THE HEALING HEART

by Zelda Clemens

  He finally pulled away and she gasped out a breath. They had barely spoken since they got there but words weren’t needed. She smiled at him at he gazed at her. Then he whispered into the space between them.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said.

  Phoebe watched him take off his shirt. His chest was just as chiseled as she imagined. She couldn’t stop looking. He had six pack abs. She had never seen those in person. Phoebe reached out and pressed a finger against one of the hard squares.

  “Wow,” she said. Justin just laughed and leaned down to kiss her again.

  This time she wrapped her arms around his bare skin. She trailed her finger down his spine. Everything she touched felt like gold. It had never felt his good before. All of it. She especially liked the way his arms tightened around her. The way he grunted against her mouth when his tongue slid in deeper.

  She was hot. She couldn't deny it, overheating in her bum clothes. If she knew that she was going to meet Justin that day, she would have worn something way better. But it didn’t matter now. They were here and this was right where she wanted to be.

  Phoebe pulled away all of a sudden. Heavy breathing filled the small space between them.

  “Is everything okay?” Justin asked in a whisper.

  Phoebe wiggled underneath him. She took off her shirt.

  Under Justin’s slow smile, she felt absolutely gorgeous.

  It was only a sports bra, but Justin seemed to love it. His lips pressed into hers once again, but something had changed. There was more passion, more urgency. Phoebe knew then that he wanted it just as bad as she did.

  She wrapped her legs around him, hiking them up high. She could feel him, hard, between her legs, through his pants and her sweatpants. It felt so good. She rocked herself against him, back and forth, as they continued to kiss frantically.

  Justin pulled away from her mouth and she took a deep breath.

  “I want you…” Phoebe panted out. She had never said something like that before. She had never meant it more than she meant it right then.

  Justin kissed her neck in slow, thick kisses that left her shaking all over in the best way. He planted his mouth in one spot on her creamy white throat and she moaned in a way that she never knew was possible before. Then he was kissing all over her collarbone, his fingertips caressing her ample breasts. Her pink nipples came to attention under his nimble fingers. Then he helped her take her bra off. It felt so good to be free.

  Justin pulled her up against him so her bare breast brushed up against his chest. It felt glorious, the way their bodies fit together. She didn’t want to give this up. He kissed all over her shoulders and the side of her arms. No one had paid so much attention to her like that. His hands and his mouth were everywhere. Then he pushed her back on the bed, gently and kissed her mouth again. She struggled to keep up with him, kissing him back desperately as his fingers danced their way down her body, reaching her sweatpants. He slid them off effortlessly and her legs were warm and loose, ready for him.

  When he pulled off her panties and slid his fingers inside of her she couldn’t help uttering a gasp under his lips. She was ready for him, so slick and smooth. She knew that he could feel it. Justin knew what he was doing. He moved his fingers around, in and out, in a way that her gasping and squirming right underneath him. She was under his power and she loved it.

  Right when she thought she was going to cum, he pulled away from her. Already her body was in withdrawals from his touch, cold and drawing into itself. Her whole body shook as she looked up at him. Justin fixed her with a sexy smile before he pushed his tight pants down over his thighs, the curve of his ass, pulling them down off his ankles.

  Justin was more beautiful naked that she could have imagined. His thighs were a perfect proportion and his manhood stood at attention, ready for her. She watched him slide on a magnum condom with ease. Normally, she might be a bit scared of being with someone his size but with Justin, she had no fear. She knew he would take care of her. Just like he did in the ice rink. He wouldn’t bring her pain. Only pleasure.

  Justin held her close to his body as his hips moved above her. She closed her eyes tightly, giving herself into the ecstasy of his member sliding inside of her. He eased in slowly but once he was inside, he was a perfect fit. Phoebe had never felt this pleasurably full before. Her body tightened and rocked around him. Already she was craving for more. She raked her fingertips against the back of her shoulders. She let out small needy whines and moans, encouraging him to do everything that he could really do with her.

  It didn’t take long until he was moving inside of her. They were moving together. His hips snapped down and she rolled her hips towards him. Each time he slid in deep inside of her and she moaned loudly, he found all those pleasurable places inside of her that she didn’t even know existed. She hung onto him, a thin layer of sweat beginning to coat her body. He didn’t stop, even stroke an explosion of pleasure. There were tears in her eyes. She had never felt so much at once before, especially not from someone she barely knew.

  But it was like Justin already knew her. Like he could see inside of her. She kept a tight grip on him, thinking she might float into air, right into space. She was so close she could barely breathe. She felt herself, right on the edge of everything. His hands were all over. He was kissing her. It was frantic, but in a completely different way at the rink. She knew no fear, only pleasure. He was moving in and out, in and out. Phoebe took a deep breath and let it out in short, breathy gasps. She was getting closer… and closer…

  And then she felt it. That tingle in her stomach, the rumble that started right at the tips of her toes and went up, traveling through her legs and all through her limbs and her whole body like an electric current. She would be shocked to feel this way again. It was all gathering. And then it exploded.

  Phoebe cried out, louder than she ever knew she could be. Her body jerked as she was wracked with waves of pleasure. She could feel him trying to take her to her limit, still pushing inside of her, hands never leaving her. His body was warm now and shaking too. Soon he was following after her and she felt her orgasm again as the warmth of his filled her up through the condom.

  She saw the sun rise behind her closed eyelids. She saw stars. She saw the creation of galaxies. She thought this would never end, as the orgasms rolled over her over and over again. Phoebe hung onto him for dear life. She never wanted to leave his moment, this bed, this state of being. She never wanted to leave him.

  Then someone kicked the door open.

  *****

  “GET AWAY FROM HER!”

  Phoebe looked up, totally bewildered. She knew that voice. But that voice couldn’t be here. It wasn’t. There was no way it was him. It was her dad.

  Justin flipped over and out of bed. Two seconds ago, they lovemaking was the greatest dream she’d ever had. Now it was a nightmare.

  Her dad stood in Justin’s bedroom doorway. Brad was right behind him.

  Her dad had a gun. He pointed it straight at Justin.

  “Get,” he repeated in a lower, but still commanding voice, “away from her.”

  “You have no right inside my house,” Justin said.

  “You have no right to take my daughter!” her dad bellowed.

  Phoebe looked between them. Her heart was hammering fifty miles a minute. She had no idea what was going on. The sheets were bunched around her hips. The spell was broken. She didn’t know what to do.

  “Get your stuff, Phoebe!” Brad called, like he could read her mind. “For God’s sake, put some clothes on. Let’s get out of here.”

  “You don’t have to listen to them,” Justin said.

  “I said stay away from her!” her dad screamed. The gun went off.

  Phoebe had never heard a gunshot before. It was loud. Incredibly so. It made her jump. The noise echoed in her head, rattled around in thee. She couldn’t get the echo out of her ears. It was like it was stuck. She patted the side of her ear and looked over at Justin. He was
bleeding.

  “Oh!” Phoebe gasped. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. Oh right. A towel… a sheet, a pillow. Anything to stop the bleeding. She reached around for something, clumsily, but then Brad was there, tugging on her arm. He pulled her out of bed, threw her clothes at her.

  “We are leaving,” he said. “We gotta go now. Now!”

  But it was too late. Justin attacked.

  If Phoebe hadn’t been staring at him, she wouldn’t have seen it. One moment he was shot and bleeding, slumped up against the wall, his arm a bloody mess. The next he had lunged for her father and pinned him, trapping her dad on the floor beneath him.

  “You need to watch who you’re messing with!” Justin growled.

  “Hey!” Brad called. When Justin looked up, Brad threw something wet in Justin’s face.

  It looked like water but Justin began to cry out in agony. Phoebe could hear a sizzle. His skin was burning off.

  “Brad, what did you do?” Phoebe screeched as Justin rolled off her father and howled. “What did you do?”

  “Saving your ass,” Brad said. He grabbed some sheets and wrapped them around her, then forced her out of the room.

  “No, tell me!” Phoebe said. “Tell me what you did. What’s going on? What’s happening right now? I’m sick of this. I’m so sick of this. Tell me everything!”

  “Dad, come on!” Brad cried. Her brother was stronger than she thought. He forced her out of the apartment, her dad close behind. They ran to the family van, parked right in front of the door. Brad shoved her in the back and shut the door behind her. No questions answered. And then Phoebe noticed all the weapons.

  She had never really used the family van before. Mom had a car they rode in. This car was off limits. For Phoebe at least. And now she knew why. All in the back of a van. In the back of her father’s van.

  Weapons lined the walls of the van. She saw a couple of crossbows, an ax, a bunch of wooden stakes. Wooden stakes. Like on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There was also a shovel. Some shears. Knives of all sizes. And a few guns.

  Phoebe couldn’t contain it anymore. “What?” she screeched. “Is going on!”

  “We’re vampire hunters,” Brad said, peeking around from the back to face her. “That’s our family business. We hunt vampires. And Justin is one of them.”

  “What?” Phoebe yelled. Then she fainted.

  *****

  “We should have told her,” Brad said

  “Yeah, well there’s no good time to tell someone that type of thing,” her dad responded.

  “Why do you think she was with him in the first place?”

  “I don’t know why but I know why he was with her. The society is after us. They want us dead.”

  “I know why she was with him. Didn’t you two see him? He’s totally hot!”

  Phoebe slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on a bed but this time it was hers, back at home. Her parents and Brad were gathered around her bedside. She looked at them, blinking slowly.

  “Tell me that was a dream,” she said.

  “Honey, you’ve had a shock,” he mom said. “But it’s not as bad as you think.”

  “Vampires?” Phoebe said. Suddenly, it all came flooding back to her. She felt like going back to sleep but her body was no longer shocked so easily. She still felt him all over.

  “I come from a long line,” her dad said. “I never meant to bring you into the family business. In fact, I didn’t even want people to know you’re a part of my bloodline. The curse is passed down through the male side of the lineage. But when vampires get a whiff of a female from the bloodline, they tend to attack them. That’s why I never told you. That’s why we’ve never been close. I just wanted you to be safe. It’s the same with Brad and your mom. We all know the secret. And if you knew, if you were too close, you could be affected too.”

  Phoebe blinked. This was all too much to listen to. Was what he saying true. How could it be? How could there be vampires in the world? And that’s why her whole family treated her like crap? It couldn’t be true.

  “But…” Phoebe sputtered, trying to think of the words. She just didn’t believe it. “Justin… cares about me. I felt him. He was—” She gasped as she remembered something vital. “He was out in daylight. I saw him. He was out with me.”

  “Cloudy day,” Brad said. “Dark hoodie. Vampires aren’t as sensitive to sunlight as the movies would have you believe. But they still don’t like it.”

  “The most damage is done at nightfall,” her dad said. “I’m sorry honey, but it’s true. There’s one way you can always tell a vampire. Put your two fingers right here.” He pressed two fingers against his neck, right at his pulse point. “You’ll never feel it beating. Not even once. Yet they are talking and moving all over you. Try to answer that one.”

  Phoebe pressed her own fingers to her pulse point. It was still damp from his lips, where he kissed her there. Her body shivered hard from the memory. She could still feel the slight ache between her legs. Just a few moments ago, everything was right in the world. Now it was ruined.

  “I just…” Phoebe turned away from them all. She was wearing clothes now. It must have been her mom but she was too upset to feel grateful. “I just need some time… I’m sorry…”

  “Yes, it’s understandable,” her mom said. “Just remember, honey. Feelings are part of their power. Vampires want to make someone feel close to them so they can get close to them. They want to be close to them so they can kill them and suck their blood.”

  Phoebe pulled her pillow over her head. It was almost too much to bear. Could everything she just experienced be a lie? All because of an undead being’s magical spell? Of course that would happen to her. Of course. Her luck had been in the toilet. The absolute worst. When was it ever going to end?

  Phoebe was grateful when she finally fell asleep. She needed an escape for a few hours. When she woke up, it was pitch black outside and she didn’t feel any better. She just felt cold.

  Phoebe got up and shuffled to her bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. If she didn’t know any better, she would say she looked the same. She was the same height, she still had an extra couple of pounds on her stomach that came when she turned thirty, still had that same tired look in her eyes.

  But something was different now. Totally different. Her body had changed. She finally experienced true pleasure. And she didn’t care how wrong or dangerous it was. She wanted to go back.

  Her family thought Justin was after her to seek revenge. They thought he wanted to punish them by hurting her. But her family had always been selfish. The truth was that Justin saved her. He saved her at the ice rink. Most importantly, he saved her from never know what it truly felt like to experience pleasure. He had so many opportunities to kill her. So many times when they were alive. But he didn’t make a move.

  Phoebe just couldn’t believe that Justin was that way. He wasn’t the type of vampire her parents described. He wasn’t the type of vampire they knew about. If he was a vampire at all. She still wasn’t convinced.

  Phoebe got in the shower and stood under the spray. She tipped her head back and let the water wash over her. It felt good. Her whole body was on alert, a heightened reaction to any stimulus. Being in the water helped calm her thoughts a bit. Her body felt soothed and cool, even under the warm water. This was just what she needed.

  Then she heard a low, deep voice, just right outside the shower curtain.

  “Is there room for one more?"

  *****

  Phoebe froze, but not in a bad way. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. But stranger things had happened that day. She pushed the shower curtain aside. It was him.

  “Part of the perks of being a vampire,” he said. “Is that I can get around pretty easily. I don’t have to spend money on a grocery bill either.”

  Phoebe found herself giggling. She didn’t know what had come over her. But she knew that she wasn’t at all afraid.

  “My parents say you
want to kill me,” Phoebe said. “To get back at them.”

  “They couldn’t kill me if they tried,” Justin said. “Not just because we used to be in polite company. But I am not here because of them. I’m here just for you. Now, if you’d let me, I’d love to join you.”

  Phoebe nodded, stepping back a little. She kept the shower curtain open as she admired him. Justin was wearing a black sweater and jeans. He took them off easily, shedding his clothes in a heap on the floor. She looked him over appreciatively once again. It was even better the second time. He stepped in the shower, spraying gentle warm water all over them.

  “You’re really a vampire?” she asked.

  “You can do the test.” Justin grabbed her hand and brought it up to the side of his neck. Phoebe remembered what her father said, but she still hesitated for a moment. Then she placed her two fingers right there, against his pulse point. She felt nothing.

  “How did it happen?” she whispered. His body was near hers and the steam rose around them. She felt relaxed and comfortable with him, even knowing now, for sure, that he was a vampire.

  “Oh a long time ago,” Justin said. “I don’t even really remember the story. I was young, stupid and suddenly, I was undead.” He fixed her with a serious gaze, hazy because of the steam. “Phoebe, I’ve walked his earth for hundreds of years. It’s not a bad life. But I can honestly say that I’ve never met anyone like you. When I looked at you, I knew that’s the reason. That’s why I’m here. I’m here to be with you.”

  Chills ran down Phoebe’s spine, despite the warm temperature of the shower. She couldn’t remember how long she had been waiting for someone to say something like that, for someone to be that sweet. But how could she trust a vampire?