by Various
****
When Gillian awoke, she felt like she’d been beaten with sticks. Every muscle—even some she hadn’t even known she’d had—were aching. She wanted to sit up, but the world was still spinning. She gripped the sides of the bed, hoping that perhaps she could ground herself. Had any of it been real or just a fever dream brought on by alcohol and the cold?
“Look who’s awake!” Seth chirped as he strode into the room. “You slept so long; I was beginning to think I’d taken too much.” He carried a tray that held a bottle of wine and a single glass. “I’ve brought you something to get your strength up.”
“What time is it?” she murmured.
“Sunset. You slept the whole day.”
“What the hell happened?” she asked, rolling to one side and pushing herself to a sitting position.
He smiled and set the tray down on the nightstand. “Well now, that’s quite a story, love. And I, for one, need a snack first.” He opened the bottle of wine and poured a generous glass. Gillian’s eyes rolled back in her head as she inhaled the sharp scent. It was overpowering and instantly made the sides of jaw hurt as her mouth watered. She wanted what was in that glass—more than anything. “Hungry?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving the glass. He brought it closer, barely letting the edge of the glass brush her lips before taking it away.
He laughed when she whimpered, using all of her energy to edge closer to him. “That’s it,” he whispered, beckoning her closer. “Good girl.” She managed to get herself up on her knees and crawl into his lap. She grasped the cup with both hands, clumsily bringing it to her mouth. Seth smiled and helped her, steadying the cup as she drank until the warm blood was dripping down her chin. “Be careful, love. You must sip it at first or else you’ll be sick,” he warned.
When the cup was empty, she looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “More?” she asked, wiping the streaks of blood from her chin.
Seth laughed. “I can only hope you’re as insatiable with every aspect of your personality, Gillian.” He poured another glassful and watched with wonder as she gulped it down. “How are you feeling?” he asked when she finally lay back against his chest, letting the wine glass slip from her fingertips and onto the floor.
“Much better.” She sighed. “Alive.” She looked around the room, taking in everything as if for the first time. Her senses were sharp and everything was so intense. The colors, the subtle shadows on the walls, the orangey light that streamed in from the window—it was all so clear. The cars on the street below, the pounding of tourists’ feet as they meandered down the sidewalks and even the boats on the harbor echoed off the walls that surrounded them. And the blood. She could smell it everywhere. “Hungry.”
“I’m afraid you’ll be hungry for a while, my love. You need to feed.” Peeling himself from under Gillian, he rose and went to the window, to stare down and out over the city. “You slept so long and the night approaches quickly. We must get you ready.”
“Ready for what?”
He grinned, the subtle point of his canine sparkling in the dim light. “Your first kill.”
“Kill?” Gillian gasped, her eyes wide.
“Yes, love. How did you presume to get the blood?”
“Well… I just… I don’t want to kill anyone…”
“Just think of them as food.”
“But… I can’t… It’s wrong… I…”
Seth rounded on her, crossing the floor so quickly that she didn’t even detect his movement. “You can and you will,” he growled. “You have no choice. It’s what we do, Gillian. That’s the price you have to pay for what’s been done. You kill and you feed. Or you die.” He seemed to grow in size as he loomed over her, his body tense with contained rage. “What exactly did you think a vampire was, Gillian?”
“I don’t understand why we have to kill anyone. There are other ways…”
“What other ways? Pig blood? Robbing blood banks? Subsisting on rats? Have you ever tasted animal blood, Gillian? I will not resort to such crudity. I’d rather be reduced to ash in the sun.” He turned and started toward the door. “Get yourself dressed. You’re just going to have to trust me.”
Gillian slowly rose from the bed and noticed that her entire body was streaked with bloodstains. Bringing a finger to her lips, she could taste the bitter flavor that still lingered on her skin. Her eyes watered, and that sharp pain in the pit of her stomach was enough. She knew he was right. She would have to feed.
She followed Seth across the hall and into a large bathroom. The walls were rough brick, just like all the others, with an enormous copper bathtub in the center. “Take a shower. You’re covered in blood, and you smell like death.” Opening a cabinet, he tossed a couple of towels on the counter.
“Thanks,” she murmured, watching him as he moved stiffly about the room. He seemed on the edge of anger, but she couldn’t understand why. “Seth?”
“What?” His back was turned, and he wouldn’t look at her.
“Are you upset with me?” she asked timidly.
“No.”
“Then why…”
“I’m hungry!” he roared, slamming a hand down on the counter hard enough to crack the marble. “In case you don’t remember, I allowed you to feed on me earlier. I’m tired and hungry, Gillian.” He turned around, his green-eyed gaze boring into her. “And I don’t want to make another mistake.” He took a step toward her, looming ominously and backing her against the doorframe. “Don’t make me regret choosing you,” he whispered. “I’ve waited so long.” His expression softened and he reached out, caressing her cheek. “I feel so connected to you, Gillian. For the first time in a very long time, I don’t feel alone. I need you to trust me.” He looked at her expectantly and she nodded slowly, falling victim to his gaze once again. His hand slid into the soft curls at the back of her head and pulled her into his kiss. It was long and slow, his tongue slipping between her lips to trace the edge of her teeth. In seconds, the painful hunger began again, but this time it wasn’t blood she needed. Her arms slid around his waist, drawing him closer. She wanted to be one with him. Alongside the thirst was a creeping chill that had gotten inside her. The only thing that would melt the ice in her heart was his touch. And she needed it.
“I trust you, Seth,” she gasped through his kisses. His scent was everywhere, filling her up and driving her mad with lust. She found herself rubbing her naked body against his, grinding her center against the hard bulge of his cock. Tearing himself away from her mouth, he sought out the hollow just under her ear. Kissing and sucking the soft skin, he whispered words in growling tones. Words she could not understand with her head, but her body could decipher their meaning. Sliding a hand down his chest, it came to rest on his cock, still trapped in its denim prison. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to feel the stolen blood that ran through his veins rush to his sex and warm her fingertips. With unfamiliar strength, she pulled at the waistband of his pants until she tore them open completely. Her hands found their mark easily and she freed his member, feeling it pulse in her hand. “Is all this for me?” she rasped, stroking him slowly.
“Forever,” he whispered, reaching down to place his hand over hers, guiding it back and forth over his cock. With a guttural moan, he pulled her hand away and pinned it against the wall behind her. “But don’t think you can go having your way with me just yet,” he said with a snarl, giving her a glimpse of his canines as they elongated with his desire. Without warning, he bit down into the gentle curve where her shoulder met her throat. She shrieked with the sharp pain, but was soon arching against him. She could feel him sucking at the wound, taking in her precious blood, and the sensation was so intense that she nearly swooned against him. But he was there to catch her, sliding his hand under her ass and kneading gently.
“Seth…” She sighed. Her voice was pleading, and her body was impatient. “Please…fuck me, Seth…” she murmured into his ear, lost in her overheated senses.
He did not speak, but slid his hand down to her thigh and pulled it over his hip. In one lithe movement, he thrust himself into her fully, pushing her against the wall with an unyielding impetus. The rough bricks behind her dug into her back, scraping and scratching the delicate skin over and over as he fucked her. She didn’t care and cried out for more. He was happy to oblige and pulled her other leg around him until the only thing supporting her weight was his body and the wall. Over and over he pulled her down into his thrusts, each one more violent than the first. He growled against her cheek, showing her the animal he was and the one she’d become. Already she could feel it inside, trying desperately to break free. “Bite me, Gillian,” he hissed. “Make me bleed.”
Her sex shuddered around him, teetering on the edge of orgasm. He held her tight and she could smell his skin, so close to her she could taste it. She brushed her lips along the rounded slope of his broad shoulder. Her tongue flicked out of her mouth, as she took a small taste. The salty spice was intoxicating and soon she found herself licking and nipping at the skin.
“That’s right, love.” He sighed, stroking her hair and guiding her mouth to his throat. She could feel something strange happening to her. Her mouth burned, suddenly seeming stretched and sore. Her new canines elongated, breaking through the skin of her gums. The sharp pain was enough, and she knew what to do. With an animalistic snarl she bit down, tearing his flesh with her teeth until his blood was flowing over her mouth and chin. Seth howled, a sound of delicious agony and pleasure. With a final thrust, he came, emptying his seed into her until it was dripping down her thighs, and he could no longer move. He fell down to his knees, taking her with him until she straddled his lap, collapsing against his chest as the tremors subsided.
He held her close, keeping her tight against him. Something was strange about it. So cold and hollow. Like a statue, he held her in his immovable embrace. There was no heartbeat, no rhythm of breath to measure out their strides toward death. There was no death. Only endless oceans of time that she would gladly spend in the grasp of his stony clinch.
Chapter Five
“Gillian.” He sighed against her ear after what seemed like hours of silence. “I have to feed. I’m fading.” He stroked her hair idly, teasing her awake. Her eyes moved beneath their lids and he could tell that she was still locked in some feverish dream. Did she dream of him? Leaning over, Seth kissed her eyes, pressing his lips against her skin and breathing slowly. “Wake up, lover.”
Gillian stirred, slowly coming back from the dream world she’d constructed in her subconscious. When she opened her eyes, he could see first alarm, then recognition as sleep retreated from her eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”
“A couple of hours. It’s dark,” he replied simply, lying down beside her. Opening his arms, she curled into him without hesitation. A long sigh escaped him as he felt her warmth. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, kissing the top of her head.
She stretched, her lithe body lying against his, fitting perfectly together. “I had the strangest dreams.”
“About what?”
“I’m not certain. Images mostly. But they gave me the strangest feeling of comfort. They were dark and full of shadows, but for the first time in my life I felt perfectly safe. Like I’d come home.”
Seth smiled and pulled her tighter into his embrace, inhaling the spiced aroma of her skin and hair.
“Is that how it was for you? That first night after you’d been… turned into what you are?”
“What we are.” He gripped her chin between two fingertips, bringing her eyes up to meet his. For a split second, they flashed amber in the darkness. “You’re a vampire, Gillian. My companion in this endless night.” Leaning in, he licked her lips and tasted the blood that still lingered there. “Never forget what you are.” He used the tip of his finger to trace along the line of Gillian’s brow, feeling the smooth skin and drawing a small sigh from her. “I had another companion… long ago. She forgot who she was. Forgot what we are and she became twisted. To her, taking a life was for sport, not food. She nearly drank this world dry before I realized her disease”. A pang of hunger twisted in the pit of his belly and he recoiled, lying back on the bed. He felt weak, trapped in his human shell. “Forgetting yourself…it leads down a dangerous path.”
“Seth…what’s wrong?” Gillian looked down at him with concern.
“I just need to feed. Soon.”
Looking over his shoulder, she stared at the clock by the bed. It screamed 9:30 in glowing red numbers. She’d been here for more than a day’s time. How could it be that she’d totally lost herself in Seth so quickly? But everything was so different than the night before. Whereas last night she’d lost all hope and wanted to kill herself for still loving Jax, tonight she only wanted to live. To embark on this endless night with Seth.
Jax. His name still brought a small dagger to the pit of her stomach. The last words he’d spoken to her still echoed in her ears. “I just can’t love you anymore. You’re pathetic.” His words cut deep, deeper than the healing scar left on her thigh. Even when they’d been together, his words could always crush her. How could he be so cold? To treat her as if she were nothing? In that moment, she realized she hated him. No longer was there a hole in her chest where unrequited love bubbled and boiled like acid. All that was left now was unadulterated rage and hate.
Pulling back, she offered Seth a wide smile, her new fangs glistening in the dim light. “Let’s eat.”
Chapter Six
“The key to your first kill is not to hesitate.” Seth pulled Gillian down the narrow alley quickly, eager to feed. Looking at the man by her side, Gillian could tell that he was fading. His skin had grown pale, nearly transparent so that the veins in his forehead stood out in harsh relief. “You have to go in fast. Give your prey no chance to run. It’s part of our secrecy.” He panted.
“Seth…are you alright?” Gillian stopped, pausing to wrap a supportive arm around his waist. “You look ill.”
“I’ve waited too long, Gillian. I was seducing you rather than hunting last night and I’m famished. But I’ll be fine soon.” He brushed his lips against hers lightly. “Stop worrying about me and concentrate on the hunt, will you?”
“I am concentrating on the hunt,” she replied, staring into the shadowy darkness before them. “And have no fear. I won’t hesitate.” They moved through the streets with a stealth and grace that was inhuman, their eyes searching for any sign of movement. But Gillian knew where she was going. She had a specific prey in mind, and she wouldn’t be satisfied with a stranger. She pushed herself harder and faster, wanting to run, but knowing that Seth was too weak. The anticipation and fear was killing her. She wanted to take full advantage of this rage before she lost her nerve.
“If I were stronger, I could teach you to run…”
“No need to run,” she replied simply. “I know where I’m going.” She kept her eyes straight ahead, trying to adjust to the darkness. To her surprise, everything around her seemed sharper in the dark. As if she had a set of night vision goggles showing her the way. Not that she would need it. She could walk this path in her sleep. The heavy boots on her feet made crunching sounds on the sidewalk as she walked over the fallen leaves.
The thought of what was to come made her mouth water, and she could feel the ache of her new fangs beginning to grow, piercing through the thin flesh. Strangely, it wasn’t unpleasant. For thirty years she had walked this Earth alone, never knowing where she fit in. But now, with that small, pinprick sting, she felt complete. As if her entire existence had led up to this point. She would make them all pay for their offenses against her. Their deaths would breathe new life into the shell of what she used to be.
“I hope you know where you’re going, Gillian.” Seth growled.
Looking over her shoulder, she could see that his strength was waning. His eyes had turned from their golden hue to something sinister and dark. His skin seemed stretched over his bones, lined with deep blue
veins that slithered over his porcelain brow. Like a hungry animal, he was ready to strike in his panic. She would have to find their prey fast.
She didn’t answer but pushed on, knowing that in another few moments she’d be carrying her lover. Rounding the final corner, Gillian sighed in relief as she stared up at the brownstone. With her new vision she could see how run-down the place really was. This end of town was touted as the artsy-fartsy place to live. But staring at the broken steps leading to the door and its chipped paint, she could see that it was just another myth of urban renewal. Funny how perspectives change over the course of time and experience. Just last night this place had seemed the Garden of Eden. A place she’d been cast out of.
That was last night.
“Where are we?” Seth hissed behind her, putting his hands on his knees and doubling over. “The place looks deserted. Hardly a place to feed…”
“Just wait,” Gillian replied. “He’ll be here soon. He’s always home at this time.”
“Who are you talking about, woman?” Seth exclaimed, his voice taking on more of a bestial snarl. “You’d better not be playing around, lest I feed from you.”
