by C. L. Quinn
He always woke from the dream erect and wet. Tonight was no different. He rolled unevenly off the saggy couch and looked for the bathroom, but he didn’t see one. Most of these cabins had outhouses, so he pulled on his gear and boots, and forced the door open past snow that blocked it closed.
The snow had stopped, and the early night sky was pitch black, and crystal clear. One thing about living in northern Alaska that put the rest of the world to shame was the night time sky. When the clouds parted, it was a window to heaven. Stars were unbelievably bright and close here at the top of the world.
Daniel trudged through the high snow that tried to rip off his boots, and finally made it to the small shed-like room that held only a deep hole and a couple of rolls of seriously cold toilet paper. He cleaned up quickly, and hurried back to the cabin.
With the door secured, keeping the cold out, he rebuilt the dying fire, and when it was crackling away with nice hot flames, he headed into the kitchen to get something to eat. He found a coffee pot filled with cold coffee, heated up the contents, and downed the sludge. It was what he was used to these days. As he carried a coffee mug and some double-stuf oreo cookies back into the living room, he twisted his neck back and forth. Stiff. Shoulders too. He looked at the small broken down couch that was in as good of shape as the one in his own little house. God, he hoped he could get back to his place soon. It wasn’t even as nice as this cabin, but he did have a big mattress that accommodated his large body. Although the snow had stopped, the accumulation was daunting. Still, he needed to get out of there.
Daniel didn’t think he could spend much time around this woman. Not in his current state. Not without some serious booze. Not with that huge hard-on that would insist on making an appearance every time she did. Yeah, he’d need to get out of there as soon as she came out from behind that closed door.
Eillia pulled her plush robe tighter around her body. She needed to go out and deal with him. But he spooked her. All the more reason to get him back to his own home sooner rather than later. Look at you, vampire. You’re one of the strongest beings on this world and you sit here cowering about a human male. Pitiful!
She smiled to herself. She was extraordinarily powerful. Mentally and physically. Emotionally, she felt everything too deeply. She wasn’t an empath, but she was very intuitive and had a really soft heart. Hamid used to make fun of her sometimes for that very thing. He always told her it was her Achilles heel. He’d been right.
Her clothes were thrown carelessly on a bench at the foot of the bed, so she crawled forward and pulled them on in vampire speed. Okay, time to move the rescued man back to town. She opened the door and looked around the small space. She found him looking out the window. He heard her bedroom door click and turned to her, letting the window coverings drop.
“Hi. Just wondering if it would be safe to go home tonight. Obviously, I wasn’t injured in the accident. Still not sure how. But I think I’ve impinged on your generosity too long.”
“No. No. It’s fine. But, if you really want, I can get you home tonight.”
“I don’t think so. It’s too dangerous. The snow is really packed on. I wouldn’t let you risk it. Not after all you’ve done for me. I might try it tomorrow on my own. Do you have a radio or phone I can use?”
“I don’t. I’ve just never needed one.”
He thought that was a little crazy, a woman alone in such an isolated place with raw weather. Surely it was a bad idea for her to have no access to town if there was an emergency. Or attack. She was a gorgeous woman living in a land populated mostly by men. Many of them here in this inhospitable area for a good reason. He shook his head.
“So you have no way to contact someone in case you need help?”
“I don’t ever need help. Um, I mean I never have. It’s fine.” She hesitated. “Are you hungry? I could make you something.”
“I don’t want to put you out. I did eat some of your junk food while you slept.”
She smiled softly. Daniel couldn’t help himself…he kept staring at her lips. They were so compelling, full, a deep natural blush. He had to stop himself from asking her if he could touch them. With his.
“Well, I’m cooking for myself, and I would be happy to make enough for both of us, so, please, join me if you want. I know my kitchen is small, but you can help chop if you’d like.”
With him there, she would use normal speed for prep, so it would go quicker with two sets of hands. He nodded.
She made a combination of foods she routinely cooked at the Blue Star. After he sampled some, he stared at her.
“This is exceptional. Flavors I’ve never tasted before. Where did you learn?”
“From a lot of people over a lot of years. Recently, just experimenting with spices. I cook at the Blue Star in town. Night shift. I’ve never seen you in there.”
Daniel took a bite because he couldn’t wait to taste the smooth sauce again. “I, uh…I don’t get out at night much. Well, the Wooly Bully, but then straight home. You ever go in there?”
Eillia stared into the pot she was stirring. “Um, no.”
“You should come some night.”
“I don’t think so. I work nights and I’m exhausted in the morning anyway, but thanks. Besides, a girl’s gotta make a living.” Not this girl, not really. “I like my job. It’s nothing I would ever have expected to do in my life, but I do like it.” Eillia realized how true that was. She’d lived a life of privilege for all of her thousand years. This was the first time she had actually lived like normal humans. Tiny, cramped quarters, poor access to necessities, being responsible for a job, no servants. She felt a freedom and sense of accomplishment she’d never really felt before. She did not use any of her vampire abilities in her cooking. It was well and truly her own creation. And she was quite proud of herself.
She tilted her head. “I never really thought about it before this moment. I like working for a living. How very human of me.” Daniel didn’t notice the term.
“Sometimes it’s the only thing that helps a person forget other things in their life that needs forgotten.”
“You’re right. And I’ve needed that these past few months.” She watched him as he ate. Damn, he was handsome. His well-muscled body was not hidden by the tight jeans and long sleeved tee shirt. He obviously worked hard for a living…very hard. Eillia swallowed and turned away. Don’t even think about it, vampire. It’s not the time and he’s not the man.
But when she turned back to him to refill his plate, her eyes landed on his neck, heavily corded, the blood flowing through it just beneath the dark skin, beckoning her. She wanted him. Very badly. She wanted to sink her teeth in that neck and make him bury himself in her. He was too close. She was too hungry. And too horny. Why did he smell so perfect? Why had he, from the very beginning, smelled so familiar?
She filled his plate, and then dropped the pot too loudly in the sink.
“I need to step outside. Please, enjoy the rest of your food.” Eillia hurried to the closet, donned her outside clothes, and almost exploded out the door. She needed some distance or she was going to attack him. Even after she hit the wall of snow that lined the trail to her outhouse, she almost turned back. No, no, no! Not him! There was just something about him that told her she could not remain disconnected. He would not be just a meal or a fuck. She knew attraction was impossible to design…it was either there or not. And she was really attracted to this snowmobiler she’d rescued.
When she reached the outhouse, she jumped to the top of the roof and let her feet dangle off the back side. It was a stunning night. She often came out here with a cup of hot tea or cocoa to watch the northern lights. Having adapted to the cold, she loved to step outside to feel the sharp burn of the ice cold air on her skin. This was by far the most incredible sky she’d ever seen in her many years on this earth. Clouds were common here, but sometimes they went away to reveal black velvet scattered with endless stars, brighter than it seemed possible considering how distant the
y actually were from this tiny planet. Eillia knew most of the brightest by name, knew the constellations and asterisms, the path of the planets as they journeyed across the sky. It amazed her that she’d been alive over a thousand years, and never came here to see the aurora borealis, one of the grandest celestial miracles.
It calmed her tonight and gave her perspective. Her attraction to Daniel, her desire for sex and blood…it meant she was healing. It meant she was reconnecting to her blood, to her spirit amulet that had accompanied her through her entire life. She pulled her jacket apart and touched the amulet that never left her neck. It usually remained invisible, but now it was summoned, it appeared and glowed in response to Eillia’s touch. An amulet belonged to each first blood vampire, and was the center of their power. It guided and protected its wearer. It would bring her home.
She thought of the people she’d left behind, who would think she had been gone all this time. Koen, oldest friend, like a brother. His lovely daughter, Park, who she had just met and fallen madly in love with just before this tragedy. Bas, long time old friend, who had counted on her to help protect his home and loved ones.
Well, she’d protected nothing. She knew they hurt, thinking she was gone like Hamid. But she had done what she could…disappeared to crawl into a hole, to lick her wounds, and try to find a way to go on. And the creature who caused this…he would die a horrible lengthy death if she ever had the chance to avenge Hamid. That would come.
“How the hell did you get up there?!”
Daniel’s voice broke her out of her reverie. Fuck! He caught her somewhere she shouldn’t have been able to go. She jumped down on the opposite side and quickly moved around the side he couldn’t see.
“Um, there’s a step out back. And I’d already cleared it. What are you doing out here?”
He was barely dressed, his coat hanging open, his gloves in his hand as he struggled to pull them on.
“I was worried something happened to you. It’s so cold out here and you’ve been gone a long time.”
“I’m sorry. I’m fine. Just needed the fresh air.”
“Are you ready to come back in now?”
Eillia nodded. She followed him, stepping in the big depressions from his boots. He had big feet and cleared a nice path with them. She watched his back. Straight. Strong. Male. Sexy. She liked the way he moved. He hadn’t pulled up the hood of his parka. She liked his wild dark hair. Even out here, his scent reached her.
As they came back through the door, he stepped aside to let her enter first. His scent assaulted her as the heat of the cabin curled around him. She threw her parka on the floor and pitched her scarf and gloves away. She was breathing hard and her skin was hot. She could feel it, but she couldn’t stop it. She needed him. Now. And she would have him.
He closed the door and secured it, then turned to her.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you, but I was worried about you. Couldn’t let anything happen to my heroine.” He smiled and it sealed his fate.
Eillia launched at him. It took him off guard and he fell back against the door as she began to pull off his parka. He looked surprised for a second, but then he began to help her by pulling his arms out and shoving it to the floor to land on top of hers. She unsnapped his jeans and they both pushed them down, stopping at his boots. He groaned and was surprised when they were gone suddenly. He had no idea how, but his pants were yanked off and joined the wet boots in a puddle on the floor.
Daniel looked up at her as she pulled the rest of her clothes off and stood there naked with her hair flying around her head. God. He’d wanted this dream of her for a year now. She was so much more stunning than his imagination had created. Her breath was coming hard and for some reason she just stood there looking at him now that they were undressed. He didn’t want to overstep his bounds, but he hoped like hell she hadn’t changed her mind. Standing there, fully erect and ready for her, he wasn’t sure he would survive if he couldn’t have her now.
Then he saw tears in her eyes, and his heart broke. What had caused her pain? How were they here, nearly on top of each other, and she was crying?
“We don’t have to…” he started to say, when she walked forward and took his hand. She led him to the bedroom and shoved him down on the bed. He lay still as she climbed on top of him and fit her body against his erection. She did not slide down over him, but slid back to cushion him against her perfect butt. Leaning back, she caressed him, and he almost came right then. Her eyes were closed now as she ran her fingers up and down him. He thought she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life, perched on his body, holding him in her hand, moving her own sex against his belly as she began to match the motion of her fingers. He wanted to be inside her, but this was perhaps the most intimate moment he’d ever experienced. He could wait until she was ready.
Eillia opened her eyes and looked down at him. There was guilt. He wasn’t Hamid. But she wanted him desperately. She couldn’t see her lover anymore. Somehow, this man she did not know filled her mind and she needed him to fill her body. She needed blood. While he was inside her. And she did not want him compelled. She wanted him to truly feel her.
“Can you trust me?” she whispered.
He didn’t know her. And yet he did. “Yes, I can. I’m here…whatever you need.”
He felt her take a deep breath and sigh. “You couldn’t have said anything more right.”
Eillia lifted her body and slid him inside her. He was big, almost vampire big, and he filled her. She cried out at how right he felt. He shouldn’t, but he did. He was just as affected, she could feel it. How this was so much more than sex, she did not know. It was true they were strangers to each other. And yet they fit as if they were meant to be. She would know him. Now.
She rode him for a moment and then leaned down against his chest and moved his long hair off his neck.
“Trust,” she whispered again, and struck. Her fangs tore small holes in his skin and she began to draw. He struggled a little, and then she knew he began to feel the blood euphoria. Sex and blood were inextricably linked for vampires. And when properly introduced, humans could find a similar ecstasy. And she was first blood, so everything was more heightened. She could feel Daniel respond. His arms wrapped around her and he surged into her, their movement now fast and aggressive. She sucked at his neck as her womanhood clenched against his manhood. Breathing raggedly after minutes that felt like hours, they both came together. And she pulled her fangs out as she buried her face against him to let herself spasm and squeeze him until they both dropped together, wet, their bodies wrapped tightly. Neither moved. The cool air around them curled in and replaced the intense heat they had created. Eventually, Daniel reached out and pulled the sheet over them, then brought his hands back around her to keep her warm. Eillia didn’t move. She just kept her head buried against him and drew in his scent. It was different now, merged with hers. It was beautiful…and awful.
How could she feel this way? So soon? She’d wanted him. She still did. But it was too soon to take another lover. Sex, yes. That would have come. But with this man, she knew he was more. She couldn’t face the idea that she could potentially fall in love with him.
Eillia pushed away from him and got out of the bed. “Thank you. Now please get out of my bed.”
He sat up as she pulled her robe around her and folded her arms.
“What was that?”
“Sex. Thank you. It was good. But we’re done now.”
Daniel swung his legs onto the floor and put his hand to his neck. It was still damp, and his fingers came away smeared with blood.
“You bit me.”
“It’s okay. You enjoyed yourself, right? Please, just go.”
Something was really fucked up here. He came over and tried to touch her, but she pulled back.
“No. We’re finished. I’ve asked you to go.”
“But, you’re not alright. What can I do? I didn’t hurt you did I? Has…has someone else...?”
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“No. I’m fine, Daniel. We had a good time. I drew a little blood. It happens during sex. I didn’t hurt you. So. We’re good.”
Daniel could feel her pain. It radiated in waves toward him and he felt it in his gut. Much taller than her, he moved forward, got down on the floor in front of her, wrapped his arms around her body, and his face against her belly. He could feel her tighten, and then suddenly she wrapped her arms around him, too.
“How can I help you?” he asked.
He heard her choke back a sob, and looked up at her. She wasn’t crying but her eyes were wet.
“It was a beautiful thing being with you. But I can’t feel that way. Not now. Not this soon.” She lifted his head and caught his eyes with hers.
“Daniel, you will go into the bathroom and take a quick shower. Wash the blood off your neck. Get dressed and get some sleep on the couch. You will not remember anything we’ve done tonight except that I fed you dinner, you enjoyed it very much, and you were tired and went to bed. Go.”
He got up and went through the door of the little bathroom. Eillia closed it and crawled back into bed, more alone than she’d ever felt.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Daniel wasn’t in the cabin. Eillia came out of her room and he was gone. Where could he have gone? She panicked for a second before she realized he must be taking a bathroom run. She smiled as she thought what a dope she was being. A thousand year old vampire acting like a sixteen year girl. He was fine.
He was fine. After she’d sent him out of her room with a moment of guilt, she’d lain in her bed and remembered every second they were together. Definitely deeper than just sex. She’d felt herself merge with him, more than just their bodies, but their spirits as well. It wasn’t common. Someday, when she was ready to love again, she hoped she would find someone like Daniel. He had the potential to be a vampire’s mate.
Eillia was in the kitchen heating some water for tea when the door came open and Daniel came though quickly. She had to remind herself there was no reason to feel awkward…he did not remember their bedroom visit or her blood meal.