“Because if you do, you’ll die. And I’ll have to be the one to kill you.”
Straight up fear stabbed at her, and she took several steps back. Up until right now, she had zero concerns about Carson, no fear of him or worries that he might harm her. But now, with the way he was looking at her, she was terrified. “Wh-what? I mean, why? Is that what happened to Maggie? Did she go there and you killed her?” Marissa’s eyes widened. Was it possible she’d just slept with her best friend’s killer?
“The legends… They’re true. All of them.” Carson stood, and she couldn’t stop her gaze from raking over his body, appreciating the hard lines of his muscles. It was then she noticed how pale he was. How cool his body had felt.
She cupped her hand over her mouth and gasped, shaking her head. “No. You’re telling me there are vampires on that island?”
“Yes.” He grabbed his shirt from the floor and pulled it on. Then he put his jeans back on.
“And…” She swallowed hard, both from fear and uncertainty. She never thought she’d have to ask this question, but here went nothing. “You’re one of them?” Her voice was barely audible.
“Yes,” he said softly. “Get dressed.”
She remained still, staring at him. “You’re a vampire?” The words sounded so ridiculous, the feel of them on her tongue so foreign.
“Would you like some proof?” Amusement teased his voice, that cocky half smirk on his face.
Her heart rate spiked. Part of her did want proof, but another, larger part of her was afraid what he’d do if she said yes. “I don’t know,” she said slowly, “are you going to bite me?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Do you want me to?”
“No!” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “I mean…This is all so crazy. Vampires don’t exist, Carson, and if you’re trying to scare me away from that island so you can hide the fact that you killed my friend, it’s working. But if you think I’m going to give up, you’re—”
Right before her eyes, his face went from handsome to horrifying. His forehead scrunched up, fangs protruded from his mouth, and he made a hissing sound. Marissa screamed and jumped back, her eyes wide. This wasn’t possible. There was no way she was seeing this. It had to be a hallucination brought on by stress or lack of sleep or maybe it was just a good ‘ole nightmare. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, praying when she reopened them, this monster in front of her would be gone.
And he was. In his place stood Carson, the sexy, seductive man she’d just had sex with. “I’m sorry,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t mean to frighten you, but I need you to understand.”
“Understand what?” Her voice trembled. “That you’re a freak?”
“Yes, I suppose I am.” He averted his gaze, and she felt bad for calling him a freak. It wasn’t very nice, and he’d done nothing to harm her.
“Please tell me what the fuck is going on because I have no idea.”
He nodded. “I’ll tell you everything, but first, you have to get dressed because if you don’t, I’m going to fuck you again, and I won’t be so gentle this time.” He stepped to her, and she didn’t move. Then he leaned down, pressed his mouth to hers, and she couldn’t stop from giving into his kiss. It was as if her body was working of its own volition, had a mind of its own.
“Carson,” she whimpered. Jumping back into bed with him excited the hell out of her, but she needed answers first.
He made a growling noise as he unzipped his jeans and freed his cock. “I was sent to kill you, Marissa.” He eased her back so she was pinned between him and the wall. “But all I can do is touch you,” he grabbed her leg and lifted it to his waist before plunging his cock deep inside of her, “be inside of you.”
Marissa cried out and arched into him, her body a slave to his touch. Carson adjusted his footing and lifted her other leg so both of them were wrapped around his waist. And then he pounded into her without mercy, dragging her to the edge without remorse, shoving her over the edge without stopping once to let her come down from her high or giving her a chance to catch her breath.
“I don’t want to kill you, Marissa,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Please don’t put me in that position.” A second later, she felt his release, felt the tremble of his body, the whoosh of breath against her neck as he stilled. He kissed her neck, and she tensed, wondering if he would bite her.
“I need to find Angie,” she said weakly.
“She’s there. On the island. With Jonah.”
Marissa’s heart thundered so hard and fast she was afraid she might have a heart attack right there in his arms. “Is she okay?” Finally, after all these months of searching, she’d found her friend. Angie was so close.
“Jonah turned her.”
“Into a vampire?”
“Yes.” Carson pulled away just enough to look into her eyes. “And she seems happy.”
Angie, happy as a vampire? Marissa couldn’t picture that. “I need to see her, to talk to her.”
“I can’t let you do that. You step foot onto that island as a human, and you’re as good as dead. And I refuse to let that happen.” There was so much possessiveness in his voice, it stunned her.
“What if I step foot on the island as a vampire?” She could not believe she’d just asked that question. She knew nothing about becoming a vampire or living as one – other than she’d have to drink blood to survive. The thought was enough to make her stomach heave.
“Is that what you want? To become like me?”
“I-I don’t know.”
He finally released her and her feet hit the floor hard, like a jolt back to reality. She’d just had sex with a vampire. Twice. But he hadn’t bit her, hadn’t even tried.
“Why haven’t you bit me?” she asked, unsure if she wanted the answer or not.
Carson laughed and shook his head in disbelief. “Believe me, I want to. More than you know, but from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were different. Special.” He smiled and traced her lips with his thumb. “I want to be with you, Marissa, but I won’t make that choice for you.”
“Wow,” she breathed out. Who knew he was such a gentleman? His words swirled in her mind, confusing her more than she already was. She liked him way more than she should considering the circumstances, but hadn’t she been searching for someone to share her life with?
“My Master, Max, knows you’ve been asking questions about us, the island, Angie… He’s worried you’ll cause problems, that you’ll out us. So, he sent me to kill you.”
“So why didn’t you?” He’d had so many chances to kill her, yet he hadn’t shown any signs that he was going to harm her.
“I told you… You’re different, Marissa. I want you, but not in the way I normally want humans.” He grinned, and she smiled back. Putting his finger under her chin, he tilted her head back so she was looking up at him. “If you want me to change you, I will. But if you don’t, then you have to leave here now. You have to go away and never come back and never speak of this to anyone. It’s the only way I can ensure your safety.”
Her heart ached at his words. If she did as he said, that meant she’d never see him again, never kiss him, feel his embrace. She’d never get to see Angie again, either. Marissa pushed away from him and went to sit on the bed. How had she gotten in this situation? It wasn’t fair. How could she choose between the only life she knew and a life that sounded exciting? She didn’t particularly like her job, and the only family she had was a distant cousin she barely spoke to. But on that island… There was her best friend, an eternity of possibilities, a future with Carson.
“If it helps, you’ll forget about me eventually. Humans don’t have the capacity to hold onto memories of my kind for too long.”
She looked up at him, saddened by his admission. “I don’t want to forget about you,” she whispered. It was borderline crazy how attached she was to him already, how she couldn’t seem to wrap her mind around walking away and n
ot looking back.
He smiled sadly. “I won’t ever forget you.”
She believed that, but she also knew he’d move on, find someone else. She couldn’t stand the idea of him being with another woman – human or otherwise. He belonged to her just as much as she belonged to him. Marissa held out her hand to him, which he took, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. The touch sent a shiver through her, cementing the decision she’d been trying to talk herself out of.
“Bite me.”
“What?” He jerked his hand away.
Marissa stood, placed her hands on his chest. “I want you, Carson. I want the life you can give me. I don’t want to leave and forget you. So,” she tilted her head, exposing her neck to him, “bite me. Make me like you. Make me yours.”
She heard his low snarl a moment before she felt the excruciating sting of his teeth digging into her flesh. It hurt, but it was also erotic, and for the first time in months, Marissa was at peace. Everything would be okay. It was a truth she could feel deep to her soul.
THE END
Book 4: Dark Desires
“Ugh, it’s a rough crowd in here tonight.” Miranda said to her co-worker, Angelisa.
“It sure is. Then again, it’s no worse than usual.”
“You got that right!”
“Hey, give me another hot shot!” came a gruff voice from the end of the bar. “And make it snappy, doll.”
Miranda rolled her blue eyes at the guy at the end of the bar as she shouted back, “You’ll get it when I give it to ya, Mike!” Mike was a regular at the bar and he was always rude. Miranda leaned over toward Angelisa and said, “I hate when he gets drunk like that. He’s such an ass.”
“Only to you.”
“Yeah, I don’t get that. I mean the usual crowd in this place is full of assholes, but he seems to go out of his way to be more of an ass to me. I haven’t even done anything. The fucker is lucky if I don’t slip him a mickey to shut him up.”
Angelisa laughed at the prospect of Mike being quite. He was harmless—more bark than bite—but that didn’t make him any less annoying. “Maybe it’s the fact that you’re a blonde?”
“Hey now, not all blondes are dumb. I happen to have a Master’s Degree in English.”
“And yet you work here? Shouldn’t you be teaching somewhere, Miss Smarty-Pants?”
“I don’t like kids. Well, I don’t like OTHER people’s kids. Honestly, I don’t even know if I like kids in general.”
“Yeah, so what are you doing here? These are nothing but overgrown children.”
“True, but they have money. I definitely like money.” Miranda and Angelisa exchanged glasses and then erupted with laughter.
Miranda Stone and Angelisa Beckman have been friends since the fifth grade when Miranda witnessed Angelisa getting beaten up by one of the junior cheerleaders and her friends. Miranda stepped in and broke the head cheerleader’s nose and gave another one a black eye. The two have been inseparable ever since. They even attended the same college, though Miranda attended longer than Angelisa. Angelisa just wanted her Associate’s and to be done. They got an apartment on the upper east side of Union Valley, Pennsylvania after graduation and began working at Ravenstone. Ravenstone looked like a horrible dive bar on the outside, but inside, it was decked out in a gothic style. Chains hung from the ceiling like curtains separating the areas of the interior. The bar was covered in a marbleized black and red dyed shellac. The barstools were covered in a red, sparkly naugahyde. Dark and gothic rock music blared from large speakers that were affixed in the corners.
Many people commented on how Miranda and Angelisa looked like they could be sisters. The only difference was that Miranda had one blue eye and one green eye. She often wore a blue-colored contact to hide the difference despite Angelisa’s insistence that nothing was wrong with her eyes. Both women were tall and medium in build, but Miranda was more toned as she loved to work out. Angelisa was more into comfort, but she remained fit. Her thought process was that if she was healthy, then nothing was wrong with what she was doing. Why fix something that wasn’t broke?
Miranda and Angelisa could pass for twins as both had very similar facial features. Both had a soft, round jaw line, beautiful doe-shaped eyes, a slight up-turned nose, and perfectly shaped ears. The only two differences were the fact that while Miranda was blonde, Angelisa had coffee-brown hair. Angelisa also had brown eyes.
Closing time was fast approaching, so Angelisa did the honors of making the announcement for last call for alcohol. “I’m so ready for this night to be over.” Angelisa said as she wiped the thin layer of sweat from her brow.
“Yeah, me too. Hey, who are those guys sitting over there? Most everyone has left except Mike and his crew, but they’re always here until we get ready to lock up. I don’t know those two. Do you?”
Angelisa looked over to where Miranda was pointing and saw the two men. “No, I don’t know them, but I sure would like to!”
“Angelisa Beckman!” Miranda said sharply. “You’re so bad!”
“What? You wouldn’t like to get to know either one—or both? Personally, I like the dark-haired one, but I’d definitely do them both.”
Miranda stared harder at the two strange men. You know, the one on the right IS kind of hot, she thought to herself. I wonder if they’re the new locals.
“I’ll go let them know we’re closing up.” Miranda said. “You stay here and cool your jets. I’m afraid you’ll have a massive orgasm and embarrass yourself.” Miranda stepped out from behind the bar and walked over toward the two men.
“Hardee har har,” shouted Angelisa as she dried the last of the double shot glasses.
Miranda stopped midstride to stick her tongue out at Angelisa, turned back around, and walked toward the men.
“Be careful to put that to good use!” shouted Angelisa in retaliation. Miranda could feel her face turning red as she flipped Angelisa the bird and continued toward the two men.
***
Zechariah Wingfield and Lucius Blackwood arrived in Union Valley, Pennsylvania last night. They were anxious to sample the local culture. Their current life had led them on the road to a quieter town.
“So, where to tonight?” Zechariah asked. At six feet and five inches tall, Zechariah Wingfield was not a man to be easily intimidated. He appeared to be close to thirty years old, but looks were always deceiving. His raven black hair, appearing tussled and oily, would have normally looked dirty on most men, but on him it looked classic. He let his hair fall into a natural part to the left of the center of his face, and often had to tuck the loose ends of his bangs behind his ears. He and his long-time friend, Lucius Blackwood were discussing plans for their first evening out in their new home.
Lucius Blackwood was fair-haired, which went along very well with his fair complexion. His Irish accent gave him away more often than not, but he discovered as time went on that it was a great way to meet women. When it failed to serve a purpose, he managed to keep it hidden with his American accent. His ability to switch accents also kept things lively—which was good as he often found life boring at times.
“I saw this place as we were driving in last night. It looks like a fairly quiet boozer, but private.”
“Yeah? I don’t know, Luce. I mean ‘quiet’ usually equals boring.”
“Well, we could use a little boring at the moment…especially since you banjaxed everything in the last time. You just had to get in that fight with that arsehole, didn’t ya?”
“What the hell was I supposed to do? Let him rape the poor girl? Someone had to teach him an effing lesson. I’m sure he has done it and gotten away with it before.”
Zechariah had a penchant for vigilantism. He hated seeing people cause harm to others without provocation.
“It never occurred to you to call the police? The others are already after us because of the trail of blood you have left behind ‘saving the world’. I wish you’d quit acting the maggot and grow out of your culchie ways!”
“What the fuck did you just call me?”
“We have been friends all these years and yet you still don’t understand me?”
“That Galway shit you’re blabbering doesn’t suit my palate.”
“Ah, tis a fine man that can understand Galway. They certainly did not make songs about culchie girls, now did they?”
“Argh!” Zechariah exclaimed. “Okay, try English.”
“I am.”
The two men bantered often like this. They have been friends for far too long and have seen far too much for anything to truly come between them, that is, until they walked into Ravenstone that first night.
They walked in and noticed the décor immediately and were a little unimpressed by it. “Not another Goth bar,” Zechariah whined. He looked around and was disappointed by the chain curtains, black painted walls, and red upholstered booths.
“I actually don’t think it’s quite like that.” Lucius said. “Look.” He pointed at the two lovely women behind the bar. Neither were wearing gothic clothes, nor did they have gothic make-up on. “The one with the brown hair is cute, but check out the blonde!”
Zechariah looked to where Lucius motioned and was equally astounded by the beauty that beheld his eyes. She was beautiful. All of her curves were in the right places and her straw-colored blonde hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail with wavy wisps and tendrils that broke free, framing her face. Her full rose-colored lips stood out against her porcelain skin like two juicy red apple slices waiting to be tasted. Zechariah couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into her. His fingers ached to trace the outlines of her beautiful frame.
“Lucius, your description of her does her no justice. She is absolutely exquisite. She looks just like…”
“I know. Don’t say a word. We’re not here to stir up trouble. We’re just here to try to let things die down before we return home. You have to keep your distance. Let’s just sit down and order something so they won’t kick us out for loitering.”
ROMANCE: Vampire Romance Collection (Menage BBW Young Adult Paranormal) (Vampire Shapeshifter Romance Short Stories) Page 8