The Vampire's Kiss (Other World Series Book 1) (2 page)

She rolled her eyes.  “We killed five of
them tonight.  They will belong to a large nest.  We are too far west for them
to be striking out on their own.  The others in their nest will search for them
tomorrow night when they don’t return.  They will find the house easily.”

“This is all your fault!”  Erin suddenly
hissed at Abby.  “Val and the others should have let you die.  You’re going to
get us all killed!”

“Erin, enough!”  Maria said sharply.  She
turned to Abby.  “Ignore her.  She’s just frightened.”

“Why does it have to be a woman?”  Abby
asked quietly. “Can’t one of the men do it?”

Eone laughed, a tinkling soft sound that
made the hair on Abby’s arms stand up.  “The act of taking blood from a human
is a very sensual experience, Abby.  Once a vampire has fed from a human, there
is a connection between them that humans cannot resist.”

She drifted closer and stroked Abby’s soft
hair.  “Sometimes the act of feeding even leads to the act of lovemaking.  We
vampires are very aware of the needs of our humans.  We are attentive and
thorough lovers, Abby.”

Abby stared into Eone’s dark blue eyes.  An
ache was starting up in her pelvis and she wondered what it would be like to
press her mouth against Eone’s.  Wondered how it would feel to have Eone’s soft
hand squeezing her breast, her thumb rubbing against her nipple as Abby lifted
her neck and let the vampire drink from her. 

“Would you like that, Abby?  Would you like
to feel my touch?  I could make you feel so good if you’ll let me.”  Eone’s
fangs lengthened.  “The human males are not willing to feel such a connection,
a desire, for a male vampire so they will not help Val.  I, however, have no
issue with pleasing a female human.”

“Eone!”  Neil’s voice broke through the fog
that had drifted into Abby’s head and she took a step back as Eone tore her
gaze from hers.

“What?”  She asked petulantly.

“In case you’ve forgotten – Val is dying.” 
Neil glared at her.

Eone sighed.  “I have not forgotten.  But I
am thirsty.”

“Knock it off, Eone.”  Neil snarled.  He
turned back to the people grouped loosely together.  “Please, someone needs to
help him.”

“Forget it, Neil.”  Val said hoarsely.
“They will never agree to it.  They only let Eone and I stay because deep down
they’re afraid of us.”  He raised his head and bared his fangs at them.  “And
they should be.”

“Val!  You’re not helping.”  Neil moaned.  “Please. 
He has done so much for us.  Can not one of you – “

“I’ll do it.”

Her voice, low and husky, could barely be
heard.

Neil swivelled and stared at Abby.  “What?”

“I said I would do it.”

“Abby, honey, you’re tired and confused and
you don’t quite understand what this means.  If you let him feed from you,
there will be – be an obsession that you will not be able to control.”  Maria
squeezed her arm.  “You will yearn for him in ways that I cannot even begin to
explain.  You will need to leave our group until the obsession fades or risk
going mad.”

She hesitated and glanced at Val.  “Unless
Val continues to feed from you until we can find a safe place for you to – “

“I will not.”  Val interrupted darkly.

“You asshole!” Neil growled at him.  “She
is your only chance.”

Maria squeezed her arm again.  “You don’t
want to do this, Abby.”

“He saved my life in the forest.”  Abby
said.  “I owe him a debt.”

She stared distastefully at Val.  “Besides,
I’ve never obsessed over a man in my life and I’m certainly not going to start
with him.  I’ll be fine.”

“Thank you, Abby.”  Neil said gratefully.

Maria frowned at him. “We cannot let her do
this, Neil.  She doesn’t understand – “

“Quiet, Maria!  She’s made her choice.” 
Neil spat.

He grabbed Val and hauled him into a
sitting position.  “You just got lucky, Val.”

Val frowned as blood dripped down his face. 
“I do not want to feed from her.  She will taste bad.  The fat ones always do.”

Abby flushed a brilliant red and Neil
slapped Val viciously across the face.

“Shut your fucking face, Val!  This woman
is about to save your life and you’ll be grateful for it.”

He put his arm around Val and hauled him to
his feet.  He turned to Abigail.  “Follow me.”

* * *

Abigail watched nervously as Neil helped
Val lay down on the bed.  He turned on the lantern beside the bed and the room
was illuminated with a dim light.  He smiled at Abigail and patted the bed
beside Val.

“Lie down, Abby.”

She moved nervously across the room and lay
down beside Val’s body.  He stared at her as Neil patted her arm awkwardly. 
“Thank you for doing this.  He’s being an ungrateful bastard but trust me, he is
actually grateful.”

Abby nodded and felt a thin thread of fear
when Neil headed towards the door.  “Are you not staying?”

Neil shook his head.  “No.  Try and relax,
okay?  It will make it easier.”

He left the room and closed the door gently
behind him.

Val rose up on his elbow, wincing as the
wounds dripped fresh blood, and stared down at the clearly frightened woman. 
He didn’t want to feed from her.  It would be weeks before her need for him
wore off, if she didn’t go mad first, and he had no wish to have this fat human
pining after him, begging him to feed from her again, or worse – have sex with
her.

He sighed.  He had no choice.  He was
growing weaker by the hour and Neil was right – the wounds from the silver
would kill him if he didn’t feed.  He thought briefly of making it easier for
her, of using his powers to seduce and calm her, but dismissed it almost
immediately.  Sometimes a human’s need would be less if the feeding was
frightening and painful.  It wouldn’t kill her desire for him entirely, but it
might give him a moment or two of peace from her in the following weeks.

“Should I – do I do anything special.”  She
whispered.

He continued to stare at her.  She was not
unattractive, he thought wearily.  Her dark brown eyes were framed with long, thick
lashes and her skin was pale and blemish free.  His gaze dropped to her mouth. 
Her full pink lips were trembling and there was a strand of her dark hair
caught against them.

He brushed it away, rolling his eyes when
she flinched.  “Take off your shirt.”  He grunted.

She hesitated and he gave her an impatient
look.  “Do you want blood on it?”

She shook her head and quickly took it
off.  She lay back on the bed and gave him another nervous look.  Despite the
fact that her breasts were covered by her bra, she kept her arms crossed
tightly over them.

“Lift your head.”

She swallowed audibly and lifted her head,
turning her face away and closing her eyes.  He stared at her throat.  Her fear
was making her pulse pound and he could see it at the base of her throat.  Her
blood was calling to him and, without warning, he dipped his head and plunged
his fangs deep into her throbbing vein.

She cried out with pain and fear and he
clamped his arm down across her thick waist, pinning her to the bed as she
tried to struggle free.

Her blood filled his mouth, warm and rich
and tasting sweeter than any blood he’d ever tasted before.  He groaned as his
cock hardened in his pants and he pulled her closer.  He drank and drank as her
struggles weakened and she relaxed against the bed.  He couldn’t get enough of
her and as he swallowed her warm blood, feeling his wounds heal and his
strength come back, he tugged her arms away from her breasts and wormed his
fingers under her bra.  He cupped her naked breast.  It was warm and full and
he squeezed it gently, rubbing his thumb across her nipple.  It hardened
immediately and she moaned - a sound full of longing and need that made his
cock throb in response.

He pushed his thigh between her legs,
pressing it against her cunt and she squeezed his thigh tightly with hers,
rubbing her crotch against his leg like a cat in heat.  He continued to drink
long after his wounds had healed, as he cupped and caressed her firm breast. 

He could feel her pulse weakening and she
stopped squeezing his thigh and let her legs fall apart limply.  With a harsh
gasp he pulled his mouth free from her throat and moved his hand from her
breast.  Panting loudly, he stared down at the woman.  He had drunk so much of
her blood that she had fainted.  He stared at the holes in her neck, licking
her blood from his lips while his entire body screamed at him to continue.

With a loud grunt, he jumped off the bed
and backed away.  Jesus, he hadn’t lost control like that in centuries.  Even
from across the room her blood still called to him and before he could give in
to his urge and drain her completely, he turned and fled the room.

Abigail groaned and opened her eyes.  She
stared at the blue sky above her and realized that her bed was swaying gently. 
She could hear the snorting of horses and the low murmur of voices. 

She closed her eyes once more.  She was so
tired and she didn’t understand what was happening.  Where was she? 

“Abby?”  A woman’s soft voice forced her
heavy lids up once more and she stared blearily at the dark-haired woman.

“Maria.”  It all came back to her in a rush
of remembrance and she sighed as tears slipped down her cheeks.  She was in
hell.

“Don’t cry, Abby.”  Maria’s voice sounded
worried and she smoothed the hair back from Abby’s brow.  “You’re okay, my
love.  Don’t cry now.”

She opened her eyes and stared at Maria. 
“I’m not dreaming.”

“No, honey. You’re not.  I’m sorry.”

“Why am I so tired?”  She wanted to sit up
but she lacked the strength.

“Val took too much from you.  You’ll feel
better once you have something to eat and rest more.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s early morning.  Can you sit up, Abby? 
You need to drink some tea.  It will help restore your strength.”

With Maria’s help, Abby sat up.  She looked
around wearily.  She was in a wagon being driven by Neil.  The rest of the
group was walking, and talking softly amongst themselves.

“Where are we going?” 

“We need to keep moving.  We’re deep in
their territory, and it’s best if we get to the outskirts as quickly as
possible.”  Maria held a cup to her mouth.  “Drink this.”

Abby drank the thick, dark liquid.  It
tasted spicy and warm and she gulped it down eagerly. 

Maria smiled at her.  “That’s my good
girl.  Here, try eating this.”  She handed Abby a piece of dried meat.

Abby stared at it curiously.  “What kind of
meat is this?”

“Nothing you’ll know. Eat it, Abby.  It’s
rich with nutrients.”

Abby bit into the meat and chewed
gingerly.  It was tough but good, and she ate three pieces and drank another
cup of tea before Maria helped her to lie back down in the blankets.

“Go to sleep, Abby.  You’re safe with us.” 
Maria stroked her forehead and Abigail closed her eyes wearily and slept once
more.

When she woke for a second time, the sun
was nearly setting and the wagon was pulling to a stop in front of a large
house.  The place looked deserted and she sat up.  She was feeling less tired
and more like herself. 

“Where are we?”

Maria turned from where she was sitting
beside Neil.  “An abandoned house.  We’re going to stay here for the night.”

She hopped down from the wagon and Abby
squirmed past the supplies that were packed around her.  She climbed out of the
wagon, smiling gratefully at the young man who rushed forward and steadied her
when she staggered and nearly fell.

“Thank you.”

He smiled at her.  “You’re welcome.”

“I’m Abigail.”

“David.”

“It’s nice to meet you, David.” 

“You as well.”

Neil jumped out of the wagon and glanced at
the setting sun before looking at the bottom of the wagon.  Abby followed his
gaze and frowned a little.  She hadn’t seen many wagons but this one looked
strange to her.  There was a long wooden compartment attached to the bottom of
it and one side of it was on hinges.

“What is that?”

“It’s where Eone and Val sleep their
daysleep.”  Neil cleared his throat as Abigail paled and backed away from the
wagon.

“I don’t want him to touch me again.”  She
whispered.  She started to tremble, remembering the fear and the pain as he had
bitten into her.

It didn’t hurt for long
. 
You remember how good it felt when he touched your breast. 
You wanted him to fuck you, you know you did.

Maria gave Neil a confused look.  “Why is
she afr – “

The door to the compartment started to open
and Abigail backed up until she bumped into David.

Neil put his large hand on the door, holding
it shut for a moment.

“She should go in the house.”  He said
nervously, staring at Abby.

David nodded and held out his hand. “Here,
Abby, let me help you into the house.”  She took his hand and he led her up the
stairs of the porch and into the house.

Neil waited until she had disappeared into
the house and then lifted the side of the compartment.  Eone slid out, followed
by Val, and she stretched prettily.

She looked around curiously.  “God, I’m so
hungry.  I don’t suppose we’re near a village?”

Neil shook his head and she sighed.  “Ugh,
deer again.”

Val’s nose wrinkled and he leaned against
the wagon.  Eone looked back at him.  “Are you coming?”

He shook his head.  “No.”

“Suit yourself.”  She shrugged and
disappeared in a flash of light.

“Show off.”  Val muttered.  Although he
could move much faster than a human, at nearly seven hundred years old Eone had
perfected the ability to shift from one spot to another within seconds. 

He realized Neil was frowning at him. 
“What?”

“You almost killed her.”

He rolled his eyes.  “Not even close,
Neil.  She had plenty of blood left.”

“Why did you take so much from her?”

“I was badly injured remember?”

“You didn’t need to take that much.”  Neil
gave him a look of disgust.

Val shrugged.  “I’ll apologize to her.”  He
looked around.  Most of the group was unloading the wagon but Abby was nowhere
to be seen.

“She’s in the house.  Stay away from her,
Val.”

Val licked his lips.  “She’s not going to
stay away from me, Neil.  You know that.”

“You don’t have to make it any harder on
her than it already will be.  Avoid her as much as you can.”  He clapped Val on
the shoulder and lifted a box of bedding from the back of the wagon.

Val grunted in reply and stared into the
woods.  He was hungry, despite the large amount of Abby’s blood he had taken
last night, but he didn’t want deer.  He wanted more of Abby.  Her blood had
been deliciously sweet, and remembering the way she had moaned when he cupped
her breast had his dick hardening in his pants.

He shook himself.  He was being ridiculous. 
She was a chubby human who would most likely be dead within the month.  The
ones that came from her world never lasted long in his.  Still, he couldn’t
help but remember the way her dark lashes had looked against the paleness of
her skin.  Her skin had been so smooth and soft.

He swallowed thickly.  She would not be
able to resist him and when she came to him and begged him to touch and kiss
her, to bite her, he would do it.  He was doing the chubby human a favour
really.  She would go mad if he didn’t.  He would drink her sweet blood each
night and when they finally got back to civilization, they would dump her with
the other humans and she would forget him.

“Abby, do you want to share this room with
me?”  Maria examined the small bedroom.  It had two twin beds in it and had
obviously been a bedroom for children.

Abby nodded as she peered into the room. 
“Why do you think this house was abandoned, Maria?”

Maria sighed.  “Many of the houses in this
area were abandoned when the leeches took over this part of the territory.  It
was quite a few years ago and their numbers have dwindled significantly since
then, but most people never returned to their homes.”

“Or they were killed by the vampires.” 
David said softly.

“Aye, that’s true.”  Maria agreed.

Abby felt a shiver go through her.  “Why
are you travelling through here?”

David put down the bag he was carrying. 
“Our village was overtaken by the leeches.  Those of us who escaped the carnage
had no choice but to travel this way.  We’re going to Karna.  It is a larger
city and more secure.”

Abigail frowned.  There were only fifteen
humans in the group and she had a sudden bad feeling.  “How big was your
village?”

David glanced at Maria.  “There were 125 of
us.”

“Oh my God.”  Abby whispered.  “You’re all that
survived?”

Maria nodded and sat down on one of the
beds.  “It was a very large pod of leeches.  If it hadn’t been for Eone and
Val, none of us would have lived.”

“Is that why you’re travelling with them?” 
Abigail asked.  Her hand moved to her neck and she touched the two small holes
on her throat.

Maria smiled at her.  “Eone and Val have
sworn allegiance to the humans.  They have turned from their own kind and will
never harm us.”

“Why did they leave the other vampires?”

“Each of them has their own reason and it
is not mine to share.”  Maria smiled at her before standing and clapping her
hands briskly.  “Enough talk for now.  You need to have more to eat and drink. 
You’re still much too pale.”

She turned to David.  “Will you keep an eye
on her?  Stay with her and help to distract her?”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”  Abigail
frowned.

“I know that.”  Maria replied.  “But, Abby,
please believe me when I tell you that you do not understand what will happen
when you see Val.  David is big and strong and will help you to stay away from
Val, won’t you, David?”

“Aye, I will.”  David replied solemnly.

“Why are you afraid of Val?”  Maria asked
suddenly.  “Once a vampire has bitten a human, they’re not usually afraid of
them.”

“I’m not afraid of him.”  Abigail lied. 
“He insulted me and nearly killed me by drinking too much.  I don’t want him
near me again.  And don’t worry, I can control myself.  Trust me.”

“I know you believe that, Abby but…” She
trailed off and gave David a helpless look.

David took Abigail’s hand in his. 
“Abigail, come to the kitchen with me and I’ll make you some tea.”

He led her from the bedroom as Maria followed. 

* * *

He smelled her before he saw her.  He
inhaled deeply, a small smile playing on his lips, as the flow of her blood
sang sweetly to him.

Patience, Val.  She will come to you
soon enough.

“Val?”  Neil put his hand on his arm as he
glanced past Val’s shoulder.  “Stay away from her. She’s made it clear she
doesn’t want you to touch her again.”

Val grinned at him, his fangs flashing in
the dim light.  “I will not have to go near her, Neil.  She will come to me and
I will not deny her what she wants.”

“Why the sudden change?  You were adamant
yesterday that you wouldn’t feed from her again.”

Val shrugged.  “Perhaps my time with the humans
has returned a spark of my own humanity.  I will feed from her like she will
beg me to.  I would think my decision would please you.  Unless you want to
watch the poor girl go mad?”

He could sense her in the room and he
winked at Neil before turning around.  He could feel his fangs lengthening in
anticipation and he reminded himself to stay calm.  Her blood had been
incredibly sweet, even frightened half to death.  Tonight he would seduce her,
bring her pleasure, and her blood would be unimaginably tastier.  He could
almost taste the thick, salty sweetness.

David was leading Abby into the room.  He
was gripping her hand tightly and nearly yanking her across the room toward the
kitchen and Val grinned a little.  He understood what the boy was trying to do
but it was pointless.  The moment Abigail saw him she would do whatever it took
to get to him.

His smile widened when Abigail’s head
turned in his direction.  She stared at him, her dark brown eyes sliding across
his face, before moving to Neil standing beside him.  She smiled briefly at
Neil and without hesitating followed David into the kitchen.

Val’s mouth dropped open as Maria crossed
the room and joined them.  Her round face mirrored his own surprise and she
stared at Neil.

“Did you just see that?”  She whispered.

Neil nodded as Val closed his mouth with a
snap.

“Did she – did she just ignore me?”  He
could hardly spit the words out.

Neil burst into loud laughter and clapped
Val so hard on the back the vampire staggered forward.  “Welcome to my world,
my blood-sucking friend.”

“It is impossible.  She should be –“

“Begging you to fuck her?”  Neil asked
crudely.

Maria slapped him lightly on the arm. 
“Don’t be rude, Neil.”

Val was staring at the kitchen doorway and
spoke absentmindedly.  “Perhaps it is because I did not seduce her first. 
Perhaps her fear from last night has somehow blocked her need for me.”

Maria turned on him, her face red with
fury.  “You didn’t calm her first?  You just bit her without using your powers
to reassure and soothe her?  You asshole!”  She punched him hard on the chest. 
“Why would you do that to the poor girl?  She offered to save your life, and
you repay her by biting into her while she was frightened and confused?  Then
you nearly killed her by drinking from her!  You selfish fucking leech!”