Disclaimer: I own nothing. Oh do I wish I owned Godric though…
Ever heard of the band Marianas Trench? They're Canadian and they're awesome. I totally recommend checking them out—especially the song Beside You. It's beautiful. It kind of makes me think of Godric; it's a good protector/watch over you kind of song.
To burn: to consume; to destroy; to shine.
III. Blaze
My eyes widened as I watched Godric shove the chair into the chain link gate, tearing it off its hinges from the impact. He glanced back at me, holding a hand out to call me over.
"Someone was bound to have heard that, you need to move quickly and stay hidden," he directed me, placing a hand on my back once I was near him.
"What are you doing?"
"Someone checks on me every night. They took longer tonight but I was waiting for them to come so I'd know no one else would be back till later." Grabbing my hand, he helped me step over the discarded armchair in the doorway.
"What about you?" I asked after I realized he wasn't following me.
"I will distract anyone who comes down here. Now you must leave."
"I can't just leave you, Godric!" I cried out, feeling panic start to kick in. I had no idea how to get out of here and no way to defend myself. I couldn't do this without him.
"You must," he urged. He tensed and looked down one of the halls. "They are coming—go!"
"But I—"
"Now, Spencer." The tone of his voice had me gritting my teeth and I nodded once to him. I slipped my shoes off, knowing they would only slow me down once they started to pinch.
"Godric?" He turned his attention away from the voices starting to come down the stairs and looked at me once more.
"Thank you," I smiled shyly. He said nothing but the look in his eyes was enough. Making sure the coast was clear, I took off down one of the halls.
By the time I'd reached a staircase, I could hear angry shouts from where I'd come from. Gabe was practically causing an earthquake from all his shouting. Faintly I could hear Godric's calm voice explaining that I was gone and he would accept any consequences for his actions.
My heart broke at that thought, but I forced myself to keep going. I wasn't about to let Godric's sacrifice go to waste.
I raced up the stairs, opening the door just a crack at first to make sure no one was around. Once I saw that the hallway it lead to was empty, I darted for the nearest exit. It turned out I was just one hall down from the main lobby. Light sunrays of the early morning cascaded in through the windows. Was it morning already?
A loud crash resounded from the basement and I cringed. I hoped Godric was okay. But hey, he was a 2,000 year old vampire. Surely he could take care of himself, right?
No matter how many times I repeated to myself that Godric would be okay, I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd abandoned him in his time of need.
"What's going on, Gabe?" I heard Sarah Newlin ask down the hall. Quickly ducking into a small coat closet, I mentally urged my heartbeat to slow down and quiet my breathing as I strained to listen.
"Godric helped the girl escape," Gabe's gruff voice snapped. "We can't find her but Steve wants to make an example out of him. He's wrapped up in silver right now and tomorrow we're bringing him into the sun. Let everyone know the date's been moved forward."
"How angry is Steve?" Sarah questioned softly.
Gabe was silent for a moment. "It's not pretty," he answered finally. "And if that reporter gets word out, we'll have even more problems."
I heard the distinct sound of a shotgun being racked and loaded into place. "I'm going after the girl," Gabe told Sarah. "Keep an eye out for her and let me know right away if you find her."
The loud clomping of his boots came closer as he made his way in my direction down the hall. I pressed my hand to my mouth to quiet my breathing and I tucked myself as far into the closet as I could. Through a few old jackets I was hidden behind, I watched as he aimed the gun forward, making his way down the hall. A little later I heard the scurried steps of Sarah heading off in another direction and I finally decided to try peeking my head out.
Sure enough, the hall was empty. As fast as my legs would carry me, I headed towards a glass door off to the side of the main entrance, knowing better than to draw that much attention to myself.
There were several cars in the parking lot, but I figured all of them were probably locked. Hiding behind a large hedge, I spotted a utility van parked on the grass across the lot, its front doors and the one that slid on the side left open. It belonged to some landscape company, but I didn't see any workers around. I figured it was at least worth a try.
The hot pavement of the parking lot burned my bare feet as I made my way over to the van but I pushed myself forward. I slid into the driver's seat, making sure I scrunched down as low as possible to stay out of view.
As I'd figured, the keys weren't in the ignition. But that didn't mean I was out of options. I thought back to my junior year of high school, when I wrote an expose about hot-wiring cars. I'd learned enough to at least be able to make an attempt.
"Shit," I cursed under my breath—I didn't have a screwdriver to get into the steering wheel.
I was about to give up when I saw a man dressed in white coveralls making his way over to me. Quickly I buttoned my shirt up and hid my feet so he couldn't tell I was shoeless.
"Hey!" he called out when he got close enough. "What are you doin' in there?"
"You're not allowed to park on the grass," I said quickly, hoping I sounded like I knew what I was doing.
The man frowned at me, "I always park here when I trim the hedges."
Crap. My mind raced and I cleared my throat to buy myself time. "Well…we just fertilized the lawns."
He eyed me for a minute before nodding, "Alright, if you excuse me I'll move it now."
"Wait!" I shouted. When he didn't say anything, I realized he was waiting for me to speak. I swallowed quickly, glancing back at the church. "Er, you look like you're roasting out here. Why don't you let me take care of moving it and you just head on in to the lobby to get yourself something to drink. Tell the receptionist Rebecca sent you, she'll get you whatever you want."
I finished it off with my brightest smile, tilting my head slightly and puffing my chest a bit to enhance my cleavage. Predictable as ice cream sales on a hot day, his eyes flicked from my face to my chest.
"That's awfully kind of you, miss," he grinned toothily at me, his southern drawl thick as molasses. Handing off his keys and assuring me he'd be right back, he made his way into the air-conditioned relief of the church.
For a moment I just stared at the keys in my hands. I couldn't believe it—I'd done it! New York Journal, here I come!
Shaking my head to clear it, I quickly made sure all the doors were shut and jerked the car into Reverse. The tires screeched against the pavement as I shifted into Drive and booked it around to the back of the church. The parking lot in the back was deserted so I didn't bother with looking inconspicuous.
Judging by the way I came out, I figured the room Godric and I had been locked in to be somewhere along the back wall of the church, probably underground. Driving to the middle of the lot, I aimed the back of the van towards the building, switched into Reverse, and floored it.
The impact of the van careening into the wall nearly sent me through the windshield. My face smashed into the steering wheel, splitting my lip and bashing my forehead. I wanted to smack myself for not thinking about a seatbelt. It was a miracle the van was still running at this point. Pulling forward slightly, I assessed the damage I'd done.
With a frown I realized I hadn't done as much as I'd hoped. The glass door was shattered, taking down most of the drywall surrounding the frame. Fortunately, there was just enough space for me to fit the van into.
I had no idea if the halls were wide enough for me to drive through, but I sure as hell was going to try. I swung the van around and plowed through the remains of the door, hanging a hard right to get back to that room.
My good luck had run out, it seemed, as I came up to the hall that lead to the room Godric was in. It was way too narrow for me to fit the van through and there was no way I could attempt to knock the walls down by force—I had no idea if they were support walls or if they would even be taken down by a van.
I managed to squeeze out of my door and past the van, racing towards where I hoped Godric still was. The chair and door had been cleared away and I found myself holding my breath as I ran into the room.
What I saw brought tears to my eyes.
Godric was laying in the far corner, his upper torso leaning against the wall for support while his head lolled to the side. His shirt had been removed, revealing pasty skin and deep blue tattoos across his arms and collarbone. Thin chains of silver had been wrapped around him, pressed cruelly against wherever bare skin was showing. I could smell that familiar scent of burning flesh again and heat was literally steaming off of him.
"Oh, Godric," I cried out, collapsing onto my knees next to him. Slowly he rolled his head up to gaze at me with bleary eyes. His fangs were down—a reaction to the silver, I assumed.
He opened his mouth to speak and without thinking, I pressed my fingers up to his lips. "Don't talk," I whispered, trying to assess the damage and come up with a plan at the same time. "I'm getting you out of here."
"S-Sun," he managed to breathe out. I bit my lip and nodded, reaching out to pull the silver off of him. He hissed when I accidentally dragged it across his skin, only to tangle it even more.
With a heavy heart, I realized I would have to keep it on him until I had more time to remove it. He seemed to understand, because he held my gaze for a moment before closing his eyes and nodded once.
I hurried back to the van, searching for anything that could be used to protect him from the sunlight. I didn't bother worrying about all the supplies in my way; I chucked anything behind me that couldn't be put to use, as I also needed space to lay him down. Finally I found a thick wool blanket that looked like it would be large enough to cover him. I was thankful that the back of the van had no windows in it, either.
After laying the blanket down and spreading it out, I returned to Godric. He groaned at the rough way I tucked my head under his arm and hoisted him up, but did not protest. Quickly as possible, we made our way over to the van. I laid him down and pulled off a few loose strands of silver before wrapping him securely in the blanket, making sure no part of him was sticking out.
Once he was secure, I backed the van out of the church and peeled out of the parking lot, pressing my foot down harder on the gas pedal with every second. Before long we were in my neighborhood. I ignored the questioning stares of my neighbors as I screeched to a halt on my driveway, quickly hopping out and punching in the code to open my garage door.
I parked the van inside my empty garage, thankful for once that my dads weren't around, and made sure to close the garage door once again.
"I'll be right back!" I called out to Godric, unsure if he could even hear me. As I made my way into my house, I realized there were far too many windows for him to stay on the main floor during the day, and that meant that upstairs was out of the question as well.
Fortunately we had a basement that was partially underground. Our guest room was windowless, so that would be the safest bet for Godric.
I ran back into the garage, shoving the side door of the van open as the back doors were too damaged to open anymore. Godric remained underneath the blanket for protection, so I had to guide him towards the door into my house. He paused, however, right in front of the entryway and suddenly it was like trying to move a thousand ton boulder.
"Invite," he rasped.
"Are you serious? I'm practically dragging you into my house and I still have to invite you in?"
"Spencer."
I rolled my eyes. "Godric, won't you please come in to my humble home?" I asked in a frustrated monotone.
Just like that, he started moving again, allowing me to direct him where he had to go.
As soon as we got into the safety of the guest room, I tugged the blanket off and helped him onto the bed. Godric was looking worse by the minute—I didn't know if silver could kill a vampire, but I wasn't about to find out.
The silver chains were too long for me to untangle so I rushed into the laundry room for a pair of wire cutters, choosing instead to cut along his arms and torso and just pull everything off separately.
While Godric's skin was ice cold, it sizzled as the silver was pulled off of him. Trying to move quickly yet be gentle as well, I slid the thin strands off and tossed them onto the floor. When the last piece was removed, he threw his head back into the pillows with a heavy sigh.
I watched as the burn marks closed up but didn't finish healing. I frowned, he must have been too weak to continue healing them.
Frustration bubbled up inside me. This was becoming too much for me to handle. I had no idea what to do or who I could even go to for help. Hot tears poured down my cheeks and I struggled to hold in my sobs.
My body collapsed onto the ground and I pressed my wet face into the cool fabric of the comforter. I clutched at the blankets until my knuckles strained from the force.
A cool hand slid into my hair, startling me. Sniffling, I looked up to see Godric's calm eyes watching me. His hand slid down to my face, long fingers tracing the tracks of my tears and erasing them away.
I sniffled again, trying to get control of myself, as he pressed his palm to my cheek. "Do not cry, little one," he whispered in a raspy voice. "With time, I will heal."
"Are you in a lot of pain?" I asked, my voice still a bit shaky.
"It does not sting as badly as before." His honesty, while normally comforting, did little to make me feel better. I winced when his thumb traced the scab that was forming over the side of my lip.
"You risked your life to save me." He continued to glide his fingers along my face, moving up to my forehead, where I was sure a large bruise was forming.
I smiled slightly, grabbing his hand and tucking it between both of mine. "I guess we're even now."
It wasn't until he gave me an exhausted smile that I noticed his fangs were still down. My heart skipped a beat and I licked my dry lips. "Do you…do you need blood?"
Godric's blue-gray eyes flicked up to meet mine, his gaze looking almost embarrassed. I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed deeply. "You have already done so much for me, I cannot ask that of you."
I shook my head, trying to convince myself as much as him that I could do this. Wiping my tear-streaked face, I stood on shaky legs. "I'll be right back."
When I returned with a small knife from the kitchen, Godric's eyes widened. "Spencer, I can heal without—"
"It'll take way longer though, wont it?" I interrupted, steeling myself for what I was about to do. "You need this, Godric."
His face softened and his shoulders dropped as he leaned his head back in defeat. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Don't talk anymore," I told him, not wanting him to push himself too far. Heart pounding, I pressed the blade to my wrist and took one last breath to calm my nerves.
A small incision, only about an inch or two long, was all that it took. Blood bubbled up and dribbled down my wrist. Godric's nostrils flared at the sight, he took the knife from me and set it aside before pulling my hand towards him and attaching his lips to my incision.
His cold tongue slid out to catch the fallen droplets before digging into the cut, causing more blood to pour out. I sat there mesmerized, my eyes unable to do anything but watch as he drank all I offered.
Eventually his hunger subsided and he was content to lick at any residue around my wrist. I jumped when Godric grazed his fangs along my wrist, lightly nibbling at my skin. It felt different from when he drank my blood—that wasn't the most pleasant experience, but it wasn't awful either.
But this…Godric suckling and nibbling at my skin, his cool hand stroking my arm, while his tongue never stopped licking at my blood—I felt my heartbeat speed up, my skin tingled and warmth pooled between my thighs.
When my breath hitched, Godric's eyes snapped up to meet mine. He pulled his mouth from my wrist and licked his lips. A fang gleamed in the lamplight and I swallowed hard when I realized it was because he was hungry for something else now.
His nose twitched again and my face flushed when he eyed the area between my legs for a moment. It didn't take a mind reader to know what he had smelled. I nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
"Um…looks like you've healed," I whispered, finally noticing how his skin had smoothed over to once more become that immaculate white velvet. I stood nervously, suddenly feeling very young and inexperienced compared to Godric. "I'll just…let you get some rest—"
"I apologize if I frightened you," he interrupted.
I froze from my place in the doorway, taking a step back into the room. "You didn't. I mean, I just…"
Moving back to the bed, I sat down next to him once more. "It just takes some getting used to," my voice was barely a whisper as I raised a tentative hand towards his face. He eyed my thumb as I brought it towards his left fang, tensing slightly, but not pulling away. I traced his fang carefully, feeling the point with the pad of my finger before sliding my hand to cup his cheek.
Godric leaned into the warmth of my hand, pressing his lips gently to my palm. My stomach clenched and suddenly we were leaning in to each other again. One of his hands came to rest at my waist, the other clutching at my arm where it bent to touch him.
His lips were cool against mine, our mouths meeting for only a brief moment before parting. His eyes searched mine, silently making sure I was alright with this.
I felt a little lightheaded, yes, and maybe a little in awe that this was actually happening in my life, but there was no way I was ready to stop. I clutched at his hair as I moved forward again, kissing him more forcefully this time.
My skin tingled everywhere Godric's cold hands touched me as they stroked up my arms and down my back. I tilted my head, giving us each better access as his tongue slipped into my mouth. It felt strangely cold as it stroked my own, and tasted slightly metallic, but this was Godric, the man who'd accepted everything about me so I sure as hell was going to return the favor for him.
A breathy sigh escaped from me when he nipped at my lower lip, soothing it with his tongue after. I felt along the point of his fang with my tongue. A droplet of blood formed when it got nicked and he was quick to suck my tongue into his mouth and take advantage of the taste. My bad lip twinged from the force of our kisses, but I paid it no mind. If anything, the slight pain added to the pleasure of it all.
Finally Godric seemed to regain his senses and self control—one of us had to—and eased our kisses, pressing his lips to mine once more before kissing my forehead and then pulling away to smile at me.
I returned the smile with a shy one of my own, then let out a long yawn. I hadn't realized until then how exhausted I was. Godric chuckled softly and stroked my cheek with his thumb.
"Perhaps we both need some rest," he said quietly, his eyes twinkling. I nodded hesitantly, not wanting to leave him.
"Would you stay here with me?" At his request, I grinned. I flicked off the light, not even bothering to change out of my clothes, and laid on top of the bed next to him. Godric pulled me towards him so my head was resting on his chest. It was strange not to feel it rise and fall with his breaths or hear a heartbeat.
I sighed contently, sliding one of my arms out to wrap around his waist and cuddle closer to him. Godric's arms came around me, one hand stroking my back and the other resting on my arm around his middle.
We lay in silence for several minutes, completely locked together, and just as I was about to doze off he whispered to me, "Thank you for everything you have done for me. I owe you my life."
A light blush colored my cheeks and I tucked my head further under his chin so he couldn't see, hoping he couldn't smell it either. I closed my eyes, breathing in the natural scent of him. I didn't ever want to move from here.
As I drifted off, I remembered I had yet to respond to him.
"You're welcome, Godric."
They're free! And they kissed! What an eventful chapter. Ha.
I'm staying in my new house for the night with one of my roommates and there's no air conditioning. It's gotta be like a hundred degrees in here. I'm dying. It's better than Iowa, though. My friend goes to Iowa State and she said there's water up to her waist down there!
If any of you dear readers live in Iowa or know someone who does, I hope you've made it through the floods safe and sound!