by L. T. Kelly
I somehow made myself presentable. I didn’t need makeup, but I like using it to bring out my eyes. That particular security blanket wasn’t available to me. I dried quickly and put on the clothes.
‘Only one size to big…not bad,’ I thought. At the bottom of the bag, he included a green silk bra and panties set making me laugh out loud. It appeared I didn’t mind being bought underwear. It’d never happened before, so I didn’t know how I’d take that particular gift. They happened to fit, along with the jacket. I found some clunky boots in the bottom of the bag the jacket had been in. The leather wrapped around my calf. The rubber soles appeared to be overly thick with a deep tread etched in them. I wrinkled my nose at them but I figured they’d serve the purpose for which they’d been purchased. Whatever that may be...
I pulled the zipper up on the jacket as Marc joined me in the bedroom. He’d also put on a leather jacket and boots and they made him look so fucking badass, so hot. My fangs slipped out and I made no attempt to cover them up.
“You ok?” he breathed, running his fevered gaze up and down with the same satisfaction I inspected him with.
“Yes, are you?” I asked. “What was that all about?” My fangs slid back in.
“Do you need to feed?” He ignored my previous question.
‘No. But I’d like to. On you.’ The thought remained unspoken as I shook my head in reply.
“I take it you don’t eat food?” I saw his throat contract into a gulp.
“No, where are you going?” I said, replacing one question with another.
“You mean where are we going?”
“You have a nasty habit of thinking I’ll go just anywhere without being asked first, huh?”
“Really, Teagan. Now isn’t—“
I held my hand up to quiet him. His screwed up features told me something was really amiss. It was inevitable I’d go with him anyway. Seemingly he made clear that now wasn’t the time to play games.
“Ok, ok Marc. I’ll let go of it this time.” I cocked my head and gave him a lop-sided smile.
A relieved smile appeared on his face. “Come on, let’s go,” he said.
The streets hummed with people as we hurried along them. We marched along in silence at a fast pace that made me thankful for being a vampire. No way could a five-foot-four woman like me could ever hope to keep up with the six-foot-three hulk of a man without some sort of supernatural ability. His eyes graced every dark corner, his face etched with concentration.
“What are you?” I whispered.
“That’s what I’m going to show you,” he said, abruptly stopping outside a lock up. He took a key out of the leather jacket pocket and slid it into the lock pushing the door open to reveal the inside.
The halogen strip light blinked on making the contents inside the grey metal walls gleam proudly. Shelves were fixed onto the wall. They held a selection of helmets, but my eyes only glanced over them briefly because I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes off the beauty in front of me.
At the front, displayed side-on to a row of other cycles, sat a complicated mass of shimmering chrome pipes. The pitch back tyres encased gleaming silvery rims, the front tyre elegant in comparison to its meatier brother affixed to the back.
I couldn’t resist walking over and running my hand over the gas tank, painted in a two-tone inky blue; the colour and the shape reminded me of a dolphin’s head springing out of the ocean.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” he said.
I jumped a little at the change in position his voice came from. He’d moved to the shelves while I’d been thoroughly involved with admiring the motorcycle. Though, referring to it as merely a motorcycle didn’t seem right. It was art, majestic even.
“Yes,” I breathed, continuing to stoke my hand down over the powerful grain of the leather seat and back up.
“The blurb that goes with the bike is ‘this brawny beast is for performance enthusiasts who crave power and control with a dash of intimidation.’ It seemed fitting for me.” He laughed before taking in a sharp intake of breath between his teeth in response to me running my fingers over the shiny Harley Davidson badge.
My face suddenly screwed up as I snatched my fingers and eyes away from the beautiful beast. “Am I riding on this with you?”
“No, I bought you the motorbike jacket and boots for shits and giggles,” he said, rolling his eyes at me.
“I just wondered where I’m going to sit, smart ass.”
“Err, there.” He pointed to the small patch of leather raised behind the riders seat.
“You gotta’ be shittin’ me,” I said. My eyes flew wide with horror as I stared back down at the cycle.
“Teagan—” A question lingered in the way he said my name. His eyebrows squished together, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips at the same time. “I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me to ask you this, but how old are you? I mean, how long have you been around?”
Heat invaded my cheeks, and I inwardly cursed myself for having so much strong blood the day before. Thomas’ and Marc’s allowed them to colour too easily.
He raised an eyebrow. “Well?”
“One hundred and seventy two and how old are you anyway?” I garbled my words out while searching for a clue in his face. A few small laughter lines added character to his face, though the rest was smooth, sun-kissed and gorgeous.
His throat produced a rumbling laugh. “I’m going out with an old bird. I love it. But honestly, you haven’t lived till you’ve been on one of these,” he stated, pointing at the Harley.
My head dropped down and kicked the new boots off each other. I clasped my hands together behind my back. One hundred-seventy two years old, doesn’t get injured but I never rode on a cycle. I must seem pathetic to him.
“Still doesn’t answer my question. As per usual,” I muttered through pouty lips.
“I’m thirty three, if you must know.”
I saw his boots appear in front of mine, felt his fingers cup my chin, he tilted my head back so my eyes met his glowing, golden pools of light, full of mystery and desire.
“You have to be the most sexy and beautiful one hundred and seventy two year old woman I’ve ever met,” he whispered and bent down to my lips and brushed their fullness over mine with a gentleness that made me squirm for more.
He stepped away from me briskly, as if he just remembered we were in a hurry. He started inspecting the helmets on the rack again and selected a matte black one and handed it to me.
“Here, try this on for size.”
“Marc, why are we in such a hurry?”
He let out a heavy sigh and slumped a little. “Because, you were followed to my house, my family knew I had someone with me. I think they’re somehow aware that you’re not human. Don’t ask me how, I don’t know.”
“That bitch,” I hissed, looking away from him, my grip tightening around the mouthpiece of the helmet.
“What bitch?” he asked with a puzzled expression.
“The first night I met you, in the bar. She’s been following me—well— us,” I rushed in a high-pitched voice.
“Ah, Gabriella. That explains a few things.” He nodded. “I want to show you something anyway, so just hurry up,” he said, gesturing with his hand and pulling his own helmet over his head to avoid anymore questions.
“Well, I’m glad that explains a few things for you,” I narrowed my eyes at him before complying with a helmet I didn’t actually need.
He tilted the midnight blue beast, kicked the stand up and wheeled it through the open lock up door. I followed, closing the wide metal door behind me and turning the key still dangling from the lock.
He took the key off me nodding his gratitude and dropped it back in his pocket, all the time his head making sweeping movements around the large open courtyard as if searching for someone.
“You ready?” The helmet muffled his words.
I nodded my response and watched him swing his powerful long leg over the bike. A beauty on top
of a beast—the vision before me made my stomach lurch with desire.
The engine boomed into life before calming to a powerful popping noise, full of potential and promise and inspiring my sudden excitement, swiftly replacing my earlier apprehension.
He playfully patted the seat behind him. I still refused to think of the patch of leather as a seat. Nonetheless, I straddled the machine within a split second causing Marc to jolt with surprise.
“I’m not sure I’m ever going to get used to that,” he said with a chuckle over the powerful roar of the cycle. Even I struggled to hear him.
I had a face splitting grin plastered on as the Harley took off, my arms encircling Marc’s muscled torso. I squeezed him gently as the power of the engine hummed beneath me and a power I’d never felt before overflowed in my heart.
Here we went again, heading towards another unknown destination.
CHAPTER NINE
We rounded a tight corner. I followed the tilt of his body, clinging to him with the excitement of the ride. Marc applied the brakes slowing the Harley right down and indicated a left turn.
He brought the machine to a stop and took something out of his pocket. The black wrought iron gates opened slowly, and we proceeded through them, the cycle’s tyres rattling noisily over the gravel lining the driveway.
The house we moved towards was detached and surrounded by the same red brick wall the house was made of. We’d passed a sign at the front of the house declaring that it was recently sold.
As we drew to a stop, Marc quickly killed the engine. The silence was deafening due to the roar of the engine assaulting our ears for the thirty-five minute journey.
He’d parked in front of a white PVC door with full-length glass panels either side of it. The moon was high and brightly illuminated our reflections in the glass.
“How was that for you?” he asked after bringing the cycle’s stand down and climbing off.
“Amazing. I loved it. The thrill. The speed. I’d like to say danger but I know I wasn’t putting my life on the line. But—I felt sort of human.” I grinned at him after my babble, even though he couldn’t see my mouth through the helmet.
I had no idea why everything bashing round my mind left my mouth without a thought. ‘How and why am I so incomprehensibly comfortable with him?’ The thought got to me, but I’d decided to go with the flow of it. Everything I’d seen and experienced when I’d been with Marc was new to me. I wanted to embrace everything, not push it away.
I climbed off the bike and stood opposite him. As we removed our helmets at the same time, a pang of emptiness washed over me. I’d been pressed against him for the entire journey out of London.
“Well, you’re a natural on the bike,” he said, revealing his pearly white teeth. “You should learn how to ride one day.”
“I’m sure I will. So, is this place yours?” I glanced up at the large modern house that seemed like it was styled on a Tudor property.
“Yes, the sale completed two weeks ago. My family own property in the area, but I didn’t tell anyone I brought it, so we’ll be safe here,” he said. His grin turned into a frown at the mention of his family, his gaze appeared distant as he looked away from me.
He held out a hand for my helmet, took it and hooked it over his arm. He strolled to the front door a few metres away and unlocked it before opening it enough to place the helmets inside and then closing it again.
I ran my hand through my messy helmet hair. “We’re not going inside?” I asked, peering around the small circular driveway.
“No,” he replied and grabbed my hand. It felt hot and damp over mine. I peered up at him as we crunched our way over the gravel back towards the open gates. Marc cleared his throat for no apparent reason.
“Where are we going?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
He stared straight ahead and let out a sigh before continuing to stride out onto the sidewalk. “We’re going to do what we came here for.” He gulped after he spoke.
As endearing as his obvious nervousness was, I was getting pissed at his constant riddles. I ran through the earlier call on his cell in my mind, the admission of how Gabriella following me ‘explained a lot’ and his overall secretive behaviour.
I’d bared my soul to this man. Showed him what I was. Felt things I’d never known were possible. All of these things bubbled inside me as we walked down the street towards another unknown destination.
My anger surfaced and I threw his hand off mine, speeding in front of him and extending my arms out straight with my palms out flat. He walked straight into them so my hands pushed flat against his chest. I’d moved so fast he’d failed to notice I’d even left his side.
“I’m beginning to get extremely pissy with you Marc.” My fangs were bared. “I’ve put up with your fucking secrets for longer than I should have. I’m not some silly little girl,” I hissed, my feet planted apart, my hands balled into fists against his leather jacket. My eyes were narrowed so severely they sliced right through him.
His eyes flew wide, gazing into mine with horror. “I—um—I—” He stutteringly sucked in a breath, relaxed his face and pushed his shoulders back, so he towered over me. “All will be revealed…come,” he said crisply and took a right turn onto a muddy trail running between two houses.
He took me by surprise when he started laughing. I wanted to slap him, but he made a come on gesture with his hand and quickened his pace, breaking into a run.
I tried to stop my mouth twisting into a smile. I was still standing on the sidewalk watching his body move into the black distance. ‘Boy, you have some nerve,’ I thought as my boots sped onto the track behind him.
His scent trailed behind him like a delicious roadmap. I caught up with him in five seconds smiling at him as I slowed my pace to match his.
“Bitch,” he said, his breath hitching in his throat his mouth drawn up at the corners.
My cackle rang out through the night air as I ran on ahead, not at full speed but enough to show him how fast I was and how easy it was for me to beat his ass.
We continued a race through the trees. I kept slowing down to let him catch up only for him to fall behind again. The wood thickened and the dirt track gave way to thicker tufts of grass, showing this wasn’t a route many people took.
I stopped and admired the confetti effect of the moonlight cascading through the leaves of the thick branches above me. I heard his heavy breathing in the distance behind me and turned in the direction he came from.
He stopped in front of me about a metre away. “Look at you.” He waved a hand towards me, his chest rising and falling erratically. “You’re not even out of breath.”
I smirked as he started his speedy recovery from the sprint. He reached up to his zipper and slid it down.
“A little warm are we?” I said sarcastically through my satisfied smile.
He remained silent as he dropped the jacket on the grass beside him and tugged at the hem of his t-shirt before lifting it over his head and dropping it on top of his discarded jacket.
My hand flew to my chest as he unbuttoned his jeans. “What are you doing?” I breathed as he pulled them down his thick thighs and kicked them to one side along with his boots. My heart clattered against my fingers still touching my chest, and I licked my dry lips. I was unsure whether to be turned on or horrified. What he was, or how he was going to show me somehow involved removing his clothes? I’m not sure if it was fear or apprehension that began to jolt in my stomach.
“Teagan.” He spoke my name as a warning in a low voice. “I want you to know that I don’t care what you are. To me, you’re you. Vampire or not, I want you in my life. I only hope you will still want me when you see what I am.”
I scrunched up my face at his pained expression. Of course I’d still want him, what more could I possibly want? Ever. I tried to offer myself some reassurance.
Freckles of moonlight gleamed over his body as he shook and hummed with a vibration, dropping down to the grass on his hands
and knees.
My hands quivered, my mouth hung open and I fell to my knees, unaware whether my shock had made me do so or if I was aiming for a better view.
I sat back on my calves, wringing my hands in my lap as the vibrating figure sprung fur. It was snowy where is arms had been, they had slimmed into sleek front legs, his hands had now morphed into powerful paws with black talon nails sprouting from them.
The ebony hair on his head spread in a line down is back. I used the grass in front of me to steady myself, gasping as I clutched the green blades with both trembling hands.
His golden eyes glowed in the darkness meeting mine as I carried on watching his transformation. Marc’s chiselled jaw elongated jutting out and springing away from his human face. His nose changed shape, becoming round, as black as coal and mottled in texture.
The vibration finally stopped. Only the wind fussing the leaves of the forest made a sound along with my quickened breathing. Running was easy in comparison to this, only Marc took my breath away.
My knuckles were a painful white as I gripped the damp grass harder.
Before me, in Marc’s place, stood a strong, powerful beast, a sacred animal, magical and beautiful. A wolf. Not just any wolf. My wolf.
I slumped forward, my abdomen rested on my thighs as my nose pressed against the earth, the freshness of the dewy grass filled my nostrils as I attempted to steady my breathing. My heart still pounded as my limbs shook violently.
‘Why have I never been told this magic exists…Thomas surely knew?’ His reaction to Marc’s scent, Victoria’s words and haste to get rid of me began to slip into place. Everything shifted and tilted in my brain so I made sense of all that had happened as of late.
The grass rustled as I sensed the beast moving closer, his paws tip-toed towards me cautiously.
He nudged my shoulder, but I was unable to move, my body failed to respond to what my brain ordered it to do. He started to lick my face along with the cloak of hair falling around my face.
The grainy roughness of his tongue on my cheekbone awakened me from my paralytic disadvantage.
I raised my head and my torso, sitting back on my haunches again, cautiously placing a wobbly hand on the top of the beast’s head before trailing a single digit between his thick black rimmed golden eyes. The coarseness of his oily fur calmed my nerves. It was so right under my fingers. Marc fitted the wolf form perfectly.
