Bride of Blood:: First Kiss (31 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rena, was still breathing heavily as she felt her back and dipped her fingers into the blood.
 
She put it in her mouth and sucked it from her fingers.
 
Her palms had been healed of the wounds that she had made, but there was still blood on the sheets.
 
She got off the bed and ripped the sheet off.
 
Then she wiped her back with it, and then tossed it on the floor next to her panties.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton was on his back and was barely conscious.
 
Rena lay down with him and placed her head on his chest.
 
Anton kissed her on her lips and he pulled the blanket over them.
 
Anton’s body was as hard as ever, but it had lost some of its heat from the love-making and from his own orgasm.
 
She would have to make sure she fed him first thing when they woke up.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rena felt herself begin to drift off, but before she did she whispered, “You know we’ll have to do this again sometime, right?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton answered, “Oh yes we will.”
 
Then he fell asleep.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rena snugged up to him closer.
 
If she had the chance, she knew that she could tame this rogue vampire.
 
For a second she felt sad that he was leaving her.
 
She knew that his heart truly belonged with Velara.
 
She had never cared for her and truly didn’t see what Anton saw in her.
 
But it was his life, and his heart that was leading him.
 
Someday when his other head started leading him again, it would bring him right back to her bed.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
With a smile she fell asleep.
 
For this day, she would keep Anton.
 
In a short time he would belong to Velara.
 
She had foreseen it.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A few days later Anton awoke and made his way into the city.
 
It was the usual hustle and bustle of any city:
 
people everywhere going every which way.
 
As usual, no one really took any notice of him as the city usually held characters much stranger and more exotic than himself.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He walked mindlessly through the downtown area, past expensive stores, high-end restaurants, and endless taxis and valet parking.
 
As he left the alluring lights and illusions of downtown, he noticed that it grew much quieter.
 
More storefronts were either closed with FOR SALE OR LEASE signs in the windows rather than merchandise.
 
There were fewer and fewer working street lights, too.
 
A darkness hung over the streets, and the sounds of bustling rats and other rodents replaced the carefree chatter of the city’s elite.
 
This is the real city, Anton thought sadly.
 
The part of town you only hear about on the ten o’clock news when a shooting or a robbery happens.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton could feel some love in the air, though.
 
He knew there were some good, hard working people that lived behind those doors and barred windows.
 
Most people just got the wrong idea because they believed everything they saw on TV.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Because the night was cold and breezy, there wasn’t a lot of activity on the streets.
 
Most of the noises he heard with his vampiric ears was city wildlife, not people.
 
Occasionally he heard muffled conversations from inside the buildings, but nothing really ear-catching.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
His mind started to wander.
 
He thought of Africa and Lady Bernadine.
 
It had been so warm there in the compound and in Lady Bernadine’s arms.
 
Not that the cold bothered him because he rather enjoyed it.
 
It was just that his visit was so brief and not too happy.
 
Because of the eventual onset of war, he hadn’t even been able to make love to her.
 
That was pretty much a given that he would find himself in her bed sometime during a visit.
 
But this visit was different.
 
Everything was different.
 
Chances were good that things would never go back to the way they used to be.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He thought of Christina Michelle.
 
Her bed had been so warm, too.
 
He thought of her beautiful eyes and her soft lips.
 
Would he ever see her again?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He thought of Alexander and Rachael.
 
That brought a smile to his face.
 
He missed them, dearly.
 
Then he thought of Shannon and her terrible death.
 
Could her death have something to do with this war?
 
It seemed a possibility.
 
It wouldn’t be the first time that Drago and The Order of the Dragon needlessly killed mortals that they considered to be collateral damage.
 
Her death seemed too convenient and too much of a coincidence.
 
He made a mental note that he would really look into it when he was able to return home.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Suddenly a scream brought him back to reality.
 
It was a woman’s scream, of that he was positive.
 
It came from a block away and from the echo he determined that it came from an alley.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Knowing that time could be of the essence, he took off in the direction of the scream.
 
In a matter of seconds, he came to the alley and heard sounds of a struggle.
 
He peered through the darkness and saw a woman being attacked.
 
He couldn’t make out any details of her or her attacker, and he didn’t try.
 
All he knew was that he had to act quickly.
 
He couldn’t save Shannon, but he could save this woman.
 
She would not have the same fate as Shannon did.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In an instant Anton was upon the attacker.
 
He threw the man against the unforgiving concrete wall of the building.
 
He heard the sound of breaking bones, but he knew the blow was not enough to kill the man.
 
He reached down and picked him up with one hand, his eyes blazing yellow and fangs bared.
 
The attacker was scummy-looking white guy with a 2-3 day growth of beard.
 
He could smell alcohol on his breath and a vile heart pumping in his chest.
 
He could also read thoughts that told him this scumbag had killed before.
 
Satisfied, Anton dug his fangs into the man’s neck.
 
Blood soaked with alcohol flowed easily, sometimes too easily.
 
He looked like Radu as the man’s blood splashed all over the outside of his mouth and face.
 
Disgusted he ripped out the man’s throat and flung his lifeless body into a collection of garbage cans.
 
Rats and feral cats ran screaming in all directions.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton’s head was swimming as his body tried to ingest the blood.
 
Blood with too much alcohol also made a vampire feel its effects.
 
Anton suddenly felt like he was drunk as the alley started to spin around and he felt himself back up against the wall.
 
The Rush wasn’t its usual joyful experience.
 
Actually it wasn’t a rush at all, more like a drunken stupor.
 
Then he felt nauseated and vomited.
 
He breathed heavily as he wretched.
 
Too much alcohol.
 
How the son-of-a-bitch had even been able to stand, much less attack a woman was beyond him.
 
As he finished, he felt a little relief.
 
Obviously, his body had not been able to take any nourishment from the blood at all.
 
Still the attacker was dead.
 
One less scumbag mortal in the world.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Always the knight in shining armor, aren’t you…Anton?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The voice brought Anton back to reality.
 
He’d forgotten about the woman until she spoke.
 
How did she know his name?
 
As his vision cleared he suddenly realized who she was.
 
Velara.
 
She looked the same as she had more than 150 years ago.
 
The same dark eyes.
 
The same long braids.
 
And most of all, that wonderful smile.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Velara,” he said with a smile.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She nodded as they ran into each other’s arms.
 
They stood there in that dirty alley just like that for several moments, not caring about anyone of anything else.
 
Then they kissed.
 
It was as if they were both kissing for the first time in their lives.
 
The time that they had spent apart went away.
 
They were together, again.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
They didn’t speak very much as they left the alley, arm in arm.
 
Velara put her head on Anton’s shoulder as they made their way back to the downtown area.
 
They were simply taking in each other.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton finally broke the silence when he asked, “Have you fed yet, my love?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Oh yes,” she replied.
 
“Not too long ago.
 
That reminds me, dear, you’d better call The Cleaners and have them take care of that guy.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He nodded.
 
Then he asked, “Exactly what were you doing in that alley, anyway?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She laughed, “I was trying to get dessert until you interrupted.
 
So, you owe me.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He laughed, too, as he quickly made the necessary call.
 
The Cleaners weren’t too pleased with having the pick up a body in that particular part of town.
 
But Anton promised to pay them handsomely as soon as he could, so that shut them up.