Chapter Five: Prey of the Vampire

Sapphire couldn't get up the next morning. She felt as though a truck had hit her. She groaned in pain as she slowly lifted herself off her couch (she hadn't been able to make it to her bed), feeling every bruise and cut in her body. She nearly fell over when she stood up, and she made her way slowly to her bathroom to look at herself.

She was a mess. There was no better word to match her appearance. Scratches lined her face, and her left ear looked terrible. There was dried blood stretching all the way from her ear to her chin, and she shuddered when she remembered the evening's events.

Feeling very much like an old lady, she got out of her tattered clothes and took a shower. She then cleaned her face and applied as much cover-up as she could. She got dressed in a nice business suit, left her hair down so that it covered her ear, and then left for work.

"Sapphire, get this!" Serena said as soon as Sapphire entered the lobby. "Last night, Whisper and I saw this guy getting mauled by a wolf on the beach. And then the wolf came and jumped over our car!"

"That's nice," Sapphire said tiredly, plopping down into her seat behind the desk.

"Are you okay? You look like you're sick," Serena said, studying the left side of Sapphire's face carefully.

The woman's brunette hair hid her ears too well, and Serena couldn't see anything.

"Just fine. I was run over by a train on the way here, but I'm good," Sapphire chuckled. "What's new for today?"

She glanced at a folder on her computer keyboard and then let out a squeal when she opened it.

"What? What is it?" Serena asked.

"We've been invited to join Ripper on his trip to Colorado this upcoming weekend. You know how he has to go up there for a bit meeting once a year? We've been invited to go!" Sapphire said excitedly. "That's an opportunity we can't miss!"

"Good morning, ladies," Whisper said cheerfully, walking towards the desk with a steaming mug of coffee in his hand. "You look wonderful this morning."

Adrian was walking alongside him, showing absolutely no evidences of a fight. He glared down at Sapphire, and she returned the glare, standing up in defiance and clenching her fists at her sides.

"Uh, you two look like you want to kill each other," Whisper said uncomfortably. "Anything happen that Serena and I should know about?"

"No," Sapphire said firmly, resisting the urge to grind her teeth. "Nothing at all."

"We spent a bit of time with each other yesterday evening," Adrian said coolly. "We found that while we're irresistible to each other, we do have our differences."

"Irresistible?" Sapphire shouted, making several guests turn their heads to watch. "I beg to differ, sir!"

She walked around the counter and came to stand directly in front of him, matching his unshakeable stance with her own.

"You listen," she whispered, stepping close enough to him so that he could hear but no one else could. "I'm surprised you didn't permanently damage my ear. If these cuts don't scar, it will be a miracle."

"And what cuts would those be?" he smirked, moving his hand to her hair.

She hissed when he pushed her hair away from her left ear, and he smiled as he ran his fingertips down the scratches.

"But I did clean them rather well," he said, leaning down so their noses were nearly touching. "No infection, I should hope."

"I'll be grateful if I don't have rabies!" she scowled, pulling away from him and walking back to Serena's side.

"Whisper, Sapphire and I are going to Colorado with Ripper this weekend for a meeting," Serena said cheerfully, never seeing Sapphire slap herself on the forehead. "Think you can come with us?"

"I'm afraid not," Whisper sighed. "I've been using my paychecks for…other things. I probably shouldn't buy a plane ticket. Adrian's going, though, with his boss."

Sapphire slunk down into her chair, shaking her head miserably.

"Good morning! What do you girls think of my message?" Ripper asked, exiting his office, a large smile on his face.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Serena exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

"We'll be there for three nights," Ripper beamed. "The first night we'll have a conference, the second a really fancy dinner, and the third will be one last night to relax before the flight home."

"What do you mean by really fancy?" Serena asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Gowns and tuxedoes."

"Awesome!" Whisper said. "I'm helping you find a dress," he winked at Serena.

"And we're leaving Friday?" Sapphire asked, looking at the paper.

"Yes. You have two days to pack. That is, if you ladies are coming," Ripper grinned.

"Oh yes!" Serena exclaimed.

"I'll meet you at the airport then, at 10:00 A.M. on Friday," Ripper said, and then went back to his office.

"We're going dress shopping this afternoon," Serena said adamantly.

"Mind if Adrian and I tag along?" Whisper asked.

"No trouble at all," Serena beamed.

"I'm never coming out of the dressing rooms, though," Sapphire sighed.

After work, Serena pulled Sapphire along to one of the dress stores located at the edge of Orlando. Adrian and Whisper went with them, Serena and Whisper walking along hand in hand, lost in their own little world, and Adrian and Sapphire lagging behind a short distance.

"After this, we're going to the Boardwalk Café," Whisper spoke over his shoulder as they entered the dress shop. "I'll buy everyone some Italian Ice."

"If we survive that long," Sapphire whispered.

"Now Miss Sapphire," Adrian said, stepping up closer to her, his voice low. "What ever makes you think you won't survive that long?"

She scowled and then quickened her pace, walking into the store with Serena.

Then began the search for dresses. Whisper amused himself by pulling out every dress with a pretty color and insisting it was the perfect dress for Serena. While he and Serena browed, Sapphire thumbed through different hangars, nothing catching her fancy.

"A woman with your form," Adrian said, watching her from a chair, "needs something to bring out her absolute best characteristics."

"And what would those be?" Sapphire growled.

He was silent, and she glanced over to see intensity in his eyes she had never seen there. She shuddered as he looked over her and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Let me assist you," he said, standing up and moving towards her.

She froze as he put his muscular hand over hers and then reached over to a hangar and closed her fingers around it. He then stepped back, and she pulled the hanger away from the rack.

The dress was a metallic gray, made of silk. She looked it over carefully; surprised she was taking the time to actually even think about his suggestion. The dress was long, with a train, and the sleeves were made to drape gracefully off the shoulders of the one wearing it.

"Try it on," he said easily, sitting back down on his chair. "You'll find it fits perfectly."

"How do you know?"

"Because it was calling your name."

Sapphire went quietly to the dressing room and then changed into the gown.

He was right. The dress was made for Sapphire. It carefully fitted her curves, not so much that it was inappropriate, but just enough to show that Sapphire did have a good figure. Her skin had never looked so clean as it did with that dress, and she couldn't help but step out of the closet she had changed in and turn a few times in front of the mirrors to get a better look at herself.

One of the other changing closets opened, and Serena stepped out, dressed in a deep blue gown that also fit her form perfectly.

"You found your dress," she said with a smile.

"You really think I should keep it?" Sapphire asked.

"Definitely."

"Oh, very well," Sapphire sighed. "Although I shouldn't…"

"Why not?" Serena snorted.

"Adrian picked it out."

Serena whistled, and Sapphire laughed.

"Look! It's not like I asked him to!"

"He has good taste," Serena chuckled, shaking her head. "Let's get out of here and go get some Italian Ice."

Adrian and Sapphire were pretty much abandoned upon arriving at the Boardwalk. True to his word, Whisper bought them all Italian Ices, but then he and Serena walked down to the beach and walked along the waves, leaving Adrian and Sapphire to sit on a bench a short distance away from the sand.

The werewolf sat on the far right side of the bench, and the vampire sat on the far left. Neither of them said anything for several long minutes, but then Adrian broke the silence.

"How is your ear?"

"Leave me alone, all right?" Sapphire sighed, turning her face away from him. "It hurts badly. I'll tell you that much. And it…opened up again."

"Oh?"

"I'm used to tucking my hair behind my ear, and every time I try, I scratch the cuts, making them bleed again. I hope you're satisfied."

"Satisfaction goes hand in hand with another word for me," Adrian said, licking at the ice and then gulping down the rest of the drink.

"Murder?"

"Blood."

"You're disgusting," Sapphire whispered.

"You aren't entirely innocent, wolf," Adrian chuckled. "You know the taste."

"As a wolf, yes, I eat blood," Sapphire shuddered. "Though I wish I didn't, but in wolf form, I don't entirely know what I'm doing. And I don't attack humans."

"Do you know what it's like to stalk something and then finally overpower it?" Adrian asked, shifting his body so he was turned to gaze at the woman next to him. She still wouldn't look at him, and he raised his hand towards her face, reaching for her left ear. "It's like running a race," he murmured, taking several strands of her brown hair in his fingers and moving it behind her ear, letting his fingers caress her cuts. "And when you come towards the end, you have this sense of triumph, but there's nothing…" he moved closer to her and put one hand on her arm, somewhat restraining her as he pressed his mouth against her ear, "that compares with the feeling of bliss and victory when you've finally reached the goal."

"What is your goal?" she asked quietly, closing her eyes against his touch, those wretched werewolf feelings flowing through her blood again.

"To mark you as mine."

"So you can be the greatest vampire, lord over all the others, simply because you enslaved the lead werewolf?" Sapphire choked, a tear streaming down her cheek. "Is that why you hunt me so? Is that why I'm so valued? Because it gives you more prestige?"

"What are you so afraid of?" he murmured, taking the top of her ear in his mouth and sucking on the blood.

"Losing my freedom," she gasped as he again cleaned her cuts. "Please stop," she whimpered, feeling herself giving in. "I don't like that we're the lesser creatures, that we always feel we have to give in to you. All you do is eat us alive. You don't know love…"

"Have you ever been loved by a vampire?" Adrian asked, pressing his body firmly against her and whispering against her ear as he licked the last drop of blood away.

"No. I…I had Freddie…"

"And according to what I've heard, that whole situation was arranged."

"I was just beginning to…" she choked as he kissed her earlobe, "….really love him."

"You mourned him because he was part of your pack, not necessarily because you were helplessly in love," Adrian said, letting his breath rush across her skin as he trailed soft kisses down her cheek to her chin.

"Adrian!" she groaned, pressing her body closer to him as her blood screamed for closeness. "Stop…"

"The thing about vampires is, the more contact you have with them, the deeper your desire to be claimed becomes," Adrian said, moving his lips to her throat, one hand clutching her hair as the other moved up and down her arm. "And don't tell me you don't like this."

"I want you to stop," she gasped as he kissed her throat, pressing his lips firmly to her skin.

"No you don't."

She tried to protest, but the vampire was right. She had never felt the way she did now. She wanted to surrender to him; she wanted to respond to his kisses and his warmth. But deep inside, she knew this was wrong, knew it was dangerous, and so she put a hand firmly to his chest as he pushed her back, putting her in almost a helpless position.

"Get off," she groaned as he deepened his kisses, her body trembling from anticipation. "I don't want this."

He growled against her skin and clutched her tightly to him, his lips rough against her neck.

Sapphire struggled to sit back up, realizing then that she was almost flat on her back on the bench, but he was too heavy for her, and she let out a cry when she found herself trapped. There were too many people around for her to turn into her wolf form, and she wondered how in the world they didn't see her.

"Get off!" she hissed, shaking her head in an attempt to get him away from her throat.

"Give in," Adrian whispered, grabbing the back of her neck to keep her still.

"No! I won't! You get your hands off me and let me up!"

She found herself struggling to breathe as his mouth traced an invisible line up her neck to her lower lip. He kissed her lip, succeeding in distracting her, in drawing her mind away from the danger she was in. She stifled a cry as he let his lips touch the corner of her mouth, and she gathered up all her strength, braced her hands behind her on the bench, and then flung her body at him, dislodging him and making him land, kneeling, on the ground. She then leaped off the bench and began to run, racing towards the beach where the others were, using her pack instincts to keep her safe.

Serena and Whisper were walking across the beach at the moment, completely oblivious to Sapphire's distress. It was the perfect night to just walk on the water's edge in silence, but Whisper didn't want simply to walk in the water.

He took a few steps with Serena and then took her hands in his.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he placed her hands on his shoulders and put his hands on her waist.

He didn't say anything, but touched her nose with his and began to sway her, moving her body with his as he began to dance. She smiled as she danced with him, listening to the waves as they made the only music the couple had.

This was a time when things felt perfect. There weren't too many times in Serena's life like this. She had grown up as an orphan, her parents having died in a car accident shortly after her birth. Her grandmother had taken her into her home and cared for her to the best of her abilities, but the older woman couldn't entirely fill the places of Serena's parents, and so the girl had grown up somewhat lonely. She had been careful about making friends, for in school they had all had alternative motives for befriending her. She had made masses of friends in college, but none of them had stayed with her.

And then she met Sapphire.

The older woman had adopted Serena as her sister in every way she possibly could. She cooked for the girl, when needed, she took her places, and cared for her like no one but Serena's grandmother ever had. Sapphire watched Serena with so much care and concern, Serena was pretty sure nothing terrible could ever happen to her.

Whisper was there as well. As soon as Serena had begun working at the hotel, he had been drawn to her. Their characters matched perfectly, and Serena was kept fully occupied and completely loved in between him and Sapphire.

"Why so quiet?" Whisper asked, pressing his lips gently to Serena's temple as they danced.

"I'm just remembering," Serena whispered, leaning her head against his chest.

"Remembering what?"

"How my life has been for the past two years."

"Am I in those memories?"

"Of course," Serena laughed lightly. "You and Sapphire have always been there for me."

"And we always will be," he smiled. "I love you," he whispered against her ear.

She smiled against his shirt and then closed her eyes, taking in a deep smell of his scent. He lowered his head, nuzzling his face into her hair, and his eyes widened when he caught smell of something absolutely heavenly. The scent infiltrated his nostrils; the heavenly breeze of her scarlet blood flowing beneath her skin.

Venom dripped from his incisors, heating his tongue, making him do everything in his power to control his panting.

He was hungry, not just for any blood, but for hers. He had restrained himself for years; had stopped himself from devouring her. His eyes nearly turned red, and his breath hitched in his throat as he buried his face deeper into her skin, making her quiver, and then opened his mouth, letting his breath rush across her sensitive skin.

"Serena," he murmured, pressing his lips to the side of her neck, "I love you."

She couldn't speak, for quite suddenly, her emotions had skyrocketed.

"I love you too," she breathed, closing her eyes against his touch.

"There you are!"

Whisper nearly growled when he stepped away from Serena as Sapphire neared them, racing across the beach.

"Where is Adrian?" he asked, shaking himself to get out of the blood frenzy that was creeping over him.

"Back on the Boardwalk," Sapphire said, stopping in front of Serena.

The woman's keen green eyes flicked back and forth from Whisper to Serena, and she caught sight of the red glint, now barely visible, in Whisper's eyes.

No. Not Whisper too. He couldn't be. It was impossible. But he was Adrian's cousin…

"You left him by himself?" Serena asked, smiling up at Whisper.

"Sure. Why not?" Sapphire asked.

"Dude, you really don't like him, do you?" Whisper sighed.

"Is there any reason I should?"

"I think we should head back for the night," Serena said, taking Whisper's hand in hers and walking. "It's getting late."

"I'll be right there," Sapphire said, watching them leave.

The full moon was out tonight, and she gazed up at it, her eyes shining in the light. There was no one else on the beach, aside from Whisper and Serena, who were in their own world, and the water seemed to be calling to the werewolf to dance.

Sapphire let her hair down and then shook her head, letting her brunette locks rustle in the breeze. She then curtseyed to the water, took off her shoes, and twirled.

There wasn't a problem in the world when she danced. She didn't consider herself to be a good dancer, but she could move with a grace and poise that not many humans could attain, simply because they weren't built for it. She loved playing with the wind and waltzing with the ocean for it somehow made everything peaceful, everything secure.

She spun about, pulling herself away from the waves, and stopped short. A shiver went through her, and she found herself almost kneeling in the sand before the figure that stood watching her. She couldn't understand how her body nearly forced her down; couldn't comprehend why she felt this need to lower herself.

Adrian smiled cruelly when he saw her nearly prostrate on her knees before him. She was such a pretty thing. It was almost a pity he was going to take away some of that spirit.

For one silent moment, neither the vampire nor the werewolf moved. Sapphire remained low to the sand, her hair whipping about her, gazing up with wide eyes at Adrian. He looked outstanding against the moonlight, his hair almost white and his eyes flashing triumphantly. She couldn't bear the power he already had over her. She wished with all her heart she truly could be free. And he, the predator, savored every second of her downfall.

Saliva built up in Sapphire's throat, and she wanted to cry out but couldn't as he approached her, stalking across the sand, his feet never making a single sound. The woman's body began to tremble as he stopped before her crouching form and moved two of his cold fingers to her throat. He let his fingertips stroke across her skin and then tilted her head up to look at him.

Not a word was spoken, but she could read his thoughts plainly.

"You are mine."

And she could barely restrain her tears as he pulled her to her feet and led her towards Whisper's awaiting car.