Bright Lights and Dark Blood (On Hold)

Chapter 4

♪Sunday Morning by maroon5 (acoustic live version)♪

Nicholas took a step closer much to the surprise of Ella. They were standing dangerously close to one another. Close enough for Nicholas to examine those jade eyes and for Ella to see the blood pumping through his neck.  Before he could stop himself, his hand was cupping her face.

She realized his wrist was too near, that she can hear his rabid heartbeat. Her eyes went black and she quickly closed them. Ella opened her eyes only to see his watching her lips. They were gauging each other, waiting, anticipating the inevitable.

Everything else happened so fast. Their lips crashed into each other sending fireworks all over. The next thing Ella noticed was they were outside his house kissing furiously while getting the keys. Nicholas bursts inside undoing his tie. He was already in the living room when he noticed that Ella was stuck on the front door clasping the door frame.

“Oh! Come in” he grinned playing with his tie.

Ella had to laugh. She flashed in front of him catching him flinch before she planted another kiss. Her fangs spiked and accidentally nipped his lip. The taste of blood was too much that she pulled his head violently and plunged into his neck. Nicholas screamed before finally fainting into his couch.

It finally hit her, the sensation of gulping battery acid down her throat. She coughed and gasped for air then she thudded on the wooden floor. Verbena in his blood, she remembered. Then darkness.

Nicholas woke up on his bed in the crack of dawn feeling lightheaded. He had the most vivid dream of his life. Ella Matthews, the supermodel is a vampire and fed on him till he fainted on his couch. He started to think his method acting was getting a little out of hand. Next time, he’ll leave the gore and mess on set. He rolled out of bed and felt a huge headache ram against him and a stiffneck too.  Reaching his neck, Nicholas felt little bumps and holes.

He realized that his used to be crisp white shirt was now full of splashed with dried blood. Nicholas jumped out of bed and ran to the mirror. Bloody hell. There it was; the half healed bitemark on his neck smeared with crusty blood. It wasn’t a dream. Everything was real. He wiped it clean in his bathroom, quickly took off his shirt and ran downstairs.

There were noises in kitchen. This early? “Sandra?” he calls, checking if it’s his help.

Instead of his elderly help, Ella stood there her hips on one hand and a spatula on the other whirling eggs on a pan. She was wearing nothing but his grey V-neck on. She looks at him expectedly curling her hair behind her ear. A warm smile covered her face. Nicholas stood there speechless.

“Mind if I borrowed the shirt?” Ella asked as if what happened the previous night never happened. She screwed up. Her decision to go against her instincts of killing him almost cost her life. She was vulnerable in the brief time she laid unconscious on the floor. Never let your guard down, she learned that many times. On the moment she woke up, she wanted to zoom out but he can’t leave Nicholas without making him forget.

“No, not at all” He said rubbing his wound. Nicholas took a fork and looked at what Ella was cooking. “Hungry?” she took the omelette of the pan and placed it on a plate. He was rubbing his flat stomach. “I’m starving” he digged in.

Ella noticed that his wound was only halfway healed.

“You’re a vampire?” he said after his first swallow. It was more of a statement than a question. “Yes” she’s looking at him as his eyebrows furrowed like they were searching for the right words to say. “I have three questions” he puts his fork down and turned to face her.

“Before that. DANCE.” She looked at him intently but Nicholas only raised an eyebrow. “Why?” he puzzles. Sigh. He’s still in the influence of verbena. She waves her hand in dismissal.

“Okay then, First. What happened? ” he moved his hand to her hips ensuring that she won’t escape his gaze. Lying would be futile. “You saw me in my monster form so I decided to kill you”---she saw him winced---“since I can’t control your mind because I gave you this ‘potion’ to keep me from doing anything to you. I don’t know what happened next but I just couldn’t do it” His eyes sparkled as she said those words.

 “Then we were here and i. . .”

“You fed on me and I fainted.” He finished, weighing her reaction. ”Nothing intimate happened” Ella chuckled and he shook his head before he straightened. “Second, Why am I not afraid of you?” he scanned her face and Ella knew this is the heavy question. “I. . .I don’t know. Maybe it’s the same thing as why I didn’t kill you” this didn’t explain anything. There was silence in the little space between them.

“Third?” she coaxed. He smirked. “When will this stop hurting?” he removed his hand from her hips and lightly touched the bitemark. “I can help with that” Ella bit her finger until it was bloody and put it inside his mouth. Nicholas protested and quickly pulled it out.

“cinnamon!” he mused.

The pain he was feeling was gone and he felt his skin tighten around the wound. “There, all new” she grinned. Nicholas sprinted to the nearest mirror. It was as smooth as a baby. “Thanks” he smiled.

“I need to go” she looked at the wall clock. “why?” he wasn’t happy.

 “I asked my people to pick me up an hour ago. They’ll be here any time but I’ll be back. I still yet have to erase your memory” she said it without hesitation that put a stab into Nicholas’ chest. He didn’t want to forget.

Ella took off the shirt and tossed it to him just as he hears the doorbell.

“You know” she stopped “you’re accent is just infectious” her accent mirrored his.