Emerald Eyes (18 page)

“Rachmaninoff,” she said.

“Ah!” he said, very pleased. “You know your music…just like Mattie.”

“She’s the one who taught me to love it.”

“I’m not surprised.” He scooped her up in his arms again and flashed her to the basement, where the music came through speakers on the ceiling corners.

“You never cease to amaze me,” she said.

“I’m sure you will get bored with me after a few hundred years or so,” he said with a teasing smile.

“A few hundred years!” The reality of it suddenly sank in. “Wow!”

“Since you are going to join me in the ranks of the undead, my sweet, I should tell you a few things.” He took her hand and led her to the bed, gave it a pat for her to sit down beside him, and she did. “To begin with, vampires can be killed. But not easily. There are only a few ways that we can die… And I say we…because you will soon be a vampire too.”

She nodded, listening intently.

“We have to lose our heads…Can be burned to death, but one has to be able to trap us long enough to accomplish that, which is no easy task. And, for young vampires, staked. Older vampires like me, only turn to stone when staked. Then there is vervain which can make young vampires really sick, render them pretty much helpless. But for myself, being over five hundred years old, it only makes me a little sick at my stomach. That’s about it. Otherwise, we are invincible. We don’t succumb to disease, no illness of any kind…Other than the vervain, of course.”

“What about werewolves?”

“They are much stronger than humans. Can be a hell of a challenge for young vamps. And, like vampires, the longer they’ve been werewolves, the stronger they are. Chuck could be a worthy opponent for me. He’s been a werewolf for a while. I am still stronger than he, though. The element of surprise would almost be necessary for him to beat me. However, it is very hard to surprise a vampire. Especially one who has been around over five hundred years.”

“Wow!”

“Like us, werewolves have much keener senses. Can smell things humans can’t. Hear better. But they can’t levitate or vanish or shape-shift. Nor can they become fog. We can do all those things…After a while, that is. It takes a while to master some of them.”

“What about this flashing thing you do? You move so fast!”

“I call it shimmering. Werewolves can’t shimmer, but they can move really fast.”

“It all sounds so utterly awesome. Now, if you could only walk in sunlight and have babies, it would be pretty much perfect.”

“Yes it would, my sweet. I do have a friend over in Germany who has been working on a serum for a number of years. He hopes to perfect it so we can walk in sunlight. Guess he’s had some success with it. But it only works for a couple of hours. He hopes to perfect it to where we can stay in sunlight for a full day at a time.”

“That would be beyond awesome.”

His expression changed to near remorse. “However, my sweet…I cannot give you babies. And I know that that is something you would like. So that it why I am going to ask you one last time: Are you sure, beyond any doubt, that you want me to transition you? I will love you, either way.”

“But no making love.”

“Correct…Not as a punishment. Because that is how vampires make love, sharing blood.”

“Yes! I want babies. But I also want you. I don’t want anyone else! I want you to be able to make love to me. Yes! I have made my decision. I want you to turn me.”

He shut his eyes for a minute, and she almost got the idea that he was saying a prayer. Then his eyes opened. “Okay…I guess the briefing is over.”

“If you say so.”

He took up her hands and kissed each one tenderly. “So soft and warm…Alas they will be a little colder once you’re turned. Still, not too.”

“Un-huh,” was all she could think to say. He was so mesmerizing.

Slowly, he raised his emerald eyes to her lips. “Such a perfect little mouth…full perky lips.” He raised his eyes further, meeting hers. “I love you, Madison.” He gently placed a hand behind her neck and pulled her up to meet his face. He ever so tenderly kissed her forehead, then, slowly moving down, he kissed her nose, then her lips, where he kissed her fully. She responded eagerly. While he kissed her, his right hand slipped under her shirt and unfastened her bra. And then, still moving slowly and deliberately, he picked her up and laid her on the bed, where he commenced to undress her. Once she was free of her clothes. He removed his own and tossed their things in a chair in the corner.

He hoisted her up with one hand under her back and turned down the bedding. “Expensive spread,” he said, grinning. “I know it’s blood red, but I still would rather not get blood on it.” He let her back down. “Comfy?”

“Uh-huh,” she nodded, smiling amusedly at his fastidiousness. A little something she would have to get used to, as she considered herself to be a bit disorderly.

Knowing her thoughts, he smiled back. “I don’t care if you’re neat or messy. As long as you love me, that’s all that matters to me.”

She reached up and put her arms around his neck. “Just make love to me.”

It was with a considerable smile that he said, “My pleasure.” His eyes took on that luminescent glow, as he did a slow inventory of her breasts. He then let himself down over her, but careful not to burden her with his weight. He kissed her cleavage and continued exploring down her chest until he reached her soft tummy, and kissed it lovingly. “So beautiful…” he breathed and moved back up to where they were face to face again, locking eyes with her. And as before, she gasped with a start as he took her by surprise.

“Oh shit!”

A deep rumble welled in his chest. “One of these days, it won’t surprise you anymore.”

She gulped, so overwhelmed by him. “Gawd!” He was so precise. Each move so perfect. At once, she was uplifted, as though far off on another threshold of existence, somewhere on a beautiful alien world. She was so enraptured by the sheer sensation of him; she barely knew when he bit into her neck and began to drink, bringing her more euphoria.

His will was hers. She was one with him, clinging to him for all she was worth, giving herself to him completely.
“Oh gawd! Oh gawd!”

“My sweet Madison,” he breathed, releasing her neck, reeling and drunk in his own unbridled passion. “I could make love to you forever.”

The fire escalated even more profoundly as she reached her peak.
“Oh gawd! Devin!”
She screamed out and clutched the sheets.
“Devin!”

“Yes my love!” he replied, letting loose his own pleasure. Once more they fused together in their ecstasy, and he held her fast until their violent trembling subsided in tenderness.

She stared into his eyes, breathing heavily. “Gawd! That was even more awesome than before.”

He chuckled happily, and then asked, “You feel okay. Again, I drank a lot of your blood.”

“I hardly knew it.”

“Here.” He bit his wrist and placed it across her lips. “Drink, my darling. Drink a lot.” When he was satisfied she’d drank a sufficient amount, he withdrew his wrist. “Now tomorrow…Can’t go out in the sunshine.”

“I know.”

“Then tomorrow night…we take the final steps in the process.”

“More love-making and blood sharing?”

“Uh-huh.”

“There’s something else too, isn’t there. I can tell by your face. Something you haven’t told me.”

“Ah…you are getting to know me. Yes, my sweet. I think you already suspect what it is.”

“I know you told me before that if I died I would come back a vampire…I have to die first, don’t I?”

“Yes!”

“You have to kill me, don’t you?”

“Yes! But I will do it as painless as possible. I will kill you while we are making love.”

She thought about it for a long moment, and then finally said, “…I guess if one has to go…that’s one hell of a way to go.”

He broke into a charming, almost amused grin. “I love you!” He kissed her quickly and sprang from bed. “I’m going to put on some Bach. Okay with you?”

“Sure. I love Bach.”

“Be right back.” He vanished.

“Damn! Be glad when I can do that.”

A few seconds later Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 filled the room, and Devin flashed back in. “Is this okay, my sweet?”

“One of my favorites.”

“Would you like something to eat? Drink? Or would you like to make love again?”

“You have to ask me that last one? I think I will always want you to make love to me.”

With a grin bordering on smug, he responded, “Perhaps we should eat a little something first? Then, I’ll make love to you all night long, if you wish?”

“Please do!”

He leaned in and kissed her sweetly, and then asked, “Swiss cheese and ham on rye? A glass of milk to wash it down?”

“Sounds wonderful.”

“Be right back.” He winked and disappeared.

Eight

Chuck and Gloria were up at the crack of dawn, as she wanted to pick up her car that she had left at Alex’s the night before. No sooner were they headed out of the driveway, they met Devin and Madison – she huddled in his arms – walking down the side of the road to her cottage.

Chuck and Devin met eyes, but neither waved. Madison gave a little nod and Chuck nodded back.

“She looks really pale,” Gloria observed. “Is she sick?”

Chuck definitely noticed too, but he didn’t really want to think about it, because he knew exactly what her malady was. “Oh, she probably has a stomach virus. It’s going around. I’m sure she’ll be just fine in a couple days.”

“I don’t know…She really doesn’t look so good. Makes me almost sorry I tried to slap her last night.”

“It’s okay, Gloria. You were just standing up for me. I honestly believe she’ll be okay. Besides, she has Devin to take care of her now.”

“Gee…I hope you’re right. ‘Cause I’d feel really awful if she turned up really sick.”

He suddenly saw Gloria with a new perspective. “You know, you’re really a pretty nice person. Kind of growing on me.”

Her face brightened. “Thanks, Chuck. I believe you know how I feel about you.”

“And you do mean a lot to me. Really.”

She smiled gratefully, but her eyes said she wished it was more than gratitude that he felt for her.

Madison was very sick this time, not just suffering from bad burns. Since she only went out at dawn, she was burn-free.

Devin was very sweet and understanding; told her that this was normal; as he had given her more blood than the first time he had started transitioning her, now that he knew she was committed to it. At her place, he helped her gather up a change of clothes and her phone charger, a couple of magazines she wanted to read, and then she stood on the porch while he locked up for her. Then they headed back to his cabin.

He offered to just shimmer her to her cottage and back, but she wanted to be in the fresh air and see what she could of the early morning sunlight, as its long golden fingers splayed out over the mountains, knowing that it was as much sunlight as she was going to see outdoors from now on. “It’s beautiful!” she stated and turned her face to his. “At least, we can enjoy it at dawn and dusk.”

“That’s the way I look at it too. We can be out at the beginning and end of the day. And once in a great while, when it’s really overcast and dark, we can walk around during the rest of the day. It is the reason I live here: More overcast days than basically anywhere else.”

“Well, it certainly throws the proverbial monkey wrench in my ever moving back to Texas,” she commented, trying to be jovial, but she was so sick, she just wanted to lie down and was very relieved when they finally reached his driveway, where he stated she’d had enough and flashed her inside and straight to the basement.

He made her a light breakfast, as her stomach was queasy, but he wanted her to keep her strength as much as possible until night. After eating, they showered together again, but no making love was involved, and then they went to bed and fell asleep in one another’s arms.

“I want to kill him!” Chuck stated harshly to Indian Joe, who was working a few hours for him, as he often did on the weekends.

The old Indian looked up at him with obsidian eyes. “Only a fool would try to kill a vampire as old as Devin Knight, my friend. You may be strong and powerful. But you are not as strong or nearly as fast as he.”

“You should see her! She looks damn near dead already!” he said with extreme exasperation.

Joe walked out from behind the counter and laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You forget one thing. This is her choice!”

“She’s not thinking clearly. I know she’s not. He has her hypnotized or whatever it is they do.”

Joe took his arm back. “This may be or may not be the case. But consider this: She has known Devin Knight all her life!”

Joe had his attention. “Yeah…You’re right. She has.” He looked at his friend straight on. “But she hasn’t always known he was a vampire.”

“Still…He is no stranger to her. As a person – if you can call him that – she knows him well enough to trust him. She remembers how he was with her aunt. Knows he was good to her. As much as I hate to say it, his record as a vampire speaks very well for him. Most vampires are not nearly so nice as he. They
are
natural killers. Just like werewolves. And I am sure he has the same killer instincts. He just chooses to try and live as humanly as possible.”

Chuck hissed, “Shit!” and held his hands to the sides of his nose, closing his eyes briefly. Then he dropped his hands down and let out a long sigh. “Okay…So you’re telling me you think I should stay out of it? Even though she admits to still having feelings for me?”

“Yes! My friend. You’ll only end up getting hurt…and a good chance you’d even get yourself killed. She is devoted to him now, and I do not believe that is going to change, no matter what you do. Let it go! Let
her
go!”

“Okay…But would you mind running the store for the rest of the day? I just want to go someplace, anyplace where I can be totally alone and get drunk to the point of blacking out.”

“Of course. Just be back Monday morning. I promised to help Tickling Feather with a project for her students at the school.”