Chapter Two – In Love with the Monster
Adam stood stock still and listened to the noises drifting from the other side of the fence. His muscles were tense as he picked the sounds apart with hypersensitive ears, trying to fit them to a cause. He debated whether or not to look over the small fence, but he could smell what was on the other side, the sharp tang of iron overloaded in its veins, human blood was thinner, packed with water and nutrients. His moment of hesitation caused him to move on the decking, the wood underfoot creaking with his weight, and suddenly a darkness swept over the fence. It took him by surprise and sent him crashing onto the wood, head narrowly missing the door.
'What the fuck!' he grappled with the body on top of him for a brief moment, the scent overwhelming him, rich iron and an animalistic earthiness. The bare skin of his arms had been scratched multiple times by the struggling form, but it suddenly froze. Taking the opportunity Adam looked at his assailant, to be met by eerily familiar wide, dark eyes set around a delicate nose and lips. Brown hair cascaded in voluminous ringlets around her heart shaped face. Her features changed to squint at him, scrutinising his features
'Adam? Is that you?' a voice like honey slaked over warm skin left her lips as she pushed herself off him, rising to her full height while he was still splayed on the decking.
'Do I know-' as he began to speak he remembered that face, wanting to slap himself for ever forgetting. Memories from centuries long lost flooded his mind and eliminated his ability to speak; he could remember far more than her face. Pale, velveteen skin and curvaceous hips filled his mind, limbs entwined on soft sheets, the sensation of weeks passing without leaving the plush surroundings of her bedroom.
'Shall we go on a little outing tonight Adam?' Eliza lifted her head from his throat, where she had been laying kisses over every inch of skin she could reach. Adam seized the opportunity and kissed her roughly, not sure if she was counting that as an answer to her question or not. Eventually he looked her in the eyes again, her irises had a strange copper shine to them which had been intensifying as she hungered. He thought on her proposal, the bloodlust taking over, consuming him. He hadn't learned to identify when he would hunger in the short days of his new life, it just seized him wholeheartedly and drove him mad. Eliza had fed him blood from small ceramic vials, but it never drove the madness away for long, it was never enough to satisfy his cravings. The memories of being human, eating and drinking meat and wine, were already faded and far away, replaced by the taste of blood. The sharp scratch of fingernails down the planes of his chest and abdomen stirred him from his daydream, barely giving him a second to appreciate his heightened senses. He looked down, expecting raised, red marks, but only saw unbroken ivory flesh seated over defined muscles. He let his eyes roam over her, down the soft curves of her chest and waist, over her wide hips and defined legs, eventually deciding his hunger could wait a little longer.
'An outing sounds great' he finally answered her question before leaning forward to kiss her, pulling her into his lap once more as he leaned back.
Those ecstatic periods of passion were always followed by killing sprees, men, women, even children. Her lean hands grabbing his, dragging him through the back alleys, pulling him into the shadows behind their next victim, blood shimmering black in the starlight, rivulets running down her neck, pooling at the base of her throat.
'Quietly' Eliza hissed as she squeezed his gloved hand and led him down an alleyway at a run, her feet made very little noise on the stones. She landed each step like a cat, lithe and predatory. He had no choice but to follow her through the winding city streets. After a fairly long run she stopped abruptly, almost causing Adam to barrel into her back. She tugged on his hand, coaxing him behind an abandoned cart. It was then that he saw them, almost concealed by the dark veil of an alleyway, a couple. The man had his paramour pressed against the alley wall, one hand fisted in her hair, the other pushing up her skirts.
'Do you want the girl darling? She looks ever so sweet' Eliza asked quietly, it was then he realised what she had in mind. A feral snarl struck out across his lips, and he started forward without thinking, only to be pulled back abruptly by Eliza's strong grip. 'Patience Adam' she turned to look at him, eyes and fangs glinting in the moonlight. She went back to watching the couple in the alley, her muscles tense and unmoving, ready to spring into action. She had released his hand, but signalled for him to follow her as she sprang out from behind the wooden cart. She advanced a lot faster than he had anticipated, inhumanly fast, leaving him trailing behind slightly as he fought to catch up. She barrelled in to the man, knocking him to the floor. The woman screamed and turned to run, but Adam saw his chance and clamped one hand over her mouth, holding her back flush against him with the other. He could hear her heartbeat, urgent and loud as valves slammed shut behind rushes of blood. He could see Eliza sinking her teeth into the man's neck, pinning him to the floor as he clawed at her back, fighting for his life. The hunger was driving him wild, a tingling copper sensation in the back of his throat, and before any conscious thought could cross his mind he was sinking needle sharp fangs into soft, perfumed skin.
'What the Fuck?' he was still flat on the decking at her feet, staring blankly up at her as the memories crashed over him. Dark jeans hugged her legs, and a black leather jacket and t-shirt skimmed over the curves of her chest and waist. Subconsciously he licked his lips, unable to stop himself.
'Not quite the greeting I was expecting Adam' that voice again, the way it shaped his name, with a proud power behind the words. She offered her hand down to help him up, nails manicured in a dark shade and filed almost to points. He ignored it and pushed himself up from the decking, a move that left much to be desired in terms of grace.
'Why the fuck are you here Eliza?' he growled the words at her once he had risen to his full height. Nothing good ever happened when she was around, death and destruction were her only fellows.
'I could ask the same of you' she was calm and collected, as always, well almost always.
Images came unbid to his mind of her coming undone beneath him on multiple occasions. He growled under his breath again, for what reason exactly he was unsure. He had left her behind centuries ago, when he had met Eve, who was everything Eliza was not. Eve was gentle, warm and refined, whereas Eliza was rough and wild, a stone cold killer. The fact she was here had brought the bloody chaos of his early years as a vampire back to him with a force that was none too subtle.
'Don't be so cold Darling' she reached up and ran her fingers over his hair and defined cheekbones, allowing her fingers to linger about his lips before they trailed downwards over his chest and abdomen.