The Guest & the Change (15 page)

‘How long have we been here for?’ Sarah asked.

‘About two days.’

‘Two days?  That’s crazy!  No wonder I’m so thirsty.  Have I been asleep all that time?’

‘Yes, pretty much.  Except from when you woke up earlier, briefly.’

‘I remember.’

Daniel walked closer and she looked into his dark eyes.

‘Thank you for looking after me.’

‘That was
not
a problem.  I love you.’

He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.  His cool fingers sent tingles through her body, and her heart sped up.  She wasn’t yet immune to his beauty - she wondered if she would ever be.

‘My children, my family.
  We have to get back!  They won’t know what’s happened.’

‘We have to get you cleaned up first,’ he said, tracing his finger across the blood at her neck, smirking.

‘Are we still in danger?  Where’s Sebastian?’  Sarah asked.

‘Don’t worry - we’re safe.  Everyone’s safe.’  Daniel paused, ‘I killed him.’

‘You did? 
How?’

‘I’ll fill you in later, for now let’s get you cleaned up so you can see your children.’  With that he swept her up into his arms, and she let out a squeal of joy.  Her
skin tingled all over at his familiarity.  He bolted through the forest with her in his arms, far faster than any human could.  The trees went past in a blur as Daniel carried Sarah past them, narrowly avoiding branches, yet keeping her safe in his arms.  Her heart felt light.  She was safe. 

She wouldn’t think about the loss now, she couldn’t - it was just too painful.  She needed to block it out so she could keep her sanity.  She was unbelievably relieved it was over. 

The wind whipped through her hair as they traveled around the town of Hartland, not penetrating the outskirts, but staying out of sight, in the forest.

Sarah held on tight, looking around, looking at Daniel’s face.  It was fixed with determination, concentrating on their route.  He looked irresistibly sexy - she wanted to kiss him, but didn’t dare in case she distracted him, which could lead to a very fast collision with a tree. 

Sarah shivered at the thought, and Daniel shot her a look, making sure she was ok, before speeding on.  She admired his profile and leant against his jacket, breathing in his woody scent.  A smile played at the corner of her mouth - she was extraordinarily glad to be with him, safe in his arms.

After whipping around yet another tree, Daniel came to a stop not far from a large hotel - The Woodman.  He stayed far enough away that, if there was anyone looking out, they wouldn’t be spotted. 
Daniel set Sarah on her feet.  She wobbled a bit, and laughed giddily, as Daniel took her hand to steady her.  He led her on, towards the hotel.  He looked around, peering at all the windows.  He couldn’t see anyone so he continued up the steps and led Sarah to his room. 

Sarah looked about the immaculately finished space - it was rather dull and lacked character, there were no personal touches at all.  Housekeeping had been and everything was tidied away.  There was a neatly made double bed in the center of the room, a hotel phone and a desk - that was about it.

A phone!

‘Daniel, can I use the phone? I can call my parents, let them know I’m ok - say hello to my kids,’ as Sarah said it, she longed to see them.  It won’t be long now, she thought.

‘Yes, of course - but wait a minute.’ 

Daniel went through a white door and returned with a large glass of water.  Sarah took it and gulped it down.  God, it tasted good, heavenly.  She put down the glass and rushed over to the phone, then she hesitated - what was she going to say?

‘We need to go see my family in a minute. 
Do you have any plan about what we should say happened to us?
  To Jo?’ she said pleadingly. 

She felt a twinge at Jo’s memory, well, more than a twinge - the thought of it made her heart twist.  It was painful. His death was still very recent, but she couldn’t focus on it with Daniel there, he was so
distracting!  And she wanted to see her kids, to be strong for them, to be strong for her family.  After all, they had no idea what had happened and she didn’t want to let on that she knew anything about it.  She’d have so many questions to answer, and what could she say?  No-one would believe her.  How could she explain to her children that they no longer had a father, that Jo was dead?  How were they going to feel, how would they cope? 

If she said she knew anything about Jo’s disappearance she’d be questioned by the police - what if she acted suspiciously?  How would her kids fare then?

Daniel interrupted her thoughts, ‘I think we should say we don’t know what happened, we went searching for him but got lost in the woods and didn’t have a cell phone.  It’s not entirely implausible, that could happen.  It’s certainly more plausible than what actually happened.  I think we should say that we didn’t find Jo, that we still don’t know anything -
that
he is missing.’

‘We got lost for two days?  Seems a little unbelievable,’ Sarah answered.  ‘But what else can we say?’ she sighed, exasperated at the thought of explaining everything to them.  ‘If I tell them I’ve been unconscious for two days they will go seriously insane.  So ok, I will tell them we got lost - I don’t know how I could tell them the truth anyway.  But what about the fact you rang them and asked them to stay in?’

‘We could say you had a bad feeling, were worried they might be in danger with Jo missing.’

‘But according to what we’re planning on telling them, nothing has changed, the danger would still be there, Jo’s still missing after all.  They might think someone is out there - kidnapping people, or murdering people.’

‘Yes, well, maybe it’s best for them to still be on alert, to stay inside.’

‘Why?’ Sarah eyed him wearily, surely they were safe now.

‘Sebastian may be dead, but there is a risk he turned someone else, there may still be vampires out there.’  Sarah looked at him searchingly, suspecting there was something he was leaving out.

‘I better ring my parents now.  Just try not to listen - you’ll make me feel self-conscious!’

‘I’ll do my best,’ he said smirking at her.

That smirk - it drove her insane.  It made her want to rip his clothes off right there, to forget about ringing her family. 

But she couldn’t.  She needed to know her kids were ok, and she didn’t want to be entirely inconsiderate of her parents’ feelings.

  She picked up the phone and dialed their number.  She listened to the phone ringing - her heart was pounding with anxiety, not knowing how they were going to react.

‘Hello?’ her Mom
answered,
a concerned and
desperate edge to her voice.

‘Mom, it’s me!’ Sarah said.

‘Sarah?’

‘Yes Mom, I’m ok.  I’m so sorry - we’ve been lost.  Unbelievable - I know!  We were looking for Jo and went a really long way.  It got dark and we carried on, I know we were stupid, but because we went so far in the dark we lost track of our bearings.  We couldn’t call as I’d forgotten to take my cell phone.  Everything looked the same!  It was crazy Mom, I’m so, so sorry.  Are you ok?  Are Megan and Bea ok?  Is Dad angry at me?’  Sarah couldn’t help but rabbit on.  She wanted to elaborate, to create some drama in the situation - at least to create some sympathy.  What she had actually gone through was far worse than what she was saying, but she felt like she deserved some reassurance and comfort - and didn’t know how else to reach out for it.

‘Sarah, calm down. 
It’s
ok, everyone is fine.  We’ve just been so worried!  Where are you now?’ her Mom asked.  She sounded immensely relieved.

‘I’m at The Woodman.  It’s where Daniel’s staying.  When we arrived back at the edge of town it was the closest place to come to.  I need to have a shower before I come and see you all, I’m disgustingly dirty after two days in the forest.’

‘Yes, that’s fine. 
Really.
  Take your time and clean yourself up.  We will be here, waiting for you.  Megan is missing you, and Bea is a little confused - she’s asked after you, but they are fine.  Your father isn’t angry,
he’s just been worried.’

‘Can I talk to Megan?’ Sarah asked.

‘They’re in the bath, your father’s with them, so best if you wait until you get here.’

Sarah paused, disappointed, she really wanted to hear their voices.

‘Don’t worry - you’ll see them soon!’ her Mom said.

‘Yeah, ok Mom.  I really won’t be long - I’ll be with you soon.  Bye,’ Sarah said.

‘Bye Sarah, see you in a bit.’

Sarah put the phone down.  She was relieved - her Mom had
been pretty understanding
.  Her kids were ok and she would see them soon.  She smiled slightly at the thought of their faces, and imagined them running towards her, delighted to see her after so long.

‘Sounded like that went well,’ said Daniel.  He’d been hovering around the corner, out of her line of sight.

‘You weren’t supposed to be listening!’ she said. 

She threw a pillow at him, but he dodged it.

‘How could I not?’ he said mischievously.

Sarah walked across the room and looked out of the window.  Endless conifers reached to the horizon.  The sky was dark, a storm approaching. 

She shuddered, remembering a hint of her dream.  Looking back, she saw Daniel had sat on his bed.  He gestured towards another door, which Sarah presumed led to the bathroom.  She smiled shyly at Daniel, feeling self-conscious about being covered in dirt and
blood - it was much more apparent in the spotless room. 

She stepped through the door and got the shower running.  She peeled off her dirty clothes and stepped under the warm water, letting the blood and memories wash away.

***

Outside the hotel, the forest became very still.  The birds were silent, and small animals hid out of sight.  A patch of darkness materialized between two trees. 

At first it had no visible form.  It was a hazy outline, surrounding an intensely black, swirling mist.  It was slowly taking shape - the shape of a human man.  He was tall with dark hair and black eyes.  His form was still fluid, like he wasn’t quite there - not whole yet. 

His piercing eyes looked up, towards the hotel.  He caught a glimpse of a pretty blond woman - she was looking out of the window, at the horizon. 

Anyone who was watching would have seen his eyes darken, and his shape disintegrate before their eyes. 

He returned to a swirling blackness, and moved off, deeper into the forest.

CHAPTER 2

Daniel waited patiently while Sarah showered.  He lay back on the bed, one arm supporting his head.  He listened to the water splashing down in the bathroom and absentmindedly gazed at the clouds moving in, shading the sky. 

He had an uneasy feeling that maybe everything wasn’t resolved.  When Sarah had looked out of the window sounds in the forest had disappeared.  That was strange, he couldn’t quite fathom it.  He was a vampire, and when he walked in the forest life continued regardless, wildlife didn’t seem to notice him.  When he had first been turned by Sebastian they had lived in the forest together, out in the wilderness on their own.  No house, not even a hut - they had slept in the trees. 

Wildlife hadn’t been affected by Sebastian either. 
Birds still sang in the trees, even if Sebastian was in them.  And Sebastian was evil, as evil as anything he’d known.

What could have caused the birds to stop singing?  He shook his head.  Maybe it was a coincidence, yet he suspected something had been out there.  The question was what, and what was it doing there?

And he still wasn’t convinced something wasn’t going on with Sarah.  She said she felt really good, that she could see clearly.  He wondered
how
clearly she could see - more clearly than
before?
 
As clearly as a vampire?
 

He hadn’t wanted to question her too much, not when she’d just woken up, when she was in such a hurry to see her family.  She seemed in a surprisingly good mood though, considering all that had happened.  He wondered how she was holding up inside.  He could sense she was experiencing some turmoil, but he couldn’t tell how much.  She was putting on a good show.  She’s probably buoyed up by the whole experience, Daniel thought, happy to have survived; it must be keeping her going.  He admired her strength.  

She certainly wasn’t acting like a vampire, and she still smelt human - her blood smelt delicious, tempting.  She wasn’t going crazy and didn’t appear to be desperately thirsty for blood, as newly turned vampires tended to be.  He could still hear her rhythmic heartbeat pumping blood around her body.  She was still human.

Could it be the residual effects of the power of his blood that was making her feel different, or had that power had a permanent effect on her?  He would have to watch her closely, see if her behavior changed, to make sure she was ok.

***

Sarah stepped out of the shower.  She picked up the largest white towel from the worn-looking pile by the sink and wrapped it around herself - it felt slightly hard and scratchy against her body.  She found a smaller one and tossed her hair upside down, wrapping the towel into a turban so that her long wet hair wouldn’t drip down her back.  She leant over the sink and wiped condensation off the undersized mirror, and peered at herself through the steam. 

She smiled, pleased at what she saw - her skin looked clear, pristine, all imperfections gone.  She also looked as though she had lost a little weight, her stomach was flatter and more toned - after all, she hadn’t eaten for two days and had lost a lot of blood.  Yet she didn’t look sickly - her eyes were bright, with no tired shadows. 

She wondered at the healing power of vampire blood - that must be why she felt different, right?  All her ills and aches had been cured along with her wounds.  That would explain why she felt great, why she was brimming with energy.  It would also explain why she hadn’t practically died with thirst, why she wasn’t collapsing with hunger.  Maybe the blood had
helped her mental state too - she was coping well, managing to push the pain aside.  Maybe if it wasn’t for its healing power she would be crumpled on the floor, not coping at all.

She thought of Megan and Bea, hopefully they weren’t too worried.  They were probably having so much fun at her parents’ that they had hardly noticed her absence.  She smiled wryly.  It was hard not to be a little bit jealous of how much they loved her parents, Alice and Keith.  They at least would have been wracked with worry at her absence.  Her Mom had been mightily understanding on the phone.  It wouldn’t surprise her if the police had been called in yesterday - she and Daniel may have some damage control to do. 

Daniel
.  He was waiting in the other room for her.  She felt her heart speed up and her cheeks warm at the thought of seeing him again.  She had been in his arms, asleep for two days, but before that how long had she known him for?  She had spent one day with him and met him a couple of days before that.  How could he love
her this
quickly?  Did she love him?  She was certainly attracted to him, more than she ever had been to anyone, even Jo.  But could she love someone so fast?  She felt a pang of guilt for being with Daniel when she should be grieving for Jo.  But he had cheated on her when Bea was a new-born baby, she thought bitterly - why shouldn’t she be with Daniel?

She fastened her towel tightly around her body and
picked up her dirty clothes.  She opened the bathroom door, feeling shy as she stepped through - wondering if Daniel had noticed the changes in her appearance.

Daniel quickly sat up.

‘My turn,’ he said with a grin.

As he walked past he stopped and lifted her chin.  Her heart positively raced as he leant in and kissed her softly on the lips.  She wanted more - wanted to grab him - but he pulled away before she could, and closed the bathroom door behind him.

Sarah rolled her eyes at herself - where were these reactions coming from?  Her lips were burning where he had kissed her, her face flushed. 

She took a deep breath, willing her heart rate to slow, and focused on the immediate issue.  What was she going to wear?  She picked up her jeans and brushed off as much dirt as possible.  They didn’t appear to have any blood on them, but were lightly stained with dirt from falling in the alley, when Jo had attacked her. 

Urgh
- that had been horrible, seeing him acting feral, wanting her blood.  An image of his snarling face leapt to the forefront of her mind - she quickly pushed it aside.  It was too horrible, too painful to contemplate. 

Her jeans were also tinged with green, like grass stains, probably from moss in the tree - where Sebastian had tied her so she couldn’t escape, where he had bitten her and painfully drank her blood against
her will.  That was another memory she couldn’t bear to think about, couldn’t deal with.

Well, her jeans were probably passable - she didn’t suppose Daniel would have any woman’s trousers lying about, so they would have to do.  She didn’t fancy wearing the same underwear she’d had on, for what, three days now? 
Quite unappealing.
  So she pulled her jeans on, with nothing underneath. 

It wasn’t even worth inspecting her tops, she tossed those on the floor - they were covered in too much blood.  Her bra was ok and she hurriedly put that on, reaching behind to clip it up.  She walked over to the desk and opened some drawers, searching for one of Daniel’s tops.  The first contained a laptop, the second underwear - blushing, she closed that drawer - the third had some plain black t-shirts and shirts.  She pulled a t-shirt over her head - it was a bit loose, but it would do.  The material felt soft and smelt good.  She was relieved to be wearing something clean.  She picked up a shirt and put that on too, it wasn’t particularly warm in the room. 

She looked around, wondering where to find a hairdryer, usually they were kept in hotel bathrooms, but sometimes they were stored in a drawer.  She eyed up the drawers in the bedside table, and had a look inside. 
Lucky first time - a hairdryer and a brush.
  There was nothing of Daniel’s in there at all. 

She quickly set to work on her hair, hearing Daniel turning the shower off.  Her honey blonde hair was
fairly long and had tangled considerably in the forest, so it was a challenge to get the brush through.  She struggled, tackling the knots slowly.  She didn’t have any makeup with her so was going to have to go barefaced, although her face looked so flawless that maybe she didn’t need makeup.

Sarah looked up as she heard the bathroom door open and watched as Daniel stepped out.  Steam drifting around him - a towel wrapped around his hips.  She couldn’t help gaping at his exposed chest, and wanted to run her fingers through his gorgeous dark hair - damp and falling about his face.  He looked so hot that Sarah’s face burned, and she smiled shyly up at him.  Despite the recent changes to her complexion, she felt naked with no makeup on and her hair in a tangled mess, but she rose and moved closer to him regardless - his power over her drew her in.

He moved towards her too, his eyes smoldering, looking into hers, glancing down at her lips.  They met at the foot of the bed and she reached out tentatively, stroking him across his firm stomach, letting her hands rest on his waist.  She looked back into his eyes and as they connected once again she felt a sense of friction pass between them, energies colliding, and it seemed as though his eyes opened up, that she could see to infinity - that same feeling that had happened before, like she was looking into his soul.  It felt as though he could see her for everything she was, her beauty and her faults.  She felt his love radiate into her, making
every part of her come alive.  He placed his hands on her shoulders and drew her closer, so that their bodies were pressed against each other, still looking into each other’s eyes, still feeling the powerful connection. 

With one hand he traced down her back, over the shirt she had borrowed from him, and tucked his hand in underneath the t-shirt.  She shivered as his cool fingers touched the small of her back, but then felt heat and tingles burning her skin.  She reached her hands around his back and stroked up and down, feeling his firm muscles.  When her hands reached his neck she pulled his head towards hers and kissed him urgently on the lips.  His lips gave way and passion flared inside her.  His tongue pushed into her mouth and tingles rose from her core.  He pushed his other hand under her clothes and pulled her tightly to him - she felt like she would explode if he didn’t take her. 

Her hands traveled down his body, while she massaged her tongue against his.  She grabbed at his towel, pulling it off, exposing him to the air.  She stepped back and admired his body.  He looked perfect, and was clearly aroused by her.  He grabbed her and she let him pull off her clothing.  The air was cool on her body as he pulled the t-shirt over her head, but she barely noticed it - she felt so flushed from her desire for him. 

She couldn’t keep her hands off him as he pulled open her jeans and pushed his hand down the front of them, rubbing her.  She pushed against his fingers,
planting kisses all over his face, his neck, running her tongue over his collar bone.  He was delicious, he smelled and tasted completely different from Jo. 

Daniel smelled sweeter, and it had such an effect on her, his scent full of pheromones, making her crazy for him.  Her hands wrapped around his entirely too sexy bum and pulled him against her, falling back onto the bed.  She felt her heart wrench as he stepped away from her for a moment, but he quickly pulled off her jeans and jumped onto her, agilely supporting his weight as he landed, his body touching her gently.  But she didn’t want gentle - she pulled against him furiously - and his weight intensified on top of her.  He kissed her passionately again, running his fingers through her wet hair, sliding them down over her breasts.  She contracted against him and he pushed his erection into her, making her gasp.

He began easing into her slowly, but his pace increased and she felt herself melt into him, their rhythm turning them into one creature, moving together.  She exploded around him, feeling him climax at the same time.  She felt incredible, nothing like she’d ever experienced before. 
So alive, captivated by his very being, his masculinity and irresistible magnetism.

She basked in the moment - she wanted to lie with him there and hold him, but she was still full of energy, and they had so much to talk about, and her family to see.  She sat next to him, stroking her hand across his
chest and smiling mischievously.  She reached over and grabbed the hairbrush from the floor, tackling her tresses as she continued to gaze into his eyes, as her legs pressed against his side.  She felt electricity travel over her body from where she touched him.

She forced herself to deal with what was needed - talking about plans and family.

‘Daniel,’ she started.  She grinned and he returned her look with amusement, his presence distracting.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘Nothing,’ she said.  Actually, she didn’t want to talk about it all yet - she just wanted to see her kids.  They could talk about Sebastian and all that had happened later.  ‘We need to get going - I really want to see Megan and Bea.’

‘Of course, let’s get ready,’ he replied, smiling at her understandingly.

Sarah’s heart melted at his look - how was he this beautiful?

She finally untangled her hair and rose, Daniel rising with her.  He started to rummage in his draws for clean clothes.  Sarah pulled her clothes back on and sat on the floor, hurrying to dry her hair with the hairdryer - thinking about their plan, their situation.