Bloodseeker - Colin's Conquest Part 2

With exaggerated slow movements, he bent his head down to hers and pressed his lips to her soft mouth. Then just when he thought she surrendered to him, she snapped her teeth on his lower lip. He cried out more from surprise than from pain and instinctively pushed her away from him as he grabbed for his throbbing lip. The little human woman had drawn blood from him!

Enraged, he turned to give chase to that she-devil, but he took only one step when she sealed her own fate.

In her panic, she stumbled over a fallen branch and crashed headlong into a rather large pine tree, rendering herself unconscious.

She lay sprawled at the foot of the tree, her arms outstretched in front of her as if she tried to catch herself at the last moment, but her heightened fear and her momentum proved too great. The tree did what he wanted to do when she bit him, only now he could do what he wanted to anyway.

Too bad she couldn't hear him laugh ... he really wished she could.

Three

Warmth and wetness on the back of her hand. Slurping. The cat? Why did Patches lick her hand? The dream hurt!

She struggled to swim through the thick blackness, her limbs sluggish and numb, wanting to give up, but she persevered and broke through the surface. Her heavy lids lifted and through the small slits she saw him, the young hunter, right in front of her! He raised his eyes to meet hers. Oh those blazing blue eyes!

Finally she awakens. He began to think he would have no fun with her at all before he killed her. The corners of his mouth lifted in a slight smile, breaking the suction on her hand and the deep scratches began to ooze, flowing down to her wrist.

Weighted, powerless, in a dreamy state, she seemed unable to move. His smile still in place, he stuck out his tongue and ran it over her hand, licking the blood from her skin, a look of intense pleasure on his luminous face. He bent so close to her that she saw the blood sliding over the tiny b.u.mps on his tongue, mixing with his saliva and spreading over his tongue onto his teeth and farther into his glistening mouth.

The wounds closed, her blood clotting and he lifted his upper lip revealing two long eyeteeth, white and s.h.i.+ny.

Her dream state vanished in an instant. Her eyes flew open wide and she struggled to sit up, jerking her hand away from his mouth and those keen teeth. She stared into his pale face, her body trembling...

"Holy s.h.i.+t, are you for real?" Her broken whisper fought to escape through her swollen lips.

His head began to ache, right behind his eyes but he tried to hide it from her, difficult as it was. Her blood sang to him and distracted him from the pain that grew more intense as Joanna became more lucid. He shook his head several times as if to flip the hair back out of his eyes, but it didn't help. Willing himself to forget about the headache, he gazed back down at his captive audience.

"Welcome back Joanna! I'm so happy to see you're awake!" His soft, singsong voice danced from his lips but it didn't charm her at all. In fact, her pale face turned a bit green then she recovered in a flash.

"How do you know my name?"

She gawked at him, her eyes traveling from his mouth to her wounded hand and back again to his sensuous mouth.

"Your wallet, of course." An obvious lie.

The real danger of her situation blew away any remaining fogginess in her brain and the fight or flight response kicked in with a vengeance. She would not go down without one h.e.l.l of a fight.

"I've got good news for you, little wild cat."

As soon as he started to speak, she rolled away from him and attempted to flee. Without even pausing in his sentence, he extended one powerful arm, pus.h.i.+ng her back down onto the bed, holding her there with ease.

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm trying to talk to you and I'd appreciate it if you would lie still and be quiet."

"Go to h.e.l.l!"

She gathered her strength and packed it into one great kick with both her feet. It felt like kicking the side of a house! Her attacker didn't move, didn't even flinch, but instead continued grinning down at her as he slid his body over hers. His movements seemed effortless and fluid, like water flowing over a cliff. He lay p.r.o.ne on top of her body holding her still with his extraordinary strength and continued speaking to her as if nothing had happened, the epitome of serenity.

"As I was saying before, I've got good news for you.""What are you?"

He ignored her question.

"I'm not going to toy with you like I had originally planned. Although I have to admit, you squirming around beneath me is highly stimulating."

"Get off me you a.s.shole!"

"Since you are immune to my hypnotic powers..."

"f.u.c.k your powers!"

".... and recently you've developed such vulgar language, I've decided you are too much of a pain in my backside to continue dallying with you."

She attempted to spit in his face, but not a drop of moisture remained in her mouth, dry as the Texas prairie in August. She could swear she even tasted the dust.

"Let me go, you lunatic!"

Again he ignored her remark and smiled down at her, his lips wide, teeth bared.

Could those be fake fangs? What a pervert. But they look so realistic ... oh s.h.i.+t ... oh no ... they are real! Oh s.h.i.+t, he is real!

The first twinges of hysteria gathered in her gut as she realized that rape may not be the only thing this man planned for her, though that alone frightened her enough. On top of that, was he even an actual man? Would he call himself a vampire? Her eyes bulged from their sockets as she stared at his formidable fangs, real fangs, and for the first time in her life, she found herself at a loss for words. But on the other hand, she fought to prevent an out of control giggling fit as she imagined him leaned back in a dentist's chair having those teeth cleaned.

With slow, almost demure movements, the vampire/man/lunatic settled closer and her panic rose, the serene look to his features more frightening than a scowl.

She struggled with renewed vigor, kicking and screaming to a deaf audience. His tranquil expression never wavered as she fought in vain and with little effort, he nudged her head over with his chin as if to kiss her ear.

"I did tell you that it excites me when you struggle, so please continue to do so. I love it, really, I do."

His muscular arms and legs locked to her body, preventing any movement, and his crus.h.i.+ng weight barely allowed her to even draw a breath. Only then did he drive his fangs into her neck, hitting the pulsing artery.

The twin shafts of burning pain seared into her and she could feel his pull all the way to her fingertips as he siphoned the blood from her protesting veins.

"No!"

He stopped and whispered against her skin, "Yes ... oh yes!" The movement of his lips sent chills down her arms and she knew he saw the gooseflesh because he snickered.

"I knew you would enjoy it, wild cat." He locked his lips back to her throat and moaned in ecstasy as his mouth filled with her intoxicating blood.

She wanted to tell him revulsion caused the chills, a far cry from pleasure in her mind, but queasiness kept her from speaking or even struggling. Joanna's head lolled to the side as she weakened under the blonde vampire's onslaught. The front door stood open and through the screen she saw the full moon hanging low in the sky. The sight of the moon somehow revitalized her for a brief moment, and seconds before she fainted from the loss of blood, her mouth flew open of it's own volition and she called out loud and clear.

"Colin!"

Ben recoiled, leaping off the bed to stare slack-jawed down at her. Her once golden complexion faded to a sickly pale yellow and her chest barely rose with each shallow breath. As he stared the thirst in him broiled, demanding the satisfaction that only her death would bring. Fighting his nature, he grasped her by the shoulders, shaking her, screaming in her face.

"Why did you say that? Why did you say the name, Colin? Who is he to you? Answer me d.a.m.n it! Wake up.... wake up!"

He growled in frustration and hunger. The woman would not awaken and the thirst became a pain gnawing at his insides. How could she know his Colin? It had to be a mere coincidence. Probably her boyfriend's name, so many Colins in the world. Even as the thoughts crossed his mind, he knew he fooled himself. He just knew she called Colin, his creator, Colin...

Ben's gut instinct screamed for him to run far away from this woman, but the primal urge for blood defeated his conscience and fangs distended, he bent to her throat once more...

"Benjamin! NO!" He felt the mighty hand on the back of his neck and his feet left the floor. It could only be his Creator. He knew before his feet again touched the floor what he would see when he turned around.

They stood facing one another, Ben fighting the thirst with all his power as he stared into Colin's dark smoldering eyes.

It's over now.

He thought for sure he would soon be destroyed. Colin's punishment would be severe. Amazed that he drew breath still, he clutched his stomach to squash the pain and watched with total surprise as Colin turned away from him to look with tenderness at the woman he almost killed.

s.h.i.+t, it is her, this Joanna, she is his chosen one, that extra something he sensed but could not categorize, Colin's touch, his mark.

How could this happen? What were the odds? Why with all the victims in the world that he had to choose from had this one woman been the one? Death, he deserved it. Through eyes clouded with thirst, he saw his creator's long elegant fingers trail down the side of the woman's face and neck, stopping at the puncture wounds, circling them, first clockwise then counter-clockwise. Ben felt the violent urge to be sick.

"What have you done, young one?" The anguish and the restrained fury evident even in Colin's quiet words and Ben's heart froze with dread ... leaden glacial dread. Joanna didn't stir, her skin pale, except for the hollows under her eyes where the blue tint marred her marble complexion. She appeared to be near death and Ben felt overcome with shame. How could he not know?

He wanted to go to Colin and apologize, beg forgiveness, but terror kept his legs stiff, refusing to obey, to move towards him and grovel. A good thing, the terror ... it also kept the raging thirst reined in, even as it ate him alive from the inside. The curse of immortality. The curse she brought back to the surface when she elbowed him in the gut and made him lose his previous meal. He didn't mean for this to happen at all. d.a.m.n her. She was supposed to be his conquest, his lover, not his meal.

With a quick twirl on his heel, Colin spun around to face him. Here it comes, at least make it a quick death. The expression on Colin's face was, as usual, unreadable. To Ben's amazement, his features softened as he examined him. Could it be that the powerful Colin sensed his neophyte's anguish and understood?

"How were you to know, Ben? She did not even know herself that she is my chosen one." His soft-spoken words had a calming effect, but Ben still doubled over and groaned as the gnawing in his gut grew more ferocious. Colin's gentle touch on his shoulder brought him around. He raised his head to see Colin's arm extended toward him, palm up, his sleeve rolled back to expose the extraordinary veins pulsing in his wrist.

"Come, young one, I will ease your suffering."After all I've done ... drink from you? Ben stared at the throbbing bluish veins with hunger then he met Colin's luminous eyes ...

the almost imperceptible nod of his creator's head, answering his unspoken questions.

"You must hurry, Ben. Joanna needs me also."

Ben needed no further prompting. Holding Colin's arm with reverence, Ben brought the wrist to his mouth, hesitating as he felt the raw power surging through the elder blood seeker's body. Heart swelling with love as he drank, Ben cradled Colin's arm against his face.

Colin, his creator, his savior....

Something broke into his swoon. Colin's other hand rested on his head and he eased his wrist out of Ben's grasp. Don't let it stop!

Please!

"No more Ben. The Creator spoke in his ear as he patted him on the side of his head and left him to minister to Joanna.

Joanna, Joanna ... a pretty name, a happy name. How he hoped she would live to continue with her pretty, happy name. Ben prayed she would survive and he prayed she would not remember him. Her life and his also would never be the same again. He watched as Colin leaned over the bed where Joanna lay unconscious, and then he closed his eyes and prayed to every G.o.d, G.o.ddess and omnipotent ent.i.ty he could remember.

Lifting the limp Joanna in his arms, Colin could not resist holding her close to his chest and listening to her labored breathing. An unexpected tender feeling of protectiveness washed over him as he examined her pallid features. Her dark hair and lashes struck a vibrant contrast to her creamy pale complexion.

Fighting a spark of anger, Colin addressed Ben without lifting his gaze from Joanna's face. "You are never again to touch her, understand my neophyte?" A deaf man could hear the restrained fury behind those words. Without waiting to hear Ben's nervous apology, Colin s.h.i.+fted Joanna's weight to one arm, pushed open the door, then stopped to turn back into the room.

He surveyed her small cabin. Suitcases and personal articles strewn about, the cat hiding under the bed, the bird sitting, without a care, in his cage on the small round kitchen table. A slight frown upset Colin's otherwise bland expression then he grabbed the birdcage off the table, disturbing the parrot within who squawked a loud protest.

From the porch, he called back to Ben.

"Benjamin, bring the remainder of Joanna's belongings, including the frightened feline, to our home ... then I want you to go grocery shopping for our guest. I believe we have no human sustenance at our home, and she will need it to regain her strength. Do it posthaste Ben, my blood will not hold you for long, then you must find food of your own." His last words floated back to Ben from the woods. Colin started back to his cabin at a dead run.

In her dream, Joanna felt cold on one side and warm on the other. She snuggled closer to the warmth in her floating state. The clamminess of her skin faded as someone held a warm drink to her lips. She drank long and deep, feeling warmer with every swallow, and stronger...

Opening her eyes she glimpsed the twinkling stars above, peeking through the treetops. To her left a pair of blazing orbs studied her then left her face to scan the darkness ahead. She sensed the menace, the strength, in those eyes, but when they veered her way, she felt a dreamy contentment, oblivion, then nothing.

Colin strode into the house, dropping the bird off in the washroom, and then carrying his unconscious handful into the guestroom. A guest in the guest room, there's a first time for everything.

With infinite care he placed her on the bed and removed her dirty blue running shoes. He pulled the blanket over her and gazed into her shadowed face. So still, so close to losing her, but she would make it, through this and through the transformation, he would see that she did! She moaned, a small sound that clutched at his heart and her face grew flush as his infusion reached her bloodstream.

Padding across the room, Colin retrieved a damp washcloth from the adjoining bathroom and brought it to her bedside. She seemed to relax some as he applied the cool cloth to her cheeks and forehead, and her soft moans ceased.

Reminded once more of how close to death she came at the hand of his own foolish pupil, he clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth together in fury. Just a few more moments and Ben would have drained her. Any blood seeker, no matter how young, could empty his quarry in a matter of minutes. As he gazed upon her fragile form Colin forced himself to be calm, to cool his ire. His young Ben was too inexperienced to recognize the touch of a creator on his chosen one, and he must be forgiven for his mistake. Colin had no idea if even he would recognize the touch of another creator on one he had chosen to recreate in his image. The young one had not abused her. He simply fed on her, the forbidden blood irresistible to him.

Even the wound on her hand appeared clean, placed with care to achieve maximum blood flow with the least amount of tearing in her delicate feminine skin.

Colin heard the subject of his thoughts approaching the cabin. The lock turned, the door opened, and he heard the soft sound of the cat's agile paws. .h.i.tting the floor as Ben entered their lair.

Seconds later, he came into the bedroom, his arms full of Joanna's things. His glance flew to the girl's face as soon as he entered and Colin could see some of the tension leave his pupil's body when he realized she still lived.

"Did you expect any less of me, young one?"

"No, oh no Colin," Ben whispered so he wouldn't wake Joanna. "I'm just surprised she's not up dancing about the room by now!"

Colin frowned but said nothing, purposely making the young blood seeker nervous once more. Ben cleared his throat and looked around the room, anywhere but at Colin's face.

"Well, it's off to the supermarket I go." Ben turned with supernatural speed to leave the room. Mortal eyes would not have seen him leave but Colin did, and he saw the slight frown marring Ben's usually sunny smiling face. He sighed as he went back to tending Joanna's wounds, all anger at his neophyte gone for good. Ben wouldn't be so worried if he knew how much his creator loved him, but that was something he would never discover because Colin kept his feelings well hidden, buried beneath his cool emotionless facade.

After cleaning Joanna's wounds and daubing them with iodine, he placed gauze on her neck and hand then fastened it in place with strips of white first aid tape. Although unnecessary to prevent infection or stop bleeding, the bandages covered the lacerations and punctures so she wouldn't see them and become even more frightened. Ben's extraordinary saliva killed any germs in the wounds, but Colin enjoyed ministering to Joanna in this manner.

Joanna awoke but didn't move or open her eyes. She luxuriated in the sensuous pleasure of gentle fingers brus.h.i.+ng against her throat. Curious to see the administrator, she cracked her eyelids just enough to see without alerting her medic. Peeking through her lashes she caught a glimpse of the most gorgeous man she'd ever had the good fortune to meet. I must have suffered a severe head trauma. No real person looks like that. I'm seeing things, that's it!

The moment he entered her line of vision it almost took her breath away. His face, so ... perfect, lean but not emaciated, with high cheekbones, a straight nose and strong angular jaw. The pale skin flawless, no blemishes, no pimples, no razor stubble and it appeared almost translucent, such that it seemed if she stared long enough she would look through it at the muscles and tendons beneath.

With her eyes cracked open, she couldn't tell if his dreamy eyes were coal black or the darkest of browns, but they did cast a radiance not unlike the glowing embers in a dying campfire. She resisted the urge to reach up and touch his hair to see if the long black curls felt as soft as they appeared. As she examined his hair, she felt a fleeting spark of recognition, too fleeting to be believable. How could she forget meeting this handsome creature? No way!

"Do you like what you see Joanna?" Whisper quiet words, but he startled her nonetheless. Her eyes flew open at the sound of his voice, her temples throbbing with the accelerated beat of her heart.

"Relax little one..." His words floated around her, touching her skin with light, misty strokes. "Relax, you are safe..." To her surprise, his soothing voice worked better than sedation, calming her anxiety, reining in her racing pulse to a slow trot.

She inhaled and blew out, then gazed up into those deep brown eyes, yes they were brown, she could see that now, a beautiful shade so deep that it was almost black, but the way they glimmered it brought out the deep chocolate l.u.s.ter. She could lose herself in his eyes. She had to jerk her head away to stop staring at them.

"How did you know I was awake?" Amazing that her voice only trembled a little bit as she spoke.

He reached for her uninjured hand and held it in a loose grip, giving it a light squeeze before he smiled down at her. "I am very observant."

Once again his eyes captured hers and she couldn't tear her gaze away from his handsome face. She didn't realize that her mouth hung open until she heard his soft laugh. Her face flamed and she snapped her mouth shut, but still she watched his every move. He gathered up his medical supplies and stood towering over the bed observing her as she watched him. It made her dizzy to look up at him so she finally had to break the stare and look away. Joanna struggled to sit up, but found herself too weak to rise. Is this a hospital? It sure didn't look like one.