A/n: Alrighty, here's chapter 2. I took a lot of time on this, so you better enjoy it, mothafuckas!
Just kidding, I love you all :)
So I don't feel like adding a disclaimer on every chapter, so I'll only add one when necessary. 'Kay?
'Kay.
Enjoy, darlings!
I could feel my heart hammering in my chest, threatening to burst out at any moment. My head was throbbing so much that I felt like it was the size of a watermelon and people were smashing it with baseball bats. I blinked my eyes multiple times to try and clear the darkness. First dark colors came into my blurred vision; then, the colors brightened and I could pick out slight borders. Whoever was screaming was seriously not helping my watermelon head.
Oh wait…is that me screaming? I guess so. Actually, it wasn't so much that I was screaming…it just felt like I was screaming. I think I was just whimpering.
I could finally pick out who was holding me. Stark gazed down at me with puffy eyes and an expression of pure shock. Behind him I could pick out Aphrodite and Darius.
Wait, wait, wait, back up…how was I seeing Stark and Aphrodite and Darius? Oh Goddess, don't tell me they're died, too! I tried to ask Stark about what was going on, but my voice only came out as a hoarse groan that made me erupt into a fit of coughs that made my throat like sandpaper.
"Get her some water!" I could hear Aphrodite shriek, and immediately I was overcome with the coolness of water swimming around me. Through my blurred eyes, I picked out Erin right beside me, holding a cup of water against my lips. I shut my lids tightly and let Stark tilt my head back and instantly, my dry throat was washed with the cool, delicious water. I practically moaned at the feel of it. The cup was taken from me and I opened my eyes with relief.
"What happened?" I whispered, my voice still scratchy though quenched. Stark hugged my body close to him and I coughed when he crushed my ribs. I heard him mutter "sorry," probably more to himself than to me.
"Zoey," Aphrodite began gently. She bit her lip, looking at Darius before returning her gaze to me. "Zoey, you're supposed to be dead."
Stark laid me gently on the bed, not taking his arms from around me. "Thank you," I whispered, snuggling against his warm body. Ever since the darkness left, I was overcome with an awful chill. Darius had managed to get a hotel for us from the Vamp court and they said that there was security everywhere to make sure Kalona or any of his kind didn't come near me. As soon as we got word of the rooms being open, Stark practically ran to the hotel to get me alone and safe. Having a Warrior has its perks, y'know.
It's ironic; I should be seriously freaking out right now about a bunch of things: Heath's death, my death and "resurrection," and what to do next. None of that stuff bothered me, though, which did make me feel kind of insecure about how broken apart my brain really was since my death. A chill ran down my spine at the thought of it; my death. You never think things the same after you die.
I looked up at Stark. It was like seeing him through a new camera; his hair was a lighter shade of chestnut, his eyes a dark wood that reminded me of burning walnuts, and his cheekbones were sharper. My eyes flickered over the brilliant red arrows that framed his forehead and cheeks, a new chill running down my spine. His head tilted toward me and he raised a brow before his cheeks pinked.
"Stark? You're blushing…" I whispered, still taking in his features and trying not to loose myself in his beauty. Stark sighed, then did something I could have never suspected would happen; he unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt and pulled at his collar, the beautiful bare skin close to my face. I felt myself attracted to that vein in the side of his thick neck that beat so fast—
No. This is wrong. Stark's my Warrior for Goddess's sake. What would happen to him if I lusted for him? Kalona was banished from Heaven because of his love for Nyx; what happened if the situation were switched? Stark must have noticed the controversy across my face because he bent his head and kissed me gently. He pulled away and I bit my lip. He's doing this on purpose. My head was throbbing and I was still drawn to his vein, making me feel like a magnet to a refrigerator.
"Zoey," Stark whispered in a husky voice, looking away from me with his eyes closed tight. His face was still pink, and I could feel his heart racing. "Please, you need blood." He looked back at me with a sad face of grief and shame. "Because of our bond, my blood will be like an extreme tonic to you." He lifted his hand and dragged his fingernail down the side of his neck, a bead of blood appearing quickly. My eyes snapped to the trail and the smell infused my head with a powerful, spicy scent.
Not giving a second thought, I placed my hand against the opposite side of his neck and pulled the scarlet blood toward my lips, running my tongue over the thin bead of blood. The second his blood hit my tongue a thrilling tingle spread over my body. Stark's blood was like apple cider, sweet with a strong hint of spice. It was so different from Heath's blood; it was invigorating.
Remember Heath, a voice encouraged in the back of my mind. I quickly bitch-slapped that thought away as my eyes fluttered shut. Remember, Heath's gone, I thought with a slight tear at my heart. Though I immediately forgot about that when Stark's blood hit my stomach with a flop! My stomach churned at the deliciousness of his blood, and I was suddenly craving more.
I gently sucked on the blood and more rushed out to greet my awaiting mouth. I could tell Stark was trying so hard not to disturb me, in the way that I could feel it. It was holding me back from devouring him whole. I bit down on my lip to stop myself from drinking more from him, drawing my own blood. I sat back in his lap and realized that I was panting. Stark's eyes were shut tight and his cheeks were adorned with an adorable blush. I cradled his face with my hands, his cheeks warm against my frozen palms. "Hey," I said, kissing his lips. I knew that he couldn't taste how delicious his blood was, but maybe he tasted something good about it. "Stop holding back. You're making this," I paused, biting my lip harder to try and find the right words without offending him, "harder for me to enjoy." He lifted his gaze to mine and he had a confused look about his eyes. "Remember how you feel what I feel? Well, it goes both ways." Stark avoided my eyes and there was still something bothering him. I could feel it; it was a little pinch on the edge of my stomach. "What are you afraid of?"
His blush deepened and he looked away from me completely in shame. The feeling washed over me and I felt too sad to hug him. Stark mumbled something that even my Vamped up hearing didn't pick up. "What was that?" I whispered gently, not trying to push him. He faced me, but he still averted my gaze.
"What if we Imprint?" he whispered and I raised my brows, feeling slightly guilty. I'd been too distracted to even think about Imprinting with Stark. I didn't even try to stop the giggle that escaped my lips, but I regretted it when I saw how sad he looked.
"Stark, that's the last thing I'm worried about right now," I chuckled, pulling him to me in a hug. "We have a bond to last us centuries, and you're worried about a blood lust." I felt him nod against my shoulder. I pulled away from him and smiled. "If our blood already has a connection, then don't you think the Imprint will only help us?" He pursed his lip slightly in thought, and then he sighed.
"I guess this is why you're the High Priestess," he said with a slight chuckle, giving me that cocky grin of his. My heart soared at the sight of his smile, and I realized that even with the teensy drops of blood I'd drank from him that we were already starting to Imprint. The thought of our Imprint made me want to push him down on the bed and delight him, but I slapped that thought away from my head. Definitely not going to think about having sex with my Warrior right now, I told myself, grinning at the thought. It was quiet a pleasing idea, making love with Stark.
Wait-what? Did I just say I wanted to make love to Stark?
Before I could dwell on the fact of actually making love with Stark, he pressed his lips against mine in a passionate kiss. I breathed out my nose and brought my hands to his neck, jumping when I felt something cold and wet on my right hand. I drew my brows and pulled away from Stark, staring at my hand. I blinked when his scarlet blood was dripping down my fingers and tracing the lines of my palm. I sighed, raising my hand to my lips and licking the blood. The blood was, if not more, delicious yet again as I tried my best not to moan at how it sent me tingling everywhere. I heard Stark clear his throat, bringing me out of a clouded thought process. I raised my eyes to his face and found him blushing again. "Does it really taste that good?" He asked with a cocky smirk. I blushed myself, feeling guilty that he didn't know how wonderful his blood tasted. I wonder how my blood will taste to him. Stark cupped my face as his grin fell. "Hey, I didn't mean to insult you." I raised my eyes to him and stared into those burning walnut eyes. He slowly leaned towards me, tilting his face ever so slightly as our noses brushed. My eyes fluttered closed as he pushed his lips into mine with a new friction I'd never experienced before. It made a white flame dance across my closed lids, sending a tingly feeling through my veins. Everything felt like the world had stopped and was moving in slow motion as he gently pushed me against the bed. The blood from his neck trickled off his collar bone and onto my chin.
The smell of his blood filled my head as I took a deep breath in. Stark pulled away and I lifted my head to his neck. Licking up the trail from his collar bone to the beading blood, I felt Stark suppress a groan. Yes, it does taste that good, I thought to myself with a smile as I latched onto the thin bead of blood. The blood started pouring out and I felt the white flame intensify through my veins, spreading to every part of my body. I happily lapped up the blood, my stomach quickly filling as I felt my forehead and temple burn and sting with a familiar feeling I knew all too well. I didn't bother stopping the moan that came from the back of my throat as his blood tasted spicier and spicier with every swallow. Stark was writhing beneath me, and I knew he was feeling not only everything because of our bond, but also everything because of the Imprint. I kept drinking until the white flames exploded into little fireworks that sparked across my lids.
I pulled my face away from the intoxicating blood, running my tongue over the thin line that instantly began to fade. Somewhere in the whole process, I had ended up onto of Stark, who was breathing heavily. He lifted himself on his elbows and his eyes were shut tight, a heavy blush across his nose. Only then did I realize that I was panting and that my hands were gripping his shirt. Stark cleared his throat. "I've never done that before," he said huskily, chuckling slightly while he continued to catch his breath. Hearing this made me perk up, my back going straight as I forced my hands to relax against his chest.
"Seriously?" He nodded his head and finally opened his dark eyes, giving me a cocky grin.
"I've never had a vampyre drink from me before," Stark said, staring at my forehead. Puzzled, I raised a hand to my forehead and it burned slightly to touch.
"What are you talking about; I'm only a fledgling still." I shook my head at him, but something did feel different. I knew that I had different tattoos on my face than before; just by the way they felt. This time Stark shook his head.
"I think we need to take a trip to the bathroom," he said, lifting me off him and carrying me to the bathroom. I felt light headed, like my head was filled with helium. We reached the bathroom and he set me down, keeping a hand around my waist as he flicked the light switch on. The fluorescent light bulbs flickered and then shined brightly, making my skin look pale compared to Stark. I gasped when I saw my face.
The crescent on my forehead was a full, dark purple circle with soft yellow wisps framing my forehead and temples. I leaned to the mirror over the sink and touched the tattoos, not believed they were there. I looked so different without all my tattoos, but in a good way. "Air," I whispered when I touched the wisps, and my fingers felt a breeze go between them. My tears welled up with tears as I turned to Stark with a huge smile on my lips. "This-what is this?" I asked with a sob as I jumped to him, wrapping my arms around his neck as I snuggled into the crook of his neck. He chuckled as I began giggling uncontrollably at this new thing. I didn't know if it'd happened before, but I guess all kinds of things change when you have a fledgling that can control all the elements.
Suddenly, my body felt like lead as my head throbbed. I groaned and fell, Stark catching me before I could land in a ball on the floor. "Hey, Zoey, what happened?" Stark said sharply, picking me up and carrying me to the bed. My body started trembling again and I felt freezing, so cold that my teeth were chattering.
"C-c-cold," was all I could get out as I curled up in his arms, trying to get as much body heat from him as possible. Stark's lips formed a tight line as he pulled his shirt off without disturbing me too much. I knew what he was doing, and I, too, pulled my bloody shirt off. Wait, when did my shirt get bloody? Less thinking, more warmth! I wrapped my arms around his torso and pressed my face into his warm chest, trying to ignore the scars that marred the soft skin. Stark wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me to him, and somehow he maneuvered us to under the blankets without me even noticing. He also, somehow yet again, managed to take his and my pants off so that we were left in our underwear, not that I cared. More body heat meant more warmth for me to be in.
I started not to feel cold anymore, but my body was still trembling. Stark had begun rubbing slow circles around my back and he would occasionally (and I think absentmindedly) kiss the top of my head. My body relaxed, and soon enough I fell asleep.
Stark
I was glad to be rid of my pants. Hopefully Zoey hadn't noticed the erection that had formed because of her drinking from me. How the hell was that supposed to happen? I shook my head. No, what we have is the best thing anyone could want. My blood is twice as good for her than it was beforehand. I felt my cheeks heat as I smirked. Which equates to twice as much pleasure. I shook my head again, trying to rid the perverted thoughts out of my mind. Was it even possible for a vampyre to Imprint with another vampyre? None of the books I'd read had said anything about it; the books even encouraged vampyres to drink from each other because Imprinting wouldn't happen. Well, she wasn't a vampyre until after she drank from you. Well, that is a good point. Maybe the Imprint stayed because of the Warrior bond and it'll make us stronger.
My lips twisted as I chuckled slightly. I can't wait to see what Zoey's blood tastes like and if it'll make me feel like what just happened. I closed my eyes as she snuggled against me and her deep breathing spread goosebumps over my chest. Her face was buried in the crook of my neck and I could feel her soft lashes against my shoulder. I let my body relax as I slowly drifted off to sleep.
A/n: I worked seriously hard on this, so you'd better love it :)
I love Stark and Zoey being together. To me, Erik was a jerk, even if he was hot. He needed to seriously get over himself, which is why I'm happy Zoey and him split. Heath was alright, but I thought of him as being too fragile to be with Zoey, which is a factor of why he died. So, all that really leaves is Stark!
YAY :D
Anyways, stay turned for the next chapter! I'll try to have it up with the next round of updates (which means I'll be updating ALL my stories!)
Bye!
-Abby
