“Blood Bound”
2011 © All Rights Reserved
Chapter 4
Leo stalked down the long narrow halls of his home with meaningful purpose. Of all the times that Mommy dearest could have called, why in Satan’s name did it have to be now. This night, when he was about to bring his bride completely over into his world so that she may walk through eternity with him.
With much more force than necessary he pushed the door open to his study and made great strides to the waiting phone sitting on his desk. The entire time his back teeth clenched tightly in irritation. Stopping at his desk he took a quick moment to close his eyes and check in on his desert flower. He could only smile when he saw her sitting on the bed staring intently at the door. How wonderful, he thought, she can’t wait for me to come back to her. They were going to make the perfect life partners together.
Blinking his eyes, Leo brought himself back to the study and glowered down at the phone. Ten years, nearly a decade that the woman has made no effort to contact him until now. Why now of all times? Why call on him over all of his other brothers and sisters. He had a slew of them, four sisters and six brothers to be exact. All of them now coupled with their own life partners and a gaggle full of children in tow.
There was only one way to find out. Taking the plunge, Leo picked up the ungodly phone and brought it to his ears.
“Hello” he said stiffly.
“Leonardo, darling. How are you?” his mother asked in a tune ladled with her rich Italian accent.
Leo blew out a steadying breath in an effort to stay composed. “I’m fine mother. What brings you to call upon me this night?”
Leo’s Mother, Isabella, harrumphed. “Now, is that any way to greet your mother Leonardo? The lady that carried you for nine long months. The same lady that spent hours bringing you into this world. The lady that coddled you through your troubled youth.”
The same lady that screams Drama Queen a million times over and is only concerned with that which affects her, Leo thought wryly.
Leo was determined to be as civil as possible. This was his mother after all , for better or worse, as she so kindly pointed out moments before. With false sweetness infused his tone he answered, “No mother, I only meant to ask if there was something….um, wrong?”
Leo heard her bristle. Something was up, most definitely, which is why he was the one called above all the other siblings.
“Nothing is wrong darling. Can’t a mother just call and say hello to her son?”
Nooo, Leo thought to himself. Especially after ten years of nothing, nada, zilch. Not even a measly Christmas card. Instead of speaking his mind though, Leo went for more of a non-combative approach and settled on the more obvious. “Okay mother” he drawled out slowly still unsure that she was being totally honest with him, “It’s good to hear that you are well.”
At first the line was silent. A cold distant silence that spanned the miles between the two people who were merely connected by the audio waves that remained invisible to the naked eye.
Then it came.
The waterfall of tears.
At first the sound was so soft, so inferior that Leo almost didn’t hear it. Then it grew louder and more insistent. The sound of sobbing. Uncontrollable female bawling that played havoc on Leo‘s sensitive hearing.
“Mother?” he questioned. “What on earth is wrong?”
At first he was met with more wailing that had him wincing in response.
“He..he…leffffftttt mmeeeeeee” she finally managed to wail between the incessant cries.
Leo furrowed his brows in confusion. Father had been dead for twenty years past. “Who mother?” he asked curiously now, “Who has left you?”
“Jerommmmmee” she cried out again. Now adding the disgusting sniffling sounds in between the heart wrenching sobs.
Jerome, who the hell is Jerome? Leo wondered. He had never heard any mention of any Jerome before today but it has been ten years. No telling what his aristocratic mother has been up to in that amount of time.
Sighing, Leo had conceded that his mother wasn’t going to let him off the phone any time soon. He thought of his beautiful bride locked away in his bed room and wanted this phone call to be so badly over with so that he could be with her.
Collapsing in his majestic chair that was centered at his desk Leo closed his eyes, bit the bullet and asked dryly, “Who was Jerome mother and why has this upset you so?”
Her sobs eventually started to quiet as the seconds all too slowly ticked by. One last sniffle was heard before Isabella composed herself and spoke again, “He was my human consort Leonardo. Where have you been these last few years?”
Leo raised an eyebrow at this. He had been in the same place that he has resided for the last sixty years. It was his mother who was the impossible one to pin down. He had long since stopped trying to connect with her and assumed if he was needed, she would find him.
“I’ve been in the same place that I am always at,” Leo said patiently. He was holding tight to the small reign of patience that he had some how managed to cling to.
“Hmmm” his mother replied nonchalantly and stopped to think a moment before continuing. “Well” she said, all signs of her former breakdown seemingly gone, “I’m coming in for an extended visit. It has been far too long that I have gone without seeing my baby boy.”
Leo sat up in his chair, “What?” he almost screamed and in the process managed to sound rather foolish. He had to of misheard her. There was no way that she could of said what he thought that she just said. No way, no how that the great Dame, Isabella Marie Risso had just stated that she was coming to stay at his home.
“You heard me Leonardo, I didn’t stutter. I said that I was coming to stay with you for a month or maybe even two. I want to spend some time with my son; there is no crime in that. It shouldn’t be a problem since you have yet to claim a life partner, correct?”
If only she knew. His life partner awaited him just a few rooms away. He only needed to complete the conversion that he started eleven years ago in order to fully claim her the proper way. The way of his people, the way of the vampire.
It was a ritual as old as time itself. A simple blood exchange to forge the connection. He shared his blood with Shelby all those years ago in order to save her life. All he needed to do now was drink in her life force to make her fully his. Make her like him, a formidable creature of the night more powerful than any other species that inhabited this earth.. He could hardly wait.
“Mother” Leo started hesitantly, “Now may not be the best of times.” That being the understatement of the century. Once Shelby’s conversion started it would take three days to complete and he would have to be at her side every step of the way. Once she awoke as her new self he had to teach her their ways; how to hunt, how to feed, the magic of their world. So much to learn and with an over encumber some mother that would make the process that much more difficult. He did not need this right now.
“Ridiculous” she replied flippantly. “There is always a good time for a mother to visit her son. Expect me on the next eve, darling and have my room ready. The one that faces the west so that I can view that gorgeous ocean of yours. It reminds me so of the early years with your father“.
Leo felt the heaviness of a thick stone settling in the pit of his stomach. She was coming whether he liked it or not. She had made it abundantly clear that there was no changing her mind. He started once more to try and protest, “Mother….” but was immediately cut off.
“Until tomorrow darling” and the line was disconnected.
“Damn” he swore pulling the phone from his ear and slamming it back down on the receiver. This was the last thing that he needed right now when all of his attention needed to be focused on his beautiful desert flower awaiting him.
Shelby sat on the edge of the bed staring at the closed door with growing hostility for the man that had locked her in this room. How could he be so arrogant? So overbearing, so pompous even. He was the most infuriating male that she had ever encountered. But yet, she felt drawn to him. She wanted to enfold herself in him, have him touch her innocent lips in a way that they have never been touched before. She wanted him with a hunger that she couldn’t explain and that scared the hell out of her.
Shelby sat there battling the array of unfamiliar emotions all the while knowing that she needed to find a way out of this godforsaken place. This man was dangerous to her. Dangerous on so many levels that she could barely comprehend them all at one time. He could steal her soul and with his allure she would almost be more than happy to hand it over to him.
The door creaked open and the handsome man with the dark as night eyes appeared filling the entrance of the room with his imposing presence. One look and Shelby felt his undeniable male prowess taking over the room that once looked so large but now felt so small.
“Hello my sweet.” he whispered the words in a way that was considered intimate to their kind.
Shelby heard the words, but yet the man did not move his mouth. The words that she heard was in her mind. At first she thought that maybe she had only imagined the words until she heard the mental words again, “Sorry to have kept you waiting. No fear, we should have no further interruptions this night.“
Shelby gasped. There was no refuting that she was hearing his words in her head now. This was not normal, not natural. Something was different about the gorgeous man that stood before her and it terrified her.
Leo took a few steps into the room and closed the door firmly behind him. He couldn’t wipe the tell tale smile from his face when his eyes landed on his bride to be. She was absolutely exquisite, an expensive fine wine that he was more than eager to taste.
He had definitely chosen well when he first committed himself to the young Shelby Tanner. By sharing his blood and saving her life he bound them eleven years ago in ways that could never be broken. No man, woman or creature could tear them apart. She would be the eternal sunshine to his dismal darkness. A brilliant star that would lead his path for the rest of their immortal life.
Shelby jumped off the bed and held her hands out in front of her; needing to put some much needed space between the strange man and herself.
“Stay away from me” she warned sounding much weaker than she intended. Inside she was warring with conflicting feelings. Part of her wanting to be free of this place and the man that was obviously too sexy for his own good and the other part wanting to run into his arms and kiss him from head to toe. What is wrong with me? she asked herself.
“Sweetheart” Leo called out, slightly concerned that his bride was backing away from him. She looked scared, maybe she was nervous. “Do not fear me.”
Shelby shook her head and took a few more steps backwards, “I said stay away from me” she repeated much stronger this time. The strange man continued to stalk her in his own cocky way. Every step she took back he took one forward to counteract it. This continued until Shelby’s back met the unmistakable feel of the cold brick wall behind her.
As Leo continued to close the distance between them Shelby felt trapped, cornered. She looked to her left, then looked to her right, there was no where to go. Turning back to the beautiful man who was now just inches from her Shelby felt her heart leap in her chest. Excitement, trepidation and anticipation all part of the tumultuous emotions that she was feeling at this very moment.
She looked up into those obsidian dark eyes and was instantly drawn to this man. She found that she couldn’t look away even if she had wanted to.
“What are you?” she finally whispered aloud as Leo leaned in and with one hand tenderly caressed her cheek. Shelby subconsciously leaned into his touch loving how his hand felt against her skin.
In a voice that rolled over her as smooth as the waves in the deepest of oceans Leo replied in her mind, “You know who I am my sweet. You feel me within you, you sense me in your blood. I am your other half, your life partner, your yen to my yang.”
Shelby heard her self chuckle, a sound that sounded strangely desperate. She wanted him with an urgency that she couldn’t explain. He was right, she did feel him like a slow burn throughout her body but it made no sense to her other than the recurring dreams that she had night after night.
“No” she said shaking her head determined to get some answers for her own sake of sanity. “Your not human, you can’t be.” she jumbled out sounding panicked. “What are you?” she asked again staring deep into his eyes unable to tear her gaze away.
Leo smiled, it was time. Eleven years in the waiting and it was finally time. His smile grew wide showing her his elongated fangs. He felt her surge of fear and quickly sent a command into her mind to let go and accept the inevitable. There was not tuning back the path he started all those years ago.
Instantly she went pliant in his arms and offered him her neck, “Sweetheart, I am but the same as you are,” he whispered into her mind just before he leaned in to the crook of her neck and pressed a gentle kiss against her skin. Feeling the rise of the beast within Leo flicked out his tongue and swiped once, then twice, savoring her sugary sweetness only seconds before he opened his mouth wide and sank his teeth into her silky flesh; changing her life forever.