by Deborah Noel
“M-hmmm,” I agreed.
I watched as the driver leaned over the roll bars and pull a young girl up into the Jeep from the gathering crowd. She squealed with delight. She was the kind of female that turned the heads of all men, young or old, a cute little thing. She had curves in the right places and long blonde hair. Her ass was tight and almost falling out of the bottom of her shorts. The work boots on her feet accentuated her sculpted calf muscles. Her light colored eyes shown brilliantly in the sun. Her laugh was infectious and she wasn’t afraid to get muddy. He easily positioned her on the roll bar beside him as he removed his helmet.
I stopped dead in my tracks as he revealed his face to the crowd.
Those eyes.
He hesitated for a split second, and then sneezed; quickly he kissed the girl beside him.
Declan looked back at me. He raised his eyebrows.
The crowd started to chant: “Fox, Fox, Fox” before I could answer.
Declan stepped back to me: “So this is the ladies’ man with the drop dead gorgeous eyes, Craven Duskvick. Hmmm…”
I couldn’t help but laugh, “Looks that way, my dear.”
“Well, I just have to meet this guy!” My husband turned to me and picked me up in an unexpected twirl, whispering in my ear, “Do I need to keep you close?”
I threw my head backwards in a fit of laughter. “Do I you? She’s a little hottie and I have no chance with her around!”
He returned me to my feet and we laughed together. We walked hand in hand to offer our congratulations to the victor. As we got closer he sneezed a few more times. Shaking his head, as if to clear it, he flung mud everywhere. The girl next to him giggled, splattered with muck. He jumped from the Jeep to the ground and she slid down the roll bar into his arms. Through high-fives and slaps on the back he made his way to the back of his Jeep, where he opened the tailgate and started to remove his muddy attire. An official presented him with a trophy. An announcement went out for the next heat. The crowd acknowledged him as they made their way back to their spots to view the next wave of action. A few hung back to get details of the race. Declan and I walked up to offer our congratulations. He shook Declan’s hand in appreciation. He stopped short of shaking mine.
“Hey, I know you. You’re the spacey girl in the blue Rubicon. Um, don’t tell me, um … C-something…”
I offered my hand, “Close enough. Cianna.” I turned to Declan, “This is my husband, Declan. He’s the one you should talk to about those four inches.”
His eyes shone a brighter hue of blue as he smiled at me.
He focused on Declan. “Well mate, I suppose we need to talk then.” He roared with laughter.
The girl beside him seemed to fidget.
Crevan looked to her, “Ah yes, friends this here is my darling Lizzie.”
She perked up, now that she was the center of attention.
“Nice to meet you both.” She offered her hand, only to cup her fingers over the top of mine then did the same to Declan.
“Lizzie, the pleasure is all mine,” Declan teased her.
The men began to talk about the Jeep and started to walk around it as Crevan pointed out this and that to Declan, offering his advice on what lift kit was best and so on.
Lizzie and I were left to ourselves.
“Do you ride with him often?” I asked.
“For about a week now,” she answered. “He made me his number one last week. It’s fun. If you don’t mind me saying so, your husband is really cute. You two look perfect together.”
“Thanks.”
We made small talk. I asked her what she meant by being made number one and she explained that they had been just dating for about a month and last week he asked her if she wanted to be exclusive. She told me that they had met at a little bar not far from here after a day of competition. Her brother had brought her up for a day of fun, and when she looked into Craven’s eyes, she just knew she had to have him. She loved to hear herself talk, because I barely got a word in edgewise and practically learned her whole life story by the time the guys had made their way back around the Jeep to us.
Crevan sneezed a few more times as they stood there talking. “Must be all the dust,” he commented.
In typical man style, Crevan and Declan had decided to show each other what each of their jeeps had, each trying to out-do the other. They concluded it best to settle the debate of whose Jeep was the best on the open climbing track. That meet was to start in an hour. Goodbyes were bid and promises of victory were made.
“He seems typical enough,” Declan commented as we made our way back to our Jeep to grab a bite to eat before the big competition.
“Yeah, well, as much as he is a true surfer dude, she is a true beach bum queen,” I retorted. “Loves the attention as long as it is focused around her.”
“Ah,” Declan sighed. “To be young and carefree again.”
We sat at our Jeep and wolfed down the sandwiches that Declan had made for us. A few people walked by and inquired about the Rubicon, its performance off-road and its sticker price.
As we were preparing for the race, black storm clouds assembled quickly over the mountain. Fierce winds kicked up and people scrambled for cover. Huge cold raindrops fell from the dark sky above. They fell slowly, then became steadier. Soon it was an all-out torrential downpour. A bolt of lightning struck a tree on the mountainside and the tree fell to the bottom, a 30-foot drop that shook the ground. The clouds grew darker and the officials called the end to the event. Jeeps were scurrying out of every trail to escape the storm. As we were about to enter our exit-way, a muddy jeep pulled up beside us, it was Crevan and Lizzie.
He hollered over, “To the victor goes the spoils, mate. Ours is a drawl. Rain check?”
Declan gave him the thumbs up and hit the gas to cut him off and get onto the one-lane trail before him. He beeped his horn and we could see him laughing in the rearview mirror. We waved goodbye.
About 15 miles away from the party, the clouds seemed to stay behind us instead of over us and the rain eased up.
I took Declan’s hand in mine, “I had a great time. Thank you.”
He lifted my hand to his lips, smiling at me. I settled back in my seat to enjoy the rest of the ride.
Declan pulled over to the side of the road to answer his cell phone. I listened as he thanked the caller and said we would be home in a few hours.
Snapping the cover shut, he turned to me and explained that Shane had picked up the girls, taken them for ice cream and now he was going to take them to the movies, if that was okay. Declan, of course agreed. I smiled.
“Sit back my love, I know the perfect way to end the day.”
We headed down the road.
Declan found a trail off the side of the road that led up to the power lines, which was a straight line to the Castle. The view was breathtaking.
We arrived at the mountain that housed our secret getaway within its massive girth. Being on the top of the mountain gave me a totally different perspective. There were dirt trails traveling in all different directions. Some were wide enough for a vehicle; others would only allow a body down its passage. Declan drove the Jeep to the edge overlooking the waterfall off to the left. The water cascaded in crystalline colors beneath the glimmering sunlight dancing spectacularly atop the waters. On the water’s edge, the tender white sand glistened in the sun’s beams. A young couple enjoyed a bathing opportunity holding hands as they escaped the weight of the world’s stress, allowing their bodies to leave impressions on the beach.
Declan set the emergency brake and unlatched our harnesses. We hopped between the seats and got comfortable on the back bench-seat. He rested his arm around my neck and I tucked my head into the crevice, leaning heavily against his warm body.
We watched the sun begin to bring the day to a close with brilliant colors: orange and pinks painted themselves across the blue sky already dotted with cotton-ball clouds. The sun itself was a bright orange ball. It told the tale o
f what kind of heat it was going to deliver to us tomorrow. As the sun sank behind the horizon, the blue faded to gray. The clouds seemed to evaporate.
A blood-curdling scream shattered the moment.
Declan and I jumped up and looked behind us.
Another screech punched the air. It was coming from below. We turned and looked beneath us in time to see the young man rolling around on the sand with some type of creature. The sand under the fighting bodies was taking on a reddish hue. The bikini-clad girl screamed again.
In a flash, the creature leapt from his position on top of the man to behind the girl, grasping her tightly. I swallowed my own scream as I grabbed Declan’s arm. The creature was standing upright. I knew in an instant it was the vampire I had witnessed before. I clenched Declan’s arm tighter. I drew in as much oxygen as I could and kept it inside. Declan wrapped himself protectively around me.
Wild with adrenaline, the creature stood crazed. His beady eyes blazed with more intensity than the sun that had just set. I was stunned to see disheveled clothing barely clinging to his body. With force, it pushed the girl’s head to the side exposing the pulsing vein inside her neck. The man managed to get to his feet.
“Leave her alone!”
The creature hissed in retort.
The man took a step towards them to save his love before he dropped to the ground as his legs buckled under him. He hollered as he realized his leg was shattered.
The monster hissed and lowered his fangs over the source of blood, never once breaking the stare, daring the man to get up to stop him. Saliva fell from his lips as he restrained himself from the blood he craved and needed. The girl struggled to get away at the touch of the ooze rolling across her skin. She was stopped by the hissing of the vampire. He tightened his hold, causing the skin within his grasp to burst open. The smell of fresh blood filling the air stimulated the vampire’s fury. He contorted his body to catch some of the flowing blood before it hit the sand beneath him.
He was intoxicated.
The man could only look helplessly at his sobbing and trembling girl in the grip of the horrendous being.
The creature ran its tongue along the neck of the prize in his grasp. The fear he tasted only energized him further into orgasmic levels. The fear in her eyes resembled others in my memory. I froze as I made the connection.
Tears fell freely from her as long sharp fingers traveled across her neck, over her collarbone and down between the exposed skin from the bikini top she wore. She squirmed at his touch. Her vocal cords seemed paralyzed. She suffered in silence. Her growing fear intoxicated him. She attempted to scream with barely a sound rolling out of her throat as the thing stuck its fingers into her mouth and tilted her head to the other side, with her soft flesh ripping easily. With renewed vigor, her man tried to distract the vampire, “What the fuck do you want? Leave her the fuck alone!”
In a deep whisper the creature baited the man, “Stop me.”
Looking directly into the man’s eyes, the creature buried his teeth into her throbbing jugular vein.
The humans screamed. My own was lost within theirs. Declan grabbed me and dropped us both to the floor of the Jeep.
“We can’t help them now, it’s too late,” Declan whispered. “And we can’t bring attention to ourselves. Put up your wall!”
We slinked out of the Jeep. On our bellies, we made our way to the edge.
We peeked over just as the vampire bit the girl again, slashing her limp body as he drank. When he suckled to his fullness, he tossed her to the side. In an instant he was standing over the man.
She lay in a heap gasping for air. Her body convulsed. Her eyes searched for her savior, and went blank finding no one at her side.
“Fuck you!”
The man threw a punch at the vampire who stopped the flying fist in his hand and squeezed it, pulverizing the bones into shards.
“Fuck you,” the man managed to wail.
The vampire laughed the most evil laugh I had ever heard.
He leaned closer to the man, “You fucking incapable twit, you are nothing compared to me. You think you can defeat me? Look at you!”
Long fingers sliced through the man’s face.
“Look at her! Watch her, her body is burning from the inside. It is me; my poison is killing her from the inside.”
Blood dripped from his fangs as he hissed at the man.
“She’s dying, and you do nothing to fight for her.”
The man swung again. Missing, he screamed, “Fuck you, you bastard!”
In a second, the vampire hovered back over the girl’s body. Twisting his fingers in her hair, he dragged her closer to her mate.
“Tell him!”
Tears streamed down her face, words never escaped her throat. Her eyes went blank in terrifying silence. She didn’t dare move a muscle for fear of more torture.
The vampire shoved his claws in her thigh, slowly slicing upward. “Tell him,” he demanded. He thrust her body closer to her lover.
“It. burns,” she managed as her body convulsed again.
“More!”
She choked out some blood, “I’m burning inside.”
Her eyes rolled backwards, as her body jolted in agony.
“No!”
Her eyes snapped back into focus. Finding her man, she confessed her love to him. The vampire split open her abdomen, little blood oozed from the fresh wound. As if to prove a point, the vampire slashed open the man’s mid-section, blood squirted everywhere. Quickly a puddle formed on the beach beside him.
“See? She’ll be like me soon. A few more hours of torture as the humanity inside her dies,” the vampire heckled. “You can stop this. You can end her misery.”
In defeat the man asked, “How?”
A smiled edged the vampire’s lips; his fangs peeked through, catching the lowering sun, glistening, “Beg me to kill her. Beg me to stop her pain.”
Her body winced and curled up, as if on command.
Bellowing from her lips was the most horrific sound I ever heard, it was death pulling life into its realm.
A tear rolled down my cheek.
The man’s lips moved.
“What?” the vampire leaned closer.
A fist caught his chin. Off-guard, the vampire stumbled backward. He hissed, then howled and ripped at the girl’s body in retaliation.
She curled tighter into a ball.
The vampire grabbed the lethargic girl by the hair and brought her to her feet. He ripped at her tattered skin again. She slumped over. Her eyes begged for her life. The man screamed as he watched the vampire torture her. He couldn’t stand anymore.
“Enough! She’s had enough.”
The vampire celebrated his victory by hissing, “Say it!”
He pulled at the girl again, who winced in a high-pitched moan.
The man looked at his love, battered, convulsing and dying. To her he pleaded an apology, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
More flesh opened at the razor sharp fingertips of the vampire.
“I beg of you,” the man barked.
The vampire smirked, “What do you want of me?”
“End her suffering,” the man demanded.
In one swoop, the vampire bit into her neck. One final shriek was all she had left. The vampire twisted his own head with his mouth still closed around her flesh. He thrashed so hard he ripped her head from her body. A fountain of blood rained down upon the beach. Then the vampire charged the man and devoured him. He offered no resistance, as his life as he knew it meant nothing anymore. The vampire’s eyes were wild with victory.
The skies grew darker and the wind kicked up. Suddenly the vampire stopped from his feast and sniffed the air. He sniffed again and looked around.
Declan moved us back from view. Staying low, outside of the Jeep he reached in and manipulated the shifter to the neutral position and rolled the Jeep backward. When it was far enough back, he ordered me inside, popped the clutch and threw it in reve
rse, he spun the Jeep 180 degrees.
All the hair stood on the back of my neck. “Hurry, Declan, he’s coming!”
Declan stomped on the gas pedal and churned through the first three gears. We turned the corner and looked back in time to see the vampire cresting the top of the mountainside.
Chapter Fifteen
I don’t remember when we got back on the highway. All I know was that I was shaking uncontrollably and tears were streaming down my face. I was nauseous and scared shitless.
And somehow I just felt the need to be a smartass.
I turned to Declan. “So now do you believe I saw a vampire?”
“Mhmm.”
I watched as he continually checked the rear-view mirror. I turned back myself to double check. Nothing was behind us.
Declan was eerily quiet. I had never known him to be at a loss for words. I couldn’t get into his mind, which put me even more on edge.
He remained silent the rest of the way home. We made it there in record time.
The house was dark.
We parked the Jeep in the garage and entered into the kitchen from there.
Declan went straight on into his office. I went upstairs to check on the girls.
Bullet was laying on the floor in front of the door. He wagged his tail to greet me as I peeked inside. The girls were all tucked in bed, one of them snoring away. The door to the guest room was open, and the bed empty. I wondered where Shane was as I walked into the bathroom. I ran the cold water, cupping my hands under the stream. I splashed my face, hoping it would wash away the memories of this evening. But it was just cold water against my skin.
There was a light rap on the door, which made me nearly jump. I turned to see Mattie standing in the doorway.
“What’s wrong baby?”
“Nuttin’ Mommy. I wanted to get my good night kiss,” she answered.
I quickly dried my hands and face, took a seat on the toilet, and opened my arms to invite her in. She ran and leaped into my embrace. I probably squeezed her tighter than I ever had.