Sanguine Rave - A Vampire Romance (Paranormal Romance, Vampire) (3 page)

     Which of course makes me feel pretty cruddy and even more lonely.  Is that pathetic or what?  I'm a vampire, everyone thinks it must be totally awesome but of course it's just like being alive except well, I guess we're not, not really.  I know if I got shot before I was made what I am, I'd have a gaping hole in me and would likely die without emergency surgery.  Now I could get shot and laugh, though it would hurt like the dickens.  But somehow being lonely sucks worse now than it did before.  Maybe because I feel things more deeply, more immediately.  Memory tricks again, and I wish it wasn't like that.  At least I have something to look forward to now, that building is going to make an awesome club.  I even know what I'm going to call it.  Sanguine Rave.  That's going to look amazing on shirts and I bet eventually we could even sell those to regular club goers.  I just feel really, really positive about it and I like having this in my future.  Because I bet dollars to donuts if we're as busy as I think we'll be I just won't have time to mope around and wish I wasn't alone anymore. 
Elle's Diary, pages 35 – 37

***Three Days After the Fire***

     Elle sat at the little corner office she'd set up in the living room of her little house and went over the reams of paperwork dealing with the fire that had gutted her club and sighed.  Thankfully her lawyer and her partners had already done most of it, she just had to read it all and initial where she was supposed to.  The Fire Marshall's report sat in a separate pile and she flipped through it with one hand while initialing with the other.  His report was sort of ambiguous and she didn't like that; it didn't sit well with her that he had concluded that the fire was accidental but noted that with all the liquor on site that it wouldn't be too hard to conceal a fire set with that as an accelerant.  It was good enough for the insurance adjuster, who was remarkably willing to work with them which Elle supposed was something in their favor.  They'd be getting the payout sooner than expected too, and now came the back and forth on whether to rebuild at the same location or maybe move to a new location.  Elle felt an unexpected pang in her heart at that thought, she knew in the end that she wanted to fix what had been taken away from them and maybe part of that was an 'I'll show you, universe!' - or if not to the universe to whoever had done it if that suspicion she felt from the Fire Marshall's report was actually correct.

     The question of course that was dogging all of them, would be who would want them closed down?  They had brought in jobs, kept a lawful business and didn't have illicit activities happening on the premises.  Elle even offered a bonus to any person manning the door that caught someone with a fake ID, not that they'd dealt with too many of those.  Finally she got all the paperwork done and put into a ready FedEx envelope, finding something comforting about the familiar colors as she sealed it.  She stood up and stretched, feeling a phantom pain in her back – she couldn't get cramped up or sore of course, but her body remembered what a long session of sitting at a desk could bring from her days as a high school student and she felt it anyway.  She slipped on a light sweater to keep up appearances, that was a lesson Isaac had taught her early, to blend.  Nothing stood out more than someone inappropriately dressed, a witness would remember a girl dressed in cut offs and a t-shirt in the middle of winter right away but put that girl in jeans and a puffy parka coat?  Not so much.  Grabbing her purse and keys she headed out, just down the block from her was a drop box and she wanted to make sure she got this on its way, just in case. 

     Elle walked with her head down, thoughts drifting to her encounter a few days ago with Detective...no,
David
Harding.  She was already craving him again, not just his blood and his cock but actually being around him.  Listening to him talk, the way his sharp eyes took in every little detail around him, and how he just seemed to understand what she was saying between the lines perfectly, it was a heady combination.  Even though it wasn't just the sex and blood that drew her, she couldn't deny he was delicious and he sure knew how to work what he had, and he had a good lot of it to work.  Elle had learned over the years that a lot of men with a big cock figured that's all they'd need to satisfy a woman in bed, or worse would expect the woman to do all the work.  How sad would it be, she wondered, to have that big a package and have no clue how to use it?  But that was definitely not a problem that David had, no sir.  He had a playful side too, he'd sent her a little vase of flowers that sat on her kitchen table and brightened up the whole room, and it had come with a little note where he'd called her his little sunshine.  That had made her laugh, that someone would link a vampire and sunshine, though of course he had no way to know that.  Right?

     It was still enough to make her smile, and she'd left him a voicemail inviting him to a late dinner for tomorrow night.  Elle liked that, liked having that idea that she got to go on a date, something that was just
normal
.  It certainly didn't hurt that even thinking about him got her hot and bothered; all in all he made a pleasant and welcome distraction to everything else she had to deal with.  Dropping the envelope into the box she finally looked up, and a shiver went over her.  Someone was watching her, or rather something.  She wasn't sure what, but she didn't like the feeling of malevolence that was projecting her way.  Elle quickened her steps on the way back to her house, even though she knew she was pretty much a match for anything that might have the nerve or balls to attack her.  But this just didn't feel right, whatever it might be it was definitely no run of the mill threat.

     For some reason, it made her think of a moment in her past where she'd felt uneasy and over her head.  The night she'd run into Isaac had started off fairly innocently, she'd gone into the city with a group of friends to shop at the mall and catch a movie.  She'd been tired from work but had agreed anyway, thinking that she wouldn't have too many more outings with her school friends before they went off to college and she wanted to enjoy it while she could.  Elle could remember falling asleep during the movie, and upon waking up at the ending credits her friends had wanted to go to a dance club.  That, Elle had begged off of and offered to take a bus home so one of them wouldn't have to drive her back and miss out.  She always hated to put people out, and she figured what harm could come from it?  But walking the dark street by herself, and waiting alone at the bus stop she'd gotten that same feeling of being watched by something or someone that wanted to hurt her.  She couldn't clearly remember what had spooked her.  Was it a group of rough looking gang guys?  Maybe, that felt right.  But she did remember running, being scared, knowing she was being chased and if she got caught bad things would happen to her.

     Out of breath, near sobbing she'd run from the false safety of the bus stop and smack into a man coming out of an alleyway wiping his lips.  He'd grunted in surprise, finding himself with an armful of crying woman and he'd looked at her sharply before his eyes had softened and he'd gently urged her into a nearby doorway, telling her to wait there and oddly?  Not to look.  Elle had been so shaken that she did what he told her to do, and even so she could almost hear the screams and the bad noises as if it was happening right now.  He'd come back to her after, giving her an almost tender look before with a soft declaration told her that he was thirsty and wasn't it just fortuitous for him that she was right there?  Elle had no idea what he'd meant, and he moved so fast that she never even realized what he was doing until his teeth pierced the skin of her throat.  She was frozen, felt like screaming but then the pleasure rolled over her like nothing she'd felt before.  Her heart beat wildly in her chest, but as he drained her she felt it starting to slow.  She learned later that he'd had to expend more of his 'power' than usual, because vampires had no need to take so much for a normal feeding.  But he'd stopped, and with an almost caring and tender smile he'd asked her name.  Her voice had been tiny, soft, almost inaudible as she'd whispered that her name was  Ellizebet Bathory but to please call her Elle.  Then he smiled at her, and said.. “Elle, what a sweet name.  I'm Isaac, and tonight is your lucky night.”

     Elle felt relieved when she was back inside her house, and before she thought about it too much she called David and asked if he had time to stop by after his shift was over.  She sort of laughed at herself for being so rattled, she was a vampire for goodness sake!  But she wasn't faking the little tremor in her voice when she told him what had happened and he picked up on that right away, promising to cut out a little early and swing by.  Relief flooded her after that, and after she hung up the phone she decided to doll herself up a little to show her appreciation.  That put a smile on her lips and she hummed as she headed for the shower, never noticing that the shadows had deepened outside one of her windows. 

     David had been surprised to get Elle's call, but he couldn't say he was unhappy about it either.  He liked this woman, and she'd given him the most mindblowing sex of his life, something he was keen to repeat and see if it would be that good the next time.  He was dead certain that he wouldn't have minded if she had been making up a story to get him over there, considering the teasing he'd endured in the squadroom over his 'giant hickey' after their last encounter.  But there was something sweet and vulnerable in her voice when she spoke to him, that just made him want to protect her.  Even if she really did think she was a vampire, he couldn't help how he was feeling about this.  If Harding closed his eyes he could almost smell her sweet perfume, it was a little dated, he was pretty sure it was Windsong but he wasn't quite willing to bet on that.  He liked it though, liked those little things that made her seem all the more unique.  He paused at his desk, opening the drawer and his fingers rested on the diary.  There was no way it could be true, at least he didn't think so.  He'd quietly put in a few calls to see if he could confirm a few things, like a girl disappearing around the time she claimed she'd been turned and left her family.  Surely they'd have filed a missing persons report, and that paperwork would still exist even after all these years.  He hadn't heard back yet, and he was starting to wonder.  Maybe it was just an author's tool?  Maybe she was just making the story up as she went and intended to someday publish it?  That certainly made more sense than considering the idea that it was the truth.  Vampires weren't real, if they were there'd have been a trace somewhere, evidence to support the supernatural wouldn't be just swept under the table.  The government would want to study them, see what advantages they could gain.

     But he thought about his special pile of files and cases where things just didn't really make sense, stuff he worked on in his rare down time that didn't fit into the neat world of logic and well, forensics didn't lie.  There were just some things they encountered that didn't make sense, couldn't be neatly put away in little labeled boxes and he'd seen what happened when people pried too close.  Careers fell apart when the wrong things were prodded at, respected people made to look like fools.  So Harding wondered, what would happen if it was real?  People had a way of talking themselves out of believing fantastic things they'd seen, it was a lot safer to think that a gang of men tore up another than a single attacker was able to take them out instead.  It made him wonder, but then he thought about Elle's sweetness, her smile, how he felt when he was inside her.  Would it matter at this point if by some fantastic set of circumstances she actually was a vampire?  He just couldn't reconcile the idea of that with the woman he knew, certainly a vampire wouldn't have been so vulnerable and asking for him to come and make sure things were okay.  He shut the drawer firmly, and shook his head as he left, gathering up his jacket.  A book.  That had to be for a book.

     The trip over was uneventful, and he parked in her driveway and sat a few moments just watching the house.  The light was on in the front room and he saw her sweet silhouette walk by the window.  Something caught his eye though and he got out of the car, tucking his service revolver in a holster set at the back of his belt before walking over to see.  He frowned deeply, there at the window he found a set of footprints in the soft dirt that looked fairly fresh, made by a pair of tennis shoes.  Well.  Maybe she was right to feel unsettled, it seemed like there might be a Peeping Tom in the neighborhood.  Harding made a mental note to check to see if there had been any pervert reports around here when he got in for his next shift, and then walked around to ring the doorbell.  Elle opened it quickly, spying him through the peephole and she gave him an almost shy smile.  “Thank you for coming over, I know it was probably silly but I just felt so rattled and you were the first person I thought to call.”

     That made him smile, and he entered her house with a cursory look around.  It was neatly kept, and he got a whiff of her perfume that had his cock twitching in his pants.  He closed the door for her and reached to tuck a slightly damp strand of hair behind her ear.  “Good thing you called, I'm pretty sure it's nothing serious but I found some prints outside one of your windows.  Promise me you'll be cautious, and don't worry too much, I'll look into it.  It's probably some teenage boy getting a few kicks by peeking at a sexy lady, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.”  Elle was startled, he could tell, but she nodded.  “I will.  Thank you again for taking care of me.  Of it.  I mean.”  She smiled, a hint of blush coming to her cheeks that he found utterly charming.  His thumb moved to sweep over her soft skin, feeling a hint of warmth, though she seemed a little chill to the touch.  That bugged him a bit, considering his reading material as of late, but she moved then and pressed herself to him and that thought went right out the window.  It was adorable, this sudden shyness, and he chuckled as he felt her nipples through her light blouse.  It was good to think that he affected her that way, but much better when she went on her tip toes like a dancer and kissed him.  Her mouth tasted of strawberry and a hint of mint, and when her tongue slipped past his lips to tangle with his the twitch he'd felt became solid interest as he felt his cock harden.  She made him feel wild, and he took her by the shoulders to turn her, resting her back against the door as her hands unzipped his fly, reaching in to his boxers to wrap around the thickness of his cock.  He groaned into the kiss and with her urging lifted her up and pressed her harder against the door, moving one of his hands to slide up her skirt.  He growled as he felt her bare flesh, liking that she'd skipped putting on a pair of panties after her shower and he stroked her until he felt her squirm.  Finding her sweet pussy with his cock was easy, but the thrust that buried him deep inside her was rough, making her squeal with delight as her legs came up around his waist. 
Yes. 
He gave her solid, heavy thrusts, his hands at her hips as he used his chest to hold her in place until he felt himself come to the edge, his balls feeling heavy and his thighs burning with the need to spill his seed inside her.  He moved enough to rip her shirt open, capturing one of her taut nipples with a gentle nip of his teeth, making her shift and moan, then his lips closed around it and he suckled her, loving how she went wild.