by Helen Bright
“Josh, why are we at the Manor? Why…?” Oh god no. I finally figured out what was wrong with my aching gums. Fangs.
“No, no, no,” I screamed as I pushed away from Josh and leapt out of bed.
“Keeley, you need to calm down. Please, come and sit with me and we can talk about what happened.”
“Oh, I know what fucking happened alright. Maxim decided to attack me and turn me into a vampire, that’s what happened,” I spat out, my voice sounding strange to my ears as I tried to speak around the elongated fangs.
“No Keeley, not quite, but if you just calm down for a second and come over here, I will tell you exactly what happened yesterday. I don’t want to upset you, but I’m not going to lie to you, either.”
He held out his hand and after a moment’s hesitation, I took it and walked over to the bed with him. We sat down and faced each other. Josh took my hand in his and kissed the back of it before he began to speak.
“I don’t know how much you remember about yesterday, but it appears that Gregor fought with Maxim and told him to leave. But instead of leaving, Maxim sought you out and decided to kill you by draining you of your blood. Luckily, Gina came to see you and discovered what was happening. She fought with Maxim and was able to stake him in the heart. Gina then let us know what was happening and tried to give you some of her blood for some reason. She cut her wrist and tried to force you to swallow her blood, but she had cut too deep and couldn’t stop the bleeding. Gregor got to you both just before we did and he gave you both his blood.
“When Nick and I got here, we took over from Gregor. But, I’m going to be honest with you Keeley, I wasn’t sure if we could save you in any capacity at the time. But I kept going as Gina and Gregor had, working your mouth and throat for you so you would swallow. After a time I noticed the deep holes Maxim had left in your neck start to repair themselves. I knew then you would live, but that you would be a made vampire, not a human anymore. I’m sorry Keeley. I’m so truly sorry that you have to deal with this. If there were anything else I could do to save you, I would have done so. But letting you die wasn’t an option for any of us. I know it’s going to be hard getting through these next few months, but we can do it together.”
“Me, you, and Daisy,” I said as I looked into his eyes. I watched the slight flicker in them that told me I wasn’t going to like what he had to say next.
“Keeley, until you can be sure that you have full control over the blood lust, it would be for the best if we keep you away from Daisy.”
“What do you mean? Where is Daisy?”
“She’s gone to stay with Freya for a little while. Daniel’s gone with her too, so you know she’s getting looked after, and probably spoiled rotten as well.”
“And who made that decision may I ask? Was it you Josh, a made vampire, too? Or was it Freya who is also a vampire? Tell me, Josh, what makes me any different than you?” I retorted.
“Because a made vampire has less control over their need for blood when they are newly turned. And also…they find the blood of children even harder to resist.”
“So what are you saying? That I am a risk to my daughter’s life? That if she accidentally falls down and cuts herself I will want to bite her? Kill her even?”
For the second time in two days, I felt like my life was over. Yesterday it physically nearly was, and today the way my heart was breaking, I felt like it may as well have ended anyway.
“Why didn’t you just let me die, Josh? If Daisy would be better off without me, then you should have just let me go.”
“No Keeley, Daisy still needs you. It’s just going to take some time to get you to a stage where you can control your need for blood, but we will get you there Keeley, you just need…”
“How long Josh? Are we talking days, weeks, months, or years?”
“Well everyone’s different Keeley. It may take a few months; that’s all.”
“Month’s…” I yelled. “Months to a child seems so much longer than it really is. And then what? Will I still have the occasional slip? If she accidentally hurts herself will she have to run away from me instead of running to me to make it better?”
“Keeley, however long it takes, we will deal with it, I promise,” he said quietly as he tucked my messy bed hair around my ear.
Josh looked so sincere just then, like he really thought this would all turn out okay. But I knew differently. I knew it would never be okay again, and I wished that Gina had never stumbled across Maxim and me in that coach house cottage. It would have been better if they had just let me fade away because I just couldn’t contemplate the fact that I would ever be a danger to my daughter. But I was. And that was something I would never be able to deal with.
There was a knock at the door and I realised that I was still very much naked. A bathrobe was placed over a chair so I picked it up and put it on, then Josh called out for whoever it was to come in.
Gregor opened the door carefully, as he had a tray full of cups and a plate of toast in the other hand. Josh jumped up to take the tray from him as he entered the room.
“Good afternoon, Keeley. How are you feeling?” he asked as he came towards me and inspected my neck.
I wanted to say, not fucking good at all, because I’ve just been told I could kill my child. But good manners and respect for Gregor had me saying, “I’m okay, I suppose, all things considered.”
“I’m surprised to see you up so early. It can be days before a made vampire comes round after they have been turned, and your injury and blood loss was so great that I didn’t expect to see you up and out of bed for days. I’ve warmed you some blood up; it’s under here,” he said, lifting the lid on a serving platter.
“You may find it easier to take if it’s warm, just until you get used to it, that is,” he smiled a nervous smile at me as if he didn’t really know how I would react.
“Thank you, Gregor, that’s really thoughtful of you. But I’ve just had some of Josh’s blood, so I’m good for now.”
I found the idea of drinking from a blood bag utterly gross, but I suppose that would be something I would have to get used to.
Gregor and Josh both looked at me a little oddly as I picked up a slice of toast and started eating it. Thank god my new fangs had gone back into my gums, or I wouldn’t have been able to chew. My mouth had felt really odd when they had come down, like when I was a child and I had a tooth out at the dentist’s, and they put cotton wool between my gum and upper lip. My mouth felt full and my gums tingled.
Josh picked up a bag of the blood that Gregor had brought and proceeded to drink it down. I suddenly felt guilty that I had taken blood from Josh. He must have been exhausted after giving me his blood yesterday, Gregor, too.
“Thank you, both of you, for saving me yesterday. I know you both gave me your blood to keep me alive, so you probably need it more than me at this moment in time.” I tried to be sincere about it, but I think they both knew that I had very mixed feelings about being alive.
“Keeley, you are very precious to me, I would have done anything to save you yesterday. You are a wonderful young woman with people in your life that love you dearly. You deserve to live a long and happy life. Yes, you will have to make some great changes, but you have a chance to live forever with the man you love,” said Gregor.
“But I can’t be a good mother to my daughter, Gregor. She’s not five yet and still needs me to love and care for her. Apparently I can’t be trusted to be near her yet because I may try to snack on her if she gets hurt. There is no way I can live that long happy life without Daisy. She’s my world, Gregor.” I was sobbing now; huge gulping sob’s that wracked my whole body. Josh picked me up and sat down on the bed with me on his lap, holding my head against his shoulder.
“We will get you there Keeley. We just have to get you to a stage where you can control your bloodlust. Your love for Daisy will help you, baby. I know you can do it because you are a strong woman. Look at how much you have achieved in your life so f
ar. You have been a single parent for nearly five years, and you’ve coped so well. You have held a job down successfully during that time and also coped with your dad and all his problems. You are an inspiration Keeley, and I am so proud of you and all you have achieved.”
That little speech didn’t help with the sobbing, in fact, it just got worse. I seemed to cry forever, but in reality, it can’t have been more than ten minutes or so. When I finally stopped, I realised Gregor had left the room and there was just Josh and me once again. He held me tightly and occasionally placed kisses on my cheeks and lips.
“Your lips are so soft Keeley, but even softer when you cry. It breaks my heart to know that you were suffering yesterday, and I couldn’t protect you.”
“I was going to call you and tell you about the argument with Maxim and Gregor. I was frightened that you would hurt him and it would cause problems for your friendship with Gregor, or that I could lose my job,” I admitted.
“I would give up anything for you Keeley. You and Daisy are more important to me than anyone,” he said softly.
“I can’t help thinking that things will never be the same for us again. I should have known that good things were not meant to happen to someone like me. Maybe I should have just been content with Daisy and my little job at Night Movers instead of falling in love and going after a better job.”
“You can’t stop love happening Keeley. Whether it builds up slowly or it hits you like a bolt of lightning. Either way, there’s very little you can do to stop it when it’s right. And ours is right Keeley; I fully believe that now. I tried to hide my feelings, as did you. But I would never even consider letting you go now I’ve had a taste of what life will be like with you and Daisy as my family. So whatever silly ideas you have in your pretty head about us being better off without you, well you can just stop thinking like that, because it’s never going to happen. Daisy and I are in it with you for the long haul, and we will get our happy ever after, I promise you that.”
His smile made my insides melt and the kiss he gave me made me tingle from head to toe. I stood up in front of him and walked over to open the curtains. Gregor had said it was the afternoon and I wanted to see the sunlight.
“No Keeley…” yelled Josh as I pulled the first curtain back.
“What the hell are you doing,” I yelled as he tackled me to the floor, my body under his.
“The sunlight Keeley, it will burn you from the inside out. You won’t be able to be in sunlight for years, love. I’m really sorry; I thought you realised this.”
Apparently not. But he needn’t worry in this instance.
“Gregor has had all the window glass covered with a special film that filters out the harmful UV effects of sunlight. It’s similar to what you have, but it lets more light through than the ones at your cottage and the Night Movers building. It had to be virtually unseen, because this is a listed building, and English Heritage wouldn’t have passed it otherwise.”
“Oh right, sorry Keeley,” he said, looking down at me. “You are so beautiful. I don’t think I will ever tire of looking at you.”
“Even with puffy eyes after all that crying?” I asked.
Josh didn’t say anything, he just kissed me full on the mouth, pouring all the love he felt for me into that kiss. I closed my eyes and let it take me to where all the hurt and sadness didn’t exist. To a place where the only things I could feel were love and desire.
Josh undid the sash on my robe and kissed me from my throat to my sex before removing his boxer shorts and pushing his cock inside me slowly. He told me he loved me with every thrust, how he was so scared that he had lost me, and finally how I was his for always. Not only could I see the love, desperation, and fear in his eyes, but I could smell it, too. The love was pure and heady, but the fear came across sharp and bitter at the back of my throat. I felt like every sense I had was amplified, like the sound of Josh’s quickening heartbeat. It was a steady and gentle build to our climax, but when it happened I felt like it healed something inside me, and that maybe things could work out as Josh had promised…
Some minutes later we moved our tangled limbs and Josh pulled me up for a shower. The bathroom held a deep claw footed cast iron bath with a shower over the top and a shower curtain which draped all around it. It was pretty and very romantic.
“Sergei brought you some shampoo and conditioner when he brought some of our clothes last night, but we had already washed you and shampooed your hair a couple of times to get you clean before putting you to bed,” Josh said as we stepped into the warmth of the shower. I turned round quickly when his words finally registered through the spray of the water.
“We?”
“Yes, Gregor and I brought you in and showered you because you were covered in blood, Keeley. We had to wash your hair a couple of times because both yours and Gina’s blood had dried and matted in it.”
I groaned and put my hands over my face.
“So my boss has seen me naked then?”
“It wasn’t like that Keeley. We were all fully clothed to begin with, and both Gregor and I kept our boxers on when we finally got your clothes off. I didn’t think any were salvageable, so I told Gregor to bin them. I was too weak to do it all by myself yesterday, love. Gregor and I both had two bags of blood each before we brought you back to the house, but we had given you so much of ours before you showed signs of healing, and I wasn’t going to leave and get more blood until I had you clean and resting in bed. Even then I didn’t leave you. Gregor brought more up when you were settled and Sergei brought my own supply when he brought our clothes here.
“I don’t think it was just blood loss that caused my weakness, but also the realisation that I nearly lost you, and the fact that after waiting so long to find the woman who meant the world to me, the perfect world I thought we would have would be taken away just like that. I never wanted this life for you Keeley, but I will take you any way I can have you. Human, vampire, or some fucking sci-fi alien, I don’t care. As long as I have your love, I will be happy.”
I placed my hand over where his heart lay, my pale skin against the milk chocolate of his own. His black chest hair was flattened by the spray of the shower until I ran my fingers through it. He was beautiful this man/vampire of mine. From the top of his head to the tip of his toes and everywhere in between. I didn’t want to break his heart, but the healing I felt happen when we made love slowly started to disappear when he told me about washing the blood away after my attack.
I didn’t want to feel like this, so lost and alone, when I knew deep down I was loved. But, then I wondered what he really loved. Josh fell in love with a human woman. A devoted mother and daughter. Friend to most, apart from the vampire that took my human life. Was I still going to be the same Keeley Saunders now that I was no longer human? Somehow I didn’t think so.
I didn’t want to give Josh false hope, but I couldn’t stop myself from holding him again. If my world was going to be so utterly fucked up that I didn’t recognise it anymore, I was going to enjoy the love and comfort he offered for as long as I could, before I finally gave up everything I ever wanted.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Freya
Daisy and I had been up for half an hour when we finally decided it was time to wake Daniel. It was eight a.m. and after coming into my room to wake me with a storybook earlier, Daisy had now decided that she wanted to have breakfast in bed with her Uncle Dan.
Millie had made us all a lovely English breakfast of lean bacon, tomato sausage, fried eggs, mushrooms and beans with lots of toast. Leonard and Sally brought it up on two trays, and we knocked on the door to Daniel’s room before Daisy opened it, then ran and jumped up on his bed.
Daniel lay asleep on his front with the covers kicked off towards his feet. Black pyjama shorts clung to his waist and arse; his muscular arms were above his head. He was so sexy like this, and even Sally looked her fill before placing the tray on a side table and opening the curtains.
Dani
el groaned a little at Daisy’s bed bouncing and sunny glow from the window, but then a realisation seemed to hit him, and he asked Daisy to bring the covers up from the bottom of the bed because he was cold. It was perfectly warm in his room, stuffy even. But the reason that Daniel didn’t turn over onto his back until he was covered up didn’t hit me at first, why would it? It had been years since I woke up in a man’s bed, and I had forgotten the fact that men often wake up with what in modern terms is known as, ‘morning wood.’ I was embarrassed. Also, a little turned on. I could scent his arousal and was that...? The scent was faint, but I was sure that he had been masturbating at some point during the night. I felt my nipples pebble against my nightshirt, and I know that he noticed.
Suddenly my mouth became parched, and I felt a little lightheaded. I would need some blood later because I was sure I wouldn’t be able to get through the day otherwise. A near naked Daniel seemed to have got my hormones twisted into knots by doing nothing more than looking as sexy as sin in the bedroom next to my own. I should have moved him further down the hallway because this man was temptation itself.
An age seemed to have passed with us just staring at each other, but Daisy shouting “I want my toast cut into soldiers,” broke into my thoughts.
“Daisy wanted us to eat breakfast in bed, so I arranged for a cooked breakfast to be brought up. If you would sooner it just be you and Daisy, I can eat on my own,” I offered, my gaze holding his own.
“Wow thanks, I’m impressed,” he said, and I heard his stomach growl.
Sally took the tray off the table and walked around the bed to place the tray in front of Dan. She smiled at him and asked, “Would you like me to pour tea for you Daniel?”
He shot her a dazzling panty dropping smile before taking her hand and kissing the back of it.
“No, thank you, though, Sally. It’s not often I get someone wanting to look after me like this. I do appreciate it.”