Tall, Dark, and Vampire (Dead in the City)

by Sara Humphreys

“You’re not quite finished,” she rasped as she clasped her hands above her head.

  Olivia arched her back, making her pert breasts jut temptingly toward him. Doug’s gaze wandered over her. He had never seen anyone more beautiful or seductive, and although he dreamed of her forever, he hadn’t really seen her until now. While she seemed like a seductive temptress, she was actually baring herself and putting herself in a position of vulnerability.

  Eyes on hers, Doug shucked his coat and tossed it absently to the side as he inched closer bit by bit, until his leather-clad thighs brushed hers. He hooked his thumbs into the catsuit around her waist and pulled.

  As he dragged it over the curve of her hips, he trailed kisses between her breasts and lapped at one nipple and then the other. Olivia’s body quivered as his tongue ran down the center of her belly, and his fingers rasped over the lush skin on her ass as he bared her to him. He breathed in her musky scent and kissed the silky smooth skin along the inside of her thigh as he stripped her bare.

  Doug dropped the garment to the floor as he rose to his feet and brushed his fingers along the sides of her legs, over her hip, and finally wrapped both hands around her narrow waist. Olivia’s eyes, glazed with lust, stared at him with desire as his hand found its way to the nest of curls, and his fingers slid inside. She gasped and clutched his shoulders as he massaged her clit with his thumb and explored. Her eyes widened as the orgasm built inside, and his dick throbbed with every sweet sigh and sound of pleasure she made.

  Fangs burst in his mouth, and a growl rumbled in his chest. Instead of being horrified, it urged him on. He massaged her bare breast in one hand as he worked the tiny bundle of nerves with the other.

  “Yes.” She whispered his name, and her hands dropped to the fly of his pants, impatiently releasing him. “I want to touch you.”

  When her long fingers wrapped around the length of him, he slammed one fist against the wall, struggling to stop from coming. She ran her hand up and down the length of him, matching his tempo as she ran her thumb over the head and back down again.

  Just when Doug thought he was reaching the brink, Olivia released him from her grasp and smiled. Hands on his shoulders, she pushed him toward the sofa and urged him to sit. Fangs bared, she ran the tip of her tongue along her lips and straddled him.

  Clinging to him, she held herself above the tip of his cock, lingering there for one exquisite minute before finally impaling herself on his shaft. Pleasure slammed into him as she sheathed him with her tight body. Doug cried out, gripped her hips, and suckled her breast as she rode him, fucking him fast and hard.

  She tensed around him, milking him, as the orgasm crested, and her fangs emerged just before she sank them into his shoulder. Doug touched her thoughts with his. Olivia. Carnal pleasure scorched his body in a flash of lightning as he joined her in mind and body—tumbling, free-falling over the edge and into oblivion.

  As he drove into her with one last thrust and the exquisite orgasm rocked him to the core, he could think of nothing but tasting her. Through the brilliant, blinding haze of pleasure, only one thought raced through his mind.

  Blood.

  On a curse, with her nude body curled around him, Doug bared his fangs and drove them into the tender flesh of her breast. Her warm, rich blood coated his throat, and lights burst behind his eyes. It felt as though his heart came roaring to life and beat in his chest once again. He didn’t know how or why—he once again had a beating heart. As her sweet, cinnamon flavor bathed his tongue, all reason dissolved, and the world he knew exploded.

  * * *

  Chapter 13

  Breathless and frightened, Olivia ran through the woods with her hand securely linked in Douglas’s. They snuck away from the village and made love for the first time under cover of the moonlit forest, but someone had found them. In a panic, the two straightened their clothes and began to make their way back to the village quietly, but the distinct sound of footsteps behind them hurried them along.

  “Someone is following us,” Douglas whispered. He pulled her closer in the shelter of his tall, strong body, which only moments ago had been pressed deliciously on top of hers. He leaned against a large oak tree and looked around frantically. “I can feel their eyes on us.”

  Suddenly, an unfamiliar male voice wafted through the air. “You can run, but you can’t hide.”

  Olivia snuggled closer to her lover and gripped his overcoat in her shaking hands. “We must go.” Fear crawled up her back as the forest seemed to come alive. “I’m frightened.”

  “Come.” He gave her a reassuring smile as he pulled her along. “I can see light from the lanterns outside the meeting house. We’re almost there.”

  The bitter wind blew harder, stinging her face and eyes as she ran blindly. It was punishment. She knew it. Punishment for being a sinner and fornicating with Douglas before their marriage, and if her parents found out, they would be horribly ashamed. She knew the risk, they both did, and yet the fear of being caught didn’t stop them. All that mattered was being together.

  One big gust of wind came, blowing her bonnet off, allowing her unruly red hair to fly around her as the crisp fall wind blew harder. Olivia held her heavy skirts in one hand while she struggled to traverse the rocky, stick-strewn path back to town. Her boots, the ones with the tiny heel, the ones she begged her mother for, were not helping her cause.

  She wiped the tears from her eyes just as something swooped down from the trees and blocked their path. The Shadow Man loomed over them like the angel of death, and though most of his face was hidden, she saw his fanged grin. Olivia opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out as Douglas protectively pulled her behind him.

  Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she wondered if this was the devil coming to claim them and make them pay for their sins. The Shadow Man was dressed impeccably and reminded Olivia of English royalty she had heard about from her father. Though it was clear his intent was anything but regal.

  “And what were you two doing out here, all alone?” The man’s voice was deep and so quiet that Olivia wasn’t quite sure if he’d said it out loud, or if she’d imagined it. His dark eyes flicked to Olivia. “A beauty like you should not be out in the woods at night.” His voice dropped lower still. “You never know what might happen.”

  “Leave us, sir.” Douglas’s voice, strong and sure, cut between them. The stranger’s head turned immediately to Douglas, and she felt his body tense as she pressed herself closer to him. “We are expected back in town, and I must be getting Olivia home before her parents set to worry.”

  The man moved toward them slowly, his attentions directed to Douglas, and though Olivia strained to make out his face, she could not. “You will do no such thing.” He was now a few inches away. “You will walk away and leave her here with me, is that clear?”

  Olivia shook with pure terror and clutched Douglas tighter. His body hummed with tension beneath her fingers, and just when Olivia thought she would scream, Douglas defiantly stepped forward.

  “I said, move aside, sir,” Douglas ground out.

  “Fascinating.” Confusion and awe laced the Shadow Man’s voice. “I’ve never before encountered a human who was not influenced easily by my people, let alone immune to our powers of suggestion.”

  “Human?” Douglas’s voice wavered, and he stepped back, keeping Olivia behind him. “We will be on our way, sir.”

  As they attempted to leave, a claw-like hand grabbed Douglas by the throat and hoisted him into midair. Olivia stumbled backwards and fell as he held Douglas against the tree.

  “Run,” Douglas gurgled as he clutched at the hands around his throat.

  Olivia wanted to scream, but still, no sound came. The man leered over his shoulder and hissed, revealing a set of demon-like fangs. Horrified and paralyzed with fear, she watched as he growled and bit her lover’s neck.

  She covered her ears a
nd squeezed her eyes shut, praying it was a horrid nightmare, but she could not shut out the noises the creature made as he drank Douglas’s blood.

  The woods filled with a cry of triumph and then fell silent.

  A gust of wind whipped around her as Douglas called to her weakly. Olivia opened her eyes, even though she was terrified by what she might see. The demon was gone, and Douglas lay on the ground at the base of the massive tree.

  Crying, she scrambled across the rocky ground and cradled his head in her lap. His eyelids fluttered open, and his beautiful blue eyes stared up at her. She sniffled and wiped the blood from his cheek as he struggled to breathe.

  “It will be alright,” she whimpered. “I’ll—I’ll find someone to help you.”

  “Please don’t leave me.”

  “Never,” she whispered. “I am yours for eternity.”

  The life faded from his eyes as his last shuddering breath left his body. Sobbing, she held him in her lap and prayed for death herself. “I don’t want to live here without you.”

  Tears fell onto his long blond hair while she quietly wept. A shadow flew overhead, blocking the light of the moon, and the Shadow Man landed silently next to Olivia, answering her prayers.

  ***

  Olivia woke with a start. Still naked on the couch, covered by Doug’s long coat, she sat up in the safe house room and tried to regain her bearings. They had sex. Sex? That didn’t fucking cover it. Granted, she had only had sex once as a human, with Douglas all those years ago, but it was nothing compared to the combustible experience they shared last night.

  Doug was fully dressed and sitting on the foot of the bed with his arms resting on his knees. Olivia pushed the mass of red curls off her face and held the coat over her nakedness as his brilliant blue eyes watched her with his trademark intensity. Hurt washed over her when she saw the way he was looking at her, and the dream from last night came roaring back in living color. She wondered, fleetingly, if that dream had been shared with him, like so many others.

  “What’s going on?” His voice reverberated through the closed space. His brow furrowed as he stared her down and unknowingly answered her question. “Tell me, Olivia. Just cut the shit, and tell me. That dream I had last night was more like a memory, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say that’s exactly what it was.”

  She rubbed her hands over her face and pulled her hair back, wishing like hell she had a hair elastic. She flicked her gaze to his before looking around the room for her clothing. She stood, tossed the coat aside, and strode in all her naked glory to claim her belongings. She could feel his eyes on her, and to his credit he said nothing, but watched silently as she quickly dressed.

  “There’s something you aren’t telling me.” Doug swung his feet off the bed and stalked toward her as he watched her pull on her coat. He invaded her space, backing her against the wall, and placed both hands on either side of her head, caging her in. “What is it?”

  Her body quivered with fear and anticipation as she studied his ruggedly handsome face. What would he do when he found out the truth? Would he be relieved? Angry? Her hands balled into fists at her side as she reached deep down for the courage to tell him and prepared herself for his inevitable rejection.

  “You—” she whispered in far shakier voice than she’d hoped. “You are Doug Paxton, but three hundred years ago you were Douglas Threadgood, my lover and fiancé. I take it that you shared the dreamscape with me last night after we…”

  She trailed off, on the edge of losing all dignity and jumping his bones, or crumbling into a weeping heap and begging him to forgive her. Her throat tightened with unexpected emotion as she watched the stone cold expression in his eyes soften. Confusion washed over his face, and Olivia cleared her throat. She had to explain before she burst into tears like the sniveling, stupid girl she had been all those years ago.

  “The dreamscape we were in last night wasn’t exactly a dream. It was a memory.” Her voice dropped low. “More specifically, it was our memory.”

  “Our memory.” It came out as a statement, but he still looked at her beneath a furrowed brow. “Are you talking about reincarnation?”

  “Yes.” Olivia nodded as he leaned closer, and she pressed her body harder against the wall. “You look almost exactly like you did all those years ago. If we had a chance to look at your family tree, I bet we’d discover that you’re a descendant of the Threadgood family.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Physical similarities aside,” she whispered, “your soul is unmistakable.”

  “I saw a whole bunch of stuff when I drank your blood, but I didn’t know what to make of it, and it felt like a funky LSD trip. When we made love and I drank from you, there were more images and memories.” His mouth set in a tight line. “And if I didn’t know better, I’d tell you that for about a minute and a half… I had a heartbeat again.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you felt that too,” Olivia breathed.

  “Okay.” Doug nodded slowly, dropping his hands from the wall. Olivia relaxed as he waved for her to continue. “If I can accept that I’m a vampire, then wrapping my brain around reincarnation shouldn’t seem so outrageous. Keep going.”

  “Vincent, or as I called him that night, the Shadow Man, happened upon us in the woods. We snuck off and made love while most of the village was at the social.” Her lips lifted at that part of the memory. “We were to be married that summer, but neither of us wanted to wait that long, and the only place we could get any semblance of privacy was out in the woods at night. Although, you didn’t want to go to the woods because of the social, but I convinced you.”

  Doug folded his arms over his chest, and his face remained a mask of stone as he stared at her fiercely. She wasn’t sure if he was angry, frustrated, or thinking she was nuts, but at least he was letting her continue.

  “Vincent tried to glamour you, and it didn’t work.” She let out a short laugh. “That still aggravates him to this day. He couldn’t figure out why you were immune. Although, now I know how he feels. I tried to glamour you in the dreamscape, but it didn’t work.”

  “I remember,” he said in a barely audible tone. “Go on.”

  “He told me later that when he drank from you, he went into some kind of frenzy. He hadn’t meant to kill you, but there was something about the taste of your blood that sent him over the edge.” Tears filled her eyes, and her throat tightened. “I don’t know how long I sat there weeping with your lifeless body in my lap, but it felt like forever. The next thing I remember, I woke up two days later at his Virginia estate as a vampire.”

  “He turned you after he killed me? And you stayed with him?” He clapped his hands and gave her a sarcastic two thumbs up. “That’s great. Nothing says true love like running off with your boyfriend’s killer.”

  “You have no idea what I felt or what I went through.” Anger flared up her back as she closed the distance between them in a split second and got right in his face, but he didn’t retreat. “He came back that night and turned me, but he didn’t exactly ask. I had no choice but to stay with him. Not only was I alone and clueless about being an immortal, all vampires are tied to their makers for the first century of our new lives. So I was pretty much fucked.”

  She shoved at his chest when he said nothing and continued staring her down, but he didn’t move. The look on his face sent a tidal wave of guilt through her. Did he think she wanted to be what she was? That she watched him die so that she could be immortal and live an eternity without him?

  “Where was I going to go?” She screamed and pounded his chest with both hands before he grabbed her wrists and pulled her against his rock-hard body. “I died when you did, don’t you understand?” The tears fell freely now, but she barely noticed because it felt so good to let it all out, to finally tell him everything. “I thought you were gone forever, and it was my fault. You were attacked right in front of me, and I did nothing but si
t there like some silly, helpless girl, and my punishment was to live an eternity without you—as a monster.”

  He stared at her intently, but if he didn’t say something soon, she was going to scream. Tension hummed in the air, but much to her relief, Doug pulled her into his arms and cradled her head against his chest. I couldn’t save you.

  “That’s why,” Doug whispered as he stroked her hair and rocked her gently. “The reason that you’re rescuing damsels in distress, cats, dogs, and the rest of the world.” He pulled back and brushed her tears away with his thumb as he cradled her face. “You’ve been trying to save me.”

  Olivia nodded as the tears fell. She clung to him desperately, worried that this too was a dream, and he would slip from her grasp like mist in the woods.

  “You blamed yourself? All this time, you blamed yourself for what happened?” Doug placed a tender kiss on her temple and whispered in her ear. “Then I guess I was right…you had my heart before I was even born.”

  “Yes, and you’ve had mine.” She linked her arms around his neck and buried her face against his broad chest. “I swear I wouldn’t have turned you if you hadn’t been dying. You do believe me, don’t you?” She sniffled and pulled back, looking him in the face again. “When the dreams started, I actually thought that it was your ghost visiting me, but when I met you that night at the club…”

  “When did the dreams start for you?”

  “About twenty years ago.” Olivia smiled, hugged him again, and pressed her cheek against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his narrow waist. “Actually, vampires aren’t supposed to dream. I hadn’t dreamed in over two centuries, so when I had the first one, I thought I’d gotten some bad blood. When they happened more frequently and only with you, well, I assumed it was your ghost. At the start of the dreams, you were quite young, and as you got older, the dreams got more… intense.”

  “You’re telling me,” he said on a sigh. “Do you have any idea how often I had to change my sheets?”