The Vampire's Love (4 page)

“Electricity?” 
Val questioned.

She
sighed.  “Never mind.”

She began
to braid her hair as Violet landed on her shoulder. 

“Thank you
for taking care of Violet.  I was worried about her.  I’m glad that
she had you to look after her.”  Abigail said softly.

He
shrugged.  “I tried to get rid of her.  The bug refused to leave.”

Violet
stuck her tongue out at him and Abigail snorted softly.  “I doubt that’s
true.”

She
finished braiding her hair and tied the end with a thin piece of leather before
picking up two large wooden buckets.  She dipped them into the lake and
began to carry them through the trees.  Val took them from her and she
gave him a nod of thanks.

“From now
on, you’re not to go anywhere without me.  Do you understand?”  He
said as they picked their way through the trees.

“I can take
care of myself.”  She replied.

He frowned
at her irritably.  “Just do as I say, Abigail.”

She shook
her head.  “No.  You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“Abigail –
“

“Drop it,
Val.  A lot has changed in the last year.  I’m not the person I was
before, and I don’t need yours or anyone else’s protection.”

He grunted
in reply and she gave him a quick look.  “Thank you for helping us.”

“It’s not
going to work.” 

She
frowned.  “What do you mean?”

“Abigail,
do you honestly believe that I’ll be able to pass myself off as this
Joven?  Darius may have never met him but there will be someone there who
has.  They’ll tell Darius I am not Joven, and our little charade will be
over.”

“Joven has
never travelled to the east before.  No one there will know him.” 
Abigail replied.

He sighed
with irritation.  “There will be someone.  Your need to save this
Michael has made you blind to the danger you’re deliberately putting yourself
in.  You and your friends will die a terrible death at the hands of this
Darius.  Why don’t you see that?”

“It’s worth
the risk.”  She said softly.

“Are you in
love with this Michael?  Is that why you’re so anxious to die for him?”

She laughed
softly.  “No, I am not in love with Michael.”

“I don’t
believe you.”  He said a bit petulantly.

She gave
him a look of exasperation.  “What is with you, Val?  Why are you so
sure that I’m fucking or falling in love with every human that crosses my
path?  First Wesley and now Michael?”

He didn’t
reply and she stared moodily up at the dark sky.  “Neil told me once that
vampires were similar to humans, but I’ve been here long enough now to know
that isn’t true.  You’ve forgotten what it means to care for someone.”

He gave her
a wounded look.  “That’s not true.  I care for you.”

She shook
her head.  “No, you don’t.  You want my blood and nothing more.”

“You can’t
possibly believe that.” 

She stopped
and stared gravely at him.  “Why wouldn’t I believe it?  Last night I
would not let you bite me and what did you do?  You told me to get out and
wouldn’t speak to me again.”

He stared
at the ground.  Shame was creeping into him and he fought against
it.  He had nothing to be ashamed of.

“I’m a
vampire, Abigail.  You may be doing your best to turn me into a human so
you can justify your need to fuck me, but I refuse to be your lapdog.  I
am not some weak-willed human that you can bend to your will.”

“That isn’t
what I’m trying to do.”  She protested.

“Is it
not?  You’re more than willing to fuck me, but God forbid you should let
me feed from you.  You used to beg me to bite you remember?  Now that
you’re no longer the scared human you once were, you – “

“Fuck you,
Val!”  She suddenly shouted.  “I saved your goddamn life
remember?  And if you had just left me alone, hadn’t tried to fucking
seduce me, I could have resisted you until we got to Karna.”

He snorted
derisively.  “You were going mad.  Everyone could see it.  I did
you a favour by continuing to feed from you, and you were more than happy to
oblige me.”

“A mistake
I won’t make again!”  She shouted furiously.

Wesley
appeared, frowning and panting lightly.  “Are you trying to bring every
goddamn leech within ten miles down on our heads?”

Abigail,
her pale skin flushed, threw him a furious look.  “Let them come.”

“Alright,
calm down, Abby.”  Wesley reached out to touch her, glanced at Val, and
dropped his hands.  “Come back to the camp.  You need to eat and get
some sleep.  You hardly slept at all last night.”

“I’m
fine.”  She muttered.  She glared at Val who set the buckets of water
down on the ground before returning her glare.

“You will
stay at the camp until I return.”  He disappeared into the trees.

Abby
screamed with frustration and then shouted, “Kiss my ass, you stupid leech!”

Wesley gave
her a look of astonishment and then giggled.  The almost girlish giggle
coming from such a large man never failed to make her laugh, and she started
laughing with him.

“Only you
would tell a vampire to kiss your ass.”  Wesley grinned at her as they
each picked up a bucket and started back toward the camp.

* * *

Val watched
with disgust as the old man, he thought his name was Bill, nodded off once
more.  This time when his chin hit his chest it stayed there, and large
snores emanated from his mouth.  It was his turn for watch and it hadn’t
been two hours before the old man had started to doze off.

Val jumped
down from the branch of the large tree, landing with a soft thud on the ground,
and moved silently into the camp.  It would be dawn in a few hours. 
He had thought he would go hunting and had, in fact, stalked a mountain cat for
an hour or so.  In the end, he hadn’t done it.  He had gone back to
the camp and made himself comfortable in one of the trees overlooking the
camp.  He had watched as the humans ate a cold dinner and talked
quietly. 

He had
bared his fangs on more than one occasion when Wesley had sat too close or
touched her for no reason, but he reminded himself that Abby would never
forgive him if he killed the human.  She was obviously very fond of
him.  Jealousy sang in his veins and he knew that he was hiding himself in
the tree because he wanted to know if Abby was fucking the human.  He had
tensed when they had settled to bed for the night but Wesley had not gone near
her.

He could
feel the thirst but he didn’t bother to go hunting again.  It was
Abigail’s blood that he wanted and, as he walked past the sleeping Bill, he
realized he would rather starve than drink another drop of animal blood.

Abigail was
sleeping on the ground, curled up under a light blanket, and he looked around
almost guiltily before lifting the blanket and sliding in behind her.  She
was a deep sleeper, and he hoped that hadn’t changed.

She didn’t
move and he carefully molded his body to hers.  She was dressed in her
pants and shirt and although she had removed her sword, the dagger was still
around her thigh and the silver gleamed softly around her throat and wrists.

He rested
his face against the back of her skull and took a deep breath.  God, she
smelled good.  He wanted to bury his face in her neck but the silver did
an effective job at keeping him away.  Instead, he brushed her braid aside
and kissed the soft skin just below her ear.  She sighed and he froze as
she shifted under the blanket and pressed her ass against his cock. 
Already semi-erect, it stiffened completely and he stifled a groan when she
rubbed her ass against him.

She made
another soft sigh and he slipped his hand inside her shirt and cupped her
breast through the soft, tight undershirt she was wearing.  Her nipple
hardened against his palm and he plucked lightly at it.  She arched her
back in response, and his pulse thudded heavily when she moaned in her sleep.

He could
smell her blood and he licked his lips as his fangs lengthened.  He stared
at the vein just below her ear and made his own soft groan of need.  He
was desperate for just a taste of her, and his entire body shivered as he
fought the urge to sink his fangs into her skin.

He opened
his eyes, they glowed softly in the darkness, and stared straight into the tiny
face of Violet.  He jerked wildly, his hand squeezing Abby’s breast
tightly, and she frowned in her sleep.

“Gentle,
Val.”  She sighed. 

He released
his grip, more relieved than he was willing to admit that it was his name she
sighed.  He stroked her breast lightly as the little pixie gave him a look
of disappointment.

“I wasn’t
going to bite her.”  He whispered defensively.

She arched
her eyebrows at him and he felt another wave of uncharacteristic shame sweep
through him.

“I
wasn’t.”  He insisted.  “I just – I miss her.”

Violet’s
face softened and she flew forward and brushed her tiny hand across his
cheek.  His fangs were retreating and the urge to taste Abigail’s blood
had subsided to a dull roar.  Violet petted his face again and he cleared
his throat softly.

“Tell
anyone I said that and I’ll squash you under my thumb.”  He threatened
without malice.

She rolled
her eyes and pointed to her throat before smacking him lightly on the chin.

“I’m well
aware you’re mute,” he muttered, “but I’ve no doubt you’d find a way to tell
her if you were determined enough.”

She shook
her head and kissed Abigail’s cheek lightly.  Val looked around the
camp.  Faren was still not back and he rested his head behind hers on the
jacket she was using as a pillow.  He cupped her breast and pulled her
tightly against his body, as Violet landed gently on his neck and lay across
it.  He could feel the pixie’s wings vibrating lightly against his skin,
and he stared up at the dark sky as Abigail breathed deeply and rhythmically against
him.

Val stared
at the ceiling of the carriage and waited impatiently.  It had bumped to a
stop less than ten minutes ago and he could hear the sounds of the humans
setting up camp.  Although the thick shutters on the carriage prevented
any light from entering, he could sense the fading light of the sun.  It
would be at least another five minutes before he could leave the
carriage.  He glanced to his left.  Faren was a sleeping lump on the
seat across from his.

He closed
his eyes and listened carefully.  Faintly, he could hear the soft
murmuring of Abigail’s voice and he relaxed against the seat.  By this
time tomorrow they would be at Darius’ estate.  Apprehension slipped down
his spine.  He had a very bad feeling that Abigail would die at the hands
of this Darius, and he was constantly fighting his urge to simply heave her
over his shoulder and carry her away from this madness.

Faren
stirred and sat up, rubbing his hand through his blond hair.  He yawned
and sat back against the seat, scratching absentmindedly at his crotch as Val
sat up and pulled his boots on. 

“What do
you think the chances are those idiot humans will have stopped close to a
town.  God, even a small village would do.  I’m tired of deer.” 
Faren asked grumpily.

Val rolled
his eyes.  “You’ve drank deer two nights in a row, Faren.  It’s not
going to kill you.”

“Did you
feed last night?”  Faren asked.

Val shook
his head and Faren frowned at him.  “Why are you doing this?  Seduce
the woman and feed from her.”

“I told her
I wouldn’t.”

“So? 
Are you a vampire or not?  Since when do we need a human’s permission to
feed from them?”

“Not all of
us feel the need to treat the humans like pets, Faren.”

Faren
shrugged.  “If you seduce her first, it won’t matter.  She’ll beg you
to feed from her.  Hell, you can’t tell me she didn’t beg you to feed when
you fucked her.”

“She
didn’t.”

He stared
at Val for a moment.  “Huh.  That’s pretty impressive for a
human.  If you won’t seduce and feed from her, perhaps I should.  I’m
curious to see if she can resist me the way she so easily resists you.  I
am known for - “

His voice
cut out and he made a quiet choking noise.  Val had moved across the
carriage and was squeezing his throat with an iron-clad grip.

“I told you
before, Faren.  If you go anywhere near her, or near her friends, I will
tear your head from your body.  Do you believe that I am lying?”

Faren, his
face red and his hands clamped uselessly around Val’s hand, make a gurgling
whisper.

“Do
you?”  Val shook him roughly and Faren shook his head weakly.

“Good.” 
Val released him and stood in the middle of the carriage as Faren coughed and
wheezed.

“Fuck,
Val!  I thought we were friends.”  He choked out.

“We
are.”  Val answered.  “As long as you remember the woman belongs to
me.”

When Faren
only stared at him, Val leaned forward, his eyes glowing softly.  “I was
not lying when I told the dark human I killed the last man who touched
her.  We’re friends, Faren, but I won’t hesitate to kill you if you go anywhere
near her.  Do you – “

There was a
loud thump as something hit the top of the carriage and the entire thing rocked
wildly.  Faren was thrown from the seat and Val fell backwards, smashing
the back of his head against the rough, thick wood of the shutters.

“What the
hell was that?”  Faren rose gracefully to his feet and frowned at Val.

“I don’t –
“

There was a
loud shrieking cry of pain and Val’s entire body tensed before he leaped for
the door of the carriage.  Faren threw his arms around him and dragged him
back.

“Have you
gone mad?”  He hissed.  “The light has not yet faded!  You’ll
burn to a crisp, you fool!”

Val cursed
loudly as there was another thin, wavering scream from outside the
carriage.  It was followed by a loud, inhuman roar and every hair on Val’s
body stood on end.

“Abigail!” 
He shouted before tearing free from Faren’s grip.  He ran to the door and
held the handle tightly.  Wesley bellowed noisily, an inarticulate sound
of pain, and Val snarled and pounded on the door in rage.

“Wesley,
move!”  He heard Abigail shout as the last of the light faded from the
sky.

He tore the
door open and leaped from the carriage.  He stumbled to a stop, staring in
disbelief at the scene in front of him. 

“Shifters!” 
Faren hissed beside him.

Val sucked
in his breath.  Shifters were half-human, half-beast.  They were
laughably stupid but incredibly dangerous.  There were many types. 
Feline, wolf, and hyena were the most common but bigger, more threatening ones
lurked deep within the woods.  The shifters who had attacked the camp were
bear shifters and some of the largest he’d ever encountered. 

As he
watched, the largest shifter lumbered its way to where the old man, Bill, was
crawling across the grass.  The man’s leg had been torn into and was
hanging by only a few shreds of flesh.  Blood flowed steadily from the
wound, and Bill made a high-pitched keening noise as the shifter fell on him.

It roared
with hunger before swiping its massive paw at Bill.  The old man screamed
again as the claws sunk deep into the back of his neck.  He was turned as
easily as a rag doll, and the shifter snarled and buried it’s large, hairy head
into the old man’s neck.

“Bill!” 
Abigail screamed piercingly as the bear bit through the man’s neck,
decapitating him.  The shifter growled in obvious delight and tore a huge
chunk of flesh from the man’s upper body.

Val shook
off the paralysis that had come over him as Abigail ran toward the now-dead
Bill and the shifter feeding from his body.  Her sword was drawn and she
leaped nimbly over a fallen log as Val raced towards them.

“Abigail,
no!”  He shouted.

Behind him,
he could hear Faren hissing and growling as he leaped on a shifter that was
attacking Evan.  There was a loud growl of rage from one of the shifters,
and Wesley screamed in triumph as he thrust his sword deep into the shifter’s
fur-covered belly. 

Before Val
could reach Abigail, a shifter attacked him from behind.  He felt its
claws sink into his back and with a snarl of rage he threw himself
backward.  The claws sunk deeper into his back but he ignored the pain and
slammed his body against the shifter, knocking it to the ground.

He turned
nimbly, the shifter’s claws tearing from his body, and pinned the animal to the
ground.  It snapped its teeth at him and Val hissed as he raised his
hand.  His fingernails had lengthened and sharpened and he dragged them
across the beast’s throat.  They sunk easily into its thick pelt and
sliced open the flesh and the large pulsing vein beneath it.  Blood sprayed
from the neck, and the shifter made a soft whimper before shifting to its human
form. 

Val pushed
away from the dying beast, looking frantically for Abigail.  His mouth
dropped open in disbelief.  Abigail, her cheeks flushed and her eyes lit
with a wild fierce light, was battling the largest shifter.  He watched as
she moved around the hulking beast with the easy, limber grace of a
dancer.  Her sword flashed in the dim light of the moon as she thrust and
jabbed.  Each swing of her sword took a piece of the shifter.  It
roared and screamed with rage as chunks of bloody fur and flesh dropped to the
ground. 

He realized
with a dim kind of amazement that she was actually toying with the beast. 
It swung one meaty paw at her head and she dodged it easily before jabbing her
sword into its thigh.  It roared again and dropped to all fours.

Before it
could stand up, Abigail raised her sword and thrust it deep into the top of its
head.  It dropped like a stone to the ground and Abigail gave a thin
shriek of victory before bracing her foot on the shifter’s shoulder and yanking
the sword from its skull.  Panting, her body and face splattered with the
beast’s blood, she jerked and raised her sword as Val grabbed her arm.

“Abigail,
it’s me.”  He said soothingly as she stared wildly at him.

After a
moment, she nodded and lowered her sword.  She glanced over at Bill, and a
soft moan escaped her lips.

“Oh,
Bill.”  She whispered.  Tears were starting to slip down her face and
her entire body slumped as she dropped her sword to the ground.

“I’m sorry,
little dove.”  Val put his hand on her shoulder and she turned and wrapped
her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest.

He hugged
her tightly and rubbed her back soothingly.  Violet, her small face
pinched with fear, buzzed up to them and landed on his shoulder.

She rubbed
his cheek and he murmured, “She’s okay, bug.”

Violet
squirmed between them and kissed Abigail’s neck repeatedly.  Abby lifted
her head from Val’s chest and gave the pixie a wavering smile.  “I’m
alright, little one.”

She stared
up at Val and he wiped at the blood that was on her face with the ball of his
thumb.  She caught her breath and his eyes dropped to her mouth.  He
dipped his head and her lips parted in anticipation of his kiss. 

Before he
could press his mouth against hers, Wesley called her name.  She jerked in
his arms and pulled away from him, and Val hissed at the dark-skinned man.

“Stop
it.”  She admonished gently as Violet clung to her neck.  She looked
at her hands, they were covered in fresh blood, and she gave him a wide-eyed
look of fear.

“You’re
bleeding!”

She yanked
on his arm and made him turn around so she could examine his back.  She
made a low moan of dismay at the blood that was seeping through his shirt and
tugged at the hem of it.

“Raise your
arms, Val.”  She demanded.

He lifted
his arms obediently and she pulled his shirt over his head as Faren joined
them.  He peered with interest at the deep punctures in Val’s back.

“Not
bad.”  He grinned.

Abigail
glared at him.  “Make yourself useful and get me some bandages.”

Faren
rolled his eyes.  “I’m not your servant, human.”

He walked
away, humming softly under his breath, before crouching and prodding at the
closest dead shifter.  “I have not seen bear shifters in many years. 
I thought their kind died out long ago.”

Abigail
traced the wounds on Val’s back and frowned when he shuddered.  “I’m
sorry, did that hurt?”

He shook
his head and took a few deep breaths.  The wounds were already healing, he
could feel the flesh starting to knit back together, and he was uncomfortably
aware of the softness of Abigail’s hands on his back.  It was all he could
do to stop himself from turning and kissing her.

“Oh my
God.”  Abby whispered weakly.  She watched as Val’s skin closed over
the puncture wounds.  She rubbed away the streaks of blood and shook her
head in amazement at the smoothness of his back.

“That’s so
cool.”  She muttered absently and he grinned before turning around to face
her. 

“Are you
sure you’re not hurt, little dove?”

She nodded. 
“I’m fine.”

Wesley and
Evan were crouching over Bill’s dead body and she sighed softly and joined
them.  Val watched as she rubbed first Evan’s back and then
Wesley’s.  His hands clenched into fists when Wesley hugged her tightly,
his large body shuddering against hers.

“I’m so
sorry, Wesley.”  She whispered.

He nodded
and she kissed his cheek lightly.  “Let me see your side.”

Blood was
seeping through his shirt and he lifted it gingerly.  Abby bent and
frowned at the slashes on his side.  “Oh, Wesley.”

“It’s not
as bad as it looks.”  He gritted out when she probed gently at the torn
skin.

“They’ll
need to be sewn up.”  She gave him a rueful look as he dropped his shirt.

She turned
to the young redhead.  “Evan?  Are you hurt?”

The
redhead, his freckles standing out from his pale skin, shook his head. 
“No.  The leech saved me.”

Faren
grinned and gave him a small salute.  “You’re welcome, human.”

The three
of them stood and Abigail slipped her arms around Wesley’s and Evan’s waists
and squeezed briefly, being careful not to touch Wesley’s wounds.  “We
need to bury him.”

“We should
go.”  Val said.  “There may be more.”

“We bury
him!”  Wesley snapped at him and Abigail rubbed his back soothingly.

“We will,
Wesley.” 

Val opened
his mouth to argue and she gave him a hard look and shook her head.  He
sighed harshly and walked away.

* * *

“You should
go and feed, Val.”  Abby said quietly.

She was
kneeling on the ground next to a stretched-out Wesley.  Evan was hovering
over them, holding a lantern as close to the big man’s side as he could, while
Abigail carefully sewed the man’s torn skin.