Tyran's Thirst (Blood Lust) (4 page)

“Ahh, my darling. You’re awake. Hungry?” He tossed cans
of beans, chili and corn to me.

Catching the food, I examined them. No dents and still
sealed shut. It appeared safe. After opening them, I scarfed down
the beans in seconds. My body was so hungry. Next came the corn.
Cream corn. It didn’t matter to me. It was a meal. As I finished I
started on the chili. It was spicy. Coughing, I put the can down.

“Is something wrong?” the vampire asked me.

 

“Spicy.”

 

“Oh. So she doesn’t like the hotter things in life?”

 

“Never had the stomach for it.”
“I’ll remember that.”

I laid down the cans and looked him directly in the eyes.
The evil I remembered was gone. There was a…softness to him. If
his eyes weren’t a crimson color, I would place him as a normal
human. He gazed into my own eyes and an intense heat washed
over me. Did vampires have mind tricks? I had to look away.
“What are you doing? You had the perfect moment to kill me when
I passed out. Why didn’t you?”

“Didn’t serve a purpose.” He ran a hand through his hair.

For the first time I got a chance to examine the vampire. He
had medium length hair just poking over his ears and eye-brows.
His hair was a medium blonde and his skin was a beautiful white
color. I could only describe him as mesmerizing. But that is the
trick with vampires. Lure in the victim and take them down. I
wasn’t going to fall for that trap, even if my body wanted to.

I cleared my throat. “So what are you going to do with me?
Did you feed me so I wouldn’t be too weak for the kill?”

 

He smiled. “Of course not.” He examined my home. “I see
you’ve made a very nice place to live. Cozy. I like it.”

 

“I don’t care what you think.”

 

His smile grew. “What is your name?”
I sat up on the futon. “Why do you want to know? Like to
have the name of those you’ve killed?”

 

He got to his knees and crawled over, stopping inches from
me. “No. I really want to know.”

 

Oh, what the hell? “Kat.”

 

“Kat? I assume that’s short for Kathryn?”

 

I crooked an eye. “Maybe.”

 

He chuckled. “You are defiant. I’m Tyran.”

 

Crossing my arms over my chest, I said, “Congratulations.”

In an instant he was sitting next to me, tucking a hair
behind my ear. His touch was cool, gentle and I got an
overwhelming sense of safety. That was not the case. He would
kill me.

“You may need these.” He handed me my pistol, knife and
ax.

I took the weapons, placing them in their correct holsters,
except for the ax. My grip held onto it, ready to cut the bastard’s
head off.

He laughed
again. “Still don’t trust me?” The back of his
hand rubbed my cheek. “If I wanted to kill you, it would be so
easy.” H
is lips grazed my neck, placing small kisses as he trailed
the side then down the front to the hollow. His breath was warm
and my body began to tremble, betraying me.

“I see your heart beating in your chest again. Hard. Fast.
Things I like. Would you likeme to show you hard and fast?”

 

My eyes shut as I let him nip at my shoulders. It felt so
goodI didn’t want it to stop.

 

“You know, Kat, we are alone.”

 

What was I doing?I pushed him away. “Alone for you to
kill.”

He sat back. “I could have any living perso
n I want. Killing
is easy. You’ve seen how fast I can be. How I can track you
without effort. Try running. I’d find you.”

I knew he would. Tyran had proven that.

Yet that crisp definition he had given me somehow made
me feel easy. He could have killed me, still may, but he was being
gentle with me. “So, what are your plans?”

“Honestly? I want to be friends.”
I laughed.

 

“What? You don’t think a human and a vampire can be?”

 

“Can a cat and a mouse? A lion and a lamb?”

 

“I believe they can. And after what I’ve seen in Hell, yes.”

 

I exhaled. If he wanted honesty I had to know the truth,
starting at the beginning. “What happened?”

 

“To what, exactly?”

 

“Why are there stiffs and vamps?”

 

“I assume you mean zombies and vampires? Long story.”

 

I crossed my arms. “You want friendship then you need to
tell me.”

He pulled me onto his lap, peering up at me. I tried to
wiggle out of his grasp, but it was useless. I relaxed and let him
speak.

“I’ve been living in Hell for hundreds of years. Every few
decades, Hell opens and lets a select few explore Earth and take
our feed. That would explain reports of seeing the undead walking.
I was last on Earth in 1888. Things were much different back then.
Lucifer allowed vampires to walk the earth more often, but not
zombies. They made toomuch of a mess and couldn’t be trusted to
return after their feed. As the new century dawned, more souls
entered Hell. It was filled with countless souls breaking at the
seams for years. On December 21, 2012 it came to a head. Hell
burst open and allowed demons to walk free.”

“Demons?”

 

“For now just zombies and vampires. We had the greatest
numbers. But soon furies will come.”

 

I felt lightheaded. “What are furies?”

“Half human and half bat. When a human is attacked by
bats their soul can change into a fury. Hell sucks them in. Nasty
creatures. I personally don’t like tangling with them.”

“Do you know how to stop this?”

He sighed. “Why would I want to? If Hell closes again, I’ll
be taken back.” He kissed the hollow of my throat. Tyran’s lips
were gentle and calming. For some unknown reason I didn’t want
him to stop.

“Let me taste you,” he whispered.

 

It had been so longsince I felt this. “No.”
He purred, “Please, Kat. It won’t hurt. Just a small bite and
I’ll be satisfied. My teeth will glide in and you won’t even feel it.”

My hands entangled in his hair, keeping him close to me.
Only one other man had made me feel this way, and it was just sex.
Not that I wanted to have sex with Tyran, but…What was I
thinking? I pushed his chest and stood up. Picking up my ax I
slammed it in the floor between his legs. He smirked as he looked
up at me.

“So, Kat, betraying yourself?”

 

“You’ll never take a bite from me.”

 

“Noted. Now, we have work to do.”

 

Pulling my ax from the ground, I asked, “And what’s that?”

“We need to get y
ou away from here. Hell opened up not
far from here. Zombies will continue to come in large numbers. So
will vampires. Then the furies. I can’t stop them all. Zombies are
easy. They pay no attention to me. But they can sniff you out. So
can vampires. I cancommunicate with them, but they want blood.”

“So do you.”

 

A smile tugged at his lips. “Yes, but I have a ripe human to
give it to me.”

 

Shaking my head, I said, “I have already told you.I’m not
going to let you bite me.”

 

“I had a sample of your blood. AB negative. Very rare. And
sweet. I will have more.”

 

I sighed, gazing out at the night sky. Sure I had passed out,
but I hadn’t slept since before this whole ordeal.

 

“I need some rest. If you don’t mind, I need the futon to
sleep.”

Tyran shifted to the floor. He waved me to sit. I did, wary
of what his plans were. My pillow was begging me to lay my head
down. As my eyes began to shut, I looked into Tyran’s dark red
eyes. How could someone so evil be so…sexy?

CHAPTER 5

Cool arms wrapped around my body. Warm breath on my
neck. Something sharp grazing the skin on my back. I melted into
the feeling. It had been so long since I felt a man’s touch and…

I flew out of bed, grabbed my ax and held it above my
head. Tyran slowly started to move from the futon, wiping his
eyes. They were bright red.

I screeched, “What the fuck are you doing?”

 

“Cuddling next to you. Problem?”

 

My eyes jumped from my skull. “Of course there is. I don’t
trust you.”

 

“Dear Kat, why not?”

 

“You. Are. A. Vampire!”

 

He waved his hand. “Minor details.”

 

“Major.”

He stood up and stretched his back. As he leaned, I could
see perfectly formed abs, cut like marble. His black button-up shirt
fit his body perfectly, his rolled up sleeves displayed beautiful
arms and his dark jeans showed what he had to offer. I wanted to
reach out and touch his body, but I had to remind myself who and
what he was.

He took my hands in his and peered into my eyes. “We
need to get going.”

“Wait. I’m still confused why we need to leave. Where’s
the Hell Gate?”
“I assume you mean where are us monsters coming from.
Lake Erie. Technically Kelley’s Island. That’s why there isn’t any
sun. Too close to it for the sun to be uncovered.”

“So where are we going?”

 

He smiled. “South Dakota.”

 

My jaw dropped. “Why there?”

 

“Low population and forest. Safe for you.”

 

I grunted, “I can take care of myself.”

 

“And you proved that with those zombies yesterday.”

 

My arms crossed over my chest.
Tyran smiled. “Don’t do that. You have such wonderful
breasts.”

I moved my hand to slap him but he caught it. With a whirl
I was in his arms, his hands holding my back close to him. He
smelled like sweat and…musk? Did he use cologne?

Brushing his lips against my neck, he whispered, “I’m
hungry.”

 

“Go fuck yourself.”

 

“I’d much rather have you.”

I tried to move in his grip, but I was bound to him. He
placed kisses over my forehead and ears, tugging at the lobes. A
moan escaped as he nipped at my chin. Suddenly I was scooped up
and laid on the futon. Tyran got on top of me, his head on my
stomach. The world spun as he licked my belly, his hands running
over the tightness of my pants. Then his palms were behind my
neck, unclasping my halter.

I wanted him to stop. I needed him to stop. But my body
wouldn’t respond. Tyran pulled down on my top but I caught it
before my breasts were exposed. He chuckled against my stomach.
The coolness of his breath sent chills down my body.

What in hell was I doing? He was a predator, a killer. I may
be his next target. Using my foot, I pushed him back away from
me. He knelt on the futon, gasping.

“I said no,” I barked.

 

“But your body said yes.”

 

“Betrayal. It’s just been so long…Why am I talking to you
about this?”

 

“Boredom?”

 

“Turn around. I need to change.”

Tyran did as I asked. Taking my shirt off, I was careful to
watch him. He didn’t peek. Not as my pants slid down or as I put
on a new pair of panties. I slinked into a pair of tight black leather
pants and a white tank top. When I peered over my shoulder, I
noticed Tyran remained staring at the wooden wall. My head was
telling me that I was safe with him. My gut, on the other hand, was
screaming for me to run. I knew what I had to listen to.

I tapped his shoulder. “Okay, I’m ready.”

 

“We still have a problem.”

 

I sighed. “And what would that be?”
“I’m hungry.”

 

“Well forget it.”

He was off the futon and wrapping his arms around me in
seconds.“My dear Kat, I don’t want to, but I will take what my
body needs.”

My right hand tightened around his, pulling him closer to
me. I looked up into his eyes and smiled. Tyran did show me his
fangs, long, pointed and lethal. A hiss escaped his lips. Now was
the time. Yanking my pistol from its holster, I shot him in the eye.
He flew back against the wall as I slid down the ladder and ran. In
the distance I could hear moaning, zombies, and Tyran cursing.
The reservoir was near. If I could get in the shallow water where
no zombie could hide, maybe Tyran wouldn’t be able to pick up
my scent.

The rolling lands and water of the reservoir were within my
sights. Diving, I made it into shallow water. It was murky, but I
knew a stiff couldn’t possibly be hiding. I submerged my body so
only my eyes could peer out. The coast seemed clear, but that
didn’t mean a thing. Tyran was out there and no doubt looking for
me.

“Hey!”
I ducked under water.

A gargle of words was being muffled by the stream. Then a
hand grabbed the back of my tank and pulled me out. I kicked until
I was tossed in a small row boat. Gazing up, I saw a woman with
long dark hair, white skin and beautiful blue eyes. Not a vampire
or a zombie.

I whispered, “Hey, what are you doing?”

 

“Saving you. Any deeper and the zombs might get you.”

 

“Well a vampire is trying to get me.”

 

Her eyes widened. “A vampire? Where?”

I pointed in the direction I came from. She pulled out a
machete and armed herself. My ax was lifted and we were
prepared for what was to come.

She knelt next to me and asked, “What is your name?”

 

“Kat.”

 

“Pleased to meet you, Kat. I’m Stells. Short for Stella.
What are you doing out here?”

 

“This vampire, Tyran, was toying with his food. Me. I
managed to escape,but I don’t know for how long.”
“Make a deal with him. He won’t hurt you.”

 

I gasped. “What in hell do you mean?”

She lifted the thin material of her jacket to show my scars
of puncture wounds. Her wrist and lower arm was covered in tiny
pink holes.

She smiled.
“I’ve ran into my fair share of vampires. Trade
a deal. You give them blood, sometimes other things, and they’ll
let you live.”

“How can you do that?”

 

“Survival.”

We saw a shadow running in our direction. As he neared, I
could see it was Tyran. I ducked below the edge of the boat,
praying he wouldn’t find me. Stells manned her ground and waited
for him to attack. Tugging at her slacks, she refused to hide. What
was she doing? Stells didn’t know what he was capable of. A true
killing machine that wanted to play with his meal.