by Lola James
“I love you too, Toni, and I promise I’ll visit,” she answered as I released her. I could tell there was something more than just my leaving that troubled Annie, but I had no time to figure it out. I would have to call and coax it out of her. I said goodbye to Utah and the plane took off.
CHAPTER NINE
“BEN! This is not going to work!” I yelled as I stood in the white bedroom of his house.
“Why not?” he asked after flashing into the room.
“The closet is missing! Who lived in this room before?” I asked with my arms folded across my chest.
“I did, and I am sorry. I never took you for the Imelda Marcos type,” he laughed.
“I’m not! I probably own one, maybe two pairs of heels, but that is not the point! Every girl needs her closet space.” I sat on the bed, pouting.
“Well, if it helps, you can use my closet. I only use a small part of it,” Ben said as he sat next to me.
“You have a closet? I don’t ever remember seeing a closet.” I looked at him with astonishment.
“Come on, I will show you.” He took my hand and led me down the hallway to his bedroom. He turned the lights on for me as we passed the bed. In the bathroom, past the large tub, he swung open a door to reveal a bedroom-sized closet.
My mouth dropped in awe. This closet was any woman’s dream. “Why is this closet so big?” I asked in astonishment.
“Not sure; the realtor said a good-sized closet was appealing to most people,” Ben mumbled.
“Realtor?” I asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
“I considered selling the house before the stuff happened — with the accident. Good thing I didn’t or we wouldn’t be here,” he smiled.
“Yes,” I said in a faint voice that only Ben could hear.
“Yes, what?” Ben asked, befuddled.
“Yes, I will gladly share this closet with you! My two pairs of heels would look nice here on this shelf,” I tapped the built-in area for shoes.
“It would be nice to see you wearing one of those pairs of high heels,” Ben cooed as he walked up from behind and wrapped his arms around me.
“What do you mean?” I asked, still admiring the lovely closet.
“I guess I am not doing a very good job, but I am trying to ask you out on a date.” I turned around and looked into his intoxicating eyes.
“You mean a date date? But you don’t eat!” I exclaimed.
“Well, there are other things to do on dates besides eating. We could go dancing or take a long walk. The point is, I want to spend some time with you, outside of this house and in a semi-romantic setting.”
“Yes, but when?” I felt his happiness infect me.
“I was thinking, since we are off tomorrow …” he smiled.
“I guess it only makes sense to go out on a date, since you insisted that I move in with you and share your closet,” I smirked.
“A little backwards, but I have good intentions,” he replied as we left the closet to start the daunting task of relocating my entire wardrobe.
***
Somehow, Ben was able to move all my clothes to his house in the space of one hour. Where was he when I moved in years ago? Nevertheless, by the time, I organized all of my apparel in his gigantic closet, it was dawn.
This time I was asleep before Ben even came into the room and I slept until sunset. I might as well have been a vampire by virtue of my sleep habits alone. At five that evening, I made my way to the shower and then downstairs to the newly stocked refrigerator. I ate my traditional bowl of cereal and caught up on some reality TV. Around six, Ben came downstairs in his boxers. Living with him was going to take some adjustments — or some pajamas.
“So are you trying to seduce me, or do you always walk around naked?” I asked as he went to get his blood from the kitchen.
“Naked? I am wearing these boxers for your benefit. I usually sleep naked,” he retorted. I had no response. Instead, I went to the kitchen to put my bowl in the sink.
“What time does our date start?” I asked as I went back over to the TV.
“Seven. I don’t understand your fascination with reality TV.” He shook his head. I turned off the TV and went back up stairs.
“I live vicariously through those crazy people,” I called as Ben walked up behind me. I entered my closet and marveled at my clothes. When the shower started, I leaned out to see his naked butt climb into it. Adjustments, I thought. I found a navy blue dress that hit right above my knees that I hadn’t worn for about a year that matched one of my two pairs of heels. I walked through the bathroom with my eyes closed, not wanting to be tempted to join him, and then continued down the hall and into the other bathroom.
After I showered, I wrapped the towel around my body and walked back towards the master bedroom closet to dress. I found Ben fully dressed in the master bedroom. His hair was slicked back and he was wearing slacks with a white shirt. He looked dreamier than I had ever seen him.
“Wow!” I said aloud without realizing it.
“You do not look so bad yourself,” Ben said as he eyed me in my bath towel. I smiled as I walked into the closet and slathered my body with lotion before putting on my laciest bra and panty set. As Ben peeked around the door, I slid my dress on, stepped into my shoes, and assessed myself in the mirror. My hair was fine and I didn’t feel like fighting with it. I put on some pink lip-gloss and bypassed the whole make-up thing since I wasn’t into it.
“Shall we?” Ben asked, extending his hand. He led me out of the room and downstairs to the living room, where he slipped my wool jacket on me. Then he escorted me to the garage and opened the door to his truck for me. I sat and in a flash, he was in the driver’s seat. As he backed up, he looked over at me and kissed my hand. I knew this was going to be a date for the record books.
When we arrived at a dance studio, I thought he was joking; but he had actually paid for private dance lessons. Together, we learned the basics of salsa, as I fumbled and stumbled over his feet. Ben glided me back on course, never letting his eyes leave mine. By the end of our private class, we had mastered the art of slow dance. As we swayed, I told him, “This is the most romantic date I have ever been on.” My heart fluttered as he dipped me before kissing my neck.
“And our night has just begun,” Ben replied. The music stopped at that moment and our instructor began to clap. My cheeks flushed and giddiness filled my body. I smiled and bowed slightly as Ben took my hand and reciprocated. In the truck, we needed no words to describe what we were both feeling. My toes tingled with warmth when his hand touched my leg. Next, we arrived at the San Francisco Arboretum. Ben helped me with my jacket as we began our walk.
“So tell me something I don’t know about you and your family that you never talk about,” Ben said, holding my hand as we strolled.
“There’s not really much to tell; my family is dead,” I shrug.
“So who raised you as a child?” Ben looked out at the Golden Gate Bridge as we walked. The fog had begun to roll in, but it was still light enough to walk through.
“My father,” I looked away. I thought about hearing my father’s voice in the dream with Hades.
“What happened to your father and mother?” Ben asked. I knew he was feeling the residual fear leftover from my dream.
“My mother? I don’t remember her. But my father used to tell me I looked just like her. She died in a fire while my father and I were gone. Everything we owned burned in the fire. I was young, so I only know what my father told me. Then, the night I graduated from high school, my father died. The doctors weren’t sure, but I think it was a heart attack. Annie and Dawn are my only friends/family, not including you, now.”
“That is such a tragic story.” Ben frowned, and I felt his sadness.
“I know, that’s why I don’t talk much about them,” I said sarcastically.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Ben said.
“No, I know, but there’s just nothing happy about my lif
e.” I shrugged as Ben looked at me. At that moment, with the fog crawling across the ground, Ben swept me into his arms and kissed me. My hand touched the side of his face as he pulled me closer to him. His soft kiss soon filled with passion that exploded between us. His lips left my lips and ventured to my neck. His tender kisses tickled my collarbone, sending chills down my spine. He kissed my breast along the line of the dress before he was back at my lips.
He lifted me up, carried me back to his truck, and opened the passenger side to gently place me on my seat. I wrapped my legs around Ben’s body, pulling him closer to me. Our lips never left one another as our passion intensified. His lips suddenly parted from mine again as he kissed my neck.
I whispered, “Do it,” and I felt his fangs pierce my neck. I closed my eyes and a euphoric passion took over my body. I moaned as he drank my blood. I felt him stop and, when I opened my eyes, he bit the palm of his hand for me to drink his blood. I drank from him; then he began to drink from me again. The ecstasy I felt was what I wanted to feel with him from the moment I first saw him. Every drop of blood I drank only intensified my feelings for him. I wanted him and he wanted me; we were frozen in that moment. I understood now that I loved him.
CHAPTER TEN
I woke up in complete darkness. I was in bed, my bed, but the last thing I remembered was being at the Arboretum and our blood exchange. My groping hands felt around the bed until they met Ben’s half-naked, lifeless body entangled in the covers. It was amazing how dead he really was in the daytime. I put my hand out into the darkness of the room, scrambling over the side of the bed until I was able to find the bedside lamp. As I turned the switch on, the room lit up, exposing my clothes scattered everywhere. I stood up to stretch and yawn as I made my way to the large, cool bathroom.
I stopped at the mirror to look at myself. I appeared unusually pale in contrast to my ginger hair today, I thought as I stared into the mirror. Then, remembering the blood exchange with Ben, I searched endlessly for bite marks but surprisingly, I had none. I looked again at myself in the mirror, and noticed I appeared younger though paler and prettier with a glow; my hair even looked more radiant than it did yesterday. Maybe all I needed was sex, I thought, but wait — did we have sex? I turned to lean against the counter as I pondered the question. I mentally replayed the evening’s events, ending with the blood exchange. I would have to ask Ben tonight, because I could not remember. I tiptoed back to the bed, still exhausted. After climbing back in and turning the light switch off, I immediately fell back asleep.
***
The next day, when I walked into the hospital, I hit the ground running, but something was off. “T, you don’t look good; are you okay?” Dawn asked as I reviewed a patient’s chart with her.
“I’m fine, although I might go lie down for a little while.” I clutched my stomach, feeling nauseous.
“I’ll cover for you.” She looked concerned as I went into the empty relief room. Ben suddenly appeared at my side.
“Antonia, what is wrong? Are you okay?” Ever since our blood exchange, he felt all my emotions.
“I just need to lie down. I’ll be fine.” I waved one of my hands as the other rested on my stomach.
“Let me give you some of my blood. That should heal you.” Remembering the last two times I had drank his blood and how wonderful I felt afterwards, I agreed with an enthusiastic nod. It took no time for him to bite his wrist as he let the blood flow into my mouth. Passion churned inside me as I began to drink but, after three or four big gulps, he withdrew his wrist from my mouth.
“Just lie down,” he smiled at me. “I will check on you shortly.” I nodded as he kissed my forehead. I knew I couldn’t sleep after drinking his blood, so I just relaxed in a daze, trying to remember what had happened the night before. I got up when my mind drew a blank. I walked out of the relief room and into the hallway. I saw the coffee vending machine and figured vampire blood and coffee should equal me feeling better. Boy was I wrong. I threw up all the first few sips of coffee that I drank. To make things worse, it happened in the middle of the ER.
“Dr. Hollander, I think we’ll be fine without you tonight. You can go home,” Dr. Stevens said from a few feet away. I nodded. I knew I was no good sick. Ben walked up.
“Dr. Stevens said I need to go home,” I told him. He placed his hand on mine and I felt calm, but still sick.
“Are you okay to drive?” He was genuinely concerned. I nodded my head.
“Nurse Slaton to OR three,” a voice said over the PA system.
“Looks like you have surgery.” I tried to smile but couldn’t. Ben kissed my forehead.
“I do, but call me if you need me.” He hurried off. I turned on my heels and headed for the locker room. It was strange; I hadn’t seen Kevin since the day he tried to warn me about Ben. I grabbed my bag, Ben’s keys and proceeded to where we had parked the truck.
As I backed out of the parking space at the hospital, I thought I saw someone but I chalked it up to being sick. I was dizzy. I pulled out of the lot, like I had done a thousand times before but a strange feeling came over me. I drove the few blocks to the house. I pulled onto the street and pressed the garage opener. I noticed a woman staring at me from across the street. I realized that I had never seen anyone on this street before. Probably because of the times that I come and go, I thought. I pulled the truck into the garage and closed the garage door behind me. Grabbing my bag, I walked around the truck toward the kitchen door. Once in the house, I locked the door and grabbed a bottle of water before heading up the stairs. I entered the bedroom that I now shared with Ben. I turned on the bedside lamp as the poignant floral scent of roses swirled around the room. I turned slowly to find a beautiful pale blond woman standing behind me. She had a familiar yet angelic face that contrasted with her soiled clothes. My eyes met hers, ominous and dark, as she smiled; then everything went completely black.
***
I shivered at the cold wind chilling my skin before warm hands began taking off my clothes. I felt someone fondling me as a new garment, a dress, was put on me. I was paralyzed against whatever or whoever was touching me. The blindfold that covered my eyes was removed, and I stood in front of the large desk that I had seen before with the putrid smell of mildew. I knew where I was.
“Hades,” I gasped. He just smiled at me. I looked down at my clothes, noticing that I was wearing a deep purple dress that draped my body and was tied with a gold rope. I felt like a goddess in this get-up.
“Yes, my sweet! It is your love, Hades.” He stood up from behind his desk and walked toward me.
“Ha!” I snorted, reeling backwards.
“My sweet Antonia, you have returned to me. I knew that idiot vampire would find you and bring you back,” he said, using his fingertips to touch my shoulder.
“I have no clue what you are talking about,” I said as I pulled away from his touch and folded my arms across my chest.
“Antonia Nikos, your father hid you well for many years. He even found a witch to erase your memory, so you would not remember me. But I remember you. You loved me before and you will love me again.”
“What? Are you delusional? Where am I? And where is Ben?” I hissed as I took another step back from him.
“Ah, Benjamin, the charming Benjamin, he knew there was something special about you, but he didn’t know what it was. He thought it was your blood, but he was wrong. He also knew that if you came to me, you would not leave again. Come, my sweet Antonia, let’s look in on your charming Benjamin.” He took my hand into his, then he waved his other hand over the black glass on his desk and it turned into a TV of sorts. I could see Ben stepping foot into the house in the early morning. My heart fluttered at the sight of him and I wanted to scream for help, but from the looks of it, I was somewhere that Ben could not help me.
“Antonia, are you awake?” Ben yelled as he poured his blood into a coffee mug. He took the cup and walked toward the stairs when he noticed her sitting on the couch.
“Catherine!” he whispered, shaking his head. “But you’re . . .”
“Dead? Yes. You thought I died, but no, I was turned into a vampire. The one that died that fateful day was Joanna. She foolishly tried to save me. Neither of you ever offered me the chance to be turned. You both just watched me grow older,” Catherine said as she touched his chest. Ben looked like he wanted to cry, but he turned his head in shame.
“I couldn’t,” he choked. I felt his sadness as I watched the look on his face. He touched Catherine’s hand, the one she placed on his chest. She wore the ring that belonged to her, which he was never able to give her.
“Benjamin, I loved you and you could have helped me; you just never tried.” She ran her hand up and down his chest.