by Anna Collins
Mike had killed the vampires. But he had been injured a great deal and that said, he would need some time to recover from the injuries.
***
Mike fell to the ground. And for a moment, he didn’t have an idea of what had come over him. For over three centuries he had managed to restrain himself from feeding on a human. But now, out of lack of choice, he had to do it. And now he didn’t how to convince his woman that he didn’t have a choice.
Joyce just stood there, watching him with her mouth wide open and tears falling from her eyes. It was such a difficult thing for her to get herself to understand why mike would break a promise that he made just a couple of months back.
“Baby, I can explain. I was left with no choice!” mike pleaded as he finally stood over the body that he had killed, trying as much as possible not to break down to tears.
“It’s too late. I don’t want to see you again!”
And with that, Joyce took to her heels and ran as fast as possible, trying as much as possible not to look back. Her heart had been shredded into pieces and there was nothing Mike could do about it.
-Love is forgiveness-
Mike had broken the promise. And that wasn’t what they had agreed on. Despite being a vampire, and a vicious one if he wanted to, he made a pact that as long as he was dating her, mike wasn’t going to be violent. But now, it seemed as though everything that he had promised was nothing but shit and needless to say,
Joyce sat up all night crying. Her heart had been misleading her all the time. How on earth could she had fallen for a vampire when her mind already told her that he was a monster? Love was clearly blind.
Eventually, it seemed as though things were starting to get a little bit twisted than normal. And it was at that moment that Joyce remembered that one very important quote that she had been taught from cradle to always embrace. It was all about people not being able to mix with animals because animals will always be animals and they would always follow instinct.
It was apparent that mike wasn’t human, but an animal. And when he was attacked, the first instinct that he had was to kill. Every single time she closed her eyes, she just remembered how the horrors went down in front of her eyes, how he jumped from one vampire to the next, ripping their throats off and taking their hearts.
Then there was the blood that was spilling all over the place. It was just too darn disgusting and quite a horror to see.
She tried everything she could to erase the horrors from her mind including having to drink copious amounts of alcohol. But from the look of things, even that didn’t do her any good since the moment she got sober, the grim images came back flooding into her head, making her feel as though she was going to be sick.
As soon as she had broken into a run from the scene and told him never to come looking for her or even call her, she didn’t make an attempt to try and find out how he was doing. And that was a little bit difficult especially as far as he was concerned since he clearly loved her.
And if he wasn’t going to have the chance to get to know more about her, then it meant that she was going to start to miss him. And since missing someone she considered a monster wasn’t going to be an option, Joyce ended up drowning herself in much more liquor.
She wasn’t receiving any calls from anyone including her dad as well as her new boss, peter. Thankfully, peter had been running that club for as long as he could remember and so he figured that maybe she was just having a rather bad day and she was going to come round and show up.
But as the days went by, it seemed as though it wasn’t happening. And so it was time for him to do something about it.
And it was at that moment that peter, his employer, came through the door. It was open and he had sensed that something was dreadfully wrong. He had tried to call Joyce for a while but from the look of things, it seemed as though what he had warned mike about at the beginning of this relationship had come to pass. But still, peter believed that the relationship could work out.
And that explained why he made a point of visiting, trying his level best to ensure that everything was getting to work out rather perfectly in the end.
“Peter, I am not in the mood to talk right now. I am sure you can manage your club for a couple of days until I am emotionally stable.”
“I am sorry for intruding but you didn’t close the door. Also, you weren’t calling back or replying my texts. I was concerned.”
“And now you can see that I am perfectly fine”
“Yes I have seen you but my dear, you are far from being perfectly fine. And I will tell you why. Look, there is something you need to know about mike and why he did what he had to.”
***
Mike had his private jet fueled and had instructed the pilot to take him to Africa. He didn’t know what he was going to do in Africa. But since most of the vampires, especially those whose identities had been discovered, always made a point of flying to Africa since it was an incredible place for her to start things over. And so he thought that everything would be fine if he just disappeared for a century or two.
He still loved Joyce. But now the main issue was that if he wasn’t going to leave everything behind, then he wasn’t going to live to see the following day. In his long life, he had come to know of how animalistic the human nature could turn out to be when they realize that there are some beings who were more advanced that they are to the point that they are prey.
Plenty of holocausts had happened thanks to the humans trying to finish off the vampires and thanks to their numbers and now their latest technology, they were winning. And despite the fact that he had lots of money, it wasn’t going to help him against the angry mob. His heart was heavy and for a moment, he almost didn’t want to leave. The plane was ready and the pilot had to come out and ask him if it would be possible for them to leave as soon as possible.
He nodded. But he remained in his custom Rolls Royce car for a moment or two as though he was rethinking his decision.
The worst thing about having to start over was the fact that you had to make new friends, get a brand new identity and needless to say, the entire process was just too much for a vampire to bear. He tried to adjust his sunlight ring like he always did, trying his level best to ensure that every single thing was going on according to plans so that he could leave.
And it was at that point that his other stretch limo got through the gate of the airport. The only other person who had the keys to that car was peter. And as far as he was concerned, he had left the car with him and so he didn’t understand why he would want to join him in.
And so the car pulled up short and peter came out of the front door, and then from the other side, came the one person that she didn’t expect at all – Joyce. He knew that it was peter’s idea since he didn’t want to talk to him. But it was Joyce who made a point of running all the way to where he was and knocked on the door.
“Hey, I love you and I don’t want you to go. Please, stay with me. Please.”
“But I thought you had gone to tell on me. I am a vampire and I can be a health hazard.”
“I hate violence, and I didn’t know why you had to do what you had to do. But peter told me everything and how you got here. You were doing that to protect me. Yesterday I was crushed, thinking that love is blind. And for the most part, it is blind. But love is also forgiveness. That is the small part that makes love worth it.”
Mike couldn’t remember the last time that he shed a tear, but from the look of things, there was nothing he could do to stop that one notorious drop that was pushing itself past his lashes. And the moment he blinked, the floodgates opened.
Of course he had been a monster for a while now. But in the end, he figured that there was some human left in him to love and be loved. And he had decided to cling on that human side of himself for as long as possible since it kept him going. And now that all of that was being treated, he didn’t know what he was going to do for a moment.
But eventually, things just work
ed out and now things were going back normal.
Peter was a true friend who had never forgotten how mike had come to his rescue many, many times over. And in as much as mike would have wanted to thank him, peter wasn’t planning on accepting his thanks. It was something he just had to do and he knew that if they had traded places, mike wouldn’t have hesitated to do the same for him.
“Hey, you can always hug and kiss in the comfort of your homes. We are in an airport for crying out loud. And just in case you haven’t noticed, my vampire balls are freezing!!!”
Peter had complained, and it was then that they realized that it was indeed very cold for them to stay at one place. So they made a point of driving away. The future was very promising and both mike and Joyce couldn’t wait to see what it had in store for them. After all these years, it seemed as though the nightmare of the merchant of death had come to an end and thankfully, a happy one.
THE END
SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: THE WRONG TURNSHIFTER
As the night fell, Sarah couldn’t wait to go back home and fall asleep. She was coming back to Boston from New Hampshire, after attending one her friend’s wedding. It was a lavish ceremony and Sarah was one of the bridesmaids. She wanted to stay for the night and attend the reception dinner, but there was something deep within, which stopped her from staying in New Hampshire anymore. She couldn’t stay there anymore, smiling to almost strangers and seeking out to find someone. She was done looking for love and wanted to set herself free.
She gave an excuse and decided to drive back home. She had never been very good at navigation. The route from New Hampshire to Boston couldn’t be any simpler, nevertheless, Sarah found herself lost in the middle of the night. She knew she took a wrong turn while leaving the wedding venue and wanted to go back. As she turned her car, she heard the sound of the engine, almost wrecking. She knew she was in trouble when her car stopped in the middle of nowhere.
“Oh God! No no no! This can’t be happening right now!” she cursed several times and started to ignite the engine. All her attempts were going futile and she didn’t know what to do. She tapped her phone only to discover there was no tower reception. She couldn’t call anyone, she couldn’t ask anyone for help, as there was no one around.
“I just want to go home,” she breathed with regret, knowing that it was a bad idea to leave the wedding in the middle of the night and that too all alone.
“Please God! Do something!”
She unbuckled her belt and stepped out of the car. She opened the bonnet only to discover that the engine of the car was damaged. It wasn’t working and though Sarah didn’t know much about cars, but she knew that her car was not functioning well at all. She knew that she couldn’t find any garage or mechanic in the middle of the night and that too at such an isolated place. She thought that it was best for her to spend the night while sitting inside her car. At least, she would be warm and safe inside. As she was pacing up and down the road, unable to decide what to do, she finally saw a car coming from the opposite direction.
She knew that it was her last shot. Finding a car at such an isolated place was nothing but a miracle. She literally stood in the middle of the road, trying to halt the vehicle. It was a navy colored Ford truck that looked almost black in the pitch dark. The truck was already running at a fast speed, and as the driver hit the brake, the entire atmosphere echoed the sound.
Kurt didn’t expect to find a beautiful woman like Sarah standing in the middle of the road at such an ungodly hour. He had to rub his eyes to make sure if it was true or not. It was not a figment of his imagination and he finally realized that he should step out to check what was happening with the woman.
“Please help me, my car just broke in the middle of nowhere!” he heard the woman’s voice as he lowered the glass. Kurt stepped out of his car and looked at Sarah. He couldn’t stop admiring how beautiful she looked. Sarah was wearing a gorgeous black dress that complimented her curves and flawless body. She had long legs and her matching stilettos were doing magic to her sculpted physique. She was wearing minimalistic makeup or jewelry and even in that pitch darkness, her face was lit up, her lips were lustrous red and Kurt couldn’t think of anything else but to kiss her in the middle of that road. She had beautiful blond hair that was perfectly placed near her shoulders; depicting her amazing jaw line and making her blue eyes glitter in the dark. Kurt had never seen a woman as beautiful as Sarah, and for a moment, his entire world halted. He couldn’t stop thinking about anything but her.
“Can you help me?” Sarah asked him again in desperation. She knew that stopping a car like that at an isolated place could be dangerous, but she had no other option. As Kurt stepped out of his car and looked at Sarah, she knew that she didn’t make the wrong choice.
There was a moment of silence when their eyes met. As Sarah looked into Kurt’s hazel eyes that looked like chocolate brown in the dark, she knew that the man would end up helping her. They say that eyes are the window to our soul – it felt very apt at that moment, as they looked into each other and felt a strange cosmic connection. There was something between their souls that they weren’t able to comprehend. It was as if they were waiting for each for so long, their souls were waiting for that one moment to come.
“Yes, what is it?” Kurt finally asked her and broke her train of thoughts. Sarah couldn’t stop admiring how masculine and handsome Kurt looked. He had short hair that brought out all the features of his face perfectly. He had hazel eyes and a perfectly shaped face. His lips were rugged and he had slight stubble that Sarah wanted to feel. He was wearing an olive green Henley T-shirt that Sarah wanted to rip apart. She could see his bulging biceps and well-chiseled chest, shaping the Henley with his perfect body. Every cell of Sarah’s body wanted to experience Kurt’s masculinity as she couldn’t wait to kiss him wildly under that starlit night.
“What happened? Are you alright, Miss?” Kurt asked her one more time, which made Sarah lose her temper. She was holding on to her thoughts for so long.
“I don’t know. I don’t feel right. I was coming from a wedding, the kind of stupid wedding that I didn’t even want to attend at the first place. But I had to go and smile and hold the bouquet and the bride’s dress and do all those stupid things that I despise the most. I was sick of smiling at random people and telling them the same story over and over again. I couldn’t be there anymore so I decided to leave. I have taken this road so many times, but I don’t know what happened today. I am lost and I don’t know how to go back home. My car is not running, my spirit is low, and I don’t know what to do. I just want to go home.”
As Sarah finished her rant, Kurt smiled while looking at her. He had never met a woman like Sarah and wanted to know more about her. He could feel butterflies in his stomach as he walked towards her and held her hand.
“Do you want me to drop you home?” he asked her with sincerity. Sarah didn’t know what to say. She barely knew the guy and didn’t want to trouble him.
“I don’t know what to say. I can’t ask you for that favor, but I really feel scared right now and I don’t know what to do,” Sarah said in her peculiar accent that turned Kurt on. He wanted to kiss her right there and hold her in his arms, but it was not the right place or time. He wanted to be a gentleman and wanted to help the lady first.
“You don’t have to say anything. Just sit, relax, and let me know where you have to do. I will drop you home safely, I promise,” Kurt said and offered Sarah a ride back home, which she couldn’t refuse.
“I am Sarah,” she said as she buckled her belt and told him about her address in Boston. Kurt was familiar with the route and ensured her that there won’t be any trouble along the way. They both introduced themselves and started to share almost every minute detail about their lives. There was a strong chemistry between them and they wanted to know more about each other.
“I grew up in Boston and I have lived here all my life. I went to college here and after that, I got a job in one of the leading mark
eting firms. I am working in the same firm for the last three years now. Though the job is very exciting and it still feels like yesterday when I joined them. I like to go fishing with my dad over the weekend, as he stays with his wife on the other side of the city. I am pretty close to him, though.”
Sarah started narrating about her life as Kurt kept asking her different questions. “Why do you live in the suburbs and not the city? I mean instead of traveling so much you can always rent an apartment in the city nearby your workplace,” Kurt suggested as he wanted to know Sarah’s perception towards life.
“I am not a city bird. I cannot stay in the city, I feel trapped in one of those small rented apartments. I want to feel free, go jogging in the morning and breathe the fresh air. I want my own space and sleep in peace at night, which I can’t get so easily in the city. I am pretty happy with where I am living. What about you?” she asked him, as she wanted to know about Kurt’s way of life as well.
“I keep on changing places. I am a freelancer, so I can work from anywhere. I am currently looking for a place to settle and commence my work. I am one of those free birds too. I can’t stay at one place for very long. It’s not who I am,” Sarah was extremely intrigued by Kurt’s reply. He had a very different life with some of the most radical thoughts. He had the kind of life that Sarah always wanted to live and his will and free spirit intrigued her to the core.
