Bound to a Bloodsucker

chapter five

I'm not used to being nervous to meet and greet people. I mean, I am a loner. I have my family, and that's it. No friends. Just me, my brother, my sister, and not really my mom but whatever. Meeting someone new makes me nervous. It feels like the first day of high school again. I have to meet someone who isn't my family, and it scares me shitless.

"My family is your family, Jasey," Peter holds my hand in his, standing on the front step of his house. His hand feels incredibly warm against the icy wind. I thought vampires were cold to the touch? He chuckles. "Stereotyping again, Jasey. We aren't always cold. When it's hot, our skin is cold. When it's cold, our skin is hot. We never get too cold or too hot. But our skin changes in response to the wind."
I nod, trying to push away any other stereotypical thoughts of bloodsuckers.
As soon as that word pops through my head, my eyes widen and I turn to Peter.
"I'm sorry," I mumble. I'm not good at keeping my thoughts to myself.
"It's okay. Are you ready?" Peter looks sideways at me as my legs start to shake.
"Do I have the option to say no?" I question.
"Of course."
"Really?" I ask, ready to take a step back.
"Sure. You can always say it. Doesn't mean you'll get out of it," he gives me a smirk and pushes open the handle.
In .5 seconds flat, four more pale bodies are standing in front of me. One is female and the rest are male. The female is obviously older than Peter but not by too many years. Her hair is the same dark color as Peter's but her eyes are a piercing blue. The two males to her left have blond hair, and the male on the end has dark hair like Peter and the woman.
"Jasey! Hi! I'm April! It's so nice to meet you!" The woman wraps her pale arms around my neck in a friendly embrace. Giggling softly, I return the hug, dropping Peter's hand in the process which fills me with anxiety. I know Peter can sense that because as soon as I let go of April, he wraps an arm around my waist.
"I'm April's husband, Scott," one of the blond males grabs my hand in a handshake. His eyes are a deep brown color, unlike any of the other vampires here.
"I'm the youngest, most charming vamp in this house," the other blond boy states, grabbing my hand and placing a kiss on the back of it.
"You better be glad I'm here, Isaac. Otherwise, your lips would be blistered. Permanently," Peter growls at the boy. With wide eyes, I turn to Peter.
"Wait, is that what happened to Jack?" I question, recalling the time that Jack touched me during withdrawals and his hand was red and blistered. "But his blister is going away. So why would Isaac's be permanent? You guys heal fast, anyway."
"If a vampire touches another vampire's bound human during withdrawals, their skin will be burned forever as a fight against a greater being. Since humans aren't a threat to vampires, their skin won't be burned forever. It'll go away just like a normal burn," Peter whispers to me even though everyone else can hear every word. I nod, still confused. Biting my lip, I return my attention to the family.
Stop biting you lip or I will take you right here on the doorstep.
I gasp as Peter's voice fills my head. I quickly release my bottom lip from between my teeth and hold my hand out for the last male to shake.
"Hi. I'm Jasey." He doesn't grab my hand. He folds his arms across his chest. I take my hand back as my cheeks flare up with embarrassment.
"Don't be embarrassed. Kason is just bitter," Peter whispers. Kason glares at Peter.
"Okay! Well, let's go inside. Yeah?" April breaks the awkward tension and we all follow her inside. "Peter, give Jasey a tour and meet us back down in the family room for game night. Okay?"
"Yes, ma'am," Peter kisses her on the cheek and grabs me by the hand, pulling me through the foyer and up the iron, spiral staircase. On the walls are pictures of the family with years written in the corners. They all look the same in every picture. Before 2002, Isaac wasn't in the pictures. Before 1975, Peter wasn't in the pictures. Before 1968, Scott wasn't in the pictures. Before 1964, Kason wasn't in the pictures. A solo picture of April with the date "1960" in the corner is the earliest I can see. "April was 27 when she was bitten. It was a rogue vampire who was trying to start an army. He was killed the same night that he turned April and a few other girls. In 1964, April met Kason at a bar. He was 23, and his girlfriend had just died of cancer. He tried to kill himself in a hotel room that night. April saved him by turning him. After 14 years, April realized she was lonely because Kason spent his time in his room. She went to the hospital to find another person to turn. Scott Hood, 29, an only child with dead parents and a dead wife, was dying of cirrhosis of the liver. April turned him. In 1975, I was two weeks from graduating high school when me and some friends went to a party. My best friend, Xavier, had too much to drink when he drove us home. We went over a bridge and swerved. The car went down and we were all drowning. Scott was an EMT, and he saved me before I died. The rest of my friends were too far gone." Peter's voice cracks at the end. "And then, in 2002, the receiver of the football team in North Carolina was tackled in the biggest game of the season. His spine was split in half, he had four broken ribs, both legs were fractured, and his frontal lobe was almost completely demolished. He lost a lot of blood by the time I made it from the top of the bleachers to the field. He was almost gone when I got him to my car and bit him. I took him home to Scott, who helped his transition," Peter explains.
"So, Kason and Isaac haven't turned anyone?" I ask for clarity. Peter shakes his head.
"Not yet anyway," he replies. I nod, glancing at the pictures of Peter.
"So, you're actually 42?" I question. He nods. "Well that's better than I thought. I thought you'd be like 100 or something," I giggle. He laughs as well, pulling me up the stairs and into the first and only room to the right.
"This is Isaac's room," Peter says, opening the white wooden door. The wooden floor is decorated with dirty clothes and video games. The white walls are covered with scandalous pictures of women in bikinis.
"So vampires still get horny," I state. He chuckles.
"Yeah, we do."
"Do you guys... like... have sex and stuff? Like a human does?" I ask. He nods. 
"Yeah. But we can't impregnate other vampires," he explains, closing the door. My heart starts to race at the thought of a human being impregnated by a vampire. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. I watch as Peter's eyes close- but I catch a glimpse of his captivating green irises changing to shocking crimson before his eyelids cover them. "Stop." His voice sound hoarse, in pain. "Jasey." His teeth are clenched. His hands are balled. His eyes are shut. His body is tense.
He steps forward, pinning me against the hallway wall. His fists come up, resting beside my head on either side. "I can hear your blood pumping to your heart. I can hear your heart thumping against your chest." His voice is a whisper. My knees buckle beneath me as the urge to kiss him tugs at me.
Actually, I have an urge to do so many other things than just kissing him. I want to-
"Jasey." His voice sounds painful and I know he heard that last thought.
"Sorry." My voice is barely a whisper. He groans, his face moving closer. He drops his head to my shoulder, placing feather light kisses there and moving to my collar bone then up to my neck. My ear. My jaw. "Peter." My voice is a moan now and I feel my cheeks heat with mortification.
"Jasey, what are you doing to me?" He groans into my neck, dropping his fist and taking a step away from me. My arms suddenly feel cold without his body so close.
I clear my throat, taking a step down the hall and away from Peter.
"Where's the restroom?" I make sure to clear my mind of any thoughts as I ask this. I just have to go to the restroom.
"On your left," Peter says, his eyebrow raised with confusion.
"Thanks," I murmur, opening the door and shutting it quickly behind me. I swiftly lock the metal knob and take a seat on the pristine, white toilet seat. Before I can stop, hot tears are streaming down my face and I fight to hold back any sounds that Peter will hear. I try to clear my mind, but the thoughts are too much.
I'm bound to a bloodsucker. Who almost drained my blood. And can't even kiss me without wanting to drain me again. And I'm meeting his family who all seems so nice except for Kason who has some issue with human girls or maybe he just has an issue with me. I guess he doesn't want Peter to be with me. I'm just a weak human girl who cries in the bathroom anyway. I wouldn't want to be with me either. Peter shouldn't have to deal with me. Maybe if we spend a little while apart from each other, the bond will break. It'll be painful, but it'll be worth it if it means Peter can be with a sexy, strong vampire girl instead of stupid senior in high school human girl. I don't belong in this life. Everyone here is so beautiful and hot and I'm so... not. The only reason Peter is with me is because my blood is so appealing to him because of the bond. If we break the bond, he will drop me like a sack of potatoes. I'm such an idiot.
A loud bang startles me from my thoughts, and I turn to see the door to the bathroom has been removed from its hinges and Peter is standing in front of me in the blink of an eye.
"I need you to stop. Stop crying. Stop thinking that I don't want to be with you. Stop thinking I'm only with you because of your blood. That's not how soulmates work. I can't find another soulmate, Jasey. Once a vampire finds his soulmate, that's it. There's one soul out there for everyone. Just one. You're mine for a reason. You're not weak. You're human." His hands cup my face. "You're my human." He places a kiss on my forehead. "You're my sexy, strong human." A grin appears on his face before he kisses my nose. "You are beautiful." He kisses me cheek. "Kason doesn't have a problem with you. He wanted to die the night that April saved him. He's been bitter ever since. That'll change when he finds his soulmate." He kisses my other cheek. "I can kiss you. And yes, I want to taste your blood again, Jasey. But I don't want to drain you. I never want that. I have to control myself when I'm with you. You smell so good." His eyes close again, but he opens them a second later and his eyes are still green. "I will never bite you again, Jasey."
"What if I want you to?" I sound like a little kid- quiet and hopeful. Peter sighs.
"You're killing me," he whispers, his minty breath fanning over my face as his forehead touches mine. "I don't want to hurt you."
His emerald green eyes bore into my dull blue ones.
"You won't," I whisper, biting my lip.
"Jasey," he warns. I smirk and return my teeth to my bottom lip, pressing and pulling on the skin until I feel it break. I taste the metallic flavor of my blood, and Peter groans.
"Kiss me," I whisper, desperate.
"No, Jasey. I won't stop," he tries to pull away but I grab his hand and pull it to my lips. Red drops stain his finger tips. He pulls his hand up to his mouth, tasting my blood. "Make me stop."
With that, his lips form around mine, sucking and licking. His tongue against my bottom lip sends tingles and heat all over my body. He kisses and sucks feverishly, and the memories that haven't happened yet begin to resurface in my head. I close my eyes, watching the scenes unfold. A scene of me sitting on a high wall with the sunset in front of me and arms wrapped around me from behind. Another scene of me in a car with the top down, my hair blowing in the wind and my fingers laced with Peter's. More scenes flash and colors and stars appear. Everything feels perfect.
And then it's gone. I stand from my resting place on the toilet lid. Peter is gone. I don't feel weak like I did last time. He must not have drained me.
But where is he?
I hear muffled shouting coming from downstairs, and I quickly gain my composure and make my way down the stairs.
"You could've killed her!" Kason?
"I stopped!" Peter. Are they talking about me?
"Just like you stopped last time?" Kason growls.
"How do you even know about that?" Peter snaps. I hear them, but I can't see them. They must be in the living room. I know if I move they will hear me, so I stand still on the iron staircase.
"It's not hard to guess, Peter. And I heard you, talking about it with her before you sank your teeth in her again!"
"I didn't! I did not bite her," Peter lowers his voice but he's still angry.
"You still drank her blood, Peter. Do you understand what would happen if you couldn't stop? You would kill her. She would be gone. Forever." Kason's voice is filled with emotion. Pain. Suffering. Hatred. Sadness. Guilt?
"I know that," Peter whispers.
"Then stop being so careless!" Peter exclaims before I hear footsteps coming my way. With wide eyes, I smooth out my clothes and begin walking cautiously down the stairs. Kason stops at the bottom, looking up at me. He takes a few steps until we are side by side. "You got lucky. Making yourself irresistible to a vampire is like giving a murdering monster a loaded gun. It won't end well, and you won't make it out alive."
He brushes past me, almost knocking me off my feet as he carelessly walks up and down the hall. For some reason, my hand reaches out as if to hold ojto him and explain or maybe comfort him, but I refrain. A door slams and I jump, making my way down the staircase with Kason's words in my head.
"Don't listen to him, Jasey," April speaks from beside me when I reach the foyer. "He's trying to rattle you. Don't let it get to you. I know how it feels to be bitten by your soulmate. No one else understands it but me and Scott."
"You guys are soulmates?" I question. She nods. "And he used to do the same thing to me. See, a vampires blood will turn any human into a vampire with in twenty four hours. But only the vampire soulmate of a vampire will be able to drink the blood. If another, unbound vampire tries to drink the blood of a bound vampire or human, the vampire will be poisoned. They die, but they come back to life a few days later. The only thing that can kill a vampire for good is a wooden steak to the heart."
"How original," I giggle.
"And then cutting off all limbs and the head, burning the whole body, and separating the ashes," April finishes. My eyes wide.
"Oh." I laugh without humor. "Harsh."
April chuckles at me, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me past the foyer and into the living room.
"Are you ready to play?" She asks.
"Play what?"
She smiles with a devilish look in her eye. Oh, no. That doesn't look good. Should I be scared?
"Yes," Peter calls from the other side of the room, replying to my thought. Great. What have I gotten myself into?