted for her and would know it anywhere.
Allowing his body to dissolve into mist particles he moved through the air to her bedroom window, filling in through the balcony door to catch his first glimpse.
The air seemed to be force from his lungs and his heart at first, refused to beat, before pounding in a deafening rhythm, flowing blood through his veins like molten fire. His entire body tightened and became heated and uncomfortable as he became overwhelm with hunger both sexual, and for a taste of her exquisite blood calling to his.
She lay face down on the bed, but she had her face turned to the window so he had a perfect view.
She had the palest skin he had ever seen, so light it appear incandescent.
Her facial features where just as delicately wrought. She was from oriental descendent, he could tell by the gorgeous oval shape of her closed eyes. Her lashes where dark and lay like a fan against her pale cheeks.
Surprisingly her hair wasn't completely ebony, but held shades of mahogany.
He feared to move, just one step felt like it could shatter him.
He watched as she shifted onto her back and before he could reach her, fell from the bed in a heap. He heard her muffled curse through her yawn as she drew up on her knees to crawl back onto the bed.
It was then her eyes lifted to his.
OH. MY.
They where the only two words her mind was able to supply her as she stared into the eyes of the most gorgeous man she had even seen in her life. The man oozed sex and power. Women would surely love him, he portrayed a rich, powerful man who is more than a little dangerous.
OH. MY.
Wait, wait, wait Violet! What is he doing in your room?!
You can probably ogle that ass far better as it walks out the door anyway.
She watched as a frankly sinful smile curved his previously cruel mouth.
OH MY. Not good.
"Who are you? How did you get in here" As she said it, she was secretly proud of herself that she sounded sober. She looked to check the lock on the door, and when she found it intact she turned back to him with pure confusion on her face. "How did you get in here?"
He didn't answer her, instead he began to walk towards her. Actually it was more of a glide, Violet wasn't even sure if his feet hit the floor. He was pure deadly grace.
She watched almost dumbfounded as he slide a sexy, possessive look over her kneeling on the floor. Why was he looking at her like that? Feeling instantly at a disadvantage, Violet rose to her full height, which being only 5 foot 3 didn't really give her much of an advantage against the man gliding towards her. As usual her nose twitched as she began to think of how he could of gotten into the room, why and who the hell he was.
Zacarias didn't allow any detail to escape him.
He watched the way she stood, the way she rubbed her palm down her sides, drawing his attention to her hips and thighs. The way her little nose twitched as if without direction, as thoughts began to swirl chaotically in her mind.
Her oval eyes where now open and where pure black, so dark you couldn't see the pupil.
With her ebony hair and mahogany highlights being caught by the moonlight, her hair laying in disarray around her small oval face and her beautiful eyes staring up at him he felt at his most dangerous.
He wanted to drag her away, he wanted to claim her and tie her to his side for all time.
He was reading her mind, he could hear her two worded litany resounding through her mind. His whole world seemed to begin to centre around the small woman with her dark eyes. Colours seem to swirl around her, colouring the darkness.
The pull he felt towards her is indescribable, he wanted to breath the air she breathed, he wanted to live forever under her skin. He had gone to the crowded bar to find easy prey, he had never expected to find her.
Violet.
He watched her nose twitch again, and felt the unfamiliar tightening of the skin on his face as he smiled at her.
Violet felt like a rabbit trapped in headlights.
There was no where to go, his smile and burning eyes where gluing her in place.
She had never seen a man like the one before her. Having worked in a office, the majority of men she had seen where thin, average height, some with fake tans and over processed hair styles. This man was natural, no, this man was raw. Violet wasn't sure if the room was spinning due to his presence or her seventh margarita. Summoning the last ounce of self preservation she had left, she cleared her throat delicately before speaking.
"Please leave my room immediately or I will be forced to call for security" The smirk and expression he gave her, she was sure wasn't human, it was more a taunting smirk she imagined a wolf might flash its lunch. Not that she had ever seen a wolf she thought deliriously.
Violet moved to the door, determined to unlock the door and shove the hottie through it, when she felt his entire body imprint against hers. Locking her firmly against the wood.
She could feel every inch of him.
His body was hot and aggressive through the silken shirt and dark pants he wore. His muscular arms curved down her own, locking her arms against her body. His strong abdomen pressed firmly just below her shoulder blades. His bodies needs and desire evident to her, by the heat and hardness pressed shamelessly against her bottom.
Two seconds from screaming for help, she felt her strangers breath feather against her neck and right cheek.
She couldn't help the small whimper of arousal that escaped.
She had never felt so brazenly sexual in her life. It was like the unknown stranger had released a floodgate on every erotic fantasy she had ever suppressed.
She felt a shiver of anticipation cascade down her spine.
Her mind begged for her to scream for help, to attempt to push him away. Her body obviously felt differently as she unintentionally curved her back and offered him more access to the delicate skin on her throat and nape.
Zacarias growled low as he attempted to suppress the beast raging against his civility. He wanted to rip, to tear, the offending cloth from her dainty frame and claim what was his.
He could make out the lines of her body beneath her clothes, the curve of her breasts where highlighted by the seams of her top, the tight material of her skirt, close to the curves of her hips.
He felt a uncontrollable wave of rage and jealousy at realising other males could have seen them too, could have watched the lines of her body whilst she danced to the music at the bar. Could have seen her breasts rise and fall beneath the thin material as she lifted her glass to her rosy lips.
Pressing his aching, hungry body more aggressively against hers, he trailed his firm mouth down the column of her throat. He could feel her pulse beating erratically against his lips, calling to him. He scraped his teeth gently against the fragile skin before sinking them deep. The minute his incisors pierced her skin, his head spun as he tasted her for the first time.
Sweet like her scent, her blood was full of life and compassion.
He could taste the alcohol in her system. He drank deeply. The warm sweetness coating his mouth, sating his insatiable hunger. The feel of her pressed against his body, whilst he drank was ecstasy.
He wanted to feel her skin next to his, pale next to tan, soft to hard, compassionate light with predatory darkness.
He felt her heart flutter through his fantasies and pulled away from the molten enticement, flicking his tongue to heal and leave no mark behind.
He kissed down her throat before turning her and lifting her into his embrace.
He cradled her slight weight against the deep, hard muscles of his chest, as he used his mind to remove the silk shirt and create a wound. He placed her under his enthrallment, and watched a man in agony as her perfect rose mouth moved sinfully slowly towards his aching skin. He felt her soft lips press against his heart. The sensation of her feeding was the most innately erotic memory he could ever recall. Never before had taking or giving vital blood been so sexually awakening.
He arched his neck, and felt like roaring to the heavens.
His woman.
His woman, at last.
Next Morning:
Violet snuggled closer to the warm strength surrounding her. She could feel strong arms curved round her hip, pressing her against the hard lines of a male body. A strong heartbeat drummed into her back. She sighed as she inhaled the masculine scent clinging to her pillow case. Her heart beating in time to the caress of a thumb against her stomach.
Violets eyes snapped open as her thoughts registered. Flipping onto her side determined to confront who ever was on her bed.
There was no one there. No one at all. Had she been dreaming?
Violet realised the stupidity of fast movement with a hangover as her head began to pound aggressively at her. Whimpering at the pain, she slide further under the duvet.
There was no rush.
It had been a dream.
A margarita induced dream.
Sighing in contentment as her head stopped pounding, she allowed her eyes to flutter to a close.
Zacarias removed his mental embrace momentarily.
He smirked beneath the healing soil, she had enjoyed the feeling of sleeping with him.
Leaving her last night had been the hardest thing he had ever had to do. Her pale skin flushed from arousal, her body soft and sweet against his. Her taste was still evident in his mouth. Her scent clung to his skin still.
He waited until her breaths had evened out, and her body was pliant with sleep before embracing her again.
His arms curved her body perfectly to his. He held her a little too tightly, he knew, and although he feared it could wake her like before he couldn't help squeezing her to him.
She was his miracle.
The next rising would be dedicated to making her irrevocably his for all time...