John The Deliverer

by Rhiannon Neeley

  "I was just wondering if you were asleep."

  "No. I'm not. But you should be." He opened his eyes and looked down at her. "Do you need a drink or anything?"

  Maddie nodded, realizing just how thirsty she was. "Yeah. I am pretty dry."

  Raven slid his arm out from under her and eased himself up from the bed. "I'll bring you something. Then you need to get some sleep."

  Maddie felt chilled, now that his body wasn't cuddled up against hers. She pulled the blankets up, snuggling down in the bed. With Raven here, she felt comforted. Safe. She looked around her bedroom. It was so familiar and yet now it had taken on a new meaning to her, now that she had finally found him. Raven had completely chased away the fear and loathing that she had felt after Devlin had left.

  Maddie heard Raven moving around in the kitchen, opening cupboards, opening the 'fridge. She smiled. It sounded good, having someone in the house with her. If only there weren't vampires out to kill her, things would be perfect. Maddie covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. It sounded insane, even to her.

  Raven returned, a glass in his hand. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

  Maddie scooted up, leaning her back against the headboard. Raven handed her the glass. "Orange juice?" Maddie asked, raising the glass to her mouth.

  Raven nodded. "You need the sugar. Especially after losing all that blood."

  Maddie nodded, remembering. She took a sip, then gulped the rest of the glass down, her thirst kicking in with a vengeance. She handed the empty glass back to Raven. He placed it on the nightstand.

  "Are you going to leave?" Maddie asked, watching Raven as he stood and started to dress.

  "Yes. I have things that need to be taken care of. You will be safe. I'm sure Devlin has had his fun for the night."

  Maddie noticed Raven's voice took on a tightness when he spoke of Devlin. "Are you sure? 'Cause it's still a while until sunrise."

  Raven froze. He cocked his head for a moment, thinking. Then he nodded confidently. "I'm sure. I have a feeling that Devlin is busy with some other project at the moment."

  Maddie watched him, hoping that he was right. She didn't think she could take another visit from Devlin. And hadn't she read somewhere that if you're bitten three times by a vampire that you become one? Or was it that you had to drink from a vampire after the third bite? She really was going to have to dig her research notes out, that was all there was to it.

  Raven sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair. "I have to ask you some questions."

  Maddie nodded. "Shoot."

  "I know that Devlin drank from you ... fed on you." Raven hesitated, gritting his teeth. "Did you ... drink from him? Take his blood?"

  Maddie shook her head. "No. Not that I can remember anyway."

  Raven nodded. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. "I don't want to worry you but a vampire bite is nothing to scoff at. There is a poison in their saliva. It gets into your blood. That's why I used the cream on you."

  Maddie's eyes widened. "You... you tasted my blood. From the same place Devlin bit. Is the poison in you now?"

  Raven shook his head. "The cream neutralizes it." He smiled. "I wonder why you wanted me to ... drink though."

  Maddie felt her face flush. "It just was so ... sensual. It was like a craving, one that only you could satisfy."

  Raven looked away. "I've never done that before."

  "Really? Even with your fangs, you've never bitten anyone?"

  "No."

  "Then, how can you pretend to be a vampire? Don't they watch you to see if you ... feed?"

  Raven looked back at her. "That is one thing that I've always faked. I've never let them see me with a victim. I've always disappeared for a time during the night, then when I return, they take it for granted that I've fed."

  Maddie reached up and twisted a lock of his long dark hair around her finger. "Then why did you drink from me?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

  Raven leaned down until his nose almost touched hers. "Because I wanted you inside me. Your essence. Your taste. Your blood."

  Maddie felt herself growing hot again. Damn, he emits pure sex, she thought, his breath caressing her mouth. Maddie tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth down to hers. Their kiss was tender, one of lovers. A gentle brushing of lips, a growing heat slowly moving over them.

  Raven was the first to back away.

  Maddie felt like part of her had been ripped from the rest when his lips escaped hers.

  "I have to go," Raven said, running his thumb over her lips.

  "Come back soon," she said, then drew his thumb into her mouth for a quick suck.

  He smiled at her, withdrew his thumb from her hungry mouth. "I'll be back soon enough."

  He got up from the bed and shrugged into his coat. "Stay home. Stay safe."

  Maddie nodded, pulling the covers back up.

  Raven tapped the jar of cream that he had placed on the nightstand. "Use this again, after you shower."

  "I will."

  Raven winked, then disappeared through the bedroom door.

  Maddie settled herself down into the covers, placing a fingernail between her teeth. She listened as the back door opened then closed. Raven was gone. Vaguely, she wondered where her mangy cat was but then figured Tinker was hiding. Not that she blamed him, what with all the action in the house.

  As she looked around the dim room, Maddie's mind kicked in to full gear. She began to plan her day. And it didn't include staying home and staying safe.

  * * * *

  Raven drove away from Madison's house with the realization he had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. After this situation was taken care of, the destruction of Devlin Morse and his clutch of vampires, along with his brother Eric's rescue, Raven was going to call a meeting of the Unkindness. He would sit the other four members down and tell them he was going to have to retire from the chase. He would switch places with Dirk. Dirk was the youngest, which was why he manned the Unkindness Headquarters but Raven thought Dirk's time had finally come. Dirk would become Eric's partner. Drake and Holt, the cousins, would continue to be partners as always. Until something changed again. John Raven wanted to settle down. With Madison Woods. The only way he could do it, and do it safely, was to 'sit behind the desk'.

  Raven drove by the house where he had found the clutch hiding and saw no movement. He glanced at the clock on his dashboard. Dawn was still an hour away. There was no way he would put himself at risk by entering their lair before dawn. He may look like a vampire and he was strong but he was still human. In a contest of four vampires against one human, Raven knew he wouldn't survive.

  Raven settled down to wait for the dawn, wondering how far gone Eric was. If Claire had fed from him once, it stood to reason she would do it again. Claire could bite him numerous times in a single feeding and it wouldn't effect him. But, a second feeding would. The thought of it turned Raven's stomach. If Claire had used Eric a second time, Eric would need a blood transfusion. A third time ... Raven didn't want to think about that. Raven drove back to his hotel, thinking that he might as well grab a shower while he wanted for the sun to rise.

  * * * *

  Devlin Morse raised his head.

  Dawn would come within the next few minutes. He could feel it in the blood coursing through him. He glanced around at his surroundings.

  It was a house, not unlike all the others on the street. The only thing that made this one different was the outside color--and the inhabitants.

  One of the inhabitants had had the misfortune of answering the door to Devlin's knock a little while ago.

  Devlin looked down at the woman on the couch. He flicked a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. He hated to see hair over a beautiful set of blue eyes like hers. All wide open with fear. A trickle of blood made its way down her neck. Devlin leaned forward and slowly lapped it, leaving her clean as a whistle. He always liked to be tidy.

  The blonde was most definite
ly gone from this world. Devlin cocked his head, staring at her eyes. They were clouded, her essence gone, but the blue seemed so much more intense against the pure paleness of her skin. She hadn't been this pale when she had answered her door.

  But, when you were completely drained of blood, Devlin thought, you don't have a rosy glow.

  Devlin sighed. He wasn't going to have time to return to the lair that housed the Clutch. He was going to have to stay here. Somewhere. Devlin took the woman's wrists and crossed them over her breast. He took a throw from the back of the couch, covered her, and began his search. There had to be someplace that he could hole up for the duration of daylight. He went through the house, flicking on lights. He wanted them blazing.

  Then he began to try the closets. He stepped inside each one and closed the door. The more he tested, the faster he worked. Every closet let in the light from the blazing lamps through cracks in the doors.

  As Devlin strode through the house, searching for a basement access or crawl space, he became angry with himself. He had let himself get into this situation by dawdling with the Woods woman.

  But she had been oh-so-sweet. And he also wanted to taunt Raven. For some reason, Raven bothered him. There was something not quite right about that vampire.

  Devlin moved through the house, opening doors, checking under rugs. He had to beat the dawn.

  Then, as he moved through the hallway, he looked up. There was an attic access. Devlin stretched, grabbed the handle, pulled down the folding stairs and quickly went up. The attic was completely dark, a cord dangling from a bare light bulb. There were also two attic vents. He'd have to block them. Devlin worked fast. He enclosed himself into the dark attic just moments before the sun rose. As he drifted into his monstrous sleep, he remembered the taste of the Woods woman. She couldn't be a hunter, he had decided. She had succumbed to him too easily. Maybe tonight, he would taste her again.

  * * * *

  After indulging in a short nap, Madison took a long, leisurely shower. Her body ached in places she didn't realize could ache. Her breasts were swollen where Devlin's fangs had punctured them. Madison carefully washed them with a soapy cloth, careful not to reopen the wounds. She had Raven's cream sitting on the vanity so that she could put it on when she was finished showering.

  The hot water felt extremely good, pounding her muscles in a staccato massage. She stood with the spray trained on her back for a good five minutes before she turned around and let it spray in her face.

  Although Maddie's body ached, she'd do last night all over again. Well, except maybe for the Devlin Morse experience, she thought, shutting off the water.

  Maddie stepped out of the shower onto the bath rug and began to towel off. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The wounds on her breasts stood out against her skin, an angry red. Maddie ran her fingertips across the wound on her right breast. It felt warm to the touch, but the four puncture holes were scabbed over. The scabs were damp but holding. She patted them dry with the towel. Funny, she thought, most everyone thinks that you get two fang holes when you're bitten by a vampire. In reality, vampires had four fangs, like an animal. Two upper and two smaller lower. Maddie examined her wounds in the mirror. Devlin's upper fangs had punctured her skin above her nipple, the lower fangs, below the nipple. Almost perfectly centering her nipples in the wounds.

  Maddie picked up the jar of cream that Raven had left for her and opened it. She sniffed at it. There was no odor. She wondered exactly what was in it as she dipped her fingers into the thick cream. It had made her skin tingle last night when Raven had massaged it into her wounds. Watching herself in the mirror, Maddie gently rubbed the cream onto her right breast, slowly working it into the wound. Almost immediately her skin began to heat. Then the tingling began. Maddie dipped the fingers of her other hand into the jar of cream and started to work on her other breast, massaging both at the same time.

  Closing her eyes, she pictured Raven, with his intense eyes and long dark hair, working his hands over her breasts as he tended to her wounds. Maddie slid her palms over her nipples, the tingling growing into a craving to be touched. Her nipples were hard buds under her palms. Maddie breathed in, letting herself enjoy the sensations. She continued to massage her breasts, working the cream in until it disappeared. By the time she had finished, her breath was coming in short gasps, her cleft between her legs damp with the delicious sensations she was giving herself.

  Maddie bit her lip and opened her eyes. Damn, I'm horny, she thought. She caught her look in the mirror. Her hands still rested on her breasts, nipples caught between her fingers. Her face was flushed, her eyes had a wildness to them. She glanced down at the jar of cream and licked her lips. It would be easy to get addicted to that stuff, she thought.

  Maddie shook her head and dropped her hands. Enough of this, she told herself. Save it for Raven. You've got things to do.

  With a deep breath, she tried to clear her mind. Her body was crackling with desire but she would not give in to the temptation to satisfy herself.

  She grinned slyly as she washed the remnants of the cream from her hands in the sink. Raven was going to be in for the night of his life though. She couldn't wait to get her hot little hands on that body of his. And maybe, they could incorporate that jar of cream into their session, she thought, drying her hands.

  Maddie ran her fingers through her hair and headed for her bedroom to get dressed. She had lots to do today.

  * * * *

  Raven had waited long enough. He drove to the vampire's lair, parking a block away from the house, and scouted the landscape. It was still early enough so that none of the neighbors were stirring, or at least, not that Raven could see. Raven crept around the house to the back. The back door was locked. He reached in his coat pocket and got out his lock picks. He was going to have to be quick about it. He didn't like doing this type of thing in broad daylight, let alone dawn. He set the bag of tools he was carrying down by his feet and worked on the lock, trying to be quiet. Vampires had a keen sense of hearing, even when they were asleep. No sense in tipping them off that someone was trying to get in.

  The lock gave way to his pick and he eased the door open. Raven retrieved his bag of tools from the ground and moved silently into the house. He closed the door behind him.

  He stood, listening.

  The only sounds he heard were his own breathing and the whirr of the refrigerator motor when it kicked in. Walking lightly, he moved toward a door in the corner and opened it. The door creaked slightly. Raven winced. Waited. He peered down the dark stairway into the basement. Not a sound from below. Raven wondered if Eric had completely turned vampire. The thought of killing his own brother chilled his heart but he'd do it if he had to. Once a vampire, there was no saving your soul. You were damned to a life of eternal monstrous existence until someone set you free by destroying the shell of the body you inhabited.

  Raven began a slow descent into the darkness, hoping that none of them had awakened. He had five solid-wood stakes in his bag. One for each of the vampires. One for Eric if necessary. He hoped he wouldn't need it.

  Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Raven hesitated, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He didn't want to bump into anything and give away his presence. He pulled a small penlight out of his pocket and flicked it on.

  The narrow beam of light speared the darkness. Raven could smell them, lying in the dark, their sour, blood tainted breath contaminating the air. He had to have all of them in one place or it would be for no good. If even one of them wasn't here, he would have to leave without killing the rest. Otherwise, the one escaped would be hunting him tonight. And he couldn't have that.

  Raven moved through the basement, the beam of light leading the way as he searched the nooks and crannies for their sleeping places. He wanted to whisper for Eric, to draw his attention somehow, but it would be unwise until Raven knew just exactly how far gone Eric was.

  The scent of the lair was making Raven queasy as he continu
ed his search. It reeked of rot and dried blood. The odor of vampires.

  He swept the beam of his light back into a corner. There. A large enclosure. It was made of wood, didn't reach the floor joists above and looked totally out of place. This must be it, Raven thought, approaching the enclosure carefully. They must have built it large enough to hold them all while they slept. Raven smiled grimly. Vampires were a truly paranoid breed. If they all slept together, they would all know what the others were doing.

  Raven set his bag down on the floor by his feet. He crouched, unzipping it as quietly as possible. Reaching inside, he pulled out a spray bottle of blessed water, what others would call "Holy Water." Raven kept his in a spray bottle, one that would shoot at least six feet. He didn't want to take the chance of trying to throw a flask of water on a charging vampire. The spray bottle gave him some distance.

  Raven rose to his full height. With one hand clutching the small penlight and the other holding the spray bottle, he moved to the makeshift door of the enclosure. It was made of rough wood, a sliding handle on the outside. There was probably a sliding handle on the inside that was hooked to this one. Raven leaned his forehead against the door and listened. There was the sound of breathing, very light. No movement.

  Raven used the last two fingers of the hand that held the spray bottle to slide back the latch on the door, holding his breath the whole time. He was lucky. The latch had been well oiled. It slid back without protest.

  Raven took a deep breath. He cracked the door open a couple of inches. Then waited.

  No movement.

  Raven place his face up to the crack.

  The odor assaulted him, taking his breath. He fought to keep control of his stomach. He raised the penlight and pointed the beam inside the enclosure.

  The bodies were a mass of tangled arms and legs, all wrapped around each other, not one separate from the rest. Raven played the light over them, hoping it wouldn't rouse them too much. He picked out the faces of the two males, silently baring their teeth as the beam of light sliced across their closed eyes. Then, he found Claire's strangely lovely face. Raven saw her wince as the light caught her, though her eyes didn't open. She had one arm slung over Eric's chest. Claire tightened her grip on him as she shifted position. Raven froze, but she didn't awaken.