by M. D. Bowden
Daniel. He was waiting in the other room for her. She felt her heart speed up and her cheeks warm at the thought of seeing him again. She had been in his arms, asleep for two days, but before that how long had she known him for? She had spent one day with him and met him a couple of days before that. How could he love her this quickly? Did she love him? She was certainly attracted to him, more than she ever had been to anyone, even Jo. But could she love someone so fast? She felt a pang of guilt for being with Daniel when she should be grieving for Jo. But he had cheated on her when Bea was a new-born baby, she thought bitterly - why shouldn’t she be with Daniel? Tears sprung up in her eyes, and she wiped them aside. It was no good thinking such things – it was selfish and terrible, but in another way it was the truth. She had to not think about Jo. There were too many memories, good and bad, and it would take a long time to sort through them all. A long, long, time. And right now Daniel was here, and there was no reason for her to hold back.
She fastened her towel tightly around her body and picked up her dirty clothes. She opened the bathroom door, feeling shy as she stepped through - wondering if Daniel had noticed the changes in her appearance.
Daniel quickly sat up.
‘My turn,’ he said with a grin.
As he walked past he stopped and lifted her chin. Her heart positively raced as he leant in and kissed her softly on the lips. She wanted more - wanted to grab him - but he pulled away before she could, and closed the bathroom door behind him.
Sarah rolled her eyes at herself - where were these reactions coming from? Her lips were burning where he had kissed her, her face flushed.
She took a deep breath, willing her heart rate to slow, and focused on the immediate issue. What was she going to wear? She picked up her jeans and brushed off as much dirt as possible. They didn’t appear to have any blood on them, but were lightly stained with dirt from falling in the alley, when Jo had attacked her.
Ugh - that had been horrible, seeing him acting feral, wanting her blood. An image of his snarling face leapt to the forefront of her mind - she quickly pushed it aside. It was too horrible, too painful to contemplate.
Her jeans were also tinged with green, like grass stains, probably from moss in the tree - where Sebastian had tied her so she couldn’t escape, where he had bitten her and painfully drank her blood against her will. That was another memory she couldn’t bear to think about, couldn’t deal with.
Well, her jeans were probably passable - she didn’t suppose Daniel would have any woman’s trousers lying about, so they would have to do. She didn’t fancy wearing the same underwear she’d had on, for what, three days now? Quite unappealing. So she pulled her jeans on, with nothing underneath.
It wasn’t even worth inspecting her tops, she tossed those on the floor - they were covered in too much blood. Her bra was OK and she hurriedly put that on, reaching behind to clip it up. She walked over to the desk and opened some drawers, searching for one of Daniel’s tops. The first contained a laptop, the second underwear - blushing, she closed that drawer - the third had some plain black t-shirts and shirts. She pulled a t-shirt over her head - it was a bit loose, but it would do. The material felt soft and smelt good. She was relieved to be wearing something clean. She picked up a shirt and put that on too, it wasn’t particularly warm in the room.
She looked around, wondering where to find a hairdryer, usually they were kept in hotel bathrooms, but sometimes they were stored in a drawer. She eyed up the drawers in the bedside table, and had a look inside. Lucky first time - a hairdryer and a brush. There was nothing of Daniel’s in there at all.
She quickly set to work on her hair, hearing Daniel turning the shower off. Her honey blonde hair was fairly long and had tangled considerably in the forest, so it was a challenge to get the brush through. She struggled, tackling the knots slowly. She didn’t have any makeup with her so was going to have to go barefaced, although her face looked so flawless that maybe she didn’t need makeup.
Sarah looked up as she heard the bathroom door open and watched as Daniel stepped out. Steam drifting around him - a towel wrapped around his hips. She couldn’t help gaping at his exposed chest, and wanted to run her fingers through his gorgeous dark hair - damp and falling about his face. He looked so hot that Sarah’s face burned, and she smiled shyly up at him. Despite the recent changes to her complexion, she felt naked with no makeup on and her hair in a tangled mess, but she rose and moved closer to him regardless - his power over her drew her in.
He moved towards her too, his eyes smoldering, looking into hers, glancing down at her lips. They met at the foot of the bed and she reached out tentatively, stroking him across his firm stomach, letting her hands rest on his waist. She looked back into his eyes and as they connected once again she felt a sense of friction pass between them, energies colliding, and it seemed as though his eyes opened up, that she could see to infinity - that same feeling that had happened before, like she was looking into his soul. It felt as though he could see her for everything she was, her beauty and her faults. She felt his love radiate into her, making every part of her come alive. He placed his hands on her shoulders and drew her closer, so that their bodies were pressed against each other, still looking into each other’s eyes, still feeling the powerful connection.
With one hand he traced down her back, over the shirt she had borrowed from him, and tucked his hand in underneath the t-shirt. She shivered as his cool fingers touched the small of her back, but then felt heat and tingles burning her skin. She reached her hands around his back and stroked up and down, feeling his firm muscles. When her hands reached his neck she pulled his head towards hers and kissed him urgently on the lips. His lips gave way and passion flared inside her. His tongue pushed into her mouth and tingles rose from her core. He pushed his other hand under her clothes and pulled her tightly to him - she felt like she would explode if he didn’t take her.
Her hands traveled down his body, while she massaged her tongue against his. She grabbed at his towel, pulling it off, exposing him to the air. She stepped back and admired his body. He looked perfect, and was clearly aroused by her. He grabbed her and she let him pull off her clothing. The air was cool on her body as he pulled the t-shirt over her head, but she barely noticed it - she felt so flushed from her desire for him.
She couldn’t keep her hands off him as he pulled open her jeans and pushed his hand down the front of them, rubbing her. She pushed against his fingers, planting kisses all over his face, his neck, running her tongue over his collar bone. He was delicious, he smelled and tasted completely different from Jo.
Daniel smelled sweeter, and it had such an effect on her, his scent full of pheromones, making her crazy for him. Her hands wrapped around his entirely too sexy bum and pulled him against her, falling back onto the bed. She felt her heart wrench as he stepped away from her for a moment, but he quickly pulled off her jeans and jumped onto her, agilely supporting his weight as he landed, his body touching her gently. But she didn’t want gentle - she pulled against him furiously - and his weight intensified on top of her. He kissed her passionately again, running his fingers through her wet hair, sliding them down over her breasts. She contracted against him and he pushed his erection into her, making her gasp.
He began easing into her slowly, but his pace increased and she felt herself melt into him, their rhythm turning them into one creature, moving together. She exploded around him, feeling him climax at the same time. She felt incredible, nothing like she’d ever experienced before. So alive, captivated by his very being, his masculinity and irresistible magnetism.
She basked in the moment - she wanted to lie with him there and hold him, but she was still full of energy, and they had so much to talk about, and her family to see. She sat next to him, stroking her hand across his chest and smiling mischievously. She reached over and grabbed the hairbrush from the floor, tackling her tresses as she continued to gaze into his eyes, as her legs pressed against his side. She felt electricity t
ravel over her body from where she touched him.
She forced herself to deal with what was needed - talking about plans and family.
‘Daniel,’ she started. She grinned and he returned her look with amusement, his presence distracting.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
‘Nothing,’ she said. Actually, she didn’t want to talk about it all yet - she just wanted to see her kids. They could talk about Sebastian and all that had happened later. ‘We need to get going - I really want to see Megan and Bea.’
‘Of course, let’s get ready,’ he replied, smiling at her understandingly.
Sarah’s heart melted at his look - how was he this beautiful?
She finally untangled her hair and rose, Daniel rising with her. He started to rummage in his draws for clean clothes. Sarah pulled her clothes back on and sat on the floor, hurrying to dry her hair with the hairdryer - thinking about their plan, their situation.
***
The dark mist drifted through the trees, seeking refuge. It tried to think, but couldn’t do it properly - its thoughts were all jumbled, melting into each other. It couldn’t form sentences in its mind. Yet its unsubstantiated form burned with anger and was intent on revenge.
In moments of enhanced clarity it realized what it was, who it had been. Sebastian. That name rang true - he knew it had been his. He had been a person, a vampire. His life had been sucked out of him by Daniel. He had lost his body. Now what was he - a ghost, a remnant of humanity?
He was simmering with too much rage to notice the odd sensations of his new form. He couldn’t touch or talk, his perceptions were altered and he felt removed from reality. One minute he was looking about, seething at Daniel, the next all was black and his mind was blank. It was like he’d ceased to exist.
A part of him realized that to exact revenge he would need a form. What could he do as a shadow? The problem was, how was he going to acquire one? This was all new and he didn’t know what to do. He had tried focusing his energy, trying to make himself whole. When he did this his swirling dark essence took form, looked human, but he still couldn’t effect his environment. He had tried to blur himself with a tree, and later a rabbit, but each of these had been unsuccessful. He thought he had felt some kind of connection with the rabbit but it didn’t stick, he couldn’t stay within it long enough to influence its thoughts.
A new idea surfaced inside him, not within his mind but in his intrinsic being. He saw himself blurring with a human, visualized the sensations he would experience, the control he would gain. This idea grew like a spark in his darkness, his awareness opened up and he sensed the presence of people not too far away. He saw houses and had a sense of active minds, warm bodies.
He reverted to a dark mist and drifted out of the forest, slowly moving towards the town of Hartland.
Chapter 3
When they were ready Daniel took Sarah’s hand and led her out of the hotel - it was deserted, no owners or other guests in sight. Outside Sarah breathed in the fresh air, cool and fragrant, the smell of wood smoke mingling with pine. It reminded her of Daniel’s smell and she leant into him, inhaling his scent.
Daniel led her around the side of the hotel, where a rough drive led to a car park. A jeep was parked there - the only vehicle - and Daniel walked over to it. The jeep was unlocked and Sarah climbed in when Daniel opened the door for her. He was around at the drivers’ side within a second and climbing in. Sarah leant over and put her head on his chest, wanting to be close to him before they were with her family again. He reached his hands around and held her tight, she smiled as he kissed the top of her head.
She had on odd feeling of uncertainty. She knew things had changed. Sebastian was gone, and Daniel had said he would stay. But would he? She couldn’t imagine a normal life with him. A normal life with a vampire? And what was she going to do now if he didn’t stay, how was she going to cope by herself? How was she going to afford to exist?
She started to rise and took his face in her hands. She smiled at him sadly and he leant in and kissed her. It made her heart ache.
She pulled away and did up her seatbelt as Daniel started the car and pulled away.
They were soon at her parents’ house. Sarah opened her door and smiled as she saw her mother’s face at the window. She wondered how many times her mom had looked out, worrying for her. She heard a shout from within the house and the door was flung open.
‘Sarah! You are OK.’ Her mom ran down the steps and flung her arms around Sarah.
‘I’m so sorry Mom, you must have been going mad.’
‘I can’t believe you got lost, you know those woods so well.’
‘We searched so far, and I was worried - I kept pressing on. It got dark and we couldn’t find our way back,’ Sarah said. She knew she was repeating the same thing she’d said on the phone - the problem was, she didn’t know what else to say. ‘And Daniel doesn’t know this area very well. Where are Megan and Bea?’
As she said their names they appeared at the door with her father, Bea in his arms.
‘Mommy, I missed you,’ Megan shouted as she too ran down the steps. Alice let go of Sarah so she could pick up her elder daughter and give her a big hug, refusing to think about what had happened to her gorgeous girls’ father.
‘I missed you too sweetheart,’ Sarah said while hugging her hard, glad to see her again. Reluctantly she put Megan down and went to her Dad.
‘I’m sorry Dad.’
He smiled and gave her a one-handed hug, ‘I know - don’t worry.’
Bea reached out and Sarah took her, cuddling her soothingly.
‘Mommy home,’ Bea said. Warm comfort spread through her as she hugged Bea, her fluffy hair, still damp from the bath, against Sarah’s cheek, Bea’s chubby arms around her neck. Sarah gave her little cheek a big kiss. Megan was hanging onto her other leg, so she let one arm go and stroked her head, while Bea still clung to her.
Sarah glanced up at Daniel. He was hanging back – looking stunningly hot - not involving himself in their reunion. But at a glance from her he stepped forward.
‘Keith,’ he greeted her father. ‘I’m sorry too, I can’t believe we got lost. I’m also sorry I wasn’t at work.’ Daniel had been working in the same office as Sarah’s dad, helping him to sell cabins in the woods. Getting a job had been Daniel’s way of blending in in a new town.
‘Don’t worry - I’m glad you kept her safe.’
‘Any word on Jo?’ Daniel asked.
‘Unfortunately not. We’ve had the police round - in fact I’d better call them now, let them know that Sarah’s safe.’ He patted Daniel on the shoulder and walked off.
Sarah was glad her parents weren’t asking many questions, relieved it wasn’t going to be too difficult after all. She followed her dad into the house, and everyone else came in too. Sarah sat on the sofa - holding Bea - and Megan climbed up next to her. Alice went in the kitchen to make some tea.
Daniel came in and sat in an armchair across from her and Sarah looked up at him. He was watching her hugging her children with loving eyes. And he looked so gorgeous, so sexy. She couldn’t believe he was interested in her at all.
‘What have you been up to kiddies?’ Sarah asked them, turning her attention away from Daniel.
‘Painting.’
‘Bricks.’
‘Writing.’
‘Trains.’
‘Running.’
They bombarded her, and Sarah laughed, glad to be back in their lively presence. She was happy she was OK, she had come very close to dying, to losing them. The thought of it made her heart hurt.
She hugged them both again, looking up and meeting Daniel’s eyes, smiling.
Alice bustled in with two cups of tea, passing one to Daniel before coming back to Sarah. Sarah released her kids and took the tea to please her mom. Alice surprised her by kissing her hard on the forehead, ‘Don’t you disappear like that again. You have no idea how worried I was, your father too.’
Sarah s
aw Alice had tears in her eyes.
‘I really am sorry,’ she said, feeling her own eyes well up. She wanted to tell her mom the whole story - how Daniel was a vampire, how another vampire called Sebastian had turned Daniel, and then turned Jo. How Daniel had killed Jo to save her, then Daniel had killed Sebastian. But it all sounded crazy - she couldn’t say anything. There was no way her parents would believe her, they’d think her crazy and call the doctor in. She also couldn’t let her family know that she and Daniel were together - she would have to watch how she behaved around him. But maybe she could elaborate a little about where she had been . . .
‘It was so cold Mom,’ Sarah said. ‘We were in the woods for a long time - I thought I was going to get hypothermia. Fortunately I was dressed very warmly.’
‘What about food? You must be starving,’ her mom said, looking very concerned.
Keith was looking on - leaning against the door frame - listening in.
‘Yeah - I am pretty hungry now you mention it,’ Sarah said.
Her mom got up instantly and hurried into the kitchen.
Keith rolled his eyes and took her seat.
‘Any news from the police?’ Daniel asked.
‘No, he said other people have gone missing too. It’s very unusual and worrying.’ Keith shot a glance at Sarah - trying to judge how she was holding up.
Sarah took a deep breath. It was strange - she seemed to be dealing OK with the situation, with Jo’s death. She wondered if she was in denial. She felt upset, yes, but she didn’t feel devastated, or unable to function. Of course, her parents didn’t know that Jo was dead, or that she knew anything about it.
