The Comanche Vampire (9 page)

She hadn’t been here all that
long.
 
That might be good or bad.
“So if they do, you’d stay here?”

Anne
nodded. “I’d love to. I like Lawton and the country around here is
gorgeous.
 
I feel like I’m in a Western
movie or something.”

One
more reason why he should back off and bow out, Ned thought.
 
She liked the area, had a job she wanted and
hoped to keep so she didn’t need the complications of his existence.
 
“I bet you used to play cowboys and Indians,
too,” he said in an effort to keep things light.

She
grinned. “Oh, yeah, I did. But I always wanted to be the Indians.”

Ned
laughed. “Me, too! Want some more coffee?”

“Please.”

They
chatted about inconsequential things over two more cups and Ned watched Anne
with something close to reverence.
 
The
sound of her voice soothed something within him, fed a hunger he hadn’t even
been aware he had.
 
After they’d finished
the pot, an idea struck Ned, something he wanted to do during their brief time
together.
 
“What kind of shoes are you
wearing?”

Anne
thrust a Nike-enclosed foot from beneath the table. “Athletic shoes, why?”

“I
thought if you’re up for it, I’d take you up on top of the closest mountain to
watch the sunrise,” he said. “But not if you’re wearing sandals or
something.
 
Boots would be best but I
think your shoes will do.”

“I’ve
got boots in the trunk,” Anne said with a wide smile. “And I’d love it.
 
Let me get them.”

She
returned wearing worn Western boots and toting a big purse.
 
Ned watched as she whipped her wild locks
into a tight ponytail and then coiled it on the back of her head.
 
Anne secured it with a hair clip and grinned.
“I’m ready as soon as I use the restroom.”

“It’s
right there,” Ned replied.
 
He hurried to
pull on socks and his boots.
 

Although
it remained dark, it wasn’t as absolute.
 
Ned figured they had forty-five minutes or less before the first light
of dawn illuminated the eastern horizon.
 
He led Anne through the back door and headed for the edge of the yard
where a narrow trail snaked into the brush.

“Don’t
you need a flashlight?” she asked.

Ned
shook his head. “No.
 
If you can’t see,
give me your hand.
 
I won’t let you fall,
I promise.”

Anne
grasped his hand tight and asked, “What about snakes?”

“What
about them?”

“Are
there any?”

He
heard the hesitation in her voice and beneath it, genuine concern. “I’m sure
there are but they’re not looking to hurt you.
 
You scared of snakes?”

In
the gray light, she nodded. “I went hiking up at Black Mesa once and they
warned hikers about the rattlesnakes, especially early in the morning.
 
I’ve heard some people were bitten.”

Ned
shrugged. “If so, they probably stuck their hands into the rocks or stepped
somewhere they shouldn’t have.
 
I don’t
think you’ve got anything to worry about, though.
 
If you’d like to change your mind, it’s all
right.”

“No,
I want to do this.”

“Then
let’s go.”

He
moved along the narrow trace with agile grace, as sure-footed as any deer.
 
The skill came naturally to Ned and although
he couldn’t hear any noise he made, Anne’s feet scraped loose gravel.
  
After the first few feet, she tugged his
hand. “I can’t go this fast,” she said. “Can you slow down?”

“Yeah,
sure, I can.” He hadn’t realized he moved swiftly but eased his pace.
 
The rugged climb to the summit of
Poco
Mountain took longer than he’d planned but they
reached it before sunup.
 
Light marked
the eastern horizon as they gazed out over the rocky terrain and the wide-open
grasslands below.
 
In the distance, Ned
pointed out Lawton, visible with its lights then steered Anne to a large
boulder.
 
“Sit down for the show.”

In
the pre-dawn morning, the winds were cool and when he joined Anne, she scooted
against him.
 
He put his arm around her
and snuggled her against his body.
 
Her
sweet feminine aroma filled him with a rush of desire.
 
Beneath whatever perfume lingered on her
skin, Ned caught the musk of their coupling.
 
He ached to protect her, shield her from the
wind and keep her safe.
 
Neither spoke as
they watched the dawn unfold.

The
sky shifted from black to dark gray then the first subtle light moved upward
from the horizon.
 
As the light increased,
it shifted from the orange into something almost golden.
 
The scattered puffs of clouds in the sky
became burnished and then blushed pink, too pretty for words.
 
As the sky began to lighten, Ned noted the
gentle, soft shade of blue.
 
All the
colors turned the horizon into a beautiful painting, vivid and pleasing to the
eye.
 
Although he’d watched the spectacle
many times, dawn never failed to move him or touch a piece of
Ta-
a’pah
, or
the day father.
 
Ned didn’t worship the
sun as a god as some tribes did but he recognized it as a manifestation of the
deity, whatever god consciousness existed with goodness.
 
He didn’t fear night or view it as evil –
although he believed evil existed – but he liked the way the sun brought light
and life each morning.

He
wished his people had a morning song the way the Cherokees did.
 
It would be appropriate and he sang a little
of the one he’d heard, “Wen-de-
ya
-ho…”

Anne
swiveled her head and smiled. “That’s Cherokee,” she murmured. “But I like it.”

“Yeah,”
Ned said. “I do, too.
 
There isn’t a
Comanche one. We were always too busy hunting or fighting or raiding or just
surviving to make many pretty songs.”

“We?”
Her question alerted him that he’d once again spoken from his heart and past.
“You really identify with the old ones, don’t you?”

“Very
much,” he said. “I do all the more when I’m out here, like this.”

“I
could sit here all day,” Anne told him, her voice content. “It’s so beautiful.”

Ned
couldn’t resist. “So are you,” he said and kissed the soft skin at the nape of
her neck.
 
He felt her quiver in response
and his loins quickened.
 
If he had more
time and wasn’t a vampire, Ned would’ve taken her there on the rock.
 
Instead, he cuddled her for a few perfect
moments.
 
In another time, in his
original skin, he could have sat in the spot all day.
 
As the sun climbed above the horizon, he knew
he’d soon look ghastly.
 
“Let’s go back
to my place,” Ned told her. “I’ll fix you breakfast if you’d like.”

Heat
radiated from her eyes as she met his gaze but Anne nodded. “Sure.”

After
pulling the baseball cap he’d tucked into a rear pocket onto his head, Ned
offered her his hand and helped her down.
 
They made the trek back to his house over the same trail in less time,
able to move quicker in the growing daylight.
 
In some places, the trail narrowed so they went single file, hands still
linked.
 
Halfway back, Ned paused because
he heard the unmistakable dry whirr of a rattlesnake’s tail.
 
He scanned the rocks and brush until he
located it.
 
It coiled a couple of feet
from the path, its black and brown pattern hard to distinguish.
 
Anne clutched the back of his belt. “What is
it?” she asked.

“Rattlesnake,”
Ned said. “Don’t worry.
 
He’s not going
to hurt us.
 
I’m just
givin
’
him space.
 
He’ll move on before long.”

“Ned,
I’m terrified.”

“Don’t
be.” A few minutes later, the snake settled down and slithered in the opposite
direction. “It’s all right. Anne, he’s gone.”

She
exhaled a long, slow sigh. “Thank goodness.”
 
Then she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
 
The effect turned his cock rock hard.
 
With what blood he had within his body
concentrated in his crotch, Ned realized he’d need to step up his intake and
soon.
 
Sex drained his energy more than
any other activity and the small amounts, which normally fueled him, weren’t
nearly enough.
 

Ned
grunted. “Let’s head back.” He refrained from turning around, unwilling to let
her catch a glimpse of his now pale skin.
 
If he could make it to the house, once inside, he’d look ordinary.
 
He hastened his step and Anne, apparently
eager to remove herself from rattlesnake range, kept pace.
 
They almost made it but just as he headed up
the few steps to the back door, she stopped and tugged his shirt.
 
“What?” he asked.

“I
didn’t know you had horses,” Anne cried. “They’re beautiful! Can we go take a
closer look?”

“Maybe
later,” Ned said.
 
Dusk would be a
perfect time to view them.
 
Hell, if
she’d wait until then, he’d even take her riding if she wanted. “Come on, I’ll
fix something to eat.”

“All
right.” He heard the disappointment in her voice. “Oh, but look!”

Without
thinking, Ned turned around to see.
 
Anne
pointed upward at a magnificent hawk flying in lazy circles.
 
“Isn’t it something?”

“Sure
is,” he said just before she gasped. “What’s the matter?”

Anne
touched his upper arm. “Are you all right?”

Shit, here it comes.
 
Ned steeled himself to smile. “Oh, yeah, I’m good. Why?”

“You
look awful. There’s no color at all in your face.
 
Don’t you feel well?”

He’d
swear she had concern in her eyes. “I feel fine,” he said. “I really do.”

Ned
turned around, pushed open the back door and walked into the kitchen.
 
Anne followed and caught up to him.
 
“I don’t know,” she said. “I remember you
said you missed a night of work, sick.
 
Are you running a temperature?”

Her
warm hand covered his forehead for a moment and she frowned. “I guess not, but
your face is like ice.
 
It’s too warm for
you to be this cold.
 
Do you have a
chill?”

Anne’s
concern served to do three things.
 
It
embarrassed Ned because he didn’t dare tell the truth.
 
Her worry touched him because it’d been a
long damn time since anyone really cared about him, and longer still since a woman
had.
 
And it increased his desire ten
times
more.There
weren’t any explanations he could
make and Ned didn’t want to tell more lies.
 
He wanted to distract Anne before she kept asking more questions he
couldn’t answer. He saw two options: feed her or fuck her.

He
chose the latter.
 
Ned stared down at her
with fondness. “No, but I need something.”

“Tell
me and I’ll get it for you,” Anne said. “I can make coffee to help you warm up
or do anything.”

“Let
me love you again,” he said.
 
Her vivid
brown eyes met his and he watched a swift pink blush her cheeks.
 
“I need you.”

In
answer, Anne moved closer and put her arms around him.
 
She lifted her lips to his and touched
them.
 
Ned craved her heat and when their
mouths came together, fireworks exploded.
 
The instant response roared through his body like an out of control
prairie fire but this time he vowed he’d take things slow.
 
He meant to savor her body, to make memories
because this must be the last time.
 
Ned
hadn’t planned to make love to Anne again but once he began, there was no
stopping.
 
He didn’t even try.

Tongues
laved, fingers caressed and stroked, and kisses lasted for eternity.
 
He removed her garments one at a time and
without hurry.
 
By the time they reached
his bedroom, neither wore a stitch.
 
Before they collapsed onto the bed, bodies
twined together, they fondled and explored.
 
Ned left a few love bites on her throat and between her breasts.
 
Anne put a purple hickey on his left chest
and the sensation excited him more than anything except the release when he
came.
 
With a growing need for blood, Ned
dared to drink from one love mark.
 
He
took no more than enough to
sate
his appetite and
fuel his needs.
 
I shouldn’t, I should not have bitten her or drank, but I had to.
 
He vowed he wouldn’t again, not under any
circumstances, aware that two more times would turn her into what he was and
loathed.