I was certain of it. With a small sense of
shock, I realized I was frightened. I immediately reached to place
my hands on Breandan’s shoulders and held on tightly, my past
resolve to not touch him forgotten.
With a soft sigh of relief, he pulled
me onto his lap and held me close. “Let your body rest,” he
murmured.
“ I don’t want to. The last
time I slept I dreamed of,” I paused briefly, “I dreamed of Tomas
then when I woke he was there.” I was not afraid of my vampire, but
of what happened to me whenever he was near. He confused me, spun
me about, and it was easier if he was elsewhere.
“ That will not happen
again. I have you, rest.”
Pressing a kiss to my temple Breandan
gathered me closer in his arms, happy to openly show his affection
now we were alone. I noticed that he did not like to be all over me
in the company of others. I wondered if that was a fairy thing or a
Breandan thing.
Resting my head of his warm, bare
shoulder my eyes fluttered closed. I listened to his steady
breathing, felt the solid pounding of his heart under my palm.
Weariness wrapped round my limbs and tugged. The tentacles of sleep
slithered into my mind and a wave of fatigued pulled me under,
tumbling, tumbling into the inky depths of darkness.
Then I raced through the
forest. I did not the wind on my face or the earth beneath my feet.
That was the trouble with being dead; you could not feel anything
anymore. How had she managed to warm my heart when it had been cold
for over a century?
My stomach clenched
painfully. I was hungry, starving. My throat burned and my mouth
was dry as ash. Without thinking, I honed in on a heartbeat,
strong, pumping thick hot blood through veins.
I breathed in deeply and
scented the trail.
Then I saw her, picking
some berries. I laughed darkly to myself. One so young and pretty
should not be left to gather food by herself.
I quickly and quietly tread
closer, so careful. She was not human and would be able to hear or
smell me if I made too sudden a movement.
Closer still, I
moved.
Her heartbeat sounded like
thunder.
She smelled delicious and
my mouth watered. My stomach cramped, squeezing tighter. The hunger
was so acute I thought it would drive me mad.
My fangs ran out and I
licked the sharp points. I hummed with anticipation of burying my
teeth into her neck and ripping away the flesh. Drinking, slurping,
and licking until the burning ache was satisfied. My hands
shook.
I needed to
feed.
Hand poised to pick another
berry she paused, stiffened.
I stood still and silent.
She would not hear me, I did not breathe, nor did I sweat. I
carried no scent apart from an earthy-mineral fragrance she would
attribute to a plant in the forest.
She sniffed deeply then
shrugged, and went back to her gathering.
Slinking forward, I made no
sound. I clasped a hand over her mouth to cover her scream and spun
her round. I held her terrified gaze with my own. She stilled. I
felt her relax under my grip and I let her go. “You are safe,” I
thought into her head. Her body trembled and her mind shifted,
fought to break from my hold. I controlled it and pushed away her
free will. “You are safe,” I thought again and pulled her closer. I
did not waste time in lulling her into a deeper calm. Fairies were
strong and compulsion never held their minds for long.
She went willingly into my
arms and sighed as I bit into her.
The blood was wet, thick
and tasted rich with earthy undertones. I drank it greedily,
already feeling warmth spread through my entire body. I fed from
her and gently moved down with her as her body went limp. Her
heartbeat stared to fail. I held on, wanting to savor every
drop.
She was pure-blooded
fairy.
Delicious.
Lost in the peace of the
moment, I felt something, someone. A familiar presence I would know
for the rest of my days. Rae? Was she here, with me? No. I pushed
the feeling away. She had left me, gone with the fairy male. I did
not want her, and I did not care if I would die.
shock, I realized I was frightened. I immediately reached to place
my hands on Breandan’s shoulders and held on tightly, my past
resolve to not touch him forgotten.
With a soft sigh of relief, he pulled
me onto his lap and held me close. “Let your body rest,” he
murmured.
“ I don’t want to. The last
time I slept I dreamed of,” I paused briefly, “I dreamed of Tomas
then when I woke he was there.” I was not afraid of my vampire, but
of what happened to me whenever he was near. He confused me, spun
me about, and it was easier if he was elsewhere.
“ That will not happen
again. I have you, rest.”
Pressing a kiss to my temple Breandan
gathered me closer in his arms, happy to openly show his affection
now we were alone. I noticed that he did not like to be all over me
in the company of others. I wondered if that was a fairy thing or a
Breandan thing.
Resting my head of his warm, bare
shoulder my eyes fluttered closed. I listened to his steady
breathing, felt the solid pounding of his heart under my palm.
Weariness wrapped round my limbs and tugged. The tentacles of sleep
slithered into my mind and a wave of fatigued pulled me under,
tumbling, tumbling into the inky depths of darkness.
Then I raced through the
forest. I did not the wind on my face or the earth beneath my feet.
That was the trouble with being dead; you could not feel anything
anymore. How had she managed to warm my heart when it had been cold
for over a century?
My stomach clenched
painfully. I was hungry, starving. My throat burned and my mouth
was dry as ash. Without thinking, I honed in on a heartbeat,
strong, pumping thick hot blood through veins.
I breathed in deeply and
scented the trail.
Then I saw her, picking
some berries. I laughed darkly to myself. One so young and pretty
should not be left to gather food by herself.
I quickly and quietly tread
closer, so careful. She was not human and would be able to hear or
smell me if I made too sudden a movement.
Closer still, I
moved.
Her heartbeat sounded like
thunder.
She smelled delicious and
my mouth watered. My stomach cramped, squeezing tighter. The hunger
was so acute I thought it would drive me mad.
My fangs ran out and I
licked the sharp points. I hummed with anticipation of burying my
teeth into her neck and ripping away the flesh. Drinking, slurping,
and licking until the burning ache was satisfied. My hands
shook.
I needed to
feed.
Hand poised to pick another
berry she paused, stiffened.
I stood still and silent.
She would not hear me, I did not breathe, nor did I sweat. I
carried no scent apart from an earthy-mineral fragrance she would
attribute to a plant in the forest.
She sniffed deeply then
shrugged, and went back to her gathering.
Slinking forward, I made no
sound. I clasped a hand over her mouth to cover her scream and spun
her round. I held her terrified gaze with my own. She stilled. I
felt her relax under my grip and I let her go. “You are safe,” I
thought into her head. Her body trembled and her mind shifted,
fought to break from my hold. I controlled it and pushed away her
free will. “You are safe,” I thought again and pulled her closer. I
did not waste time in lulling her into a deeper calm. Fairies were
strong and compulsion never held their minds for long.
She went willingly into my
arms and sighed as I bit into her.
The blood was wet, thick
and tasted rich with earthy undertones. I drank it greedily,
already feeling warmth spread through my entire body. I fed from
her and gently moved down with her as her body went limp. Her
heartbeat stared to fail. I held on, wanting to savor every
drop.
She was pure-blooded
fairy.
Delicious.
Lost in the peace of the
moment, I felt something, someone. A familiar presence I would know
for the rest of my days. Rae? Was she here, with me? No. I pushed
the feeling away. She had left me, gone with the fairy male. I did
not want her, and I did not care if I would die.
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