CHAPTER 7
Orchid hadn't bitten Julian because she was hungry. This time it was simply as a mode of self defense- a way to incapacitate him before he decided to hurt her. However, the blood bond that she shared with her victims was, as always, inevitable. The giddiness of feeding overtook her as she tasted his blood. Her eyes turned their brightest shade of red. She could feel his mind growing closer and closer until, in one white hot instant, they collided. Orchid gasped in awe and terror as, for the first time, she stood completely inside of Julian's mind.
Almost as soon as the connection was made Orchid was pulling away. Something dark and smothering was creeping into her lungs- her heart. Something that she had not truly felt for a very long time. Fear. She quickly jerked her fangs from his neck and stumbled backwards.
"What- what *are* you?" she gasped, struggling to her feet only to fall to her knees again. She felt as though someone had injected liquid fire into all of her veins. Her skin tingled and her head spun. Taking even a small amount of his blood had given Orchid a part of his power, and for her even a small part of that power was almost unbearable. Suddenly she felt as though she could command the elements and control the shadows. Her already keen senses had been heightened to a level that she found painful. Her telepathic abilities had been magnified so far that she found she couldn't control them. She seemed to be hearing a million minds at once. Instead of making her stronger the power paralyzed her, weakened her reason. It ran rampant through her body with its own free will, seemingly bent on destroying her.
Julian only stared at Orchid in shock. He had heard the legends of vampires but had never known that they actually existed. The two small wounds still burned on his neck, and for just a moment he had felt himself enter into another person in a way he had never thought possible. At the moment Orchid was curled in a ball on the ground, seemingly in pain.
"Are....um, are you okay?"
"Too much," Orchid muttered through gritted teeth. "Too much."
"Too much what?"
"Too much power. Wasn't ready."
Julian couldn't help but smile. So, she had absorbed some of his power, had she? Obviously she couldn't handle it, even if she was a fellow immortal. Only a fellow Shadow Man could wield the immense power they embodied. It served her right, biting him like that. He didn't feel any weaker. His power was virtually limitless. Orchid had taken single drop from an ocean, and even that proved too much for her system.
However, despite her present weakness, she was still a vampire, and that disturbed him. Why hadn't he been able to tell that all the times he'd looked into her mind? He had never sensed any unusual power in her being.
"We have ways of shielding our identities from people like you." Orchid rasped. Julian realized that she was reading his mind. "So, what are *you*?" she asked again, some of the strength coming back into her voice. "I could tell you had power from the beginning, but I couldn't place it." Despite its initial intensity, Julian's power was quickly draining out of her system. Transferred power never stayed for long unless you killed, and Orchid didn't kill.
"I'm a Shadow Man." Julian said quietly.
"You're from another place." Orchid was still piecing his thoughts together. "You're known by many names because people see you as different things. But always powerful, and always something to fear. Sometimes people from our world stumble into your realm, or you take them there. They're never seen again."
"Basically."
Slowly Orchid climbed back to her feet. "Here," she said once she was stabilized. "You can have this back now." She held out the ring. Julian stared at her in surprise.
"Why the sudden change of mind?"
"Because," Orchid stared at the ground. "I know why you want it so bad now. It was Jenny's."
It was almost amusing to sense so much surprise coming from such a powerful being. "How much do you know?" His voice was suddenly hoarse.
"I know you loved her. She was your soulmate. You played games to try to get her to be with you. Eventually you realized she was better off living in her own world, and in the end you died for her. Now you are alive again and she is dead." Orchid paused, wondering if she should dig up her own ghosts. "I know what that's like," she said softly. "To lose a soulmate."
"What?" Julian was looking at her strangely.
"I met Joel in a hospital when he was in his worst stage of cancer. As soon as we saw each other we knew. He was the person I was meant for the most in this world, the person I couldn't ever be completely happy without. He was twenty one and I was fourteen but we were in love. I couldn't believe I had found him. I felt like the luckiest person in the world. I didn't realize how sick he was until he died two days later." She snorted. "That's the end of my wonderful love story."
Julian was still staring at her with a funny look on his face. "I'm sorry," he said in a thick voice. His quest to save his last link to Jenny had temporarily suppressed his immense grief from her death. Orchid was still holding out the ring.
"So take it already. I don't have any right to keep it. You should have just told me why you wanted it to begin with. I didn't know."
Julian lapsed back into silence. The wheels in his head were turning rapidly. Perhaps he was looking at things all wrong. Once again he forced his grief for Jenny to the back of his mind. A new, roguish look glinted in his eyes. Orchid was starting to look impatient. "Orchid," he said, his voice returning to it's usual arrogant tenor, "how about we play a game for the ring instead?"
Orchid hadn't bitten Julian because she was hungry. This time it was simply as a mode of self defense- a way to incapacitate him before he decided to hurt her. However, the blood bond that she shared with her victims was, as always, inevitable. The giddiness of feeding overtook her as she tasted his blood. Her eyes turned their brightest shade of red. She could feel his mind growing closer and closer until, in one white hot instant, they collided. Orchid gasped in awe and terror as, for the first time, she stood completely inside of Julian's mind.
Almost as soon as the connection was made Orchid was pulling away. Something dark and smothering was creeping into her lungs- her heart. Something that she had not truly felt for a very long time. Fear. She quickly jerked her fangs from his neck and stumbled backwards.
"What- what *are* you?" she gasped, struggling to her feet only to fall to her knees again. She felt as though someone had injected liquid fire into all of her veins. Her skin tingled and her head spun. Taking even a small amount of his blood had given Orchid a part of his power, and for her even a small part of that power was almost unbearable. Suddenly she felt as though she could command the elements and control the shadows. Her already keen senses had been heightened to a level that she found painful. Her telepathic abilities had been magnified so far that she found she couldn't control them. She seemed to be hearing a million minds at once. Instead of making her stronger the power paralyzed her, weakened her reason. It ran rampant through her body with its own free will, seemingly bent on destroying her.
Julian only stared at Orchid in shock. He had heard the legends of vampires but had never known that they actually existed. The two small wounds still burned on his neck, and for just a moment he had felt himself enter into another person in a way he had never thought possible. At the moment Orchid was curled in a ball on the ground, seemingly in pain.
"Are....um, are you okay?"
"Too much," Orchid muttered through gritted teeth. "Too much."
"Too much what?"
"Too much power. Wasn't ready."
Julian couldn't help but smile. So, she had absorbed some of his power, had she? Obviously she couldn't handle it, even if she was a fellow immortal. Only a fellow Shadow Man could wield the immense power they embodied. It served her right, biting him like that. He didn't feel any weaker. His power was virtually limitless. Orchid had taken single drop from an ocean, and even that proved too much for her system.
However, despite her present weakness, she was still a vampire, and that disturbed him. Why hadn't he been able to tell that all the times he'd looked into her mind? He had never sensed any unusual power in her being.
"We have ways of shielding our identities from people like you." Orchid rasped. Julian realized that she was reading his mind. "So, what are *you*?" she asked again, some of the strength coming back into her voice. "I could tell you had power from the beginning, but I couldn't place it." Despite its initial intensity, Julian's power was quickly draining out of her system. Transferred power never stayed for long unless you killed, and Orchid didn't kill.
"I'm a Shadow Man." Julian said quietly.
"You're from another place." Orchid was still piecing his thoughts together. "You're known by many names because people see you as different things. But always powerful, and always something to fear. Sometimes people from our world stumble into your realm, or you take them there. They're never seen again."
"Basically."
Slowly Orchid climbed back to her feet. "Here," she said once she was stabilized. "You can have this back now." She held out the ring. Julian stared at her in surprise.
"Why the sudden change of mind?"
"Because," Orchid stared at the ground. "I know why you want it so bad now. It was Jenny's."
It was almost amusing to sense so much surprise coming from such a powerful being. "How much do you know?" His voice was suddenly hoarse.
"I know you loved her. She was your soulmate. You played games to try to get her to be with you. Eventually you realized she was better off living in her own world, and in the end you died for her. Now you are alive again and she is dead." Orchid paused, wondering if she should dig up her own ghosts. "I know what that's like," she said softly. "To lose a soulmate."
"What?" Julian was looking at her strangely.
"I met Joel in a hospital when he was in his worst stage of cancer. As soon as we saw each other we knew. He was the person I was meant for the most in this world, the person I couldn't ever be completely happy without. He was twenty one and I was fourteen but we were in love. I couldn't believe I had found him. I felt like the luckiest person in the world. I didn't realize how sick he was until he died two days later." She snorted. "That's the end of my wonderful love story."
Julian was still staring at her with a funny look on his face. "I'm sorry," he said in a thick voice. His quest to save his last link to Jenny had temporarily suppressed his immense grief from her death. Orchid was still holding out the ring.
"So take it already. I don't have any right to keep it. You should have just told me why you wanted it to begin with. I didn't know."
Julian lapsed back into silence. The wheels in his head were turning rapidly. Perhaps he was looking at things all wrong. Once again he forced his grief for Jenny to the back of his mind. A new, roguish look glinted in his eyes. Orchid was starting to look impatient. "Orchid," he said, his voice returning to it's usual arrogant tenor, "how about we play a game for the ring instead?"
