Dark Desires

“Hi! My name is Jade. I’m twenty six and looking for a sensitive, caring and funny guy just to hang out with. I love animals and reading a great book. My perfect man would be sociable, easy going and definitely caring.-“

“Alright, Jade, your twenty seconds have run out,” the voice from behind the camera interrupted my little spiel. I sighed and nodded, sliding off the chair and walking over to the kitchen bench where a nice cold orange juice awaited me.

As I sipped the citrus fluid, I looked over at the camera-woman, who just happened to be my best friend of sixteen years. Raising an eyebrow, I chose to pout around my juice, “So, why is always only twenty seconds?”

Sandra laughed and played the tape back, watching it with a grin, “Cos men have short attention spans!”

I couldn’t help but laugh, but quickly sobered when the reality of what I was doing hit me. I’d never online dated before. Sure, I’d flirted on the net, who didn’t? But I had enjoyed a rather nice anonymity, and here I was putting my face and voice on a video clip and sending it in to “Soul-Match.com”. I looked over my friend as she stood laughing at something funny on the video clip.

With blue eyes and blonde hair, Sandra was hard to miss. Her perfectly rounded light pink lips were always pouted suggestively. Just like the way her waist swayed when she wanted to be provocative; which usually meant all the time. Her long legs ended in a firm, round butt on one end and dainty feet on the other. It didn’t exactly hurt that she was a dancer with a great physique, either.

“Hang on, what are you laughing at?” it suddenly hit me that she was watching my video submission; again.

“Oh,” she flashed perfectly set, pearly whites, “you’re just so cute!”

I made a fake grab at the camera she was holding, “You’re not supposed to laugh!” I felt my face flush hot with both embarrassment and the feeling of the vodka in the orange juice beginning to take effect. Sandra sipped her own glass of vodka/orange and grinned. I had a general thought about somehow regretting this split decision to send in a submission to a shady online dating site, but for now the giddiness of the alcohol continued to swirl in my head and impair my better judgment.

Ten minutes later, the video was loaded onto my computer and onto my newly made profile. Sure, they asked for a full profile when you signed up, but nobody actually looked at it. They would rather just look at the short video clip and judge from that. Somewhere in the back of my head, I realised this was probably just another way for internet billionaires to cash in on the dating market. But I was desperate… and drunk.

“And send!” Sandra hit the enter button and I shook my head, clearing it slightly, but not enough to stop my girlish giggling.

“Hey do you think someone will actually look at this?” I asked, my cheeks feeling hot and the room slightly swirly. I dimly realised that I had overestimated the ratio between orange juice and vodka once again. I made a mental note to myself to measure it next time.

“Of course Sweetie. You’re too cute!”

I threw a glance at my long time friend as I pushed back my dark brown hair. Ever since growing it, I had had a hard time adjusting to the new length. But I kept supposing that shoulder length hair made me sexy. At least, that’s what Sandra kept telling me. If anyone knew sex, it was her.

In a completely sober moment as we were getting ready for bed – Sandra had been kicked out of her boyfriend’s apartment so she was staying with me temporarily, and I only had one queen sized bed – I found myself looking in the old standing mirror I had in my bathroom. As I braided up my wavy hair, I looked at my now exposed neck. My skin, though I was in fact of Asian descent, was fairer than most. I still had the bronzed complexion of my ancestors, but it was more of a coppery glow than anything. I was hardly a size zero and prided myself in that fact as I my eyes followed the line down to my slightly sloping bare shoulders.

Liquid brown eyes flicked towards the mirror as I darted a quick look at my full, pale lips. They parted as I continued to look down my naked body, travelling to my high C cups and watching in curiosity as my nipples creased and peaked in answer to the chill that travelled through the lace curtains of my open window.

My gaze travelled down further to a flat, smooth stomach. I didn’t have muscled abs but I had never really liked that look on females. Somewhere in my mind I always saw females as the softer, curvier counterparts for males. My eyes dipped down to my navel, skipping on the slight scar of the healed piercing I had had done in my rebellious teens. It was a small thing, but for one who knew where to look, it was there.

I let my fingers splay across my stomach as I moved both them and my eyes past my slightly flaring hips to the shadowed place between my rounded thighs. I found myself spreading my legs slightly to get a better, fuller look at myself. While I had never really consciously thought about it, I rather liked the shaven appearance of some women I’d seen in magazines and the like. I remembered the first time I tried it and found myself utterly lacking in bald beauty.

Slowly, I slipped two of my fingers downwards; sliding against bare skin until they reached a small tuft of fur that I had found had accentuated my inner beauty rather nicely. I found myself smiling as I touched the side of my paler thigh with my other hand. Sliding my fingertips along my smooth skin, I drew an imaginary line down my long, curvy legs all the way to my delicate ankles and curled toes. I found myself stroking the small patch, almost purring underneath my breath.

While I had never truly felt beautiful in another’s eyes, in my own, I was a goddess. I had an imperfect goddess’s body that suddenly demanded attention.

The reflection of soft, dark eyes stared back at me as I slipped my fingers further downwards, delighted to find the nub of my pleasure as I rubbed it slightly but slid my fingers down even further to my wet slit. I closed my eyes as I moved my fingers against myself, just twice, almost barely touching.

Flicking my eyes open again, I watched my reflection as she raised her fingers, her eyes dark with lonesome passion. She reached up and flicked out a small pink tongue to dab experimentally at the moistened fingertips. I watched as her eyes widened with the taste and her nostrils flared with the smell of my heat.

Slowly, my lips parted as I breathed deeply, I reached down again, leaving a soft, wet trail down the skin between my breasts and dipping my fingers into my navel before seeking the pleasant warmth of my sex. I let my head drop back, content to close my eyes as I felt my fingertips brush against my clitoris. Circling, I let a breathy sigh escape my lips and I moved my other hand back up and cupped a breast.

Keeping in time, I circled both clit and nipple, my breath soon coming in excited pants as I sought to sink my fingers deep into myself. But I held back, prolonging the anticipation of the pleasure it would bring. As I squeezed and massaged my breasts, my eyes closed, I felt a man enter my mind and take over the loving ministrations on my body. I arched myself up into him as he rubbed my clit, sliding an errant finger down along my wet pussy every now and again.

He held both my breasts, his head dipped low to suckle on my nipples. First one, then the other and I found it hard to breathe, the pleasure burning its way into me. Then, when I thought I would cry out in desperation, I felt his fingers slide deep into me. I gasped and arched into his body once more. I felt his hot hands on my breasts, his sighed breath on my neck, my legs wrapped around him. I felt the liquid heat inside me begin to melt and flow towards him, begin to move with the ebb and tide provided by his now harder thrusts. I was so ready, I wanted what only he could give me. I wanted release.

I arched my back, preparing as I felt it build inside me. I was so close. I felt… I felt…

“Hey! What are you doing in there? You know I want a shower too!”

I blinked, coming back from my fantasy into the real world with a disappointing crash and a sudden and quite violent shift in my mood. I sighed explosively and stared at the mirror pointlessly as I weaved my wet fingers against myself, feeling my wet pussy. But nothing else came, it was gone and so was the man in my head.

Rude banging on the door interrupted my hopeless contemplation once again and I savoured pouring a hateful glance towards it. I sighed, finding myself on the floor and slowly uncurled my legs in order to stand. Taking a small wash cloth, I held it under a tap and wiped the moist cloth against myself, cleaning off the wetness that mixed a heady scent into my nostrils.

The door banged again, or rather, Sandra knocked loudly and demanded my coming out. I took another long look at myself and sighed for the lost ecstasy. Pulling on a nightdress, I unlocked the door and stepped outside.

“What were you doing in there?”

“Nothing. Just getting ready.”

Sandra gave me an odd look and all I could do was give her a blissful smile, though the earlier sting of being interrupted in the most crucial part of my fantasy still bit. Frowning at my sunny disposition, Sandra muttered something about drinking too much and proceeded to flow into the bathroom herself, her bath robe flaring dramatically. I sighed and tried to run my fingers through my hair, the braid stopping me short before plopping myself onto my bed and under the covers.

I looked around at the cream coloured walls and listened to the distant hiss of running water through the bathroom door. I found myself strangely thinking of Sandra in the shower. Her golden hair plastered to the nape of her neck; water running in rivulets down her smooth skin, running off her ass as she exposed her long, slender neck to the rushing water. I found myself curling under the blankets and wickedly sliding my fingers once again down towards my goddess’s mound.

It seemed that the thought of my best friend naked, hot and wet in the shower was turning me on again and I had no inclination towards stopping myself. I sighed as I laid my head back onto the pillow, forgetting to conjure up the man in my last fantasy as I listened to the water pour down onto the tiled floor of my shower. Instead, I found myself seeing my friend as she walked back out into the bedroom; completely and utterly naked.

I watched with dark eyes as she slid along the edge of the bed towards me, her own deep blue eyes afire with curious passion. My nostrils flared as I breathed in her soapy, clean scent and I wet my lips with my tongue as she hovered over me, her own lips parted in wicked desire.

Reaching up, I slowly began to rub my breasts, my nipples hardening under my touch as I teased myself under her watchful gaze. I saw her staring and silently revelled in the reaction I was getting as I slid my hand skittering down towards my stomach. Before I could reach my goal, however, she stopped me with her own hands. Leaning down, she bent her head to my nipples and began sucking on the hard nubs. First one, then the other and then, pushing my breasts together, she wrapped her hot, moist tongue around both. I couldn’t help but gasp, my hands automatically going to her head, my fingers spearing into her soft, silken mane. Pulling her head closer, I revelled in the delicious curl of pleasure that wound its way up my spine.

Then I suddenly found it hard to breathe as I felt questing fingers at the junction of my thighs. Involuntarily, I squeezed them tight, only to relax and open them again when my body realised what was coming. Crying out a little, making mewling sounds, I felt hot fire pierce into me as her fingers slid into my warmth. She wriggled them, moving them in and out and in circles inside my tight pussy and I couldn’t help but squirm under her ministrations. So good!

I felt my liquid core suddenly unfurling once again and I knew that because of my earlier fantasy, I was more than ready to reach my peak. I stared up into her impossibly blue eyes and moved my gaze onto her deliciously pale pink lips. Biting my own, I gestured with my head, unable to take the words from my throat. Kiss me. Kiss me now.

Her tongue pierced my hot mouth just as I felt the first cascade of pleasure. I sighed into her kiss, wrapping my tongue around hers as I convulsed against her palm. I arched myself against her smooth body, feeling the push of her breasts against mine as she stifled my cry of final pleasure with her own moan.

I collapsed back onto the bed, gasping with breath, taking short shallow pulls of air. I blinked, only barely registering the fine sheen of sweat that soaked my scalp and face and indeed, my entire body. I felt the pleasant aftershocks as I mixed my fingers inside myself, idly sliding them in and out and feeling the strange slickness that could only happen when I had cum.

I drowsily registered the turning of the tap as the water stopped hissing in the shower and smiled, rolling over onto my side and closing my eyes to appear asleep when Sandra really did come back into the room. I felt her eyes on me and heard her move around the room, brushing her hair and shifting her clothes around. Padding across the carpeted floor, she poked me with a finger and I mumbled something, still feigning sleep.

“Asleep already? Must have had more than I thought,” she sighed and I couldn’t help but smile, knowing my face was turned away from her. I sighed (in my sleep) and snuggled closer under the bed sheets. My smug smile flickering as I finally fell under my own drowsy spell. My last memories were of my fingers idly wriggling inside myself and the sharp scent of my pleasured sex.

The next morning dawned bright and early with buttered croissants, coffee and a message on my new profile on Soul Match. Munching down, rather un-delicately for a woman of her beauty, Sandra plonked herself in front of my computer and happily signed in. Her eyes grew wide and I watched as she devoured the information on the screen.

“So…anything good?” I asked, though I was extremely sceptical. I mean, what chances were there really of two people who were destined to be together being on the same site when there were probably millions of such sites all over the net? After all, the odds really couldn’t have been that favourable.

“Oh!” Sandra’s eyes suddenly lit up, “you may have a winner here!”

Rolling my eyes, my mouth stuffed with buttery bread, I strolled over to see what she was so excited about. My eyes were drawn first to the number of hits my video clip had had and I was astounded by the number. Then I saw the profile Sandra had up on a rather nice looking young man.

“Number seventy three on your hit list,” Sandra confirmed, pointing her croissant over her shoulder at me, “I just looked at their faces and their hobbies. This one’s handsome and into sports!” she turned fully around then and grinned at me before hopping off the chair and pushing me down on it. “Go on, have a look and send off a reply if you like him!”

Once again I found myself rolling my eyes and soon had to fend of a thrown croissant. I glanced at the profile picture while I bent down, still sitting on the chair, and searched blindly for the landing spot of the offending pastry.

Suddenly, I saw his eyes. They were such an impossible blue with such a drastic contrast to his wavy, blonde hair. I blinked and immediately forgot the bread in favour of clicking the video clip Number 73 had listed on his profile.

A smiling man with magical eyes beamed up at me through the computer screen. “Hi! My name’s Jacob. I’m twenty eight and I own my own surf shack. I love children and especially their mothers-“ ...Cheeky!... “-I’m looking for a serious girl who also knows how to chill and have a good time.” And that was it. But I was hooked.

Without thinking about it, I found myself clicking the ‘reply’ button and sending him a little mail. The response was instantaneous. He was online! Briefly forgetting about my current room mate, I eagerly accepted a request to chat online via the online chat feature the website had. It took only a few moments to download the necessary software and there I was, sitting in a virtual café and nervously awaiting my online prince.

“Hey there!”

I couldn’t help but squeal when I saw him come into the chat room. “Hi!” I answered back and then eagerly awaited his next post.

“So, come here often?”

All I could do was blush and laugh. “Only when I’m lonely,”

“Oh, don’t worry sweetie. I’m here to keep you company,”

As my fingers flew over the keyboard with an appropriate reply, Sandra decided to re-enter the room. She was dressed fabulously, as always in her fashionable, yet conservative business suit. “So, I’m off to work then!” She peered over my shoulder and gave my arm a pinch, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Then she was off and I was grinning. Somehow, being alone with Jacob online suddenly seemed the naughtiest thing I could think of.

“So,” I began to type, snuggling up into my chair and grinning madly, “Are you alone?”

There was a pause and then a little cheeky smiley came up and he replied, “LOL. Yeah I am, it’s just my four kids and my wife in the other room.”

I couldn’t help but blush and laugh. “You’re funny!” and then I rushed to type, “I’m sorry, I just, I’ve never chatted on a site like this and I absolutely no idea what to say…”

I could just imagine him smiling as he typed, “Its okay, I’m new here too. How about we just start off slow? Like… what are your favourite colours?”

And so it went. Two blissful weeks went by as my online relationship with Jacob evolved and matured. I couldn’t believe how wonderfully sweet he was! He was so laid back and sensitive, it was hard to think that he might be a whole continent away. As a rule, we never shared where we were from, preferring some anonymity still and taking it slow. I never felt ‘naughty’ with him ever again and we usually spent hours online together, just chatting.

Jacob was really the only man that I ever talked to. Sure, I still had replies to my video clip but I mostly ignored them. Luckily, there was a bulk delete button on my account and I usually just hit that every twenty four hours or so. Of course, Jacob’s account was exempt from that.

Sandra occasionally made her opinions clear when I talked to him. Sometimes she’d steal the keyboard from me, or type when I wasn’t looking and generally get me into trouble. But soon, Jacob and I knew each other so well that he knew when Sandra was on and when I was.

One day, he almost gave me a heart attack. “Let’s meet each other.”

It took me some time to digest the words he was saying and immediately doubts began to creep into my head. Thoughts like ‘what if he’s a murderer?’, ‘a rapist?’, ‘what if he’s not like this in person?’ ran through my head like water. And just like water running down the drains, those thoughts were washed away the instant they came. The only definite thought I had was, “YES!”

Of course, I was much cooler in my reply. “That would be great, but I’m in the middle of something here and I can’t travel at the moment,”

“That’s okay, I’ll come to you. I’ve got some vacation coming up soon and it’d be good to finally see the face of the woman I’m falling in love with,”

I couldn’t help but blush, then again, he always managed to make me feel like this. All gooey inside and warm and fuzzy with an excited tingle that I couldn’t help but shiver at. I couldn’t type for a long time, those words repeating over and over in my mind, “You are?”

“Of course, I know something wonderful when I see it and I’m definitely going to hold onto you,”

“I love you too…” it was all I could say and after typing it, I realised I meant it. I loved Jacob! It just hit me so hard that I rocked back in my chair for a second. With numb fingers, my mind furiously working, I worked out the details with Jacob for our first face to face meeting.

That night, I pulled my account with Soul-Match (we’d given each other our email addresses and IM’s) and while I was grateful to the site for matching me with what I felt was my one true love, I frankly never wanted to see it again.
I was going to meet him! I was going to meet my one true love!

Sandra couldn’t have been happier.

“Ummm… I’ll have the chicken salad with a bottle of water, thanks,” I bit my lip, wondering if I should have ordered before Jacob had gotten here. But I’d already been at the café for half an hour and was beginning to look silly just sitting there ordering nothing. The waiter smiled at me and I couldn’t bring myself to smile back. Briefly I wondered if Jacob was even coming.

A shadow fell over my fingers as I nervously straightened a perfectly placed fork. I looked up and my heart skipped a beat. “Jacob…” I breathed.

The man looking down at me with kind blue eyes and wavy blonde hair smiled. “I’m sorry I’m late. Traffic…” he trailed off and gave a little self conscious chuckle. “Actually I couldn’t decide which shirt to wear,” he indicated the seat opposite me on the other side of the table and raised an eyebrow in question. All I could do was make a sort of strangled squeak as I gave him permission to join me. He laughed, sitting himself down and signalling for a menu, “Your picture doesn’t do you justice. Have you ordered?”

“Uhh… umm… that is… er… yes. Sorry, I wasn’t sure… I mean, I didn’t think you’d-”

“You didn’t think I’d come?” his sparkling blue eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled. I decided instantly that I loved those crinkles.

I blushed in embarrassment, “Yeah… sort of…” I shook my head, going quiet as Jacob took a quick look over the menu and ordered a chicken burger and fries. I couldn’t help but giggle as I saw the waitress give him an appreciative eye. Luckily, he seemed oblivious. He gave me a strange look and I shook my head, “I’m just excited. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

He grinned, “I’ll be gentle, I promise,”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his lovely sense of humour. Within moments, our meals were placed in front of us and soon we were chatting away like life long friends. The only difference was that we were both eyeing each other with more than just friendly thoughts in our heads.

I gulped down the last of my water, “So, where are you headed next?”

He gave me a little embarrassed smile, “Actually, I was wondering if you had any plans tonight. I mean… I heard the cinemas around here are good and you can get some pretty decent grub…”

My heart almost stopped. “Of course not!” I blurted out and then hastily added, “I mean, I’d love to have dinner with you. Tonight, I mean, whenever you want.”

He grinned, “Great! It’s a date!”

I fumbled with my keys. I knew that it was a bit of a cliché move, but I couldn’t help it. The wine was getting into my system and the handsome man at my arm was definitely contributing to my intoxication. Jacob leaned down and took my apartment keys from me and laughed. I vaguely heard him ask which key it was and I murmured my reply, I wasn’t sure he had heard me, but evidently he had had no trouble opening the door as we were soon standing in my small hall way.

I was slightly disappointed. Wasn’t fumbling supposed to be a signal that I wanted a good night kiss? I felt him slide my bag off my shoulder and place it on the little counter I had sitting in the hall way. I felt my cheeks redden as he led me deeper inside, mumbling something about me not being able to do it on my own. He sat me down and I squealed as he began taking my shoes off. “Really, Jacob! I can manage, I promise you…” I giggled as he shook his head and gave me that heart stopping smile again. “I don’t think this is very appropriate, you know,”

He laughed, getting my shoes off at last, “you’re right. Its not… and I don’t think kissing you would be entirely appropriate right now either,” he was grinning.

I couldn’t help but let my disappointment show as I said a little ‘oh’.

Then I felt his hand begin to slide up my silky, bronzed calf and rest briefly on my knee before moving even further up. Suddenly he was up on his knees and in front of me, his lips so close to my own. “Then again, I don’t really feel like being appropriate right now,” he grinned before he crushed his lips against mine.

It was breathtaking, literally. All of my brain functions ceased at that moment and I found myself wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning into his kiss. His tongue soon swept into my mouth and I found it a strange and totally exciting taste; something in between spice and cookies. I moaned as I leaned into his embrace, his arms sliding down around my waist. I had a momentary self judging moment and wondered about my curvy figure, but soon realised that if he was kissing me like this, chances were he didn’t care that I wasn’t a supermodel. And besides, I already knew that I was a Goddess, but it was about time that someone else made me feel like it.

“Jacob!” I thrust my fingers into his blonde, wavy hair as he broke from our passionate kiss and began attacking my throat with his wet lips. I was soon shivering from his touches as his hands began to roam about my body above my clothes. First it was my hips, cradling them gently and then up my waist to the sides of my breasts. I gasped as he ran his fingers over my peaked nipples.

With a sound somewhere between a groan and a growl he said, “Where’s your bedroom sweetheart?”

I wordlessly pointed and was instantly lifted up into his strong arms. I looked up and was struck by the passion I saw flaring in his eyes. My inner heat began to melt at the mere thought that his man wanted me so much. I saw him clenching his jaw and reached up with a concerned hand. “Not to worry sweetheart, I’ve just been wanting you for so long,” he smiled down at me and I nodded, content to let him carry me to bed.

With a grunt, he dumped me onto my queen sized bed. I was silently thankful that Sandra had been prudent enough not to be here tonight. There was a brief moment of concern as to where she was staying, but all thoughts for my friend’s welfare flew out the window as I felt my pantyhose begin to slide off my legs. I giggled and wiggled out of the high tops. I gasped as I felt his lips descend on my soft legs. My toes curled as his hands wandered beneath my skirt and gripped my hips.

I felt his soft hair brush against my heat and I whined, feeling his wet tongue slide against my inner thigh and wanting him to go even further. But he didn’t. Instead, he lifted me up again and into a sitting position. Then he began kissing my neck again as his hands got busy with my blouse’s buttons. They were tiny pearl like things and I heard him growl with frustration as they gave him trouble. I just giggled and let him get on with it, I knew they would come undone if he truly wanted them to. Before I knew it, my top half was bare.

“Jacob!” I cried out as I felt his lips suddenly on my nipples. He sucked lightly; raising the delicate hairs on the back of my neck and making me shiver so deliciously. He circled my right nipple with his tongue, imitating his tongue’s lazy circles with his thumb. I couldn’t take it and began to grip his hair tightly with my fingers, my breath coming out in short sharp bursts.

I moaned as he kissed the valley between my modest breasts as his hands were busy with the little zipper on the side of my skirt. He soon had it down and I leant back and lifted my hips up so that he could pull it off me and down my legs. He stopped and stood up then, just looking at me.

I surveyed him from my position on the bed and tried to judge what he was thinking. Somewhere deep inside I was afraid that he would not like what he saw. Distractedly, he reached down and barely brushed his fingertips against the neat patch of hair at the junction of my thighs and looked up with a smile, “I like this…” he whispered and then leant down to give me suddenly tender and sweet kiss on the lips. I smiled and reached up to begin working on his own shirt’s buttons.

He laughed and took my hands away, “I’ve been a bit selfish haven’t I?” he murmured and then proceeded to divest himself of all of his clothing. I watched in fascination as he stripped and had to admit that I was impressed. His naturally muscular tone, while visible through his clothing, was that much more enhanced when he was totally naked. He wasn’t bulging in places he shouldn’t be and I determined that he was perfect the way he was.

When he stood there before me, completely naked, he raised an eyebrow. “Well?” his quiet voice spoke a little too softly and I realised that he was just as nervous as I was. I sat up a little more attentively as I drifted my eyes up to his blonde, wavy hair. Slowly I took him all in, drinking in his naked goodness from his broad shoulders to his slightly haired chest. His hips narrowed into a pair of strong looking legs that were longer than I thought they would have been. His strong, thick member stood to attention at my perusing and I couldn’t help but smile.

Instead of answering him verbally, I reached out with a hand and wrapped my fingers delicately around his shaft. I heard his indrawn breath as I began to stroke him gently, marvelling at the thick bush of curly hair in which he was neatly nestled. I reach out with my other hand and gave his balls an experimental squeeze and I heard him moan, smiling as I realised how much pleasure I was giving him.

Then he moved my hands away, “Not yet sweetheart, you first,” he whispered as he lay me down on my back. Kissing me thoroughly, his tongue seeking out the hottest, deepest parts of my mouth, I moaned in the back of my throat as his hand skimmed lightly down my body, his fingers moving to once again brush my neatly trimmed triangle of hair. Then they crept down further and I gasped as he lightly teased the highly sensitive nub. Obviously, he knew what he was doing.

Circling my clit with his thumb, his fingers moved even further down and were soon stroking the soft, velvety petals of my womanhood, making them slick with my own juices. I moaned again, lost for words as his simple caress deepened as he moved his fingers harder against me, sliding deep into the moist valley between my thighs.

Suddenly, his mouth slanted over mine, he deepened his kiss, his tongue moving against my passionately, deeply as he suddenly thrust two of his fingers into my moistened well. I arched my back, instinctively pushing myself against his questing digits. I couldn’t make a sound; I couldn’t even make a coherent thought. I just needed him to never stop.

He took his mouth away from mine, his own breath ragged with excitement as he bent his head down once more and took my nipple into his mouth. His tongue teased and danced around the sensitive bud and I couldn’t help but cry out. I wove my fingers into his hair, urging his head around to my other nipple, crying out when his tongue wrapped around it.

His fingers moved expertly inside me, seeking out the deepest of my warmth and stroking the fires of my passion. My legs quivered and my toes curled at this simplest of embraces and somewhere a voice inside my head wondered what it would be like when he really was inside me. I shivered deliciously with the thought.

I gripped his shoulders as his hot, wet mouth moved lightly over my skin, my stomach muscles quivering as he planted little passionate kisses over them. His fingers never ceased movement. They varied, sometimes going softly, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes harder and more demanding. I moved my head restlessly from side to side. My hands fluttered around his shoulders and back, needing something to do, but not knowing what.

I made a decision and almost violently jerked myself from beneath him. His fingers left my warm slit and I instantly felt their loss. Jacob looked down at me with a questioning arc to his eyebrows and I smiled up at him. “My turn,” I whispered as I put a little pressure on his shoulders and bade him lie on his back. Wordlessly, he obeyed my gentle insistence.

Crawling around him, I knelt down at his stomach, placing a hand on his chest and the other on his thigh. I looked at him and gave him my most impish grin. Then I bent down my head and tentatively licked the tip of him. I felt him quiver under my hands and grinned before gently sliding my warm, wet mouth down his long shaft. I wasn’t ambitious, and rather liked the idea of teasing him first, so I only went about half way before slowly sliding my mouth up again. I flicked my tongue over the head of his cock and felt the muscles in his legs twitch and tighten. Oh, so he liked that, did he? Good. I did it again.

I heard him moan as I once again slowly slid my mouth down his length. This time, I went as far as I could go and felt his muscles tighten even further. Obviously I was doing this right. Enclosing my warm mouth around his shaft, I sucked lightly, experimentally. He convulsed and his hands were instantly on my head, urging me down onto him. I complied and began to suck even harder and for much longer than before. His grip, while gentle, was still insistent as he began moving my head up and down.

I grinned around his member and began sliding my lips up and down him. I went slowly at first and teasingly as I flicked my tongue around him but soon I was going faster and faster. As I slid downwards, I gripped his shaft with my lips tightly and as I slid upwards, I sucked on him harder and harder until I reached his head. His trembling beneath my hands and his own restless hands skimming along my back told me enough to know that I was giving him exactly what he wanted.

I felt an exultation of pleasure at knowing that I was controlling what and how much he felt. Abruptly, just to hear him moan again, I slid my mouth all the way down to his base and stayed there, sucking lightly. Then I began flicking my tongue against his head as I sucked lightly and he soon gave me the obliging sound effect I had wanted.

Then he was pulling my head up and tugging me towards his mouth. I grinned and leant up to kiss him passionately, taking control of this kiss like he had with all the others. I planted my hands onto his shoulders and leaned against him, rubbing my breasts enticingly against his chest. His course hairs made my nipples tingle delightfully and I gasped as he reached down and grabbed my ass, squeezing it lightly.

I took my mouth from him and manoeuvred into a sitting position above him. He smiled and took my waist in his hands. I smiled down at him and gently began to lower myself onto his cock. I felt his hardness brush against my centre and then suddenly he was pushing inside me. I couldn’t take the sudden pleasure and speared myself onto his shaft with abandon. His steadying hands on my waist kept me from moving further as he let me get used to him inside me.

It felt wonderful. I was stretched and enclosing him at the same time. I felt my tightness grip him as my juices began to trickle through our embrace. It had been so long since I had had a man, a real man, inside me and I briefly wondered how I had forgotten just how good it could be.

Slowly, as his hands relaxed, I began rocking back and forth. He reached deep inside me and rubbed against places only a man could reach. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, shuddering as I felt his hands cup my breasts, gently fondling them as he let me do what I wanted. I leant back, gripping the top of his thighs and I slowly began to finally slide up and down him.

“God! You’re so tight!” I heard him moan as the pressure on my breasts increased slightly for a brief moment. Then his hands left my mounds and travelled to my waist, where their pressure guided me up and down his stiff member. I opened my eyes again and looked down at him, surprised to see that he had his own eyes closed. My eyes drifted closed again as I smiled and began to move faster. I had forgotten how much I liked this position.

Jacob’s fingers flexed against my skin as my tight pussy began to stroke him faster and faster. I arched my back and began to slide up and down his entire length. It was a bit more of an effort, but the reward was that much better. I soon began hearing a keening, whimpering sound and realised with a start that it was my own voice. I wasn’t exactly a vocal lover and to hear myself making these sounds gave me an erotic sort of pleasure that just pushed me even further.

Suddenly I was on my back, Jacob leaning down between my legs and pushing heavily into me. This new position was just as exciting as the last and I marvelled at the rate he could pump into me. His breathing matched my own frantic gasps and he leant down to hold me in a sort of hug as he drove his hips harder and harder downwards. Soon enough, those whimpers became screams.

Suddenly I wanted more. Pushing at his shoulders in a massive effort to get him off me, I grunted with an impatient shove which got his full attention. Scrambling from underneath him, my breaths coming in almost painful gasps, I soon reoriented myself and in a throaty, tired voice demanded, “Fuck me!”

I couldn’t see his expression, but his hands on my hips and his cock bursting into my tight pussy was enough of an answer for me. I rocked backwards into him and revelled in the extra length I was getting from him in this new position. In my mind’s eye, I saw the both of us, me on my hands and knees, him behind me and pushing into my hot, wet little **** and knew that I would have given anything for a video camera at that moment. Closing my eyes, I was content to envision it as I felt him pump into me, his breaths gasping from him as his hands gripped my hips almost painfully. I revelled in the feeling of his cock thrusting brutally into my deep, slick centre.

“Fuck me!!” I screamed, completely abandoning myself to the pleasure that I realised I had needed more than anything. Luckily for me, Jacob seemed to be in a very obliging mood. I heard him moan and suddenly gasp and I knew what was happening. “Yes! Yes! Give it to me, give me your hot cum!! Oh god! Fill me up!!” I screamed back at him as he gave a final thrust and a little, hoarse shout before shuddering against me. I felt his thighs against my own shuddering and flexing as he emptied himself into me.

Hot liquid heat rushed through my pussy and I felt my own begin to boil over. I gave a last scream of pleasure before my coiled heat suddenly exploded in answer to his own release. In that delicious moment of overwhelming pleasure, all of my energy just suddenly left me. Gasping for breath, I collapsed onto the bed, sprawled beneath Jacob’s pleasantly heavy bulk. I could feel his heart beat thudding against my back and I knew that he was just as tired as I was.

I lay there for a few minutes, gathering my breath into something that resembled normal and thinking drowsily about what had just happened. Suddenly, I felt his heaviness leave me and heard him cursing softly. I blinked, my mind jumbled as I looked up at him, flipping onto my back. “What’s wrong?”

Jacob shook his head, “I’m so sorry,” he began and slowly my mind began to get anxious, “I wasn’t thinking… I just… I’m sorry…”

I sat up quickly, suddenly very, very alert. “What are you saying?” I asked him suspiciously, my eyes narrowing. Surely he couldn’t be regretting what we just did already?

He looked up and gave me a belated look, “I didn’t use protection.”

I blinked. He looked so wretched and remorseful that I couldn’t help but give a short burst of laughter. My smile didn’t die even when he gave me a hurtful look. “Oh Jacob, darling. I’m on the Pill.”

He looked up quickly from his sorrowful contemplation of the bedroom carpet, “But… you’re not in a relationship!”

I laughed, “Jacob, most women use the Pill for other reasons too. It’s a good way to keep yourself… ummm… regular.” I tried to explain delicately.

He gave me a quizzical look and soon enough he understood. His face cleared up and he gave me an embarrassed grin, “Oh… I… see…”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I saw him looking at me with that apologetic way that men have. That totally irresistible way that I was finding out Jacob had. Suddenly, all thoughts of sleeping were a long, long way away.

I reached forwards and took his head in my hands, leaning in to kiss him gently. He kissed me back and slowly laid me back onto the bed, his fingers already working their special magic on my body.

The next four weeks were filled with fine days and even finer nights. I could not believe my luck at finding such a wonderful man. His laugh made me all giddy with happiness and it was the little things I noticed when we were together that made me glow all warm and fuzzy inside. He was always opening doors, standing aside to let me pass before him in narrow places, looking after the bill – and even making me breakfast in bed on some occasions. It was heaven and I was dreading the moment when he would have to go home.

Jacob smiled at me over dinner one day. It was his last night here and he had taken me to the most romantic little restaurant for our last dinner. Well, for the last dinner this time, that was. We were already planning the next time we would see each other. I had some time to myself coming up and we were eagerly making plans as to when and how I’d get to him. It was my turn this time.

I smiled back at him and reached forwards to take his hand that rested on the tabletop. I knew it was a completely cliché move, but I couldn’t help it. When I looked into his eyes, I saw the love shining there and I knew that he had to be seeing the same thing in mine. “You know,” I sighed, “It’s strange just how fast this has all been…”

He laughed, “Fast? Yes, I suppose, but it seemed like an eternity just to get to see you. I think I was falling in love with you the minute we first chatted.”

I grinned. Sentimental things like that were what drew me to him. Suddenly a thought came to me and I frowned, “How far do you think we could take this? I mean, living so far away from each other…. Having our own separate lives and friends… “ I trailed off when I noticed him looking intently at me. He actually looked really serious and I could not decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Suddenly, I felt like a complete idiot for bringing it up at all, especially considering how painful it would be when he left in the morning.

“Actually,” he started after a moment’s hesitation, “I was thinking about that too. I know, I have my small business and like you said, friends and family. But I can’t get you out of my head. I would really love for you to see my home and make your own decision.” He ducked his head, “I mean… whether you want to move in with me… or me with you…” then he put up his hands, palms out, “Not that I’m asking… I mean, I’m not going to fast… there’s no pressure…”

I couldn’t help but smile as I patted his hand in a comforting gesture. “We can talk about it after I get there, how about that? I’m sorry for bringing it up, I really am.”

He nodded and smiled, “Yeah that sounds better. Don’t worry about it, I was thinking about it too, you know.”

Our waiter came around with our deserts and I had yet another sobering moment. I felt, suddenly, that this was our last night together and no matter how much I wanted to think otherwise, my heart refused to shake the feeling away. Jacob looked at me and I felt his concern as he asked if I was alright. Though the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach said otherwise, I put on a bright smile and nodded that I was. I couldn’t let some silly feeling ruin our last night together.

The warm night was refreshing after the almost chilly air conditioning of the restaurant. We walked down the darkened streets, his arms draped around me as I leaned into him. Believe it or not, it was a full moon tonight. The niggling feeling in the back of my head was finally fading as I let my happiness flow through me. The stars were out and seemed brighter than I had ever seen them.

We chatted aimlessly, laughing our way home. We had decided not to get a taxi, simply because it was our last night together and we felt like a walk. The night wasn’t too hot, and we felt completely at ease with each other. His rich, deep laugh echoed along the streets we crossed, the city seemed abandoned. I honestly couldn’t have felt any happier than at that very moment, wandering the night with my lover. I didn’t even let the impending thought of his dawn flight back hamper my bliss.

Suddenly, Jacob pulled me up against a building and passionately took my mouth in his. His fingers slid into my hair, his tongue pushing against my lips. I parted them, allowing him access and he groaned, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, sliding against my own. I was momentarily shocked at the passion he was communicating, but was soon kissing him back just as hard as he was kissing me. When we broke, we were both panting for air. “Let’s go home and make love,” his voice was gravelly, his normally blue eyes were darkened. I wasn’t sure if it was from the night or from his lust for me. All I knew was that what he was saying definitely sounded good. More than good, in fact, and suddenly I couldn’t wait to get home and take off my clothes. I wanted so badly for him to see me naked and for me to see him the same way.

Jacob stepped back and feverishly fished out his cell phone. He flipped it open and tried a few buttons, cursing under his breath. “What? What’s wrong?” I asked and he gave me a little helpless look. He grinned, gritting his teeth, “The battery’s dead,”

I couldn’t help but laugh and soon he was laughing with me. We were both well into the grip of our lust and the only way to call a taxi was officially dead. Jacob looked around. “Maybe there’s a payphone around here.” I nodded and we began to hunt for one.

I’m not sure who heard it first, but we soon began hearing music. It was the heavy ‘thump thump’ of a night club. I wasn’t all too familiar with this part of town, so I wasn’t sure if there was a club around here. Besides, I wasn’t one to frequent those sorts of places. I had always valued a level head and quieter places to go at night.

“They’ve probably got a phone,” Jacob said and gave me a kiss before moving off into an alley. I glanced up at the sky, appreciating the fullness of the moon for a second before stepping into the alley after him. The walls were lined with graffiti, but it was the tasteful artsy type of graffiti, not the mindless tagging that most people see on trains or fences. There were depictions of lovers, of demons and angels and many little poetic verses that I couldn’t quite read in the dim light. “Honey, can you see these? They are so cool. I wish all graffiti artists did this sort of stuff. I don’t think people would mind it if they did.” I waited for an answer, sure that Jacob would agree with me, but when I didn’t hear anything, I looked up and saw that he was almost at the end of the alley, just close enough to a streetlamp for me to see his silhouette. I smiled, and looked at the art on the walls one more time before hurrying to catch up with him.

Once I did, he looked at me and smiled, “Did you say something before? Sorry, I was just trying to figure out what this song was…” he gestured vaguely around and I realised that the distant thumping had evolved into a murmur of actual music. Lyrics and rhythms could just be made out and the tune was tantalisingly familiar. I grinned, “I know what you mean… I think I’ve heard it before. When we get to the club, we can ask the DJ or something.” I slipped my arm around him and licked my lips, “But we can’t take too long, okay?” I grinned and I saw the answering flare of renewed desire in his blue eyes.

He laughed, “Yeah, you’re right!”

The music got louder and louder as we got closer and closer. Soon we crossed the next street over and into another alley. This too was decorated in tasteful graffiti and I pointed them out to Jacob. He smiled and nodded, squinting ahead at something. I looked too, but couldn’t see until we got closer. It was a flashing neon sign. It read, “Midnight Club” and I had to laugh. It wasn’t exactly the most innovative of names, but it seemed to suit.

Jacob and I smiled and nodded at the other couples who were hanging around the entrance. There didn’t seem to be any line, but there was a doorman. We walked up to him casually but Jacob had to shout slightly to be heard over the music that boomed from the open front doors. As he asked about a phone, I looked around at the other people who were there. I always found it interesting to see what kind of people actually went to night clubs. There were usually the over the top, desperate single women who wore too short skirts, too low cut shirts and no panties. And then there were the single men who often had too much hair gel, too tight jeans and absolutely no respect for women in general.

Funnily enough, I couldn’t see any of those types of people here tonight. If anything, I would have guessed this was a classy joint, but for the loud obnoxious music. The men I saw all wore long dark pants with conservative tops – some T’s but most were dress shirts. And the women… wow… they were, in a word, sexy. All of them. One particular brunette wore a long black evening dress that glittered with small rhinestones. I didn’t know for sure if they were real or not, but I was willing to believe that they were.

I wasn’t paying that much attention to what Jacob was saying, but I turned around to see him smiling at a woman. A very blonde, leggy, woman. A touch of annoyance came to me and I tugged his sleeve, “Honey, are they going to call a cab for us?” But he didn’t respond. He just kept smiling at that stupid blonde.

Okay, so she was pretty. Well no, she was damn right gorgeous. Her long curly locks swept over her bare shoulders as her long, golden, halter topped dress flared slightly just below her hips. Her lips were painted a faint cherry red and her eyes were the sultriest brown I’ve ever seen. And she was pouting. At Jacob.

I got a little more than annoyed this time, and tugged at his arm even harder. He glanced back, a weird angry look in his eyes as he shook my hand off his arm. When I let go, he began to walk towards the blonde. I blinked, not sure what was happening but the ‘come hither’ look in the blonde’s eyes soon cleared up any confusion I had. I took a few steps after Jacob, grabbing him and trying to pull him back towards me. I felt the eyes of curious onlooker’s burn into the back of my head. “Jacob, come on, I think we should get out of here.”

“Get off me!” his harsh voice cried out as he flung me to the ground. I toppled over, unbalanced and even more unsure of what was happening. I looked up at Jacob, my eyes wide and scrambled up onto my feet. “Jacob… honey… what….?” I was so confused and he wasn’t helping me any. I didn’t know what to do.

I watched in a daze as he walked up to the blonde, placed his arms around her waist and bent his head to give her on of the most passionate kisses I’ve ever seen. I blinked, not able to reconcile the picture of my boyfriend kissing another woman the way he had just kissed me, not ten minutes before. “What the – “

“Hey!” I swung my head towards the source of the new voice. A man was exiting the club, coming down the stairs in a rapid, angry pace. I saw the green of jealousy in his grey blue eyes and I instantly knew that Blondie was his girlfriend. I barely heard myself groan. The guy was big – bigger than my perfectly sculpted Jacob. I knew that we were about to be in real big trouble.

Jacob didn’t pause. He just kept kissing Blondie and she just kept kissing him back. The arrival of the newcomer didn’t stop them and only the big man’s fist connecting with the side of Jacob’s head forced them apart. I couldn’t help gasping and running towards my downed boyfriend – I was beginning to think ‘ex’ boyfriend – but old habits die hard. “Are you okay, sweetie?” I asked as I cradled his head in my lap. He was dazed, unable to speak and I was sure he had a concussion. That man had quite a punch.

“Oh Drake, look what you’ve done. Now my pretty boy can’t kiss me anymore!” Blondie’s voice was revealed to be just as sexy as her body. It was smooth and silken, yet dark and luscious all at the same time. It gave me shivers and I was sure that I felt a slight dampness between my legs.

“Pretty boy? How many times Valery do I have to tell you that you can’t have anyone else!?” Drake roared back, staring daggers past me and down at Jacob. I felt my arms tighten around my boyfriend as I stared right back The blonde had a name too, and right then and there I vowed to never name any of my children Valery or Drake. The blonde only pouted back at Drake and giggled, “But I like him.”

This only served to make the man even madder and unfortunately, in the way of men, instead of taking it out on the bitch that he was attached to, he decided to take it out on the other man. I found myself standing up, my back straight and my fists clenched in anger as he came down the stairs further to get to Jacob. As he got to me, I almost spat in his face, “Don’t you dare!” I screamed at him.

I wasn’t exactly sure why I was defending Jacob, after all, he’d just kissed a woman in front of me. But I did know that Drake taking out his frustrations on my errant boyfriend was wrong and before I knew what I was doing, I had raised my hand and slapped him across the face.

There was a brief moment, I think I shocked him, and then something totally weird happened. Valery, of all people came pounding down the stairs, pushing past Drake and drew her hand back. When I blinked, I was on the ground, some five feet away from the now seething blonde. I shook my head and tasted blood, I hoped to god that none of my teeth were broken. She shouted at me from her guard post before the still shocked Drake, “Don’t you ever touch my man!”

All I could do was shake my head again. These people had to be crazy. Some sick, twisted kind of love thing happening. All I knew was that I wanted none of it. I started to get up, half crawling towards Jacob who was still lying unconscious on the ground. My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool and my vision was blurred. What had the woman hit me with? I spat out a glob of blood and realised that I had bitten my tongue. Good, at least the teeth were okay. Heck, why was I so worried about my damned teeth!?

Valery turned around, draped her arms around Drake’s neck and began to kiss him. I blinked, wiping my eyes just in case it was a pain induced hallucination. It wasn’t. They were actually kissing. At that point, I didn’t care. It was getting too weird and all I wanted was to get out of here. Preferably with Jacob so I could talk to him later. After all, there had to be an explanation about his behaviour, right? I hoped so.

I crawled my way back to my sprawled boyfriend. I saw his eyes flutter open and the incredible sky blue made me smile. I reached out to him and that’s when Valery turned around. “I don’t like these people, Drake. Kill them for me, will you. Please?” Her voice had the quality of a spoilt child but with the cold emotion of a criminal.

Kill? What the ****?

I only had time to blink before I saw a flash and was suddenly slumped at the base of a wall. I tasted blood again, this time when I spat, a tooth came with it. I blinked hard, tears of pain blurring my vision as my back burned with the impact. I took a glance towards Jacob but found that he wasn’t where I had left him. I searched frantically with my eyes, that dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach slamming back into me with a vengeance. I couldn’t move without something hurting but I managed to turn my head slightly.

What I saw… what I saw made bile rise up into my throat.

I swallowed convulsively and watched in wide eyed terror as someone, no, something, began to rip my boyfriend apart. Literally. The smell of blood filled the air and the mad high pitched cackling of the blonde filled my ears. I looked up to find her watching the gore fest, passion and glee burning in her liquid brown eyes. She actually reached down, bringing up the hem of her dress and slipped her hand between her legs. I gasped, breath coming difficultly for me. I began to hyperventilate and my head began to feel too light. Colours sparked in my vision as terror paralysed my limbs.

I looked desperately around at the crowd that had been at the door. The doorman stood passively at his post, not even flicking a glance at the horrific scene not a few feet away from him. The others saw though, but they just watched. I caught the eye of a couple closer to me and whispered, my voice hoarse with the unreality of it all, “Please… please help us… help him… please…” there was something in their eyes. Some sort of empathetic response, but they did nothing. Just turned and walked up the steps of the club and entered. The music was still ridiculously loud but I noticed that it was now a different song.

I heard a scream and realised that Jacob was awake. Oh god, he was still alive! I saw a flash of blue and realised that he was looking at me. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t say anything. I was afraid. I was angry and terrified. It was just all too much.

The thing ripping into my boyfriend turned around then, and I could finally see its face. It was Drake. Except… it wasn’t Drake. The calm smooth alabaster of his skin was now cracked and rippled in a strange wave like motion. His teeth were something out of a ‘When Animals Attack’ TV show and the grey blue of his eyes were now a feral looking golden yellow colour. Blood ringed his mouth and was smeared all over his before immaculate dress suit.

It was then that I found my voice, just as he reached down into Jacob’s open chest cavity and brought his beating heart towards his mouth. He sunk his teeth in and a scream clawed its way up my throat and forced itself out of my lips. My scream just seemed to excite the animal even more. I call Drake an animal because he sure as hell didn’t look human. I didn’t know what he looked like.

I blinked and Valery was suddenly looming over me. Her own teeth had changed as well, but her skin was still smooth and flawless. Her brown eyes had turned an icy blue too. She laughed and I heard my own high pitched, terrified screams fill the air. I turned my head away, trying to wish her away from me and saw that the light in Jacob’s beautiful blue eyes had gone out. Drake’s face was buried in his chest and I kept hearing ugly sucking sounds. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream again or retch. I guess I chose to do both because I heard a strange choking sound and realised that it was coming from me.

I tasted blood and bile and choked.

I turned back, not willing to see the bloody remains of the love of my life. Unfortunately, I was now staring into the icy blue eyes of his murderer. “Bitch!” I screamed out at her, momentarily surprised that I could form a word in my terror. She just laughed though, unconcerned at my struggles now that I regaining my senses. I wasn’t hyperventilating anymore, I think I was past shock. Or maybe I was in the deepest part of it. Maybe I didn’t feel so bad because I actually felt the worst of all.

I watched, silent and strangely calm now as she bent her head down. Her grip on the back of my head made me turn and I winced with the pain. I felt her lips brush my pulse as I squeezed my eyes shut, not sure what would happen next but sure that it would hurt. Maybe I could talk to Jacob after I was dead, after all, we had to have been heading to same place, right? We would have eternity to talk about this little incident. I guess that it wouldn’t matter much though.

It seemed to be taking forever. So I decided to start counting sheep in my head. After all, some people actually suggest that dying is like falling asleep. At this point, I just wanted it to happen. And how to we get to sleep? For me, it was counting sheep, believe it or not. So I began to count. I got to about twenty sheep before I realised that I couldn’t hear anything except my own breathing. Oh, and a distant ‘thump, thump’ of music.

I opened my eyes.

Staring back at me was a man. A different looking man, swathed in black. He looked like a biker out of “Mad Max” – but somehow sexier. He had long, lanky hair that fell straight past his shoulders. He was completely clean shaven and of course, there were those deep green eyes. He was crouching in front of me, concern writing in deep green eyes. I blinked and he blinked back.

I moved my head, his stayed where it was, and looked around. I could see the remains of Jacob, but he was turned over so that I couldn’t see his open chest cavity. The area was deserted. The moon still high in the night sky, the stars still glittered. The only difference was the lack of people, the absence of the doorman and the now closed doors of the night club. Of Valery and Drake there was no sign.

I turned back to the intense green gaze and blinked. Once again, he answered me with a blink of his own. I began to feel a silly grin stretching across my face. It hurt to move. Actually it hurt a lot. I guess that shock had worn off, then. I looked at the stranger and decided on impulse to blink twice. He only blinked once.

I began to laugh. What had I expected? For him to blink twice too? No, that would have been crazy. I couldn’t stop laughing. I was laughing so hard now that I could hardly draw breath. Everything hurt so much. My chest began to burn and I began to choke for air. I felt his arms come around me then and I finally stopped laughing. I stared into his eyes for a silent moment and saw sadness in them. A deep, pitying sadness.

That’s when I began to cry. I couldn’t stop. Occasionally, a hysterical laugh or hiccup would emerge, but mostly it was just crying. All the time, he held me, stroking my hair and I took comfort in this strange man. Everything was so unreal. Everything was just too weird. Everything, my entire world, it was gone; ripped to pieces in front of my eyes.

Absently, I realised that he was rocking me. Just a little bit, barely any movement at all, really, but it was enough. I wanted to tell him to let me go, to stop rocking. But I didn’t say anything. I just closed my eyes and let myself drift into darkness.

When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital bed. I was connected up to some sort of monitor; its beeps mirrored the beating of my heart. I looked down and saw that my arms and legs were bound up in casts. Actually, my entire body was bound up. I could hardly move and to move my neck, even a little, hurt like hell.

I did manage to look around the room though and saw the man in black with his strange green eyes staring back at me. I blinked, but he didn’t blink this time. Instead, he stood up and I finally saw just how tall he was. He had to have been a good six foot one. Though I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had have been taller. His frame was athletic, not to much muscle that I could see, yet not on the weak side. He moved with a fluid grace that made me wonder at what he did for a living. He could have been a dancer.

He brought over a glass of water and patiently helped me drink it. My throat was dry and it took several swallows before I could get any of the water down. If it wasn’t for him, I probably would have choked.

He placed the glass on the night table next to my bed, dragged the chair he was sitting in before closer to the bed and then folded himself down into it.

His voice was soft, masculine and sent shivers down my spine, “We need to talk.”

The shadows were cloaking me in soft darkness as I waited for him to return. I occasionally ventured to the double storey window to peek out from the paned glass, but mostly I sat on the bed and waited. I never bothered with the lights, I would know when he returned – and as far as I could figure, he didn’t need lights to see. It was a long time I had, to sit in the dark and wait for him. Not long enough that I wondered if he would ever return, but long enough that I got to thinking. Leaving myself alone with my own thoughts was a dangerous thing to do these days – he should have known that.

As it was, my mind was beginning to drift and I was not sure if I really cared enough to stop it. All I had was darkness to stare at – turning on the lights never actually changed the view; just made it clearer. There was nothing more for me, but he had asked me to wait and for some reason I found myself waiting; and thinking; and remembering.

Once, I actually walked to the mirror. The full moon streaming through the windows gave enough light for me to see my reflection. True, it was a ghostly pale view of myself, but then I did not overly care anymore. It seemed right, somehow. Deep shadows circled my dark eyes and my skin looked slightly yellow in the moonlight. There was no olive glow that my complexion should have been giving off, just a tallow, sickly shroud that covered a body that had seen better days – and more food. On impulse, I pulled the thin cotton dress from my shoulders and let it slip to the polished wooden floors. More of my body was revealed and I let a hand trail down from my neck to my stomach. I had not bothered to shave for – how long was it? – did it really matter? – so a dark patch was evident at the junction of my thighs. Because of my ancestry, I did not grow that much hair in other places anyway but I saw the goose bumps that rose up on my skin. My once rich and lustrous hair hung down in dank clumps to my shoulders. I toyed with the ends for a time, but the cold drove me back into my cotton dress and on to the bed.

Crossing my legs and playing with the hem, I went back to waiting, the image of my emaciated form already fading from my mind; or at least pushed back so far that I did not have to remember. My mind drifted yet again and I found myself remembering. What I remembered, what I forced myself to remember really, were the happier times. The times when I had just been a simple woman, living with her friend and finding love. I do not think I once thought about anything after that – I mostly refuse to acknowledge it happened, except for him, of course. When he was around, it was hard to forget.

**********

“We need to talk”

My eyes widened but my lips and throat were so dry that I found it hard to speak, no matter how many drops of water I had managed to swallow. The man with the green eyes just kept talking though, probably taking my silence as permission for him to go on.

“My name is Kain,” he stopped there and gave a little chuckle. When he saw my puzzled expression he just waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, “Maybe someday you’ll understand the joke in that.” At that point I was starting to think my green eyed angel might be slightly certifiable. Come to think of it, when had I started considering the strange man, Kain, my angel? Probably from the moment he took me in his arms. Be damned if he ever found out about it, though. After all, I did not even know him.

While I was figuring this out, he started talking again and I had to concentrate on his words. “Some of what I have to tell you, you might not believe, and some of it, you will not want to believe…..”

**************


Goosebumps heralded his arrival. It was a peculiar ability I picked up in the first two weeks with him. He did not have to say anything, he did not even have to move or make a sound, but I always knew when he was there. It was like a sixth sense or something – I just knew. But, whether that was normal was something I refused to examine too closely.

I turned my head and watched as he stalked across the room, the moonlight shifting onto his body as he stepped in front of the window. He stopped there and I felt the full force of his green gaze. As always, his expression was unreadable, but for a wonder, I could not read anything from his eyes. I almost always could – they were very expressive; for me, at least. When he spoke, my goose bumps evolved into shivers.

“You waited.”

It was a simple statement of fact, but I chose to take it as a question. “You told me to.” That too was a simple statement and I wanted him to make of it what he would.

He nodded – apparently to himself because he turned away mid nod – and walked back out. Our meetings were almost always like that. He would just appear and then disappear again. Sometimes there were no words; just staring. I wasn’t sure which one I liked less, his stare or his soft words. He never raised a voice with me – he never raised his voice, period. But I knew when he was angry – I could always feel when he was angry.

I swivelled my head around to the doorway again, his frame filling it for the second time tonight. Blinking, I just sat there, staring at him. He stared back, but padded forward, a covered tray in his hands. Placing it on my bed beside me, he put a glass of water on the bedside table, turned and walked out again, softly clicking the door closed behind him. I twitched the cloth aside, the smells were divine.

It was Chinese take-away.

Figured, he never cooked anything himself. I replaced the cloth and let my stomach grumble. I did take a sip of water though. Then I went back to my waiting. This time I never got off my bed, it would not be too long before he returned. He usually gave me an hour to eat my meal; if I chose to eat. When he returned, the smells had died down somewhat but had not disappeared completely. He did not have to move the cloth to know I hadn’t eaten, yet again. His frown made no impression on me, I just stared at him, feeling nothing. Well, not quite nothing – I did feel hungry, but he was not providing me with what I hungered for.

Revenge.

Just thinking of the word and I felt my body tense up. My fists clenched so tightly that I was sure my fingernails were drawing blood, but cotton crumpled in my hands and I looked down, breaking eye contact with him. When I looked up, he was gone, the tray also missing and my glass of water full again. Sometimes I forgot just how fast he could be; sometimes I just chose not to remember. There were a lot of things that I chose not to remember, but then again, the forcing of those memories to fade only made them brighter – even knowing this, I couldn’t stop trying.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew there was sunlight streaming through the window, onto the wooden floors and shining off the ridiculous bright yellow wallpaper. Somewhere in the past, somebody had had the bright idea of tyring to make this second storey bedroom look brighter and more open – the result was a ghastly sight to wake up to.

My thumping temples screamed ‘headache!’ as I forced myself off the bed. A tray of cold food was there waiting for me. He never brought me food during the day – but there was usually enough there to get me through, if I was willing to eat it cold. As usual, I ignore it. There was usually a pitcher of water on the bedside table too – but today it was missing. Licking my lips, I padded to my door, my empty glass clutched in my long, thin fingers. I was careful not to break the glass – that had happened too many times now. There were only so many of his glasses that I could break. For a wonder, he never once gave me a plastic one.

Gripping the doorknob, I tensed, then turned it and pulled the door open. A long hallway greeted me. The decking was still wooden – I vaguely remembered that the whole place was done like that with a few rugs thrown around to make it more comfortable. Licking my lips again, I ignored the creaking of the floorboards that almost always accompanied a moving body in a silent house. I made my way to the stairs, the glass still clutched in my hand. My head swivelled around, hunting for any sign of him; despite a no failure record, I wasn’t going to bet on my new found ability to sense when he was near too much. I padded down the thankfully carpeted stairway and reached the first floor.

I made it to the kitchen without incident but as I was opening the fridge door to hunt for some cold water a creak on the floorboards made me whirl around. I knew it wasn’t him – but I had my glass raised up in a threatening manner before I knew what I was doing.

Brown eyes stared placidly back into mine. The man in front of me was still – still enough that he could have been a statue except for the steady rise and fall of his chest. He was a small man, powerfully built under his boring, brown suit; his tie and his dusty brown hair done just so to perfection, he wore an expensive wristwatch and a single earring glinted out from under his hair line. It was perhaps the only thing that hinted at personality on the man. He was as drab as they came and his name was Jason. I remembered meeting the man a short time after coming here. He came towards me, moving slowly and I soon found my hand being lowered, the glass taken from me. He filled it up, as well as a pitcher and took my hand, leading me back up the stairs, down the hallway and back to bed. He even settled me into my covers before I remembered that I had wanted a drink. He was gone just as silently as he had handled me but I heard the definite click of the lock turning after the door closed.

I closed my eyes and when I opened them again it was night. The moon was just as full as last night had been and the light streaming through my window gave enough illumination to see into almost every corner of my ugly, yellow room. It was hard to miss the reason why I had woken, and why my skin was tingling. My whisper was loud enough to echo.

“Kain...”

He stalked forward and sat on the end of my bed. I wasn’t sure how long he had been standing there, staring at me. His eyes tilted towards the bedside table and I didn’t have to look to know that there was yet another tray of food. I was sure that he didn’t have to ask me to know that I wasn’t going to eat it. He was silent for a moment longer and then is soft voice brought shivers up by spine. “Jade.”

For a wonder, I wanted to laugh. The absurd notion that our entire conversation would be us repeating each other’s names hit me so suddenly that I only just managed to stifle the giggle that came. Only just.

As always, though, he took no notice. “I heard you came out of your room today.”

I nodded solemnly, perhaps over compensating a little bit, but there it was; and licking my lips, “He brought me back here and locked the door.”

All I had was a brief tightening of his lips and a narrowing of his gaze to see his reaction. It was brief, barely a second’s worth, and his voice never once changed tone, “Did he? I will have to talk to him about it later.” He shrugged his shoulders gracefully, “Jason is not quite sure what to make of you, I believe.” He almost looked like he was going to go on, but shook his head instead and went back to staring at me.

Usually it took me some time to gear up to this next part, but tonight I was suddenly tired of the delicate game we played constantly, “Have you found them?”

Kain didn’t miss a beat. He just nodded and waited for my reaction. I had a sense of him tensing up, like a cat about to pounce. Perhaps not a cat… more like a panther. I just chose to nod and tuck my legs up underneath me. I spread my blankets around a little and just sat there. A few seconds later he reached in close, past me to bring the tray to my lap and I caught my breath.

Kain was so close that I could smell him. He smelt inexplicably like fresh rain and a summer breeze all wrapped up in the chill of night. He smelled glorious, yet there was an undercurrent of dark dangers to him too. I think it was in the way he moved. It was so graceful and he hardly ever made a sound. I saw his green eyes stare into mine and suddenly I was gasping for breath. Kain shifted his gaze and moved away, placing the tray with light fingers, and I found myself shivering with his absence.

To take my mind off the strange way he made me feel I looked down and saw what he had brought tonight. Spaghetti bolognaise greeted my eyes and my nose. It made me remember how hungry I really was. He must have seen something because a second later he was handling the fork and spooning the pasta into my mouth. I didn’t even remember when I had opened it. I’m not sure if I even bothered to chew, but soon enough my meal was completely gone. My white cotton dress was smeared with red sauce and my sheets were an identical mess. I could feel bolognaise on the side of my chin.

Kain leaned forwards, cupping my chin and staring deep into my eyes. I felt my shivers renew themselves and I tried to move away. At least, I told myself to move away, but my body did not seem to want to obey me at that moment. Drawing the covers aside, Kain helped me out of bed and I soon felt the cold. Natural goose bumps replaced those unnatural ones that he managed to produce when he was near. He pulled on my hand and I hesitated. His eyes never changed, but his voice was softer; gentler, “You need to be clean.” He tugged on my hand again and this time I allowed him to pull me in the right direction. I did hesitate at the door, but I let him pull me out and along the corridor. We did not travel down the stairs, rather just to the right, a few doors down. When he opened another door, I saw steam emerge. How he had known that I would need a bath was beyond me, but I stood quietly as he tested the water. The bathtub itself was rather large, polished white with old fashioned gilded feet. Once he seemed satisfied with the temperature, I waited for him to leave, moving away from the door so he could get past again.

Instead, he reached past me and swung the wooden frame closed, his scent once again flaring in my nostrils before he reached for my dress. I shivered as I watched his strong fingers crush the delicate fabric as he gathered it into his hands. I didn’t bother to resist as he drew it over my head and dropped it casually onto the tiled floor. The mirrors were steamed, but I could see my hazy silhouette and for a few, brief seconds, the reflection of my pale skin flashing from droplet to droplet.

I heard something scrape on the floor and I looked down to see that he was removing his shoes. They were simple things, just black, like the rest of his clothing. His leather vest was gone tonight, replaced with a black cotton shirt and simple black jeans. The colour seemed to suit him. I shivered again as he reached down and picked off his socks, my eyes widening as he stepped – fully clothed – into the warm water. Holding a hand out, he spoke my name softly and I felt myself drawn to him. I didn’t even bother to test the water first; I just took his hand and stepped in. The temperature was perfect and the water curled between my toes, warming me from my feet up. Gently, he pushed me down to a seated position and I marvelled at the fact that there was enough room for him to kneel in front of me.

While I silently watched him, he used a small white bowl that had been resting on a stand near the bath to scoop up some water. Gently he poured it over my head and I felt the warmth spread from my scalp downwards. He kept dipping the bowl into the water and pouring its contents over my head with a soothing, lulling regularity that I found myself sinking deeper into the water and closing my eyes, luxuriating in the feel of the warm water washing down my skin. As I leaned back, my eyes closed, I became aware of a small sound occasionally echoing in the room. It was a soft, mewling noise that could only indicate deep pleasure. It was so absurd to think that Kain was making that sound that I soon realised that it was coming from deep within my own throat. The water kept washing down my face, warming me to the bone and I found myself not wanting it to stop.

I may have drifted off for a time, because the next thing I knew a soft cloth was being rubbed against my skin. Slender, gentle, fingers held my right wrist above the water as other fingers slid the foamy washcloth over my arm and to my elbow. Slowly, those fingers drew the cloth the other way, back towards my wrist and I followed the foamy trail with my eyes. My gaze skipped over the long fingers that held my wrist and travelled up the adjoining arm, my eyes sliding over wet fabric, stretched taut by the water’s weight over muscles that seemed perfectly sculpted. I found my fingers itching to travel my gaze’s path, to touch that forearm and slide up those biceps to the strong, broad shoulder that flexed as he turned my wrist slightly, up past the neck to the strong jaw that outlined a carefully neutral face.

My eyes traced the curve of his lips to the soft definition of his nose and to the strong planes of his cheekbones. They stopped at his eyes, clear green gazing back into mine and however neutral his expression had to be, his eyes spoke volumes. I shuddered under that gaze, that hot expression that had me wishing he would lean forward, pull me to him with those strong fingers and allow me to take those clinging wet clothes off. Shred them off with my nails if I had to. My lips parted and I started to lean over, only to be stopped by a gentle but insistent pressure on my left shoulder. I looked down and saw the washcloth crushed between his palm and my body, my lips mere inches away from his own. I tried to get closer, only dimly realising that I had climbed onto his lap, but his palm would not move. I leaned forward with my neck and he turned his face away to avoid the gentle brushing of my lips.

I watched his eyes as I slowly withdrew from him, my heart only now beginning to slow down into a more regular beat. He watched me, silent as always and as I leaned back into my original position, I tried to move my right arm. His fingers tightened on my wrist, not too hard, but not gently either. A moment longer and his eyes flashed before he seemed to growl and abruptly I was being pulled roughly towards him. I landed in his lap, this time with a splash and his lips crushing mine.

Just as abruptly he was pushing me away, I didn’t resist and soon found myself nestled in between his legs with my back to his chest. His arms circled around me, his muscles flexing as he seemed to resist the urge to crush me. I stared at the white washed wall opposite us for what seemed an eternity as he trembled against my back. After some time, I looked down at his shaking fingers as they curled into fists and then sprang free again, and again and again. Pushing free of his arms, I leaned forwards, my fingers searching in the water for the wash cloth. He didn’t hold me to him, but he didn’t let me go either and I felt his arms shift to curl around my waist. Locating the cloth and lathering it up with soap, I gently pried his arms away from me. Turning, I took a long look at him.

Reaching down with my free hand, I collected the bottom edge of his shirt and began to peel it away from his skin. His eyes sought out mine and they seemed to mirror a tortured soul that longed to be free from some sort of hellish prison. His voice when it came did not give me shivers, but it made my heart ache instead as it cracked into the air, “Jade… please… I can’t….”

“Hush.” I placed a finger against his lips, resisting the urge to put my lips there instead. There was something, something in his eyes that I couldn’t understand right now. But given who he was… no, given what he was – I wasn’t sure I wanted to understand. But I felt him pull at my soul and I knew that he needed me. If not in the way he wanted right now, however much he struggled against it, I knew he needed me nonetheless. He didn’t try to stop me as I began to take off his shirt, his eyes still pleading but his lips staying silent.

I watched as his stomach was revealed. His skin was beyond pale, almost lily white and his stomach rippled with defined muscle. As his chest came into view, I learned that he had no hair and his nipples were such a pale pink that they too were almost white. His broad shoulders flexed as he lifted his arms over his head to allow me to finally relieve him of his sodden shirt. I took a moment then to fully look at him, memorising every feature I could now clearly see.

From his left shoulder to his right hip, a pale slash scar marred his otherwise perfectly proportioned, well sculpted chest. As I lifted a finger to trace it lightly down from shoulder to hip I felt him shiver and looked up to see his eyes closed. Then I reached down and took his belt into my hand, curling my fingers against his skin. He came to kneel as I pulled him up, unresisting and strangely light for a man his size. Rising from the water, I watched as his thighs tensed up as I unbuckled the belt. Pulling it free, I skipped my fingers against his stomach and felt it quiver.

Sliding the zipper down and pushing the button through its hole, I peeled the jeans from his legs and pushed them down to his knees. Placing a hand against his stomach, I discovered just how hard those muscles were as I pushed him back down to sit. My eyes skipped over his body, not settling anywhere as he went where I wanted him to go and I pulled his jeans free from the rest of his legs. Such long legs he had – I found myself remembering the feel of them around my thighs and how tightly they had gripped me as he had clutched me to him.

Taking the wash cloth back in hand, I had to lather it up again as I had dropped it back into the water while taking his pants off, I began to gently scrub against his chest. His voice came out again, this time mirroring the expression in his eyes, “Jade… Please… we can’t… I can’t… you…” he lifted his hands to try capturing mine, but I evaded his questing fingers with ease and kept on lathering his skin. He seemed to sigh and I felt his body tremble and tense before he finally relaxed, his shoulders sloping slightly and his fingers lying listlessly in his lap. I slid the cloth over his chest, pausing at the scar and then rubbing lightly against it. He shivered and I travelled up to his shoulders and down his arms. Without further protest, he allowed me to turn him and wash his back. I found myself slipping my fingers against the foam on his back and just feeling his skin, feeling the heat that came from his body. I resisted the urge to rub against him, my nipples taut with anticipation, but I did lean forwards to nip at his shoulder.

He growled and I did it again. Under my hands I felt him tense up and I eased myself back, using the cloth to wipe at his back again. Seeing that the bowl was sitting on the table again, I picked it up and used it to scoop water over his body, washing the lather away from his too pale skin. After that was done, I reached beneath the water to rub the cloth against his legs, slowly and gently. He remained silent the entire time, his body quivering and tensing at every touch until I was done.

Kain took the cloth from me and I leaned backwards, knowing what would happen now, and closed my eyes. I couldn’t stop the shiver that travelled up my back as I felt the cloth slide in between my breasts. Along my ribs, I felt the soap slip on my skin, and then against my stomach. I resisted the urge to open my eyes and instead let my arms float in the water beside my body. I felt a shift in the water and then the cloth was brushing against my hip. I felt my own body tremble as the cloth washed down my leg, to my knees before travelling along the side curve of my thigh. The heat between my legs pulsed and I heard Kain grunt before transferring the cloth to the inside of my other thigh and travel the opposite path. Then I felt my leg being lifted and my calf came free from the water. The cloth slid gently up and down first one then the other and I wriggled my toes as he placed the cloth between them too.

Then there was no movement and I finally opened my eyes. He was sitting in front of me, staring at me again. I felt my lips curve up into a smile as I remembered our constant staring matches. This time I made sure to blink – though he didn’t seem to notice. A few moments more and I realised that the water had actually gone cold. The glowing warmth I had had before was slowly ebbing away and being replaced by a deep chill that I knew I would not be able to sleep with tonight. I looked back into his eyes and saw the fire that I could so easily see was carefully banked and in a sudden shift of movement he was out of the tub and standing there, holding a towel out for me. Stepping from the bath, I shivered once again before he folded me up in the soft and fluffy blue cloth. He disregarded the discarded dress still crumpled on the tiles and took my hand, opening the door and padding into the hallway.

It did not seem out of place that he was still naked. Actually, he seemed to blend into his surroundings, completely at ease with his unclothed body. As far as I could tell he did not shiver with cold, though his hand gripped mine with more force than he had used before, and by the time we had reached my door a few seconds later, he was completely dry. Again, this didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary to me, it all seemed so very natural to him; to who he was and I accepted it with ease.

Leaving me beside my bed, he seemed to glide over to the closet, rummaging through it and then closing it with a soft click. Then he shifted back to me, his arms going around me briefly, crushingly, and then he was at the door, the heavy looking night gown draped over the clean, fresh sheets on the bed. Jason must have been through and replaced the bedding.

Pausing at the door, his fingers curled around the frame, Kain looked back at me, his naked body silhouetted against the hall light, “We can never do that again.” His voice was quiet, but definite and hard. I had time to swallow before his voice reached my ears again, even quieter than before, “Thank you.” Then he was gone and the door closed behind him. I did not hear the lock click but I had no desire to go to the door and test it.

Something very strange had just happened and I wasn’t completely sure what it was. Without his green eyes haunting my vision, I found myself thinking more clearly and wondering just what had gotten into me in the bathroom. And more importantly, what had gotten into him?!

I shuddered violently and it was nothing to do with the cold or whatever effect he had on me when he was around. It was a shudder of repulsion and memories of my dead boyfriend flashed across my vision. I retched and staggered backwards, falling onto the bed. The towel, with nothing to hold it up, slid down off me and I felt my nipples harden in the cold. I breathed out through my mouth and in through my nose, my heart beating faster then it had ever beat before and I found myself wanting to scream. Looking around wildly, I saw the only safe place I could find and raced for it.

When the darkness of the closet closed around me, I felt that I could breathe again. My heart rate began to slow and I tried to still my trembling. Flashes of what had just happened kept popping up into my head and I remembered the feel of his lips against mine. I retched and had to tip my head to the side to avoid the possibility of dumping the spaghetti bolognaise onto my lap. Nothing came up though, and I wasn’t sure if I was glad for it or not. My stomach still rebelled with the thought of his hands on my skin but I quieted it by thinking what would happen should either of those men find my sick all over the closet.

Naked and shivering, I closed my eyes and tried to think of something else other than the now filthy feeling I had sliding over my skin at the thought of his touch. Rocking myself, I cast my mind back – not too back, but on something that was hopefully safer than the death of my one true love or what had happened only moments before. Unfortunately, that only left me to think of one thing.

********************

“Some of what I have to tell you, you might not believe, and some of it, you will not want to believe…..” my green eyed angel chose that moment to pause the take the seat once again, folding his long legs into the chair that seemed at the same instant too small and just right for his frame. He cleared his throat and I got the distinct impression that he was slightly uncomfortable. I found myself wanting to comfort him, but all I could do was nod my head slowly to encourage him to go on. I didn’t really take too much notice of what he said, all I wanted was to hear that voice.

“There are forces here that…” he coughed and shook his head, a wry grin coming to his face and I just watched him, the beep of a machine occasionally breaking my concentration on his features. “I’ll start again. You see, there are things. Things in this world that sometimes cannot be explained.” I licked my lips and he reached over to give me another small sip of water. Luckily I got more into my mouth this time. When I was done he settled back into his chair and continued, “Things that you came across a week ago.” I felt my eyes widen and the beep in the distance mirrored the sudden rapid beating of my heart. He nodded and seemed to understand my surprise, “Yes, you’ve been here a week. They’ve kept you sedated, it was better than giving you morphine. There was just too much pain.”

I nodded again, ingesting the information slowly and he stopped talking for a little while. I was surprised at just how astute he seemed to be, but then again, I was willing to bet that most angels were. After a while, it seemed to sink in and I nodded my head for him to continue. As he started to talk again, I felt my heart start skidding violently almost instantly.

“What happened to your boyfriend was something that isn’t too out of the ordinary. Well, there are strict rules against it… but for Valery and Drake – it might not be so out of the norm. Of course, there will be disciplinary actions brought against both of them, but that hardly matters, they are so high up in the Society that it will be little better than a slap on the wrist. But -” he paused, seeing the look on my face and shook his head, “I’m going too fast, I’m sorry.” Then he paused and took a deep breath. “Valery and Drake are Vampires.”

*******************
I cried out as the door was suddenly yanked open revealing the enraged face of Jason. His cheeks were red and his breathing ragged, his eyes wide and wild and when he spoke spittle actually flew from his lips, “What have you done?! Where is he?” he shouted into my face and my hands flew up to protect it, though I knew deep inside that it would be a pretty useless gesture against a man like Jason. I felt his vice like grip close over my wrists as he dragged me roughly up onto my feet and out of the closet. It was then that he noticed I was naked and his face suddenly exploded into the most spectacular shade of purple. “I SAID WHERE?!”

My heart was thudding in my throat and I felt a burning desire once again to sick up. Instead I tried to force words past my bile and my thudding fear, but all that came from my lips was a tiny croak. The pressure on my wrists increased steadily until I wondered why they didn’t just break and Jason’s face reared closer to mine, his voice pitched dangerously low this time to whisper fiercely into my ear, “If you don’t tell me what I want to know, Whore, I will force it from you in blood!” All I could muster was a whimper and I cried out as I felt as if my wrists had broken. “ANSWER ME!” his spit flecked over my face and I finally got the words past my lips.

“I don’t know!”

“You lying Whore!” and he raised his free hand.

“I DON’T KNOW!” I screamed, squeezing my eyes shut and wondering once again why I was in this nightmare.

********************************

It was two days before I saw him again. To tell the truth, I dreaded every time I woke up – only to find that he wasn’t in that chair. I wasn’t sure, but I thought that it was relief I felt in those moments where I found myself alone in my room. My limbs were slow in healing and the doctor had told me that I would have to go through physical therapy once I’d healed. He had even told me that I might not move the same way again. At least they weren’t sedating me anymore.

On the third day since I had seen him last, a nurse was helping me eat something that had the same texture as pudding but none of the taste when he walked in the door. My heart skipped a beat and I felt the strange urge to run and scream. As he took the food from the nurse, assuring her that he’d take care of me now, the urge passed and I was left wondering where it had come from.

Once the nurse was gone, Kain took one look at the food, grimaced and placed it on the bedside table. Then he walked to the window and pushed the curtains aside, revealing the starry night sky. It was quite gusty outside so I was glad that he didn’t open the window. As he turned to walk back and get into his chair, I followed him with my eyes and hardly dared to blink. His first words were soft, unobtrusive and gentle, “Do you believe me?”

I only had to nod. My voice was better, but I didn’t trust myself not to start screaming as the words from his last visit came back into clear focus. It had taken me a while, but his explanation was the only thing that had fit with what I had seen attacking Jacob. It was something so nearly animal that I was surprised that he hadn’t insisted that werewolves existed too. On top of that last thought, I had the extreme urge to scratch my foot, unfortunately it was bandaged up and inaccessible. I barely suppressed another urge to scream – being bound up like that wasn’t fun at all. And I once thought it would be cool to try Bdsm!

After a while of me trying hard not to concentrate on my itch, I realised that he was staring silently at me again. Miracle was, I found my voice not shaking when I spoke, “Okay, so I believe you. What now?”

His voice was that same soft tone, it was like he never wanted to offend anyone. “I need your help.”

I resisted yet another urge, this time to laugh, “With what? You saw what they did to Jacob. How can I help you with something like that? They’re not even human.”

He nodded slowly, drinking in my words and choosing his next carefully, “Drake is… someone of position within The Society –“

I snorted, “They have a society?”

He nodded again, “There are a lot more of them than you know. If you think about it, they have to have a system of Law and Belief just like Humans. Mortals have rules and societal boundaries, if Vampires didn’t have the same, don’t you think that they would have been discovered by now?”

“Okay…” I wasn’t too sure. I hadn’t really thought about it, but it made sense, I suppose. I nodded, indicating for him to continue.

He picked up the conversation as if he had never been interrupted, “- and Valery is by extension to him. As with Mortal politicians, it becomes harder and harder to… lets say, smear, their reputation the higher they are in The Society. That little stunt at the Midnight Club was – undesirable to say the least. But all witnesses have since been paid off or are too afraid to speak up about the incident. As far as I’ve been able to determine, Valery and Drake have never been actively caught, despite the insistent rumours that follow them.”

I managed to cough; I had been trying all morning, and with only a little bit of pain. After another bare swallow of water that Kain helpfully gave me, I managed to croak out, “And what are you, Town sheriff?” Forgive me for the sarcasm, but his mentioning the Club did nothing for the painful memories I was trying hard not to remember. It was hard, something like that you either forgot, or it was so traumatic that it haunted you for the rest of your life, disabling you for a normal existence.

He shook his head and as he looked at me I caught the barest up turning of his lips and a strange sparkle in his green eyes, “I’m…. a little more complicated than that.”

I just raised my eyebrows and waved a bandaged hand vaguely in his direction. “Whatever.”

Suddenly he straightened, “I can see that you want to be alone again. I’ll leave and hopefully I’ll be able to see you again.” He seemed only slightly flustered, but his voice seemed to genuinely convey the regret he was trying to pass across to me. I felt sorry for him – and got even more annoyed at myself for being annoyed in the first place. The result of which had me pointing my white wrapped hand in a violent stabbing motion and telling him to sit and continue.

Kain hesitated, clearly trying to gauge my mood and a moment later he was sinking into the chair again. This time he cleared his throat before started again, “I’ll tell you a bit more about myself before I go on. That way you’ll understand a bit more of what I have to ask you….”

*****************

“JASON!”

His voice came and rang in my ears like finely chiming crystal. It cut the air like shards of shattered glass and I felt the crushing weight on my wrists vanish. I crashed to the floor, hitting my hip against the wooden floorboards with a muffled groan. I was too frightened to utter anything more, or louder than that. I wasn’t sure if I was even brave enough to raise my eyes from the floorboards.

As footsteps echoed in my head, I realised that I was, and that I had to see. Raising my head only a fraction, I tilted my eyes towards the silhouetted form in the doorway striding closer and closer to me. Jason’s brown leather shoes were still and silent beside my head. I realised that I wasn’t quite brave enough to move my head away from him though. So I just stared and slowly my watering eyes cleared, revealing the man that confused me on so many levels.

This time his voice was quiet, but the anger I had heard before was still there, still cutting and crystal clear, “What is the meaning of this, Jason?”

There a moment of silence and then a voice sounded. It took me a while to recognise Jason’s voice, so full of meekness and barely concealed fear, while just moments before he had been screaming murder in my face, “I felt… I felt… Please Kain – don’t disappear like that, please.”

Kain made a cutting gesture with his hand and Jason fell silent. The pain blooming in my hip suddenly jabbed at my bones and I moaned involuntarily, my eyes closing with the sensation. A moment later and I felt strong, slender fingers wrapping around my upper arms and I knew instinctively that it was Kain and not Jason. He helped me to my feet and I couldn’t help but lean against him as I fought for balance as the blood rushed through my body and tingled through my wrists to my throbbing hands. I heard a hissing and I opened my eyes, only to stare directly into Jason’s – the sound was coming from between his teeth and I felt Kain’s fingers tighten on my arms. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. I might have been brave a moment before, but not anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut.

“You will leave, now.” Kain’s voice was soft and his breath ruffled my hair. I shivered and realised that it was deathly cold. Jason didn’t reply and I heard footsteps echoing through the room before the door slammed back into place in its frame. Even then I didn’t want to open my eyes. I felt the world tilt and I was abruptly in his arms and being carried somewhere. A slight dropping sensation and then I was gently laid on what I assumed to be my bed. I cracked my eyes open and saw the green tint of his eyes before he moved away and back to the door. “I’m sorry.” My heart ached at the tone in his voice, a mixture of regret, anger and fear. I kept my expression neutral and after a moment he opened the door and went through, closing it softly behind him. This time I did hear a click and knew that I wasn’t escaping this nightmare tonight.

*****************

“Are you ready?” Kain smiled and gave me his hand. All I could manage was a weak grin as I gripped his fingers. “Don’t let go!” I squeaked as I flattened my feet against the floor and tried my weight. It was wobbly, I have to say that, and slightly sickening. My stomach did a flip and my knees felt completely numb, but I was standing. Standing for the first time in three weeks! I was elated… and then instantly frightened as I felt Kain’s fingers loosen on mine. I whimpered and gripped his hand tighter, wrapping both my hands around his. I heard him laugh and looked up to stare into his green eyes.

“You don’t have to laugh, you know. I’m not like you – I can’t heal that quickly.”

Kain’s eyes dimmed and his laughter faded somewhat and I instantly regretted my comment. Way to go, sobering the mood. I felt my face redden and then he smiled. “It’s okay, Jade. Really – I’m still surprised at how well you’re taking it.”

I laughed unsteadily as he helped me back down to a seated position, “What choice do I have? I mean… wow… I can’t say how sorry I am that you had to prove it to me…” my face reddened even more as I caught the twinkle in his eyes and the pearly whites he flashed in my direction. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

“Well – at least you didn’t have to ask me twice.”

I managed another grin – then a giggle escaped and soon enough we were both laughing. The nurse coming in with my dinner grinned at both of us when she came in to find us both in such a good mood. “I take it that your first time on your feet was a success?” she smiled, busily setting my tray up so that I could sit comfortably. I wasn’t supposed to actually be on my feet until tomorrow when my physiotherapy was scheduled to start, but I couldn’t have waited even if my life were dependant on it.

Kain smiled and sat down quietly, letting the nurse get me settled back into bed and waiting for us to be alone again. Not for the first time, the nurse shot him an approving nod and smile before leaving. He gave a smile back and I couldn’t help tucking into my pudding first. For some reason, I’d developed quite a sweet tooth while being in hospital – probably because the desserts were the only things that had any flavour at all. As usual Kain left me to enjoy my pudding. Even though he was completely still, and completely silent, I still felt a warm presence in the room. You could stare at him, and not know he was there until he moved – but I could still feel him, and that comforted me.

My feet were tingling and I wiggled my toes with great difficulty. But it felt good and I concentrated harder to do it a second time. His voice drifted to me softly, “This little piggy….” and I laughed, glancing his way to see his grin and twinkling eyes.

Abruptly he straightened up, staring at the door. His fingers flexed on the armrests and I blinked – spoon paused half way towards my mouth. Then just as suddenly Kain relaxed and settled back into the chair with a sigh, a small smile on his lips. A second later a soft knock broke my pause and I dropped messy, yellow goo all over myself as a second tall, handsome man entered my life.

The stranger’s deep voice rippled through me, “Hello there.” My nervous system was given another jolt as Kain’s deliciously soft voice issued from right beside me. “Jade, this is Daryl.” As if in a trance, I held out my hand and he cupped it in his lightly, bending over to place a little kiss on the air above my hand. His blue eyes twinkled in a way that put me at ease and his smile above my hand soon made me smile happily back.

Kain snorted, dragging me out of my reverie and I blinked at the napkin being shoved under my nose. Kain then waved it vaguely in the direction of the yellow mess now sliding down the front of my robe and pooling at the blankets over my legs. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I snatched it out of his hand and began to studiously wipe at myself.

Glancing between the two as Daryl settled back on his heels and Kain leaned back into his chair, an unreadable expression on his face, I compared the two men. Where Kain was dark and mysteriously handsome, Daryl was light with open faced honesty. His hair was cut short, cropped close but I could see that it was hay coloured. His eyes, a deep sea blue, twinkled with genuine humour that seemed to always lurk there. The crinkles at the corner of his eyes and the slight lines around his mouth gave even more evidence to his comedic character. His skin was almost as light as Kain’s but because of his hair, he appeared more healthy looking. His shoulders were even broader than Kain’s. Actually, Daryl was all around larger than Kain, though you wouldn’t know it until they stood so close together. His stomach muscles rippled as his chest quietly rose and fell with his breathing and I found myself staring at the taut fabric that stretched over his muscles with the all too tight shirt he was wearing.

His legs wrapped in casual denims were long… without having to see it; I knew that he would be taller than Kain. My tongue darted out to lick my lips, my mouth suddenly going inexplicably dry and frowned as both Kain and Daryl suddenly threw back their heads and laughed. “What’s so funny?” I threw the used napkin at Kain who ducked as he wiped at his eyes, “What?!” He just threw his head back and roared into laughter again, even slapping his leg.

It was obvious that I wasn’t going to get a straight answer from Kain, so I swung my gaze towards his companion, glaring the truth from him. He stood there, chuckling, struggling to breathe while holding his hand out towards me as if to ward off an attack. “Please… forgive us… it’s a little joke… been… going… on… ah!” Suddenly his face went completely still and serious – but the twinkling in his eyes told me he was holding his laughter inside. His lips quirked up and I nastily suspected they were laughing at me.

Settling himself down with overdramatic gestures at the base of my bed, Daryl took a little breath and then captured my attention with the sudden intensity of his gaze. My own breath was swiftly taken as I gazed into his eyes. When he spoke again, my whole body vibrated with the deep sound that seemed to reach into the darkest places of my brain. “My dear… my jeans are way too tight. So is my shirt.”

The answer seemed so simple to me, I blurted it out before I could think, “Then take them off.”

Beside me, Kain began to make the oddest noise but I was too wound up in Daryl’s eyes to even attempt to drag my own away from this magnificent creature to see what was wrong with Kain. But a niggling thought in my mind – quickly quieted – told me that he could have been choking.

“No darlin’… they’re too tight,” Daryl stared at me, as if willing me to understand and under his intense gaze I began to squirm, not understanding a whit of it. Kain cleared his throat, I thought, twice, before Daryl finally broke eye contact. “Perhaps it’ll be better if I come back in a few minutes.”

I watched, with a sense of loss, as he turned away, gave a friendly wave towards Kain and then winked at the male nurse that had come to take my dinner away. Then he was gone out the door and away from my sight. I sighed, already counting the seconds when I would be able to see him again. As the nurse fussed with my tray, the silence between Kain and I stretched as my mind began to mend itself after my most unusual encounter yet. As the nurse walked out, tray in hand, I mused out loud, “His jeans didn’t seem that tight. He should have thought better about what he was going to wear before coming here.”

Then I turned to Kain, “Who was he anyway?”

Kain blinked at me and I was instantly transported back to the first day I had woken with him staring at me in the hospital. The feeling was surreal… then the corners of his mouth quirked up, “Wait for it…” he seemed to whisper as I frowned at him, waiting for his answer.

Then it hit me. It hit me like a sledgehammer between the eyes. Like seeing my boyfriend murdered right in front of me. His clothes were too tight. He had winked at the nurse. At the definitely male nurse. Oh crap.

The heat that had pooled between my legs at the sight of Daryl’s overwhelming masculinity suddenly cooled… and then shot straight into my cheeks. “Oh… god…” I snuck a glance at Kain and saw the laughter in his eyes, “Oh… goooood…” My eyes wide and round, I finally looked him, “He’s… he’s…”

Kain finally gave into the chuckle I felt rumbling from his chest, “Yes. He is.” Then he looked up at the door and smiled, “speak of the Devil.”

As Daryl poked his head through the door, I suddenly found it very hard to look at the man. His happy grin told me that he knew I now knew his sexual preferences and was suitably embarrassed about my own reaction. Then I felt my heart quicken as I turned to Kain again, “Is he?” I gestured towards Daryl, and Kain seemed to understand what it was that I couldn’t articulate. He nodded, “Yes, he is a Vampire. He and I have been together for almost fifty years.”

My eyes felt like they were going to break as I opened them wide as another question hit me square, “Are you…?”

Daryl casually walked over to Kain and leaned over, snaking his arm around the other man. “Oh we go way back the two of us. You know he was the one that turned me…” he grinned and gave Kain a little kiss on the head. “Isn’t he a dream?”

I blinked and Kain rolled his eyes, grinning, his canines flashing white, “No. I am not. And we are not.” His eyes grew serious, “I turned him to save him… back before I realised I wasn’t saving him.” Then he grew quiet and I felt him withdraw from the room without ever having moved. I blinked again. Daryl just looked down at Kain and gave him a squeeze with his fingers then let go. Then he looked at me, sheepishly, “Sorry, couldn’t help having a little fun.”

Then he settled himself away from Kain and back onto the end of my bed. “You’ll get used to me more and more as you see me. The initial contact is always the hardest… but I swear to you, I’m not doing it on purpose. I just seem to attract women. Doc said it was something to do with pheromones or something – but I secretly think it’s because they sense forbidden fruit.” He leaned forward and went on in a stage whisper, “Frankly it’s probably because I so damn hot!”

A giggle escaped before I could stop it. Daryl glanced at Kain and smiled at me and I suddenly felt like he was reassuring me of something. Before I could ask, he went on. “Kain and I have been together since the day of my Turning. He and I are sort of like… cops. We go around stamping out crime.” He smiled, but this time I sensed a tinge of sadness to him. The man was really quite transparent, once you knew what he was talking about, of course. “That’s why I’m here. I’ve found Valery and Drake.”