by Laura Hysell
I lowered my arms, watching Mark lean over the man until his face was inches away. The man moved slowly, pulling his wallet out of his pocket and handing it to Mark. Mark opened it and took the cash out before dropping the wallet back onto the man’s chest. Mark stood up and walked back to me, snagging the gun on his way. He moved up beside me and dropped the gun into one of the pockets of my robe. I yanked on the robe as the weight of the gun pulled it crooked. Mark placed an arm around my shoulders and led me out of the alley, steering me back around to the edge of the Saturday Market.
“Wait here,” Mark said, as we stopped before a bench. “You look a little conspicuous. I’ll go get us some clothes. Don’t move!”
I watched Mark jog over to a clothing vendor, crossing my arms in irritation. I immediately winced in pain and uncrossed my arms. Splinters had embedded in my skin from the bat breaking, and I gingerly pulled the largest one out. Blood oozed out of the open wound and I wiped it off, turning my arm so I could see how bad the injury was. I watched in fascination as the wound closed before my eyes, leaving only a smear of drying blood behind. I frowned, running my finger across the skin. I quickly pulled the other smaller splinters out, but they didn’t even bleed.
I was still staring at my arms when Mark came jogging back over to me, holding a tote bag with clothes. He didn’t say a word, just grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind him. I think I was in shock. My brain certainly seemed to be working slower than usual, and I couldn’t seem to form words. I followed Mark numbly as he led us down the street until we reached a fast food restaurant. We walked in and made our way towards the bathrooms. Mark retrieved a couple things out of the bag, and then left me to go change in the bathroom.
I entered the small women’s restroom and immediately caught sight of myself in the mirror. Wow, I looked terrible! My pale blue eyes were wild and dilated, and my usually sleek blonde hair was sticking up all over. I turned the faucet on and splashed water on my face and arms, eventually sticking my whole head under the sink until I was shivering. I moved toward one of the stalls and looked inside the tote bag. Mark had bought me a long spaghetti-strap dress in a horrific blue cheetah print. No bra, no underwear, no shoes. I plopped the gun into the bottom of the bag and threw my robe in on top of it. I untied the hospital gown and used it to dry my hair off a little before pulling the dress on. The dress was simple, shapeless and thin! Wow, you could practically see everything I wasn’t wearing.
I threw the hospital gown into the top of the bag and pulled the slippers back onto my feet before leaving the bathroom. Mark was leaning against the wall outside the bathroom, waiting for me with a bag of food in one hand, a soda in the other. He was wearing a pair of board shorts, a plain green t-shirt and a pair of flip flops. His eyes took me in, lingering on my chest for just a touch too long before he handed me the bag of food. He slipped his empty arm around my shoulders and led me back outside.
I shivered as the wind gusted, and Mark tucked his arm tighter around me. We walked quickly down the street, turning toward the business center of town. Mark stopped at the edge of a parking garage and handed me the soda. “Be right back. I’m going to grab us a car,” he said before jogging off into the parking garage.
I opened the bag of food and munched on some fries, trying not to think about how he was going to grab us a car. Minutes later a silver four-door car pulled up to the curb beside me, and the passenger door opened. “Get in,” Mark said. I peeked in at him before jumping in the car.
The car was a little old, but seemed to be in good shape and smelled of citrus thanks to the car freshener hanging from the mirror. I buckled my seatbelt in and pulled a cheeseburger out of the bag. I handed it to Mark before grabbing another burger out of the bag for myself.
After Mark and I had finished six burgers and two large fries together, I felt immensely better. Mark was eyeing the bag, looking sad that his four burgers were already gone as he drove us onto the freeway headed north. It was barely noon and already it felt as though a lifetime had passed. A million questions were running through my mind, but I didn’t know where to start.
“So,” I began, and Mark looked at me warily. “How are you alive?” I asked. I sounded casual, as though I was asking about the weather. This was the question that had been in the back of my mind since I’d seen him in the hospital.
Marked barked a laugh and shook his head, but his hands tightened on the steering wheel. I waited patiently for several minutes, until it became obvious Mark wasn’t going to answer me. Guess it’s time to try a new question. “What was that place we were in? You said you knew where we were.”
“I didn’t exactly know where we were,” he muttered, his eyes never leaving the road. I waited for him to explain more, but as before he said nothing. I shifted in my seat and bit my lower lip. This wasn’t getting me anywhere. “Where are we going?” Home was in the opposite direction we were traveling.
He glanced at me, then back to the road. “I have some… friends near here. They’ll be able to help, I hope.”
Hmm, that got me a little bit of an answer. “So, you have some sort of plan?”
“I have a temporary plan, yes,” he said, glancing at me again. “I’m sorry; I just can’t really say anything right now. First thing is to get us safe.”
“And these friends of yours will keep us safe?” I asked, trying not to let my frustration show.
He didn’t answer, but I could tell he was thinking hard about something. Frown lines creased his face and he suddenly crossed several lanes of traffic and pulled into a rest area. He drove to the far end of the rest area, backing the car into a spot and shutting the car off. “I don’t know if taking you to these people will keep you safe or not. Fuck! This is turning into a fucking catastrophe!” he yelled, slamming his hands on the steering wheel repeatedly.
“Well, maybe if you communicated with me as to what’s going on I could help!” I yelled back, my anger finally getting the best of me. “You’ve been acting strange since I unhooked you from those weird IVs.”
“IVs?” he asked, looking at me. “What do you mean?”
I crossed my arms under my breasts, and noticed his eyes being drawn there. “I’ll answer your questions when you start answering mine.”
“Damn it, Isabella,” he shook his head, but his eyes travelled to my breasts once more and stayed there. I cleared my throat and his eyes shifted up to my face, but there was a hunger in them that made my face flush. He leaned across the seat, reaching his hand out toward me. “You are a very infuriating woman, did you know that?”
“You won’t answer my questions,” I replied, my heart pounding in my chest as he drew a fingertip across my lips and down my chin. His hand gently brushed back my hair as he leaned forward. I closed my eyes, waiting for the kiss, but it didn’t come. His hand stopped on my neck and a low growl emanated from his throat.
My eyes shot open, wondering what that growl was all about. He was looking at my throat and growling, and I felt a sudden fear in the pit of my stomach. I tried to push him back, but he held me tight as he leaned in and sniffed my neck. “Who bit you?” he asked, biting off each word.
“What?” I asked, my hand coming up to my neck. Mark moved back from me as I pulled the visor down, examining my neck. Two small dots I hadn’t noticed before were on the side of my neck. I ran my finger along them, but could barely feel them.
“I noticed them before, at the hospital,” he added. I remembered how he’d moved my chin around earlier, examining my neck. Is this what he’d been looking at? “So, who bit you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about? All I see is a couple small dots, Mark. Where do you get the idea that someone bit me?” I asked, turning to face him once again.
“Those dots are bite marks, Izzy. Vampire bite marks. So, who bit you? Who are you protecting?”
Was he insane? Mark was always full of theories, but this was a new one even for him. Vampires? He had to be joking. I touched my neck again, r
emembering the woman from the hospital. “A woman licked my neck,” I said softly, looking Mark in the eyes. “I was in my room under some sort of medication. I couldn’t see anything and I couldn’t move, but I could hear. A woman named Patricia was talking to the doctor, and after he left she kissed me on the neck, and I thought she slobbered on me because then she licked me. I think I would have remembered if she’d bit me,” I added.
He shook his head, “Not necessarily.” He touched my neck again, his fingers sending a shiver down my spine. “Is this where she licked you?”
I nodded and he leaned in close to me again, pressing his face against my neck. My heart began pounding in my chest as I felt his warm breath across my neck. He leaned back and took my face in his hands, staring intently into my eyes. “I think we’d better take this from the top. What happened after we got caught?” Mark leaned back in his seat and I shivered as his warmth moved away from me.
“You mean after you died?” I asked, the words coming out in a choked sob. “I saw them shoot you, Mark. Your blood splattered on my face and you were gone! And then I felt something hit me, and the next thing I know there’s nothing. Then I wake up and I can’t see, can’t move, but I can hear them talking about me. They gave me the vaccine, Mark, but the woman whispered that she switched the batches. She did it in repayment to my brother, or something like that. I don’t know. Everything’s all a blur. I was dreaming again, and again, and everything was confusing. I was wandering around that place, or I thought I was. Then I woke up and I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. Then I found you with these IVs full of some weird silvery stuff in them.” I stopped talking as the tears began pouring down my cheeks as the emotions I’d been holding in came flooding out. Was this even real?
I heard Mark move closer and felt his arms wrap around me, pulling me across the seat to him as I cried. He stroked my still damp hair as tears continued to come until I couldn’t cry any more. Mark turned the heater on, and I realized I’d been shivering. “I’m not dead, Iz,” he whispered, again and again. “I’m right here.”
I pulled away, searching through the fast food bags for napkins to wipe my face with. “You want to explain?” I asked, blowing my nose very unladylike into a napkin.
He sighed and leaned back, running his hand through his hair in one of his usual nervous gestures. “Vampires are real,” he said bluntly.
I looked at him blankly, waiting for him to expand on that. When he didn’t add any more, I asked, “Are you a vampire?”
He laughed then, shaking his head and pointing at the sun. “Nope, I am not a vampire. I’m not actually supposed to say anything unless… well, I guess that doesn’t matter now.” He shook his head, as though he was arguing with himself.
I waited while he battled whatever internal struggle he was going through. After several muttered curses under his breath he finally seemed to come to a decision. “I didn’t die, Izzy, I was just badly wounded. But, the thing is, I heal really fast. I’m not sure who those men were who took us, but they definitely took us to a vampire den.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, taking in his words. “So, the woman who licked me…?”
“Bit you,” he corrected, nodding. “Yes, she’s a vampire. Do you remember her name or anything about her?”
“I couldn’t see anything,” I replied, trying to remember the conversation she’d had with the doctor. “Patricia. Her name was Patricia.” I closed my eyes, remembering the strange dream I’d had of a woman I suspected was Patricia. And then there was the man, all gold and fire. No, I mustn’t tell Mark about him, or the dream.
“And she said she switched batches for your brother?”
I nodded my head, “She said something about her debt to him being repaid.” Thoughts of the man from my dreams invaded my thoughts, his pale muscled body walking through fire. He tossed his blond hair back, smiling at me, summoning me to him. I found my eyes growing heavy as I slipped toward sleep, and the man of fire.
“Izzy! Izzy! Iz!” Mark was screaming distantly and I felt myself wondering why. The man gestured for me to come to him, and suddenly he was lying in a bed of silken red sheets. I found myself walking towards him, admiring the muscles in his chest and the sheer perfection of his body. But I was nothing compared to this man, this god. I am just a simple school teacher. I suddenly felt ashamed, looking down at the plain dress I wore.
Where was my dress? I was standing mere feet before this resplendent man and I was completely naked. I started to cover myself with my hands, but the man shook his head and beckoned me forward. He sat up on the bed and the sheet that had been covering him slid to the floor, revealing the rest of his perfection. My mouth was dry as I stared at him, but he only smiled and held out a hand for me.
Timidly, I stepped forward until I was standing naked before this beautiful man. His eyes were large dark pools and I felt myself falling forward as I looked into them. I reached out a steadying hand, feeling suddenly lightheaded. He grasped my arms and pulled me down onto the bed, his mouth finding mine in an exploratory kiss. His strong hands trailed down my body, caressing intimate places. His mouth moved down my neck and across my breasts, kissing and licking as he moved lower and lower. My eyes fluttered as I gave in to the pure pleasure, angling my body to give him better reach. Just when I thought I’d climax he stopped and removed his hand. I opened my eyes in time to see him climb on top of me, spreading my legs to either side to give him easy access. Wait, what was I doing? I didn’t do this. I’d only been with one man in all my life! I most certainly didn’t sleep with men I didn’t know. Hell, I didn’t even kiss a guy unless I’d been on several dates. I tried to scurry away and he shook his head, prowling after me on all fours. Oh but he was amazing to look at.
No, no, I wasn’t looking at him. I was leaving. I turned on the bed and tried to crawl away, but the bed went on and on. I looked around, but there was nothing but the bed and him. This must be a dream, I thought, but why can’t I wake up. “Izzy, come back to me,” I heard Mark’s voice.
Mark? Where was he? I could hear him, but I couldn’t see him. “Mark!” I screamed, falling off the bed and jolting awake.
Chapter 5
My heart was pounding in my chest and I was panting like I’d just run ten miles. I opened my eyes and looked around, quickly realizing I was not in the car anymore. I was lying on a black leather couch with several thick blankets on top of me, and a man’s arm around me. “Izzy?” Mark asked tentatively. I sat up, pulling the blankets around me.
“Yeah,” I croaked, swallowing hard. Mark handed me a glass of water, which I greedily gulped down. I set the glass down on the coffee table in front of me and looked around. The room we were in seemed to be a small but modernly decorated sitting room, with shiny dark wood floors and several black leather couches and chairs circling around the coffee table. A roaring fire blazed in a hearth along the wall by our heads.
“Are you all right, Iz?” Mark asked, reaching out to feel my forehead.
I leaned away from him, nodding as I pulled the blankets tighter around my body. “Where are we?” I asked. “And how long have I been out?”
Mark dropped his hand and sat up beside me. “We’re at my friend’s house, and you’ve been out for almost two days.”
“Two days!” I screeched, standing up and immediately regretting it as the world tilted beneath me. Mark’s arm was suddenly around me as he pulled me down onto the couch beside him. He tucked the blankets back around my shoulders and pulled me into his arms. I folded my legs underneath me, curling into a ball beside him.
I sighed, letting myself relax into his warm embrace. His hand brushed across my forehead and cheeks, and then curled possessively around me. “You wouldn’t wake up,” he muttered, his voice hoarse.
I tried to turn and look at his face, but he pulled me in tighter so I could hardly move. I lay there for several minutes, letting him hold me. “Did I have a fever?” I asked, thinking about the cold chills I kept getting and the w
ay he kept trying to touch my forehead.
“No, not a fever,” he murmured. “You’ve been freezing cold, and you still feel like ice. I think the last temperature we took you were at 84 degrees. I’m guessing you’re up in the 90s now, but you still feel colder than you should. According to the doctor, your body was basically shutting down. The longer you were out, the more likely...” he stopped talking and cleared his throat, letting the words go unsaid.
A tall dark-haired woman walked into the room and knelt in front of me. She was wearing black slacks and a crisp button-up white shirt. “Hello, Isabella, I’m Dr. Humphry. It’s nice to see you awake,” she said, smiling as she held up a digital thermometer. “I’m just going to take your temperature now.”
“Okay,” I replied as she inserted the thermometer into my ear.
After a moment there was a quiet beep and she removed the thermometer. “Well, you’re up to 91 degrees. I’d say that’s a vast improvement, but you’re not out of the woods yet. I’m going to bring you some nice hot tea to try and warm you up from the inside. How do you take it?”
“Sweet,” I replied, shivering as another cold chill shook my body. I closed my eyes after the doctor left, suddenly feeling very tired.
“Hey, don’t fall asleep,” Mark whispered in my ear, shaking me gently.
I opened my eyes and turned my head, looking back into Mark’s face. His eyes were red with dark circles around them. Another shiver shook me and Mark pulled himself underneath the blankets, so I was lying right next to his warm body. I could feel his chest against my back and his legs intertwined with mine. I peeked under the blanket, seeing I was wearing a thin spaghetti strap nightgown. I reached down and attempted to pull the gown down so it was actually covering my butt and my hand brushed up against Mark’s skin. I was pretty sure he wasn’t wearing clothes, and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks at the thought.