We make it back to the townhouse to find no one has gotten back yet.
I assume Avalon and Lena will be back soon but as of right now we are all alone with nothing to really do. Then it hits me, I haven't seen Michael shift yet. I can only hope he still can. I want nothing more than his shifter side and his vampire side live together in peace.
"What are you staring at?"
I didn't know I was even staring.
"I would like to see if you could shift still.
It's close to midnight now, why don't we go find out?"
Michael gives me a smile.
"Anxious, are we?"
"Yes."
Very anxious, but I'm not going to tell him that.
We make our way outside and go back deep into the woods where I am sure no one will see us.
Michael looks at me with concern on his face.
"I'm going to try but don't be upset if I can't change.
I mean, I have you babe so I am happy with whatever I am."
I appreciate the assurances but I still want Michael to be happy and he won't be happy unless he can continue being what he is.
A shifter.
I watch as he closes his eyes but I see nothing.
He opens his eyes and tries again. Nothing. He shakes himself then closes his eyes once more. Right as I am sure his shifting days are done I see him. He jumps up in midair, I see his clothes rip, tear, then go flying as he lands back down on the ground as the beautiful gray wolf that I remember, although there are some differences now. I study him for a few minutes, trying to put my finger on what all is different. He is bigger now. Much bigger, in fact he would tower over the others. His eyes are extremely red now so much so that it scares me a bit and his coat that used to be fully gray is now gray with white and black streaks all through it. He is magnificent.
He vanishes almost as quickly as he changed.
He lies there on the ground, fully exposed and shaking.
"Michael!
Are you okay?" He struggles to stand up.
"I'm okay.
I didn't mean to change back. What does that mean?"
"I don't know.
Let’s get you back to the house and then we'll figure it out."
We walk back to the house with him resting his arm around my shoulders.
It's funny how little weight I feel on me. Normally there would be no way I could do this before my turn. I must admit I do like this vampire stuff.
We get back to the townhouse as quickly as we could.
We weren't far but it was hard for Michael to keep up. It's like changing took everything out of him. I sit him down on the bed downstairs while I dig some clothes out of the closet for him.
"I don't know what happened
, Jaci. One minute I am a wolf, the next minute I'm human again without even trying."
I toss some clothes that land next to him on the bed.
"I was thinking on our way back. Changing takes a good bit of energy right? I mean maybe you just need some time to get back to the way you were. You did just go through a huge life altering change; your body probably needs some time to adjust."
He seems to feel a little better thinking about that.
"Maybe you are right. I hope so anyway."
I nod but I can't help but look at him as he sits before me completely naked.
His cock jumps as if noticing my staring. His body begins to call to me. I watch as his cock jumps again then look up to see him laughing.
"Are you going to keep staring and licking your lips or are you going to come take it?"
I walk toward him losing one piece of clothing at a time until I am standing right in front of him just as naked as he is. He lifts his hands to cup my ass. I let him feel for a moment before removing his hands.
"You're tired and just went through a good bit.
I'm driving this time." I push him backward with my hand then follow on top of him with my knees on each side of his hips. Once we are both horizontal on the queen size bed I reach down and take his cock in my hand. I hear him breathe in quickly as I wrap my fingers around him then move up and down. The more I move the harder he gets but it's not enough. I decide to see how well he fits in my mouth as well as my hand.
I make my way down his body until my lips are inches away from his cock.
I can feel his legs tense up under my fingers. I bend down and tease the tip of him which makes it twitch. I can't help but get a kick out of it so I try it again. I lick slightly against the tip of him making him twitch again.
"Jaci, you are killing me!"
His fingers curl into the sheets of the bed.
Hmmm, I think I like this.
I lick the tip once more before slowly wrapping my lips around him then sliding down his shaft. I come back up slowly as before feeling every lovely inch of his length. I hear him moan so I continue. I move a tad faster taking him in deeper. I can feel him at the back of my throat but I continue taking him in. I can't stop myself now. He is rock hard. I slide my lips down again then wrapping my fingers around the bottom of his shaft as I come back up. Soon my hand is moving at the same pace as my lips are. I can tell it's driving him crazy. He throws his head back, squirming beneath me. He is completely mine.
"Jaci, I can't...Please."
I come back releasing him from my wet mouth.
I climb back on top of him, his cock right against my pussy but not quite in yet. I place my finger in front of my lips.
"Shh baby, I hear you."
He cups my ass once again but I smack his hand away shaking my finger in front of him.
"Tsk. Tsk. Hands off. Lay back and relax baby or else I won't put you inside me."
He moans then throws his head back again, this time in frustration as well as pleasure.
I slip his cock into me then begin rocking forward then backward very slowly at first. I hear his cry of relief which makes me go faster. I feel so full with him inside me. It's just as overwhelming as before. I rock harder, faster, taking him in deeper. I place my hands on his hard chest as I ride him. He calls out my name as he is getting close.
"Okay.
Put your hands on me. NOW!"
He wastes no time grabbing my breasts as I ride harder.
He pinches my nipples each at the same time which causes my muscles to tense. Once again I feel the wave of my orgasm start at my toes then work its way all the way up my body. My pussy begins to tingle, the feeling becoming more intense, I hear Michael cry out as he finds his release then, once I feel his juices fill me up, I too begin to cum all around him screaming his name as the wave of my orgasm takes over. I lift up slightly to see his juices run out and down my thigh then slide back down on him, not quite ready to get off of him yet. As our breathing slows I lift up then lie next to him, my body still shaking from the intense orgasm. He puts his arms around me as we lie there and slowly come back to life.
By the time Michael and I recover we make our way upstairs to meet Avalon and Lena. They got Iris settled in at Andrew's house in Colorado Springs so we don't have to worry about JR getting to her. After a couple of glasses of wine John, Daniel, and Andrew come back as well. Daniel looks around as if in search of Iris until realizing she isn't here. I walk over to him and pat him on the back.
"This is only temporary Daniel.
She is safe right now. Once this is over she will be right back with you."
He bows his head as if thanking me.
I hand him my glass of wine then walk back over to where Ava and Lena are sitting then grab another. As a vampire I may not be able to get drunk but I still love the taste of it. We all gather around as John fills us in on their trip.
"We found JR's hideaway which is much like the one before, a t
orn up house with barely any furniture and chains everywhere. Thankfully there were no women locked in there this time, although that also means because he has killed them already. I'm praying we don't hear about any more women turning up dead and drained. Before we left the house we saw somebody in the distance. It wasn't JR but maybe it was someone helping him. Either way he will know we were there. We made sure to leave a notice."
Lena looks at John then Andrew.
"What do you mean a notice?"
Andrew smiles.
"We burned it to the ground."
I didn't know whether to be happy about this or be extremely scared.
This just means JR will be headed this way any minute. As far as we know he could be right outside the window right now.
"So what is the plan for when JR gets here
, because you know it's just a matter of time."
I feel Michael's arm snake around me.
I am sure he can tell how nervous I am. Truth be told, I am more worried about him. If Michael can't shift I am worried about if he can take on JR but thankfully there is seven of us. John puts his arm around Avalon as if protecting her.
"When JR shows up we do whatever we can to take his head off.
There are only two ways to kill a vampire. Rip their head off or burn them or both. There are seven of us surely with all of us at least one can get a hold of him."
"He vanishes so quickly though."
John agrees.
"Yes, which is why I am hoping we can distract him while another takes care of him."
I still can't help the worry I feel.
I can't let anything happen to Michael or any of these people that I love.
"Michael tried to shift earlier.
He was able to shift but it didn't stay long. He went right back to being human. We are not sure how long this may last."
Daniel is the one that comes up to me now and places one hand on my shoulder.
"That will come in time. Although when JR is here you may be surprised at how long he can hold it. Adrenaline is a powerful thing."
I pat his hand before he releases my shoulder.
That makes me feel a little better. Of course Adrenaline can make you do just about anything. I'm a doctor, I should know this. I wrap my arms around Michael, holding him as close as possible. He kisses my hair as John stands and walks over to us.
"Jaci, everything will be fine.
Trust me."
"I do John.
Avalon trusts you, so will I."
So now we wait.
We wait for JR to come or not. Right now time is our enemy.
We sit around the townhouse just killing time, anxiety threatening to take me over at any moment.
The guys decided to play poker while they wait and the girls and I sat down to watch a movie. I can feel daylight coming. Maybe JR isn't going to show tonight. I don't know why we thought he would. It's too easy. The girls and I get up after the end of our girlie movie then we walk towards the guys.
"I guess JR isn't coming.
The sun is beginning to rise; JR isn't going to come in the daylight."
Michael stands right as I announce my thoughts then wraps his arm around me again.
"Maybe you are right Jaci. Maybe we should try to relax while we can. He may come later on tonight. But just in case he comes today someone should stay up to keep a watch. We can take turns."
Daniel stands up, downs his brandy, and then places his cup back down.
"I'll take first shift. All of you go get some rest."
John pats Daniel on the shoulder.
"I will be down
to relieve you in two hours."
Daniel nods in agreement as we all begin to walk down the stairs.
We each make our way into our own rooms.
I am so happy to see the bed. I feel exhausted, more mentally drained than anything. A part of me was hoping for JR to show up, the other part of me was worried he might. I walk out of the bathroom to see Michael standing in the middle of the room. This gorgeous beast of a man takes my breath away. He holds his hands out toward me so I walk over to place my hands into his.
"I love you Jaci.
I feel so happy and so incredibly blessed to be able to spend my entire life with you. Before you I was so lost. Just living day by day but now, now I have something to live for. You. You make me feel alive even when I wasn't I knew you were always there. I can't wait to spend eternity with you, my love."
I feel the tears filling my eyes, threatening to over flow.
"I love you too
, Michael."
Those are the only words I can manage before a figure outside of the window catches my eye.
My eyes are filled with tears so I strain to focus harder. I definitely see something outside of our window. Michael looks at me confused then turns to look toward the window. I wipe the tears from my eyes so I can see better. That is when I see him. JR is standing in the window with a huge smile on his face, and then he is gone.
Michael and I scream for everyone to get out of their rooms then we race up the stairs to the living room.
Avalon and John coming running out first.
"What is going on?"
I can barely breathe. If I had a heart it would be beating miles a minute right now.
"We just saw JR right outside our window!
He is here!"
Lena and Andrew come running
up throwing their shirts on in the process. Daniel is already at the window looking to see if he can see any sight of him.
We all stand in the living room in one big circle ready for whatever is about to come, that is until the ceiling above our heads comes crumbling down as JR lands right in the middle of us.
"I do love to make an entrance!"
Everyone goes to grab JR who vanishes right under our hands.
He reappears on the other side of the room.
"Do you think because there are more of you it will make it easier for you to kill me?
Hello Lena and Andrew, nice to see you."
We charge toward JR who again disappears right as we get our hands on him.
I hear him laughing. The sound pierces my ears. I look all around but I don't see him. I can still hear him though. He isn't on the ceiling this time since right now there is no ceiling and the sun is rising which makes it worse.
JR reappears on the dining room table.
"Now tell me where my red headed beauty is?"
This infuriates Daniel who goes right for JR's throat but JR jumps right off
the table and over Daniel. John, Avalon, Lena and Andrew all shift into wolf form and pounce. JR knocks each one out of the way as they come near him. I hear each one yelp then fly across the room. Michael tries to shift but he is having no luck. I run over to JR and somehow I manage to get my hands around him. I hear Daniel scream behind me.
"Hold him Jaci!"
JR's head turns all the way around even though I am holding his body in the same position.
"You think you can hold me in place, dearie? I don't think so. It's going to take much more than you to keep me down." He quickly throws his arms up which makes mine let him go then with one swipe of his hand I am throw back all the way into the kitchen.
Michael is furious.
As I try to stand around the rubble now at my feet I see him close his eyes.
You can do it Michael.
I know you can.
As if hearing my thoughts I see Michael shift into his beautiful gray wolf again.
This time those red eyes look even scarier than before. I hear JR laughing again.
"So the vampire venom took
, huh, Michael? How extraordinary! A shifter vampire, I can hardly believe my eyes, although now you tower over your friends. You all may have a new Alpha male on your hands."
I hear Michael growl.
It is a scary sound that makes my nerves stand on end. Michael pounces toward JR as I run toward them both. Daniel comes charging as well. JR disappears as we three slam into each other and fall onto the table, making it crash to the floor. How are we going to do this?
My wolves get back up and charge.
They are on top of JR within seconds. I think the four of them may have him until I see all four of them flying into the air. Avalon goes falling down the stairs while John and Andrew go flying through the wall and Lena lands near Michael. I scream for Avalon as I watch her fall. The anger inside me is growing every second.
The sun now blaring down through the nonexistent ceiling is wearing on me. I can feel the energy draining from my body. Daniel charges JR but I can tell his energy is waning as well. It takes nothing for JR to grab Daniel by the throat and toss him toward the window making him fly right through. My mind is racing. I can't think of anything to do. JR has us all right where he wants us.
Slowly I see my wolves crawling back into the room, all but Ava.
I see Daniel stumbling his way back up to us while Michael is shaking off the debris and slowly making his way back as well. Even though there are six of us I still feel cornered.
I look at my wolves that are barely able to walk, then to Daniel whose energy is almost completely drained.
I don't know why the sunlight doesn't harm JR but right now I just need to get to him. Michael beats me to the chase and pounces right on JR but he is too quick. He disappears then reappears right as Michael slams into the floor with the help of JR's hand. Now JR has his arms wrap around Michael! He can squeeze the life out of Michael at any moment! My mind is racing.
Within seconds I see Michael hit the floor, the sounds of pain coming from him rip right through me. He lie on the floor then I see him morph back into his human form, luckily he appears to be okay even though he tries to stand but falls right back down onto his knees. As long as he is alive I don’t care.
Right before I decide to race over and rip JR’s head off, he stops. He stands there like a statue with both of his hand out to his sides. It is like he is stunned, his expression completely blank. I look over to see Michael still on his knees but staring at JR.
I look forward to
I see Daniel crawling his way behind JR. He starts a fire with the debris and the gas fireplace! Perfect! Thankfully the fire grows quickly and is now blaring.
Michael doesn’t tear his eyes away from JR but
manages to yell toward me.
“Kill him Jaci!”
I race toward JR whose expression doesn’t change. It is like he is a prisoner in his own body, unable to speak or move, he can just stand there and watch as I come up to him then kick him backwards right into the fire. I see the flames fly up threatening to take over the house. JR is gone.
I look around the room to see Daniel slowly coming to a stand while John, Lena, and Andrew shift back into human form. As the flames grow I race down the stairs to grab Avalon. I find her at the bottom of the wooden stairs already shifted back into human form. A quick examination tells me her leg is broken but other than that she seems to be okay. I pick her up even though my energy is just about gone and carry her to the side bedroom where Michael and I were. We have to get out of here. I grab one of Michael's t shirts and put it over her head. This will have to do for now.
I scream up to the guys.
John, Lena, and Andrew shift into their wolf form and come running. Daniel and Michael follow right behind them. We pile in the car that is surprisingly still standing while the wolves disappear into the woods behind the townhouse and we all take off right as the fire department shows up. The fire has really taken over; hopefully JR is gone for good.
We drive to Andrew's house in Colorado Springs. I can see my wolves running along with the car back behind the safety of the trees. Iris comes running just as soon as she sees all of us. She throws her arms around Daniel as if her life depends on it. She looks a tad shocked to see the wolves come running up toward the house. Thankfully Daniel explained the shifters to her but I’m sure it is still a shock to see them in person.
John, Lena, and Andrew shift into human form again as I pick up Avalon and carry her into the house then lay her on the quickest bed I can find. I look over at John who stands before me completely nude but not wanting to leave Avalon’s side.
"I'm going to have to reset this leg John. You are not going to want to be in here for this. Why don’t you go with Andrew and borrow some of his clothes while I do this. Do me a favor and check on Michael. By the time you get back everything should be fine."
I look
over at Andrew who is also nude but modesty is the last thing anyone is worried about right now.
"You wouldn't happen to have any pain killers would you?"
Andrew smiles.
"How do you think I got to all of you so fast with drugs? I keep a fully stocked medicine cabinet."
Andrew leaves the room to get John as well as Lena and himself some clothes as well as
everything I will need. Lena comes walking back in with Andrew as I prepare to set Avalon's leg.
"Lena, you hold one arm while Andrew holds the other."
The
y both do as I ask then with one swift movement, I slam Avalon's knee cap down and back into place. She screams so loud I am sure the entire house hears her. We set her up with an IV with fluids and plenty of medicine. John is running back into the room, his eyes wide like he expects the worse. As soon as John sees her lying in bed asleep and is sure she is okay, he lays his head next to hers and they both fall asleep.
I walk back into the living room to find Michael, Lena, and Andrew all sitting quietly.
I quickly look Michael over to find that he seems just fine, other than being weak. Soon after I walk in I see Daniel and Iris come in as well. Daniel, Michael, and I are all barely able to walk. Between the fighting and the sun our energy is about gone. Andrew looks at the three of us with concern.
"I have blood stored here as well
, you guys. I know it's not the same as human blood but it is fresh and in the cooler downstairs. There is plenty if you guys need it."
All three of us look to each other then try to stand.
"No. You guys sit there. I will go get it. Lena will help me. Don't move."
Within minutes Lena and Andrew are back with blood bags filling their arms.
They snip the corners off of the bags then hand them to us. We tip them up and let the cool liquid run down our throats. No, it is not the same as human blood but it is blood just the same. Whether warm or cold it does the job. I can already feel myself getting stronger. From the looks of it, Michael and Daniel feel the same. Andrew and Lena hand each of us another bag.
"You know you guys; this would be a nice solution to the problem of having to hunt humans to feed.
If there was a way to get donated blood you could do that instead."
I finish off my bags then throw them away.
"You're right Andrew. It's not the same but it would eliminate the problem of hunting humans. I always hate that anyway."
Iris lights up at this news.
"Is that possible? I would much rather does this than hunt humans. I just don't know if I can do it."
Daniel puts his arm around Iris.
"Sweetheart, you could do it if you had to but yes this would be a nice solution. What do you think Andrew?"
Andrew sits there contemplating
something; I'm not sure what though until I see his face light up.
"We all have the resources guys.
If we can find a way to get donors we could do this. We could start our own kind of blood bank especially for vampires like you guys. It would be completely on the down low, we would have to have a good explanation for it but I think we could pull it off."
I stand up and look at Michael.
"I'm in if you are."
Michael looks at Daniel.
"I'm in if you think we can do this. Andrew is right, we do have the resources."
Daniel looks at Iris.
"We are in as well."
Andrew claps his hands together.
"Fantastic! We will wait for John to wake up and see what he says and start figuring out the details."
The thought of never having to worry about blood again, of never having to hunt down humans, gives me more hope than I've had since my turn.
I look at Michael and see the same gleam of hope in his eyes as well. This may be a new beginning for us all.
*****
Chapter Twenty
It has been months since everything went down with JR. Avalon recovered nicely, John sent the townhouse manager money to cover all of the costs of fixing the townhouse since it was our fault it got burned to the ground, and we have come up with a new plan of receiving blood.
We’ve
still had to hunt humans for the past few months but those times are soon coming to an end. Iris decided to wait until it is all set up before she turns. She would rather wait until she can drink bagged blood instead of hunting humans and drinking from them. I don't really blame her on that one. If I didn't have to I wouldn't want to either. Daniel, of course, supports whatever she wants to do.
Lena and Andrew have welcomed us all into their house in Colorado Springs.
It is beautiful here. Just as beautiful as Aspen but then again, it should be, given how it's only forty miles away. I am happy though we have decided to move our endeavor to another location, somewhere up North maybe. I hated to admit it but I loved the sound of that. Maybe somewhere the sun isn't quite so bright and out all of the time. Luckily everyone seems to like that idea.
Michael and I are happy and driving everyone crazy.
He can now shift back and forth as he pleases. It makes me happy to see him as himself again, happy, healthy, and full of love. I cannot get enough of this man that is for sure.
The days of worrying about JR are behind us.
I hope. Everyone assures me that there is no way JR could have survived that fall into the fire but something keeps eating away at me. I keep having a feeling that he isn't far away, but that is impossible. No one, not even a crazy vampire can survive being burned to death. I try to brush the feeling off as anxiety; I just pray they are all right.