I grabbed a rag and spray bottle from behind the bar and began cleaning the mess. The people started to dance and talk the same as they had been before the scuffle. I tried my best not to make eye contact with him. "I'm not hungry."
"How about a walk then?"
"Noah, I really have a lot to do."
"I'll wait then."
I looked over at Keira when she elbowed me in the arm. I gave her an annoyed look as she nodded in Noah's direction. I pulled her toward the kitchen door so we could talk without Noah hearing us. "What is your problem Keira?!"
"I don't have a problem Caressa, but you do."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Noah. He would make a perfect vampire. We need soldiers like him."
"I am not turning him into one of us."
"Why the Hell not? Wait, you have feelings for him don't you?"
I feigned annoyance. "I do not."
"Yes you do. I've seen that look in your eyes before. You forget who you're talking to sometimes. You always get that look in your eyes when you're watching a romantic movie or read a romance novel."
I leaned my head against the glass window of the kitchen door and sighed. "I can't turn him Keira. It would break my already darkened heart."
"Why don't you just ask him?"
"Yeah, that would work out real well. What am I going to say? Hey Noah, I'm a vampire and I would like to turn you into one too so you can become one of our soldiers and fight guys like that asshole you got rid of tonight every single day for the rest of your immortal life. That's a great idea Keira. He will think I'm nuts and I'd never see him again."
"Well, if you tell him and he leaves then it wasn't meant to be. But, if he decides to stay, it would be what your heart truly wants. I can see it in your eyes so stop trying to deny it. The only person you're fooling is yourself."
"Just let me handle things my way." I left her standing there as I made my way back to where Noah sat. "Uh, why don't we go downstairs to my apartment and I'll make us something to eat."
Noah rose from the stool. "Sounds good to me. I could get used to this."
I spun on my heel and stopped in front of him. "Get used to what?"
"You know, all this domestication stuff. You cooking for me, waiting on me hand and foot."
"Whoa there caveman. Let me make something clear to you. This is not the 1940's and I am no Susie Homemaker, so don't expect me to cater to your every wish because that will never happen in a million years."
"There's no need to get testy. I just wanted something to eat. Remind me to order out next time."
Chapter Seven
In the few minutes it took us to walk to my apartment, a million things ran through my mind. Should I risk telling Noah what I really am? What would he think? What would he say? What would he do? He would tell me I was a crazed lunatic and run as far away from me as he possibly could is what he would do? Maybe that would be the best decision for both of us, to cut all ties and never see each other again. Okay, so maybe I was only trying to convince myself that's what was best. But damned if my heart was telling me the complete opposite.
As we entered my apartment I closed the door behind me and he led me to the couch. He sat pulling me into his lap.
"Noah, wait. I thought you were hungry?"
He slowly trailed his lips against the sensitive skin of my neck. "Mmm, I am hungry."
"Noah, I'm serious."
"So am I. I want you and I know you want me. Why are you fighting it so much?"
I placed my hands on his chest pushing him away from me. "Noah, please stop. I'm not the woman you think I am."
He let out a frustrated breath, slowly lifting me off his lap and onto the couch. "Okay. Talk to me. Tell me who you are. Why do you think it will change how I feel about you?"
I stood and began pacing back and forth. "Before I begin, I just want you to know that I would never hurt you. Ever."
"Caressa, just tell me already before we shrivel up and die of old age.
I scoffed at the irony of his statement. "Pfft. You have no idea." He could certainly die of old age. I, on the other hand, could not. I would never get old. I would never develop wrinkles. I would never experience any aches or pains, and I most certainly would never die of old age.
He gave me an exasperated look. "Caressa, tell me already."
"Well, it began a very long time ago, for me anyway. But it feels like it happened yesterday. It all started in the Spring of 1633..."
"Why don't you start when the dinosaurs roamed the earth? What does something that happened over three hundred years ago have to do with you?"
I turned and met his confused gaze with my hands placed firmly on my hips. "And why don't you just let me finish. This isn't easy for me to say."
"I'm sorry, please continue." He patted the sofa cushion next to him. "Come sit next to me."
"Please. I'd much rather stand."
He casually lifted his legs and placed his feet on the coffee table in front of him crossing his ankles. "Suit yourself."
"Like I was saying, it all began in the Spring of 1633, April 24th to be exact. That was the day my mother died..."
"Wait, what? Your mother? I don't understand."
"I don't expect you to understand. Let me tell you everything before you interrupt me please." I didn't wait for him to answer. I quickly continued with my story. "I had just celebrated my twenty-third birthday. My mother got sick the very next week. She began to experience terrible headaches, followed by extreme fatigue and vomiting. She could barely speak by the end. It wasn't until later we found out she had smallpox. There had been sudden outbreak in our village and there wasn't anything we could do. Back then there were no vaccinations and there wasn't any cure. All I could do was sit idly by and watch the only person who ever loved me die."
A lump began to form in my throat. Tears burned behind my lids and threatened to flow down my face at any moment, but I held them back. I swallowed hard and pushed that painful memory back down in the depths of my soulless body where it belonged. I cleared my throat. "My father was a complete asshole. He didn't care about her. He constantly abused and controlled her. He took advantage of her, never showed her any respect, and treated her like a slave. I hated him. I still do after all these years. My mother tried to get away from him once, but when he caught us trying to run away he threatened her by saying he would kill me if she ever tried to leave him again."
I took in a deep breath and sighed deeply. Noah sat and listened to me intently, his gaze never wavering from mine. There was something in his eyes I hadn't seen before. Pity? No, that wasn't it. Sorrow? Was he feeling empathy for me, for what I had gone through? Noah reached for me and took my hand in his. He slowly lifted my hand to his mouth and gently ran his lips over my knuckles, sending a chill up my arm. I shivered. This was a reaction I hadn't experienced since the time I was a human. Noah made me feel things that were taken from me so many years ago. He made me feel alive. He made me feel like...well...like a woman again. A beautiful human woman.
I straightened my back and pulled my hand out of his grasp. I closed my eyes for a moment or two. My mind began to drift far away to a time I no longer cared to remember. "One day I got a headache that never went away. A few days after that I began vomiting and eventually couldn't get out of bed anymore. My father left me there. Left me all alone to wither and die. He never came to my room to comfort me at all. Never brought me a glass of water. Never came to help me to the bathroom, not even when I urinated on myself."
I stood and paced the floor again. "One night I had completely given up. I was ready to die. Ready to join my mother. Ready to be free of the pain racking my body. Ready to rid myself of the one person who was supposed to take care of me, but never had. I closed my eyes feeling completely at peace when I heard the faint sound of footsteps. I thought my father had finally come to his senses. Finally come to take care of his only daughter. But, it wasn't. My eyelids fluttered open to the sound of a man's voice I
hadn't heard before."
I shivered. My voice cracked as I tried to get the words out. Noah stood and placed his hand on my elbow, turning me to face him. "Caressa, you don't have to continue." He lifted his hand to my pale face, swiping a lone tear from my cheek.
"No. I have to tell you. I need to tell you."
He nodded and took a step back, giving me a little space. He grabbed both my hands in his own and brought them up to his full, soft, and oh so warm lips. Lips that I could still feel on mine. Hot, wet, sensual kisses that I wanted to experience for the rest of my eternal life. I hung my head in defeat knowing that what I was about to tell him would have him bolting out of my life forever.
"Who was it?" He said in a quiet voice.
I snapped my head back up to meet his intent gaze. "What?"
"Who came to your room that night?"
"His name was Marcus." I wrapped my arms around my waist and gave myself a light squeeze. "I can still hear his voice in my head to this day. So calm. So seductive. So damn convincing. He whispered softly in my ear asking me if I wanted to leave with him. He told me I would never feel pain or hurt again. He said I would always be loved. He said I would never be controlled by my father ever again. Damn it, I was so fucking stupid. But I was in so much pain. I was so broken inside. I would've done or said anything to get rid of the pain and get away from my demanding father. If I had only known what I do now."
"What did he do to you Caressa?"
I hesitated. Now I was second guessing myself and my decision to tell him. He was angry. Very angry. Not at me, but most likely at the thought of what Marcus did to me.
"Tell me!" He closed the distance between us, grabbing me by the arms and shook me gently. "Tell me Caressa!"
I closed my eyes not wanting to continue, but knowing I had to. "He leaned over me holding my wrists down against the pillow so I couldn't move. Then he lightly skimmed the tip of his nose along my neck breathing in deeply. It was if he was starving and I was his next meal. At the time that's what I was thinking. Who knew that was exactly how he saw me? His next meal. A chance for him to prey on the weak and fulfill his every desire. I wasn't afraid. In fact, I welcomed him. I welcomed the chance to have someone actually pay attention to me for a change."
Noah loosened his grip on my arms, but he never let go. He saw I needed the comfort, yet he wanted to give me enough space to breathe. He was a special man. I sensed it the moment I laid eyes on him. "I followed his lead and turned my face away from him exposing my neck. The next thing I felt was his sharp teeth digging into my delicate skin. The pain was excruciating. I tried to break free of his hold, but I was too weak. I didn't stand a chance against his power. He sucked at my neck only for a moment or two, but to me it felt like forever. When he stepped back I began to go into convulsions and my whole body burned. Every cell in my body burned. Darkness crept around me and I felt as if I were falling into the depths of Hell. I don't remember what happened after that."
"When I awoke, I felt no pain. As I rose from my bed, Marcus reached for me. I thought I had been dreaming the whole time, but everything around me felt so real. I remember pinching myself to confirm that my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. I felt stronger. My hearing was more acute and my vision was sharper. In fact, I had never felt more alive in my life. That was the night Caressa Carmichael died and a new, more improved version of her was born. Not long after I awoke Marcus guided me toward my father's room where he laid in bed sleeping. He told me I should, no, I had to get my revenge for everything he did to me and my mother. But, I couldn't. No matter what my father had done, I could not take another human life. I didn't have the heart for it. Marcus demanded I kill my father. I no longer had a choice. I no longer had control over my body as I grabbed my father by the neck, lifted him out of his bed, and held him in the air. I tried to fight it, but my grip around his throat got tighter the more I protested. A few seconds later I heard the sound of bones crushing. My father went limp instantly in my grasp and he fell to the floor."
"I realized at that moment I would never be free again. I just exchanged one controlling man for another. Only, being with Marcus was much worse. Being his came with humiliating obligations."
"Wait. Caressa, what year did you say this happened?"
Here we go. This was it. It was now or never. All I had to do was blurt it out. Yeah. That would be easier than to beat around the bush. "It was 1633..."
"What are you saying?"
"Noah, I'm a vampire."
Chapter 8
Noah dropped his hands to his sides and stepped away from me. His reaction was one I had expected. That was until his laughter filled the room. "You're a vampire? Right, and I'm the queen of England."
Okay, I expected his reaction, but it didn't make me any less angry that he didn't believe me. Above all else, I was not a liar. I swiftly walked into the kitchen stomping my feet with each step. I reached for the metal handle of the cabinet door and pulled the door off the hinges with ease. I pointed to the door now dangling from my middle finger as if to say to him 'see what I just did?'
Noah's laughter became a soft chuckle. "What does that prove? So you're strong. So what? The hinges were probably weak."
I then plucked a ceramic mug from the shelf and held it in my hand. I squeezed gently crushing the cup into pieces. I ground the pieces into dust as it glided out of my hand and onto the tiled floor.
His face had gone stoic. He hadn't moved. He stood frozen as if contemplating what I was showing him was real or just a trick.
"Now, just so there is no doubt in your mind I am a vampire, these should be enough to prove it to you." I slowly walked over to him. I stopped within a few inches from his face, opened my mouth and allowed my fangs to descend.
"Holy shit!" Noah, took two quick steps backward tripping over the coffee table and fell over the arm of the sofa.
If this wasn't a serious situation I would've died laughing. Okay, not died, but I definitely would've laughed. I rushed over to him to help him up, but instead of taking my outstretched hand he stood and stepped away from me. My stomach dropped, my cold, dead heart sunk back into the dark abyss of my chest. I knew I shouldn't have told him anything. I should have made up some excuse to get rid of him from the beginning. I turned my back to him. I lowered my head in despair. "I think you should leave now Noah."
The room fell silent. It was so quiet I could hear his rapid heartbeat pounding in my ears. It was deafening as I waited for him to open the front door and slam it behind him on his way out. But that never happened.
Instead, he walked up behind me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and turned me around to face him. "I'm not leaving Caressa."
Tears burns the lids of my eyes threatening to fall, but I held them back. He wouldn't see me weak. No one would ever see me weak again. I needed to be strong for my sisters. For the safety of our coven. I bolted to the door and swung it open for him to walk through and out of my life forever. "Get out Noah! I don't want you here. Just go!"
He advanced toward me, not with fear or trepidation in his eyes, no he wasn't scared. A little shocked at the news at first I guessed, but that reaction was now gone and replaced with a need I hadn't seen in his eyes before. Pushing the door closed with one hand, he pushed me back against the cool hard wood with the other. His lips were on mine in less than second, licking, nipping, and delving his tongue deeper into my mouth with each long wet sensual stroke.
I wanted him. I wanted to make him mine forever, but I knew the painful price I would have to pay if I changed him. It would not only be wrong; it would be completely selfish. I would never be able to live with myself if I condemned him to the life I now live. I broke from the kiss, spun him around, and slammed him against the door. I held his wrists above his head as I allowed the tears that were pooling in my eyes to finally fall. "Is this what you want? To be food for a monster? To die in agony?"
"Caressa, look at me." He said in a soft voice, not even trying to put up a fight. He didn’
t struggle against my vice-like grip one bit.
I averted my eyes. I couldn't look at him. I didn't want to. I ached for him in a way I never had for any other man before. Not as a human or an immortal. I knew that if I looked into his deep brown eyes, the wall I had built around my heart so many years ago would come crumbling down brick by brick.
"Caressa, please. Look at me. We both know you're not going to hurt me. Now, please let me go."
He was right. I wasn't going to hurt him. I would never in a million years cause him any type of pain. I gently let go of his wrists and fell to my knees sobbing.
Noah knelt beside me and allowed me to relieve some of the despair that was heavy on my cold dark heart. "Noah, why are you still here? Please leave. I'm not good for you. You deserve someone so much better than me. I'm cold, heartless, and a monster of the worst kind. I can't give you a normal life, or a family. I have nothing to offer you."
"Whoa, hold on a second. You may not have noticed, but I am a grown man and am perfectly capable of making decisions on my own. How do you know what I want, what I need? Maybe all I need is you, and from the looks of it, you're pretty perfect to me. Not a monster. Not heartless. Not cold at all. How many times have we been in the same room together completely alone? How many times could you have killed me without giving it another thought? But did you? No. I can't imagine what you've been through or what Marcus made you do all those years ago. All I know is I want to be with you. All I need is you and there is nothing you are going to say to convince me otherwise."
"Noah, we can't be together. I'm going to live forever and you will get old and die. I couldn't watch you die. Losing someone you love is the most painful experience you ever have to go through and I don't want to lose you. The best thing for both of us is for you to leave now and never look back."
Noah sat on his heels as he took in a deep breath and let it out in a rush. Tipping up my chin with his thumb, his sincere gaze met mine. "Well, then there's only one thing to do." He stood lifting me to stand with him. "Bite me. Make me yours forever."
Bitten (A Club Blood Erotic Short #1) Page 4
