My stomach dropped when I realized I was hundreds of feet above the ground. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around Marcus’s neck and snuggled into his chest. As we flew through the night, I felt as if I were being transported on a soft - magical cloud.
His cool fingers slid beneath my chin, and gently lifted so that I was looking at his face.
He was so valiant - so handsome; it was difficult to believe that I was looking at a creature of the night.
But before he was a night creature, he was a Viking warrior, and that’s the Marcus I was seeing now.
His radiant eyes pulled at me - urging me to give up myself to the soul that I saw reflected in those eyes.
I couldn’t resist the yearning that took hold of me. I wanted - needed to taste his lips again.
Running my hand through his hair, to the back of his head, I brought him closer to me, and brushed his lips with mine. When our lips met, it was like being jolted with thousands of volts of electricity.
Marcus’s tongue slid into my mouth and he took possession of the desire I’d managed to keep in check, until that instant. His kiss sent waves of sweet erotic music coursing through my veins. My tongue danced with his - feeding his desire with my own.
Against a backdrop of twinkling stars and a night filled with the magical light of the Harvest Moon, he took possession of my heart. From that moment on, through every beat of my heart and every breath I took, my essence would be entangled with his - our hearts would always long for the ultimate joining of two souls.
The air rushed passed me as we descended from the heavens, coming down on a moonlit knoll, covered with a blanket of soft grass. It could have been a bed of rocks for all I would have noticed. I was too caught up in the sensations ripping through my body.
His lips slid from my mouth to my cheek. Feeling his breath against my skin made my heart race even faster.
Marcus gently laid me on the grass and stood there staring at me for the longest time. It was thrilling just to look at him - to take in the vision of him standing against the magnificent full moon – to see the wind playing with his long blond tresses. In that moment, it was easy to believe he’d come to me straight from the divine - a Nordic god come to take me away to some enchanted snow-covered kingdom.
He came down on me, his lips seeking mine. The savage hunger in his kiss sent me sailing through the heavens once again, only this time it was with the pure ecstasy of being in his arms.
I felt his hands gently gliding my dress up my legs and waist. Our kiss ended long enough for him to lift the dress over my head. My bra and panties came off next. The light in his eyes grew brighter as his gaze raked over my bare skin.
Suddenly his large hand was sliding up my stomach until he reached my breasts. His fingers were magic, as he proceeded to caress and squeeze my tingling - erect nipples. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I felt his moist tongue circling my hard buds, and then his teeth bringing me sweet pain.
I gasped, surprised by the pure eroticism of that pain.
His hands gently moved down to my hips, and then to my thighs. He gently pushed my legs apart so that he could explore my inner thigh.
The fire in his touch, and the anticipation of where his fingers would go next, was enough to send shivers of sensation over my body. As his fingers drew nearer to the wet heat between my legs, my impatience grew, becoming explosive.
Finally I felt him part my swollen damp folds, and could not stop myself from crying out. His expert touch brought me to even higher levels of ecstasy, until I was ready to beg him for release.
Tonight his growls were of a different kind of hunger - a hunger that I longed to feed.
For a brief moment he was gone, but when he was again beside me, I felt no clothing, just bare skin and his stiff arousal against my leg.
The moment he entered me, we became as one in exquisite harmony. A harmony that is only possible with the joining of the soul, as well as the body.
The feeling of his throbbing flesh moving deep within me was enough to send a torrent of fire over every inch of my body. I needed more of him, and I would get it by wrapping my legs around his waist to pull him even deeper into me.
“I’ve waited so long for you,” he whispered softly against my neck.
Gradually his rhythm increased until his lovemaking became almost savage in nature. I was thrown into a tsunami of sweet agony, and then pure rapture. My entire being exploded with sensation, and the earth tilted. My world was filled with him, and only him.
He stiffened as his hot passions spilled into me, sending another hurricane of pleasure ripping through my core. As my heart slowed, I found that for the first time in my life, I was filled with an amazing sense of completeness.
Still resting within me, he wrapped me securely in his arms, kissing me with so much tenderness, I thought my heart would burst.
For the longest time, we lay enshrouded in moonlight and contentment. I couldn’t resist the urge to caress his hair, as he rested his head in the hollow between my breasts.
“How did you turn Marcus?” I asked.
As soon as I felt his body stiffen, I regretted the question. I wanted nothing to break the moment, but I’d done just that.
“It was a long time ago. I try not to think of it much,” he said, rising up on his arms to look into my eyes. “You and the moonlight are intoxicating. Why would I want to think of anything so dreary?”
I wasn’t going to push it. Just to be with him was enough, for now.
* * *
Up until Club Crimson came to town, my life had been more or less uneventful. I’d never even flown on an airplane, which is probably why I found Marcus’s mode of transportation a little scary.
Not all vampires could fly, only the very old ones. That explained why Luke couldn’t just zip here and there, like Marcus could.
When we came down in front of my house, Charlie and Luke were waiting for me on the porch.
Luke’s sharp eyes practically cut us to ribbons as they went from me to Marcus. He didn’t say anything, but there was no way to miss the hostility. I had expected this. After all, it wasn’t as if he could have missed that kiss between Marcus and I at Larose Park.
Charlie wasn’t about to keep quiet though. “So you are screwing vampires now … even after I warned you?”
A blush spread from my toes all the way up to my hair. Was the fact that I had just been sexually sated that obvious?
Ignoring his question, I asked one of my own. “I thought you were leaving town?”
“I changed my mind when Luke told me about the incident in the park.” Charlie set his beer bottle on the porch, and rose from the swing he’d been sitting in. This time when he spoke, he looked at Marcus.
“Now’s the time to tell her why you really came to Cookson Springs.”
“Do you even know that yourself?” Marcus asked, making it apparent he was in no way intimidated by Uncle Charlie.
“Oh yes Savoy. I know exactly what you are up to,” Charlie said, as he made his way down the porch steps, almost stumbling on the last one.
It was then that I realized Charlie had been slurring his words. He was drunk.
No surprise there.
“Charlie, maybe you need to sleep it off,’ I told him, stepping closer so that he could hear me whisper under my breath. “Before you go picking a fight with a vampire.”
Charlie laughed. “Without you Star … he won’t be a vampire much longer. Hell! He won’t even be alive.”
Now I was confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Should you tell her Savoy … or should I? Tell her how you killed my sister, Emma!”
“I didn’t kill her! You did!” Marcus shot back.
Charlie shook his head. “No. I just destroyed a monster. You killed my sister when you turned her.”
“She begged to be turned,” Marcus spoke in his own defense.
“You’re a liar!” Charlie hollered. “You turned her because yo
u were angry. You were angry because she wasn’t the Moon Witch you thought she was … but Star is … isn’t she?”
My mouth dropped open and I swung around to look at Marcus. “Is this true? Did you think she was a Moon Witch? Did you come here for me?”
Marcus bowed his head. “Yes … but not now. All that has changed.”
I angrily wiped away the unshed tears burning my eyes. “Why would it be different now? Because you had sex with me … like you do numerous other women? Or is it different now … because I know what you are after?”
“It isn’t like that Star,” he denied, shaking his head. “At first that’s what it was, but …” His words trailed off as I stepped up to him.
Shaking with rage, I struck Marcus across the face.
“No Star!” Luke jumped to his feet, ready to defend me if Marcus should turn violent.
“You seduced me to gain my trust!” I accused, my voice seething with pent up fury.
Marcus said nothing. He just continued to stare at me with those cold vampire eyes of his.
“I want you to leave!” I told him, before turning to Charlie. “And you too. You killed your own sister because she was a vampire. Now I know why Dad wouldn’t talk to you. I don’t want to ever see either of you again!” I stormed up the porch steps and through my front door.
Turning back, I spoke to Luke. “You are no longer welcome here either. You all misled me.”
Before any of them could respond, I slammed the door in their faces. The pain I felt at Marcus’s betrayal, was so profound, it was almost physical. The anguish inside me peaked, shattering my last shreds of control.
Resting my back against the door, I let the tears flow, as raw grief overwhelmed me.
Making love with Marcus had been too powerful - too pure to be real. I should have known.
The vampire was the essence of death, and not just physical death, but death of the heart - death of everything that was beautiful.
My heart was filled with a kind of despair that I’d never known before, and it shook me to the very foundation of my being.
If this was love, it was not something I ever wanted to feel again.
Chapter Fifteen
Like most people, I have experienced sadness and despair, but never had I experienced it in quite the same way. Finding the strength to get out of bed in the mornings was a chore. When waking, I would feel the pain spreading from my heart, radiating out to every point of my body and soul.
Strangely enough, I never realized how much I looked forward to seeing Marcus during my visits to Club Crimson, until he was no longer there. They were all gone, Night Reign, Grace, and even Aaron.
Club Crimson was still open for business, but now someone else was running it. That someone was not a vampire, as was evident by the fact that the guy had been seen out and about during daylight hours.
For the time being, it seemed that all the vampires were gone from Cookson Springs. At least that’s the way it would seem. I had my doubts.
After Marcus killed the Reapers, the murders stopped. Unfortunately, when the bodies were discovered, it was revealed that the culprits were no other than Brian, his brother, and the strange guy who worked at Brownie’s Quick Mart.
Daya was devastated, but since I barely had strength enough to walk down the stairs and find something to eat, I hadn’t been much help in comforting her. It made me feel like a terrible friend, but what could I say to her?
I’m sorry your murdering boyfriend was killed?
I was sorry for Daya, I wasn’t so sure I was sorry for the loss of Brian and his brother though. They’d been helping the local Rush producers drain witches. I would have been another victim, but unfortunately for the Reapers, they had some competition. A thousand year old vampire also wanted my blood. They were no match for Marcus.
Marcus!
Whenever I thought about him, it was like someone punching me in the stomach.
Now that he was gone, the days ran together - a blur of sunrises and sunsets. There was no distinguishing one day from another.
When had I fallen in love with him?
Had it been that first night I saw him on the stage, ripping out chords of haunting music - singing of the soul’s anguish, and the pleasure’s of the flesh?
Did I fall in love with him the first time he kissed me, or when he’d saved my life that night in Club Crimson’s parking lot?
I had no idea what precise moment it was that I fell in love with Marcus Savoy, but what I did know was loving a vampire meant pain.
Closing my eyes, I relived the torment of that last scene - the look on his face when I told him I never wanted to see him again.
It wasn’t a look of disappointment or anger - it was the look of hopelessness and despair.
So why hadn’t I asked for more of an explanation before banishing him from my life?
The love - the pain, and the anguish, had been too much to process at once. I was shattered from within.
Each day, Max would come by and try to coax me out of bed, tempting me with popcorn and a movie night, or just about anything he thought might spark my interest. The truth was, I wasn’t interested in anything. Sometimes I found it difficult to even care if I continued to breathe.
Aaron had warned me.
Why hadn’t I listened? How could I have believed I was immune to Marcus Savoy, when so many other women had been destroyed?
If I were to be honest with myself, my depression wasn’t due only to Marcus’s betrayal, but also because I’d been deceived by Charlie and Luke. There was also the fact that Aaron was gone. I hadn’t known him well, but he was someone I thought could have been a good friend. He was also someone I felt needed my help.
I heard the knock on my front door, but closed the sound off. It would have been too much bother to get up and answer it.
A few minutes later, Uncle Basile was standing at my bedroom door. “Starla Lavelle! You be getting your lazy self up out of that bed.”
“I’m too tired.”
“You aint bamboozling me, girl! You been in that bed for near on two weeks. You be pouting about that vampire,” he grumbled.
“Just let me go back to sleep,” I moaned in my pillow.
Basile stalked over to the bed and fixed me with a scowl. “If you aint out of that bed in two minutes, I’m gonna throw some cold water on you. Then you won’t be wanting to stick your ass in that bed.”
With a loud sigh, I sat up and glared at him. “What do you want anyway?”
“You to get your ass outa that bed. That’s what I be wanting. Now go get yourself cleaned up and I’ll go make us some grub,” he ordered, then spun on his heels and left the room.
My Uncle Basile could sure be a pain in the rear end when he wanted to be.
Groaning inwardly, I threw the covers off and slid out of bed. With my eyes still half closed, I headed into the bathroom. I’d pacify Uncle Basile, and then when he was gone, go back to that dark place that I’d become comfortable with.
And really, a little food didn’t sound all that bad.
* * *
A hot shower can do wonders for the body, as well as the spirit. As I walked down the stairs, I realized that my spirits were a little higher than they had been before Basile showed up. The smell of frying bacon also helped, though it did send my stomach into a growling fit.
It had been weeks since I’d had a home cooked meal, and everyone knew Uncle Basile was one of the best cooks in Cookson Springs.
When I walked into the kitchen, Basile already had a plate of food sitting in my spot at the table. There were eggs over easy, bacon, and griddlecakes. He’d even warmed the maple syrup.
Basile must have brought the food with him, as he sure couldn’t have found much of anything in my fridge.
“It looks yummy. Thank you Uncle Basile,” I told him.
Grunting, he poured me a glass of orange juice. “You be a bit old for me to have to do this though.”
“Well that just makes it ev
en more special.”
Basile rolled his eyes and sat down to eat his own breakfast.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me about Emma?” I asked, in between bites of food.
After finishing the strip of bacon he’d been chomping on, Basile took a couple of gulps of orange juice before answering my question. “If I had of told you … then I would be having to tell you about vampires … or bald face lie.”
“And you didn’t want me to know about vampires?”
A frown added a little extra orneriness to Basile’s usual sour expression. “They be nothing but trouble! You know that now … don’t you girl?”
Instead of responding, I focused on my plate, eating every last morsel of food. I was even tempted to get a second helping, but decided I hadn’t had nearly enough exercise lately to counteract a munching binge.
“Why did Marcus Savoy turn her? Did she really want to become a vampire?” I asked.
Basile lifted his droopy shoulders. “Your ma sure seemed to think so. The truth be … I don’t know. Your ma was of the opinion that Emma fell in love with a vampire, and she were thinking that if she were a vampire … she could get around the family curse.”
This perked my interest. “Was that vampire Marcus?”
“Don’t know … don’t believe so,” he said, shaking his head.
My thoughts went to the vision I’d had during the moon christening. “I had a vision about the curse.”
Basile nodded. “It be a curse that brings bad things to Lavelle witches, if they be in love with a vampire.”
That would explain Emma’s desire to become a vampire. It was possible that a Lavelle who was a vampire, could get around the curse. Maybe it would have worked, except now we’d never know because Charlie killed her.
The thought of Uncle Charlie killing his own flesh and blood was sickening. “Why did Charlie kill her if she wasn’t a danger to anyone. Why would she be a danger if she became a vampire out of love.”
Basile narrowed his eyes on me. “All vampires are a danger … no matter if they be your best friend … or your own mama. Don’t forget that.”
“But you don’t like Charlie, so you must not have agreed with what he did,” I insisted.
Crimson Rush A Vampire Romance (Crimson Book 1) Page 16