Fire & Ice (4 page)

"Eventually
,
I understood how it was supposed to work. Killing was easier to avoid and I learned how to feed without draining the po
o
r human. Most of the battle is fighting your instincts for control. The rest is fairly easy," he smiled again.

"Ah, well I don't know if it will be so easy for me.
The woman who
did this to me just took off. I don't remember much, but I've been told she was supposed to stay, is that correct?"

"Usually,
yes. It's unfortunate that she left you. I can see now why you're so hesitant. As soon as you get settled I will show you the proper way to hunt."

"Thank you, I think."

"Go ahead and get cleaned up. We'll be having dinner soon. I'll send
s
omeone for you in about an hour,
"
h
e nodded and shut the door silently behind him.

I stood at the foot of the bed for a while, contemplating their motives. The vampires I'd met up to that point were less than hospitable. I had no place else to go, not to mention I couldn't remember where I used to live. If I had a family, I would surely kill them since I couldn't control my need for blood. I shuddered.

Stepping into the washroom was like a different world. Everything was immaculate. White linens sat neatly on the counter and hung by the basin. The marble counter was pitch black, speckled with white and grey. The basin was a smooth midnight black bowl. To the left sat the same midnight black colored latrine. A clawed tub sat in the middle of the washroom, also black. In contrast, the white floor seemed almost too white.

It was odd how I only remember pieces of my human life. Somehow, anything pertaining to any human connections I may have had were severed, but the rest of my memory was intact. Shouldn't I have felt different? Surely I couldn't be the Christian Mason I used to be? Even the fact that I reme
mbered my name was strange
. It felt foreign.

After washing, I dressed in one of the more casual outfits provided by my gracious hosts. If you could call silk casual. I ventured out to the balcony and was astounded by the view. The city lights were twinkling in the distance against the backdrop of the night sky. It was breathtaking.

"Mr. Mason, I'm here to escort you to dinner," a small voice came from the doorway. I turned to find a tall, very skinny young man dressed in a suit
,
waiting for me.

"Right, um, I'm sorry I don't know your name
,
" I extended my hand.

"Jonah, sir," he shied away.

"I won't hurt you, Jonah."

"Follow me, please," h
e walked briskly ahead.

He was afraid of me. I could almost drink it from the air. While my predatory side relished it, I fought like hell. After a while, his heartbeat thrummed ruthlessly in my ears and I started to sweat. How cruel it was of my hosts to send a human to fetch me. By the time we reached the dining hall
,
I was biting into my cheeks so hard
,
they were sore. Surely they knew
I'd have a hard time resisting?

Chapter 5

Colorado, Present Day

"Anyway, their names were Alex and Jasmine. They were very old and chose not to hide who they were from most of those in the village."

"I thought that was a no-no?"
h
er eyebrows arched.

"In the old days, not so much. People knew we existed, but weren't afraid until the sun went down. There were others who came looking for us, too,"
I said as
I smiled mischievously.

"Why?"

"I'm getting to that, Sc
hatzi. Be patient,"
I tapped her on the nose and she huffed. 

"There have always been people who enjoyed being among us vampires, usually to placate their own desires. Vampire venom can act as an aphrodisiac. Some were in it for sexual reasons, others for purely platonic ones. Nonetheless, there was never a dull moment."

"So when you say sexual reasons, you mean what
,
exactly?" she bristled. Jealously was cute on her.

"They wanted to be bitten during sex or as a means of feeling pleasure they couldn't get from other humans."

"Does tha
t mean you had sex with them?" s
he swallowed roughly.

"
N
ot all of them. For me
,
it was about learning restraint, even when I was faced with almost impossible thirst. Jasmine taught me how to drink without killing
,
as well as how to succumb to other urges. It was primal, fueled by only the passion of the blood
,
" I shook the images from my mind.

"So, you liked it," she stated. A faint hint of irritation laced her words, forcing the smile to my lips.

"Are you jealous?" I teased.

"You wouldn't be?
If I told you that before I me
t you
,
I had men c
rawling all over me for a taste wouldn't
be even
the slightest bit irritating
to you?" s
tray curls bounced from her loose bun as she shook her head. Laughing again, I took her chin in my hand.

"Lia, you've nothing to be jealous of. It's my past."

"You didn't answer my question. Would it bother you if it was the other way around?" she affirmed.

I sighed, "Shall I continue with the story?"

Removing herself from my arms
completely
, she nodded and folded into a small nook in the tree. Undoubtedly, she was trying to hide her emotions, but I still felt them. She was jealous, but more than anything
,
she felt rejected. Each time she asked a
question, hoping for an answer I never gave,
it cut her deeply.

Blowing out a shaky breath I continued
,
"Alex showed me the proper way to hunt. As a vampire, we have the element of surprise. It isn't a question as to whether or not we can catch our prey, but how long we choose to allow the game to go on. Our senses are a thousand times more potent than a human's, allowing us to track scents, movements, words and more in a fraction of the time one would normally notice. Once we pick someone, their scent is almost engrained in our memories. No matter how far they are, we can track where they've been."

"Could you track me that way?" she asked quietly.

"Unfortunately, no. I've tried, but your scent fades rapidly. Part of it is the fact that you're not completely one being. Rather, you have several types of lineage that makes up who you are. Since you're not a full werewolf, you don't have the strong woodsy smell that is typical of them. I'm not sure what shamans are supposed to smell like, but I've noticed Emerson is able to blend in with his company. It's adaptive. I don't think it is something he does consciously, though. I think it's a part of how close shamans are with the Spirit World. There's a certain protective quality about it that no other beings I've encountered can tap into, except for The Fates."

"Is that why Josiah can't track me?"

"On the contrary. He could track you, but he would lose you quickly. That's why it's safe for you to run here. Your scent fades almost as fast as it touches. He'd have to be waiting for you, but we've made sure he can't get close enough
,
" I gestured toward the far end of the clearing where the enchanted boundary was placed.

What I neglected to tell her was how I never forgot what she smelled like. It was something that surrounded me, day in and day out, no matter of her closeness. Alone in my room, I'd often have to convince myself she wasn't there. No matter what I tried, I couldn
't forget. It was maddening, yet
enticing. I wanted to touch and hold her, to feel her skin beneath mine, to kiss those perfectly plump lips and stay locked away forever.

"Christian? Why
do you keep looking
at me that way?"
h
er eyes were wide
and questioning
.

"I'm
sorry. I was just thinking," f
lashes of desire attacked my mind, fueling the flames.

"About what?" she whispered, watching me intently.

"You," I uttered. The daydreams left me breathless and completely powerless. I stared into her eyes, listening to her shallow breaths. She knew what I felt.

"Me? Did I do something?" she licked her lips ever so slightly, egging on the beast in me.

"Give me a moment, please. I need just
a moment,
" I moved to the farthest side of the stream
in a flash
. The fog that covered my mind lifted, allowing my thoughts to flow again.

After taking several deep breaths
,
I was able to compose myself. Not yet ready to be near her, I reached out to hear
how badly I hurt her this time
. She was pacing, kicking
at leaves and branches
viciously while muttering to herself.

"What's wrong with me...I don't know why I ever thought I had a chance. Sure, he
found me
,
but it had nothing to do with
me
. I'm an experiment. Even worse! I'm a fucking charity case. Pathetic!"
s
he sat with a thud. "It's useless."

Every word she said was a vice on my still heart. My insecurities and fear left her questioning her own worth. I knew it wasn't right, but couldn't bring myself to tell her otherwise. Every time I let myself slip, it did nothing but hurt her.

Slowly, I
walked
back
. She hid her head in her hands, rocking back and forth against the tree. For the first time, her emotions were waging war through the air. I touched her arm lightly and she moved away. Undoubtedly
,
she'd heard my approach.

"Don't."

"You know it is never my intention to hurt you," I said softly. I grabbed her arm lightly and pulled her to my chest. She struggled at first, but eventually succumbed.

"You told me once that you missed your friend. I can't be your friend if I'm trying to stop myself from ruining your life, Lia. Stop blaming yourself
,
" I took her chin in my hand again and wiped the tears from her eyes with my thumb.

"Who else is there to blame?" she sniffled.

"Why don't I finish the story, then if you still have questions you can ask?" I held tight to her, refusing to let her say no.

"Fine,"
I let her go and leaned against the tree
.

"So, Alex taught me to hunt while Jasmine taught me that it was okay to indulge myself. Years went by and eventually Jasmine and I became lovers. Mainly, we shared a willing soul and had sex thereafter. Jasmine was never mine, but was the only female vampire I knew. She and Alex were mated and while that didn't make them exclusive, they were bound together until death should ever greet them.

"We traveled the globe, never staying in one place for too long. I became a machine, fueled by bloodlust and sex. I wanted it no matter where it came from. Mostly, those I drank from were willing. Those I killed were sometimes for fun and others for no reason at all. Somewhere inside I was free from any inhibitions, but felt incredibly vile.

"For years we stayed in Europe. The time is a blur of sex, blood, money and more blood. I acted mostly on my own in that time as Jasmine had moved on to a new boy toy. We traveled together, but our entertainment couldn't have been more different. While they enjoyed the one
s
who sought us out, I preferred those who didn't know what I was. They weren't unwilling to lie down, but didn't expect what would happen once they did
,
"
I couldn't help but smile, remembering the many women who would shriek before becoming almost slave-like from one bite.

Chapter 6

Europe, 1932

It wasn't hard to find them. The foul stench of other vampires seeped from their skin. Blood whores. It seemed no shadow or alley was free of them.

I watched Jasmine work the room. She was reserved on the surface, but I could see the tension in her face. She was starving; we all were. It had been days since the enforcers left, but we were on high alert. Feeding in the open was no longer an option.

At first, they only came once every few months. They'd hover over us like the plague, waiting to see if we were the savages they were led to believe. Sadly, some would falter, unable to resist the blood whores. The last thing they'd see were the wide eyes of their momentary lovers as the stake pierced their hearts. It was tragic, really. That was something I never thought I'd say.

A particularly enticing scent traveled through the crowd. I craned my neck in its direction, only to find the back of a woman's head as she waded through the endless bodies. My feet reacted, propelling me forward.
I didn't bother to look back; Jasmine was
too preoccupied to notice I was gone.