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Noctuary: Noc"tu*a*ry\ (?; 135), n. [L. noctu by night.] A record of what passes in the night
The way he was looking at her stirred something inside of her, set her on fire in a sense. His eyes were intense and unmoving in a way that only a vampire could achieve and she found it nearly impossible to tear away from him. She had never seen someone so handsome and so obviously, physically not human and she was entranced by him.
After a few long, still minutes, Eva forced herself to look away. Even though he was easy on the eyes, to say the least, she would not stroke his ego by giving him the satisfaction of her desireā¦for lack of a better word. He could stare at her all night long if he liked, she was not a woman who was easily unnerved.
As Eva turned back to the bar, her slew of friends turned along with her.
"Can I get some napkins, please?" Eva asked the bartender and before she could take a breath, the napkins were in front of her.
"Oh my god, Evie, he was like really staring at you!" Whitney exclaimed, her face brightening instantly. Eva grumbled as she wiped her hand and arm down. The gesture was useless at that point because in the full minute she and the blonde haired incarnation of beauty had engaged in a staring contest, the vodka and juice had dried into a sticky mess on her arm.
"Well maybe he was staring because Sarah made me spill my drink all over his floor. He's probably eyeing us to clean it up after the party's over," Eva joked and Sarah laughed. Good, she was trying to steer the conversation away from the bar owner and herself. The feeling she experienced when she had looked at him both thrilled and confused her and now was not the time to dissect it.
Eventually, the conversation edged away from the golden-haired man and onto other things. Every couple of minutes, Eva would cast a sideways glance over to the bar owner, but only when she couldn't help herself any longer. Only when she couldn't ignore the feeling of his eyes on her face anymore would she allow herself to be distracted by him. His eyes hadn't strayed from her since the moment Sarah had told her he had locked them there and she was secretly overwhelmed by the attention. He was obviously a wanted man; several people had approached him and he had waved them off like they were nothing but begging puppies.
"Now," a drawling voice interrupted her idle musings and a big, broad chest appeared directly in her view of the blonde-haired man, blocking him from sight. "What's a nice girl like you doin' down here," he said, his voice slow and meant to be seductive she supposed. Eva's only concern was her inability to see the man across the room and she almost growled. The vampire before her was clad in a cowboy hat and a black button down shirt. He looked like the vampire version of the lone ranger, and inspired just as much fear as Kangaroo Jack. Eva was less than interested. "Don't you look tasty," he murmured, leaning closer so that over his shoulder, Eva was able to see a pair of ice blue eyes watching her intently, amused and curious.
"Hey there, cowboy," Eva stammered, holding her hand up and leaning backwards over the bar until it was uncomfortable on her back. "I am not interested." Eva enunciated her words very carefully, making sure they were heard and sunk in. The cowboy vampire, a horrible contradiction in her mind, stopped short, fury creasing his brow as he bore down on Eva's tiny frame.
"You're saying no to me, human?" he laughed heatedly, completely disbelieving in her rejection. Eva knew she should tread carefully but she really had no experience handling the angry undead so she was a bit less eloquent than she probably should have been.
"I'm afraid so," Eva said, unable to contain the sarcasm that leaped into her voice. She could think of no other way to turn the man down and her friends were off mingling with their potential one-night-stands. The cowboy growled, a feral noise that built deep in his throat and vibrated through her as he put his face so close to hers that she could feel the chill of his skin. It was apparent that she had really, really pissed him off, but what was he going to do? Kill her in front of everyone in the club? Highly improbable.
"No one says no to me," he snarled before straightening and stalking off. It was probably a good thing he walked off so quickly because Eva would have run the risk of saying something unbelievably stupid. Still, despite her rage, her heart raced painfully, her face flushed, and her hands shook slightly from the danger the man imposed. Quietly and artfully, Eva pulled herself together and turned back to the bar, ignoring her speeding heart.
An hour later, Eva felt weariness settle on her shoulders like a lead weight. It had been a long, long time since she had been out at any type of social gathering and she was a little rusty at pulling all-nighters. As her friends leaned into their companions, whispering sweet nothings, Eva stifled a yawn and put her glass down on the bar, emptied.
"Care for another one?" the bartender asked, appearing out of thin air. Eva shook her raven head, closing her eyes and sliding the emptied glass toward him.
"You of all people should know I don't need another one," Eva lightly scolded him, a smile on her tired face. The bartender merely nodded graciously, a farewell, then swiped up the glass and disappeared just exactly the same way he appeared. Eva turned around to locate Whitney so she could tell her she was leaving and spotted her lounging on an interestingly designed leather couch, getting rather cozy. Leave it to Whitney to seduce both man and vampire.
"Hey, Whit," Eva said, smiling casually as she approached.
"Hey, sweetie," Whitney said, confusion in her eyes as she read Eva's face.
"I'm gonna grab a cab and get outta here," Eva told her, angling her body toward the door.
"I'll come," Whitney offered and her companion looked rather disappointed at the offer.
"No, no," Eva said, waving her hand at her friend's kindness. "I'll be fine, really. I remember where I live." Whitney cracked a smile and settled back into the leather of the couch against the vampire. "Call me when you get home?" Eva asked, heading in the direction of the door. Whitney nodded causing her blonde curls to bob against her shoulders.
"Love you," Whitney called after her.
"Love you," Eva threw over her shoulder as she walked off.
Just as she reached the door, Eva looked back over her shoulder at the bar owner. He was still sitting in exactly the same spot staring at her in exactly the same way. His eyes sparkled like highly polished sapphires and a small smile graced his bowed lips. It almost pained her to leave that face, that body, those curious eyes, but she pushed her way out the door nonetheless.
The air was cold and startling as she stepped out to the parking lot. She rubbed her arms and sighed, idly thinking about why she didn't call a cab before she left the building. It was too late now, so she pulled out her phone and began to dial. Her fingers froze on the buttons when she heard a horribly familiar growl behind her. The sound was low and threatening, like a lion about to strike, and it sent a chill up her spine.
"Going somewhere?" the voice drawled, a cold, unmovable hand clamping onto her upper arm. Eva felt fear and panic seep into her veins, weighing her down, clouding her mind. The large hand spun her around so she was face to face with the predator and she let out a little cry of surprise at the too-quick motion. God, she really didn't want to die at the hands of a cowboy-vampire.
"Yes, home," Eva spat, not able to contain the contempt and hatred she felt toward him. The cowboy's other hand traced an icy line from her collarbone to her chin, sending a shiver through her.
"Wrong answer." Eva watched the cowboy eye her neck hungrily, uncontrollably so, and it was at that moment she knew the cowboy wasn't going to let her live through whatever it was he was planning on doing to her.
Eva felt rage spur up inside her and with all the strength she had, she shoved her hands against his chest. The vampire hadn't been expecting her sudden self-preservation urge and stumbled back, allowing Eva to run toward the door to the bar. On her way, she was able to bellow out one good, solid scream before the vampire was in front of her. He was angry now, far, far angrier than he was before her outburst. His hand slapped hard across her face and the pain that blossomed there was instantaneous. It felt like every bone in her face had bent from the force of the strike and then snapped back into place violently against her skin. She fell backwards, her head slamming against the pavement so painfully that the black night went white around her. Before she could come back from the shock, a hand closed tightly around her throat, hauling her to her feet like she was a puppet for his entertainment. She moaned and panted as she fumbled around on her rubbery legs while the vamp-cowboy growled both delightedly and horribly.
"Aren't so strong now are you, little human?" he hissed, drawing her face to his and smelling her neck. The way she saw it, she had two options: die silently, or die fighting. She just wished he could feel pain because she wanted to hurt him so bad it was illegal. So, ignoring the throbbing, nearly blinding pain in her head, Eva wriggled in his hold, scratching at his alabaster skin, punching, hitting, and screaming. The horrible, horrible pain behind her eyes was stalling her movements, muting her efforts and she let out a strangled sob as he easily wrestled her to the ground.
He had her pinned between his immovable mass and the rocky pavement. He was crushing her with his weight and he was quite enjoying himself. His teeth were bared and it was the most fascinating and bone-chilling thing she had ever witnessed in her-about to be cut short- life. The light from the dim parking lot lamps gleamed off those dagger sharp teeth and brought the true animal in his eyes to her notice. She felt the breath going out of her as his body left no room for her to draw a breath and suddenly she felt him drag an icy finger down a vein in her throat. The growl that traveled through him now was sadistic and animalistic and another sob escaped her. Just before he sank his teeth into her carotid artery, she let out a softer, raspier, desperate cry that echoed off the brick walls of the club. She would have to die looking up at a red, neon sign that read 'Fangtasia.' Life was so cruel.
The pain was epic as he ripped into her neck. The warm, sticky fluid that was her blood ran down her neck and into her ebony hair, matting it to her head.
"God, no," Eva whispered, trying still to shove him, but he quickly pinned her hands, laughing into her neck, his chuckle gurgling due to his mouthful of her blood. The sound silenced her and she felt her eyes flutter back into her head. With each draw he took, she could literally see her life waving goodbye.
And then, it stopped. Not the pain, the pain was still tantamount, but the pulling and the crushing weight and the gurgling laughter was gone. Somewhere to the right of her, she heard a very muffled, angry conversation. She strained to hear it, but the lines of her world were going fuzzy.
"Eric." Eva recognized that voice as the voice of her cowboy killer. His voice was laced with fear and surprise. Eva couldn't imagine what would make a man like him quiver, but that was exactly what he was doing. The man named Eric said something Eva couldn't hear because all the noise in her head was the sound of her blood pumping too fast and not fast enough at the same time. The next sound that reached her was a horrible scream and a body dropping to the pavement next to her. She forced her eyes open, staring at the moon and stars. She blinked, and suddenly, the blonde haired, blue-eyed bar owner was leaning over her. In the next second, she knew this was the same man the cowboy had called Eric. This Eric, previously known as bar owner, didn't look pleased with the situation, but the lines of his face softened into some sort of concern.
With deft hands, Eric pulled Eva's head up and looked at her wounds. Slowly, like a bathtub draining, Eva felt her consciousness slipping away. She had lost so much blood and she now felt the effects. She wouldn't see the morning.
Before she let herself slip into sweet unconsciousness, she raised a hand that felt like lead. The closeness of him to her made her feel safe, serene, at peace with her imminent death and she wanted him to know.
Quickly, like he had been summoned, his ice blue eyes snapped onto hers, waiting for her hand to reach his face. When it did, his eyes settled more gently onto hers and she felt his head lean into her palm very slightly. The edges of her vision went black and he became a beautifully framed picture before her, slipping away too quickly now. She brushed her thumb across his glass smooth cheekbone and whispered his name.
"Eric." Her voice was faint, almost inaudible but she knew by the way his face softened and tenderness flickered through his blue eyes that he had heard her. Then, darkness swelled up and dragged her down into its depths.
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Hope ya liked it,
Kate
