Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  The Hunter holding me up let go and I dropped to the ground. I looked up with blurry vision immediately recognizing my savior. Though I couldn’t see him clearly, his undeniable scent told me it was Rhett. I've been feeding from him for the last few months and the smell of his blood pumping through his veins as the adrenaline coursed through his body was enough to give me the strength to stand. I swayed and I was about to fall again, but was quickly caught by two strong arms holding me around the waist.

  "Gia are you okay?"

  His loud voice was muffled by the deafness in my ears. This is it. This is the moment I shall cease to exist and I couldn't be happier than to die in his arms.

  "Gia, look at me. Are you okay?" He screamed again.

  I couldn’t look at him. I didn't want to open my eyes because death was clouding the way I saw the only man I have ever loved and I couldn’t bear to leave him knowing I caused him so much pain.

  He gripped my face in his hands and shook me a little. "Gia, you're weak. You have to bite me."

  What? He didn't just ask me to bite him, did he? No, I must be hallucinating, that must happen when you're on the brink of death.

  He slid his thumb over my cheek softly. "C'mon sweet cheeks. I don't want to lose you. Please bite me." He pleaded.

  Holy shit, I had heard right. How did he know what I was? Only one person had threatened to tell him and that person was Noah. There was nothing I could do about it now, but I was not going to feed from Rhett again. I vigorously shook my head at him and clamped my mouth shut.

  He placed his wrist in front of my mouth, rubbing it against my lips. "Gia, you have to. Do it now. I'm not asking again."

  I turned my head away from his arm as he tried to get me to open my mouth. I won't do it, I can't do it, and he will not force me to.

  "Fine, have it your way." He said as he grabbed a handful of my hair and snapped my head back, forcing me to open my mouth.

  My fangs descended instantly and because I was so weak I couldn’t retract them back into place. Before I had a chance to protest he slammed his wrist into my fangs, puncturing the skin.

  He inhaled a breath through gritted teeth. "Fuck."

  When that first drop of his delicious blood hit my tongue I turned into the savage I had always been and greedily pulled on his open wound.

  He moaned with every mouthful I swallowed. "If we weren't in such a serious situation, I would throw you up against the wall right here in the alley and fuck the shit out of you."

  I sucked faster and harder because his moans were urging me on to continue. I couldn't stop. I needed to drain him of everything he was giving me. I no longer thought of him. All that mattered to me now was that my craving was finally being satisfied and I couldn't get enough. I will never have enough of him.

  I faintly heard Noah's voice in the distance as he struggled with another of the Hunters. "Gia stop!"

  I ignored him. I didn’t have control over my body.

  My need to have Rhett's blood in my belly took over my sanity.

  The sound of the fighting was dying down as the last of the Hunters were exterminated. It was getting quiet and a peaceful feeling flooded my body. That euphoric sensation didn't last long as I was ripped away from Rhett and pushed against a brick wall.

  Noah and Caressa held me in place by my arms and within moments I had my strength back. My vision cleared and I finally saw Rhett lying on the ground.

  I struggled, trying to free my arms so I could get to him. "Let me go."

  "Caressa, take her inside, I'll get Rhett."

  I tried to protest, but was quickly pulled into my apartment. Noah followed close behind with Rhett thrown over his shoulder. Caressa flung me into the living room and Noah plopped Rhett on the sofa.

  I ran over to him, dropping to my knees. "Oh my God, what have I done? Caressa we have to do something, he can't die, or worse be turned into one of us."

  Caressa walked over to the side of the couch and placed her hand around his throat. Time stood still and I felt as if I were floating outside my body in an endless suspension, praying that it wasn’t too late.

  "He's fine. You didn't go too far." Caressa straightened and went to stand by Noah's side.

  I sat back on my heels and breathed a sigh of relief knowing he was going to be okay. I didn't kill him and he didn't have to become one of us. I stood and dusted off my pants. "I guess you can take him home Noah."

  Noah lifted his arm and glanced at his imaginary watch. "Well, will you look at the time? Caressa and I better go help the others clean up before people walking by become suspicious."

  "You can't leave him here. Caressa, tell him that he can't leave Rhett here."

  "Noah's right we should go and help the others." They opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

  "Caressa!"

  "Bye." Both Noah and Caressa said in unison as they closed the door behind them.

  Great. Just fucking great. Now what do I do? I couldn’t take Rhett home. I don't even know where he lives. Besides, there could be more Hunters out there and being alone with a weak human wouldn't do at all. Well, Rhett proved that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself and more tonight, but he wouldn't be able to do much, not in his current state.

  Rhett stirred and I panicked. What was I going to do? What was I going to say to him when he woke up? He knows what I am, but I'm guessing he won't be happy when he realizes that I almost killed him.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  RHETT MOANED AND turned on his side to face me. He slowly blinked a few times then smiled. He reached for my hand, pulling me down to his level. "Hey sweet cheeks."

  "Don't sweet cheeks me! What are you doing here when I told you to stay away from me? You have to leave. Now!"

  He sat up slowly and was obviously a little dazed, but he still held my hand tightly. "I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not going anywhere."

  I yanked my hand away from him and stepped back a few feet. "Yes you are! I said go."

  "I don't think you heard me, I said I'm not going anywhere." He rose and pushed me back against the wall. He wound his hands around my waist and pulled me against his chest hard. "Don't be stubborn. You know you want me. You couldn't keep your hands off me if your life depended on it."

  "I can snap you in half in the blink of eye."

  He chuckled. "I know you can." His expression turned serious, very serious. "But you won't." He practically growled that statement and it vibrated straight through me. My legs felt like jelly whenever I was near him and I hate it. I hate that he makes me so weak.

  I swiped his hands away from me and side stepped him so that he was no longer at arm's length. "And how do you know anyway. It was Noah wasn't it? He told you, didn't he?"

  "Noah didn't tell me anything."

  "Then it was Caressa."

  He took a couple of steps in my direction. "Nope, it wasn't Caressa either."

  I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well? Then who?"

  "You."

  I uncrossed my arms and pointed to my chest. "Me? I didn't tell you anything."

  A smug smile played across his lips and his eyes gleamed with that 'I know something you don't know' look. "You didn't have to."

  "Can we please stop talking in riddles and just spit it out already so you can leave?"

  "Do you really want me to leave after we've had so many months of mind blowing sex? I thought we had something special sweet cheeks."

  "We don't have...wait...what did you say? Did you say so many months?"

  He closed the remaining distance between us and cupped my chin, lifting my head to meet his heated gaze. He nodded slowly and grinned. "I did."

  "How could you know? I erased your memory every time."

  He placed a soft kiss on my lips that I didn’t reciprocate. "Well, I think your memory erasing skills are a little rusty."

  "They are not!" I swatted his hand away from my face. "You don't remember anything. You're lying! Someone told you."

  Hi
s strong hands grabbed my upper arms as he pulled me into his chest. He slid them around my waist, lowering them to grab my ass hard. "Why do you think I call you sweet cheeks? It's certainly not because of your sugary disposition."

  "Fuck you!"

  He squeezed me harder. "That's my girl." He said before devouring my mouth hard and slow.

  His tongue delved into my mouth and I couldn’t resist him. His scent permeated my nose and occupied all of my heightened senses. I craved his blood. I craved the taste of the metallic liquid hitting my tongue and sliding down my throat.

  I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t take anymore from him than I already had. I broke from the kiss, but I was unable to move. I wanted to chase him away, but I don't think I have enough will power to do so. I love him, yet I am so hurt that he didn't tell me he knew what I was all this time. I stepped out of his embrace. "You lied to me!"

  "What?"

  "You lied to me! You knew all this time what I was doing, yet you didn't say anything."

  "Don't you think you're being a bit of a hypocrite? I don't recall you being honest with me."

  "How could you let me believe you had no idea?"

  "The truth?"

  "Yes."

  "The truth is I didn't want it to end. I knew if I said something to you it would've hurt that stupid pride of yours because your powers weren't working on me. I love you Gia, I didn't want to hurt you. Now, since we're being honest with each other, why don't you tell me why you didn't tell me what you were?”

  I slumped my shoulders, dragging my feet along the hardwood floor and sat on the couch. I'm tired. Tired of lying and being the monster I no longer wanted to be. "You wouldn't have believed me, besides everyone expected me to be cold and heartless, uncaring and rude. At first, I used it as a shield to protect myself from what I truly felt and not allow anyone in. They were all convinced that the creature I showed them was who I really was. They never questioned me and I don't think they cared much at all."

  "How can you say they don't care about you? They love you."

  "How do you know that? You haven't known me that long and you certainly don't know Caressa and the others either. "

  He plopped on the sofa next to me, placed his hands under my knees and lifted my legs to rest over his. "I can tell. And from what I saw out there in that alley, you love them too. You don't fight hard for something you don’t care about.”

  "Speaking of the alley, what were you doing there Rhett? I told you never to come back."

  "Noah was worried about you and asked me to stop by."

  "I'm gonna kill him."

  "Stop. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be here right now."

  "I know Rhett, that was kind of the whole point."

  His thumb ran down my cheek and over my parted lips. "Why would you do that yourself Gia? Didn't you once think of me and how I would feel when I found out you were dead?"

  What could I say to him? I didn't want to lie to him or myself any longer. I spent my whole immortal lifetime spinning webs of deception to mask my feelings and I needed to come clean to Rhett right now. I could see the hurt in his eyes and this was exactly why I told him never to return in the first place. I avoided his intense gaze as he waited for my answer. "You were all I thought of. That's why I decided I no longer deserved to live anymore. I lied to you and treated you horribly. I only used you as a source of food and my own personal sex slave."

  He laughed hard. "Sex slave? I don't remember you doing much other than screaming my name while I fucked you. As far as I see it, you were my sex slave. And I know you love me sweet cheeks, it's not just sex as you say it is."

  "I do not love..."

  He took my face in his hands and squeezed my cheeks together, making my lips pucker as he said my name in a stern voice. "Gia."

  I sighed heavily as he let go. I smiled at the softness in his eyes. "I do love you."

  "Good, now that we have that settled, come put that sweet ass over here." He patted his thigh then pulled me over on his lap.

  I straddled him and he leaned back, tilting his head to the side. "You look beautiful. I think I may have to buy you more of these."

  My fingers skated over the intricate beadwork of the red corset. "It was my mother's."

  "She must have been a special woman."

  The corner of my mouth tipped up as her face flashed across my mind. "She was."

  "I'm guessing you're a lot like her."

  "In some ways yes, but we were very different in many others." Sadness began to seep into my heart at the thought of my mother never really being there for me and my siblings.

  "Hey. Let's forget about everyone else for a while and concentrate only on us for now."

  I didn’t have a chance to agree before he pushed me back and helped me to a standing position. He quickly tugged my pants down my legs, then took my hand to help me out of them. I slowly turned around so my back was facing him.

  He hooked one finger into my thong, sliding it between my slick folds. "So wet for me already.” He positioned himself on the edge of the sofa cushion as he licked, then bit my round bottom.

  I reached behind me and pushed his hand to the small of my back so he could pull the ribbon that held the bodice in place. My full breasts were too constricted and my now peaked nipples were scraping against the inside of the tight fabric.

  He grabbed my wrist and placed it on my side. "I didn't ask for help. Leave it on."

  I reached behind my back again, wanting to untie the string myself to relieve some of the pressure of my aching breasts, but he prevented me from doing so.

  He pulled my hand away, placing it by my side again. "I said leave it on."

  I was so turned on by his demanding nature and his command made me wetter, if that was at all possible. With my back still turned to him, I could hear the sound of a condom wrapper being opened and guilt crept its way around my heart.

  I faced him and grabbed the condom out of his hand before he sheathed himself. "You don't need this." I said with a little more disappointment than I originally planned.

  He stared at me quizzically. "I don't?"

  I shook my head and lowered my chin to my chest. "I can't get pregnant. I'm sterile. All female vampires are sterile."

  He took the condom from me and flung it over his shoulder. "Fuck it then. Now where were we?"

  He pulled me onto his lap. I pressed the palms of my hands flat against his chest. "Wait, don't you think we should talk about this first?"

  "Talk about what?" He glanced down at the bulge in his pants. "As you can see, I'm not in the mood for talking. Right now I'm in the mood for fucking my sweet cheeks until her legs are so weak she won't be able to walk straight."

  I gasped as he grabbed my ass with his strong hands and squeezed hard. "Rhett."

  "That's my name. Now, let's get you screaming it instead of saying it."

  "Rhett please."

  "I'll take that plea as my cue to continue where we left off."

  "Rhett enough, we have to talk about this."

  He took in a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "Boy, you sure do know how to squeeze all the fun out something don't you? Fine, but you're not moving."

  "Don't you think it would be kind of awkward having a discussion while I'm half naked on your lap?"

  He arched an eyebrow at me. "My tongue has been inside your pussy, nothing can be awkward between us. Now talk. Quickly."

  "Well, doesn't it bother you that I can't have kids?"

  He tilted his head to the side. "Does it bother you?"

  "Not anymore."

  "Then why would it bother me?"

  "Don't you want to get married and have children of your own?"

  "The truth?"

  "Please."

  "No."

  "Oh." I said sharply not expecting his answer so fast.

  "Besides, I kind of like our arrangement and I'd like it even better if I could fuck this sweet ass for all eternity."

  I moved my legs at
tempting to get up, but he grabbed hold of my thighs and held me in place. I could’ve overpowered him if I really wanted to, but I was rendered motionless by the way his calloused skin felt against my mine.

  "Where do you think you're going sweet cheeks? We haven't even started yet."

  "Rhett, you can't be serious. I am not going to turn you into the creature I am."

  "You can and you will."

  "You can’t force me to do anything."

  "Fine. Then I'll have to have Noah do it. But in all honesty I'd rather have your beautiful lips on my skin than his." He shuddered, obviously disgusted by the idea. "Ugh, that is not something that I look forward to, but if you're not going to do it then I’d have no choice. Please, save me from that horrible nightmare."

  I laughed at the vision of Noah turning Rhett. That would be a sight indeed. Of course, male vampires have turned other males before, but in my mind for some reason Noah is doing it so sensually that it looks completely ridiculous and funny as Hell. I laughed even harder. "Yeah, I don't think that would be very enjoyable for you at all."

  He chuckled, most likely envisioning the same scenario. "No, it wouldn't."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “ARE YOU SURE?”

  He caressed my cheekbone with his thumb. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life Gia." He said without the least bit of trepidation in his voice. "How about making me yours forever right now?"

  "Now?"

  "Yes now. And I want to be buried deep inside that sweet pussy of yours as you suck me."

  I smiled wide at his request. "I think that can be arranged."

  "Good, now let’s get started.” He gripped the back of my neck and devoured my mouth with his as our tongues danced together to a rhythm only we could hear. He moaned softly, leading my mouth to the bend of his neck.

  I felt the strong pulse of his vein against my lips, inhaling the undeniable metallic scent of his blood that I hunger for. My fangs descended at the mere thought of sinking them into his perfect skin. I grazed them down his neck stopping at his shoulder. I tensed for a brief moment hoping that I was making the right decision. After all, I wasn't forcing him, although I could. I could also refuse him, but I won't because he wanted this just as much I did.