Once Bitten, Twice Shy

by Scarlett Jade

  He grasped her face again roughly and looked deep into her eyes, grateful for a cloud shifting away from the moon and giving them just enough light in the room for her to see his face. “Listen to me, love,” he cooed. “All is fine. Look, the baby is here. She longs for her mother.”

  Billy knew she fought against his cold hand gripping her jaw, but soon her eyes grew soft and the fight holding her taut suddenly left her. He smiled sadly as she nodded and smiled, taking her daughter into her arms. He undid her hospital gown at the neck and it fell forward, exposing her breasts. She didn't seem to notice as she held Onyx and the baby suckled happily.

  “That's all we need from you right now, Sasha.” He backed away and grimaced as she cried out.

  “Billy, please. Give her back to me. Please, Billy.” He watched as she groveled and wept and she stood reaching forward with her good arm. “What are you doing to me?”

  “You shouldn't have fallen in love with him,” he whispered as he left the room.

  ***

  Jeremy knew he needed to get in touch with some vampires and find out where more of Claudio's hideouts could be. He had no doubt Claudio had Sasha and the baby, and the thought of him creating a super race of vampires chilled him to the core. He couldn't bear to imagine Sasha pregnant with Claudio's child. The motorcycle drove smoothly on the road and the night air whipped through his dark hair and made his eyes water. He saw lights from a town on the horizon and prayed that he'd find what he was looking for. I just need one vampire. Just one.

  He slowed the bike as he came upon the town, pulling over near a patch of trees and skidding to a stop. He shut the engine off and slowly rolled the bike off the road, leaning it against the trunk of a large fir. He jogged back up to the highway and walked into the town like a phantom.

  It was easy to distinguish the sounds of the town. He could hear families watching TV, people making love, dogs barking. It was those sounds that lay under the general noise that piqued his interest. He heard a hunter breathing slowly and he heard the heart rate of prey pick up, so he slipped through the streets like lightning to locate the source. The hunter heard him and let out a feral growl, warning him that this prey was his. Jeremy didn't heed the warning and barreled on, coming face to face with a very hungry and very pissed-off vampire. The man's eyes were amber in the darkness, glowing like sunlit whiskey. His fangs were extended over the neck of a very beautiful young blonde who’d passed out in terror. The smell of urine filtered through the air. The poor girl had pissed her pants.

  Jeremy held his hands up in peace. “I don't mean to intrude on your feeding. I need help.”

  The vampire watched him warily as he opened his mouth wide, the click of his jaw unhinging the only notice before he sank his teeth into the girl's ivory neck. He never broke eye contact as he sucked the young woman's blood. A few moments later, he calmly dropped her to the sidewalk and she fell like an abandoned toy. Her blonde hair was splayed across the pavement and her crystalline blue eyes were bugged out in horror. Jeremy swallowed, reminded of the blonde he’d just finished off only that afternoon. The other man didn't bother to wipe his glistening crimson mouth, he just stuck a hand out. “Victor, at your service.”

  Jeremy smiled tightly and took the proffered hand. Victor's grip was strong and sure, and his hands were icy cold. “Jeremy, at yours.”

  Victor finally wiped his mouth on the arm of the black jacket he wore. “Jeremy…why does that name sound familiar?”

  Jeremy sighed. “Because, my mother is the one who fucked a werewolf.”

  Victor's glowing amber eyes went wide. “Ah…yes. You're the one.” He hissed as though he'd touched a hot stove and turned. “You're the reason for his anger.”

  “Maybe you can help me overturn him. He’s taken something that is mine. He took my blood mate and my child,” Jeremy pleaded, hoping it would convince the vampire.

  Victor turned back and hissed again. “He’s overstepped laws. No vampire takes another's blood mate. Even if he is only half vampire.” Victor tapped a long pale finger against his mouth. “You are having bloodlust, are you not?”

  Jeremy nodded tersely. “Yeah. I'm fighting it.”

  “Why? Be who you are. Accept it. It's much more fun.” Victor grinned, his teeth glistening in the night.

  Jeremy shrugged. “My blood mate is a witch; a human.”

  Victor hissed. “Fuck. You couldn't pick a nice vampire girl? Why make life harder for yourself?” He sighed and shook his head. “Jeremy, Claudio will not give you easily what he’s taken.” He looked around shiftily. “We need to speak…in private. There is much I would tell you, but not here. Too many eyes and ears.”

  Jeremy nodded. “Fine. Let's go.”

  Victor fell in step with him and they walked out of town. Jeremy pointed to the stand of trees. “I have a motorcycle there. We could ride somewhere private.”

  Victor nodded. “Fine with me. I don't want to stay in one place too long.” They walked under the trees and Jeremy slid a leg over the bike.

  “Climb on.” Victor slid on behind him, holding himself ramrod straight. Jeremy started the bike and drove up the ditch to the highway. He glanced back at the vampire behind him. “Where to?”

  Victor blinked. “Follow the road. There’s a safe house just ahead.”

  Jeremy gunned the engine and they flew down the road. After a few minutes, Victor leaned forward and yelled, “The house is on the right.” Turning the bike smoothly, they slid down a driveway to a ramshackle old farmhouse. It had seen better days; all of the windows were busted and it was little more than a pile of tinder. Jeremy shivered slightly, thinking of the compound burning. He swallowed, thirst making his throat ache.

  He parked the bike and Victor climbed off first then Jeremy swung his leg over and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, let's talk.”

  Victor's eyes slid over the landscape, watching and listening. He held a finger up and finally nodded. “No eyes and ears here that shouldn't be. We’re safe for the time being.”

  Jeremy nodded. “What's with the compound? There was nothing there but dead vampires.”

  Victor's eyes went red for a second before turning back to amber. “Claudio intends to use your blood mate to create a new breed of vampire. When he knew she carried your child, he knew he could impregnate her, therefore, he had no need of his regular run of the mill vamps. I got out by the skin of my nuts and only a few others survived. We are keeping in touch, but we've spread far and wide to keep Claudio from getting us too. Your daughter will become one of his leaders, especially if she exhibits no werewolf taint. She's everything he always wanted, a piece of you, the prodigal son. Your mate will become nothing more than a body to carry children.”

  Jeremy roared in fury. “I remember him talking about that when I was a kid, and I'm telling you now it will happen over my fucking dead body.”

  Victor shrugged. “You can't do anything about it. If you go in there with that temper, I'm sure Claudio will fuck her on top of your dead body, if you catch my drift.”

  Jeremy paced, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “I need to know his hideouts. He's got her somewhere.”

  Victor nodded. “His labyrinth is extensive. It’ll be hard to find her on your own.”

  Jeremy nodded. “I know.”

  Victor sighed. “I'll stand with you, brother. I want Claudio to burn. I pledge my allegiance to you. Claudio has become a twisted bastard in his old age and I do not seek to follow those who break ancient laws.” He held out his cold hand again.

  Jeremy stopped and looked at him warily. “We can't do this alone.”

  Victor nodded and kept his hand extended. “I’m aware of this, brother. I’ll get in touch with the others. We need to live without fearing for our lives. Claudio must die. We will stand with you.”

  Jeremy took Victor's hand with no qualms. He needed help. They shook on their oath to stand with each other. Victor pulled a slender phone from his pocket. “Are you calling the oth
ers?”

  Victor nodded. “We’ll meet late tonight to plan and will join you in the hunt for him tomorrow evening.”

  Jeremy nodded. “I'll be going ahead since I don’t have time to waste. I just need a list of places to go.”

  Victor touched his arm. “Brother, you cannot fight him alone.”

  Jeremy grinned, baring his teeth in the moonlight. “I'll die trying, Victor. I'll die trying.”

  Sasha woke to sunlight filtering through a small window. She was on her back on some kind of cot and her arms and legs were tied to the oak posts of the bed with thick rope. She couldn't move more than a fraction of an inch in any direction. Her left arm burned and throbbed, and her fingers were useless; they wouldn't move. She felt sticky from the blood pouring from between her thighs from giving birth and she felt as though she'd been run over by a truck. She turned her head and looked for her daughter in horrified panic. Onyx wasn't there.

  Tears of fear and frustration pooled in her eyes and trickled to the bed beneath her. She screamed, sobs wracking her frame. “Please; Billy, someone, anyone. If you’re out there, please help me. I need my daughter. Please.” She screamed until her throat was raw and she could scream no longer. She took no notice of the blue glow at her fingertips.

  The man watching through a small slit in the door noticed…and his smile widened as he walked away. He moved down the concrete hall and up a set of stairs to the main floor of the house. Billy sat on a worn blue velvet couch, cuddling the baby. She was asleep in his arms, freshly sponged clean, a fresh diaper on her bottom. The man pursed his lips. “Take the child down to her. Enchant her so she doesn’t ask questions. Let the brat feed. Do not untie her. Then come back to me.”

  Billy stood slowly, cradling the infant. He kissed her forehead. “Do we have to keep hurting her?” he whispered.

  The man sneered. “Yes, we do. We want to see just how good her powers are, Billy. We want to make sure this isn't all for naught. She won't die... Yet. Do as you’re told.”

  Billy nodded as he walked down the hall. He stroked Onyx's cheek and she turned her face toward his finger, smacking her rose lips. “Are you hungry, little love? Do you know how important you’ll be one day? I’m sorry we are having to do this to your mommy, though. I'm really sorry. I'll do everything I can to make you happy, little princess. I promise. My life is tied to yours and I’d never let harm come to you.” He opened the basement door and walked down the stairs into the cold, dank hallway that led to Sasha's prison.

  His feet trudged down the cement hallway. He truly hated this; he didn't want to hurt Sasha, she had always been so nice to him when he was human. As he opened the heavy wooden door, her wild black eyes met his in panic. She opened her mouth and squeaks came out. He shook his head and stared into her eyes, enchanting her again. He watched, sadly, as the life and fight drained from her eyes and she became a puppet. He reached behind her neck and opened her gown, grimacing at the stench. She needed to be bathed and a fresh pad put between her thighs. She smelled rotten. He frowned as he peeled the gown back. Her skin was mottled with bruises, the gash on her chin crusted and oozing, and her scalp had a large bump on it from where she'd fallen the night before. Her left arm hung uselessly in the rope it’d been tied with, the bones at an awkward angle. He placed the baby on her chest and the infant suckled happily. Sasha smiled beautifully, the flash of happiness making his heart twist harder. As he switched Onyx to the other breast, he gently touched Sasha’s forehead. This had spun out of control.

  He picked the infant up and put her to his chest. He watched Sasha's features cloud as he stepped back. Tears filled her eyes again and she opened her mouth in a silent scream. “I'm so sorry,” he whispered as he closed the door. As he walked up the stairs to the first floor, he had a brilliant idea. He didn't want his little princess to see such ugliness, and he certainly didn't either. He walked through the house until he found the man in the kitchen, sipping from a cup of coffee. “Sir,” he called enthusiastically. “I have an idea.”

  The man turned to him blandly. “Yes, Billy.”

  “Onyx doesn't need to be down there with her mother. We can feed her formula.” He beamed at his brilliant idea.

  The man sighed. “Billy, of course we can, but the point is to torment Sasha. If you cannot handle this simple job, then I’ll find some other minion to do my bidding. Your life was spared for this purpose. You do understand you can be dispensed of at any time, right?”

  Billy nodded rapidly. “Of course, sir. Forgive me.”

  The man nodded. “Leave me.”

  The next few weeks were much of the same. Billy took the baby down to Sasha a few times a day, occasionally giving her water and injecting the woman with vitamins that the man had ordered him to, the ones that kept her alive. He refused to touch her otherwise. However, the stench was becoming overwhelming. She was urinating and defecating on the thin cot, delirious with fever. He couldn't let Onyx feed from her mother any longer. Sasha was running the risk of making the baby ill at this point. He ran out of the room, leaving the door open in his haste. He pounded up the stairs. “Sir, please. She's so sick.”

  The man sighed. “Fine. I'll go see. Find the brat something to eat.” He stomped down the hall and opened the door leading to the basement. He could smell the putrid stench long before he got to her room. Sasha lay on the filthy cot, her arms and legs purpled and raw from being in one position so long. Her skin was scarlet and she was sweating profusely. She mumbled incoherently.

  He untied her and her limbs fell to the cot, completely useless. He wrinkled his nose at the stench. “Billy, come down here. Leave the brat in her cradle.”

  Billy came clambering down the stairs a few moments later. He gagged at the stench in the air. “Yes, sir.”

  The man sighed. “Lift her. We need to bathe her. I need to make some calls for some help. The boss would not like her in this condition.”

  Sasha turned her head at his voice and opened her black eyes. Her face perked up as she recognized him. “Trevor?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “You came to help us.”

  He smiled wickedly and gripped her broken arm. She screamed silently, her eyes rolling back in her head from the agony skittering through her body. “Hello, Sasha. I'm definitely not here to help you. I'm here to get what my master wants.” He dropped her broken arm and wiped his hand on his pants. “She's disgusting. Get her upstairs and get her cleaned up. I'll be back later.” He turned in revulsion and walked to the door. He paused and threw another order at Billy. “Burn the bed.”

  Billy nodded quickly, his heart drumming his chest. Sasha was sobbing again. His heart wrenched. “I'm sorry…so sorry.” He slid an arm under her shoulders and another under her knees, lifting her quickly. She seemed to weigh so much less than she had just a few weeks prior. His eyes widened as he realized some of her skin was left on the bed. He fought against the bile rising in his throat but lost, dropping her on the floor and bending to retch. The smell was the worst thing he'd ever experienced. He picked her broken body up and carried her up the stairs. Trevor was pacing the floor, yelling into his cell phone.

  He moved quickly down the hallway to the bathroom. He lay her in the tub and turned the water on. She didn't move as he sprayed her with water. He grabbed her wrist and felt for her pulse. It barely fluttered in her wrist. “Sir! She's really bad off!”

  Trevor came down the hall, screaming obscenities. “I know, damn you. I’m trying to get a doctor.” He put the phone back to his ear and yelled to the person on the line. “I don't give a fuck, pay for it. I need someone who won't say anything. Now!” He closed the phone with a snap and leveled Billy with a burning look. “Why did you let her get in this condition?!”

  Billy quivered in fear. “Sir, you never told me to clean her. In fact, you told me not to untie her.”

  Trevor snatched the kneeling Billy by the throat. “Are you fucking mad? You never blame me for a second of this, do you understand me? Not one second. This is
your fault. You were her caretaker. You did not do your job. Claudio will be so unhappy. You better hope we save her.”

  Billy's eyes bugged out at the force of Trevor's fingers on his windpipe. He nodded quickly and Trevor released him. “Yes, sir, I'm so sorry. I–I would never suggest it was your fault.” Billy leaned against the tile wall, gasping for air.

  Trevor smiled cruelly as he turned to leave. “That's a good boy. Wash her. There’ll be someone here soon to care for her. We have to have her ready for Claudio.”

  Billy nodded quickly and turned the water on Sasha again.

  Jeremy and the small misfit band of vampires were searching the wide labyrinth of compounds Claudio used but they were coming up empty each time. Jeremy was losing hope. He’d been slowly transitioning off of blood, and he was bitchy from withdrawal. Being in the company of vampires hadn't made it easy. Each night when they slipped into cities to feed, he’d sit alone in tiny restaurants and shove food in his mouth that he didn't want and couldn't stomach. He still got the shakes and he was losing some of his strength, but he wanted to be clean again when he found them. It had been six weeks since he'd seen Sasha and Onyx.

  Rubbing absentmindedly at his chest, which still ached from blood lust, he wondered if they were okay. He was missing so much time with his daughter that he'd never get back.

  Victor's voice cut across his thoughts. “Twilight is falling, brother. Shall we try again? We are fed and rested.”

  Jeremy nodded. One day I'll find you two. I promise, I'll never stop until I do. Even if it takes me forever, I’ll find you. He took a swig of water from the bottle in his backpack and stretched his arms over his head, wincing at the pain that resulted from the fact that he'd been lifting weights excessively during his downtime. He was trying to keep the same schedule as the full vamps; sleeping on and off during the day, searching at night, and building himself up the rest of the time. He'd done fine searching all day and night when he was still drinking blood, but now he couldn't keep up the pace. He stood and the vamps joined him.