Orchid was sitting in the shadowed corner of a dark room, out of sight to the crowd that was gathered in its midst. A bunch of official-looking lamia were conversating with each other. Then, suddenly, a hush swept over the room. Everyone crowded out of the way of the doors, which swung open, revealing several sinister, cloaked figures. The figures- the imperious elders, entered the room slowly, with great ceremony.
*Whose head do they want to lop off this time?* Orchid thought to herself grimly. Then her skin went from a little to warm to icy cold. Behind the elders, two large werewolf guards dragged in a struggling boy whose face was spattered with blood. It was Julian.
The guards forced him to his knees in front of the elders. Whispers circulated among the bystanders. Beneath his hood, the face of the Head Elder was tight and grim.
"This is the child she told?"
"Yes, my lord."
"You can't do anything to me!" Julian's bloodied face was livid.
"Execute him."
Orchid was on her feet before she could stop herself. "Hey, you can't do that to him! Don't you know who he is?"
The elder look up into Orchid's eyes. "Yes, and this is the one who told him. See that she is punished accordingly."
"No! JULIAN!"
Orchid sat up in bed, gasping for breath. "Holy snap," she gasped, before falling back down into her pillows. *Why* was she dreaming about Julian? She'd already had this discussion in her head. It was best to forget him altogether and go on like nothing had happened. And here she was getting her blood pressure in a knot for him.
*This just proves it won't work.* she grumbled to herself. *It would be entirely too dangerous.*
But she couldn't get his face out of her mind. His piercing blue eyes, his shining white hair. The way his lips had felt on hers. She couldn't help but think that maybe Julian *could* take on the whole council of elders without breaking a sweat.
*You miss him.*
"I do not!"
*You need him.*
"I d….I don't…."
"Having thoughts of mwah?"
Orchid screamed and nearly jumped straight into the ceiling. "HOLY SNAP! What do you think you're doing, materializing in people's bedrooms in the middle of the night?!?!"
"You were thinking about me."
"Yeah…..so?!? Do I pop up in your bedroom every time you think of me?"
"How do you know I think of you?"
Orchid made a disgruntled noise. "Well, you're *here*, aren't you?"
"Have you changed your mind yet?"
Orchid sneered. "You're really desperate, aren't you? You're fawning over me like some school boy!"
"You'll watch your conceited mouth if you want to live." Julian's tone was so menacing that Orchid decided it best to put an end to the battle of wits.
"Anyway, Julian, I just don't think it will work out….the night world…."
"Come to the shadow world with me, Orchid."
"Oh, you mean that black place with the fog? No thank you."
"It doesn't have to be like that. I can make it be anything I want it to be."
Orchid turned it over in her mind. "It's tempting. I've often wanted to get out of this place….but I just can't. I'm not ready to spend the rest of my life in a completely different world. Why don't you just stay here?"
"I can't. I can visit in this world for short periods of time, but I always have to go back to the shadow world. I'll die if I stay here for too long."
"Well, how do you know I won't die if I go with you? I mean, who would I feed on?" *And I'm really hungry,* Orchid thought to herself.
Julian looked frustrated. "Maybe you're not worth it." he grumbled.
"If you're going to be like that, get out of my bedroom!"
Julian stared into her eyes, his bright blue irises burning into hers. Then, in a flash, he had grabbed her wrists and shoved her onto her back. She growled and tried to pry him off of her but he was too strong. He leaned his face close to hers.
"You don't tell me what to do." he whispered, and Orchid suddenly found herself overcome by some feeling she'd never experienced before.
"Julian…."
Julian let go of her wrists and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down on top of her. She pressed her lips hard against his. The next moment his arms were around her and they were kissing violently. Orchid felt his tongue slide into her mouth and gave a muffled moan. She'd never *done* this before….
Julian pulled out of the kiss and stared down at her. She was so beautiful….He ran his fingers across her pale cheek and she stared up at him dreamily. *You shouldn't be doing this,* a voice in the back of his head growled. *Remember Jenny!* But Jenny was dead and gone and Orchid was real, warm and breathing rapidly beneath him.
"Do you surrender?" He asked cooly, cupping her cheek in his hand.
"Not yet."
Julian clicked his tongue. "I'll break you soon enough."
"I'm scared!"
"Really…." Julian kissed her again, gently at first but it quickly turned into something almost savage. He grasped her shoulders roughly and kissed her so hard she whimpered softly. He could feel her muscles un-tensing. She was going limp in his arms. He couldn't stop….Jenny had never given in like this, even through all the times they had shared such wonderful kisses. He could feel Orchid's inhibitions sliding away. She was going to give into him.
"I've never kissed anyone before." Orchid said softly after they finally pulled away. "Not even Joel."
Julian didn't think it wise to mention the people he had kissed so he changed the subject.
"What's that feeling inside of you, like it's pulling at something?"
"Oh, that's my hunger. I'm gonna have to hunt somebody down first thing in the morning."
"I almost forgot you drink blood."
"Hey, we all gotta eat."
Julian's hand crept behind Orchid's neck and stroked the fuzz at the nape of her neck. "What if you didn't have to wait until morning?"
Orchid stared at him. Did he mean what she thought he meant?
"Remember last time? It hurt me to take from you."
"I'll hold my power back. Last time I wasn't expecting it so you got a full dose, but this time I'll control it."
"You sure you wanna do this?"
"This whole vampire thing intrigues me. I say go for it."
"Well….alright. Just try to relax. The calmer you are, the less it hurts….Let me just…." Orchid scooted closer to Julian so that their noses were almost touching. Slowly she put her lips over his neck. She kissed his neck several times until she found the right spot. *Here we go,* she thought. She could feel his pulse beating steadily under her lips. Her pupils dilated and turned red. She was very hungry….
Julian didn't even flinch as her fangs sank deep into his neck. His blood flowed into Orchid's mouth and she was absorbed by the ecstasy of feeding. His blood was sweeter than the average human's, and she could taste the power running through it, though it didn't overwhelm her like last time. She could feel Julian's mind coming closer and closer until it collided with her own.
*Whose head do they want to lop off this time?* Orchid thought to herself grimly. Then her skin went from a little to warm to icy cold. Behind the elders, two large werewolf guards dragged in a struggling boy whose face was spattered with blood. It was Julian.
The guards forced him to his knees in front of the elders. Whispers circulated among the bystanders. Beneath his hood, the face of the Head Elder was tight and grim.
"This is the child she told?"
"Yes, my lord."
"You can't do anything to me!" Julian's bloodied face was livid.
"Execute him."
Orchid was on her feet before she could stop herself. "Hey, you can't do that to him! Don't you know who he is?"
The elder look up into Orchid's eyes. "Yes, and this is the one who told him. See that she is punished accordingly."
"No! JULIAN!"
Orchid sat up in bed, gasping for breath. "Holy snap," she gasped, before falling back down into her pillows. *Why* was she dreaming about Julian? She'd already had this discussion in her head. It was best to forget him altogether and go on like nothing had happened. And here she was getting her blood pressure in a knot for him.
*This just proves it won't work.* she grumbled to herself. *It would be entirely too dangerous.*
But she couldn't get his face out of her mind. His piercing blue eyes, his shining white hair. The way his lips had felt on hers. She couldn't help but think that maybe Julian *could* take on the whole council of elders without breaking a sweat.
*You miss him.*
"I do not!"
*You need him.*
"I d….I don't…."
"Having thoughts of mwah?"
Orchid screamed and nearly jumped straight into the ceiling. "HOLY SNAP! What do you think you're doing, materializing in people's bedrooms in the middle of the night?!?!"
"You were thinking about me."
"Yeah…..so?!? Do I pop up in your bedroom every time you think of me?"
"How do you know I think of you?"
Orchid made a disgruntled noise. "Well, you're *here*, aren't you?"
"Have you changed your mind yet?"
Orchid sneered. "You're really desperate, aren't you? You're fawning over me like some school boy!"
"You'll watch your conceited mouth if you want to live." Julian's tone was so menacing that Orchid decided it best to put an end to the battle of wits.
"Anyway, Julian, I just don't think it will work out….the night world…."
"Come to the shadow world with me, Orchid."
"Oh, you mean that black place with the fog? No thank you."
"It doesn't have to be like that. I can make it be anything I want it to be."
Orchid turned it over in her mind. "It's tempting. I've often wanted to get out of this place….but I just can't. I'm not ready to spend the rest of my life in a completely different world. Why don't you just stay here?"
"I can't. I can visit in this world for short periods of time, but I always have to go back to the shadow world. I'll die if I stay here for too long."
"Well, how do you know I won't die if I go with you? I mean, who would I feed on?" *And I'm really hungry,* Orchid thought to herself.
Julian looked frustrated. "Maybe you're not worth it." he grumbled.
"If you're going to be like that, get out of my bedroom!"
Julian stared into her eyes, his bright blue irises burning into hers. Then, in a flash, he had grabbed her wrists and shoved her onto her back. She growled and tried to pry him off of her but he was too strong. He leaned his face close to hers.
"You don't tell me what to do." he whispered, and Orchid suddenly found herself overcome by some feeling she'd never experienced before.
"Julian…."
Julian let go of her wrists and she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down on top of her. She pressed her lips hard against his. The next moment his arms were around her and they were kissing violently. Orchid felt his tongue slide into her mouth and gave a muffled moan. She'd never *done* this before….
Julian pulled out of the kiss and stared down at her. She was so beautiful….He ran his fingers across her pale cheek and she stared up at him dreamily. *You shouldn't be doing this,* a voice in the back of his head growled. *Remember Jenny!* But Jenny was dead and gone and Orchid was real, warm and breathing rapidly beneath him.
"Do you surrender?" He asked cooly, cupping her cheek in his hand.
"Not yet."
Julian clicked his tongue. "I'll break you soon enough."
"I'm scared!"
"Really…." Julian kissed her again, gently at first but it quickly turned into something almost savage. He grasped her shoulders roughly and kissed her so hard she whimpered softly. He could feel her muscles un-tensing. She was going limp in his arms. He couldn't stop….Jenny had never given in like this, even through all the times they had shared such wonderful kisses. He could feel Orchid's inhibitions sliding away. She was going to give into him.
"I've never kissed anyone before." Orchid said softly after they finally pulled away. "Not even Joel."
Julian didn't think it wise to mention the people he had kissed so he changed the subject.
"What's that feeling inside of you, like it's pulling at something?"
"Oh, that's my hunger. I'm gonna have to hunt somebody down first thing in the morning."
"I almost forgot you drink blood."
"Hey, we all gotta eat."
Julian's hand crept behind Orchid's neck and stroked the fuzz at the nape of her neck. "What if you didn't have to wait until morning?"
Orchid stared at him. Did he mean what she thought he meant?
"Remember last time? It hurt me to take from you."
"I'll hold my power back. Last time I wasn't expecting it so you got a full dose, but this time I'll control it."
"You sure you wanna do this?"
"This whole vampire thing intrigues me. I say go for it."
"Well….alright. Just try to relax. The calmer you are, the less it hurts….Let me just…." Orchid scooted closer to Julian so that their noses were almost touching. Slowly she put her lips over his neck. She kissed his neck several times until she found the right spot. *Here we go,* she thought. She could feel his pulse beating steadily under her lips. Her pupils dilated and turned red. She was very hungry….
Julian didn't even flinch as her fangs sank deep into his neck. His blood flowed into Orchid's mouth and she was absorbed by the ecstasy of feeding. His blood was sweeter than the average human's, and she could taste the power running through it, though it didn't overwhelm her like last time. She could feel Julian's mind coming closer and closer until it collided with her own.
