CHAPTER 2: Rebirth
My eyes snapped open and the first thing I was aware of was the horrible pain that was slowly ripping my insides apart. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder and then a seductive voice whispered soothingly in my ear.
"Relax, my love, you are safe and it is only the hunger that causes you pain."
I turned my head and found myself gazing in the eyes of the woman from the parking garage. Strangely, I felt no fear. A memory popped into my head in answer to my unspoken question. "Briana," I gasped as another spear of pain tore through my stomach, "What's wrong with me?". My hand went to my neck to find the skin smooth and perfect with no remnant of the previous night's attack.
"You are hungry," she told him simply, "I can help you with that."
She pulled me to her and I did not resist fascinated by her every move and word. Gently, she pushed my head to her neck, "Drink, my darling, you know what to do."
Even now I don't know how I knew but I did. I opened my mouth wide and sank my teeth into the soft skin of her neck. I moaned as her blood filled my mouth and with each swallow the pain eased. Somewhere in my mind a little voice was screaming that this was wrong . . . and I should be repulsed by my actions, but I didn't care. Nothing had ever tasted this good.
I don't know how long she let me drink but it wasn't long enough for soon she was pushing me away and I watched in awe as the bite marks on her neck healed fast enough for me to see the wound close and the skin knit back together.
Something clicked in my mind and for the first time the truth really sank in. I had drunk her blood. And I had enjoyed it. Loved it even. "Oh my God," I whispered finding myself suddenly on the other side of the room, "Oh God," I whimpered again launching myself towards the large mirror on her dresser.
For the first time I felt fear as I saw the changes in my appearance. My skin was pale and my blue eyes, which had always held a sparkle, now glittered with an iridescent light. Finally, I realized that my incisors had elongated to form razor sharp fangs. I nearly fainted with the shattering realization that I was no longer human. My knees buckled but she was there catching me before I hit the floor and carrying me back to bed. My mind reeled. She was so much smaller than I but carried me as if I weighed no more than a feather.
She . . . Briana . . . placed me on the bed again and then backed away almost respectfully. "Please," she began softly blue eyes pleading, "I know that it is frightening at first but do not be afraid of me. I won't hurt you."
I bit my lip. To my embarrassment I felt a tear slide down my cheek and wiped it away angrily only to freeze when I looked down at my hand and that saw that my "tear" had been made of blood.
"Our kind can only cry blood tears," Briana whispered, "A vampire's life is drenched in blood. It is what keeps you alive."
"But I'm not alive am I?" I retorted bitterly.
She shook her head raven tresses cascading down her shoulders, "No, you are not. You are a vampire. We are the damned."
"Why?" I asked simply.
"I have been alone longer than you can possibly imagine," she replied her own eyes filling with blood tears; "Once I saw you I could not bear it any longer. I had to have you." Briana took a step forward and extended one hand to caress my cheek. I did not pull back. Somehow it seemed that to pull back would be horribly wrong. "I made you so that I could have a companion. I wanted someone who was worthy of the blood to share eternity with."
"And I'm worthy?" I asked finding myself being lulled by the continuous motion of her hand against my cheek.
"Yes," she answered without hesitation, "I admired your strength and determination. Your comeback touched me. Many would never have attempted such a thing," Briana sat down next to me and now ran her hand through my hair, "You posses a strength . . . a fire . . . I was like a moth to a flame," She took one of my hands in hers, "But most of all it was your kind heart that won me over. It was the sadness you felt when your friend Hunter betrayed you. I would have killed him for that but you did not wish for him to die. I had to have you, my Heartbreaker."
I shook my head, "I'm not the Heartbreaker anymore. He died four years ago."
Briana smiled, "No, not really. He lives inside you. He is part of the fire that no one can put out. Perhaps experience and the passing of time have tempered him but he still lives inside you. He always will."
I said nothing. What could I say? I was feeling too much to find the right words to express myself after everything that had happened. She smiled again as if she understood. Slowly, giving me every chance to pull away, she leaned forward and kissed me. Her lips were soft like velvet and she kissed me with such tenderness that I melted and kissed her back running my fingers through her hair and even pulled her closer to me.
Briana responded passionately lacing her fingers through my hair suddenly deepening the kiss before pulling quickly away. With a start I realized that I was fully aroused and looked back up at her with astonishment. She laughed and it was husky and heartfelt and I decided that I liked the sound of it. There was sadness in her eyes that told me that she did not laugh much. "That stuff about vampires being unable to have sex is bullshit," she told me still laughing, "You will find that a great deal of the myths about our kind are just that . . . myths," She kissed me again quickly before standing up, "But that can wait. When we make love I want you to be sure that you want it, Shawn," she squeezed my hand, "You are confused right now and I will not take advantage of that. Now come," she beckoned pulling me to my feet, "It is time that you learned to hunt."
*AUTHOR'S NOTE
Here's number 2. R/R.
My eyes snapped open and the first thing I was aware of was the horrible pain that was slowly ripping my insides apart. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder and then a seductive voice whispered soothingly in my ear.
"Relax, my love, you are safe and it is only the hunger that causes you pain."
I turned my head and found myself gazing in the eyes of the woman from the parking garage. Strangely, I felt no fear. A memory popped into my head in answer to my unspoken question. "Briana," I gasped as another spear of pain tore through my stomach, "What's wrong with me?". My hand went to my neck to find the skin smooth and perfect with no remnant of the previous night's attack.
"You are hungry," she told him simply, "I can help you with that."
She pulled me to her and I did not resist fascinated by her every move and word. Gently, she pushed my head to her neck, "Drink, my darling, you know what to do."
Even now I don't know how I knew but I did. I opened my mouth wide and sank my teeth into the soft skin of her neck. I moaned as her blood filled my mouth and with each swallow the pain eased. Somewhere in my mind a little voice was screaming that this was wrong . . . and I should be repulsed by my actions, but I didn't care. Nothing had ever tasted this good.
I don't know how long she let me drink but it wasn't long enough for soon she was pushing me away and I watched in awe as the bite marks on her neck healed fast enough for me to see the wound close and the skin knit back together.
Something clicked in my mind and for the first time the truth really sank in. I had drunk her blood. And I had enjoyed it. Loved it even. "Oh my God," I whispered finding myself suddenly on the other side of the room, "Oh God," I whimpered again launching myself towards the large mirror on her dresser.
For the first time I felt fear as I saw the changes in my appearance. My skin was pale and my blue eyes, which had always held a sparkle, now glittered with an iridescent light. Finally, I realized that my incisors had elongated to form razor sharp fangs. I nearly fainted with the shattering realization that I was no longer human. My knees buckled but she was there catching me before I hit the floor and carrying me back to bed. My mind reeled. She was so much smaller than I but carried me as if I weighed no more than a feather.
She . . . Briana . . . placed me on the bed again and then backed away almost respectfully. "Please," she began softly blue eyes pleading, "I know that it is frightening at first but do not be afraid of me. I won't hurt you."
I bit my lip. To my embarrassment I felt a tear slide down my cheek and wiped it away angrily only to freeze when I looked down at my hand and that saw that my "tear" had been made of blood.
"Our kind can only cry blood tears," Briana whispered, "A vampire's life is drenched in blood. It is what keeps you alive."
"But I'm not alive am I?" I retorted bitterly.
She shook her head raven tresses cascading down her shoulders, "No, you are not. You are a vampire. We are the damned."
"Why?" I asked simply.
"I have been alone longer than you can possibly imagine," she replied her own eyes filling with blood tears; "Once I saw you I could not bear it any longer. I had to have you." Briana took a step forward and extended one hand to caress my cheek. I did not pull back. Somehow it seemed that to pull back would be horribly wrong. "I made you so that I could have a companion. I wanted someone who was worthy of the blood to share eternity with."
"And I'm worthy?" I asked finding myself being lulled by the continuous motion of her hand against my cheek.
"Yes," she answered without hesitation, "I admired your strength and determination. Your comeback touched me. Many would never have attempted such a thing," Briana sat down next to me and now ran her hand through my hair, "You posses a strength . . . a fire . . . I was like a moth to a flame," She took one of my hands in hers, "But most of all it was your kind heart that won me over. It was the sadness you felt when your friend Hunter betrayed you. I would have killed him for that but you did not wish for him to die. I had to have you, my Heartbreaker."
I shook my head, "I'm not the Heartbreaker anymore. He died four years ago."
Briana smiled, "No, not really. He lives inside you. He is part of the fire that no one can put out. Perhaps experience and the passing of time have tempered him but he still lives inside you. He always will."
I said nothing. What could I say? I was feeling too much to find the right words to express myself after everything that had happened. She smiled again as if she understood. Slowly, giving me every chance to pull away, she leaned forward and kissed me. Her lips were soft like velvet and she kissed me with such tenderness that I melted and kissed her back running my fingers through her hair and even pulled her closer to me.
Briana responded passionately lacing her fingers through my hair suddenly deepening the kiss before pulling quickly away. With a start I realized that I was fully aroused and looked back up at her with astonishment. She laughed and it was husky and heartfelt and I decided that I liked the sound of it. There was sadness in her eyes that told me that she did not laugh much. "That stuff about vampires being unable to have sex is bullshit," she told me still laughing, "You will find that a great deal of the myths about our kind are just that . . . myths," She kissed me again quickly before standing up, "But that can wait. When we make love I want you to be sure that you want it, Shawn," she squeezed my hand, "You are confused right now and I will not take advantage of that. Now come," she beckoned pulling me to my feet, "It is time that you learned to hunt."
*AUTHOR'S NOTE
Here's number 2. R/R.