Devin sat down next to her and tried to think of the right words to finish his explanation. "You doubt we are meant to be together, despite having your future told to you by multiple sources," he looked at her fixedly, "and despite the things you have seen, and despite what I've told you. But I understand; it is a different reality than what you are used to. So, I have been patient and have tried, slowly, to bring you around to the idea. That's why I used some spells on you." He could see her expression turning from inquisitive to angry. "A spell is what healed your shoulder. It was a fatal wound."
His words made her wince, and she looked at her shoulder. It was just a faint scar now and didn't hurt any longer.
"And you enjoyed my love making, I could tell," he added, with his vampire grin. "And while I couldn't avoid taking your gorgeous body in pleasure, it was making love."
Salena blushed again and looked away from his mysterious black eyes; the truth was, she did enjoy it—a lot.
"The love I shared with Abigail was something the world had never seen before and would probably never see again. People can write all the love stories they want, but this was not just a storybook fantasy, it was transcendent of that. We were bound to one another—destined soul mates—swept up in a magical force that was stronger than both of us and only interrupted by her death. But," he pointed to Salena, "not destroyed. When I bit your wrist in the phone booth, I tasted her blood in you; it startled me, and that is why I ran. There was a familiarity, but I wasn't sure why. Then the second encounter—" He saw the questioning look on her face. "—No, that wasn't a dream either, but you probably already knew that. During that encounter, I saw the physical likeness as well, and that is when I knew you had to be her—or her descendant anyway. Her bloodline still holds that magic; you still hold that magic. It is alive in you for us to intertwine once more."
Salena could only stare at him; she was mesmerized by both his story and his striking features glowing in the morning sun, which was now peaking over the horizon. She had millions of questions, but decided to start with, "Why is Gabriel after me?"
Devin stood up and reached his hand down to help her rise before answering. "Because he wants what I love. He always has. Now, I know you have more questions, and I have more answers, but now we must leave. We must head back toward New Orleans and go to the Gulf of Mexico. I'm going to put out the fire. You can relieve yourself over by that barn," he pointed.
Salena did need to go, so she headed off toward the barn. When she got back, she looked up at him—he was a good nine or ten inches taller than her—"Are we going back to my house then?"
Devin looked remorseful and ashamed. "No, Gabriel destroyed your house, and he would look for us there too." Then, seeing the hurt expression on her face, he added, "I will fix your house for you and replace its contents, so please don't worry."
Somehow, all she could feel was worry. She was full of worry and terror.
"I will carry you again; it's much faster that way. You can sleep some more if you like."
Salena reached up around his neck, and he picked her up again. "Tell me about Abigail, please."
Devin smiled the biggest smile she'd seen on him yet. "Abigail was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, even to this day. Well, until you—you are the mirror image of her, and I should've recognized it that night in the phone booth. I guess my heart had blocked it out after three hundred years of pain and agony. She was beautiful and kind and mischievous and sexy and a terrific mom to her son, Graham."
Salena remembered seeing the name, Graham Saunders, on her family tree.
Devin went on, "She was funny, and vivacious, and full of love and life. It was so wrong of them to condemn her. I wanted to destroy all of them, but Graham needed a place to grow up, and his uncle begged me to walk away. He wanted to move to another village and raise the child without their name being tarnished and following them. So, I walked away out of my concern for the boy." He looked down at her, and she was sleeping like an angel—his angel.
Salena was in the forest again. This time it was light outside. This time there were no terrible creatures following her. Best of all, there was no dark shadow. She looked around and saw a clearing ahead of her, where a woman was walking. As Salena got closer to the woman, she realized the woman looked just like her, but she was wearing clothing from a different century. Salena tried to run to Abigail, but she couldn't seem to get any closer. She had questions she wanted her great-grandmother to answer. She needed to talk to her, now. She had questions about Devin, about her future, and about Abigail's past.
Abigail finally turned in her direction, and she waved for Salena to come closer.
Salena felt like her feet were stuck in the mud, though, and she just couldn't get any nearer. Then suddenly, she felt arms around herself; it was Devin, and he carried her to the clearing and set her down.
Abigail was looking in a different direction, then, and when Salena approached her and turned to see what she was staring at, the scene was shocking. Angry people with torches were heading toward Abigail and shouting, "Witch!" Then they turned on Salena, yelling, "Witch! Burn her alive."
Salena reached for Abigail's hand, so they could run away, but when she grabbed it, Abigail turned to her—exposing vicious vampire fangs—and lunged at her. Devin, meanwhile, stood there and watched.
With a jerk, Salena woke up and just about fell out of Devin's arms. He was able to catch her, though, and maintain his hold before she hit the ground; but then she struggled to get away, so he set her down gently.
"What's wrong?" he was genuinely concerned.
"I will not become one of you! I don't care if she wanted to, I don't!" she was backing away from him now, while shouting, and then broke into a full out run.
When he caught up to her, which was immediately, he threw her over his shoulder, just as he had done before when they had left her dead friend's house. She pounded her fists against his back, just as she had done before too. "I don't know what you're talking about, Salena, but I'm guessing you had a nightmare. I won't put you down until you calm down and tell me what you're upset about."
"I'm not going to let you turn me into a vampire!" she shrieked and continued to pound her fists, even though they hurt from hitting hard muscle.
Now Devin did stop walking, and he put her down but with a firm grasp. "Listen," he stared into her angry, but still captivating, blue eyes, "I'm not turning anyone into a vampire. I've never turned anyone into a vampire."
Salena was very confused. "How could you live with Abigail then? How could you be together? None of this makes sense."
Devin took a deep breath, "Do you remember when I told you Abigail was my savior, but now you are my savior?"
Salena thought about that, "Maybe? I think so."
"Okay, I'll explain. Abigail was my savior because our bonds of love contained a mystical ability; it held a magical power beyond the realm of even the supernatural. It had nothing to do with turning her into a vampire. The strength of our love had the ability to return something to me that I had lost long before we'd met—my mortality. She, through her love, had the ability to make me human again. We were going to be together as humans—both of us."
"What?" now Salena was utterly confused. "How is that possible?"
"The purity of truelove is something that is hard to achieve. Yes, people fall in love, but it's rare to find your soul mate," he explained. "Only with a soul mate, can a human find his or her true enlightenment and transcend beyond the realm of normal human love. But with a vampire, that magic is at least one hundred fold. To turn a vampire mortal again is unlike any magic experienced in either of our worlds. Her love—your love—has the power to return my soul to me."
"Wow, that is intense. But, unfortunately, I'm not in love. I don't see how I could make myself fall in love with a vampire; you kill people, Devin. You killed my friends. In fact, you killed Jane didn't you?"
Devin looked away from her gaze this time, "Yes, I did kill your friend Jane
, because she wanted to interfere by introducing you to Rob; who turned out to be a rapist, nonetheless, and I saved you from him. I understand you are upset about your friend, and I apologize; that's why I left the flowers, which turned out to be a big mistake. So for that, I apologize as well. Our love is more important than that friendship, though, and I had to make you see, without extra interference. You already had your own superstitions and beliefs I needed to overcome; I still do, apparently.
Now, you say you are not in love, but Abigail's love—the love we had shared together—is alive in you. I have felt it, and the Gypsies and priestess saw it. You just have walls put up to block your view of it. Before you now stands not a vampire, but rather a man—a man deeply in love. I knew about your readings because I watched you, protected you, learned about you, and fell in love with you. You carry Abigail inside you; you are Abigail, whether you choose to believe that or not."
Salena thought about that before stating her argument. "No. I can't be Abigail, I am Salena—Salena Abigail Saunders. You can't love me, or say you love me, because of whom you think I am, or because of whom I remind you of. I am not her; this is three hundred years later—a different time, a different place, a different woman."
"A different woman, yes, but it's the same love. It never died, Salena; it was reborn in you. I recently just came back to New Orleans. This is the first time I've been here since Abigail's death. I didn't know why I needed to come back until after I got here. I didn't know why until I bit you. You brought me here, to my place of pain, so I could be reborn; so I can have a soul and live a life filled with love—with you."
Salena shook her head and rubbed her temples. She felt another migraine coming on. How can I respond to this without breaking his heart? You can't force love, yet he's telling her it is there whether she wants it or not. For the past week, she's had everyone telling her how her life is going to be, as if she has no say on the subject. It doesn't seem to matter what she decides; she has to go with what history has decided for her.
Devin understood her turmoil, and he felt bad about it. He wished this were easier for her. He wished he had better explanations and better answers for her. "You must be tired now, and we're almost to New Orleans, so would you like to rest?"
"Yes," she agreed, "A nap sounds great. It's just what I need." They were standing in a grassy plain with nothing else in sight but a small wooded area, so she lay down on the grass and closed her eyes.
"Okay, you rest while I to try to hunt in those woods," he told her.
"You're going to hunt people aren't you?"
"Well, yes, I'm still a vampire for the moment."
Disgusted, she let it go at that and closed her eyes again. It's better he hunts them than her. She heard him walk away just as she felt the pull of slumber.
Gabriel couldn't believe his luck; he had tracked the lovers down, and now his brother had left Salena alone. It would take Devin a long time to hunt down prey in the scarce woods; he should know, he had already been through them. He approached the sleeping lass; she was curled up sweetly on the ground and snoring softly. He lay down behind her and started to caress her shoulder, which made her smile in her sleep; she was thinking her lover had returned to her, no doubt.
Gabriel told her, "Sunteti sub controlul meu," You are under my control. He wanted her aware of the situation but helpless to do anything about it. Then he started to rip her clothing.
Salena's eyes flew open; she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or not, but either way, she didn't like it. At first, she had thought Devin had returned to her and was trying to get her to make love. But then she was turned around to come face-to-face with someone else. He grinned and she immediately recognized him from the vampire tour. He was Gabriel, Devin's brother. She opened her mouth to scream but couldn't—it was almost as if she was drugged—she knew she was under a spell.
"Shh," he told her, "You don't want to do that. Just enjoy." Gabriel ran his fingertips over her body, which was still too heavily clothed, so he ripped them some more to expose her. Then he started planting hot nips on her skin. Kissing was for lovers, and he was not going to be her lover.
Salena wanted to move away, wanted to pull away, and wanted to scream, but she couldn't do anything. She felt like his robot, like his puppet—to do with as he wished.
"Turn over," Gabriel said in a fierce growl. His flesh was rigid for her now. He would use her more than he had ever used a woman before, and when he killed her, it would be so slow. Abigail had denied him, and this woman—her descendent—would suffer for it.
Without any control over her own actions, Salena followed the man's instructions and turned herself over for him. He had already ripped her shorts off, and she felt his molten member prod the opening to her dry womanhood. He wasn't gentle about it either. His thrusts tore into her, and she felt like her passage was on fire. Then a new pain tore into her—his teeth—he'd dug his fangs into the back of her shoulder while he rode her hard. Again, she tried to scream, and again, there was nothing.
Gabriel drove into her with the force of ten men and filled her to the hilt. He rammed her with all his strength knowing, of course, that he was hurting her. Good. He held his thirst off no more and bit down hard into her shoulder. His mouth filled with her warm, sweet blood; her life essence flowed down into his stomach, and he already felt stronger and more virile. Then his fiery culmination was upon him, and he flooded himself into her. Devin's whore absorbed every drop of his seed.
Deciding that wasn't enough of either, though, he flipped her over and continued his onslaught. He pressed her right knee up toward her chest, and then he once again impaled her on his straining shaft. Smiling, he leaned down and kissed her hard on the mouth with his bloody lips.
Salena tried to struggle, to scream, to get away, but she was defenseless. He'd paralyzed her but, unfortunately, not from the pain. Her body was on fire.
Gabriel moved from her unwelcoming mouth to her neck and bit deep, spilling her blood down his throat once again. The delectable liquid made his body glow with excitement and vitality. For the first time, he could understand Devin's obsession with Abigail. Still, he wouldn't have given up immortality for her.
Now, he decided, wasn't the time to kill Salena. It will be more torturous for Devin to find her like this: used, bitten, and almost drained. It will be more torturous for Devin to see that he can't protect any of his women. It will be more torturous for Devin to know that he's a failure. So, after one last small drink from her, he left her lying there, just like that.
Devin was almost back to Salena from his hunting trip. Luckily, he had found a couple of hunters, and one was a female. She wasn't much, but she would have to hold him over until they got back to New Orleans. Now, as he came upon the field, he could sense something was wrong; he could sense Gabriel. He ran across the grassy field to Salena's side. She was lying there half-naked, bleeding, and motionless; his heart felt like it was ripped from his chest, if he was too late...
At her side, he felt a faint pulse. Thank God for that. Her clothes were ripped open, and she began to moan softly. Blood was still escaping from Gabriel's bite marks, so he used a piece of her tattered clothing to press down on the wounds. Again, he had to fight hard to deny his own inner demons, who wanted to drink. Then for the second time in the past forty-eight hours, he thought hard about a spell; there had to be something, anything. Picking her up, he carried her gently into the woods.
Devin looked around the woods for various herbs, roots, or anything that might serve useful. He came across an old willow tree, and that gave him an idea. Laying her gently on the ground, he took some branches from the willow tree, broke them off into twigs, and used the leaves to bind them together—he made a voodoo doll. Hoping this would work, he put the voodoo doll up against her throat and chanted a spell:
Vampiri psihic in noapte
Vampiri psihic care distruge viata mea
Distruge nu mai mult de ceea ce am realiza
Distruge
nu mai mult de ceea ce primesc
Negativitatea nu este binevenit
Rãul nu este binevenit
În mine, în apropiere de mine sau de oameni
pe care îmi locul.
He was chanting a voodoo spell to ward off vampires and their magic. While chanting it, he could tell it was helping her, but he was burning from the inside out; it warded off all vampires. It was hurting him, and maybe even killing him, but it would be worth it to save her.
Salena felt a burning sensation in her shoulder, neck, and between her legs, but it was getting lighter and less noticeable. She had no idea where she was, or whom she was with when she slowly opened her eyes. Once she focused them, she could see Devin lying next to her and writhing in pain. She saw the voodoo doll drop to the ground when she sat up. Then she noticed the cloth covered in blood and her tattered clothing. And then she remembered, with perfect clarity, Gabriel's attack. She shuddered at the memory. But why was Devin in pain? Covering herself as much as she could with her ragged clothes, she rushed to his side and looked into his midnight eyes, and then, for reasons she didn't even know, she kissed him.
Devin felt like his insides were on fire; he felt like he would explode at any second and then, with just her kiss, it was miraculously gone. It was replaced by a feeling of just warmth and a glow. He openly responded to her kiss, pulling her in deep, before rolling her onto her back, and lying down on top of her.
Not knowing if he had been faking or not, and surprisingly not caring, Salena went with the flow of passion and welcomed his embrace, his kiss, and more that she was sure would come. She opened his shirt clutching his chest, and marveled at his powerful muscular frame; he was so incredibly male. She planted heated kisses there while her hands roamed lower on his body—over his taut abs, over his strong hips, to between his muscular thighs—where she cupped his hard male heat. She was once again amazed at the wondrous size of him, and once again, she couldn't wait to have his pulsing sex inside her. This time, though, of her own free will. Was it? It did feel like something was driving her, but it was not like the haze before.
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