by M. J. O'Shea
I forced my eyes open. The sunlight peeking through the tiny cracks at the corners of my curtains was laser bright and nearly blinding. Was this how it’d always felt for Noah? He’d called it uncomfortable. It was nearly unbearable. I stumbled out of bed, feeling weak and a bit dizzy, to pull the curtains flatter so they’d block every last little stinging drop of sun. When I stood, it took me a second to get my balance. I sagged against the overstuffed chair that had been dragged to the side of my bed. It was then that I noticed Noah.
He was totally passed out, looking more exhausted than I’d seen him since we first found each other again.
He must be so worried. I smiled and cupped his face with my hand.
Like the sheets and the air, his skin felt so different. It was unbelievably satiny and warm; the pulse underneath the surface was wetly seductive, irresistible.
I want his blood.
The thought flashed in my head, and for a second it nearly floored me. It was disconcerting—my new desire for the hot rush of blood in my throat. I’d always known academically that I’d want blood after I was changed, but to actually feel it was something different altogether. My gums started to tingle and then sting. I ran my tongue over them and felt little points sticking out where nothing had been before.
Even though he was a vampire and not a tasty, red-blooded human, I felt the lust, the need to pierce his soft warm skin and taste the wetness beneath. It was more compelling than I could’ve ever imagined. My little newborn fangs pulsed with pure want. How am I ever going to control this? Would it be the same with every person I passed on the street, or was it just so strong because it was Noah?
I leaned over, still a bit woozy, and nuzzled my nose up to his neck. I took a long breath in, reveling in his familiar and somehow completely new scent.
He still smells amazing.
Noah’s eyes opened tiredly. I could tell he was still a bit asleep. It took him a second to realize I was standing over him, awake and alive. When he did, he literally flew up out of the chair and wrapped his arms around me.
“Zack, babe. You’re okay! I’m so sorry.”
His hug took me by surprise and I faltered a little, but my legs were strong and I caught myself. I could tell he’d been holding that apology in for a while, and it made me chuckle. I reached up with my thumb and trailed it along his jaw.
“It’s okay, Noh. What happened, happened. At least the end result was what we wanted all along, right?”
Noah smiled exhaustedly and nodded. “How do you feel?”
“Different, but still the same, you know? I mean, my mind is still me—at least, so far. But my body feels really different.” I reached up to touch his skin, still in wonder over the out-of-this-world softness. “My senses are so out of whack.”
“You’ll get used to it. I was planning on telling you about that. I was planning on a lot of things. Didn’t quite work out that way.”
I threaded my fingers through his hair and pulled him close. I needed to kiss him, to let him know it was fine.
The sensation of his lips on mine was flat-out incredible. If I thought my fingertips were sensitive, they felt nothing in comparison to the surface of my lips. I couldn’t believe how amazing his kiss was. There were no words to describe the silkiness of his lips and tongue sliding and gliding over mine, no flavor to compare to the intoxicating taste of him. Thundering need galloped through my body, stampeding over the questions, the uncomfortable sunlight, and the weird touch of the air. I wanted to ravage every part of him, to kiss and bite—heck yeah, I wanted to bite—and taste and love. I yanked him as close as I could get him and… devoured every last drop.
“Holy crap,” I panted when we finally ripped our lips apart. “You definitely forgot to mention that part.”
Noah grinned and stepped back a few inches. It was the only way we would be able to keep from tearing each other apart.
“What? How every tactile sensation is about a hundred times more intense? You probably wouldn’t have understood, anyway. Not until you felt it yourself.”
“Probably not.”
He pulled me close again. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist and breathed him in. His scent was enough to make me tremble; the Noah smell I’d always loved mixed with the impossibly delicious aroma of his juicy, wet, fragrant blood…. Mmmm.
Stop that. I had to force myself to look up before I opened my mouth and attached it to his neck.
He brushed his lips across mine with a smile. I bet he knew exactly what I was thinking. “I really am sorry, Zack. I had the whole thing all planned out. I was going to have candles, get you your favorite dinner one last time. It was going to be so romantic—well, as romantic as being turned into a vampire could possibly be.”
I laughed and pinched him on the side, glad to be distracted by talking. “No more apologizing, okay? We have all the time in the world for romance now. Besides, it’s not like you did it on purpose. What did happen, anyway? I thought you guys—well, we—could control it.”
Noah smiled when I said “we.” Then he sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know what happened. I was drinking and then suddenly I felt the venom shooting out and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My only explanation is that I was injured and weak and still panicked. My instincts must have taken over. I pulled away from you as soon as I’d done it. I’ve been sitting here beating myself up for nearly two days.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “I’ve been out for two days?”
“Yeah. It was a long time. Usually doesn’t take that long to come out of the paralysis. I was only under for a few minutes. I must have given you one hell of an injection of venom. Good part is, it seems like you’ve changed more than most would have by this point. It usually takes about two weeks for it to completely happen. You’re almost there.”
“How can you tell?”
“By the way your eyes react to the sunlight, the way you’re feeling every tactile sensation so intensely. Usually that builds gradually. It’s not so overwhelming that way.”
“I didn’t know that either.”
He cupped my chin gently and kissed my forehead. “I know. That’s why I was going to talk about all this with you, so you’d be more prepared. I really wish I’d had the chance. Now we’re going to be doing a lot of figuring things out together.”
“I know one thing I want to figure out together.” I slipped my hand under his shirt and into the waistband of his shorts.
He laughed and put his hand over mine, stilling it. “Don’t tempt me. We’ve got to get you fed before we try anything like that.”
I pouted—just a little, of course.
He tugged on my hand. “C’mon, let’s get a shower. I haven’t left this chair for two days, and you’ve been all feverish and sweaty. Besides, wait till you see how awesome water feels.”
The shower was filled with more intense sensations. Of course, there was the water, Noah had been right about that. The feeling of all those little shooters of warm liquid on my newly sensitive skin had shivers of pleasure radiating all over my body. The steam was really cool too. It was like the air in the bedroom had been, only more. The best part, of course, was Noah. His body all warm and wet rubbing up against mine was nirvana. I tried to put my hand between his legs again, but he laughed and swatted at me.
“Knock it off, horn dog. I told you, we have to get you some blood first.”
“But your skin feels so nice.” I ran my fingers over his back and shoulders, lightly, then drew back to look at his face and his chest. The marks from two nights ago had faded to near invisibility. “You look way better. It’s almost like the fight never happened.”
He laughed. “It seemed way worse than it was. I took a few huge chunks out of him before he ever got to me. I’m sorry I took off like that, by the way. It was stupid and impulsive.”
“Please don’t ever do that again. You scared me. What did end up happening, anyway?”
Noah made a face. “Leila got him. He’d managed a good swipe
to my head by the time they got to me. I was losing blood quickly, so PC carted my dumb butt out of there and she went after him. He was so weak that it wasn’t much trouble for her.”
“But you wish it could have been you who did it.”
“In a way.” He shrugged. “But I’d far rather be here with you than dead with my parents avenged.”
“Yeah. Me too.” I squeezed him close in the warmth of the cascading water.
“C’mon, babe. Let’s get ready. The sooner we get blood for you, the sooner we can come home, right?”
I grinned and reached behind him to turn the water off.
THAT NIGHT, he took me back to the Park Avenue club where I’d run into the nasty vampire three nights earlier. It seemed like it had been another life. I couldn’t believe how different I felt, walking in with Noah as an equal and not his little human sidekick. It was great.
The trip to the bar had been somewhat of an adventure for me. The street smelled like some all-you-can-eat buffet, a variety of intense aromas wafting by me with each new beating heart. Noah was right, though. There were some people who definitely smelled better than others. I wouldn’t have expected my taste to be much different than his. But it was. Opposite, actually.
Even though I’d never been attracted to them sexually, the women smelled way better to me; like the most delicious of desserts compared to the men, who were more like a rare steak. Every time a pretty college girl or a sexy woman in a business suit walked by, I swear to God, my mouth started watering. Even the giggling group of high school punk girls who made no secret of checking Noah and me out were enticing in their raw energetic kind of way. It was so disconcerting to notice women for the first time instead of men that it freaked me out a little bit. I laughed silently under my breath, shaking my head.
I hate to break it to you, Noh, but at least when it comes to blood, I’m straight as a board. You’re going to be so disappointed.
The only exception to my all-female rule so far seemed to be Noah himself. Nobody smelled as good as him. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how amazing he would taste. He obviously wasn’t human, and I remembered him telling me that his blood would never feed me, but I wanted it all the same. So bad. The smell was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It couldn’t be related to food, like the humans I’d smelled so far. It was different. I remembered him saying before that the blood of a hot guy kind of tasted a little bit like sex. That was probably the closest description of the way his scent hit me. It smelled like everything I’d ever desired, pulsing out into the air and making my mouth water. I knew I needed to feed on a human soon, if for no other reason than so I didn’t pounce on him in the middle of Manhattan’s crowded streets.
I’d been concerned about the safety of coming out in public with Noah. I was afraid of who would be out there waiting for us as soon as we weren’t paying attention. Even though he’d told me earlier that the other vampire was gone, it was almost second nature to look over my shoulder. It seemed a bit anticlimactic that the evil villain of a vampire was actually dead and I’d slept through the whole damn thing, but I’d rather have anticlimactic any day than have some rabid vampire still on the loose hunting us.
Weirdly enough, for the moment it seemed that everything was peaceful. I was still worried about the hunters and whoever his family had spying on him, but Noah said it was fine, and that he’d keep a look out. I supposed Noah had no intentions of letting me try to feed on my own for the first time, like he’d had to. Even though I was willing to do the same, it always made my heart melt when he insisted on taking care of me.
WHEN WE walked into the vampire bar, I felt the heads turning to look at us. I knew they were staring at Noah, in his fitted button-up and thigh-hugging designer jeans. Mrs. Clooney had shipped a few boxes of his clothes to my parents’ place the week before, safer that way and all, and I could never get over how amazing they were. So I totally got why people stared at Noah. They always had and they always would.
The part that floored me was that I could feel a few eyes coming directly my way. I hadn’t really spent a ton of time checking myself out in the mirror. Most of the early evening had been taken up with trying to get used to the barrage of new sensations that constantly came my way. I knew I looked different, though. My skin was more like Noah’s now, luminous and glowy instead of just pale; and my hair seemed to do exactly what I wanted it to do rather than constantly fighting me like it had since puberty. Even the black was different, making me look mysterious instead of like some kid with a stupid dye job.
I put my arm around Noah’s waist and cuddled up to him, grinning. I didn’t feel the need to stick close to him because I was uncomfortable. I just wanted to be near him because it felt great. I felt great.
Why would anyone not want this?
“Noah.” Dan the bartender nodded. It took him a long moment to realize who I was. “Oh my!” He grinned. “I wasn’t sure if this one was even going to make it through the other night. I was obviously wrong.”
Noah chuckled. “Yeah, he’s tougher than you’d think. You’re looking at New York’s newest vampire.” He leaned over and gave me a soft kiss on my forehead.
“Congrats. Welcome to the family.”
I smiled at Dan, whose vibe toward me had changed a hundred and eighty degrees since our last encounter. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be here.”
Noah and Dan both chuckled at that.
Noah led me into the bar, arm around my shoulders, smiling at the socialite vampires with their designer bags and sharp fangs. Weirdly enough, I actually felt like I belonged. Apparently they’d been staring at me before because I was human, not because my clothes weren’t up to par. It was a weird feeling for me, fitting in. I’d never felt like I really belonged anywhere, other than with Noah. I’d had friends in high school, but there was always this mental separation between me and them. At least, that’s how I’d always perceived it. For the first time, I wasn’t an outsider.
I was so busy enjoying my newfound environment that I didn’t notice the little dark tornado until she nearly bowled us over.
“Zack!” she exclaimed, leaping up and wrapping her miniature curves around me.
I laughed and gave her a long hug back. She smelled pleasant, but not really all that edible to me. Her aroma was warm and light. It reminded me of sunshine. “Hey, Leila.”
She stepped back and looked me over carefully, fingering my hair and my cheekbones. “Very nice. You were adorable before, but now….” She nodded appreciatively.
I blushed and ducked my head into my chest.
“Leila, you’re embarrassing my boyfriend.” Noah dropped another indulgent kiss on my forehead.
I couldn’t help but smile. It was one of those rare moments in life when everything felt like it had fallen into place. I was finally part of the group, an equal to Noah. I felt strong and new and in love. My world couldn’t be better.
“C’mon, babes. We gotta find you a boy snack,” Noah whispered.
I laughed under my breath. “Well, actually, I think I may not swing that way. At least where my taste for blood is concerned. On the street, the women smelled way better to me than the men did.”
Noah’s eyes grew wide. “You going straight on me?”
“Maybe. But only until we get home.”
He pulled me in for a hot little kiss that left me breathless and wishing we could be done with the blood drinking already.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” I breathed and squeezed his hand.
Leila, who I’d completely forgotten about, fanned herself dramatically. “Ah, to be a fly on the wall of casa Zack and Noah tonight.”
I burst into laughter and swatted her arm.
She held out her hand to me. “C’mon, gorgeous. Noah’s clueless when it comes to girls. Let me find you a hot chick to sink your new little teeth into.”
I took her hand with a smile. Noah gave me a mock hurt look, but then smiled and headed off to search
for his own dinner.
PROWLING THE bar as a vampire was a completely different experience than being looked at like an appetizer had been. This new side of the fence was much more comfortable. Leila had her arm looped loosely through my elbow and we were cruising the collection of girls, looking for that perfect first bite.
“You like blondes?” she asked.
I shrugged. It had never occurred to me to think any girl was really attractive. I inhaled experimentally as we walked past a few of the girls. Finally, one of the smells made goose bumps go up my spine.
“I want that last one. The girl who just walked by,” I whispered to Leila with an excited grin.
She turned and scanned the crowd. “The sexy one in the green shirt? Give me a sec. I’ll be right back.”
Leila returned with the tall curvy brunette in tow. I inhaled, loving her complex, colorful aroma. My head spun and I couldn’t help shuddering. I wanted to bite her so desperately bad. I decided it was best to wait for Leila’s instructions. I’d hate to hurt someone on my first night out.
“Trista,” Leila began when they reached me. “This is Zack. He’s new, so I’m going to help him out a little.”
The brunette looked me over. “Cute,” she murmured, her voice throaty.
I blushed a little. Obviously being turned into a vampire hadn’t changed my ability to get embarrassed in a heartbeat.
“Zack, this is Trista. She’s a regular, so don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Just take it slow.”
I stepped up to Trista and wove my fingers into the warm hair at the base of her scalp. Little excited trills tingled all over my body.
“Okay, lick her skin where you’re going to bite. Your saliva will make the skin tingly so she won’t feel the bite as much.” I knew that worked. I’d felt the tingles myself many times. I licked and felt Trista tremble. Her back arched; her neck was exposed and open.
“All right, when you’re about to bite, think of blood. Just the thought will make your fangs drop. Then pierce the skin gently and drink only until you feel slightly full. Any more will be too much blood loss for her.”
