Bloodseeker - Colin's Conquest Part 9

Her long hair swung with Colin's steps and she felt the movement even before she awoke. Without opening her eyes, Joanna knew that she rode in Colin's arms. Blanketed with his warm strength, she felt safe and secure wrapped in his jacket and held tight against his rippling chest.

It seemed she always awoke in his embrace ... vampire arms holding her. A vampire carrying her through the thicket ... again.

Vampire ... vampire ... Colin.

Jingling keys woke her again as Colin s.h.i.+fted her weight to one arm and unlocked the door. Uh-oh, he only unlocked the doork.n.o.b. The dead bolt must still be dismantled.

Chancing a glance at his face, she sighed with relief to see that he looked over her at the door instead of down at her. His expression remained stony and unyielding, showing no emotion or vitality until he c.o.c.ked his head to peer down at her. Those splendid eyes brought vigor to his otherwise lifeless face. A beautiful shade of brown the color of semi-sweet chocolate, his pupils invisible in those dark irises making his eyes seem larger and somehow softer. With a touch of envy she noticed his eyelashes were longer than hers, thicker too.

How could she think of something so silly at a time like this? How could she think at all? What a paradox, this creature Colin! A ruthless killer, and he just saved her life, even though she defied him yet again by escaping. By all rights, she should be dead, but on the contrary, she felt better and better by the minute.

Colin brought her into the library, placed her on the couch and left the room without a word.

"Well!" How rude! Just as she settled back against the pillows he re-appeared, holding a gla.s.s of orange juice out to her.

"Drink this." He wrapped her hand around the small gla.s.s. Bending at the waist he peered into her face, searching her features.

What he looked for, she had no idea.

"Do you require anything more?" His words soft and warm as melted b.u.t.ter, dripping with concern.

He acted so strange. Nervous, she shook her head no. He straightened to his full height and stretched his neck from side to side.

"I must leave you now. Do not leave this cabin, Joanna." He turned to leave, but her question stayed him.

"Where ya goin'?"

He stared down at her, his arms crossed in front of his broad chest.

"Must I tell you? I am a blood seeker, you know, Joanna."

She felt her mouth drop open as he answered her inane question. Why did she have to ask? She found it hard to remember him as a monster when he appeared to be a normal man suffering with a pale complexion. If she stared at him long enough she observed he wasn't really human, but he remained handsome to her anyway. He started out of the room and checked himself, hesitating a moment as he brushed imaginary lint off his jacket, the same jacket she had worn only minutes ago.

"I do not enjoy it, I do what I must to survive." After delivering that telling statement he vanished from the room, once more leaving Joanna stunned and speechless.

How was she supposed to feel now? Was she developing Stockholm syndrome? Being attracted to her captor? Why did she not feel repulsed by him? By all rights, she should. Maybe she had lost her mind. She knew she should attempt escape again, but exhaustion invaded her body attempting to change her agenda. No, she would not succ.u.mb to the lethargy, she had to try anyway.

Rolling off the couch, she crawled to the back door and managed to stand by using the washer to pull herself up.

The world swam around her and for a moment she thought she would pa.s.s out, but after the initial vertigo pa.s.sed, she felt strong enough to open the door and walk out into the night air.

Something tickled her leg and glancing down she noticed a thin line of blood running down her calf. The puncture wounds where Colin bit her to remove the venom had reopened. He saved her life! But he could take it as well. In a way, He had already done that by taking her away from the life she had always known.

Without even thinking about what she was doing Joanna bent down, dipped her finger in the blood and put it into her mouth ... then her knees gave out and she fell to the ground. The swoon threatened to overpower her but she remained conscious by lying very still until the dizziness pa.s.sed.

But the blood ... so intoxicating!

No way she could escape right now ... just no way, but it was imperative that she get back to the sofa so HE wouldn't know she made the attempt. Let him believe that she'd given up. Let him believe that she was content to stay his captive. Let him believe what he wanted to believe! Then maybe she could be persuaded too. Vampires don't exist! She must be living out some long nightmare because everyone knows that there are no such things as vampires.

"No such things as vampires, no such things as vampires," she repeated her mantra as she pressed her fingertips to her closed eyes.

"Then how do you explain me?" Ben's voice ... so startling Joanna almost screamed and pushed her eyes out of their sockets.

"How do you explain the fact that I can hear the rapid heartbeat in your chest?"

She didn't care for his amused tone one bit. Joanna glared at the perky Ben.

"Why must you always sneak up on me, Ben? Do you wanna scare me to death?"

"Scare you, yes ... to death, definitely not!"

Looking into his grinning face, she saw nothing to lead her to believe he was anything but a man. He stood around six foot tall, not quite as tall as Colin, but a nice height anyway. This blonde devil with the cheeky baby face had extraordinary good looks, but then again, not quite as handsome as his maker. Colin's face was harder, and more angular, raw power covered with splendid flawless skin.

"How old are you, Ben?"

He crossed the room with unhurried steps, seated himself in the chair nearest to the sofa, and examined his fingernails, making her wait before he answered.

"I'm twenty-nine this year."

She gawked in amazement at his youthful face."But you look so much younger!" He chuckled and preened, combing his hair back and flipping his head until she laughed also.

"I'm serious.... Colin converted me when I had just turned twenty years old. As blood seekers, we age very slowly, or maybe not at all, because, I haven't noticed any changes in my appearance. Except of course, that I grow more handsome each day."

Joanna gagged. The strangled sound that flew from her throat struck her as hilarious and she started laughing, harder and harder, tears drowning her view of Ben as he tried so hard to remain stern in the face of her mockery.

"S ... S ... Sorry." She hiccupped and giggled once more.

"Really, I'm teasing. You are very handsome." Joanna's voice dripped with honey and it had the desired effect. Ben grinned back at her, his chest expanding before her eyes.

"Please don't make me gag again."

"Speaking of gagging, would you like something to eat?"

Joanna stared back at him, her eyes wide as she remembered the bacon and so-called eggs.

"Uh," she started, then clamped her lips together.

He left his chair, glanced into the kitchen then back at her.

"We have soup and a microwave."

Joanna relaxed, and grinned up at him as he towered over her, holding out his hand to help her up.

"Thanks, Ben. That would be great."

Ben helped her to the kitchen with an arm around her middle, his hand on her hip, but she said nothing. She planned to pay him back threefold when she no longer had to fight dizziness with every step. He left her after showing her where they stored the meager kitchen supplies and she nuked her soup and ate it in peace. After was.h.i.+ng her bowl and leaving it on the counter to dry, Joanna made her way, on her own, back to her room for a nice hot bath. She had to admit, having the comforts of home made her imprisonment much easier to bear.

As he neared the cabin, Colin's anxiety bloomed. What if that stubborn woman had crawled away in another hopeless escape attempt? Entering the kitchen, he listened for her and yes, two heartbeats within. His spirit soared. Following the steady beat, he found her lying across the bed, her hair wrapped in a towel, wearing the new bath robe that he left hanging on the back of the door for her. For a moment, he thought about waking her but changed his mind and just lifted the comforter up to her shoulders. Leaning over her, he put one hand on each side of her body and bent down to her flushed face. Inviting lips, oh so inviting! He could not resist touching his lips to hers, the most delicate of kisses ... she reacted and kissed him back.

Jumping away, he stared down at her, amazed.

Sound asleep and dreaming of her boyfriend, he told himself.

Spinning about, he left her room and dashed to his vault, ripping his clothes off as he made his way to the bathroom.

Jerking the handle right off the wall, he turned the taps on full blast and jumped in the shower to endure his first cold shower in over two hundred years.

Nine

"Yuckkkkk!" It felt like someone sprinkled sand in her eyes and s.h.i.+t in her mouth. Joanna sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes as she struggled to wake up. Glancing out the window, she noticed that once again, she slept the entire day away. She needed a watch, with an alarm on it.

"It is about time you woke.... "Ben broke off in mid-sentence, stared for a moment, then hurried to turn away .

"Pardon me..." He made a hasty retreat from her doorway.

What was wrong with that bewildering young man? What was he staring at? Did she look that awful? When she glanced down at her lap, she knew why he ran away. Her face flamed with embarra.s.sment. She sat there naked from the waist up, her bathrobe crumpled around her hips.

Joanna jerked the robe around her and thrust her arms into it as she made a dash to the dresser and the closet for some clean clothes. Then, she bolted into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. She had no idea how she ended up in bed half- naked. She couldn't remember anything past climbing in the bathtub.

A knock at the bathroom door startled her and she missed the leg opening in her underwear and fell against the wall.

"Joanna? Are you all right?" Colin's voice!

Her heart began to race. "I ... I'm fine."

"Are you quite sure? Do you need some a.s.sistance?" He rattled the doork.n.o.b and she missed the leg opening again.

"d.a.m.n! I'm fine, Colin. Really. I'll be out in a minute."

He didn't say anything for several minutes, but she knew he still stood there just on the other side of the door. She could feel his presence as tangible as the floor beneath her feet.

"Come into the kitchen when you are finished in there, Joanna. Make haste, for your dinner grows cold."

She froze. Oh No! She groaned and pulled her clothes on, praying the entire time for a bowl of soup. Maybe she could hide in the bathroom until they left! But Colin would probably come in after her. Filled with dread, she edged the bathroom door open.

No one there. She sniffed the air before she left the meager safety of the bathroom and relaxed a little when she didn't smell bacon frying. Thank goodness!

As she approached the kitchen, she overheard Colin talking.

"Why not? She slept for over eighteen hours. Do you not remember the human appet.i.te? She will be famished."

When she saw the paper sack on the counter, her stomach convulsed with hunger. She ran through the kitchen and dove into the bag, treating Colin with an ear to ear grin.

"Oh thank you, Colin! I'm starvin'. How thoughtful of you!"

The blood seekers exchanged glances over her head as she devoured the burger and fries in record time.

She couldn't believe she slept an entire day away. At least she felt much stronger now. Colin watched her with a strange expression staining his features.

"What's wrong? Do I have something on my face again?"At once his face lost all expression and his cold mask dropped into place.

"It is nothing. I am pleased with your ... resilience."

She eyed him, her head c.o.c.ked to the side, but said nothing. She hated that blank facade he chose to hide behind, like it shamed him to have any feelings whatsoever.

"May I have a c.o.ke?"

"Of course. You do not have to ask for food or beverage in this house, Joanna. Get whatever you desire."

She had to go around Ben to get to the refrigerator, and he averted his gaze from her, his cheeks tinged pink. He was more embarra.s.sed about seeing her naked than she was! She saw her chance to get him back for some of the frights he gave her, and she took it. Instead of going around him, she stopped beside him.

"Are you O.K. Ben? You look a little flushed."

His blush deepened. She would be willing to bet that he hadn't told Colin anything and didn't intend to. Grabbing his wrist, she held tight and stared into his face.

"Do your eyes hurt? They look a little, uh ... strained. Oh my, your pulse is positively racing, Ben!" He jerked his wrist out of her grasp and she snickered then whispered in his ear. "Gotcha!"

In a blur, he spun about and left the kitchen, Joanna's laughter following him like an inescapable shadow. She opened the refrigerator to get her c.o.ke and noticed several stacks of parcels wrapped in white paper at the very back of the top shelf.

"What was that all about, Joanna?"

Closing the door, she turned to look at Colin. "Oh nothin, I was just pickin on Ben. What's in those packages on the top shelf?"

Another strange look crossed his face.

"Microwave food, for Ben and myself."

"What kind of..."

"Never mind. Please join us in the library, Joanna. I have some work to do." He took her elbow and lead her out of the kitchen without giving her a chance to argue.

Dropping his hand from her arm when they reached the library, his fingers brushed her hip and the electric shock from his touch shot all the way down her leg and flew out from her toes. Joanna jumped away from him as if she'd really been electrocuted. She watched Colin's reaction and of course, nothing showed on his stoic face. He crossed the room with long purposeful strides and opened his roll top desk, then sat in his swivel chair and started pecking at his keyboard without a glance back at her.

Joanna stood just as he left her, staring at his back, waiting for the spasms in her muscles to stop. So unfair that he made her feel like this!

"Joanna."

The back of Colin's s.h.i.+rt blurred before her eyes and naughty visions of him striding toward her wearing nothing but a toothy grin wisped through her mind.

"Joanna."

His muscular legs seemed molded of liquid fire ... a fire that would burn her as those legs entwined with her own.