A Vampire's Thirst : Markus

by Solease M Barner

  “If we keep this up, you’ll be naked and screaming my name out again,” he whispered in her ear.

  “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” she giggled.

  He finally untangled himself from her and took a step away. She pouted a little and he groaned, admiring his mate. She shrugged, smiled and walked out of the room. He was happy the home was vampire-proof, which allowed him to sleep without worrying about sunrays filtering in. He went through the door next to the bathroom – his special lightproof room for daylight sleeping - and got onto the bed. The total darkness soothed him, and soon he was in a deep sleep.

  Markus awoke from the best sleep he’d had in over a hundred years. The memory of the time he had spent with his mate sang in his veins, and he rushed out of the room, to find she had been cooking. Even though he’d had to endure the smell of food many times since he had been turned, it still stank to him.

  He could feel the need for her vital addictive liquid rising in him, but he didn’t want to stay in yesterday’s clothes. Quickly he showered and changed. He emerged from the ensuite, and was about to leave the room when he saw her lying on the bed.

  “I was coming to find you,” he said, moving to join her on the bed.

  “I heard the shower going and thought I’d wait,” she smiled, “but you move too fast! I just got in here.” He gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Her smell gave him a hard-on, and instead of asking, as he knew he should, about how things had gone with her aunts while he slept, he started kissing her neck.

  “I know we should be talking, but you are hard to resist.” He kissed her lips.

  “You don’t have to apologize! I came in here so you and I could have some morning sex, even though it’s evening now.” He enjoyed the way she spoke so easily to him; it was sexy in his eyes.

  Markus didn’t want to pressure her about sex, or blood, but her thinking of him made him want her more.

  “We need to talk about the blood thing. I’m not the only one who needs to drink.” He raised a brow at her, hoping she would get what he was saying.

  “Why do I need blood? I’m not a vampire. Wait, will I become a vampire? Because I don’t want to stop being a witch.” He could feel the fear radiating from her.

  “No, you can stay a witch, but there are positives to drinking from me. You will not only be much stronger, but it will connect us so that we can feel each other’s moods. It doesn’t allow me to hear your thoughts, but I can feel you, and when you have drunk my life source you will be able to feel me, and maybe you don’t care about this, but it will give you an even more intense orgasm.” He looked into her eyes, waiting for her to respond.

  “Are you saying I need to drink from you to get even better orgasms? Well, but you’re forgetting one thing; I don’t have fangs.”

  “Let me worry about that.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. He positioned himself between her legs, leaned down and began to kiss her deeply, while slipping his hand into her pants. He slipped two fingers into her pussy and circled them around, over and over. Her moans were loud and he loved to hear her. Once she was squirming under him, he slipped off her pants and quickly removed her shirt and bra. It didn’t take him long to get himself undressed. They kissed deeply, passionately and long. He entered her body, stretching her as she lifted her legs higher in the air for him. Then he started thrusting inside her.

  He leaned down and sank his exposed fangs into her. It was the same tide of glory again, just as he remembered. He started to suck, then with his fingernail he cut the side of his own neck. The blood started rushing out.

  “Drink me, baby.” He adjusted the position of his head to give her better access to his blood. She latched on, and he continued to suck on her as she met him with every thrust.

  He didn’t want to stop, but he knew he must. He withdrew his fangs and gently pulled himself away from her mouth. She was beautiful with his essence on her mouth and dripping from her chin. He began to lick the blood off her face as her hands plunged into his hair and massaged his head.

  Once they were cleaned up and dressed again, they both went out into the living area, where he found not only her aunts, but Floyd drinking whiskey.

  “Why are you here?” he asked, annoyed to find his friend had come without an invitation. He didn’t want him to lead The Directive to the house here, especially Vivien. He couldn’t stand Vivien, and he knew she would attempt to take Rachel to Clarence if she found her.

  “The real question is, how does it feel not to be in bloodlust?” Floyd grinned, waggling his eyebrows. “I’ve been putting up with your cranky ass for more than a week now, I deserve to know something. Was it the best you ever had?”

  Markus glanced uncomfortably at Rachel and her aunts, before gesturing for his friend to walk over to the window to discuss this a little more discreetly.

  “Why do you not understand that I’m not talking about my personal life?”

  “Personal? Markus, I’ve watched you suck and fuck like a lunatic for years, not that fucking and sucking is wrong, but you did come close to killing a few times. Now that shit’s got personal, I’m still your friend. So, is the lust gone?”

  He narrowed his eyes, mainly because he didn’t want to be reminded of how the thirst had driven him almost to his breaking point. He was not telling his friend anything. Floyd would be just as likely to repeat it in front of Rachel; he had no filter, everything went straight from his brain to his mouth.

  “I’m not saying anything, except that I never felt better in my life.”

  “It was good, damn! Is it different from regular pussy? Is blood-mate pussy better? Is it?”

  “If you don’t change the subject right damn now...” Floyd held up his hands in surrender.

  “We are not discussing me. Why are you here?” he asked again.

  “Well, Clarence is not in the area and neither is Vivien, but some of her coven is in Chicago.” He pointed at Rachel as if he thought she couldn’t see him.

  Rachel eyes widened and her aunts walked over to her. Markus looked at Floyd and waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. He knew the other witches were there to take her, and more importantly to kill her. Though she’s never told him personally, but through his keen hearing and using Floyd, he found out. He would not allow the coven to Rachel - even if he had to do some harming himself.

  Chapter Nine

  She had never thought it would be three months before she encountered the coven, actually she thought it would be sooner. Markus’ friend wouldn’t have come and said that unless it was true. The old Rachel would have taken off with her aunts and hidden again. But now that she had a blood-mate, running was no longer an option.

  She turned her attention to Markus, and felt the anger and worry seeping from him. He was right to be concerned if there were witches about, and where some were, doubtless more would follow. If they could sacrifice her to raise more powerful witches as well as get more power themselves, it was a no brainer for the coven.

  Even though this home was spelled, she knew a concerted effort by enough witches could break the protective spell and allow them to come right in.

  “We need to come up with a plan. I don’t want my coven sisters hurt.” Disappointment slapped into her from her blood-mate. Her aunts shook their heads in agreement.

  “If we sit here for long we will lose any advantage Maxine and I have kept over them,” said Paula.

  “No one is getting into this home unless their name is on the list, trust me.” Markus spoke confidently.

  Rachel smiled as he moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. She wondered if he wished his blood-mate was someone else, one without all the problems she came with. As soon as those thoughts went through her mind, his hand squeezed her a little more tightly and she looked up at him, only to see him shake his head ‘no’ at her.

  I thought he said we could only feel mood, not thoughts, she thought. She looked at him again and he gave her a wink. They did share
thoughts, it seemed; how could he tap into hers, and yet she had not been able to tap into his?

  She turned her attention back to her aunts; Maxine had pulled out a book from her capacious handbag. Its dark brown leather cover was engraved with an upside-down quarter moon outlined with stars and a tree with roots exposed: the family grimoire. She moved over to join her aunts in studying it, while Markus and Floyd murmured to each other over by the window.

  “Listen, Rachel, did you know that when two supers mate together, they pass powers to each other? Not all powers, but some.”

  She stared at the passage her aunt was indicating and sure enough, there it was in black and white, or faded sepia and white, anyway. She wondered if any powers had passed to her from him, and what she could pass to him. Vampires couldn’t be anything but vampires, and a witch couldn’t be anything but a witch.

  “Well, other than being able to feel his mood, I don’t think he’s transferred anything to me.” She glanced over at Markus, and he stopped speaking and came over. He didn’t say anything to Floyd, but that didn’t seem to bother the vampire; he had made himself at home, and poured himself more whiskey from the bottle at his elbow.

  “Has she transferred anything to you?” Maxine’s voice was cold.

  Markus looked at her, and back at Rachel.

  “She’s transferred some things to me, but I’m not sure if it’s anything that could be considered a power, except for her blood.” He looked at her, and she could feel his need come over her.

  “Her fucking blood, you asshole,” Maxine snapped.

  She needed to intervene, and fast.

  “Yes, blood. He’s my mate, and he drinks from me and I from him. Now, either you are here to keep me alive, or to discuss my sex life. What’s it going to be?”

  Both aunts rolled their eyes and turned back to the grimoire. Floyd lifted his glass to her in a silent salute.

  She could feel Markus’s pride in her. She read pages of accounts of supers transferring powers; it was described, over and over again. Rachel didn’t want to miss anything; maybe if she studied it she would discover what power she might have from him. Rachel knew that she was still a witch, could feel all that power within her, but was unaware of what Markus had as a vampire. Each vampire had unique powers. She knew his eyes could glow, but that didn’t seem useful unless one was in the dark. He had the speed and the strength, but she didn’t know what else. Then she remembered that when she had first encountered him, and she had the mirror on the table watching him, he had found out somehow. Markus had known it wasn’t only a mirror. He had never told her how he knew that, but now was a good time to find out, and learn about his powers. This could help her stay alive, and she desperately didn’t want to die.

  Rachel got up and walked to the kitchen, and without a word Markus followed her.

  She turned to him and folded her arms across her chest.

  “You need to tell me what your powers are, all of them. I could have some and not know it. Plus, tell me, what have I transferred to you?”

  Markus picked her up and placed her on the kitchen counter. He leaned down and kissed her.

  “My powers are speed, strength, ability to heal, glowing eyes but that only happens at certain times, flying and I can recognize a witch spell. That’s how I knew about the mirror; I’ve seen it done before.” She nodded. Everything he had was pretty good, but the ability to heal and recognize spells could come in really handy.

  She could sense spells too, as could any witch, but the way Markus tuned into the mirror was different; a witch would have to be looking for spell traces to start with, but it had been almost as if he had been drawn to the spell.

  “How will I know if I have any of those powers?”

  “I’m not sure. This is all new to me as well, but I think over time we will both find out what we share. And you could experiment. We both could.”

  “The problem is, in the meantime I could be dead, and then it won’t matter.”

  “You are not going to die, don’t think like that. Now I know you don’t want harm to come to your coven, but if I have to choose you over them, they will bleed first.” His eyes went dark, and she could sense his firm resolve.

  “Dying is not part of my plan, either, at least for a while.”

  He scowled. “You’re not dying until I kick the bucket, and I plan on being here until the end of time.”

  That was when it dawned on her that she had been given the gift of immortality, just like him. She was unsure what would happen if they took her head off her body, but knowing it was going to be more difficult to kill her put her at ease.

  “They can’t just kill me like before; they are going to have to do something major.” She gave him a sweet grin.

  Rachel didn’t think this let her off the hook by any means, but it made her feel better. Her aunts were not off the hook, either, though, and what they had done was punishable by death. The coven was not going to be happy if they had lost the chance to raise the ancestors and get more power.

  “This still doesn’t make me happy at all. Until I know for sure no one is trying to kill my blood-mate, I will not be at ease.” He spat out the words.

  She didn’t try to change his mind, for she could feel his emotions and she knew nothing she said would change his mind. It only made her more determined to divert her coven from trying to sacrifice her.

  “I guess we should go in there with the others, I need to tell my aunts some good news.”

  He leaned in and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. She closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch, a muffled moan escaping her. After a few comforting minutes, they returned to the living room.

  When she told her aunts about her new immortality, they were only a little relieved. They agreed that until the threat against her was completely removed, she would always be in danger.

  Everyone had gone to separate places. Her aunts were in one of the bedrooms, trying to rest. Floyd had decided to stay and help, which Rachel appreciated. She and Markus were left alone. Now, finally, they had time to start knowing one another. They lay side by side on the bed, embraced.

  “Tell me about your life before you were a vampire.” She wanted to know more about him, to learn about his human past as well as his vampire life. She felt that really to get to know him, she must start from the beginning.

  “It’s been a long time since I thought about my human life, baby.” He sighed and pulled her closer. “I was born in a small town in Virginia called Hills Town. It wasn’t big or anything like that, but it was comfortable, know what I mean? Everyone knew everyone. My father was a farmer, and my mother took care of us all. I had five siblings.”

  “I never wanted to be a farmer myself. My father gave me some money and this ring, the day he sent me to Boston. My uncle had a job for me there. It was there that I fell in love for the first time… but none of it matters, because I died and became this,” he gestured vaguely, as if to indicate everything that had happened since, “and they all died eventually as well. I’ve done many things I’m not proud of, including murder, but all I can tell you is that I’m a better man than I was, for numerous reasons, and I will always protect you and I’ll love you forever

  It all stabbed into her: his pain, his guilt and shame at the things he had done. It became too much to bear, and hot tears spilled over and ran down her face. He had not forgiven himself for whatever had happened in the past, and she could feel his struggle to talk about it.

  He wiped her tears and hugged her tighter. They lay wrapped in each other’s arms for a few minutes, then she began to tell her tale.

  “I’m an only child. I didn’t really get a chance to know my parents; my father left my mom before I was born, and then Mom was killed in a car accident when I was only five. That was when my aunts took me, and they’ve been taking care of me ever since. I’ve always known I was a witch, right from the start, and always loved it. Looking back on it now, though, with all that’s going on, I sometimes
wish I hadn’t embraced it. I’ve had a few boyfriends, but only had sex with two of them. I’m twenty-six, and I would love to have children. I love reading and watching my favorite shows. Whenever I have my period, I eat pecan ice cream with Vernors soda, and watch sad movies.”

  She knew she had dumped a ton of information on him, but if she was going to be with him forever, then he should know the basics about her. There were many layers to her, but she thought learning each other slowly would be fine. After all, they had eternity.

  She wanted to look at him the way he looked at her. She liked him more than she had ever liked a man, but she was not in love with him, not yet, even though she had drunk his blood, and continued to have sex with him. It was not going to be hard for her to love him, she could tell, but she had not yet reached that point.

  “Thank you for sharing that information with me. I’ll make sure all your favorites are stocked in our home. I know you’re not in love with me like I am with you, but I’m a vampire - we feel more deeply, and faster. I look forward to the day my mate will say she’s in love with me.”

  She pulled herself up on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Even though he was not actually alive, his beating heart and warm crimson liquid had her rethinking the things her aunts had told her about vampires.

  She wished she could stay up all night with him, but she couldn’t hold on any longer. Soon she drifted into sleep, and dreamed of her blood-mate.

  Chapter Ten

  She was beautiful, even when she was sleeping. There was nothing more important to him than to watch his blood-mate sleep. It had been rough for him for over the last few weeks, but lying here holding her made all the pain and misery he had been through so very worth it. There was nothing more precious to Markus than she was, and every time he saw, smelled or touched her, his love for her grew.