Scent of a Vampire

by Jude Stephens

  You are mine, I won't let you go."

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  I wanted him. I wanted him to erase all of the memories in my head. All of the ugliness. All of the pain. Still kissing him I walked backwards and let us fall together onto the bed. He leaned back and began to unzip my leather pants while looking into my eyes while his dark eyes filled with passion. He slid my pants from me and stared for a minute at the red thong I was wearing.

  He swallowed hard, "Olivia, never in my life have I desired anyone the way I desire you." I stood up and stood before him. While looking into his dark blue eyes, I undid his belt and opened his pants. I pulled them down and was glad to see, as was his custom, he had nothing on underneath. Still looking into his eyes, I slipped to my knees before him.

  "Olivia, no, let me...."

  "I need to do this Roberto. I want to taste you." I took his hard length in my hand. With my other hand I began to lightly stroke him. I smiled a little when he shuddered. I could feel the pulsations begin inside me as I bent my head and ran the tip of my tongue along his length. I heard Roberto moan and I felt the wetness rush to my core. The fire began to race to my nerve endings and my desire turned into a frenzy. I took him deep into my mouth and marveled at the taste of him on my lips. With a roar, Roberto pulled my head back and bent and picked me up and tossed me onto the bed. He pushed open my legs and in one swift motion buried himself deep inside me. I raised my hips up to meet his thrusts and felt my orgasm build. Roberto groaned, "Yes cara. You're so tight and so scorching hot. I want you to come for me, only me."

  He hadn't even finished speaking when I exploded and my muscles contracted and gripped him tight.

  "Dio! Olivia! I'm going to explode!" And he pumped into me twice more and exploded. He stayed inside me but rolled us over so that I was on top.

  "Olivia, if you only knew how much you are beginning to mean to me."

  I kissed his jaw, "Tell me Roberto. Tonight I really need to hear it."

  He rolled us onto our sides and stroked my hair. "I'm not good with soft words, Olivia. I hadn't planned on you. You should have been Alex's. But I look at you and you are the light in my darkness. I know that I should let you go but I'm not strong enough."

  Tears rolled down my face, "I love you Roberto. I've seen you as vampire but I know you as friend, lover and protector."

  I kissed his jaw, his cheeks, his brow and he said, "I am not worthy of your love Olivia but I vow I will spend eternity trying to be."

  He kissed my mouth as he said those last words. Soft kisses. I realized he had once more grown hard inside me. For some reason an image of Alex passed across my mind but was gone the instant that Roberto began to move his hips; rocking us slowly back and forth while he kissed me tenderly and whispered sweet words in my ear.

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  Chapter 19

  I woke up at noon with Roberto beside me. It was nice. We made love several times throughout the night. Some of the times were slow and sweet. A few of the times had been frenzied and wild. I smiled when I remembered Roberto's words. He was a very romantic man. He may not be good at the soft words but he was good at the soft touches. And then another thought came to me, unbidden. My parents. Dead. Pain started to bubble up inside me but I buried it beneath my growing anger. Anger I could deal with. I got out of bed and because I had no choice, I put on my wolf t-shirt and leather pants. I had no idea where anything was but figured I would find out when I left the room. I turned right and found myself in the living room and followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen. There were two men sitting at the table and they both rose when I entered. They both were wearing gun holsters.

  "Good morning, my name is Olivia."

  "Good morning." They said in unison. They were both dark haired and muscular. One stepped forward and stuck out his hand. "My name is Andy and this is Mark. We work for Mr. Valente."

  "Nice to meet you both. Are you the daytime guards?"

  "Yes ma'am we are," Andy answered. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the table with them.

  "So what exactly are your duties?"

  They looked uncomfortable, but I saw Andy shrug at Mark as if to say what harm can talking to her do?

  Andy answered "Well, we check the property every two hours by doing a sweep of the parameter. In between we check the house itself and the dock."

  "Oh there's a dock? Is there a boat here?"

  "Yes. There's a small speed boat." Andy answered again. I wondered if Mark could speak.

  They both stood and Andy said, "If you'll excuse us, we're going to do a parameter check now."

  I stood also, "Can I come with you?" I thought it would be a good idea to know the area better.

  And I was tired of being a passive target for people. I wanted to be proactive about my own safety.

  Andy said, "I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean, I'm not sure if Mr. Valente would like that." I didn't know if Roberto had told them to guard me but I decided to take a shot. "Did he specifically tell you not to allow me to walk with you?"

  "Well no, but..."

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  "Well let's go then." I said.

  Five minutes later, I was berating myself for being a stupid ass. Cripes, my feet hurt in these ridiculous shoes that Leeds bought me.

  The property was lovely though. It was spread out over several acres, Andy told me. The immediate area around the house consisted of well-maintained lawns. In the back of the house were steps that led down to the dock, which Andy informed me sat on Lake Ontario. There was a nice sandy beach that was private. The shoreline was wooded and I didn't see another house in either direction. I inquired why there were no more houses in the area and Andy explained that Roberto owned the whole eastern shore.

  "Holy Cow!" I exclaimed and Andy laughed. When we went back up to the house I spotted a patio area with some benches. "You guys go on ahead. I'm going to sit here for awhile."

  Andy nodded and turned to continue his check. He took a few steps and turned back, "Olivia, I'm sorry about your parents."

  Tears gathered in my eyes and I nodded. He turned and went back to work. The tears came then. I cried for my loss. I cried for all of the times I had felt embarrassed because my parents were different. I cried because I wouldn't be able to have a funeral for them, though I suppose that they wouldn't have wanted that anyway.

  They would have wanted to be cremated and their ashes spread in the mountains. How they had loved all things in nature. We would often take trips, when I was a girl, to the Adirondacks for hiking and camping and what my Mom would call her nature walks. We would walk hand in hand and she would point out plants and animals and teach me about them. The memories were painful and unbearable. The pain felt like a living thing inside me. I couldn't handle it. It was beginning to make me sick to my stomach, so instead I tried to focus on my anger. The orange ball of fire began to grow in the pit of my stomach. The Guardians, playing God, the Guardians taking lives of beautiful people, the Guardians wanting to destroy me and everyone around me. The anger inside me felt good. It made me feel strong. It made me feel powerful. I never had a feeling like this before. It was a euphoric feeling. I liked this. Now this I could work with. I went back into the house and got another cup of coffee and found some bagels in the fridge, which I toasted and ate. I looked around in some of the kitchen drawers and found a tablet and some pens. I began to make a list of things I needed to do. I always felt better making lists. Andy and Mark walked in.

  "I made a fresh pot of coffee." I said as Mark went to check the rest of the house.

  "He doesn't talk too much does he?" Andy laughed, "No, but when he does you better listen.

  He is an ex-navy seal and one of the best I've ever worked with." Andy got himself a cup of coffee and sat down.

  "How long have you worked for Roberto?" I ask
ed him.

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  "I've worked for him for five years now but my family has worked for him for generations. His family and mine have been good friends over the centuries. We help his family with things like security and he helps our family financially." He answered.

  "So you don't have a problem with what he is or other species?"

  Andy looked at me, "No. I truly believe all things serve their purpose and who am I to question it?" I smiled at him since he had mirrored my own thoughts,

  "So you know about me then?"

  Andy went over and poured another cup of coffee. "Yeah, Juan filled us in last night. So you are the long awaited Sensay?" He said, looking at me more closely.

  "Long awaited?" I questioned.

  "Yeah, it's been predicted that a Sensay would be born who would be the key to a balance among species." He said while staring at me.

  I felt uneasy at his words, "Predicted? Are you saying that I am some part of a worldly destiny?

  And predicted by whom?

  I have to tell you Andy, I'm new to all of this and I'm not sure I believe in predictions and destiny." Andy laughed, "Yeah and I bet a few days ago you didn't believe in vampires either."

  I rolled my eyes at him to let him know I didn't think he was all that funny and he laughed harder. Mark walked in then, silent as ever, and sat down for some coffee. After a short while it was time for them to go back out on patrol. Andy asked if I wanted to walk with them, but I declined. I needed to get some decent shoes first. While they were out I checked out the cabinets and found enough food to make a half decent meal for them when they got back. By the time they entered the kitchen, I had a plate of steaming pasta set out for both of them. I had found a bottle of wine and had opened that too.

  Andy looked surprised and asked, "You did this for us?"

  "Yeah, I enjoyed it. It made me feel normal for the first time in days." I smiled at him.

  He smiled back, "Let us go check the house quick and wash up and we'll be right back."

  They were back in a few minutes and we all sat down to eat. We talked about mundane things, like the local attractions and where we went to school and then halfway through the meal Mark, without looking up from his plate said, "Food's good."

  Andy and I looked at each other and burst out laughing and that's when Roberto walked in the room. Andy immediately stopped laughing. I jumped up and went over and kissed Roberto soundly on the lips, "Good morning sweetie or good evening I should say. We were just having Scent of a Vampire – Jude Stephens

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  dinner. Would you like to join us?" I was confused. Andy looked at us in astonishment with his mouth gaping, Roberto was stiff in my arms and Mark just kept eating. Then Roberto seemed to shrug and tightened his arms around me and bent me backwards and kissed me thoroughly and said, "Good evening piccolina. I see you met the boys."

  "Yeah, we've been sitting here getting to know each other. Have a seat and I'll get you a plate."

  I smiled at him. He smiled back and sat down. They started talking about the property and Andy gave him security updates. I sat a plate in front of Roberto and sat back down in my chair. I was startled when Roberto reached over and pulled my chair closer to his. Andy raised his eyebrows at the action, but said nothing. Juan came in a few minutes later and I jumped up to get a plate for him but he waved me back down. "I can help myself."

  Under the table Roberto put a hand on my thigh. He didn't move it at all. It just sat there, but I was so aware of what actions that hand was capable of. I became warm and my mind couldn't stay on the conversation until I heard Juan say Alex's name.

  "Do you have a plan yet Roberto?" Juan asked.

  "Not exactly. We have no way of knowing where they took him." Roberto answered.

  "We still have someone on the inside. We can get information from them. Why don't you contact him or her?" Juan asked.

  "Absolutely not. I don't want to compromise their position on the inside. It took us years to get someone in." Roberto stated.

  Juan looked as if he would argue but instead said, "We have to do something. We can't just let him die." I listened to all I could. "We are not going to let him die at the hands of those bastards. I can find him. I know I can." It got quiet and then Roberto said, "I believe that you think you can Olivia but you are not fully into your powers yet. You've just scratched the surface. If you were a full Sensay we may be able to track him, but as it is..."

  "He took my blood." I said not wanting to look at Roberto. There was shocked silence at the table. I forced myself to look at Roberto's face. His face was a mask of fury and he would not look at me. He stood and grabbed my arm and took me outside.

  We walked all the way down to the dock in silence. There he spun me around and forced my head to the side. He sucked in his breath when he saw the faint marks on my neck. "That sonofabitch," he swore. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

  "I didn't think it would matter." I said.

  "Did he say anything?" he asked. I thought of all of the things that Alex had said to me. All of the sweet, intimate things and to tell Roberto would feel like a betrayal.

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

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  "When he bit you? Did he say anything as he did it"?

  I thought back and remember him saying something about offering his life.

  "No. He didn't say anything." I lied. Roberto looked relieved but still not happy. I felt like I needed to explain, "Alex lost a lot of blood. We weren't in a place where we could hunt and my only other option was to lure someone to the room and I couldn't do that. I was the only option."

  Roberto turned away and asked, "Did you enjoy it?" I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him and rested my head against his back, "I'll be honest with you. It was pleasant and there was some sexual tension and he became excited. I was able to control myself and we did not have sex. I wouldn't do that to you." He turned in my arms. "Ohhh, piccolina. It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that you're so new to your Sensay abilities it would be easy to get carried away. And Alex did have a claim on you."

  I began to get a little angry, "I'm not going to pretend to understand your vampire ways but no one has a claim on me. I am my own person and I make my own decisions."

  "I'm sorry Olivia, of course you are. It's one of the things I admire the most about you."

  He wrapped his arms around me. "We have only known each other a short time and we have much to learn about one another."

  What he said was true. It was only five days ago that I walked into his casino.

  Roberto bent his head down to mine. "I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know you cara. But right now, I must feed and then we need to go shopping."

  "Shopping?" I questioned.

  "Yeah, I'm tired of every guy staring at your ass in those leather pants. I am going to buy you some very baggy clothes." He teased.

  I laughed and said, "Yeah, some decent clothes would be nice, though I do like these leather pants. They make me feel like a bad girl."

  Roberto sucked a breath in when I rubbed myself against him. "Mmmmm, maybe you should keep them after all. Though I really need to go feed. Juan is waiting for me," he said in a reluctant tone.

  I wanted him to understand the depths of my feelings for him so I suggested seductively, "You can bite me if you want to. I would like it." I looked at him through half closed eyes. The thought of Roberto biting me made my knees go weak. I felt Roberto grow hard against me and my body responded by a rush of wetness between my thighs. So I was shocked when he stepped back and said, "I would love nothing better than to slide my cock deep inside you and Scent of a Vampire – Jude Stephens

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  sink my fangs into your neck or better yet between your creamy thighs. The thought of if drives me mad with lust." He shivered, "But you shoul
d know Olivia, that taking blood is something very special among my people. When I take you in that way, I want it to be perfect for both of us." I was disappointed, but also touched that he wanted it to be more than just sexual gratification. Though, at the moment sexual gratification would have been just fine with me.

  We walked back up to the house where Juan was waiting. Andy and Mark were nowhere to be seen.

  "Did Andy and Mark go home?" I asked. Roberto said, "They are close by, but they are off duty right now. They normally sleep and then report back here just before dawn to get a briefing.

  We will only be gone for about a half an hour. Why don't you get ready to leave by then?"

  "All right." And since I didn't know what else to say I added, "Happy hunting."

  Roberto laughed. Juan turned and walked out. I was getting a definite vibe from Juan. I raised my eyebrows up in question to Roberto and he sighed. "Alex and Juan are very good friends. He is upset over Alex's capture."

  "He blames me doesn't he?" I asked. Roberto looked like he didn't want to answer that. "Well, he isn't alone. I blame myself too. I promise you though; I know I can find him. You just got to trust me on that."

  Roberto placed a kiss on the top of my head. "I do trust you piccolina. Don't be so hard on yourself. We'll be right back."

  When he left, I sat down on the chair in the kitchen. Roberto trusted me. But I hadn't been totally honest with him. Well hell, I actually lied to him. Alex had said words to me when he bit me. "I take what you give to me and offer you all that I have." I didn't understand what compelled me to lie. I honestly couldn't remember having consciously told a lie before. I had a feeling that I would come to regret not telling Roberto the truth.

  Chapter 20

  When Roberto and Juan returned, I was ready to go. Roberto excused himself and left me alone with Juan. I felt uncomfortable and didn't know what to say, so we said nothing. When Roberto returned he asked, "Are you ready to do some shopping?"

  With a look of regret at Juan I answered, "Yes." We went out to the SUV and Juan got in the driver’s seat. When Roberto opened the door for me he said, "Don't worry piccolina, it will work out." He closed the door and got in up front beside Juan. When we were on our way he turned to look at me and said, "Its a few miles until we get to Oswego, we might as well talk about our plans on the way." I leaned forward, "We got plans?" I asked.