Confessions Of A Vampire (12 page)

Shrugging my shoulders I decided then and there that a meal was a meal and demon blood was delicious, so I set about charming him to a room upstairs so I could have a taste.

A little over two hours later, I was refastening my garter on my nylons when he sat up in bed and asked if he could see me again. My laughter echoed in the bare room and I told him only if it was in his dreams. Without a look back I rushed from the room and down the back stairs, exiting out into the small alley behind the bar.

Leaving word with the whore who sat outside having a smoke to let my sister know I'd gone home, I slunk off into the predawn morning. Slipping the rusty key into the lock of our hotel room I stepped into the dimly lit room and sighed. Drawing the curtains tight, I opened the closet door and climbed into my coffin, pulling the
lid
over me. As I lay there, I wondered how our day
man managed to sneak coffins into hotels without being questioned, but that didn't last long as death crept up stealthily and claimed me for the day just as the sun
arose
.

Two nights later, Draven arrived home with news that suspicions were being raised in our small town and we'd need to leave posthaste. I rolled my eyes, and refused. I liked it here and I wasn't about to leave the home we'd made.

Grabbing my elbow, he led me from the room, just out of ear shot of Star and angrily informed me that as his wife, I'd do as he said. The rage that built up wasn't something I was used to. I mean, I'd been angry before but nothing like this.

‘
I’m not leaving and that’s
final
,’
was what I snarled as I turned and left the room. His voice was cold and authoritative as he called out to me that under the order of the Authority, I was to leave this town at once.

I whirled around and told him he could shove the Authority up his cold dead ass.

And that was the beginning of the end for us.

Chapter F
ifteen

“Did you leave?”

I shook the thoughts from my mind and focused my attention on Aaron. “I did, but not without a fight. I'd been ordered around so much when I was a newborn that I didn't take kindly to it.”

“How long before you left him?”

“Our marriage didn't survive another six months. Star had warned him that very night that he'd made a mistake and true to her prediction I was divorced within six months.”

He sat in thoughtful silence for a while and I found comfort in the beating of his heart. It was a steady rhythm that seemed to calm me, much like Severus' heartbeat did. I liked this young man and that surprised me. He readily accepted my story as truth and only interrupted me when he had questions or wanted to know of something that had piqued his interest. I was so intent on listening to his heart beating that I almost missed his next question.

“Could you tell me about your human life? Maybe something about your family?”

I blinked, not sure I wanted to go down that path, but he'd been so patient with me that I thought I could trust him with some of it. And Severus wasn't home, so I could hide some of the hurt I was bound to feel from him.

I picked up the steaming cup of
blood
tea that sat on the small table next to me and thought about my childhood.

Farm life was hard in the
Twelfth
Century and my father believed that the children had an obligation to help support the family and work on the farm.

So I grew up in the fields helping my brothers pick vegetables or tending to the animals. The animals soon became my friends and my escape from the constant teasing I got from my three older brothers. They were mean to me because they thought Daddy let me get away with so much more than they did. They never took into consideration that I was a girl and much younger than them.

As we grew up, I learned to fight back and took solace in working with the horses. Every free moment I had as a child was spent in the barn, brushing or just sitting with the horses. Daddy would let me ride them sometimes and I was always ready to saddle up and take them out for runs.

And then, when I was about fourteen, things took a very bad turn for me. My oldest brother, Kevin
,
had just returned from a stint in the military and had brought a buddy home with him. Late one night, I snuck out to the barn to check on a mare that was about to foal and Kevin's friend must have followed me.

I was stroking the mare's side when a hand suddenly covered my mouth and I was
dragged
,
kicking
and screaming
,
to the back of the barn where we kept the hay. I wasn't really afraid, but I understood that I needed to fight.

My brother's friend pushed me face down into the pile of loose hay and ripped my undergarments off of me. I was only fourteen and still a virgin. I didn't know what sex was then and I thought he was trying to kill me when he forced himself inside of me. He violated me for hours, forcing me to do things to him that seemed unnatural.

He warned me that if I told anyone what had happened he'd kill me and my sister. Just before dawn he dressed and threw my torn panties at me, telling me to dress and get back inside before anyone noticed I was gone. That was the first time anyone ever called me a whore and it stung.

I was too scared to tell anyone what had happened. I believed him when he threatened to kill us. He had been in battles and killed men before. I washed the musky scent of him off of me before I got into bed. As dawn broke, I lied to my mother that I was sick, though if I'd been truthful, I really was.

I hid for days in my room, not wanting anyone to know the shame I felt for what had happened. I didn't show my face again until Kevin's friend had been gone for at least two days.

“You never told anyone?” He seemed surprised by this and I understood why.

“No, not for many years. But it was a different time back then. Girls who got raped were often blamed for it. I didn't want my family to have to face shame and ridicule for what had happened to me so I kept my mouth shut.”

“Did you think about killing him after you were turned?”

My chuckle wasn't meant to sound so insane but he'd sent me spiraling back into a memory that just had to be told.

I was little more than a few months into my new 'life' when I told Kieran that there was someone I owed a visit to. He listened to the story and thought it would be fun to allow me the chance for revenge.
Kieran was always up for making a human pay for wrongs done, real or imaginary a
nd since everyone thought I was dead, though I didn't know
that
at
this
point, he approved the visit
.

I didn't tell him that I planned to kill my rapist, I thought it best to keep that little bit of information to myself. I was afraid that Kieran wouldn't allow it, so I just shut my mouth and never
let it enter my mind
just in case my maker was reading my thoughts
.

As night fell the next evening
,
we
arose
with a purpose. I dressed carefully in a pale pink gown, the exact color of the nightdress I'd worn the night he stole my innocence from me. I left my long blonde hair flowing freely down my back and only added a little rouge to my cheeks. I wanted to look the part and Kieran couldn't help but to laugh at how young I looked.

He swore that if he hadn't known better I could pass for
a girl of about fourteen again and
I was thrilled to hear this. We boarded the hired carriage and were soon on our way.

As w
e pulled up to a lavish tow
nhouse in the center of town
my maker
and I exchanged knowing looks before taking
our time up the sidewalk. We'd rehearsed the story ove
r and over on the ride there. While
Kieran knocked, I shifted nervously from foot to foot, adding to the impression that I was still a very young girl.

When my brother's friend opened the door he gasped to see me standing there. Kier
an played his part perfectly
and we were soon inside the townhouse. I raced around to pull all the curtains closed and check for anyone else who may be home.

When I was satisfied that we were alone, I came skipping back into the upstairs bedroom, twirling a lock of hair around my finger. Stopping in the doorway, I leaned against the frame and undid the ties of my gown.

I looked at the man who'd raped me many years back with a devious grin as my dress fell to the floor revealing my naked body underneath. I ran a hand along my chest, teasing a nipple as I spoke.

“
This is what you like, isn't it? Little girls who can't fight back?”

I spread my legs to reveal my shaved pubic area and hastily sucked on my finger before sliding it down to tease myself. I moaned involuntarily and spoke again.

“
You like to take
a
young girl
’
s innocence and then threaten them, don't you? Why is that?”

I waited for an answer that wouldn't come because of the gag in his mouth. I closed the distance between us and stood just out of reach, letting him admire my lean, muscled body. A sweet, innocent smile covered my face as I stepped forward.

My breasts brushed against him as I giggled at his obvious fright when my fangs popped out. Kieran sat on the bed watching, and I could see his arousal through his trousers. He got off on this kind of thing and encouraged me to feed from the man.

I
was only too happy to oblige, savagely tearing into his neck and drinking
with wild abandon. His struggles only served to make me more determined to bring death to him. As his heart began to slow, I tore myself away from his neck and viciously tore hunks of flesh from his body, laughing insanely as his blood began to soak the carpets.

Kieran
arose
from the bed, already knowing that my intent was to kill the man, but he was too turned on at this point to stop me. We fucked violently covered in the man's blood.

I'd pay the price for that stunt later, after my maker had had his fill of me sexually. But that nig
ht was almost magical. Death combined with
sex and blood. It was perfect.

“So you and Kieran killed him together?”

It took me several long minutes to respond. “Yes, we did.”

“How did you feel about killing him? Did it feel good to do so?”

“Yes, actually, it did. It didn't change anything that had happened, but I felt better knowing that he couldn't hurt any other girls the way he did me. I'm a killer. It's my nature and there were times when I did so without a single thought about the life I was extinguishing.”

“Do you still hunt?”

“I do, my dear. As I've explained, it's my
nature. We are not human, we’re
killers. I was killed in order to become what I am and I
’ve
killed others for food or to bring them over. I could tell you that it's all the cycle of life but there are times when I don't believe that my kind should exist. Some of us are heartless, but a lot of that stems from the things we've been through in the time we've walked the Earth.”

“Does your husband kill as well?”

“He's a demon, so of course he does. But his main goal is to get humans to hand over their soul. He creates chaos in the world and causes many of the horrible accidents that take the lives of so many humans.”

I smiled proudly thinking about all that my darling husband does. I'm sure to the young man we seemed a bit like a more evil version of The A
d
dams Family
and he was right, to some extent
.

“You talked about how you were cast out of Hell
;
can you tell me more about that? What happened when you got back to this world?”

I sighed deeply, running fingers through my pink hair
, a frown turning down the corners of my mouth
. Now was the time to tell him how I came to be in this body. I chewed nervously on my bottom lip as I followed the memories.

Chapter Sixteen

I
a
woke in a cheap hotel room that smelled of sweat and garbage. I had no clue where I was or even who I was. I looked around the room until I found a big black bag sitting
on a threadbare chair. Kicking
off the b
lankets that covered my legs I
swung them to the dirty floor. I pushed back the urge to vomit at how nasty the room was and went to open the bag, hoping to find any clue as to who I was.

Digging around in it, I pulled out skinny jeans and band tees. Tossing them on the bed I kept looking until I found a pink wallet with a
lace skull and crossbones on the front
. Unfastening it, I looked for an ID and found one with the name Sunshine on it. The name sounded familiar but I wasn't sure if it was me. I stood before the mirror and looked at my reflection then back at the ID.

I certainly looked like the girl in the photo but it somehow felt wrong. I stood at that mirror for a very long time looking at the short, thin body that was covered in tattoos.

I couldn't reconcile the way I felt with the body I was in. I was confused and scared but I knew I couldn't stay put. I had to figure it out.

I spent the next few days going through everything in the room. The only thing I found was a photo of a very handsome man. His smile made me feel safe and I felt drawn to him. I felt as if I knew him but nothing rushed forth. I had no memory of him or anyone else for that matter.

Four days after I woke I ventured out into the world. I was starving and I needed to feed. I'd discovered that I was
,
what I assumed was a vampire
,
by accident. I was staring at the picture of Severus and my fangs popped. I stared at them for hours, running my tongue over them, pricking my finger with them. It was like I had a new toy and had to try it out.

I wanted to know who the man in the photo was, so I set
about trying to
find out. It wasn't all that long before I got sidetracked by the sound of blood rushing through the humans' veins. I was starting to fear that I wouldn't be able to control myself and ducked into a dark alley.

With my back pressed against the cold brick wall, I watched as people walked past. I was slowly losing my grip on my self control and needed to feed.

I waited patiently for the right moment and then I struck. I grabbed a college aged boy, dragging him back into the darkness with me. I drank quickly, satisfying my need. I erased his memory but I didn't know how I'd done it. I felt like a big failure as a vampire
but I was more focused on finding out who I was to give it much thought
.

Blending into the crowd, I continued on my quest to find the man in the photograph. I was nothing if not determined to find him. I thought that if I found this man, I'd find the answers to who I was and why I was here. It sounds crazy even to me, but it was my thought process then.

I stepped into a bar and was overcome with the feeling that I'd been there before. I took a table near the entrance and ordered a bottled blood
from the small menu
, shocked that they even had such a thing. I perused the faces in the crowd, trying to match one to the picture in my pocket. As I looked about, I realized just how much I stood out among others of my kind.

I know it shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. Being different when you didn't even know if that was who you really
were was sort of nerve racking but
I managed to keep my cool and sipped my blood slowly. I saw a few humans shoot me a curious look here and there but mostly everyone just left me alone.

I didn't stay long,
but
not because I didn't want to. I really did
;
I really wanted to find the man in the picture but I couldn't. I felt like if I didn't leave the bar within seconds I would simply vanish. So I hurried out and back to the hotel.

None of this made sense to me. I was alone and confused and no one could help me because it seemed that no one knew who I was either.
Making it back to the rundown room I’d rented,
I stretched out on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. I wanted to cry, but no tears came. I wanted to scream but my voice wouldn't work.

I was just lost.

I stayed there, in that bed, not blinking or moving or even breathing until the sun
arose
. I stayed put and away from the windows. Everything I knew about vampires said that the sun would kill me. And that frightened me.

I waited for sunset and dressed in a skirt I found in the bag and a t-shirt that was thrown over the arm of a chair. I tugged on ripped and torn leggings under the skirt and stepped into a pair of Converse. Pulling my hair up into a haphazard ponytail, I made my way back to the bar I'd been to the night before.

This time I pushed my shyness down and asked the waitress if she'd ever seen the man in my photo before. She studied it for
some time
before shaking her head rapidly. She offered me some advice though. Her words echoed in my head.

“
Honey, you must be new in town. If you like it here, you should forget trying to find that man. He's happily married and his wife is not one to ask questions first. Be careful.”

She didn't w
ait for me to respond. I knew that I should heed her advice but s
omething deep inside of me told me that this man meant something to me and I ignored the warning of the waitress. I asked anyone who looked my way and I was met with the same warning every time.

I was starting to wonder if this woman had convinced everyone she was
some
bad ass
when in reality she was nothing more than a jealous wife. She wasn't going to stop me though. I needed to know who he was and sooner or later someone would have the guts to tell me.

I was still sitting there, nursing a bottle of blood and staring at the photograph when in walked a young man
who
caught my attention. His long dark hair was spiked and he wore leather as if he'd been born to wear it. Tattoos covered his arms and his beautiful sea blue eyes sparkled with mischief. It seemed that everyone in the club knew him and liked him. He spoke to everyone and if they were lucky he shot them that
megawatt
smile that lit up not only his face but the room around him.

I picked up his scent and smiled to myself at how good he smelled. It was almost as if he were two different beings. He smelled of cinnamon and whiskey. It was an interesting combination and I was tempted to move closer. His face fell into a frown when a young woman approached him and he shook his head. I couldn't hear what she'd said to him but
it
seemed to upse
t him
.