The Vampire's Prey

by Vivian Murdoch

  "No, you shouldn't have.” Her eyes are wary and hurt, but she nuzzles into my hand. Maybe this isn’t a lost cause after all. It hurts me to know that I have caused her emotional discomfort, but there's no way I can let her go without telling her how I really feel. Obviously, the belt thing is a really hot trigger for her. I will have to keep that out of our conversation until she can actually get to know me.

  Sitting back down on the pillows, I pull her back into my arms. "Listen pet, you have been pushed through a ringer tonight, emotionally and physically, let me comfort you."

  Suspicion laces her glare, but she does not pull away from me. Once I have her snuggled back up against me, my world rights itself once again. Breathing deeply, I tightened my grip around her and hold her for several minutes. I don’t know what I am going to do with her. She blows hot and cold so rapidly that I can’t even begin to predict her moods. Maybe I should call this off even before it begins. There is so much about her that I don't know, and she doesn’t seem inclined to let me in at all. Even as I think this, my primal half roars in my head. My beast seems to finally have found peace with the morsel. I fear I have no choice but to keep her and tame her.

  Lifting her chin up, I brush my lips against hers, sighing into her soft depths. This is what it’s like to die and reach heaven. The thought beats against my brain as I thread my fingers through her hair and deepen the kiss. She resists a little, her hands feebly push and shove at my chest. But soon, she melts under my lips and tongue. There is no stronger aphrodisiac than a woman submitting under me. I slide my tongue across her bottom lip, delighting in the shiver that goes through her. Smiling, I lean up and grab a blanket to wrap around her.

  "I will go find you some clothes. You stay here and bundle up.” She gives my cock a pointed stare, and I laugh as I head towards the opening. "I am not ashamed of being naked, little one. That pleasure is all yours."

  Her small tongue pokes out from her lips, and I laugh again. How many times has that been tonight? Have I ever laughed so much before? Making my way to the bar, I spot Trish standing near with my bag packed and my clothes in her hands.

  "Here you are, sir."

  "Thank you, Trish, you have been most helpful to me tonight.” A pretty blush spreads across her cheeks as she bows her head; however, no one can compare to the blush of my little pet. "I do have one more favor. I need you to find me some clothes for Evangeline to borrow, so I can take her home."

  "Yes, sir. I believe she's worn Barbara's clothes before, and I think she has a spare uniform here. I will ask her.”

  As she turns to leave, I spot Lucius at the bar. I have to tell him sometime; it might as well be now. Clearing my throat, I make my way over and whisper at his shoulder.

  "Might I have a word with you?"

  He smirks. "She's your woman, you figured it out."

  I smile and nod. "Yes, she is my woman.” Sobering, I motion over to his throne. "But this involves more than just me."

  His eyes turn serious as he makes his way over and sits down. "What's troubling you."

  "Evangeline is immune. I don’t know how, but I’m worried that she will end up seeing things or knowing things that she can’t be privy to right now."

  His eyes widen. "Another immune?"

  "Wait. Another?"

  He waves his hand, dismissing that part of the conversation. "Do you plan to claim her as yours and tell her about us?"

  Sighing, I look over to the alcove to where she’s waiting for me. "I don’t know. I want her. Desperately. But I’m not sure at what point it’s safe to reveal who we are. I managed to keep her from seeing me feed. I’ll just have to be more careful.” Running a frustrated hand through my hair, I internally muse at where I’ll even be able to see or play with her. I sigh and shake my head. “I won’t bring her back down here until I know she can be trusted."

  Lucius strokes his chin for a moment. "If you can’t trust her, why are you considering a life with her? I mean, I’m assuming you are, just by the way you're talking about her."

  "I might, I might not. I need to try to get her out of my system first. If that doesn’t work, then I guess I am doomed to have her as my woman."

  Chuckling, Lucius looks over at Selene, a small smile crossing his face. "It's not all bad. They do have their uses.” He turns serious. “If she cannot be thralled, then you're right. She doesn't need to be down here until you know for sure. You know," he says with a knowing smile, "you could just have another vampire take a crack at her. Maybe your thralling skills just aren’t up to snuff.”

  Before I can stifle it, I growl and stiffen my spine. This brings another chuckle from Lucius. "Just as I thought. You're smitten."

  Grumbling, I turn towards the stairs and wait for Trish. Luckily for me, she is right on cue with the change of clothes. "Smitten. I am not some dumb animal to be smitten."

  Snatching the clothes from Trish, I stalk back towards the alcove. Shoving my way in, my breath catches in my throat when I see Evangeline sitting there, her fingers nimbly braiding her hair, the sheets pooling at her waist. This is definitely a sight I can get used to. I guess I am smitten.

  The moment she looks up at me, her nipples harden in anticipation. Immediately my eyes latch on and my mouth waters in response. Her signature blush flushes her cheeks and dips down over the tops of her breasts. The beast insides roars for me to take her again, but I can’t. I can clearly see the fatigue that lines her face and the slight tremble to her hands as she plaits her hair. She needs sleep not another fuck. My heart swells with affection as I look at her. Forget smitten, I’m worried I’ve gone all the way to twitterpated.

  Setting the clothes down, I help her get up. "Okay now, pet. Get dressed, so I can take you home."

  Her eyes look wary again. "You really, really don't have to do that. I have a car here and can easily take myself home.” She pats my shoulder in a dismissive manner. "Thank you for tonight, but I'm a big girl. I can get home by myself."

  Every ounce of me is yelling at me to ignore her request. It’s my job to keep her safe. But I do know that I cannot keep her safe if she’s not willing to even let me near her.

  She can’t deny me following her home though. Smirking, I cross my arms and look her up and down. She thinks she’s won this battle, but she is sorely mistaken.

  "In that case, when will I be seeing you again?" Her breasts brush up against me as she squeezes past to pick up the clothes. Immodestly, my cock leaps up to attention.

  "Down boy," she laughs, staring at my cock. Her tongue slides to lick her bottom lip. She has no idea what she is doing to me. It bobs at her attention, and she laughs again. "I thought this was a one and done. Am I that irresistible that you have to have me again?"

  "Yes.”

  My tone is dead serious. I need her to know that I actually do want her. She frowns. Not the reaction I am looking for.

  "Look. I got to get home. I need to rest up before my shift."

  As her delectable body wiggles into the borrowed clothes, I struggle to put my underwear back on. I foresee myself getting off several more times before the night is over. Once we are both dressed, I step outside the alcove first to make sure nothing that can’t be unseen is happening. Satisfied, I move to the side and let her by. Before she can get too far, I grab her wrist and pull her back into me. One more kiss before she leaves. Her lips are firm against mine, forbidding me entry. Softening, I brush my lips against hers. Teasing, coaxing. With a sigh, her lips part, and she melts against me.

  "I will see you at work tomorrow."

  Her large eyes blink up at me for a moment. "Yes, you will.” Her walls slam back into place, and I am, once again, shoved out.

  As I watch her walk away, I feel the discomfort of her leaving. This is not right. Something has to be done. She is mine damnit. I give her a head start, keeping my distance as I stalk her through the upper part of the club. She makes her way to her car, and I remain firmly planted in the shadows.

  As she pulls out, I ca
n see the wet on her face. She is crying again. Damn it! I rage inside my head because there is absolutely nothing I can do about this. I detest being so helpless. My inner beast roars within me, demanding I take action, and yet, I stand there, simply watching as my woman drives away. Anger courses through me, and I slam my fist behind me into the brick exteriors in frustration. Small chips and flecks break off, covering my hand and landing on the ground. My body doesn’t register pain, only the impotent rage of being denied. Glancing back, I take stock of the damage, which appears to be minor. It shouldn’t be too noticeable, but if something ever comes up about it, I’m good for it.

  It’s hard for me to keep such a distance between us as I follow her, but I allow her to pull up ahead. I cannot risk getting caught now. With my lights off, there’s no way she can see me in the dark, but I still hang back to avoid outside lights giving me away.

  She takes me all over the city, through twists, turns, and small roads with no names. Where the hell does she even live? When her apartment finally comes into view, I am shocked that she actually lives a quick ten minutes away from the club. Then why all this song and dance? Why take nearly forty minutes? What the hell have I gotten myself into?

  5

  Evangeline

  No one is following me. Good. Maybe I actually gave him the slip. That or he doesn't actually care about me enough to see that I'm home safe. Why would he? Despair flows through me as I unlock my door, taking one more peek around and finding no one. What exactly was I expecting? Him to force me to let him take care of me? Maybe. But now, I'll never know.

  My whole body reeks of sex and him. His smell envelops me and teases my senses. Why in the world does he have to be so hot? Why do I want him so badly? Walking over to the nightstand, I flip open my phone, surprised to see so many text messages. Panic surges for a moment. Is The Family okay? Has something happened to them? It's not weird for them to go hunting and not check in for weeks at a time.

  As I scroll through, my stomach flips. No. They're worried about me. One by one, I skim through all the messages. They are all the same but carry the same theme. Keep your faith, don't allow Satan to enter you, keep to our commandments. The only odd one out is from Simon. The two little words, miss you, flash out into the dark. Strange. He was already acting weird before I left, but to actually say he missed me? I have no idea how to even interpret it. Without responding, I delete the message. Heaven help him if Father saw it. He would consider it highly inappropriate.

  Not unlike how I behaved today. Reaching back around, I rub my bottom through the ill-fitting shorts. The burn from earlier is now an almost-distant memory. But how delicious it felt. Clutching my hair in my hands, I close my eyes, trying to ease the onslaught as my mind wars with itself. How can something so bad and evil feel so good? Because you're a deviant. Father would beat you himself if he saw your display.

  Falling down to the floor, sobs wrench from my throat. "Father, God, please forgive me! Cleanse me. Please! I can't. I just.” Panic grips me. It's becoming so hard to breathe. What did I do tonight? How did he seduce me so easily?

  My steps are heavy as I make my way into the bathroom. Forcing my eyes wide, I slip my contacts out into their special case. Brown, sad eyes stare back at me as I look at my reflection, disgusted with what I see. With a loud cry, I punch the mirror as hard as I can. Pain explodes through my hand. Blood pours from my knuckles and into the sink. I don't even bother cleaning it up. Looking at my hand, I sigh as the pain helps me regain focus. If I am in agony, I cannot think about my seducer, tormentor, false god.

  The freezing spray of water shocks my hand, but it needs to be cleaned out. I bite down on my bottom lip to keep from crying out anymore. I deserve this. I earned this pain. Luckily for me, the pain is not a true reflection of the damage my hand suffers. Besides some cuts and bruising, nothing appears to be too badly out of place. Keeping my hand in the flowing stream of water, I stretch my body as far as I can and grab a rough, grey towel from my cabinet.

  A few more minutes of water, and a thorough inspection for shards, and I wrap my hand tightly in the towel. I turn and rest my back against the wall and slide down. The pain is so immense. Almost unbearable. Is this what grief feels like? Not only am I mourning the one man to ever make me feel alive, I am also mourning my own loss of innocence. I am a changed and broken woman now. No good religious man will ever have me if they know.

  A high-pitched ding interrupted my thoughts.

  Status report.

  Father. Fuck. Or Simon. Either way, not good. I'm not sure if I can deal with either of them tonight. I stare at the phone, praying for answers. It's like they have a sixth-sense about these things. Do they know? Could they know? Now I know I'm going crazy. The Family may have many powers, but to my knowledge, being psychic isn't one of them. If that were the case, there's so much more that I wouldn't have been able to get away with while growing up.

  I'm waiting, young lady.

  No update.

  Guilt slams into me, but I don't know how else to tell him that I know about all the other vampires without giving myself away? He can always tell when I'm holding something back. If I tell him about what I saw tonight, he would press for all the details. I'm not ready for that yet. Truthfully, I still don't even know what completely happened. I look up in the direction of my contacts. Did they fail me somehow? No. That's insane. I resisted Adrian each time he compelled me. It's my own fault I'm in this mess.

  Keep me updated.

  Yes sir.

  Sighing, I let my head fall back against the wall. I bought myself at least another week. Now, all I have to do is figure out how to get myself out of this mess without bringing the wrath of God or The Family down on me. Groaning, I shift on the floor until I'm in kiza. I will undo everything he's taught me, and make it something to do with The Family and my mission. He said he would use this if I was really naughty. Well, I don’t know what else to call what I did tonight. Tipping my head back, I stare at the ceiling.

  Wordless prayers drip from my lips. Maybe if I pray hard enough. Maybe if I repent enough. Maybe then, I'll be good enough. By the time I'm done praying, my legs are numb. I'm not stable enough to take a shower, so I crawl over to my bed. Underneath is a very large box; inside rests my path to redemption. Swallowing hard, I open the lid.

  6

  Adrian

  She is not here again tonight. Scenting the air, I don’t even get a hint or remnant of her. According to my nose, it’s like she never even existed. Disappointment slams through me. She should be on her knees, begging for me to have my way with her. How is she able to resist me for so long? Anger flashes through me. I should have insisted she see me. Better yet, I should have gone over the next night and continued what we started.

  The memory of her lips haunts my waking hours not to mention the taste of her blood. I need to feed from her again. Pain usually sweetens the meal for me, but with her, she is ambrosia. Within moments, I am up at the bar. My expression must be murderous because humans and vampires alike part in front of me.

  Barbara spots me and frowns. "She's not here, Adrian. It's the same as the last several days. I don't know what to tell you."

  "You can tell me her number," I growl, leaning over the bar.

  "Whoa there, buddy," Tiberius clamps his hand down on my shoulder.

  "Remove it or face the consequences."

  "Chill the fuck out, or I grab Lucius.” The command in his voice is clear. And, I don’t doubt the validity of his words. The last thing I need is a run-in with Lucius.

  "I need to check on Evangeline. I promise to keep my temper.” His fingers ease off of me, and I feel a bit calmer. "Have you seen her?"

  Tiberius strokes his chin for a moment. "Can't say that I have. Not since that night at least."

  "Fuck."

  "What's the big deal man? She's only a temp here. If Lucius doesn't need her, she won't come in. Besides, I'm sure if she wanted to, she would. I definitely wouldn't deny her entrance."
>
  Barbara's face falls as she listens to our conversation. Hell. I was not trying to hurt her feelings. I feel nothing for the poor girl, but that does not mean I’m purposefully trying to hurt her. Turning to face her, I reach up and stroke her skin. My hand tries to rebel because it is not her skin I wish to be touching. Something in my gut tells me that Evangeline needs my help. I am trying to keep my distance, but it’s becoming increasingly hard.

  Every night, I go to the club to see if she is working then drive back over to her apartment. Her car has not moved once. Either she’s going out in the daytime, or I’m just missing her. There is no way she can stay holed up for several days and not need anything.

  "Barbara, you are her friend. Do you know anything? Has she said anything?"

  Tiberius snorts next to me. "She's probably at home or at some other job."

  "Actually," Barbara's throat works as she tries to swallow. "As far as I know, this is her only job. I'm super worried Theophilus is going to fire her. She hasn't shown up for three of her shifts now."

  Ice flows through my body. Something is definitely not right. I tear away from the bar and race towards the club entrance, Tiberius hot on my trail.

  "Think man.” His iron grip around my arm stops me in my tracks. "You can't just go after her. Let's say she is at home. There's no guarantee that she will even allow you in. Then what are you going to do? Sit on her stoop like some crusty crow? You'll have to leave before dawn anyway. Look. Go get her number. If she doesn't answer, then maybe she just doesn't want you."

  "Does not want me?" I laugh, the dry sound forcing its way out of me. "Do you think I care if she wants me or not? This is not about me or her feelings for me. If she’s in trouble, I have to at least make sure she’s okay. I owe her that much."

  "Then, I guess you better get her number."