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Authors: Nicola Claire
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was too. Because I managed to make him retract his fangs and release his grip on me to the point where I slid off his lap and landed on the floor.
“Damn it!” he exclaimed as he knelt down beside me and reached for my neck. I scurried back from him as fast as I could until my back rested against the wall.
“Lucinda. You're still bleeding, let me stop it for you. I'm sorry, I scared you, I got carried away, but I have to stop that bleeding. Now.”
I reached my own hand up jerkily to my neck and pulled it away when I felt warm liquid run down my fingers. I stared at the red blood as it tracked its way down my hand, over my wrist and under the sleeve of my jacket. So red, so much of it. I felt a little dizzy at the sight of it and it had nothing to do with the fact it was mine. I knew I hated blood, all blood, but I couldn't remember why. I had a sudden flashback to a man lying covered in blood at my feet, then it was gone. The abruptness of the memory shocked me, but in its wake all I felt was a deep seated fear and sudden sense of pure loss.
I looked up at Jonathan and he paled at the look on my face. “Let me make this right.” He spoke softly and slowly, so as not to frighten me. I just nodded, still dazed and stunned and hollow.
He crawled toward me and carefully reached out to hold the back of my neck. “I will need to bring my face in against you. I have retracted my fangs.” He smiled to show me they were gone. “I promise you, no harm will come to you. I will merely seal the puncture wounds. OK?”
I nodded again, unable to voice any concerns, unable to see anything other than blood.
He leaned his head in slowly, but the actual licking over the wounds was fast. He moved right away and sat across from me, just watching my face.
From moments before to now, seemed like an eternity. I had felt like I had come so far and that things were getting better. I still didn't have my memories, but I was beginning to feel a sense of calm at where I was and who I was with. Now, it all felt like a storm tossed sea and I was once again so lost.
Jonathan was very quiet on the trip back to the property and for the next few days. He began to return to more of his normal self some time later, but we never had another trip away and he never tried to kiss me, let alone bite me, again. A line had been crossed and we both knew it. For me, it had been a revelation, it had woken me up from a dream. I was no longer accepting of my surroundings, I was questioning absolutely everything all over again. I could only presume Jonathan didn't want to rush me, as he returned to his attentive, caring, but distant self.
I was happy with that, but having had a taste of freedom I craved for more.
However, my mind might have wanted another road trip, but my body could not have agreed. Three weeks after I arrived I was fading. Not only had a depressive cloud stolen any light I may have had, I was tired only hours after waking and my appetite was getting less and less.
On the fourth week, almost one month after the start of my new life, things changed. By this stage I had stopped eating almost completely. Jonathan tried liquid foods, bland foods, cold, raw, fresh, organic, anything he could think of to make me eat, but I just couldn't keep much down. And with the lack of food came an even greater sense of exhaustion, although the exhaustion had started well before the inability to eat began. I was so frail, so weak and had lost so much weight that even my renewed plans of escape seemed like climbing Mount Everest.
Finally, Jonathan called a doctor in to assess me. He was a vampire - I knew this as soon as he entered the room - and he was short. Really short, like shorter than me and that's saying something. I'm only 5'4” tall, so this guy was practically a midget.
He had done his doctorly thing and they were standing out on the landing. I had fallen asleep by the end of the exam, so maybe Jonathan thought I was still out cold and that's
“Damn it!” he exclaimed as he knelt down beside me and reached for my neck. I scurried back from him as fast as I could until my back rested against the wall.
“Lucinda. You're still bleeding, let me stop it for you. I'm sorry, I scared you, I got carried away, but I have to stop that bleeding. Now.”
I reached my own hand up jerkily to my neck and pulled it away when I felt warm liquid run down my fingers. I stared at the red blood as it tracked its way down my hand, over my wrist and under the sleeve of my jacket. So red, so much of it. I felt a little dizzy at the sight of it and it had nothing to do with the fact it was mine. I knew I hated blood, all blood, but I couldn't remember why. I had a sudden flashback to a man lying covered in blood at my feet, then it was gone. The abruptness of the memory shocked me, but in its wake all I felt was a deep seated fear and sudden sense of pure loss.
I looked up at Jonathan and he paled at the look on my face. “Let me make this right.” He spoke softly and slowly, so as not to frighten me. I just nodded, still dazed and stunned and hollow.
He crawled toward me and carefully reached out to hold the back of my neck. “I will need to bring my face in against you. I have retracted my fangs.” He smiled to show me they were gone. “I promise you, no harm will come to you. I will merely seal the puncture wounds. OK?”
I nodded again, unable to voice any concerns, unable to see anything other than blood.
He leaned his head in slowly, but the actual licking over the wounds was fast. He moved right away and sat across from me, just watching my face.
From moments before to now, seemed like an eternity. I had felt like I had come so far and that things were getting better. I still didn't have my memories, but I was beginning to feel a sense of calm at where I was and who I was with. Now, it all felt like a storm tossed sea and I was once again so lost.
Jonathan was very quiet on the trip back to the property and for the next few days. He began to return to more of his normal self some time later, but we never had another trip away and he never tried to kiss me, let alone bite me, again. A line had been crossed and we both knew it. For me, it had been a revelation, it had woken me up from a dream. I was no longer accepting of my surroundings, I was questioning absolutely everything all over again. I could only presume Jonathan didn't want to rush me, as he returned to his attentive, caring, but distant self.
I was happy with that, but having had a taste of freedom I craved for more.
However, my mind might have wanted another road trip, but my body could not have agreed. Three weeks after I arrived I was fading. Not only had a depressive cloud stolen any light I may have had, I was tired only hours after waking and my appetite was getting less and less.
On the fourth week, almost one month after the start of my new life, things changed. By this stage I had stopped eating almost completely. Jonathan tried liquid foods, bland foods, cold, raw, fresh, organic, anything he could think of to make me eat, but I just couldn't keep much down. And with the lack of food came an even greater sense of exhaustion, although the exhaustion had started well before the inability to eat began. I was so frail, so weak and had lost so much weight that even my renewed plans of escape seemed like climbing Mount Everest.
Finally, Jonathan called a doctor in to assess me. He was a vampire - I knew this as soon as he entered the room - and he was short. Really short, like shorter than me and that's saying something. I'm only 5'4” tall, so this guy was practically a midget.
He had done his doctorly thing and they were standing out on the landing. I had fallen asleep by the end of the exam, so maybe Jonathan thought I was still out cold and that's
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