Flightless

Paradis

     Spending five days on an island after spending almost fifteen years in Oklahoma can be freaky and a bit disorienting. Luckily, I have a kind vampire to help me feel a bit more comfortable. I almost had a breakdown on the fifth day, when the haze or shock or whatever you wanna call it finally wore off and I realized that I was isolated from the rest of the world, completely alone aside from my mom and a vampire who wants to fuck me. Lucian calmed me down though. I'm not sure how exactly, he just sat with me and talked to me and played with my hair.

"Can I make webs?" I ask Lucian. It's the sixth morning in paradise and Lucian has made yet another French dish. Boy, he can cook.

"Absolutely. Do whatever you like."

"Yeah!" I fling my arms out, throwing pre-made threads from my skin. The relief is intsantaneous. I stretch out my muscles and hear my bones pop. "Ooooh, that's good!" Lucian laughs at me. "So, what're we doin' today?"

"Whatever you want. Swimming, hiking, cliff-diving, sun-bathing, or anything else you can think of."

"Oh, we should hike. I wanna see more of the island, plus I need the exercise."

"Well, y'all can go hiking, but I wanna do something more relaxing." says Mama.

"I figured you would want that, Marie, so I called and got a masseur for you. He's on his way right now."

"Oh! Um, thank you." He smiles at her.

"So you and I are going hiking." He nods to me.

"Yeah."

The masseur arrives half an hour later. He's about the same age as Mama and very good-looking. I imagine Lucian did that on purpose to give Mama a special little treat. After getting ready, me and Lucian leave the house, letting Mama get her alone time with the man.

After walking for about twenty minutes, my feet and legs hurt, and I begin using my Moon Blood to put less strain on my muscles. Eventually, even supernatural power can become tiring, something I'd never known until now. I stop and try to get some air into my aching lungs. "How long... has it... been?" I ask between gulps of air.

"Two and a half hours."

"And how much longer do we have to walk?" I take another drink from my bottle of water.

"We'll reach the peak in about ten to twenty minutes if we keep up this pace, but I don't think that's gonna happen. We'll take a break for now. I hear a waterfall nearby. We can rest there."

I groan. "I can't take another step. I'm so out of shape." I glance at Lucian. He hasn't even broken a sweat. Wait, do vampires sweat? I dunno, but either way, he doesn't look the least bit tired.

Lucian crouches down with his back to me. "Come on. I'll carry you."

"Ay ya! You're just trying so hard to be like Edward, aren't you?"

"You just told me that you couldn't take another step. I feel fine, so the most logical thing to do is carry you. Now come on." With no better choice I climb on his back, wrapping my arms and legs around him. My cheeks are hot with embarrassment and I pout, knowing he can't see it.

He quickly takes me to the waterfall and sits me down on a rock. "Thank you." I say and try to wipe the pout from my face. I can't get it to go away though, so I look at the ground, trying to hide my expression. Unfortunately, he puts his hand under my chin and forces me to look up at him.

"You can't hide from me." he says softly, his voice making my heart stutter. "I love that pouty face of yours.... You know, you never did answer my question."

"What question?" I whisper. He's so close I can smell his breath. I have nowhere to look but his eyes. His alluring, fiery blue eyes...

"May I kiss you?"

"U-uh. You know, I've always wanted to see a waterfall."

"I know. May I kiss you by the waterfall?"

"I-it's a very pretty waterfall, don't you think?"

"Yes. But it's nothing compared to you. So may I kiss you?"

"The waterfall-"

"I don't care about the damn waterfall. I want to kiss you." Lucian growls. He moves closer, almost touching his lips to mine, but not quite. My heart is bouncing. I close my eyes, trying to escape his hypnotizing gaze.

"N-" Before I can get the word out, his lips are on mine, making it impossible to verbalize my protest. Oh my god. I'm kissing a vampire. My first kiss is with a vampire! He pushes my mouth open and licks my bottom lip. "Mm!"

"Vous etes delicieux." he murmurs against my lips. "May I have more?"

I pull away, shaking my head. "No. No, this isn't right." I make the mistake of looking him in the eyes. Oh, his influence is overwhelming. "I mean... Not that it's bad, I just..." What am I saying?

I don't know. You're pretty out of it right now.

"So it was good?"

"Well, kinda, yeah. But I-"

"If it's good, then why not have some more?" Without giving me a chance to reply, he kisses me again, going farther this time. He licks my lip again before sticking his tongue completely in my mouth. He tastes strangely sweet, but I can also taste blood, which makes it slightly bitter. I moan, enjoying the taste, and kiss him back. He pulls back, sucking on my lip for moment. "Je t'aime." he repeats.

"What does that mean?"

He smiles. "I love you." He kisses me again and I wrap my arms around his neck, holding him prisoner. In this moment, I only want him.

"Take me." I say unexpectedly. What? No. Surely I didn't say that out loud, did I?

Yes, you sure did.

"Ooh, no no. It's not that easy, babe. I've told you so many times already." He moves to my ear and whispers, "Beg me."

"No." I say firmly. "I'm not that desperate." Liar. I ignore her. "I think your constant reminders to beg just show that you want it more than I do. This is all about who gives in first. So, I'd prefer if you begged me for it."

Lucian grins evily, baring his fangs, and I hear a rumble in his chest. I can't tell if he's growling or purring. "You always manage to surprise me. I didn't expect that little devil inside you to come out so easily." He moves down and licks me from my collar bone to my jaw. "How about we go for a swim?"

"I'm too tired."

"You need to cool off."

"Huh? Why?"

Lucian puts his forehead to mine. His skin feels cool against mine. "You're not used to this tropical climate, and you've been pushing yourself too much on this hike. You're skin has gotten hot, so you need to cool down in the water."

"But I didn't bring a swimsuit."

The devilish grin is back. "No worries. We'll just do what people always did back in the old days."