by L. E. Wilson
Ryan gawked at the creature in front of her. He was strangely beautiful with his glowing topaz eyes, harsh features, and straining muscles. Not to mention the fangs. He looked like something out of the fantasy comics her friends in junior high used to read, except he wasn’t pale and ugly. He was handsome, and his skin was tanned.
But that didn’t make him any less scary. Because the thing was, she knew he wasn’t a hallucination this time. She was completely sober. And she knew she was sober because the voices were back, making it hard for her to concentrate on what he was saying. They buzzed around her head, speaking so fast she couldn’t understand them.
What was he saying? His name. He was telling her his name. Christian…something?
“Shut! Up!” she screamed out loud. “I can’t hear!” And to her surprise, this time they did. The voices completely stopped. Realizing she had just screamed out loud at nothing he could see or hear, she raised self-conscious eyes to his. “Not you,” she clarified. “I was talking to…someone else.” God, she really was crazy, wasn’t she? Of course she was. Why the hell else would she hear voices?
Dark brows lowered over those bright eyes, dimming them a bit. Then he did something completely unexpected after her little display. He took a step closer to the crazy woman in front of him. “My name is Christian Moore. What’s your name?”
She only hesitated a second. “Ryan.” That was all he needed to know for now.
He smiled, although he still looked like he was in pain or something.
“Why are you following me?” she asked. Because he must be following her. How else would he have found her here?
“I don’t know,” he answered, and his honesty didn’t make her feel any better. “I don’t know,” he repeated. “I should be well on my way home by now, but instead I found myself hunting you through the city.”
“Well, it took you long enough to find me.”
He startled, and she almost smiled a little at his taken aback expression. Then she did smile when he laughed out loud.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I would’ve been here sooner except that I ran into a similar situation.” At her questioning look, he shrugged those big shoulders. “I got mugged.” His hand rubbed his opposite wrist. “I got knocked over the head pretty good. Took a little nap.” He glanced away. He seemed embarrassed to be telling her.
“How does someone like you get mugged?” Although she was no longer poised to run, she still hadn’t relaxed completely. She noticed his hands were clenched at his sides and he was breathing hard, like he was having a hard time keeping himself still. Just because he had saved her from a similar, or worse, fate, didn’t mean she trusted him.
“I, uh…I was distracted,” he murmured. “And they had a bat.”
It didn’t really matter, actually. “So, you didn’t answer my question,” she said. “What were you doing to me? Just now?” She ran her eyes over his tense figure again. “What are you?” When he didn’t respond right away, she continued, “I thought I was having some kind of a bad trip when you attacked me back at the club. But now I know I’m not. And yet there you stand. And your eyes are glowing. And you have…fangs.”
He took a step closer and she took a step back. He stopped where he was. For long moments, he stared at her, his eyes intense upon her face. She had to give him credit. Most men would be zeroed in on her breasts, hanging out of her shirt as they were. But not this guy. This guy was searching her features like he was looking for the answers to the universe within them. But then again, he wasn’t a normal man, was he?
“What are you?” she repeated, more insistent this time.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Her neck was sore and itching. She rubbed at it, and noticed that he closely followed every movement she made. When she pulled her hand away, his eyes stayed on her throat. His body seemed to lean towards her, yet he hadn’t moved at all as far as she could tell.
Ryan narrowed her eyes. Nervously, she licked her lips, and his eyes immediately flicked from her throat over to her mouth. The vibes coming off of him were intense. She could feel what could only be described as hunger. But not a “I haven’t eaten in a week” hunger. It was different. It pulsed off of him so strongly she was surprised she couldn’t see it shimmering around him, like an aura.
What was even stranger than the feelings she was getting from him? Her body was answering that hunger with a longing all its own. Without the barrier of the drugs in her system, the connection she felt to him was amazing. She didn’t understand it. Was it because they had spent so much time together the last few months? Intimately?
And it had been intimate, even though she’d never actually seen him until now. She’d felt him behind the glass. Every time. So much so, that the last time she’d danced for him, his craving for her had affected her so much that she’d stopped dancing and done something she’d never done before.
Imagining his hands on her, she’d touched herself until she came for his viewing pleasure. She’d never done anything like that for any of her “customers”. Immediately after, she’d had to leave. The anguish coming from him in response had been too much, and she’d run from it.
And now here he was in front of her, and she could feel that hunger up close and personal, and a part of her wanted to throw herself into his arms and let him do what he wanted to do. But that was crazy, right? They were complete strangers in spite of both of them being stuck in that horrid place. That was the crazies talking.
“Please,” she whispered. “Tell me who you are. Tell me what you were doing to me.”
“I was saving you,” he said.
“I don’t understand…”
“That asshole hurt you. You were bleeding. You would’ve bled to death before I could get you to a doctor. I had to do it.”
She sliced her hand through the air, cutting him off. She remembered the other one hurting her. That’s not what she was worried about. “But what did you do? What did you give me?” She looked around, but only saw the other two bodies. “And where is he?”
He took a deep breath. His nostrils flared and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was strained. “I gave you my blood.”
Ryan stared at him as her mind went blank, forgetting about the guy that had grabbed her. “You did what?”
He didn’t take his gaze from her, didn’t act uncomfortable, didn’t mince his words. “I gave you my blood. It healed you.”
“Why would your blood heal me?” she asked. She drank his blood? And she hadn’t gagged?
He barely hesitated before he confessed, “Because I’m a vampire.”
This time it was her turn to laugh out loud. He let her get it out. Watched her as she went from laughing to an awkward half laugh/half grimace, because she knew he was deadly serious.
He put his palms out again in a gesture of peace before she could react. “I won’t hurt you. I won’t. I just…You would’ve died.”
She wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince her or himself. A vampire? Was he serious? Ryan took in his tense features, those long teeth, the eyes…No. He was just as crazy as she was. That’s all it was. It was nothing but fake teeth and contacts. But somehow she couldn’t quite convince herself of that, because it felt like the truth.
How was that even possible?
And why the hell wasn’t she running?
She shook her head. “That’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“Because vampires don’t exist.” She sounded a lot surer of that fact than she felt.
He stepped closer, and this time she didn’t back away. He took another step, and this one brought him within touching distance. Still she didn’t run. Instead, she felt drawn to him. Just like she had at the club when she’d put off her own escape to help him.
“I’ve been watching you dance for me for weeks,” he said quietly. “Or has it been months? I’ve watched you strip for me. I’ve watched you come for me. My entire being ache
s for you, she’ashil.”
Her heart was pounding and she had to wipe her sweaty palms on her shorts. She’d like to think it was just from the muggy night, but she knew it was more than that. She felt oddly clear-headed. A state of mind she tried to avoid at all costs these days, and not just because of the voices, if she were going to be completely honest with herself.
Slowly, he reached out and picked up the end of one of her pigtails. He let the strands sift through his fingers while he stared at her hair in amazement. “All the colors of a sunset,” he murmured. “Beautiful.”
Ryan stood undecided. She couldn’t seem to choose whether to run away as fast as she could, or to close the distance between them and get closer to the fire burning within him. But would that fire soothe her, or burn her until she was nothing but ash?
“I just want to kiss you,” he told her. “Please let me kiss you, Ryan.”
“I…” She what? Her head was spinning, and she forced herself to focus. She didn’t think it was such a great idea to let a vampire kiss her, that’s what. God, was he really a vampire? Maybe the hunger she sensed from him was blood lust, rather than normal lust. Or maybe it was a little bit of both? She should step away. She should back away from him. Tell him no. Why couldn’t she bring herself to tell him no? Was he doing some kind of weird mind tricks on her or something?
Lowering his head until his mouth was barely an inch from hers, he held himself there, giving her the chance to refuse him. But she couldn’t refuse him, she just couldn’t. Her blood was singing in her veins, her nipples were puckering under her shirt, and there was a deep, steady throbbing in her lower belly. She wanted him to kiss her more than she ever thought possible.
When she didn’t say anything to dissuade him, he lowered his head the rest of the way. His eyes held hers until he was so close his face blurred in front of her and she closed hers. Softer than she thought was possible, his lips brushed against hers a heartbeat later. Once, twice, three times. Cupping her face in his hands, he increased the pressure just a little. His lips were soft and firm at the same time, and when he ran the tip of his tongue along her bottom lip, her legs began to shake and she gasped in surprise. He slid inside her mouth, the kiss becoming more insistent now. More urgent. A soft groan escaped him, and she answered with one of her own.
She felt his teeth scrape her lips, but she barely registered the minor pain, or the fact that his entire body had stiffened and he had stopped breathing. He tasted wonderful, and without thinking, she stepped into him until her body was pressed against his. He was hard and warm. Her hands travelled from his slim waist up to his chest. His hands left her face and his arms wrapped around her, lifting her up and pulling her in even closer as he kissed her with all the passion she felt in him. His hunger fed her own, and she responded to him in kind.
All thoughts of running were chased away by the overwhelming presence of this male so tenderly taking what he wanted.
Christian felt his entire body shudder in ecstasy at the taste of her blood. He’d been reckless as he kissed her, and hadn’t been careful of his fangs. He hadn’t meant to feed without asking her. For some reason, having her permission was very important to him. He didn’t want to do anything where he’d have to pull a memory swipe like he did with the others. He didn’t want to erase what had happened when she let him out of his cage. He wanted her to remember him.
Forcing himself to slow down, he eased off on the tight hold he had on her. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her more than the mere sight of him already had. But gods, he hadn’t realized just how severely he’d been craving her until she was here in his arms.
Why she was allowing him to kiss her, he had no idea. But he wasn’t going to pass up the chance. No fucking way. The reality of her was oh, so much better than watching her through the glass. And by some miracle, she was responding to him just as intensely as he was to her.
Her thin arms wrapped around his neck as he licked and sucked the drops of blood from her lips. He wanted to grab a handful of that glorious hair and yank her head to the side and expose the artery throbbing just underneath her pale skin. And at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to act so rough with her. But gods, he needed more of her.
Breaking off the kiss, he tucked his face between her head and shoulder and inhaled deeply. Her sweet scent invaded every cell of his body. His fangs and his cock ached with equal intensity. Groaning with the pain he was causing himself, but unwilling to let her go, he held her close and tried gain some control.
She tensed up in his arms. He was probably squeezing her too tight. “Christian, what’s wrong?”
He heard the note of alarm in her voice and hurried to reassure her. “I just don’t want to scare you.”
“Should I be scared?” Pulling away just enough that she could look at him, she studied his face.
He couldn’t lie to her. “Yes,” he whispered.
Blue eyes flared in alarm. “Let me go.”
But he only tightened his grip on her and shook his head. “I won’t hurt you.”
“You just told me I should be afraid of you! Now let me go!” She started to struggle against him.
“Ryan, stop. Stop moving,” he pleaded. “I swear I won’t hurt you. Please, I need you…”
She socked him with a hard shot to the kidney. Her small fist didn’t really hurt, but it was enough of a shock that he loosened his grip on her, and she was able to wiggle her way out of his arms.
Backing away from him, she held her hands to either side of her head, covering her ears. Her face was all scrunched up as she backed away. In confusion? In pain?
Concern for her instantly cooled his ardor. “Ryan? What’s wrong?” He took a step towards her and was immediately pushed back by the same unseen hands that had thrown him off of her at the club.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I can’t control it.” Turning on her heel, she ran.
“Ryan!” He tried to follow her, but the hands held him back. A roar of anger rent the night air as he fought them with everything he had, but it was no use. The more he fought and raged, the stronger they became. They held him there long after he’d stopped fighting. Then suddenly, just before sunrise, they released him just in time for him to find shelter nearby in what looked to be a small, abandoned clothing factory.
As he buried his aching body beneath the bolts of cloth, he berated himself for making her run. Why the fuck didn’t he just tell her what she wanted to hear like he did with all of the other females he hooked up with? But he couldn’t lie to her. He didn’t know why, he just couldn’t. And now she was gone again. And that son of a bitch that bit her was out there somewhere, and he’d had her blood too. That meant he could hunt her. It meant he could feel her if she was anywhere near him now, just like Christian could.
The only thing that kept him from taking his chances with the Mexican sun was the fact that he knew the other vampire was holed up for the day somewhere also.
As he felt the call of Ryan’s blood getting farther and farther away from him, he turned his mind to the vampire who had attacked her. Mostly just to distract himself from his raging hard on, cramping muscles, and the acidity poisoning his veins.
He assumed that the one who had almost killed her was just some local vamp who’d happened to run across her wandering around high as a kite and all by herself.
But no, that couldn’t be right. The young vamp’s words came back to him, right before he’d bit her. He’d said they were both going to die because she demanded it. Who the fuck was “she”? And out of all the people in the world, why would he, or she, or whoever want to kill a vampire being held in Mexico and the stripper who’d had helped him escape?
When it finally came to him, he felt completely stupid for not thinking of it right away. Of course! It was Leeha. That bitch was the reason he was here, and this young guy who was doing her dirty work was probably just one of her little bitches. Christian thoug
ht back to all the vampires that had followed her when she left Luukas’ colony to start her own, but no, this guy was not one of Luukas’. He was sure of it. She must’ve found him somewhere, or created him or whatever.
It didn’t matter. What did matter, was that he found him before the little shit found Ryan. He wondered if the two that had attacked him earlier were working with this guy too? But after some thought, he decided that was probably not the case. The two that had assaulted him were human, for one. And, they were locals. Everything pointed to just a case of wrong place, wrong time. The ones that had found Ryan in the park were all vampires. Unfortunately, Christian hadn’t taken the time to place his two helpers before ripping them into pieces. The Mexican authorities were going to have quite a heyday when the bodies were discovered the next morning, at least if they were found before the sun came up and the bodies burned to ash. And his prints were all over that crime scene. Probably some boot prints too.
Ah well, it wasn’t the first time he’d clashed with the federales. Although it had been quite a few years since his last run in. Around two hundred, or thereabouts, actually. And they weren’t police back then, they were ranchers. And they didn’t appreciate a half-breed Navajo Indian coming around looking for work.
But same thing.
Christian shook off thoughts of his past. The only good thing that had come out of his human life was Luukas finding him when he had. If it hadn’t been for him, he wouldn’t be here right now hiding under a swatch of silky purple material with pink flowers and obsessing about a girl who was probably more fucked up than he was.
He had to find her again. And he would. As soon as the sun went down he’d set out after her. Hopefully, she hadn’t gone far. But somehow, he didn’t think that would be the case. More likely she’d find some dope somewhere and hole up for the day.
He would find her, and he’d apologize profusely for scaring her. Maybe he’d feed again before he saw her, even though just the thought of another’s blood was enough to make him heave. But if he could manage it, maybe it would stave off his hunger for her enough that he’d be able to keep it under control and look a little more human when he saw her again.
