Steal Me From Heaven

Chapter 1

I am pulled out of my deep sleep by the rattling of chains. Looking up, I see that my wrists are bound above my head, and I am the one making all the noise. Standing over a grate, naked, in a dark dungeon cellar, I try to recall how I got here. The air around me is stiff, and the smell coming from below me makes my stomach heave. Locked somewhere in my mind is my identity. I realize all I have is here and now. My past is hazy and my future, by the looks of things, is definitely uncertain.

An arm reaches around my waist from behind. He smells of cigarettes and whiskey. Confused by the situation, I hadn’t noticed that I was not alone. I have no means of escape. I hear him unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants. I am in a nightmare. When he leans me forward, I struggle but he is winning as he tries to invade my body. I scream, causing him to hit me over the head to shut me up. Then something unexpected happens; he bites me.

My mind is losing consciousness, and my eyes are fluttering shut. He withdraws his teeth and speaks to me. “If you think you can summon him, then you are wrong. You are only on step one of your transformation.” He pauses. “Not that it would help you anyway. His lair is on the other side of the mansion, and the sun is high enough to fry him before he can reach you. You are mine now.”

I have no idea what he is talking about so I figure I am caught by a sick serial killer. My eyes close as he continues to attack me. He is too strong for me to hold him off for too much longer. I scream as loud as I can in my mind to no one in particular. I want to die.

The door at the top of the steps flies open. There in the light, I see the silhouette of a man with steam rolling off of his shoulders. He takes in a deep breath, almost as if he is sniffing his surroundings. The man behind me encases himself in his pants before he sinks his teeth into my neck again.

Before I know what is happening, the man at the top of the stairs is behind us. His hands are on my attacker’s head. “Release her,” he growls low in his throat, but the monster’s teeth are still latched onto me. “Charles, I will let you live if you back away
now, but if you inject one drop of venom into her body, I will kill your beloved Sarah.”

I feel my skin on my neck start to tighten, and a burning sensation is taking over me. My blood feels like it is boiling and I think I am dying. I no longer feel the teeth in my neck. I hear a crack and a loud thud. I look down at my feet, and my attacker lies there with his neck broken. His body is twisted, but he is still breathing. My rescuer comes around to face me. His skin is singed, and he smells of ash. He pulls my hair aside and sniffs my neck.

“Rebecca, bring Sarah to me,” he says barely over a whisper.

“No,” the man named Charles cries out, “have your revenge on me, leave her out of it.”

“I told you what would happen if you poisoned my bride.”

What did he say? Bride? I am unable to speak; my throat is constricting. I try to listen to their conversation, but the words fade into whispers.

I want to protest. Whoever Sarah is, she did nothing to me. I want this Charles guy dead. My rescuer turns his attention back to me. His face hardens, his eyes blacken, and his teeth elongate. He’s going to bite me too. He presses my naked body up against his as he wraps his arms around my waist with one hand resting on my rump. His fangs sink into the same spot where Charles bit me, and he sucks hard drawing my blood into his mouth. My knees weaken, and I hang by my chains. He lifts me up to support me. My blood is his now, and by the way I am feeling, he can have my body as well. To him, I give it freely. He starts convulsing as he holds me. I struggle to stay awake or alive, whichever, I cannot tell the difference anymore.

He lets go of his hold on me, doubles over the grate, and starts regurgitating my blood almost like he is forcing it out of his body. The door upstairs opens again, and two women make their way down the steps and over to him. One of them sees Charles on the floor and rushes over. She must be Sarah, and the one closest to me must be Rebecca.

“Jacob, what have you done? You sucked poison out of her? How did you even get here with the sunlight protecting this place?” Rebecca is talking to him but stops speaking when he looks up. She sees his burned flesh, and a gasp escapes from her lips.

“Bring me Sarah,” he orders.

Rebecca struggles with Sarah, who does not want to leave Charles lying on the floor. She is placed in front of Jacob, who is now standing in front of me. I stare at his back, wondering what is about to happen.

“Sarah,” he says through a strained voice, “Charles, by his actions, has forfeited your life to my hands. He has chosen to attack my guest when ordered otherwise. As you can see, I have a problem with that.” He continues talking about trust and loyalty as he walks over to her and unbuttons her blouse. Her eyes are wide, and she is terrified. Her body starts shaking as she turns her head to Charles and spits at him. “I will not cause you any pain. I will only drain your blood,” Jacob informs her.

I see Jacob bend his head to her neck, and I hear suckling and gurgling noises. He is drinking fast. She collapses to the floor, dragging him down with her. He is drinking her dry. I hear Charles crying against the floor. His neck is twitching and turning violently. He is almost ready to stand up. Jacob is right. Sarah’s death is a greater punishment.

Jacob turns to face me. He no longer has burn marks on his skin. His face, eyes, and teeth all appear normal. He is striking to look at, making me wonder whether to fear him or to love him. He slowly walks to stand in front of me, and I realize more than ever how naked I am in front of all these strangers. I lower my head, not wanting to look at him any longer. If I am his bride or wife or whatever, then why am I in chains? I feel a hand under my chin lifting my head up. Jacob stares into my eyes with orbs that are as dark as this place.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asks me.

“No, I want down.”

“This is for your own protection. I never should have left you alone. It will never happen again. I promise you that. Now besides wanting down, how do you feel?” he asks again.

I try to listen to my body to see what it is telling me. “I am weak, hungry, thirsty, and I need a shower after what that man tried to do to me.”

I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “What did he do?” He tenses his jaw.

I stutter with my response, not knowing how to tell him. He is scaring me. His eyes are blackening. I do not want to lose any more blood. I’m on the verge of passing out as it is. He drops down on one knee and smells me. His hands are holding my hips,
and I want to disappear. Charles is creeping up the staircase. Rebecca is focusing on Sarah’s body. He is going to get away, but Jacob jerks his head to where Charles is crouching as if he already knows that he is trying to escape.

“Jacob, listen, I don’t know what came over me. I will never touch her again….” Charles starts screaming and clutching his head. Jacob is only standing in front of me so I do not know how he is doing this to him. Blood starts seeping out of Charles’ eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. His body starts shaking as it elevates two feet off the ground. Rebecca is now looking back and forth between the two men.

“Jacob, stop it. He has been your friend for a very long time. You will regret this one day.” Rebecca is pleading for Charles’ life. His feet are almost touching the floor again.

“I am not going to have to look over my shoulder waiting on him to undermine me again or to seek revenge for Sarah’s death.”

“Then cut him off,” Rebecca says.

“Take him to the other dungeon and chain him there. I’m not finished with him just yet.” Jacob drops him to the ground. I see Rebecca rush over to Charles. My eyes close, and I am dreaming.

I stand beside a tall waterfall on top of a cliff. The night breeze is swaying all the trees and bushes, making it hard to hear anything other than rustling sounds. Someone is coming up the trail behind me. I know he is dangerous. I don’t know where to hide. I look over the cliff’s edge to the pool below. I hesitate. A hand reaches for my shoulder, and then I jump. I hit the water hard. I stretch my arms up and swim with all my might. I feel a hand grab my ankle and hold me under. I am drowning. The water is thick as it enters my mouth. I fight against it. My head is turning side to side. I swallow. Minutes tick by. Why am I not dead? My mouth is full of water again. I swallow again. I open my eyes.

Jacob is standing in front of me with his wrist pressed to my lips. I am swallowing his blood. “More,” he says, “you need more.” We are all alone now. I see bags of blood in a cooler on the table. He must have brought that in for himself. I swallow several more times. He is pleased. He turns his head and places his ear over my left breast. I do not know what he is doing.

“That’s better,” he says. He cuts me off from my drink, but I am actually starting to like—or at least get used to—the taste. He licks the blood off of his wrist. He walks over to the cooler and brings back a bag of blood and a tube with a needle. He pierces the bag and fills the tube up with blood. He opens the manacle holding my left wrist and lowers my arm to rest against his side. He then drives the needle into my arm. I am in the process of getting a transfusion. He does not speak to me during the thirty minutes that it takes to empty the bag. He listens again to my chest. I guess he is hearing my heartbeat, telling him that I am okay. He takes the needle out of my arm and licks the small hole that it left. I shiver as I watch him closely. The hole heals instantly. He places the medical items on the table and starts to pull off his singed black shirt and jeans. I avert my eyes but curiosity gets the better of me.

My eyes drape over his body as he walks towards me and releases my other arm. He watches me take in his appearance. I try not to stare at his manhood but it is so well-defined by his muscular thighs and abs, like a framed work of art. My weakened state causes me to fall over onto his shoulders. He catches me and leans me back against his arm before swooping down and picking up my legs. I feel a little self-conscious being carried this way. He takes me to a secret door hidden behind where I was chained. Inside, I see a completely furnished bedroom and a bathroom. To my surprise, he does not carry me to the bed but steps into the large bathroom instead. The lights in the room give off a blue tint. I assume he likes soft light considering what he is. The water turns on automatically as he steps into the stone shower, still carrying me. A cold spray comes down on us. I shudder. He pulls me into his chest even closer. I snuggle my head into his neck and shoulder. He is pleased with my actions.

He lets my legs fall but holds onto my back and waist. He turns me around so that my back is against the cold water, grabs a bottle of shampoo, and massages a small amount into my hair. I lean my head back to rinse. He then lathers my body. I try to stop him from washing my more intimate areas, but he insists. I do not argue. I wonder if he feels guilt beneath his anger over what Charles did to me. Jacob saved my life by pulling poison out of my blood and risked becoming ash for me. I do not know what I mean to him.

He rinses and turns off the water. The towels glow blue in the light as he holds one up between his hands for me to come to him. I do. He closes me up in the warm towel, and I am relieved to be covered. I guess dungeons do not have warm water. I am surprised they have water at all, let alone bedrooms. The bed, why does it
have a bed? I think of all the horror that must go on down here. I feel drops of water hitting my shoulders. I look over to him as he shakes water out of his hair like a dog. He does not have on a towel. I back away and reach for the doorknob but it does not turn. The click makes him look in my direction. He decides to speak now.