Forest of the Forbidden

by W. J. May

  “Yes, Taylor. I am a vampire,” he said.

  A cold chill shot down my spine as I stared into those glowing eyes and took in those sharp fangs. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Max snarled, then barked fiercely. I glanced up at the blue sky, then down at the lush green grass, then the open patch of woods. They were all real, and so was the creature standing before me.

  “Taylor...” he said.

  My hand trembled as I rubbed my face, my brain still trying to circle around his shocking admission. I couldn’t believe my suspicions had been so spot on. I just stared at him, my feet frozen in place. Right there before me was a real, live, modern-day vampire, a supernatural, mythological, undead creature of the night—and, in his case, day. He was a dead person who existed by drinking the blood of the living.

  I clenched my jaw and grabbed the doorway, trying to swallow the rising panic I felt.

  “It must come as quite a shock to see me this way,” he said.

  “It’s more like a punch in the gut,” I said. I couldn’t stop staring. Part of me wanted to protect him, but the other part was totally freaked out and wanted to call 911.

  “You can control when your eyes and fangs transition?” I asked.

  He blinked. “Yes.” He looked scary, almost deadly, and completely unpredictable.

  I took a step backward, my heart still racing. “Turn it off then!”

  He did, and I was completely baffled as his eyes turned back to light blue and his fangs faded back into normal teeth. I had just eye witnessed a paranormal phenomenon, and I wasn’t even sure how I was supposed to react. It took every effort in me just to breathe.

  All of the sudden, my dog decided he could not stay indoors any longer, and he bolted out the door.

  “Max!” I screamed.

  * * *

  Chapter 21

  Max had run out of the house, and I had no way to protect them. Just like that, Jesse held all the cards, all the power. My breath caught in my throat as Max barked furiously.

  Jesse bent down and stared into my dog’s eyes. “Stop barking and stay right here by me.”

  Max immediately obeyed and lay down next to Jesse’s feet.

  Jesse petted him, then smiled at me.

  “Don’t you dare hurt my dog!”

  “Why don’t you come out and get him?” he asked calmly.

  “Can you promise me you’ll, uh...drink responsibly?”

  “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not even thirsty,” he said.

  We stared into each other’s eyes. It was if he was daring me to walk past the barrier that was keeping me safe. But then another thought hit me: Mom and Dad will be home any minute. I didn’t think he’d hurt them either, but part of me just didn’t know for sure. For all I knew, he’d use them to threaten me to come outdoors. I could only pray he wouldn’t resort to such a horrible tactic.

  It was clear that he hated losing any confrontation and that he wanted to have control over the situation, but I needed to let him know I wasn’t an easy mark. It was almost as mentally exhausting as a game of chess. We stared at one another, each wondering what the other’s next move would be. It was a stalemate, with both of us refusing to budge. In the end, I was sure there’d be no clear-cut winner.

  He motioned for me to come out.

  I glared. “You know why I can’t.”

  He petted Max behind the ears again, as if taunting me. “You’d risk your dog’s life?”

  “You wouldn’t hurt him!” I said. “You love animals.”

  “But when he first ran out here, you thought I’d hurt him. You panicked.”

  “I-I don’t know. I’m so confused! I can’t think straight. I mean, this is a lot to process.” My hands continued to tremble. “Why aren’t you trying to lie to me and get me off your scent? That’s what you should be doing right now. Instead, you’re showing me tangible proof that I can’t deny.”

  “I would try to mislead anyone else, but I can’t lie to you, Taylor—not you.”

  “But you...vampires are supposed to be different.”

  He cocked his head in confusion. “Different?”

  I blinked back tears, trying to calm my racing heart. “You walk around in the sunlight. How is that even possible for your kind?”

  “I am a descendant of the Leyna, a rare race. The word itself means ‘bright and shining light’. We sleep, eat, and walk around in the daytime, but we’re still immortal beings. We can heal also, though not as quickly as normal vampires.”

  “How old are you...really?”

  “Seventeen.”

  “Right. And you’ve been saying that for how many years to get teenage girls to fall in love with you?”

  “I’m really only seventeen, Taylor. And so is Sam and Kierra. Our immortality has only begun.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me all this sooner? I had every right to know.”

  “I would have, but I was worried word might get out. I can’t have all those vampire fans at my doorstep, demanding me to give them the dark gift.”

  I shook my head, then continued, “So you were you bitten by the Leyna this year?”

  His gaze narrowed. “No. I was born a vampire.”

  I gasped.

  “Our race can bear offspring. There’s not many of us, and we’re very rare, only 100 in the world.”

  “Do the other vampires know about you?”

  “Yes, but we take great pains to stay hidden.”

  “Are all the vampires here Leyna?”

  “There’re only a handful of us in this town. The others are regular vampires. The ones you met at the party were from all over the United States, here for a weekend get-together. Most of them are beyond dangerous. You were invited to the party so they could feed on you, but some of them were so drunk that I’m sure they couldn’t have stopped. There were other humans there, too, all of them as clueless as you were about the dangers of a vampire-infested cabin in the woods.”

  “And you condone that sort of thing?”

  “Not at all,” he retorted, “but we’re sorely outnumbered, and most of them are hundreds of years old.”

  “Why didn’t you get us out of the house right away?”

  “If I would’ve dragged you out of there, they would’ve attacked me. I had to play it cool and pretend like I was enjoying the party. I was only there to sneak you guys out.”

  “Why was that guy chasing us?” I asked.

  “He wanted Julie. He had a taste of her blood and wanted more. He tried to fight it off because he didn’t want to worry about any fatalities being reported, but he couldn’t stop himself. I got shot trying to protect you from him and his kind.”

  “What about the wolves?”

  A serious expression came over his face. “I don’t trust them, but for one reason or another, they were protecting us.”

  “When I tried to leave, one lunged at my foot.”

  “They were only trying to keep you inside so Jonathon wouldn’t kill you or Julie. They knew he’d have to leave at sunrise.”

  “So Jonathon survived the wolf attack?”

  “He’s almost 1,000 years old and very experienced. He had no trouble outrunning them.”

  Mixed feelings rattled in my chest. “Will he come back?”

  “No. He went back to Washington, and he apologized. I’m sure he’s out hunting where he lives though.”

  I just stared at him, almost unable to believe it. “I’ve got lots of questions.”

  “And I’ve got plenty of answers,” he said.

  “Do you sleep in a coffin or change into a bat?”

  “No. Those are just myths. Besides, coffins are too industrial these days, not comfortable at all,” he tried to joke, but nothing about the conversation was laughable.

  I couldn’t stop staring at him. Even though I’d suspected him for a while, the whole thing was so hard to believe.

  Worry lines crossed his features. “Say something, Taylor. Anything.”

  �
��I-I can’t believe I was kissed by a vampire.”

  He stared at my lips. “Did you like it?”

  “Yes. I’ve never felt anything so...sexy and arousing, and all you did was touch my lips.” I couldn’t even imagine what an open-mouthed kiss would be like. Pushing my fears to the back of my mind, I took a deep breath and tried to focus. “Do you...drink blood?” I finally found the courage to ask.

  He inched closer. “Are you asking if I’m dangerous?”

  My heart thundered. “Yes. Are you?”

  His brow furrowed as he pondered the question. “I could kill you before you knew what happened. Yes, I can be very dangerous.”

  “So...what kind of vampire are you?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure what that means. I’ve already explained that I’m not a regular one.”

  “Are you the sexy, brooding type with a troubled soul, seeking forgiveness for your sins, or are you more of the scary type, the one who rips into flesh without conscience, ready to devour the whole town? Are you a manipulative vampire or the kind that sparkles?”

  “I’m just Jesse...and I refused to be labeled.”

  “Point taken.” I gripped the doorframe and met his gaze. “Do you have to kill me now that I know your secret?”

  “Why don’t you invite me inside and find out?”

  My voice went flat. “You haven’t told me what you really eat.”

  “Do you really want to know?”

  I swallowed hard against my racing pulse and forced myself to stay calm. The realization was that I was completely and utterly attracted to a paranormal creature who could easily rip my neck apart, and that made me shiver. “I do. I want to know. I need to know, Jesse.”

  “Come outside, and we’ll talk about it,” he said.

  My breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t that dumb. Even though none of it seemed real and I felt like I was living in one of those B-movies I’d downloaded on my iPhone, I wasn’t about to take any chances. “I-I can’t accept this. I’m going through so many emotions right now. Maybe we should take a break for a little while. I just...I’m not sure what’s going on between us, if anything.”

  As soon as the words left my mouth, I was stunned. There I was, on my doorstep, dumping the hottest guy I’d ever known. As open-minded as I tried to be, I simply couldn’t handle who he was. I was suffocating, finding it impossible to breathe as he stared at me with those blue eyes of his.

  “Taylor...”

  I loved the way he said my name, and that made it all the harder. “This isn’t the movies, television, or a novel,” I said. “It’s not just some little road bump. I’ve got a lot to process here. This is huge, and I need some time.”

  His gaze softened. “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere. I will wait, and I will only go far as you let me.”

  He held his hand up, and my palm touched his right at the imaginary line. I could feel the invisible shield, yet I could feel Jesse’s warm hand. Electricity and warmth sparked through my hand, as if I’d touched a live wire. It was weird, something I couldn’t explain it. It was absolutely, 100 percent paranormal.

  “You feel...human,” I said. I worried that I was being slowly sucked in, compelled by the darkness that I was sure lurked inside every single one of us. He possessed a mystery and darkness that drew me in slowly, breath by breath. Though I was weary, I was drawn in by his tall, dark, handsome beauty. But I had to remember one thing, and that was just how dangerous he was.

  “We have more human traits than any other vampire. Even still, I drink blood once a week.”

  “Does that mean you’ll drink mine?”

  He stared down at my neck. “Is that an invitation?”

  “I’d rather you just run your tongue and mouth down my neck.”

  “You have no idea how badly I want to suck and devour your neck...”

  “With your teeth?”

  “With my tongue.”

  “Will you bite?”

  “I’ll lick, suck, and nibble, but I won’t break your skin. You’d enjoy it.”

  The way he stared at me tripled the rhythm of my heartbeat. His gaze was so sensual, so sexy that I could feel my body flooding with heat. “I can imagine your mouth against my neck,” I said, meaning every single word.

  His eyes flickered with desire. “I need you so bad, Taylor.”

  “I need you worse.” More hunger, more need flooded through me, sending goosebumps all over my body.

  “Then let me run my lips up and down your neck and whisper your sweet name in your ear.” When the words froze in my throat, he continued. “Let me give you those sparks and that fiery passion your ex could never give you.”

  My nerves were electrified, dying for his touch, for his kiss.

  “I want to kiss your earlobe, then trail my tongue down your jaw and your neck.” He stared at my mouth. “Just two steps, Taylor. I promise you won’t regret it, but it seems we have a trust issue now that you know my identity.”

  I couldn’t move my gaze from his face. “You’re a bad influence on me, Jesse.”

  Ever so slowly, he leaned as close as he could to the invisible wall. “I could be the best thing you ever had, but you’ll never know if you don’t give me a fighting chance,” he said with great and convincing determination in his voice.

  I couldn’t breathe, and the room seemed to grow hotter and four sizes smaller.

  * * *

  Chapter 22

  I stood inside my house with the door open, safe inside my sanctuary. The vampire couldn’t come in because I hadn’t invited him, one part of the lore that was working to my advantage.

  Jesse looked into my eyes. “I can hear the loud crash of every single beat of your heart.”

  “What!?” I gasped and clutched my chest.

  He stared at me intently. “I can hear your heart beating, racing, thundering.”

  I inhaled deeply to steady my pulse, but it didn’t seem to help much. “What do you want with a mere mortal?” I asked. “Surely entanglements with us are bound to cause you trouble.”

  “Yes, we live by a code that requires our existence to remain secret, and I slipped up by getting shot. But what am I supposed to do? Keep my shirt on for the rest of our relationship? I’ve never desired to tell anyone my secret to before, but I want you to know everything about me. I don’t want to lie to you, to keep secrets from you. You’re special, Taylor, someone who will keep my secrets safe. Why wouldn’t I want to be with a mortal like you? You’re beautiful, funny, caring, intelligent, and...” He smiled. “Do you want me to keep going?”

  “Please do. You’re doing such a fine job.”

  “You’re amazing. And it’s just not your physical beauty. You have a wonderful personality. I’ve never met anyone like you before in my life.”

  Emotion overwhelmed me. “I’m moved. I really am, but what if this isn’t for me? Will you let me go on my merry way? And how can I when I know what’s out there, now that I know humans are at the bottom of the food chain?”

  “What if you were destined to be in my world?”

  “No. I want to grow old, Jesse, and you’re not gonna want me when I’m eighty. I know I’m taking it to extremes, though, ‘cause we probably wouldn’t even last that long.”

  “Who says?”

  “Tell me what to expect...and please don’t sugarcoat it. Be upfront.”

  He let out a long breath. “You’re walking into a major train wreck,” Jesse said.

  “I love your honesty.”

  “I’d be lying if I told you everything will be roses and candy. Nothing about our relationship would be typical.”

  “You know it will be hell, yet you still want me to walk down the fiery path?”

  He towered above me with a desperate look on his face. He peered into my eyes, as if I was his only hope. “It’s your choice, and it won’t be easy, but I can’t stand to be apart from you.”

 
; “Jesse, please tell me you didn’t kill those women I keep hearing about in the news.”

  He sucked in a breath, then let it out slowly. “I didn’t.”

  “If you say you didn’t, I believe you, but have you ever killed anyone? I have to know.”

  “No. I’m not a murderer.”

  “That makes me feel better.”

  “I’m also not perfect, Taylor. A war rages in me constantly between human compassion and the vampire urges I was born with. I feel like I need to make more changes for you to even consider being with somebody like me.”

  “You don’t need to change a thing,” I said. “You’re the most wonderful person I know. When I see how you act with those animals at the zoo, I couldn’t imagine you hurting anybody.”

  He lifted his hand to the invisible barrier, his lips settling into a serious line. “I’m broken.”

  I touched his hand that was resting on the invisible wall. “Who isn’t?”

  He took a deep breath, then continued, “You couldn’t begin to fix me.”

  “Who says you need fixing?” I said. “Perfection is overrated anyway. For me, you’re perfect just the way you are. I want you for you, the guy I’m staring at this very second.”

  “But I’ve messed up, and—”

  “Who doesn’t? Heck, I’ve messed up a million times. When I do, I just get back on my feet and try again.”

  “It’s hard to keep moving forward when life has thrown so many disappointments at me. Sometimes I think I’m, uh...”

  “Misunderstood?”

  His lips pressed into a grim line. “Yes.”

  Our eyes connected, and we held the gaze for a long moment.

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re the only one who gets me.”

  “You get me too,” I said. “We can’t use our mistakes as an excuse to avoid getting back up. We can’t undo the past, but we can always start over again.”

  “Let’s forget all about our pasts.”

  “And begin again...together?” I said softly. “Do you believe in fresh starts, in new beginnings?”