by Dara Nelson
As his fourth victim stumbled into the alley, Colton stepped up behind him and began to drink. After only a few seconds though, he suddenly felt something yank on his shoulder. His head spun around, fist up, ready to strike – but there was no one there. The man grunted behind him so Colton turned back around and continued feeding and wiping his memory. Again, the hard yank on his shoulder – this one nearly knocking him to his feet. He licked the man’s wounds – closing them – released the dazed man from his grasp and stepped back in the shadows to watch. Nothing. He saw nothing. Nobody was there. Yet something had definitely pulled on him. Suddenly he was lurched forward into the middle of the alley, startling a couple walking by. What the hell was going on? What invisible thing was pulling him? Suddenly it dawned on him that he had felt this before – a few nights ago when the girl was in the woods in front of his home. He knew without a doubt then that she had woken up at his home and that she needed him right then. She needed him and that need was trying to pull him to her. But that wasn’t possible – not with a vampire. At least not that he had ever heard of – and he had heard it all in his eight hundred-freaking-odd years on this earth. “What the hell are you?” he mumbled as he began running towards his home.
He burst through the door just as Hansen was halfway up the stairs. He had heard her screams when he was still a few miles away. He mumbled, “Go back to bed, Hansen. I’ve got this,” as he dashed past him up the stairs, dropping his coat along the way. He stopped just outside the door to take a deep breath and smooth his hair down – knowing that he would then walk into the room looking exactly as he had when he was in there with her before she fell asleep. By the time he put his hand on the doorknob, the screaming stopped. He pushed open had the door, and gasped – she wasn’t in his bed….and the window was open. He frantically looked around the room for her. He checked the bathroom, under the bed and then began to get a sick feeling in his stomach as he slowly walked towards the open window. He stared out towards the woods as despair began to wash over him, “Please tell me you didn’t go,” he whispered into the night.
“You left me,” came a shaky voice to his right.
He spun around and stared towards the closet. Should he tell her the truth? He didn’t want her to be any more frightened than she already was, “I was just downstairs, taking care of a few things, Miss. I’m sorry it scared you. I didn’t realize you’d wake up.”
“I woke up because you left me. You leave, I don’t feel safe. I don’t feel safe, I have nightmares. That’s how it goes,” she said, still sounding angry.
He took a few hesitant steps towards the closet. He still couldn’t see her in it. She must be tucked back in the far corner. “Miss? Please come out.”
“I can’t,” she said.
“You can’t? Or you won’t?”
“I can’t,” she whispered, and he could actually hear the blush that filled her cheeks.
“Miss, what do you mean you can’t?” he said as his own heartbeat quickened.
“Why aren’t you answering my question?” he said.
“Because I’m embarrassed,” she said.
“Embarrassed? About what? I’m a doctor, remember? I’ve seen it all.”
“Yeah, but you’re a handsome doctor, and that makes all the difference in the world,” she mumbled to herself – but his vampire hearing picked up every word….and he couldn’t help but smile.
“I, well, I’ve always gotten really hot when I sleep. Ever since I reached my teens, my body can be like a furnace at night. When that happens, I, umm, I , well, I throw off whatever I’m wearing at the time without realizing it.”
He didn’t speak for a second, he was afraid she would hear his pounding heartbeat in his voice. He swallowed hard. “So, you’re completely naked in there? Well, this is a first for me. I can honestly say that there’s never been a naked woman in my closet before,” he said, smiling.
“Don’t laugh. It’s not funny and it’s your fault. And my ankle is killing me.”
“I’m not laughing,” said his voice from right above her, making her gasp. His hand held out his robe to her, but he kept his head turned towards the bedroom. Ever the gentleman. She took a deep sniff of his robe before she wrapped it around her body – it smelled just like him: sweet and sexy and something that she definitely wouldn’t mind having wrapped around her body.
“Are you covered up?” he said.
“Yes.”
His hanging clothes parted from just above her, and he was smiling the most beautiful smile at her when she looked up. It was a smile that she felt like she could see every morning and never get tired of. She didn’t even bother trying to stand – she just reached her arms out to him and he leaned down and scooped her up. The robe, while it was tide tightly around her, was not down to her legs because she had forgotten to tuck it under her backside – something she realized the second the warm flesh on his arm touched the soft skin on the back of her knees. A rush of air flew past her lips as she inhaled sharply – and was that a shiver from him or was she imagining things?
****************************************** ‘Crap!’ he thought as the spark shot from his arm straight into his groin. His cock immediately throbbed and strained against his jeans – all from touching the backs of her knees???? What was he? Some horny teenager? This was really getting ridiculous. He was a man so firmly embedded on the side of control, that very few vampires even knew he existed except for his close friends, because that was how he wanted it. The last thing he needed was some newbie coming to him to find out what things were like before The Dark Time, as it was known: Before the group of vampires that were known as The Elders came into power and mutated their very genetics to their own liking – made them so they couldn’t create other vampires themselves, only The Elders could. The Elders made them so that they couldn’t control their fangs, couldn’t stop themselves when they fed on humans – basically they made them so that they were at the mercy of The Elders – who supplied them with the blood they needed in order to survive. Vampires now were genetically different from vampires like himself who were around before the change. There were very few like him around anymore, although he had heard some talk that there was a new one: a female, who had somehow been created without The Elders’ help and who had then organized other vampires to take down The Elders. She was different. She was more like Colton. But that didn’t mean that Colton wanted to be buddy-buddy with her. No, he preferred his somewhat-solitary lifestyle. Just him and Hansen and his men, men who had fought by his side, men who would die for him, men who he would die for – at least until she came along.
Again, that question that had plagued him when he had run back to the house earlier when she had sent some sort of invisible power to pull him back crossed his mind – what is she? He pushed the question away, for now.
As he walked to the bed he said, “So – this getting hot at night – it also makes you open the window without realizing it?”
“Oh, I didn’t open that. I thought maybe Hansen or you did,” she said, stopping him in his tracks. He immediately pulled her tighter to his chest as his eyes darted around the room. He sniffed hard, trying to catch a scent, but at the moment all he could smell was her. He was at the end of the bed, half way between the closet and the bathroom when he heard the low growl coming from the doorway. She heard it too – and he squeezed her tighter and whispered, “Shhhh,” before her scream could come out. Thankfully she was able to swallow it back down, but she was trembling in his arms. The wolf’s red eyes locked on his. “I’m going to set you down behind me,” he murmured quiet enough for only her to hear, “the second I move – run to the bathroom and lock yourself in.” He knew her adrenaline would keep her from feeling any pain in her ankle, so she should be able to move fairly quickly – besides, the bathroom was only two hops away if you were running. He only hoped he could give her enough time – these werewolves were fast – faster than her but not faster than him.
She nodded slightly and
he released her legs slowly and brought her around to stand behind him – his eyes never leaving the wolf’s face. He could see the wolf’s haunches preparing to launch – could see the muscles twitch as they readied for release – could smell his eager anticipation of a strike. And he could also feel her hands on his waist as she clung desperately to him – her fear making her hands unable to release – and he liked them there.
His knees bent slightly as he prepared to counter the wolf’s jump with one of his own – when suddenly his ears heard the whoosh of an arrow slicing through the air. The wolf yelped and then collapsed onto its side – killed instantly by a silver arrow from Hansen’s crossbow as he stood on the stairs. Colton spun around and pulled her into his embrace – both to comfort her and to keep her from looking up and seeing the now naked dead human male that lay on the floor just outside his bedroom door. This was not something she needed to know – yet.
“Is it, is it dead?” she sobbed into his chest, trembling and completely panic-stricken.
He heard his door close and knew it was safe to release her from his grasp. His hands held both cheeks, forcing her eyes to lock with his. He knew he could just erase her memory of the last few minutes – but he didn’t want mess with her head like that, not until she was healed. “Look at me, come on, focus. There you go, that’s my girl. You’re fine. You’re safe now.”
******************************************My girl? Did he just call her my girl? And did her heart really start racing like she was a school girl whose crush had just told her that he liked her? Oh, and by the way….
“Safe? Bullshit, safe. How the hell did a wolf open a window and climb in here? And why didn’t it attack me when it first came in? And how in the hell did it open the bedroom door?” she gasped. He looked into her eyes – eyes that were begging him, pleading with him for answers. Answers that he knew her fragile psyche wouldn’t be able to handle right now – answers like, ummm, he was human when he climbed into the room…..and he was probably waiting for Colton to get home before he attacked. Damn these three-day full moons anyways – at least this was the last night for a month.
And there were answers that he didn’t have – like how the hell had the mangy mutt made it past his security system? He would have to have it checked tomorrow.
Instead of giving her the answers that she was seeking, he gave her the answer that he knew that she needed, “You’re safe because I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere,” he said as he stared deep into her eyes.
Somehow that felt like exactly the right answer. She hugged her arms tightly around his waist, pressing her body tight to his, and whispered, “Don’t leave me again.”
“I won’t, Miss,” he said – and she somehow knew that he was telling the truth.
“Tess. Please call me Tess,” she said, so innocently.
“Tess? Why Tess?” he said.
“Because that’s my name, silly,” she said – and then it hit her, what she had just said, “Tess! My name is Tess! I remember that. Oh my God, I remember my name! It’s Tess,” she said, and he felt relief flood into her.
“Well, nice to meet you, Tess. Do you remember anything else?” he said, his heart pounding – he really wasn’t ready for her to leave yet, but if she remembered where she lived, she might want to.
He felt her face frown into his chest, “No. Just my name.”
She felt him sigh, almost like he was relieved. Odd, she thought. Didn’t he want her to remember everything so he could send her home and get her out of his hair? Did he actually want her to stay here longer? Her? She was damaged goods, why would he? He was one seriously sick vampire. Vampire?!? That just popped into her head without thinking. He was a vampire – that’s why he looked the way he did, that’s why he was so incredibly strong, and that’s why he oozed that ‘come fuck me’ vibe. A vampire. Why the hell didn’t that scare her or shock the shit out of her? Did she already know vampires existed? Apparently she did, because knowing he was one felt perfectly normal. Did she know other vampires? Was she one? She couldn’t be, or her foot would have healed by now – oh, and there was the whole bodily functions bit too, and eating. Should she tell him that she knew? If she did, would he erase her memory of him and send her away? Vampires could do that kind of shit, right? If he could, she really didn’t want him to do that. Suddenly one little word from him brought her mind back to her surroundings, “Tess?” he whispered.
******************************************Colton’s heart started pounding. He could hear Hansen lifting the were’s body and carrying him down the stairs to the basement furnace. Hansen was strong enough to handle the task by himself, but would probably appreciate an extra set of hands. Colton knew he should probably go help – but he couldn’t bring himself to leave her, even for a few minutes. She was still shaking like a leaf. All he wanted to do was comfort her and make her feel better. Was he really going to do what he was thinking about doing? Was he insane? Two words from her lips made his decision for him, “Yes, Colton?” she whispered as her head came around to stare at him. Those eyes, those deep green eyes pulled him in – those eyes had fear and curiosity in them, that was to be expected – but longing, passion and desire? Was he really seeing that or was it his imagination?
“I want to kiss you,” he murmured as something just barely above a whisper. He steeled himself for rejection. But he watched, fascinated, as her eyes changed. Gone were the fear and curiosity. Burning strong, strong enough for him to feel it in his loins, was longing, passion and desire, dear God, she had so much desire in her.
“What are you waiting for?” she whispered, her eyes pulling him in so deep he was afraid he might drown.
He hesitated, “Are, are you sure you’re ready?” he said.
A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she said, “Just shut up and kiss me already.”
He didn’t need a second invitation. His mouth crushed down on hers. Their lips became one as his tongue darted in and swirled around hers. A fire instantly ignited in his body, a fire that he hadn’t felt in many years. Sure he’d had sex in that time, but passion? No, the sex was just to relieve pressure – there had been no passion in the sex, not from him anyways, not since….her. But there was passion now, holy shit, was there passion now. It burned so strong he literally felt like he might spontaneously combust. He groaned as he pulled her closer to him. She matched him with a moan and moved her hips back just far enough so her hands could reach the waistband of his jeans and open the button. As she slowly pulled his zipper down, he had a brief moment of panic. God, if she touched him there, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He had to know that she was really ready – he had to make sure that she knew whether or not she was ready. Panting, he pulled away and grasped her hands in his. “Are you positive?” he gasped.
“Please – just make me feel good again,”
That was all he needed. He released her hands and allowed her to slide his jeans and underwear down past his waist – his rock hard erection finally springing free and pressing into her belly. She reached behind him with one hand and cupped his ass while the other hand came up and wrapped around his cock. He grunted and almost shot his load all over her belly. “Holy shit,” she mumbled into his mouth as her hand explored the length and width of him. He couldn’t help but smile slightly. “It’s all for you,” he whispered then he picked her off the floor and shuffled to the edge of the bed as he kicked his pants off of his feet. Her hand seemed glued to his cock as he shifted her in his arms so that he could lay her gently on the bed and not hurt her ankle. He stopped kissing and smiled at her, his eyes twinkling, “You have to let go for a second so I can set you down.”
“Not a fucking chance,” she growled as she reached her other hand behind his neck and pulled his mouth back to hers. God, but this woman had passion. He swallowed hard – his fangs really wanted to drop and his eyes were begging to change to black – but he wanted to look at her, and he didn’t want to scare her. So he suppressed the need to allow hi
s inner beast to emerge – this time. He set her on the edge of the bed, climbed over her then moved his hand down behind her lower back and slid her to the middle of the bed. She moaned louder at his man-handling of her and pressed her already wet crotch into his belly – but still keeping a firm grip on him. He moved his kisses down to her breasts, taking each nipple into his mouth and sucking until they felt as hard in his mouth as his cock felt in her hand then he raised up and looked at her, smiling, “You have to let go if you want it in you, you know.”
It was almost like she was afraid he was going to run away – not a fucking chance of that now – he couldn’t stop now if the house were on fire.
She smiled back at him, “Just shut up and fuck me,” she said as she guided her pelvis to meet him. As his head pushed through her opening into the dripping wet channel beyond, her hand finally released him – but it immediately moved, with her other hand, to grab his ass and squeeze tight as her legs wrapped themselves around the back of his legs and urge him forward. God, that felt good, but it was definitely not something that he needed. He surged forward and began pumping in and out of her, measuring his thrusts until he was sure that his length wasn’t hurting her. Her muscles squeezed him tighter and tighter as her passion grew. She threw her head back and thrust her breasts towards his mouth, “Suck them, suck them hard,” she rasped.