The Dark Gifts Birthright (4 page)

His expression held both fear and concern.
“Look, Hun. It looks to me like you’re in a bit of trouble. Now I’m
not going to hurt you. I know just exactly what you need, if you’ll
just take yourself across the room over there,” he pointed, “I’ll
fix you right up.”

Liz followed his finger to the bed on the far
side of the room and lost the battle to keep the darkness in check.
Her voice grew soft and enticing. “I can do that. Why don’t you
come over here first?”

His eyes widened before darting between her
and the door. “Oh no, girly. You’ve got this all wrong. If I’m
going to help you, you need to get out of my way.”

As if outside her body, she listened to a
voice that sounded nothing like her own enticing the man. Part of
her cringed at the words she said and the implied intentions. She
tried to rein it in and make it stop, but his smell—he smelled
so—edible.

“
Elizabeth, stop!”
Blasted into her
skull. So loud, the speaker should have been in the same room.

Another growl rumbled through her chest as
she took a step forward and to the side.

The man’s hands went up in front of him. “Now
just calm down.” Still eyeing the door, he made a running break for
it.

She slammed it shut before he could make it
out. Cat-like she pounced. She saw nothing other than the red haze
covering her vision. Hot, slightly bitter fluid poured down her
gullet squelching the burn. Dizzy with the nearly orgasmic feel of
it, her jaw tightened and she felt her teeth sink deeper into his
flesh. His shrieks could not block out the slurping-sucking sounds
as she drank. Inwardly screaming at herself to stop, she had no
control. Nothing would stop the darkness from draining every last
drop of the delicious nectar.

Within seconds his cries of terror changed to
barely audible pleas for mercy. “Don’t. You don’t have to.
Please.”

The door behind them splintered from the
hinges and slammed into them. Flying backward, Liz lost her hold on
the man and scrambled to her feet. The raven haired man from the
night before stood between her and the prey. “Get out of my way,”
she hissed.

“Calm down. Had I known you’d wake so early,
I’d have been here sooner.”

Momentarily glancing at his face, she
returned her gaze to the victim standing behind him holding his
throat. “Get out of my way.”

“It’s not happening, Liz. Give up before you
get hurt,” Michael answered.

Her eyes darted back and forth between the
two. The older man groaned. Blood seeped through his fingers and
ran down his arm.

Her tongue slipped from her mouth, running
over her supple burgundy lips. Unable to wrest her gaze from the
ruby fluid dripping from the man’s elbow, another growl rumbled
softly through her chest. Pure animal instinct kicked into
overdrive and she crouched and sprung through the air. With
lightening speed, he stepped out of the way. She landed behind him
and spun. Aiming for his nose, she threw her right fist. Before it
could reach the desired destination, his hand clutched hers with an
iron grip. Holding tight, he pulled, twisted, and was behind her
with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Had enough?" he whispered in her ear.

The coldness of his breath sent a pleasant
shiver down her spine. She shook her head and struggled against
him.

With little effort, he lifted her body and
briskly walked outside.

Out in the open air, the haze lifted and the
knowledge of what she’d done overwhelmed her. Even the blood high
was not enough to assuage her guilt. Grief and disgust burrowed
through her. Her body went limp. It was then that she realized he
still held her tightly against him. His rock hard body sent a shock
through her own. Trembling, she whispered, “I’m all right now. Put
me down.”

His grip loosened allowing her feet to touch
the ground, but his arms remained closed around her. “You need to
stay right here for just a little longer. When Amos leaves I’ll let
you go.”

As if on cue, the older man appeared in the
cabin doorway. “You got this, boss?”

“We’re good. You?”

Still covering his neck, Amos answered, “I’ll
live. Thanks to you. I think I’d better be moseying--if you know
what I mean.”

“Quickly.” Michael agreed.

Amos nodded and began walking around the side
of the cabin.

“Hey, Amos?”

He stopped and glanced back. “Yep?”

“I’m sorry I was late. I didn’t expect--”

“It’s okay, Michael. Hazards of the job.”

A few seconds later, the hum of a car’s
engine roaring to life filled the air. Michael waited as the sound
faded into the distance before releasing his hold on Liz.

She stumbled forward, grabbing a large tree
trunk for stability. “You’re--I’m--I almost--”

“Yes.”

Her stomach clenched, closing her throat.

“Don’t. Fight it. If you do you’ll have
to--”

Bent over, still holding onto the tree, her
mind won the battle with her body and the contents of her stomach
emptied.

“--hunt again,” Michael finished.

A tearless sob escaped her chest as the cell
came back into focus. She pulled in her legs and rolled to the side
holding her throbbing head. “Please stop,” she begged.
“Please.”

But they didn’t listen. They wouldn’t.

“
Not much more,”
the woman’s voice
whispered in her mind.
“Open your mind to us. It isn’t painful
when you’re willing.”
The room went black and she was back in
the cabin.

Seeing him caused a dull ache in her chest.
Confusion clouded her thinking as some nefarious force tugged
inside her.

He towered over her. His sheer size made her
feel small and vulnerable. As he moved, the muscles on his chest
and arms rippled through the baby blue polo he wore. His hair
cascaded down his head in a whirlpool of dark, shiny curls. It was
a little longer than she preferred, but then again, she’d never
been attracted to men with dark hair. Sparkling green eyes,
reminiscent of that first green of spring when leaves are fresh and
bright in the morning sun, peered from a nest of long thick lashes.
He blinked. His crimson lips drew back slightly to show perfectly
formed teeth and her heart began beating erratically. Even knowing
what he was did not alter his beauty.

Apparently, he found the situation comical.
She didn’t happen to agree. Angry with herself for feeling such a
strong attraction to this creature, and even more upset with him,
her fists tightened.

“You don’t have to worry about me now,” he
answered with a grin.

“I should kill you.”

He smiled. “Such hostility. And a serious
waste of time. That little stake you carved wouldn’t have done you
any good.” His lips drew to the side as he made a tisking
sound.

She took a step back. “Oh yeah? Well, how
would someone, theoretically, kill someone like you?”

He cocked one eyebrow while his lips curled
into a smirk. “You really aren't in any danger now. I had to hunt
you last night. Our laws don’t allow us to make new ones without
permission. They also do not allow us to kill each other without
provocation. Had I found you before the change was complete, I was
duty bound to dispatch you.”

“Dispatch me? That sounds like a lame way to
say rip out my throat. Oh, no, wait--I forgot you did that
already.” Uneasiness returned as she felt him gaining access to her
thoughts. Feeling the tension build inside her, she forced him out.
“If your laws don’t allow you to make new ones, why am I here?”

Still grinning, he nodded, and gave a slight
bow acknowledging defeat. “Honestly, I didn’t expect you to turn
like that. It’s never happened before.” As if meeting her for the
first time, he offered his hand. “Just in case you don’t remember,
I’m Michael.”

Son of Satan would be more appropriate.

Ignoring the thought in her mind, he sighed
and shook his head. “There’ll be trouble over this. You have no
idea how lucky you are I stopped you from killing poor old Amos.
Regardless, we must go before the Council of elders tonight.”

“
You’re
going to get in trouble? Have
you happened to notice that you killed me last night?” Liz nearly
hissed as she spoke. The darkness bloomed inside her, and like a
rising mist it attached to her anger. Seeping throughout her, it
began to take control.

“How exactly do you propose I explain this
one to my parents? …Oh gee mom, I kinda had a crush on this vampire
last night. And the jackass bit me so I can’t come home for
like…ever! Yeah that’s going to go over real well.”

“Look I’m not exactly thrilled with this
situation either. You were supposed to be lunch and I generally
don’t play with my food.” Stepping forward, his smile dissipated as
he loomed over her. “You’re stuck with me. Get used to it.” With a
shake of his head and another annoying chuckle, he turned and
walked away.

His brusqueness rushed through her, giving
birth to that primal instinct. She hurdled towards him. He met her
mid air, wrapped his arms around her, and landed lightly on his
feet. Liz growled and snapped, trying to sink her fangs into his
neck. His grasp eased just enough for him to spin her around.

“This is becoming redundant,” he whispered in
her ear.

Once again, his breath caused vibrations
within her. Her anger refused to allow the reaction to gain
strength. "You killed me, you monster! Y-You took everything away
from me.”

“I did, but you didn’t stay dead. So, no
harm, no foul. Right?”

She didn’t answer. The muscles in her face
pulled tight. His humor washed over her in an overbearing wave. Her
life, all of it, was gone. She had already suspected there was no
way to better the situation, but now she understood that she
couldn’t even kill the man who had done this to her. Worse than
that, she didn’t even know if she wanted to. To journey to a
Council of Vampires seemed too much, like far more than anyone
should have to bear in one day’s passing. Bit by bit, her body
relaxed against his as a deep sadness replaced the anger.

Michael sighed and loosened his grip.
Grabbing hold of her hand, he led her into the cabin.

She tried to yank free as she stumbled behind
him. “Let go of me.”

“Come in, we have a lot to talk about.” He
looked over his shoulder. “Hopefully you didn’t expel all of Amos’s
unwilling donation. Otherwise, you should be fine until tomorrow
night.” He turned around and continued walking, pulling her behind
him.

“I said let me go.” Liz said through clenched
teeth as she yanked hard and pulled him off balance.

Michael faced her. His eyes glowed. “Do you
really want to do this again? It didn't go so well for you last two
times.”

Liz squared her shoulders, pushing her chin
up in defiance.

“I could just carry you.”

She didn't want to be that close to his body
again. Did she? Relenting, she followed.

Once inside, she sat at the table and let her
eyes wander around the small cabin. Nothing about the place
screamed
vampire
. He pulled open a cupboard door and placed
two wine goblets on the counter. Opening the fridge, he pulled out
the large carafe.

“Everything in there is rancid you know,” she
said.

“It’s not rancid, Liz. It’s people food and
you’re not human anymore. If you had done a little more digging,
you would have found the carafe of blood I keep in here and
wouldn’t have needed to slaughter all those poor innocent deer or
attack my sentinel.”

“You’re kidding me, right? You killed me last
night. Drank my blood, and now you‘re preaching to me?” Crossing
her arms over her chest, she sulked in her seat muttering, “You’re
insane. Totally, undeniably, insane!”

“There is a difference.”

“Explain this so-called difference, would
you? I don’t remember giving you consent to rip out my throat.”

“Technically, it was a bite not a rip. And I
wouldn’t have taken much if you hadn’t fought so hard. Even then,
you shouldn’t have turned. I planned on leaving you on a bench at
the boardwalk where your friends could find you. But you changed
and ran.”

“I felt your anger and hate. It was brutal.
If you’d found me last night, you would have ripped me to shreds.”
She couldn’t believe the nerve of this guy. And why was she just
sitting here having a conversation with the lunatic, like being
turned into a vampire was nothing at all?

Michael’s broad shoulders slumped as he
sighed. Liz watched as his perfectly manicured hand slid down the
wine goblet’s stem. Something about the way it moved over the glass
made her insides tingle. Her tongue darted out of her mouth, moving
over her lips. Frustration melted, leaving her with an odd feeling
of desire. She wasn’t certain whether she wanted the man or the
blood.

Michael circled the rim of the glass with his
finger, noticed the change in her demeanor, and continued, “I was
angry and didn’t understand what was going on. Can’t say that I
understand it now either. At first, I thought I’d taken too much
blood, but that’s not even possible. I knew I had to find you. I
was in the thirst, and you know now how the thirst overwhelms you.
It is easier to surrender to it.” His mouth drew up in a cute
little smirk as he continued, “Did you really want to hurt
Amos?”

“Of course not. I’d never--” What was wrong
with her? Her body bristled with desire to be closer to him, but
every time she tried to speak she sounded more like a petulant
child than a twenty-four-year-old woman.

Liz felt addle brained. Everything he was
repulsed her. But at the same time, she liked him. The sound of his
voice. His scent. His looks. It was maddening. Ridiculous. She was
angry, happy, exhilarated, and scared all at the same time. Nothing
made sense anymore.
Why can't I stay mad at him?