by Jada Turner
“Biting you and having one week in the sun. That is my request to become your Maker. I will be back tomorrow for your answer.”
He ran his hands down her arms gently. Goose bumps popped up along her skin. Loretta watched him then turn and depart, leaving her with a beating heart and an urge to go after him.
She spent the next day writing a large list. Loretta had thought she was done debating her choice but realized that she wanted to go through it one last time before she gave Atlas an answer.
Atlas, the ancient vampire who wanted a week in the sun, would be her in Maker. There was no way to deny the fact that they had a connection together. The way her body reacted to his simple touch was unlike anyone else she had near her before.
Was she getting cold feet? Could she be getting cold feet over this – the thing she had thought she had wanted her entire life? Loretta suddenly wished she had more time to think it over. She wondered if Atlas would give her more time. He had been the only vampire who had come to her and was serious about her offer and wasn’t extremely weird about it.
But Loretta had something that Atlas wanted – her blood. He wanted that week in the sun more than anything which meant Loretta had the upper hand here. If she requested more time she felt confident Atlas would give it to her. She needed to know Atlas better before she agreed to this.
Loretta found herself waiting for him the next night and pretending she wasn’t. She was working on the scroll translation but progress was so slow that she wished she could throw the scroll out. Her cat watched her sleepily. He had hid last night when Atlas was over. Vampires always scared her cat which was the reason Loretta had bought him in the first place. She needed a cat that could instantly sense a vampire in case she was off her game.
It was past midnight when there was a knock on her door. Loretta caught herself making sure her hair was in place before she opened the door. Atlas stood there, this time in clothes so casual it almost looked like he had rolled out of bed. His hair was messy and he had some color in his face that made Loretta aware he must have just fed. His clothes were too big on him and hid his muscles.
“Why are you dressed like that?” Loretta asked, letting him inside.
“I had somewhere to go to today.”
“Where, the clearance section of Dress Barn?”
“I believe they only sell to females.” Atlas replied primly, as if Loretta’s humor was beneath him.
She crossed her arms, “Well, you’ve just fed, haven’t you?”
Atlas was walking around her living room, running his finger along her TV stand as if to check for dust, “Yes, I have.”
Loretta had a million questions about how it was to feed, if the person was okay, how he felt about it, but she shoved them all down and forced herself to say, “I need more time.”
Atlas paused and turned to look at her, “You want more time?”
She felt nervous but pressed on, “Yes. You want that week in the sun, right? Then you have to wait.”
“I thought you had made up your mind when you posted that ad looking for a Maker.”
“Yeah, well, I have some things to settle and figure out before I go for it.” Loretta sounded defensive and braver than she actually felt.
“Upsetting.”
“Why?”
Atlas looked up at her and Loretta could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up a little. The way he looked at her made her knees go weak. It was foolish. She told herself it was only because of how powerful he was and not from any attraction she felt towards him.
But in the back of her mind she found herself thinking about him in that way. Loretta had never slept with a vampire before. She had refused, stating that it would go against her guardian code of sleeping with the supernatural. She didn’t know if that was really a thing or not. She had only refused because it seemed wrong to guard the supernatural and sleep with creatures of the night.
Even when Loretta realized she was serious about turning into a vampire, she had still held off. She could easily see herself, in a fit of passion, agreeing to have the vampire Turn her and she’d be stuck with a Maker she would regret.
But now as Atlas looked at her with a glint in his eyes she usually would shy away from, she felt different. Loretta didn’t want him to look away from her. He had been right about their connection. There was no getting around that.
“I suppose I should leave then.” Atlas said, looking as if he was going to head to the door.
“You’ll give me more time?”
“I want your blood,” He replied, “And I will wait for it.”
“There has to be more to this than my blood,” Loretta countered, feeling another lecture over what she was looking for rising up in her throat, “You said yourself we had a connection and you will be my Maker. You have to –“
“Yes, yes. You have said it all before.”
Loretta frowned and felt a twinge of annoyance. She wasn’t sure if Atlas was taking this as seriously as she was.
It must have crossed on her face because Atlas said, “You think I am not taking this seriously. But I need to remind you that this is not new to me. I have done this before. I know what it takes and what we are getting involved in.”
Loretta fell silent. She knew he was right. He was ancient and probably had Turned many others before. This wasn’t knew to him. Atlas knew what he was getting into. He was looking at her kitchen now with a sort of interest that made her think he hadn’t been invited into many modern homes.
“Do you want to see my bedroom?” She blurted out and then tried not to blush.
Atlas stopped and peered at her. Loretta realized that her heart was hammering in her chest. She had never been so bold before. Usually she let guys come to her and seduce her. Was it even seducing at this point to be so up front about it? But Loretta met his gaze, challenging him. The way he moved, so swiftly and quickly, and the way his eyes would look at her…it was crazy to be suggesting such a thing but Loretta suddenly wanted him more than anything else in her life.
Atlas gave a small nod and Loretta, feeling bold, took his hand in hers. His skin was smooth and cold, like hers would be soon. He trailed after her. Her cat meowed at her feet as she stepped into her bedroom.
“Quaint.” Atlas mumbled next to her.
She ignored the quip and watched as Atlas stepped into her room and began to walk around it slowly, almost taking in every part of it. His eyes darted from one object to the next, as if he was learning about her through what was in her room.
“Being a guardian must be lonely. Stuck between two worlds – humans and the super natural one.”
“Yes.” Loretta admitted, driving thoughts of long, cold nights away.
Atlas ran his fingers over her oak dresser, a thoughtful look on his face, “When you are one of us, you will not be lonely. You will be part of our world,” He raised his eyes to look at her, “And you will be with me.”
Her heart gave a thud and Loretta let it beat. Soon it wouldn’t be beating anymore and she might miss it one day.
“Will our connection help on the lonely nights?”
Atlas moved towards her, “We should find out.”
His hands went along her bare arms, making goose bumps pop up along her skin.
He was about a head taller than her and looked down at her. His eyes seemed a clear blue in the dark light, almost unnatural with how bright they were, and his skin was like ice. In spite of herself, Loretta shivered. Her body reacted in a way it never had with anyone else. Atlas leaned down and pressed his lips against her neck, his fingers trailing up into her hair. Loretta closed her eyes, letting herself get used to his lips pressed there, knowing that soon he would be biting her there.
Instead of a bite, she felt Atlas kiss her neck and trailed his lips down to her shoulder as his hands slid out of her hair and down her back. Her knees felt weak. He was so strong that even if Loretta wanted to break away, she wasn’t sure she would be able to.
“Have you ever been with one of us?” His voice was soft, like a gentle wind blowing through her hair.
Loretta shook her head, unable to speak, her voice failing her. Atlas smiled a little and then she felt as if she was flying through the air. She landed on the bed and found herself staring up at the ceiling, the breath taken out of her. He had moved so quickly! It hardly felt as if Loretta had moved at all but here she was, laying down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Atlas was trailing his hands slowly across a part of her stomach that was exposed by her shirt riding up. The coldness of his hands made Loretta gasp in surprise, which made more of her shirt ride up. She looked down to see Atlas kissing along her stomach, soft, ice kisses that made Loretta let out a small gasp each time.
She knew he was moving slowly on purpose, not wanting to overwhelm her. Loretta closed her eyes and gave herself over to the sensation of him undressing her. She knew she should be blushing or feel worried about sleeping with someone she had just met, but she found that she didn’t care. What Atlas made her feel and their connection was different – and he was going to be her Maker. She wanted to know every part of him.
The cool air pressed against her warm skin and made her eyes flutter open. Atlas was looking down at her. His features had softened and he looked kindly down at her, almost hesitating, as if to ask if it was okay to keep going.
“I want all of it,” Loretta breathed softly, “I want you to show me what it is like…being with someone of your kind when I am still a human.”
Atlas smiled and she saw his fangs for the first time. She felt a thrill go through her. Soon she would have them as well and it wouldn’t just be Atlas who wielded all the power. He bent over and kissed her. She kissed back, pressing her body against him. His kiss was hard and she felt his tongue in her mouth. Loretta was shivering now, the power radiating off of Atlas was enough to drive her into a frenzy. The more they kissed the more Loretta wanted him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him against her. She hated that he was clothed. Kissing wasn’t enough. She wanted more.
Atlas seemed to sense it and broke away from kissing her. He had a gleam in his eye that made her wiggle underneath him.
“Now I will have you.” He said.
And he did.
Chapter Four
Loretta opened her eyes to an empty bed. Sunlight was pouring into her room and she rubbed her eyes. Atlas must have left before sun rise. Loretta saw the clock read a little past ten in the morning. She moved and let out a surprised gasp. Her body was extremely sore. Memories of the night before came back to her, sudden and quickly. Loretta felt herself blush at the thought of them.
Atlas had shown her what vampires did in bed and she was almost cursing herself at waiting to try it for so long. Her body was sore because of the hours they had spent, doing things that she never would have even thought of doing. It had gone on for hours until Loretta had finally moaned in mercy, collapsing into a heap of desire and lust, falling asleep against Atlas.
And now the morning sun light was here, lighting up her bedroom in what was going to be her final day. Last night had sealed it for Loretta. She knew that she would agree to Atlas’s terms and let him Turn her. She would let him become her Maker and give him the week in the sun that he so craved. In return, Loretta would the vampire she had always wanted to be and lived the life she felt she was meant to live.
Loretta knew that this would be the last day that she would be part of the human world. She would spend it doing things outside in the sun before she lost that chance forever. She slid out of bed, marvelling at how sore her body felt from sleeping with Atlas. He had been gentle but she was still human and it showed. She thought of what sleeping with him would be like once she had Turned. Loretta could only imagine at the love making they would experience then. She wanted to go all the way.
She normally never ate by herself but Loretta went to a café down the street and had breakfast outside, right in the sun. The snow was melting and she admired the way the sun would reflect off of it and seemingly glow around her. Now that Loretta knew that this was going to be the final day as a human, she vowed to enjoy it. She left the café and took a long walk around the city, even taking photos with phone.
Was she crazy to be giving it all up to become a vampire? The worry she had felt when Atlas had originally came to her had vanished. Instead, Loretta felt the doubt wash away from her from the night she had spent with Atlas.
The connection she felt with him was almost crazy in nature. How could she feel this way about someone after only a few days? He was going to be her Maker and she had slept with him and had no regrets over it. Her body was sore but it was a sweet soreness that she found herself relishing.
As the sun began to set, Loretta looked out at the river. She was at a park near to watch the sun set. She couldn’t have imagined spending the day any other way. This was how she wanted her last day as a human to be. The sky was dark with streaks of orange running through it. Stars were peeking through the clouds. She took in a deep breath, letting the cold air fill her lungs. Soon Loretta wouldn’t need air either.
She walked home, taking in all she could. By the time she got to her front door, it was almost ten at night. Atlas wasn’t there yet and she stepped into her apartment, shutting the door softly behind her. Everything in her place was still. Her cat was snoring slightly on the couch and Loretta sat down next to him.
Then Atlas moved out of her bedroom and was standing in her living room. Loretta let out a shriek of surprise and leapt up, scaring her cat who took off in a flash.
“How did you get in here?” She demanded, her hand against her chest, trying to catch her breath.
“You invited me in.”
“Yeah, like…three days ago!”
“The invitation stands.”
Loretta let out a sigh and started to calm down, “You scared the hell out of me.”
“I can see that,” He paused, “Sorry.”
“Are you just waiting for me?”
“Yes, that is right.”
With her breathing finally under control, Loretta eyed him carefully. He looked dressed up, wearing a suit that seemed to fit his slim yet strong body perfectly. Was he dressed up because he was going to Turn her? Did he expect her to dress up? Loretta thought back to her closet and hoped he didn’t have any plans. She had nothing to dress up in.
She thought about the way Atlas had moved last night and the pleasure she had felt in bed with him. Loretta tried to fight the blush that she was sure was creeping along her neck. Atlas walked over to her, stopping just inches from her, looking down at her.
“How was your day? Are you sore?”
“Yes, but I’m fine. I don’t mind.”
“The soreness will fade once you have been Turned.” Atlas said, brushing a lock of hair away from her face.
The connection felt electric and Loretta locked eyes with him. Her heart felt as if it was going to burst out of her chest. She suddenly wanted him to kiss her. She wanted it so badly that it made her lips tingle.
As if sensing her desire, Atlas leaned down and kissed her gently. Loretta let out a shudder, her eyes fluttering closed, letting the feel of the kiss sweep away the worry of what was going to come up next.
Finally, he pulled away, “Are you ready?”
Loretta nodded. She was ready.
Atlas had her drive to a graveyard almost two hours away, on a hill that overlooked the city. The city glittered like a jewel underneath her feet but Loretta was too distracted to even notice the beauty of it. This was it – it was really going to happen. The graveyard was so out of the way that she knew no one had been here in quite some time. The road to it had been crumbled so badly that her car couldn’t even drive it. Loretta had had to park it off the road and Atlas took them the rest of the way.
She had said she would walk but Atlas had refused Instead he picked her up and cradled her in his arms and ran. Ev
erything blurred by. Loretta felt as if she was flying. The wind wiped through her hair so hard that she had turned her face to bury into Atlas’s neck instead. She gripped him tightly, terrified he was going to let her go and break her neck somewhere in the trees.
But Atlas had never faltered. Instead, he gripped her tightly and took her to the graveyard safely.
“Loretta,” He said, breaking her out of her thoughts as he handed her a shovel, “We have to dig the grave.”
The two of them worked together – Atlas was naturally a lot faster – and Loretta dug her own grave. The more she dug, the more freaked out she got. What if this went wrong and she died in this hole? But she glanced up at Atlas, who hadn’t even broken out in a sweat from the digging and tried to comfort herself. Atlas was ancient. He knew what he was doing.
When they finished, the wind had kicked up and made Loretta shiver. Atlas moved next to her. She couldn’t seem to stop shivering but she wasn’t sure if that was because of the wind or from what was going to happen.
“Loretta, are you ready?”
She turned to face him, her nerves feeling as if they were going to snap from the pressure. She had never been bitten before. Was it going to hurt? Loretta wanted to ask but the questions seemed to die on her lips as she stared at Atlas.
“I can’t glamor you,” He said, “But I need you to focus on me, okay?”
His voice had lowered to a sensual tone that made Loretta’s knees weak. It was the same tone he had used the night when they had slept together – it made her head feel like it was going to melt. Atlas moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. Loretta was breathing quickly as he trailed his lips down across her cheek.
“I want you to give yourself over to me,” He whispered, “Can you do that?”
“Yes.” She breathed.
There was a sudden sharp pain and Loretta let out a surprised yelp. Atlas had bitten her and was sucking on her blood. But instead of pain she felt slow waves of pleasure rolling away from the bite. Loretta had always read that bites could be incredibly nice if the vampire felt so inclined – she was grateful that he did.