sanguineangels (34 page)

He gave a dark chuckle as he stood up at the side of the bed. A smear of her blood stood out as a harsh streak of black against his skin. “Patience, little one,” he said, pulling at the button on his jeans. “I’ve only just begun. Such a delicious delicacy should be savored, not devoured in one sitting.” She shuddered and he chuckled again, pushing the restricting fabric over his narrow hips and down until he stood before her, a vision of male perfection. His body seemed to be carved of stone, every muscle standing out just under his skin. The bones of his pelvis crossed over his hips, drawing her eye down to his cock which stood out impressively, giving away his own lust. Gillian smiled, feeling somewhat empowered by this show of arousal. She wanted to sit up and go to him, but her body was so heavy. She felt as if he’d restrained her, but there were no bonds.

Seth threw his head back, his black hair spilling over his shoulders as he inhaled her scent on the air. “Fucking hell, Gillian.” He sighed. “Your scent…so much fear, so much desire…it’s like a drug.” He climbed back into the bed, kneeling between her outstretched legs. “I fear that once I start, I won’t be able to stop,” he murmured, grasping the waistband of the pants she wore. With a growl, he pulled at them until they were ripped completely open and he could jerk them down her legs. “A thousand years of practice and you have me behaving like a fledgling.”

“I’m… I’m sorry…” she stammered, biting her lip as his fingers brushed her thighs.

He leaned over her, kissing just below her navel and swirling his tongue around it. “You’re not sorry,” he replied, opening his mouth wider and grazing the warm skin with his teeth, opening another bloody gash. It dribbled slowly down, pooling in the crease above her mound. She could feel the warm wetness and she reached down to touch it, but he slapped her hand away. With the flat of his tongue he licked at the blood, tasting it and groaning with satisfaction. It wet his lips and when he gazed up at her, he looked like a sinister harlequin with his painted mouth.

The streaks of blood were a map to her center and he followed it without hesitation. He reached out to touch her sex, gathering some of the blood that had collected in the corner of his mouth and using it to paint around her opening, then licking it away until she was arching up against his mouth, begging him for more. He pulled the outer lips of her sex between his lips to kiss each one in turn. With two fingers, he pulled and tugged at the dewy petals until they were plumped with blood.

“Seth…” she sighed, her voice trailing off into an unintelligible moan as he took each side into his mouth in turn, rolling the moist flesh between his lips, careful not to bite. As he teased them, they began to part, revealing those secret destinations deep inside. His fingertips were all too willing to help them along, pulling the lips wide apart and flicking the swollen nub of flesh that was carefully hidden behind. Gillian’s breath was slow, coming in shallow gasps as he kissed and nibbled at her clit. She could feel the moist heat rush to her sex and she struggled to pull her legs further apart to urge him on, but still, every movement was a struggle as the venom crept slowly through her veins. As he kissed at the tiny clitoris, his fingertips slid up her body, swirling in the pools of blood still dripping from her breasts and belly. She looked down, watching as he brought his fingers to his lips, tasting the blood and then pushing his fingers forcefully into her sex. He moved them inside in gentle circles, then stroked them in and out until her blood mixed with the slippery wetness of her sex. He lapped it up like a man dying of thirst. Gillian’s voice rose in octaves, higher and higher as she surrendered to the pleasure of his foreplay. The loss of blood had made her delirious, sighing and crying, out of her head.

He twisted his wrist slightly, pushing two of his slip-sliding, long and sinuous fingers into her until he could feel that secret place high up within. His thumb made wide circles around her clit until he could feel her tensing with her impending climax. Just as she tumbled over the edge, he sank his teeth into the vein that pulsed below the skin at the junction of her thighs. She screamed with orgasmic pleasure and the ultimate anguish as he drank deeply, pulling her lifesblood into him, not wanting to leave a single drop. She screamed, knowing this was the end but she didn’t care. Her whole life was reduced to the pinpoint of light she could see behind her eyes as he made her come.

And then it was dark.

“Wake up,” Seth whispered in her ear. He sounded so far away, and she fought to find him in the darkness of her slumber, but everything was so hazy. Her mouth felt dry, and she tried to speak, but no sound would come. Her body felt numb as if she were disconnected from it somehow and floating above, watching everything that was happening.

“Gillian, you have to wake up now or you’ll die, you silly girl.”

Her head lolled from side to side and she wanted to open her eyes but they seemed fused shut. Why didn’t she have any control? She kept fighting the death that was undoubtedly seeping into her body, her extremities shaking with the effort. She was frightened, but she couldn’t articulate. She could only shake.

“It’s okay,” he said, brushing her hair back from her sweaty forehead. “Everything will be okay. Just listen to my voice, and stay with me.”

She could feel his body lying atop hers, and the heaviness soothed her somewhat. Surely, her soul could not escape now. But then he sat up on his knees, straddling her body and staring down at her. His eyes glowed in the blackness. He drew a single, sharpened fingernail across his wrist, opening the plump vein there that pulsed with stolen blood. The blood ran freely and fast down his arm. He held the open wound over her lips, letting the blood trickle down.

At first, she wanted to resist, to turn her head away and fall into shadow without a fight, but then she tasted the bitter sweetness that slipped between her parted lips. One taste and she felt the thirst immediately. Her stomach lurched, and it jolted her awake. Her eyelids fluttered and her mouth opened wide, seeking out the sanguine salvation. The blood began to pour in earnest. Seth breathed heavily, tiring from the exertion. Her mouth worked slowly, her tongue licking at the drops as they fell, ever faster into her waiting mouth. Soon she was moaning softly, wanting more—needing more. Taking her wrist, he pulled her to a sitting position, leaning against his chest as she cradled his arm against her in a desperate embrace.

“Drink, Gillian…” he growled. “Drink your fill.” She accepted the invitation eagerly, pulling his wrist against her mouth and latching on. He groaned as her timid licking turned to famished suckling that drew more and more of his blood into her. The more s
he drank, the more she wanted it. She feared she would never stop and that she might die from the exquisite satisfaction.

And then suddenly the pain. A pain like nothing she’d ever felt gripped her insides, throwing her back from Seth to writhe against the pillows. He looked down at her sadly and crawled backwards, leaving her to thrash against the sheets. Her body shook, and for a moment, she was sure that it was turning inside out. Her stomach twisted and turned, and she wanted to scream, but the pain took her breath. She reached for Seth, but he backed away. “I can’t help you, Gillian.”

“Seth…” she rasped, rolling over and trying to stand, but falling back down. “What…”

He stared down stoically, crossing his arms over his chest and watching. “Your body is dying, Gillian. It happens to all of us. It can’t be helped.” The venom crept with white hot speed, ever faster with every staggering breath. She curled into a tight knot in the center of the bed, her body rocking with the agony of her changing. “I wish it was easier.” He sighed, turning away. He stared down at the wound on his wrist that was fading rapidly with unnatural healing. “But that’s what we are, Gillian. Undead. We are immortal, but never really alive. Your heart will stop; you’ll cease to breathe. The blood in your veins will turn cold as ice and slow as it lies beneath your skin. The only warmth we have is that which we take from others.” He turned back to her, running his fingers through his long, black hair. “And when it fades, you’ll be hungry for more. So hungry that it will infect every thought. You won’t care about anything but sating that cursed hunger.” He crawled back into the bed, soaking with her sweat. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tight as her body slowed. “But you’ll live forever.”

****

When Gillian awoke, she felt like she’d been beaten with sticks. Every muscle—even some she hadn’t even known she’d had—were aching. She wanted to sit up, but the world was still spinning. She gripped the sides of the bed, hoping that perhaps she could ground herself. Had any of it been real or just a fever dream brought on by alcohol and the cold?

“Look who’s awake!” Seth chirped as he strode into the room. “You slept so long; I was beginning to think I’d taken too much.” He carried a tray that held a bottle of wine and a single glass. “I’ve brought you something to get your strength up.”

“What time is it?” she murmured.

“Sunset. You slept the whole day.”

“What the hell happened?” she asked, rolling to one side and pushing herself to a sitting position.

He smiled and set the tray down on the nightstand. “Well now, that’s quite a story, love. And I, for one, need a snack first.” He opened the bottle of wine and poured a generous glass. Gillian’s eyes rolled back in her head as she inhaled the sharp scent. It was overpowering and instantly made the sides of jaw hurt as her mouth watered. She wanted what was in that glass—more than anything. “Hungry?”

“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving the glass. He brought it closer, barely letting the edge of the glass brush her lips before taking it away.

He laughed when she whimpered, using all of her energy to edge closer to him. “That’s it,” he whispered, beckoning her closer. “Good girl.” She managed to get herself up on her knees and crawl into his lap. She grasped the cup with both hands, clumsily bringing it to her mouth. Seth smiled and helped her, steadying the cup as she drank until the warm blood was dripping down her chin. “Be careful, love. You must sip it at first or else you’ll be sick,” he warned.

When the cup was empty, she looked up at him, her eyes pleading. “More?” she asked, wiping the streaks of blood from her chin.

Seth laughed. “I can only hope you’re as insatiable with every aspect of your personality, Gillian.” He poured another glassful and watched with wonder as she gulped it down. “How are you feeling?” he asked when she finally lay back against his chest, letting the wine glass slip from her fingertips and onto the floor.

“Much better.” She sighed. “Alive.” She looked around the room, taking in everything as if for the first time. Her senses were sharp and everything was so intense. The colors, the subtle shadows on the walls, the orangey light that streamed in from the window—it was all so clear. The cars on the street below, the pounding of tourists’ feet as they meandered down the sidewalks and even the boats on the harbor echoed off the walls that surrounded them. And the blood. She could smell it everywhere. “Hungry.”

“I’m afraid you’ll be hungry for a while, my love. You need to feed.” Peeling himself from under Gillian, he rose and went to the window, to stare down and out over the city. “You slept so long and the night approaches quickly. We must get you ready.”

“Ready for what?”

He grinned, the subtle point of his canine sparkling in the dim light. “Your first kill.”

“Kill?” Gillian gasped, her eyes wide.

“Yes, love. How did you presume to get the blood?”

“Well… I just… I don’t want to kill anyone…”

“Just think of them as food.”

“But… I can’t… It’s wrong… I…”

Seth rounded on her, crossing the floor so quickly that she didn’t even detect his movement. “You can and you will,” he growled. “You have no choice. It’s what we do, Gillian. That’s the price you have to pay for what’s been done. You kill and you feed. Or you die.” He seemed to grow in size as he loomed over her, his body tense with contained rage. “What exactly did you think a vampire was, Gillian?”

“I don’t understand why we have to kill anyone. There are other ways…”

“What other ways? Pig blood? Robbing blood banks? Subsisting on rats? Have you ever tasted animal blood, Gillian? I will not resort to such crudity. I’d rather be reduced to ash in the sun.” He turned and started toward the door. “Get yourself dressed. You’re just going to have to trust me.”

Gillian slowly rose from the bed and noticed that her entire body was streaked with bloodstains. Bringing a finger to her lips, she could taste the bitter flavor that still lingered on her skin. Her eyes watered, and that sharp pain in the pit of her stomach was enough. She knew he was right. She would have to feed.

She followed Seth across the hall and into a large bathroom. The walls were rough brick, just like all the others, with an enormous copper bathtub in the center. “Take a shower. You’re covered in blood, and you smell like death.” Opening a cabinet, he tossed a couple of towels on the counter.

“Thanks,” she murmured, watching him as he moved stiffly about the room. He seemed on the edge of anger, but she couldn’t understand why. “Seth?”

“What?” His back was turned, and he wouldn’t look at her.

“Are you upset with me?” she asked timidly.

“No.”

“Then why…”

“I’m hungry!” he roared, slamming a hand down on the counter hard enough to crack the marble. “In case you don’t remember, I allowed you to feed on me earlier. I’m tired and hungry, Gillian.” He turned around, his green-eyed gaze boring into her. “And I don’t want to make another mistake.” He took a step toward her, looming ominously and backing her against the doorframe. “Don’t make me regret choosing you,” he whispered. “I’ve waited so long.” His expression softened and he reached out, caressing her cheek. “I feel so connected to you, Gillian. For the first time in a very long time, I don’t feel alone. I need you to trust me.” He looked at her expectantly and she nodded slowly, falling victim to his gaze once again. His hand slid into the soft curls at the back of her head and pulled her into his kiss. It was long and slow, his tongue slipping between her lips to trace the edge of her teeth. In seconds, the painful hunger began again, but this time it wasn’t blood she needed. Her arms slid around his waist, drawing him closer. She wanted to be one with him. Alongside the thirst was a creeping chill that had gotten inside her. The only thing that would melt the ice in her heart was his touch. And she needed it.

“I trust you, Seth,” she gasped through his kisses. His scent was everywhere, filling her up and driving her mad with lust. She found herself rubbing her naked body against his, grinding her center against the hard bulge of his cock. Tearing himself away from her mouth, he sought out the hollow just under her ear. Kissing and sucking the soft skin, he whispered words in growling tones. Words she could not understand with her head, but her body could decipher their meaning. Sliding a hand down his chest, it came to rest on his cock, still trapped in its denim prison. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to feel the stolen blood that ran through his veins rush to his sex and warm her fingertips. With unfamiliar strength, she pulled at the waistband of his pants until she tore them open completely. Her hands found their mark easily and she freed his member, feeling it pulse in her hand. “Is all this for me?” she rasped, stroking him slowly.

“Forever,” he whispered, reaching down to place his hand over hers, guiding it back and forth over his cock. With a guttural moan, he pulled her hand away and pinned it against the wall behind her. “But don’t think you can go having your way with me just yet,” he said with a snarl, giving her a glimpse of his canines as they elongated with his desire. Without warning, he bit down into the gentle curve where her shoulder met her throat. She shrieked with the sharp pain, but was soon arching against him. She could feel him sucking at the wound, taking in her precious blood, and the sensation was so intense that she nearly swooned against him. But he was there to catch her, sliding his hand under her ass and kneading gently.

“Seth…” She sighed. Her voice was pleading, and her body was impatient. “Please…fuck me, Seth…” she murmured into his ear, lost in her overheated senses.

He did not speak, but slid his hand down to her thigh and pulled it over his hip. In one lithe movement, he thrust himself into her fully, pushing her against the wall with an unyielding impetus. The rough bricks behind her dug into her back, scraping and scratching the delicate skin over and over as he fucked her. She didn’t care and cried out for more. He was happy to oblige and pulled her other leg around him until the only thing supporting her weight was his body and the wall. Over and over he pulled her down into his thrusts, each one more violent than the first. He growled against her cheek, showing her the animal he was and the one she’d become. Already she could feel it inside, trying desperately to break free. “Bite me, Gillian,” he hissed. “Make me bleed.”

Her sex shuddered around him, teetering on the edge of orgasm. He held her tight and she could smell his skin, so close to her she could taste it. She brushed her lips along the rounded slope of his broad shoulder. Her tongue flicked out of her mouth, as she took a small taste. The salty spice was intoxicating and soon she found herself licking and nipping at the skin.