Note: Drama ensues! So, I have the outline for the remainder of the book written down on this piece of paper in my hand. And the way I planned it, this story has seven chapters and an epilogue left; the epilogue and two of those chapters are already written. It's a little saddening, since it's been fun to write this. Good thing there's going to be a sequel, right? On a document with over 300 pages, I have to say nine months of writing is tiring, but well worth the response. Thanks again to my readers.
EVERYONE! Visit my homepage and find the page for this story. It has a playlist now! (Gigantic thanks to Brunette-in-Black). Then, look for 'The Adventures of the Vampire Inspector,' the name of the next part to this sequence. The actual sequel to this story shall actually be the third 'book' I write eventually. Kinda like Anne Rice; she wrote Interview with the Vampire, but then went back and had Lestat fill in the blanks with The Vampire Lestat before resuming both stories in Queen of the Damned and the rest of the vampire chronicles.
Chapter 24 – Barriers
"The price is wrong on this vanity." I told one of the appraisers pricing items for the upcoming auction. All funds made were being donated to various charities in Aldorra. Just one of the many helpful and generous events I'd been planning and hosting in the last several weeks. "The piece is all oak, crafted by hand and used by Queen Marisa for 45 years. It's worth at least twice as much as the amount listed!" The woman I told this too made a quick note on her clipboard and then followed me on to the next few items. The two of us, and several servants helping to move things around and organize items, were in one of the big rooms near a main hallway. The room was full of old antique items of passed royalty; most of the stuff had just been sitting around the palace as extra junk. Items such as specially made desks, vanities, swords, portraits, tea cup sets, mirrors, necklaces, jewelry boxes, wardrobes... The list of valuable but rather useless items (to me and the people in my estate) were all priced to be auctioned here. I was making sure certain things were priced high or low enough to ensure they were sold what they were truly worth.
"And this sword; the sword of King Tristian! This price for such a weapon with all of the sapphires and rubies on the hilt is an insult." I told the woman appraiser with the clipboard now; she tilted her glasses forward on her face to take a closer look at the jewels in which I indicated.
"Of course. Twenty-four gems... That should add about a five-hundred more to the starting price..."
This process continued for most of my afternoon that day; until soon I had a dinner, once again, with the Chairmen of the legislative and their families. At least three times a week for the passed five weeks, I'd been having dinner with all of the Chairmen, Nicolas, Luis, and Prime Minister Davidson. Everyone important, and their families (and of course my Lucy,) and I must admit, the legislative seemed to really be warming up to me in all of those times.
All of the legislative except for Chairman Coffin of course; because everybody at the table knew (even if they didn't mention it) he wanted his daughter to become the next queen of Aldorra, and not me. Because of this plot against me, he was naturally bitter toward me. At first, his stingy comments and disapproval of everything I did rubbed off on the other Chairmen's opinions. But after the weeks passed and they all had a chance to get to know me, as well as hear more kind words from Henry Davidson and Luis, they all became just as annoyed with Coffin's inability to properly judge me as I had.
Courtney had been in the country's borders during this time. Naturally, deaths and disappearances were to occur because of this. Within the certain time frames of the month, the week where the moon was full enough for Courtney to transform into the monstrous beast, the wolf attack articles I had seen in the New York papers and news reports on television were mirrored in my country's capitol city. The disappearances and wolf attacks became a popular topic at the dinner table once the same topic became popular with the public press. More than once I'd come down to breakfast to read about how another wolf-bitten-body was found by the river. Not a great way to start the mornings.
"Four missing persons in one week. What are the odds?" One woman whispered behind her white-gloved hand to the next woman.
"I hear the detectives on the case are at a dead end. All of the disappearances are not related in any way and no bodies have turned up... yet." An elder Chairman would add, because he had the 'inside scoop' with a cop or investigator.
"Do you think the disappearances are related to those dreadful wolf attacks? I hear a ban of wolves is going to be posted if this continues." Another woman ask.
"And a higher reward price on a wolf pelt." A young man joked. His tough exterior and scarred hands told me hunter.
I stirred the wine around in my glass, quietly, as the guests at the table discussed the subject of the disappearances before the main course was served. Of course, I knew who (or sometimes what) was behind the disappearances. It killed me a little bit inside every time a kidnapping was mentioned and all I could do was listen or read the newspaper article and hold my tongue. I couldn't just tell the people that the culprit was a vampire seeking vengeance. Because that would be crazy. Besides, I promised Luke and Taylor I wouldn't expose vampires anymore. Luke warned me countless times, with a dark foreshadowing, that the consequences were dire; once upon a time, Taylor had contemplated killing me so I would keep my pretty little mouth shut about the entire subject. I knew the consequences could mean my death, but ironically, keeping the secret from the people who deserved to know, like my dearest friend Nicki and the families who were victim of Courtney's murder, was slowly killing my from the inside with a strong sense of guilt and justice.
The least I could do, and I had done about a week after Courtney had began to kill, was to make sure everybody stayed in during the night, locked their doors and windows... and the people you must be out at night, have protection of the police force accessible. I payed the department to double their shifts and provide more men to stay out during the nights to protect against whatever animal or person they thought Courtney was.
After dinner was done, Nicolas and I made out first trip to the mail room that day. He'd asked me about my opinion on the subject of what action would be best to take for a certain situation. I happily obliged him the answer as he took what mail he had from a box with his name on it and sat down at a table. "Are you even listening?" I asked Nicolas, hands on hips.
He delayed looking up, his eyes fixed to a letter in hand. "Hm? Oh, sorry. No, I wasn't listening." He answered truthfully. "I was reading this." He motioned to the letter. "It's another proposal from the parents of a young, single woman looking to marry a potential king for his money and status." My stomach churned a little bit when thinking about the chance of getting rejected from the crown. On another note, Nicolas didn't look the least bit interested in any of the many proposals cluttering the table. There had to be over two dozen. "There's some for you too... from families who have two children. They don't care who takes the throne, so long as one of their children marries into the royalty."
"Ugh, my favorite." I replied sarcastically. I glanced at the second letter in his hand that came from the same envelope; it was addressed to me concerning the single status and interest of their son. These people didn't even bother to fix two separate envelopes for the proposals!
"These are just mine; you have an entire bag in the back of the mail room." He pointed. "The ones here for you are just the ones that were sealed with the envelopes addressed to me."
I let out a groan before I could stop myself. I scolded myself mentally though; it wasn't polite to the families. "I guess we're going to have to meet with all of them, to at least be polite about the rejection by telling each face to face we're not interested rather than sending a letter."
"You know, I have a solution that would fix both of our problems." he told me in a hushed tone.
"I would love to hear it." I replied with exasperation in my tone.
"Never mind." he said quickly, and turned away to open the next set of letters.
Odd. Nicolas rarely held things from me. Or, he used too. I didn't think much of it and let him know I was going to bed.
Naturally, the numbers the public gave for disappearances of persons and the casualties of wolf victims were not completely correct. Taylor had been having fun cleaning up Courtney's mess within the weeks she began killing.
Luke hardly helped him; one because he never had in the past, two because he refused to leave my side. In fact, I noticed sooner than later that Luke had gone out less and less to feed... Really, the only one who assisted in aiding Taylor in Courtney-clean-up was the vampire Julie; the lovely orange-haired goddess, who had arrived in my presence during my nights. The vampire Taylor had been running low on bottles of human blood, so his loyal underling Julie was quick to bring in a new shipment. It was a huge surprise to me when she appeared in my balcony window, like a quiet and cunning red fox, carrying a large wooden crate labeled 'WINE- FRAGILE' in big red letters. I recalled screaming from the sheer shock, and slight fear that it was Courtney appearing in that window, and Luke had come right to my side to hold me in a protective stance, icy eyes narrowed and expression dark and dangerous. All was well after Julie's soothing voice forced us both to remain calm about her sudden appearance.
At first, I wondered just exactly what her and Taylor's relationship was. After all, she looked very similar to Queen Rebecca, the woman Taylor had fallen in love with decades ago. I figured there had to be more to their relationship than the loyal servant-kind master act Julie and Taylor portrayed and performed. Her catch phrase of the nights, when I had spoken to her, was 'Taylor has requested it, therefore it is done.' Talk about devotion... Perhaps their relationship was how Taylor expressed love? Because when looking and speaking to Taylor, he honestly didn't seem capable of such an emotion.
In all actuality, Taylor the dark-haired vampire was unusually cool when I was around him. Which wasn't very often, but often enough for me to notice that his entire demeanor toward my character was tense, sometimes cruel, but overall it seemed like he actually strongly disliked my very presence.
One night I had decided to approach him about this. I recalled the event as I followed the carpet design to the wing where my personal chambers lay.
I stood inside the private library with Taylor. As usual, he was transfixed to the desk in front of him, plotting and researching for the true demise of Courtney. Luke had headed out to hunt, and I was determined to use this quality time with Taylor to find out the core of his frigid behavior toward me. "You avoid looking at me, or when you do, you become extremely irritated." I had began.
"And you bring this to my attention because?" He sounded as irritated as I just described him as.
"Because I wonder what I've said or done for you to behave in such a way." I replied.
"Would you rather me stare?" he half snapped then.
"No, but-"
"Then I don't see how this applies to anything that involves addressing the fact." he answer curtly.
I paused for a moment and reworded my earlier statement. "I just wanted to know if it was because I "supposedly" look like Courtney Vengeance."
I stabbed a silence straight into the air of the room. How could I help it? He was the one being a little... He stiffened for a moment before continuing.
"There is no "supposedly" about it. It's unexplainable how much you resemble her. The only difference is that your hair is a bit darker than hers... probably because you both were born at different times in the year. You in the spring, she right before the dead of winter."
I stayed silent as he moved across the room, over to the window to gaze out at the landscape. His eyes were glazed over in deep thought. After several minutes, it felt like, he continued and revealed something personal to me.
"Before, it was easy to think of you as just another mortal. Now that we're here, in the setting of the conflict, and you wear the old designs and speak in such an old-fashioned dialect... I chose not to look upon you because your image brings up very unpleasant and deep emotions and memories. Until I can control them, I will continue to ignore your general demeanor."
I thought of Rebecca; the woman and queen whom Taylor had loved. Luke had told me of Taylor's past, how he fell for the lovely queen and gave her everything under the moon after she was turned, until she committed suicide. Only Courtney could be blamed for her weakened state. I remembered the image Luke pressed over me, how much anguish was washed over the dark-haired vampire's expression when he knew his love had taken her life. It was then that everything Taylor had just said made sense to me. He looked upon me in the older European fashions and saw Courtney, the traitor and reason for that anguish, in me.
I looked up at the face of this vampire; so much emotion existed in him in the images inside Luke's mind. Now, he wore a white mask that dispelled any question to if he dealt with deeper emotions at all.
I understood then that the white mask veiled over Taylor Halling's face was painted by his existence. He figured it was better, easier, not to convey emotions. How much pity I took upon that poor creature in that moment. If Taylor had appeared to have been the sort of guy who liked to receive hugs, I would have given him one. But he wasn't, so I refrained and simply moved my gaze elsewhere.
"I understand." I finally replied simply.
I never mentioned that event to Lucas. I don't think I ever would. I passed Lucy's room on my way to my chambers and glanced at the oak door...
I had noticed several interesting observations about her in the following weeks. For one, the woman was like an emotional roller coaster. One moment she was fun and flirty in the arms of Prime Minister Davidson, the next she was sobbing on my shoulder about missing home and Danny, or other random reasons... Then the girl would be perfectly fine and settled and decline any offer I gave her to return home, to New York. (Where it was actually safer at this point, with Courtney following me around). I couldn't fail to miss the frequent trips to the bathroom, several trips to the pharmacy within the palace (Where the nurse on duty would inform me of my foreign friend's actions if I asked). These actions involved info on pregnancy, of all things. And the third and final significant detail I didn't fail to undermine during the last few weeks was her refusal of fine wine. Lucy, who had turned twenty-one not too long ago, a woman who loved to party and swing her drunken hips in night clubs, spend warm Saturday nights sitting with Daniel in his tailgate with a six pack of cheap beer and singing to the stars once too far gone... This Lucy refusing alcohol of any shape or form for about five solid weeks? I knew something was up. Something along the lines of a developing life. Something along the lines of a child with Daniel's DNA written all over it.
I made a mental note to speak to Lucy about this tomorrow, if she did not bring it up first. I would have came and consoled her tonight, but when I glanced inside her room, my angel with the gift of possible life was asleep, thin form resting beneath the covers of the queen sized bed. Her lithe form's only movement was the slow up and down movement of her breaths. Her beautiful blonde hair sprayed gently around her shoulders and her face let the moonlight wash over the white skin like milk and cream mixed together.
With the moon as full as it was... while Lucy carried a life, another out there would lose theirs. Oh, the irony.
I continued to my personal chambers to find Julie within. I inquired where Lucas was, as I did not see him right away. She had such long, luscious orange hair... The brightness of it almost made me want to braid it, then and there. I remembered her ability was to manipulate actions and thoughts; I shook off the want to touch her hair that was like the summer sun.
"Lucas is attempting to hunt tonight." She informed me. I noticed her emphasis on the word 'attempt.' "He left you this note." She added, and handed me a neatly folded bit of paper with a seal of wax over the fold. Perhaps too quickly, I ripped underneath the wax to free the words enclosed within; but in doing so with haste received a mild paper cut. A droplet of blood streamed down my finger and I didn't miss the movement of Julie in the corner of my eye as her head raised, her gorgeous neck turning to see the red substance. "Lady Allison... Come here, quickly. Let's not waste blood." She commanded easily. And because of my confusion and her power, I obeyed and came toward her, finger held out more her pale, cold lips to wrap around. I gasped quietly as the red was cleaned underneath her tongue, and after that, I bled no more.
Shock and silence overcame my desire to speak in the moment after her head raised and she smiled politely, apologetically. "Forgive me," she began with the smallest blush across her cheeks. "Taylor instructed me to taste a sample of your blood before tomorrow's evening...And since Taylor has requested it-" She began in her benevolent tone, but I cut her off and finished her sentence.
"Therefore it is done. Yeah yeah. I've heard it before. Thanks, I guess." I told her quickly, cradling my licked finger and retreating swiftly to my bedroom.
The note read 'Dearest Allison, if you wish to fall asleep before I return, I wish you the best of dreams. Be warned, I may be out late tonight, searching for something to take a bite out of. I apologize in advanced for leaving you, but Julie will serve as protection in my place until I come back to you. Many lifetimes of love, Lucas.'
I folded and note and smiled softly, relishing in Luke's sweet words. They meant love, ownership, protection... and they meant something else. They meant he might not return back to me in time to press nightmares from my mind as he had been for the passed weeks. I glanced to my bed with the deep, purple comforter... The color of royalty, but the reminder of the terrible images of Courtney in my dreams. I recalled just some of the nightmares I'd experienced in the shortest of sequences, but no matter how short, they left me with the same feelings every time. Doubt, insecurity, dread, despair. The nightmares had the same themes; My death, my misery, my pain. Courtney invoked these differently each time. Sometimes she stole Luke's admiration from me, once I saw the murder of my mother, the murder of Daniel...
Tonight when I rested myself within the sheets, without Lucas, a new nightmare scenario plagued my plane. My angel and her long, glossy blonde hair resting on her shoulder as she crouched over on the ground, back facing me. I walked toward her innocent form; she was harboring something into her chest. When I reached the woman, I touched her shoulder. She didn't even react to me. I called out her name. She didn't move an inch. I glanced at what she cradled in her arms... A slimy, bloody creature...
A newborn baby.
I gasped when Lucy gasped. "No, no! Don't take his child from me too! You've already taken him from me, don't take his baby! No! No! Stop, you demon!" Who was she shouting at? She defended the child so frightfully and aggressively. But a moment later, the demon in which she feared entered into the lighted area that I could see... The most beautiful woman I'd ever lay my eyes upon, yet I hated with such an intensity, I would kill with it. Courtney Vengeance.
"No! Stay away you she-devil!" Lucy shouted. A moment later the slimy, bloody creature was no long in Lucy's pale arms. I heard the child crying in the arms of the vampiress, and then I saw what was left of the child on the ground another instant after. Lucy screamed and threw herself at the ground; I found myself mimicking the same moves as her.
I jumped awake, automatically taking a hand to my stomach out of pure motherly instinct. Good god... The nightmares that were so intense, so real feeling. I wouldn't fall asleep again until Lucas came back. I glanced at the clock; not even midnight yet. I decided to go for a shower, to cleanse my sweat-soaked body from the fears.
I had my eyes closed as the water dripped down over me; I relished in the warm feeling of water pounding against my skin. Always had, even in America. Tonight, I fully gasped when a cold set of lips touched my ear. I knew who it was, right away. But just when had he stripped down and entered the bathroom without my notice? I raised my hands in reflex to the surprise; he grabbed my wrists and pressed his body against me. All worries and doubts and fears were automatically dispelled. I cursed myself again for ever doubting him and his feelings. As I turned to him underneath the water, I wondered for a moment if he took pleasure in the warm sensations a hot shower gave. He seemed to almost purr as the water danced along the muscles on his chest, his icy eyes looked upon me and I received a kiss for looking so beautiful underneath the water with him.
"Sleep well?" he asked, a slight concern in his invigorating tone.
"I will now." I replied with a small smile, then kissed him underneath his chin, then again on his collar bone.
The water was turned off and he stepped out first to grab towels for the both of us. "I'll pick you out something to wear." he told me with a sly smile.
I accepted the towel he offered before he left me to my privacy in the bathroom. I sighed pleasantly when remembering the feel of his lips on mine, when wanting to feel those lips everyday for the rest of my days. I thought about my situation of the night.
I would bet money on the chances of not finding one person in my country who would accept the ideals I held during the night when I dealt with the vampires, one of which was my lover. It was completely unacceptable and totally scandalous for a woman, especially her majesty, to let a man she was not engaged or married with to share her bed each night within her very own chamber, right under the staff's nose without their knowledge. But of course, the actions that are against the rules are always the most enticing and adrenaline-pumping. If any of the people who respected me found out that I did such things with a man I'd only known for barely two months... Well, it wouldn't be pretty.
Sure, it was libelous; but I enjoyed my nights with Luke like any other person would enjoy their company with their certain somebody. During the day, it was constant duties, appearances and checklist after checklist and dealing with the mortal and the living in masses... And although I wouldn't complain about the royal life I had returned to, because I was born into this life, it was refreshing to settle down during my evening and relax with Luke and Lucy and, yes, even Taylor. To describe it more simply; during the day I had a life very different from the life under the nighttime stars; and these two lives dwell upon each aspect of my personality and enriched my entire person fully, versus if I had just one life or the other by itself.
Weeks had passed since Taylor mentioned one barrier between Lucas and I, the barrier that involved the giving of my blood, and still it was on my top of my mind; like a hot air balloon it would rise time and time again with an unmistakable presence. But I began to realize that and the other barriers between Lucas and I. Barriers that existed between a vampire and a human, between a stalker of the night and a person of the royal court. They hadn't been more apparent before than when I woke up from these fantastic, scandalous nights alone, with the morning sun washing over me and the empty place next to me I longed for Luke to occupy. What existed in that place instead was a fresh rose, resting on the pillow, cut from my own imperial garden. When I brought that rose close to my chest and held it tight, and tried to imagine Luke's body next to mine; how I longed for him to roll around with me in the glorious first rays of the dawn, to wake up and see the sun glowing in his gorgeous blond hair... I would then wonder if he wished the very same when he took one last look at me before he left me alone before dawn.
But I knew it was impossible for a vampire to do these things, and I would continue on with my day in the life that was reciprocal to the one I proceeded in during the night.
The life I proceeded in right now as I dressed into the little black night gown Luke had picked out and hung on the doorknob to the bathroom. He'd decided he like me the best in black clothing in the passed weeks. Actually, the two of us had learned a lot more about each other in that time. We'd gotten closer emotionally as well as physically. Right now, he sat in a chair near the bathroom door, icy eyes closed, his strong hand under his chin, eyebrows furled in concentration. The dark, gorgeous look of the vampire looked up at me, blue eyes swimming with thoughts and admiration and concern....
"Do you think the nightmares are a figment of my imagination, caused by fears and stress, or do you think she's putting them into my head somehow?" I asked for a moment.
"Well... both thoughts are completely possible."
I nearly glared, but my eyes were too worried to be successful in the attempt.
"I mean that... the nightmares could be delusions from your own mind, inspired from our current situation. But they could also be from Courtney herself. She is my fledgling, after all... While it's not proven, it's possible for abilities to be passed down from vampire to vampire like a genetic trait. It's possible Courtney has developed some form of telepathy from me, able to press images into your mind when it's the most unprotected, when you sleep. Your nightmares could be from her, trying to scare you or make you doubt yourself."
A silence came between us for a moment as I looked thoughtfully over to my bed and it's deep purple comforter. I was convinced the nightmares were from Courtney herself. Why would I scare myself so much?
"What are you thinking about?" I asked next.
"Plans." Such simple, curt answers. I had to keep prying.
"For?"
"Mostly the capture of Courtney V. I have several ideas and I've collaborated some with Halling; some with a low chance of working; others with a higher chance of success that you're not going to like very much."
I didn't need to ask him in words. I simply fell gracefully into his lap with my head tilted and eyes challenging him to try me.
"One is that I just track her down myself and decapitate her, but she chooses very well-bred humans for her minions. Though they are weak, they are a burden enough to slow me down and leave room for her escape. She's worked Halling with that decoy-with-numbers trick for decades..." He shifted under me as he explained and brought his arm underneath my knees. His other hand played with a curly strand of hair that fell over my shoulder. "I thought about an ambush with dozens, but no one's been able to pin her in a corner for any amount of numbers to work. Whether she's in a wolf or human form, she knows exactly how to craftily disappear from our radar." There was a pause where Luke tickled my arm with the tip of the curl. I shrugged it away with a silent giggle and waited patiently for him to continue. He looked directly into my eyes for a short moment, then looked down at our laps. "The other ideas form around the concept of, well, a taste of her own medicine."
"Deceit and seduction?" I asked, voice no longer flirty, eyebrows raised. His facial expression did not move out of thought.
"They involve a spectacular performance, on both of our parts." His head raised.
"I'm guessing these are the ideas you don't think I'll like?"
"Just hear me out. I am the only possible candidate in the world that she would trust and allow weakness to. If I could convince her, lie to her and make her believe that I would never abuse the trust I "want" from her, I could create a location where she is isolated. Halling could form a perimeter around where I lead her to, just in case she suspects and tried to escape. The only problem is that she wants you; and the only way I could get her to move anywhere, if I gained her trust, is if you were the bait."
"Yes, that idea does have a higher success rate than the others." I replied off-handedly after a moment. He sighed.
"I don't want to go through with it; so much could get out of hand if she were to suspect... You could get hurt, either way."
I knitted my eyebrows together. "What do you mean?"
"On one hand," he brought one of his strong, pale hands up. "If she suspects deceit on my part, you could get hurt in retribution or she could get away and we will never have a chance like that at her again. On the other," his other hand raised. "To convince her to a point of no doubt, I might have to... prove... certain things." He chose his words very carefully for a good reason.
I blinked and was silent when I caught unto what he was saying. A pause was cast between us. I left no comment to the last plan suggested.
"What else are you making plans for?" I asked.
"Hm?"
"You said you were mostly planning for the capture of Courtney V."
He blinked. A gesture that was more a check point, to make sure what he'd heard and seen was actually happening. He hadn't expected me to notice little details; the fact that I had persuaded him to reveal what else was on his mind. "In my mind, after everything works out the way that I want it, I think about our future."
"Just how do you wish for everything to work out... and our future?"
"It's nothing..."
"I love hearing about nothing." I declared.
He looked over my features for a moment before giving in. "The way that I see, I mean, the way I want everything to happen... After realizing you are worth sacrificing the rest of eternity for, I try to prove to you that I am worthy, that I am not responsible or meant harm to your family all of the years after I gave Courtney the power to be an immortal monster. I present you with Courtney's corpse, and in some sick, twisted way, the body of the ex love is what you needed to truly know that I only want you, forever more. And our relationship blossoms to it's highest level after you let me take you to the next level; and we spend the rest of eternity together in the world, no longer touched by commitments to the mortal world, by duties, by ancestry..."
"So what you're saying is... if we succeed in destroying Courtney... you would like me to join you and become..."
"A vampire."
I sighed for a moment. It sounded nice, in all honesty. Spending every day and night with Luke, vampire or not. But I had a duty here. The least I had to do was leave an heir to the throne I would leave behind if I abandoned my country, again. If I was chosen for the throne. Nobody's fates was set in stone right now, though.
"I'm sorry, it's too soon to be thinking about anything after Courtney's death. Just forget I've mentioned it." He apologized while taking my hand and placing a kiss on the top of it. I then realized how cold he was, compared to earlier nights. Colder than the ice his skin normally was; it was the cold of death and eternity.
"Luke... You're freezing cold."
"The dead tend to be that way." he replied light heartedly, trying not to worry me.
"No, I meant... You're colder than usual. Much colder." My concern didn't subside as he wanted it too. "I thought you went out to hunt tonight...? How long as it been since you've eaten?"
"I didn't find any prey tonight, my love. It's only been about a week. I can not stand that crap Halling drinks anymore and I haven't found a new criminal anywhere nearby to sink my teeth into." His sense of humor was stunning. "I finished off all the ones who were not in prison last week. Your people in this city are too good." he complained. "And I haven't felt comfortable enough to leave you alone long for me to track down a beast big enough to satisfy the thirst for an extended period of time." As he explained, my hands slid to each of his cheeks, warming the iciness of his skin. "Don't worry about me." he added, and gently took my right wrist and placed a cold kiss on the vein there, as if to prove to me he could stand to be around me, despite what Taylor had said... "I'm fine."
I was unconvinced that he was fine. But if he didn't want me to worry, I would try not to. I trusted him and his judgment; and I trusted he would never bring harm to me, just as I had trusted him the first night we were together. When I bent down to kiss him, he pulled me down on top of him, which was now into the sanctuary of the bed.
And the rest was history.
By the end of that intimate encounter, when our bodies shook with the invigorating product of reaching the peak, and it was over... My worries were not expelled.
My breaths were raged and quick and trying to ease with the anti-climactic pause that came between our movements. His sounds were as satisfied as my own; his odd mixture of breaths and growls and grunts that were all wonderful to my ears. My eyes closed pleasantly as I tried to recover, but I felt his weight shift over his place on my hips, adding pressure to the right side as he lifted his left arm and balanced with the right. My own sounds were all I could hear for a moment and I thought it even odder when I'd heard... perhaps flesh ripping. My sapphire eyes flew open in wonder and confusion, and I fully gasped as I looked upon what he was doing.
His left hand was lifted to his face, pale wrist pressed against his mouth which held fangs that sank into his flesh. His eyes were tightly closed, but when the blood poured from his own wrist into his mouth, they opened with the bloody red irises I'd seen only once before. A sensual growl came from him as he did this, his white body shaking as the blood began to drip from the pale wrist and stain my own skin.
I was thoroughly shocked and lost for words as I witnessed this. The cold immortal blood spilling in droplets against my chest made me jump and I gasped again in softer breaths as I was utterly perplexed; the feeling in my eyes and body was uncertainty and alarm, but not fear. My warm hand slid up and down Luke's arm to try and ease him as he bit harder into his wrist after closing his eyes again. He wasn't exactly in pain, but this tremor within him echoing into me wasn't the ecstasy it should have been from blood into a vampire.
"Luke..." I breathed softly, comforting and questioning, trying to calm whatever violent emotion had taken over him from his vampire side to cause him to harm himself. He ripped his wrist away from his mouth and his body curled into itself; his head now resting on my stomach, and the bloody color of his irises had not chilled when he jerked his face upward. Blond hair fell over his red eyes, while they intently focused on something on my chest... My heart was racing again, my head was spinning as his hungry lips moved smoothly to the droplets of his own blood that had run across my skin. My torso heaved as I felt his cool tongue clean those droplets with an attentive hunger. His hands gripped the fabric of the sheets as he continued on, making sure to find each and every spilled bit of blood, wherever it may be on my body. I let out an uneasy cry as my hands fisted into his hair and my body tried to arch away from him rather than into him. His cold tongue tantalized my skin but the dread behind the feeling gave a horrible sweep of emotions through me. He was different than usual; he was now uncontrolled, dangerous, hungry.
Finally when he'd cleaned every droplet of his blood from my chest, his tongue trailed straight to the rapid pulse, which only increased as I realized the possibility of Luke taking blood from me in this very moment.
His clenched fangs pressed against the skin of my neck.
I still was confused, but this time with myself. Did I want this? Yes, I did want to give my blood to him when it came down to "yes or no," but not like this... submitting to his hunger right now because he couldn't control his senses and I was just a hint too easy? No! I wasn't ready, I wasn't expecting it! Please, wait! That last thought was voiced in a choked cry as my fingers tightened in his hair. It was then he began to shake and he fought his hunger without my protest. His hands fisted so tightly into the sheets they ripped the material, his body shook violently until suddenly he ripped his entire form away from mine.
"I'm sorry." he grunted, eyes crimson, then darted away to find his pants. His head hung, guilt evident in his voice. "Forgive me..." He didn't turn to look back at me before leaving in a quick blur.
I was left bare, bewildered and alone on those sheets. The only sounds were the wind whistling outside and my own heart pounding within my chest.
I tossed my head back into the pillows and groaned. This didn't help what I'd been thinking about lately... The barriers I feared would be between us were more than just daylight and moonlight after all. I curled underneath the sheets and touched the place of the pulse on my neck, which was still beating furiously.
"I'm sorry." he had said. No, I should be the one who was sorry here. If I weren't so goddamn sheepish when it came to vampires taking the substance they needed to live from my own reservoir... I had a love interest who was a vampire and I couldn't get over my terror long enough for him to take a bite; those two points didn't mix. And he can't help it that he is a vampire, so it's going to have to come down to me and myself changing something to demolish one of the barriers and keep this relationship alive... So to speak.
I would have to worry about this tomorrow night, if he returned... I knew he would, but... tonight didn't exactly end how I really wanted it to. However, during the day, there was another life, different responsibilities and people to please. I needed to rest for that. I took several deep breaths and felt my pulse descend to a normal rate before falling asleep.
Note: So, I hope this wasn't too-much-in-your-face or it moved too fast for everybody to understand. I was really trying to pick up the pace and keep the ball rolling so that we can finish this story. I would enjoy 200 reviews before I update again, and I really want for people to visit my homepage and look at the pages for this story. Oh! And for everybody to vote on my poll. Not too much to ask, I hope.