Her heart was racing a mile a minute and her palms were soaked with sweat. She stole a glance at him, noting he had on a white linen dress shirt and pants but no jacket. His clothes looked as if he’d slept in them and his hair was all askew. She felt the blood rush to her face and knew she was blushing profusely.
“Are you here for a pity fuck now that you know?” She said cruelly, staring defiantly at him.
They stood a foot apart and she saw something flicker in his eyes. Had she hurt him with such a thoughtless remark?
“No Jennifer. I don’t want to fuck you,” he whispered. His eyes never left her face.
She squirmed under his intense scrutiny. “Yeah, I got that message when you stopped texting me and wouldn’t take my calls.”
He strode toward her, closing the distance between them and took her face in his hands. She felt a bolt of electricity shoot through her at his touch. He looked down at her with those icy blue eyes. Immediately, they held her captive just as they always had.
“I want to make love to you. Because . . . I love you,” he said softly.
She searched his face, her own heart and soul and saw he spoke the truth.
“Oh God . . . Dorian!” She threw her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. Her entire body quivered, feeling his hard lean body against hers.
She exhaled as if she’d been holding her breath until she was in his arms again. The flood gates opened and she sobbed her heart out, grabbing the tops of his shirt sleeves, holding onto them for dear life.
She felt his arms move slowly around her, pulling her to him. “My sweet girl,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head. “Shhh. It’s alright. I’m here to take care of you. Nothing and no-one will hurt you ever again. Including me.”
She couldn’t stop crying
and trembling and she never wanted to let go of him ever again.
“You’re shaking,” he said gently, scooping her up in his arms.
He laid her down on the couch, slid under her and gently put her head in his lap; stroked her hair, her face, her arms.
“Why Dorian? Why did you leave me? I love you so much! You must’ve known that.”
“I did it to protect you. I never stopped loving you or wanting you or needing you. Not for one single minute. It was Ian who made me see what had to be done. That’s how blinded I was by your love. I . . . fought for you and I always will. I know you love me and I’m sorry for every single second you suffered because of me. We’re safe now and we belong together, we always have.”
She began to shiver and cry. “I’m so
. . .
scared
and
tired
Dorian. I’m going to die.”
***
Dorian measured his words very carefully before he spoke again. “What if there was a way you didn’t have to die? If I could give you a new life? My life.”
“I don’t understand.” She sat up, looking puzzled.
He sighed. “I have to tell you some things about myself; things I couldn’t tell you before. You know I have a secret and it’s a huge one. Once I tell you, you may not want to be with me at all. I hope not because I can’t imagine not being with you.”
“What could be that bad that you can’t tell me? Just say it Dorian. I’m listening.”
“It’s not so much what I’ve done as what I am.”
“What are you saying?” She whispered.
He looked at her beautiful face. She was so innocent. She’d never hurt anything or anybody and yet she’d been given a death sentence.
He struggled to get the words out, braced himself for the look of horror which he’d surely see reflected in her stunning green eyes.
“I’m not human Jennifer. I haven’t been human since I was twenty-four years old. I’m . . . almost a century old . . . I’m . . . a vampire.” His voice cracked with emotion. This was the moment of truth. There was no turning back now. He searched her face for a reaction.
She didn’t look at him with disgust or fear. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hung open. She looked shocked and yet, he could see that she was fighting to process this information. Finally, she shook her head, covered her face with her hands and moaned. “It’s not possible.”
He carefully remover her hands from her face and led her to the large mirrored wall behind the fireplace.
“Look into the mirror and you’ll see that I’m telling the truth.”
“No,” she whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You’re . . . not there, and yet I’m holding your hand.” She looked back at him. He was totally incarnate and looked back to the mirror where only her image appeared. “But, the DVD. I
saw
you in it. How can that be?”
“I designed the camera myself. I’m a software wiz, remember?” He smiled weakly.
He waited, unable to breath.
If I lose her now what on earth will I do?
He needed her more than life itself. He couldn’t walk away from her again.
He heard a strangled sound come from deep in her throat. She looked at him and he saw his own torment reflected in her eyes.
“That explains a lot.” She wept as she spoke. “The way you hardly ever eat and having no mirrors and being gone during the day, the way you always seemed so much older than 24 and not using any protection when we . . . .”
“I’ll never lie to you again. I promise Jennifer.” He told her about his father and the dark island. About that girl he’d almost killed. He told her all of it.
She said nothing for a minute. He heard her inhale deeply. “Show me your vampire self.” She stood directly in front of him, staring into his face and watched him transform.
He stood completely still, not even daring to breath and allowed her to examine him.
“My God!” she whispered.
She touched his face, her hand shaking as she ran her fingers around his eyes.
He knew she saw the reddish gold color which encircled them.
Her fingers ran down his smooth cheeks, came to his mouth. She traced his teeth with her index finger, lingering on each of his eye teeth. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.
Was she mortified? Afraid? He couldn’t tell.
“What do you see when you look at me now. Do you think I’m a monster?” Dorian heard the desperation in his voice.
“No, I don’t think you’re a monster, Dorian.” Her voice broke. Tears ran silently down her face. “I see . . . the man I fell in love with.”
Slowly, he closed his eyes and breathed a deep sigh of relief. He felt an unfamiliar heat in his eyes; tears. He hadn’t shed them in eons. They felt good and cleansing. When he opened them again, he’d transformed back into his human image.
“God forgive me,” her voice sounded hoarse and raw, the tears ran freely down her face. “I don’t care what you’ve done or what you are. I love you.” She rushed into his arms. He cradled her gently in them, felt her tears, hot and wet against his neck. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the sweet scent of her hair.
“Jennifer, my sweet girl. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved and will ever love. Please, let me give you forever. Accept this gift from me. I beg you. If you die, I die with you.”
“Tell me what it’s like to be . . . a vampire.” Her voice shook, but she’d stopped crying.
“You’ll never have to kill anyone or anything. I know you couldn’t do it. We feed on blood from blood banks. The older you get, the less you’ll need. I drink only two glasses a night. I’ll be there to teach you everything you need to know, I promise.”
“I’m afraid, Dorian. Does it hurt? I mean, when you bite me will it hurt?”
He grew silent.
“Dorian?”
“It doesn’t work that way. You have to take the blood directly from the source. It is you who has to bite me.”
“What? I can’t do that Dorian! I have trouble killing bugs for Christ sakes, let alone biting someone I love and drinking their blood.”
She moved away from him, walking back and forth. He saw the anguish on her face. He understood it completely. He’d felt the same way about it when Malachi laid his throat bare for him to feed on.
He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
“What are you doing?” she protested.
“You will do this. I’ll help you. I’m going to make love to you like there’s no tomorrow. During our love-making you will take my blood.
Tell me you want me to make wild, sweet love to you.
Say
it, Jennifer.”
She gazed up at him as he laid her on the bed. “I want you to make love to me. Take me Dorian. I’m yours!” she said with conviction.
He knew she’d made her choice.
Slowly, he removed her clothes and kissed every inch of her body. He heard her sigh when he brought his mouth to hers. He kissed her with furor, skillfully removing his own clothes, never breaking away from her mouth. He took her legs and spread them, bent her knees up. The bottoms of her feet lay flat on the bed.
With great tenderness, he laid his body on top of hers. His manhood was hard between her legs.
In one hand he held a tiny pocket knife. He moved only the head of his manhood in and out of her in a tantalizing, teasing glide.
She closed her eyes and sighed. He wanted to give her all of him, including his blood.
“Are you ready?” he murmured, his lips grazing hers.
Her eyes flew open. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You can’t hurt me and you won’t have to puncture my skin.” He held the small knife up.
“What are you going to do with that?” She looked at the knife in mortal terror.
He felt her entire body stiffen.
“I’ll make the incision in my neck and bring you to it. You shall drink deeply from me.”
“I can’t!”
“You
can
. You
must!
Don’t even think about it. Keep your eyes closed and concentrate only on our lovemaking; on me moving inside you, touching you, loving you. Surrender to me, Jennifer. Trust me without any reservations. I’ll take care of you. Do you trust me?”
“I trust you.” Her words were solemn and calm, although her body shivered with fear. “Do it.”
He nodded and taking the tip of the knife, made two small puncture wounds in his jugular. Blood seeped from them immediately.
Putting his hand on the back of her head, he guided her lovingly to the wound. He felt her mouth on it. At that very instant, he thrust his manhood deep inside her, filling her completely. She titled her pelvis up, taking him in. Her mouth began to move on his neck.
“Dorian?” she breathed against his neck, “Please. Hold my hand. I’m scared!”
He took her hand, feeling her fingers intertwine with his
. They held on tightly to one another. Still, his other hand was at the back of her head keeping her locked to the wound on his neck. With hands clasped and her mouth on his throat, he made love to her ferociously.
Finally, she latched onto his neck. Her mouth sucked at the wound, taking the life-giving blood in as she moved her hips in rhythm with his.
“Stay with me Jennifer. Make love to me with everything you have. Give me all of you. Take all of me.”
She writhed furiously underneath him, taking him in again and again. He felt a hard pull on his neck. The blood tapered off. He released his hand from behind her head and laid her on the pillows. He kissed her
deeply, with a deliciously intense passion and she responded kind.
He felt her hands in his hair, heard her breathing grow harder.
“Harder, Dorian! Faster!”
He knew she was already gaining strength and
he slammed into her, not having to hold anything back, not wanting to. He thrust in and out of her wet heat. She pushed back each time, her soft fleece as close to his as possible. He felt as if they were melting together, joining as one.
He watched her face, now more beautiful than ever before, the blood causing her face to flush. She was going to come. She had her eyes closed, her mouth open.
Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and looked directly into his. “Dorian, I love you so much!”
He watched her passion explode.
He slowed down his thrusts and climaxed with a fiercely delicious intensity. “I love you, Jennifer. My sweet, sweet girl,” he whispered in her ear.
In the aftermath of their lovemaking he asked. “How do you feel, love?”
“I feel funny.”
He took something from the nightstand. “Here, take these.” In the palm of his hand lay two large red pills. He held a glass of water in the other.
“What are they?”
“Beeps. That’s what I call them. They’re blood purifiers. They’ll remove all the food and human residue from your body. They didn’t have these when I came into this life. You won’t suffer the pain of changing.”
“So they’re like a form of aftercare for vampires.” She smiled.
“Hmm. Never looked at it that way, but then again, I’ve not done this before either. I take them after I eat. Yes, Jennifer, you can still enjoy your sweet foods as long as you take these afterward.”