Crimson Desire (2 page)

I clamped my mouth onto Darius’ pale neck and drank greedily. I gulped and gulped it down as if it was the only sustenance keeping me alive, which was true in some odd way. His eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he moaned in pleasure as I drew more and more blood. Like Darius, my bite was mostly pleasurable and orgasmic, so when his eyes fluttered wildly I knew I was doing it right. He then pulled back, and my fangs ripped from his throat.

“That’s enough, my dear. That’s enough.” He panted heavily, and I was intrigued by how quickly his skin regenerated over the two small pricks in his throat.

Darius stood, robe flaring around him like liquid, and made his way to the door to the living room. He bent down and pushed his smooth lips against mine. He smelled like lavender and vanilla, and I deepened the kiss, let our tongues dance together, until I broke away, satisfied and filled with a need for more than just a kiss.

He put a finger to his mouth and smiled faintly. “I am tired and going to go to sleep. I expect the same from you.” I blinked my eyes and when I looked again, he was gone.

Well, I guess I’ll go to sleep then. I had become really tired the last few minutes anyway.

* * * *

I was in a forest, and I was running. Everything was a dull blur as my legs struggled to keep up with my incredible determination.

The determination to live.

My stalker chased me again. His aura seeped off him as if steam from fresh brewed coffee. It wavered and morphed like an amoeba and struck at me repeatedly without mercy. I used my own energy to create a protective, pink shield to surround me, and the enemy’s power bounced away like a pinball.

My breath was short, ragged, and came out in small, white puffs, but I continued to concentrate on my mental strain and physical ordeals, avoiding the malicious aura attempting to grab me and dodging thorns and fallen logs along the way. My senses were melded together, and I was hypersensitive to everything around me. My legs pushed forward, faster and faster until I could no longer distinguish myself from the trees, the ground, and the sky.

I rushed farther, focusing on the speed I needed to outrun him. He was miles behind, but it felt like only inches from where his energy reached. I couldn’t run anymore. I was so exhausted. My legs crumpled beneath me, and I sagged to the ground, heart racing, muscles cramping.

I felt him come near me. My pursuer was barely twenty feet away. He stepped with the arrogance of a professional hunter and stopped beside me, black boot right near my head.

I gasped as I looked upon him; only a shadowy mass, the shape of a human stood over me.

I woke with a forced exhale as if I had drowned and gotten the water from my lungs. I was smothered in cold sweat, and my hands held the blankets in tight fists.

Sang burst through the door. I guess I forgot to lock it. “Lily, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, while gulping in short breaths. “I think I’ll be all right.”

“’Cause I heard you screaming, and it really scared me. You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded my head. “Could you please get me a glass of water?”

“Sure,” he replied and swiftly left with a skip to his step.

Sang’s usual ebony hair which grew past his ears was a complete bed-head mess, and his black and white checkered pajamas were crinkled, the shirt lopsided. He came back into the room and handed me the water.

“Thanks.” I swallowed it.

When I finished, I set the glass on my nightstand next to Mr. G and lay out on my bed. Sang came over and peered at me with his luscious crimson eyes filled with worry and fear. I stretched my arms out and roughly pulled Sang onto the bed beside me.

“Will you sleep with me, please? Just in case I have another nightmare?”

He gave me a hug. “Lily, why would I ever say no? I could never bring myself to deny you anything.”

Strangely enough, I didn’t have any more nightmares that night.

I was late for work. Again. I rushed to get my clothes on, brushed my teeth, and fixed my hair. As I was hopping on one foot to get a sock on, Sang stirred in the bed and groggily opened his eyes.

He yawned. “Going to work so early?”

“Yeah. Today I have an eight hour shift,” I told him.

“Can I come with you?”

I paused for a moment. “You can come visit me tomorrow. I only have a four hour shift, and we can get lunch after.”

“Sounds good to me.” He buried himself in the blankets like a prairie dog and went back to sleep.

I was inwardly happy he’d say something to me like that. No one had ever wanted to come visit me at work before. Dana, my best friend, had said that if she did it, it would tick off the boss and wouldn’t be good for me. Sang’s question made me feel warm and cozy inside. I quietly stepped to the bed and kissed his forehead.

Then, I patted my boot to get it on and off I went. Before I excited the doors, Lawrence, Darius’s butler, asked me if I wanted breakfast, and I said I’d get a coffee and a donut on the way there. Maybe he decided to stay in bed a bit longer today. Who knew?

I bought my favorite glazed donut at Donut Queen and a steaming mocha cappuccino. I had them add ice to it so I could drink it during the drive and ate my donut quickly as I neared the street the store was on.

I had just made it again and ran out of the car and into the store to check in. No one was there except the manager, who scribbled price markdowns on tags, and Anna, who commandeered the cash register. Anna wore a deep purple blouse with bows on the shoulders and a pleated plaid skirt with black lace-up boots. I looked rather plain before her. She winked at me as I passed, and I smiled cordially.

I donned my nametag when I realized I’d forgotten to stick it on my white blouse earlier and smoothed my hair so it was straight and behind my ears to show off my pink pearl earrings. I’d found the earrings in my dresser-drawer at the mansion and had worn them ever since. I suspected Darius had meant for me to find them.

The manager, Mrs. Hardok, or Amy, was a short and stout woman with short grey hair and rectangular glasses. She gave me a smile as I walked up to her to ask what I should do.

“You can stock and then switch places with Anna,” she ordered tiredly.

“No problem.” I went over to the back of the room and began my daily ordeal.

There were only about three customers before lunch, and Amy took over the register as Anna and I ate.

When I was finished, I paced to my boss. “Amy?” I tapped her shoulder. “Where’s Brianna and Sara?”

“Oh, Bree’s still sick with that bacterial infection and Sara is still on her vacation. We need more people like you and Anna. You get the job done quickly and don’t diddle-daddle around like
some
people I know.”

I loved the shop. It had cute clothing and brand names, and it was only one of two in town. I wouldn’t want any other job besides getting one at a magazine or newspaper to go with my college major, but right now, the newspapers were all filled up with jobs, and I waited to pounce on an opportunity.

Anna sat opposite to me and grinned when my eyes met hers. I suddenly shivered slightly, and goose bumps rippled across my skin. Anna crunched into a red delicious apple and the color made me kinda queasy. It reminded me of blood, and for some reason, I really wanted some at that instant.

Keep it cool, Lily. Keep it cool
. I assured myself and ground my teeth to stop thinking about piercing my fangs into Anna’s pretty, white neck. She glanced at me with a puzzled expression.

“Are you all right? You seem really pale.”

I fake laughed. “Oh, I’m fine. I just feel a bit under the weather.”

She leaned over the table and whispered, almost embarrassingly, “Could you show me how to register in coupons?”

I blinked a few times and replied, “Sure.” There was something about her voice that made me dizzy and light-headed. I don’t know. I needed blood that was for sure. And Anna certainly wasn’t helping any. She was so pretty with her porcelain skin and dark obsidian hair. She had high cheekbones and a gorgeously sculpted face.

In front of her, I felt average, no, lower than average. She was a tigress, and I was a housecat. It was as if her beauty could blind me at any second. I felt beneath her. It was like the time I compared myself to Nyx, but this was worse. Anna was far prettier than Nyx. I really shouldn’t compare myself to other people, but this was one of my bad habits. I’d better stop it now or I’d be depressed the whole day.

When I was done with my lunch, I stood up and went to the cash register to show her how to discount coupons. Before coming, she fished inside her pocked and pulled out a slip of paper. “Here’s my number. Could I have yours? Since we’re working buddies?”

I sighed and gave her my number. “Okay, now I’ll show you how to work this right.”

Anna nodded her head. “Okay.”

When I came home that night, Sang waited in the doorway to the kitchen for me. He held a bowl of popcorn and a case of beer with a joyous face. I stopped myself from laughing and went over to him, grabbed a handful of popcorn, and stuffed it in my mouth.

“What’s this for?” I asked.

“I decided that since today is Friday, it’s movie night,” he said. “Movie night? What movie are we watching?”

“Anything that’s on TV.” He walked into the living room and pressed the button on the enormous wide screen.

“I’m gonna go change,” I murmured and went upstairs to switch to my pajamas. I was a swift dresser and got my pink unicorn top and pants on in less than a minute. The TV blared loudly as I stepped into the living room.

It was night and everything was dark except the light flashing from the TV. Sang lounged on the couch with the popcorn in his lap and the remote on the arm of the couch. I tiptoed to him, sat down cross-legged, and snatched the popcorn from him.

“Hey, no fair!” he exclaimed and took the bowl back. I reached up and grabbed fistfuls of popcorn while Sang drank beer and intently watched the screen.

I really wanted a beer, but I didn’t want what happened last time to happen again. When I drank a glass of wine about two months ago, I became paralyzed for hours, unable to speak or move at all. So, I went with no alcohol this time and got myself a drink of cold water instead.

Sang combed his hands through my hair and started to massage my neck. It felt good, so good, because my muscles were tense and knotted. Sang’s hands moved in heavenly circles upon my skin, relaxing me so much I almost fell asleep.

“Thanks,” I told him.

“No problem. I could tell you were tense.”

We watched a movie about a woman who was abused as a child and being with horses helped her move forward with her life and all that good stuff. I found it rather boring that there weren’t any horror movies on, but Sang didn’t mind, and I wanted this time to be with him.

“You’re off night-shift today?” I asked. Sang worked as a waiter at a restaurant and always volunteered to take the place of absentees. He was usually on duty for the third shift.

“I got the day off, including night,” he answered with a sly smile.

His hands played in my hair, and I rose in front of the TV and hugged him tightly. The hunger from earlier came back as a raging storm, and I was the catalyst. I set the popcorn on the coffee table and moved the remote aside as I crawled on top of him, my fangs protruded.

“Sang,” I breathed, “Give me your neck.”

He was so engrossed in the movie he didn’t even realize I was on top of him. The thirst crashed against me, a tidal wave of need and want thrashed about like a feral beast, and without hesitation, I plunged into his throat and began to drink his coppery, metallic blood.

Sang jerked when my fangs entered his flesh, but a moment later he succumbed to the effects of my bite and relaxed so much his whole body became completely limp. He tried to move his mouth but instead a low moan came out as I drew more and more of his life-liquid.

When I was satisfied, I pulled out and licked the blood from my lips as Sang sank into the couch in a state of bliss. I got off him and kissed his cheek as he laid there, eyes closed in ecstasy.

“Lily,” he uttered, “I’m gonna go to sleep right here.”

“Okay.” I stole a blanket from my room and laid it over him.

“Remember,” his voice was mischievous, “I’ll be visiting you at work tomorrow.”

“I know,” I replied and ascended the stairs to go to bed.

When I got up in the morning, I was early, so I decided to eat breakfast. Lawrence prepared me French toast, because Sang was still asleep, and Darius wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Where’s Darius?” I asked the butler as he made me some vanilla cappuccino.

“Master is in bed resting. It is the first day of the sickness.”

“Oh,” I muttered meekly.

“I’ll go see him before I go,” I announced to Lawrence who actually made an amused expression in agreement.

I didn’t knock on his door, I just went inside his room, and all the curtains were pulled so the room was swathed in darkness. Darius lay in the bed, his chocolate hair fanning around the pillows beautifully; his slim but muscled body tucked neatly under the covers.

“I’m off to work,” I told him.

“Be careful, my dear,” he said with a small smirk.

“I will.” I kissed him gingerly on the forehead and left.

The shop was crowded more than most days and everyone bustled about to get things done in a hurry. Anna clung to me as if a bee to a flower, always asking me how to do something or what to do and what-not.

I was dressed in a black T-shirt with jeans and sneakers while she wore a green ruffled mini-dress and high-heels. We both had make-up on, but hers was way more pronounced, and I felt ashamed to be seen near her in front of all those people. Hungry eyes drilled into me like a pack of veracious wolves driven by the need to immerse themselves in the gossip of strangers.

“Where do you live, Lily?” she asked as we hung clothes on the discounted racks.

“In an apartment on Sixth Avenue.” I blatantly lied.

“I live on Etching Street. I just moved here a couple weeks ago.”