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Sometime later, I woke up. My eyes fluttered open, seeing a room that was unfamiliar to me. I sat up with a start. I was laying on a bed in a room with a fireplace and a large window that took up an entire wall. I was immediately on edge. "Where the hell am I?" I asked myself.
"You're in my house," the voice of Godric replied. He gracefully waltzed through the door, carrying a glass of water. "You needed to rest, so I thought I'd bring you here instead of the bar."
Suddenly, I remembered what had happened that night. It hit me like a sack of bricks. I was walking to my car when a group of thugs cornered me and dragged me inside the old abandoned Dallas High School. They beat the living daylights out of me and they were just about to rape me when Godric swooped in, killing them and sparing me from a terrifying fate. I was dying, reaching out to knock on death's door, so he had me drink his two thousand year old blood. Vampire blood is said to have impossible healing effects on the human body.
"Huh," I said. I stood up to test this theory out. To my amazement, I could stand just fine, although I felt a little lightheaded. My hand reached up to touch my nose, which I was certain was broken. It felt slightly achy and there was probably some bruising, but no where near the intense amount of pain I was in earlier. I glanced over at Godric, astonished. "Godric, I feel… healed. I'm not dead!"
"You should. You drank a lot of my blood." He handed over the glass of water and I took it, downed the whole thing, and set it on the night stand next to the bed.
I sat down, feeling the dizziness take over. "I've really got a knack for getting myself in trouble, don't I? Twice in just two days. That has to be a record."
He smiled that magnificent smile of his and sat next to me on the bed.
We sat for a moment in silence. "What will your blood to me?" I asked after a minute.
"Well, all of your senses will be stronger," he replied. "And your, um, libido will be more active." If vampires could blush, then Godric would have been rose red.
I let out a small giggle. What libido?
He then became more serious, more passionate. "I'll also be able to sense your emotions. I'll always know where you are and how you feel. If you ever find yourself in another dire situation, I'll be able to find you."
I stared, feeling overwhelmed. I wanted to ask him how he knew were I was in the first place, but the words could not come out.
I heaved a sigh. "Wow, Godric. I didn't realize those were the side effects." I glanced at him over my shoulder. "Now you have some human on your mind all the time. I'm sure you won't be interested in my petty everyday occurrences."
He grinned again. "Don't speak of yourself in such a lowly manner," he said, his voice mellow. "You aren't as dull as you may think."
I smiled and looked down. "I think I should be getting home."
"Of course," Godric said, standing up to lead me out of the room.
"Oh shit!" I said, stopping in my tracks. "I don't have my car." I remembered that it was parked a block away from the vampire bar. That could have been miles from my current location in Godric's house. Judging from the almost eerie silence in the domicile and the lush garden visible through the huge window, I estimated I was nowhere near the bustling downtown.
"I drove your car here," he replied, almost looking embarrassed, as if waiting for a disapproving stare from me. "I had to bring you here where you would be safe. I'll drive you home, Annabel, because quite frankly, you are in no condition to drive."
He was right. I was dizzy and my knees shook like Jell-O. "But how will you get back?"
"I'll have one of my lieutenants follow me in another car."
In my hazy fog, I guessed that the Dallas vampires all "hung out" here.
"Mind if I freshen up before we go?" I asked.
"Sure. The restroom is right down the hall."
He led me outside of the room and pointed out the bathroom. I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. With my hands propping onto the counter on either side of the sink, I caught my reflection in the mirror. Boy, was I a sight to see. My hair was a mess, the bobby pins that held my style together were practically falling out. The front of my dress was saturated with dried blood. Oh now that's just peachy. This is my favorite dress! This stain will never come out! My face was just starting to show signs of bruising on my nose and around my eyes. I guessed that it would look even worse the next day. How am I going to explain that to Carrie and Ray? Since I hadn't opted for waterproof mascara, the inky blackness of my eye makeup coated the skin under my eyes. A river of dried blood was caked under my nostrils and around my mouth and chin. That's a great look for you, Annabel. I wondered how Godric could look at me with a straight face.
Sighing, I turned the faucet on and splashed warm water on my face, rinsing off all of the blood and smeared makeup. I dried off with a handful of tissues because I did not want to stain the pure white hand towel hanging on the rack on the wall.
I left the bathroom and returned to Godric, following him out into the main part of the house, which was way too open and rectangular and modern for my tastes. I prefer old Victorian homes to newer ones. The place reminded me of an upscale hotel. That must be how the other-other half lives. And by that I mean the rich vampires.
He handed me my purse and I gave him my keys and then climbed in the passenger's seat which was odd, considering it was my car and I normally drove it. When he started the car, some rap song came blaring through the speakers and I quickly turned the radio off.
"Sorry," I said, feeling my cheeks burn. "I was listening to that station earlier to pump myself up."
He smiled, looking amused but not in a condescending way. It set my mind at ease.
We drove through Dallas in silence, only speaking when I gave him directions to the apartment. I have to admit that for some reason, seeing Godric drive was kind of peculiar. Driving is a relatively modern thing and he just doesn't seem modern. I assumed that was my delirium speaking.
I almost dozed off when he pulled into the parking garage and found a place to park, wedging in between a shiny Audi and an equally impressive Lexus. Just imagine my crappy Nineties Era Corolla next to those two cars.
He turned off the engine and gave me my keys. Before I could reach for the door handle, Godric was already outside, opening the door for me. I smiled, climbing out.
"I guess chivalry isn't dead," I said before realizing the sheer stupidity of my statement. I did a facepalm. "I didn't mean to say 'dead.'"
He released that beautiful amused laugh of his. "Don't worry about it Annabel. Death is no longer a touchy subject to me."
I looked over at the idling black Escalade SUV parked off to the side, waiting for Godric. It was driven by a male vampire I hadn't met.
"I should be getting inside," I said. I then opened the back door of my car, reached for a small white cardigan that I had thrown in there in case I got cold, and put it on. Godrc gave me a bewildered look.
"I need to cover up," I explained. "I can't go inside with a massive blood stain on my dress."
He nodded.
It seemed like he didn't want to leave. I didn't either. "I'd invite you in, but the circumstances are sketchy. I don't think my aunt and uncle would appreciate me bringing a man home in the middle of the night."
He showed off a crooked grin. "That's perfectly understandable. I'll walk you to the door, make sure you get in safely."
It wasn't a very long walk at all, but I was happy that he was concerned about my safety.
"My dead body could have been thrown in a river by now if wasn't for you," I said, just as I was about to reach for the door that led to the lobby of my apartment building. "I really should thank you, Godric, but I don't think that's enough."
"You don't need to thank me, Annabel" He tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear.
"Goodnight, Godric." I opened the door.
"Will I see you again?"
Hell yeah you will. A dorky smile overcame me. "I'll be around." I slipped inside and went up to my apartment trying not to be seen.
There I was, lying stark naked in an unfamiliar bed. The room I was in was lit only by a fireplace in the wall in front of the bed. Feeling confused and just slightly weary, I rolled over on my side, my hair spilling down my neck. I almost gasped at the sight before me. Godric occupied the spot next to me, his bare skin glistening in the low light. The ancient tattoos that decorated his body seemed to come alive in the flickering light of the fire. His eyes looked so gentle, yet they penetrated me. His hand moved my hair off my shoulder.
"Am I in your house?" I asked him, my voice low and husky.
He nodded.
I bit my lip and slipped a hand under the pillow beneath my head. I felt warm and cozy, despite laying next to a vampire.
Just a second after that moment of bliss, I was pushed onto my back. Godric was on top of me, pinning me down with his strength. I was terrified, staring into his eyes. They didn't look so gentle anymore.
With one hand holding my arm down, he ran his other hand down my exposed chest and then he lightly grazed the side of my neck.
"Are you going to bite me?" The question I asked came out in frightened breaths.
He laughed, but this new laughter was significantly darker and sinister. So unlike the easygoing chuckles that normally came from him.
"Yes I am." His voice had a different sound. It was more raspy, more dangerous, more lustful.
His fangs came out with a clicking sound so abrupt that if I wasn't bound, I would have jumped back in surprise.
"Do it," I breathed.
Satisfied with my response, Godric lowered his head down until his lips met mine. He tasted so sweet that I needed more. He was like a drug. He released my arm and my hands rose up to grip his back, bringing him closer to me. His fingertips were on my jawline. The kiss became more passionate, our tongues darted in each other's mouths while his body moved in sync with mine. I felt a sharp pain on my lower lip and then tasted blood. Godric accidentally bit me there. Grinning wickedly, he licked the tiny wound until the bleeding ceased. I wanted more.
"Are you ready for this?" He was like a wild cat waiting to pounce.
I nodded.
"Say you want me. I want to hear you say it." His gaze was fixed on me. He would force those words out of me if he had to.
"I want you, Godric." My voice dripped with lust. "I need you!"
That was all he needed to hear. Without hesitation, his fangs pierced into the tender skin on my neck. I moaned in pain and squeezed my eyes closed while his tongue lapped at the blood flowing out of the vein.
I awoke with a start. My eyes snapped open and shifted around the room, making sure I was in the right place. Yes, I was in my bedroom like I should have been. I was panting, sweating through my thin tank top. My heart pounded rapidly. That dream sure felt realistic. Perhaps a little too realistic…
I then realized that my hand was underneath the blankets, in my pants, in a place where it shouldn't have been. I quickly pulled it out. "What the hell?" I asked myself. "Did I just do that in my sleep?" I was so puzzled that I thought I had taken some trippy drug before I went to sleep.
I climbed out of bed and opened a small slit on the closed blinds. Dallas still glowed bright against the dark sky. Grabbing my laptop, I returned to my bed and fired the computer up. I accessed the Internet and ran a Google search on "side effects of drinking vampire blood." I clicked on the first helpful link, since there weren't many entries on what happens when a person consumes a large amount.
In a nutshell, the webpage told me that vampire blood "allegedly" cures any ailment, heightens the libido, gives a person enhanced senses, and makes the drinker sexually attracted to the vamp who gave them their blood. Also, sexual dreams involving that vampire can be a common occurrence. That definitely explained more than one thing…
Sighing, I closed the laptop and went back to sleep. No more vivid dreams were reported that night.