by Kyla Riley
Strange.
“Too late,” Brion said and ended the call. Fiacha and Daphne both looked at each other with a moment’s shared sheer panic as she heard footsteps on the stairs to her upper apartment. Fiacha slammed into the doorway bodily, pushing Daphne backwards.
“I’m going to protect you no matter what,” he exclaimed and started to slam the door behind him only to have it stopped abruptly. A black, patent heel stuck into the doorframe. Daphne didn’t know what to make of everything going on. This seemed all like some sick, twisted, prank from one of the Scream movies – except it was happening here and now.
“Knock, knock.”
“Shite!” Fiacha whispered and looked over his shoulder at Daphne in absolute horror and terror. She broke out in a cold sweat immediately. Whatever was on the other side of the door had this poor, sweet looking man scared shitless.
“Trick or treat, my loves… I prefer the treat part of the holiday!”
Daphne stared blankly, trying to place where she recognized that voice from, when it clicked. The woman from the costume shop. Of course, she was psycho, right? She was awfully helpful at the store, abnormally so – she probably stole something off of her so she knew where to hit her up again at.
Something crackled loudly and Fiacha jerked his hands off the door as if burnt. Cairene walked into the apartment like a star taking the stage. She was dressed in a witch’s costume, complete with a cheap nylon hat that was bent at the tip. Her face was adorned with glitter and she smiled at Daphne with a pair of false vampire teeth. Inelegantly, she pulled them out of her mouth.
“I can’t talk with these things in,” Cairene explained. “How’s my little barmaid tonight?”
“On a scale of one to ten- I’m about an eleven right now on the freakster-scale. How did you get here? How did you find me?”
“Get out, ya witch,” Fiacha yelled, his anxious voice getting thick with a Scottish brogue. “Doona be bothering her. Yer not wanted here! Daphne! Go! I’ll protect ye.”
“I don’t believe in witches.”
“Oh that’s rich!” Cairene giggled, smiling widely. “But you are willing to believe in vampires?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“My family is my business.”
“We’re not yer family, witch!” Fiacha yelled angrily. “Family doesna torture or abandon wee ones.”
“I didn’t torture or abandon you all. I gave you immortality with a twist.”
“I dinna ken you asking if we wanted it.”
“Nonsense, Fiacha – and you are wasting time. Step aside.”
“No!”
“I won’t ask again,” Cairene growled, frowning at him. Daphne didn’t know what to make of the entire scene. Was this some sick family squabble coming to a head in the middle of her living room? Was Cairene a vampire too then, or actually a witch like Fiacha called her?
Suddenly Cairene’s hands flung forward, knocking both Fiacha and Daphne to the ground. Blinking, Daphne looked up to see Cairene leaning over her with a knife on her own fingertip. Wincing, Cairene drew blood and Daphne heard a groan. A knowing grin alit Cairene’s face as she stared at Daphne.
“The young vampire gets woozy at the sight of blood. It makes me laugh every single time he faints,” Cairene explained and Daphne heard a faint thud behind her. Glancing over, Fiacha, a grown man and vampire, had his head between his knees -accidentally knocking the TV remote onto the ground. What a lame heroic attempt and a poor excuse for a vampire! Looking back at Cairene, Daphne swallowed nervously.
“What do you want with me?”
“Just to welcome you to the family,” Cairene whispered happily and ran her bloody finger along Daphne’s jawline. “You’ll be glad of this someday. Remember, don’t fight it. Conn loves you very much.”
“Daphne, let’s go,” Fiacha said weakly looking at the ceiling and breathing quickly. He was white as a sheet from the sight of blood.
“No, you are right where you need to be, Daphne.”
14
Cairene got to her feet and stepped back, before fading away into a mist right before Daphne’s eyes. Was that a family trait? she thought, and shook her head. Fiacha could not even look at her due to Cairene’s blood on her chin.
“Let me wash my face so you…” Daphne’s voice faded away as she saw Conn materialize in the room. She could smell the violent rage ebbing from him and saw his sightless eyes. He had no comprehension of where he was at, only that he was back in the flesh.
“Conn?” she whispered, feeling a brush of fear hit her for the first time. Had this been what Brion had meant? Was the danger from Conn? He’d said that it was too late and she assumed it was Cairene… but could he have been wrong?
His dark blond head whipped around like a lion scenting its prey. His eyes focused on hers and Daphne saw there was no recognition in his gaze. The brown in his eyes was nearly gone and the eerie rust shade was a vibrant red hue that made her skin crawl. She saw his nose crinkle for just a brief moment as he scented the air.
“Go.” Fiacha whispered.
Daphne glanced over to see the younger man staring at his older brother in horror.
“Go. Now. He doesna know you right now.”
Conn sniffed the air again and moved towards the two of them. Daphne moved to look back at Conn but before she fully turned her head, she felt a sharp, burning sensation on her neck – and heard Fiacha’s gasp.
Instinctively, Daphne recognized the man’s body against her own. Conn had pulled her into his arms and was drinking from her. He’d done this a few times as they’d made love in a moment of hunger, but it was nothing like this. Those were lazy, loving, tender moments and this – this was a ravaging animal that had taken over her man.
“Conn, you’re hurting me, sweetie,” she whispered, cradling his head. She smoothed his hair and held him, knowing that he couldn’t help himself right now and just needed to get to a place mentally where he had control once again. The sight of him so lost, so wounded – just tore at her heart.
“I love you and will help you through this,” she breathed and felt him rear back and bite again, flinching and wincing at the pain. It reminded her of a rabid dog attacking a helpless animal. She heard his growls and grunts as he fed.
This was her Conn and she focused on thinking of the moments between them – the priceless joys that he brought to her life. The way he would look at her so possessively as he made love to her, the wry smiles as they watched movies together, and the fascinated way he would talk to her about something from his past – so detailed and reliving it through his eyes.
Fiacha was no longer moaning at the sight of blood, he’d passed out cold onto the floor and Daphne knew she was on her own to bring Conn back. She smoothed back his hair and kissed his forehead awkwardly, but her limbs were starting to feel so very heavy.
“Conn, it’s me Daphne. You need to stop for a minute, sweetie. I don’t feel so good,” she admitted as her heart gave a hard thump in her chest. Several more moments passed and she tried to push him away, but her arms wouldn’t cooperate. “Conn, I don’t feel…” Daphne whispered before passing out and blackness overtook her.
* * *
Blood, he thought comfortingly. It was the tastiest, most satisfying meal he’d ever had upon waking up. Normally he awoke and felt ashamed or disgusted, but this… this was nearly sensual. It was almost like when he drank from Daphne as they made… wait… this is was all wrong!
As the haze faded from his eyes and Conn felt himself gaining control, he looked around his surroundings expecting to be in an alleyway or some other location. Instead he was at Daphne’s house and his brother Fiacha was on the floor about ten feet away from him, collapsed.
“Fi?” Conn yelped fearfully and tried to get to his feet, but something was blocking him. Looking down, he fought back the wave of nausea and horror that filled him. Daphne lay across his lap, unresponsive. There were gaping tears along her neck and blood was everywhere. It was on the carpet,
in her hair, on Conn’s chest and on the knit costumed dress she wore.
“No,” Conn whispered and then screamed aloud, “NO!” as he scrambled to his knees and cradled Daphne’s limp body against him. She was dressed in a gown almost exactly like the one Mary Ann had worn the night she was killed. It was like reliving a bad dream – his worst nightmare all over again.
“No, Daphne – no baby, please no,” Conn whimpered, feeling tears well up to his face as he rocked her. “Sweetheart, no – wake up for me, honey. Please!” Looking at his brother who was coming to, he lashed out angrily.
“Fiacha! You were supposed to check on her, watch her – and now I’ve killed the only woman I’ve ever loved,” Conn said brokenly, tears trailing down his face in earnest as he stared at Daphne, smoothing back her dark hair from her grey face and pale bloodless lips.
“This is all wrong,” Conn whispered, kissing her cheeks. He kept grabbing her hand and trying to put it against his cheek, but it kept falling limply back to her side. She wasn’t there and he couldn’t feel her anymore. “Daph?”
“I’m going to be sick,” Fiacha whispered painfully as the door to the apartment opened. Brion walked in and yanked Fiacha up by the arm abruptly.
“Jesus, it looks like a slaughterhouse in here,” Brion told him coldly. “You could at least have been gentle with her. Brother, you have always been a force of nature in everything and go off at the slightest. The poor girl didn’t even fight you, did she? And you? Fiacha, I said to get her out so she had a fighting chance until my flight landed and we could do this together so Daphne didn’t end up traumatized as she entered our world. I knew Conn would do this, he would not be able to resist her. Now, give Daphne your blood and fast.”
“What?” Conn whispered painfully, looking up at his two brothers. This all seemed so surreal. He hadn’t been near them in decades and now both of his younger siblings were here in the flesh. Maybe this was all a dream – just a very bad dream.
“Give her your blood, as much as you can stand. We are leaving so you heal and don’t end up killing yourself in the process. She’ll live but get it in her fast and text us all later,” Brion ordered with a knowing grin. “Take care of her.”
“I can’t live without her,” Conn said fearfully, looking at the two of them.
“Then you better hurry, brother.”
The two men left and shut the door behind them as Conn tore into his wrist, holding it firmly against Daphne’s slack mouth. Very carefully, he adjusted the way she lay against him and was trying to work her throat so that his blood went down. He felt his head spinning as his life-force flowed into her. If she could handle him at his worst, without a fight, he would do the same and fight for her.
For them.
15
Daphne couldn’t breathe. It was so hot and she was nauseated. Was she ill and running a fever? That had to be it. No, she remembered the red-haired woman, Fiacha and… Conn!
“Conn?” Daphne tried to say aloud but it came out in a whisper. Opening her eyes felt like a herculean effort. She felt a cool wash rag being placed on her brow as the heat surged through her body.
“I think the chicken teriyaki didn’t agree with me,” she muttered and felt her stomach clench hard as she tried to smile at Conn’s taut and terrified face nearby. She could see that he’d been crying and it broke her heart.
“Is it that bad, big guy?”
“Daphne,” Conn whispered reverently, “I love you more than anything else in the world.”
“That’s a pretty intense conversation starter,” she croaked with a half-hearted smile. “Can I have some water or is it going to pour out of the massive gash in my neck?” Daphne was trying to lighten the mood but apparently her joke was in poor taste as his face crumbled. Struggling to get to her elbows, she realized just how weak she was right now and how much everything hurt in her. “Conn, I’m sorry- that was pretty messed up of me.”
“I almost killed you,” he whispered and hid his face in his hands. Daphne rolled her eyes and struggled to lay a hand on his arm. She was too weak right now physically for dramatic flair from her intense fellow. She just wanted simplicity – her and Conn. Currently, he was hurting and frankly- she was too. Daphne felt like she was in the ninth layer of hell and her sunblock had worn off.
“Man, please flip the burger – this side is cooked,” she muttered aloud as rivulets of sweat began to pour from her forehead and down her back. “Seriously, is the A/C out?”
“That’s my fault too,” he said quietly, staring down at his clasped hands. “I couldn’t let you die so I took a chance.”
“What did you do?”
“I gambled on your life with Brion’s advice: he said to give you my blood.”
“Your brother is seriously creepy…” Daphne began and stopped midsentence as suddenly heat and pain wracked her body. Her body uncontrollably arched off the bed and it was like someone had laid a hot poker inside her chest cavity. Gasping for breath, it suddenly subsided and the abrupt relief made her violently ill in the small trashcan next to the bed.
“I am so sorry,” she breathed heavily with her eyes shut pitifully.
“I never wanted to hurt you or for you to feel this pain. I know you feel like you are burning alive from the inside. That is what happened to me when Cairene cursed me – I just hope you aren’t stuck like I am losing parts of your life when you fade away.”
“I will be like you?”
“I think so. According to Brion, yes- if I gave you enough blood in time.”
“I’m awake, so it must have worked- right? And we can be together forever?”
Daphne’s body spasmed again, the muscles contracting painfully, causing her to accidently knock the lamp off the nightstand. Feeling the pain subside moments later, she looked at Conn and saw he was guilt-ridden and beating himself up mentally. Reddish streaks were wiped away and deep frown lines marred his face as he sat there stoically trying to punish himself by being present as she was in pain. Her strong man had gone through another version of hell - watching the woman he loved die in his arms once again. He was beating himself up over it because she was hurting.
“I’m fine.” she bit out between muffled attempts to keep from gasping in pain as it rolled over her again. It seemed to be on the downward slope because as she went through each ‘contraction’ it seemed to grow easier to bear. She felt her incisors painfully descend for the first time, causing her gums to feel like they were on fire.
“Sheeeze!” she grinned awkwardly, looking at Conn. She smiled widely at him like she was posing for a photo. Her words came out with a horrible lisp, causing one of his dark eyebrows to raise comically at her. “Twit pouting n don’t make me bitechoo.”
“I don’t pout.”
“Howdu talk wif dees tinks?”
“Slowly and carefully, but when they come out it’s because it’s time to feed.”
“Orfexy time?”
“Yes,” Conn said softly with a warm smile, looking a little bit more comfortable for the moment. “Or sexy time, sweetheart.”
“I could,” Daphne said slowly, trying to enunciate around the fangs awkwardly. She felt a rush of longing as she thought of him biting her neck as they made love. She could do that to him now? That singular thought made her toes curl in anticipation. “I’d feel…excited to… you know?”
“The first time you feed, it can be overwhelming. So many basic urges are being satisfied at once. You are hungry, thirsty and full of desire if you drink from someone you are attracted to.”
“Do you get that with other women?”
“No, it always felt good- until I met you. With you, feeding is phenomenal. It’s like my whole body is charged with adrenaline and lust. I crave your taste and I think that is what made me lose control when I reappeared. Somehow I think I knew that heaven was within my grasp – I just couldn’t control the urges.”
“I feel like that right now,” Daphne whispered, looking at Conn through her lashes.
She still felt waves of heat rolling through her, but it was a different kind of warmth now. The pain was fading and in its place was intense anticipation of his touch. “Barely controllable- I want to touch you and try these bad-boys on for size,” she admitted and pointed at her teeth.
“I’d be happy to let you, my love,” Conn admitted thickly, yanking his shirt over his head. As she watched his muscles flex, she felt a wave pulse through her that caused her to close her eyes in pleasure. As she opened her eyes, it surprised her that she was now standing on the bed looming over him. A wicked, knowing grin was spread across his face.
“It’s intense, isn’t it?”
“How’d that… I just…”
“You moved into position quickly. I think you might be a little excited,” he teased softly, chuckling. Conn easily unbuttoned the top of his pants as she watched him, knowing what he would feel like.
“Shhh,” Daphne heard him say softly as his hand smoothed her hair. Apparently she’d launched herself at him and instinctively knew what to do somehow. The knowledge seemed to bubble up from her very core. Her teeth were buried in the side of his neck, taking and drawing deeply- her body thrumming in pleasure.
Conn’s scent had to be the sweetest thing she’d ever had the chance to smell. There was no describing the rich, decadent, urges that she felt inhaling while she sampled his warm blood. Daphne felt Conn’s body respond and knew he was as turned on by this as she was.
She leaned forward against him. Those warm hands that were intent on comforting her now had a different purpose. She felt his desire hard against her body. He had somehow unlaced the cheap costume bodice that she had worn and her own hands had freed his body from his pants. There was something so sensual about being lost in each other. Conn slid himself into her and she felt his own teeth at her neck. Now that the hunger was satiated, there was something keenly sexual in possessing each other.
Conn had always been fierce, intense, wild in certain ways. There was something about his inner personality that made you realize that he could be dangerous – a loose cannon ready to explode- yet there was a tender side to him too. This was the side of him that Daphne got to see, cherish, and love behind closed doors.
