I had no sense of where I was. The blindfold prevented that. I was petrified with terror. I felt moist unevenness under my body and at my feet and heard the snap of twigs and swish of branches. I smelled green foliage and pine. I assumed I was outside in the woods; I was being dragged by my waist. My dress would be ruined now.
I heard heavy breathing, more than one person. I tried to fight and struggle but it was useless. Anger and dread were filling my mind. Soon the dragging came to a stop and I heard a haughty laughter, a female voice and I froze. The blind fold was taken off, and I blinked as my eyes adjusted and focused. Jen was standing a few feet away glowering down at me triumphantly with hatred. Her date from the dance and another football jock were the ones that were dragging me.
“So here we are, and I am going to destroy you,” Jen mused viciously at me. She came up to me and kicked me hard full in the face with the heel of her shoes. The heel cut across my cheek. My mind went white as pain blazed through it. I felt the warm liquid pool and drip from the cut on my cheek, it was my blood. She kicked me again and again on different areas of my body.
“Why?” I managed to choke out when she paused.
“Because you’re the good one, you took my boyfriend away without even trying and I let that go but then you still managed to take every other guy away from me. I have been turned down before because other guys wanted to date you and not me. Everyone that asked you to a dance, I had asked first and they turned me down and then went and asked you but you turned them all down as well. Then Ayden comes along and you don’t say no. I am tired of being your second,” she growled and kicked me in the gut, knocking the breath out of me I choked and coughed and blood spat out of my mouth.
She tried to come at me again but this time I grabbed her other foot and she lost her balance before her blow could land and she flew backwards landing on her ass, her dress getting stained from the moist forest floor. I openly laughed trying to stand my ground and be defiant.
She cursed and one of the football jocks, I didn’t even know either of their names, grabbed me by my hair and pulled and slapped me across the face. Blazing stinging pain again. I felt another set of hands grab my dress and pull ripping the fabric apart. I was mortified and humiliated and my face was swollen. The pain was seething through my body. I felt someone grope me roughly on my inner thigh, now I started to scream thinking this would be the end. I was terrified and felt helpless against three even though I still attempted to defy Jen.
“When we are done with you, I will drop you where everyone in school will see you battered and bruised,” she said spitting venom.
“You won’t get away with it,” I muttered. She laughed bitterly.
Abruptly they all got quiet. I heard footsteps approach and then the most truly terrifying menacing growl or snarl I have ever heard. My eyes were swollen and my lip felt fat. I tried to turn to see the new addition to this party. There was pain at any movement I tried to make. I could only see shadow from the position I was in.
There was just a dark figure where the growl had come from. Then it moved so fast it was a blur and the one who had ripped my dress was thrown about 10 feet in the air and up against a tree and he crumpled to the ground laying still and knocked out. Before I could even register that, the next guy was tossed by this blurred figures speed and thrown up against another tree and he went limp and still as well.
I was terrified, the speed and strength was unimaginable. Jen was trying to run away. What looked like a second figured grabbed her and looked like it bent to kiss her neck she screamed in utter fear and pain. I didn’t know who or what was out there but they seemed to be on my side. It did not make them any less dangerous.
I couldn’t move, and I was having a hard time staying awake. I had to though to find out who they were. A few seconds later I was being picked up and carried quickly away and out of the forest. I looked at my transport and a slight focus of recognition glimmered in my thoughts. Before I could say anything though another puzzle piece fell into place and my eyes widened as much as they could and my mind couldn’t take anymore, darkness took me.
I woke up a little while later in and unfamiliar room on an unfamiliar couch. As I tried to move slightly the couch squeaked but didn’t feel like that smooth patent leather, I saw that it was a black burgundy color like rough hide. I winced as I tried to move the pain shot through my body and mostly the right side of my face.
“Careful,” a soft soothing voice said nearby. One of my eyes was almost completely swollen shut. I looked in the voices direction.
“Ayden is that you?” I asked my voice was hoarse and small.
“Yes I am here,” I heard the pain and anger in his voice. I was able to see him just enough through my other eye. I could feel the anger and pain and worry vibrating off of him also some excitement.
I could feel that he had cleaned off most of the blood on my face and there was a bandage now on my cheek over the cut as I was becoming more awake. There was a low light coming from a lamp on a table covered with books and a fire place blazing and crackling. The ceilings were high and had beams of the dark wood that all the walls seemed to be made from. Everything was in dark browns and burgundies almost black furniture and everything looked ancient and sturdy, as if it had endured for centuries.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“This is my home,” he replied soberly. The events started to flood back into my mind. I was still wearing my half torn dress but covered in a blanket.
“I brought you here because it was closer and I wanted you safe,” he added. That glimmer of recognition sparked in my mind over the pain.
“That was you in the woods?” I asked fear and surprised in my voice. He lowered his head and pain ripped across his face.
"Yes,” he whispered. My eyes widened. It was impossible the strength and the speed, I kept thinking, the cool pale skin, his eyes changed and he spoke in an old way.
“What are you?” he kept his head down. I knew it though. You don’t live in modern times and not know what a vampire might be.
“How do you walk in the sun?” I asked stupidly as if that was the most important question right now.
“Age, but it still weakens us,” he said trying to keep emotion out of his voice and face.
“Did you um kill those…?” his head jerked up.
“No! I do not take human essence,” his tone was stern and definite and his Irish accent had returned with full force in his voice now.
“I did not want you to know this,” sadness weighed again in his voice. My mind was spinning and working out all the missing pieces putting the puzzle together now.
“So Darius is one as well,” I breathed, he just nodded.
“He wants to hurt you because of my betrayal from long ago,”
“How old are you?” I asked, and he sighed.
“Over 200 years old,” he said as if trying to scare me. I let out a deep breath this was all so overwhelming. This was the mystery behind Ayden that I had been trying to figure out. That he had tried to hide so well. Ayden was looking at me now and pain and sadness just kept vibrating off of him. I was afraid but also fascinated and felt compassion for all that he had been through.
“What happened to Jen?” I asked and his eyes darkened.
“Darius took care of her, he did not kill her but she will not remember what has happened and neither will the other two,” he didn’t elaborate.
“You both were out there but I thought Darius wanted to hurt me?” I was confused by Darius's involvement.
“I do not know what his full intentions are but he does intend to destroy me,” was all he replied.
“How did you find me?” I might as well keep asking since he is still answering. He has never been so willing to speak before now.
“After you took off a few minutes later Josh came up to me and told me Jen had started her plan and that they were taking you somewhere in the forest. We found you by…,” he paused, “the smell of your blood,” I took a deep breath. My head was spinning with shock and pain and trying to absorb it all. Ayden just say there quietly and patiently.
“Is that how you hear things?” I continued quietly.
“Exceptional hearing yes, and I can feel people’s general intentions, sense their minds,” he added. Things that had happened previously were starting to make more sense. Then embarrassingly, I thought if he could have sensed mine.
“Yes yours too,” he demonstrated. I felt myself blush even under these circumstances.
“Are you afraid?” he asked.
“Yes,” I whispered. He turned to look at me love in his eyes.
“Please don’t be, I would never hurt you. I love you and want to protect you and be yours,” my heart hammered in my chest and he said this to me trying to sooth my fear.
“This is all just so much, I can handle it Ayden but I need some time to think,” was all I was able to manage. I knew I loved him that would never change. My life had just went upside down though my beliefs all turned onto their axis. My head spun and I winced from the pain as I tried to move. Ayden leapt to my aid.
“Do you have a bathroom and a change of clothes?” I asked sitting up slowly.
“Yes,” he helped me up and held me gently so not to aggravate any injuries I have and escorted me to the bathroom showing me how to use it. The tub was one of those old ones with the claw feet. I turned on the water and undressed slowly once he had left. Most of the pain was in my face, chest and sides. A small dull throbbing on my thigh were the block head grabbed me. I shivered at the memory.
I should be overwhelmed with fear and anger. I was tired and just in shock is what I thought. So what do I do now? Do I accept this revelation and go forward. I couldn’t think. I sank down into the hot water in the tub and tried to relax my aching body. Pushing all thoughts out of my mind for the time being, I washed myself slowly. Ayden had saved my life tonight. I was grateful for that. He was also a vampire who was a terrifying predator. A light knock came on the bathroom door.
“Clothes and towels are right outside," he called to me. I didn’t respond. I heard his footsteps receding.
I lay there in the tub thinking about all the information and I was sure there was more to come. I couldn’t get it out of my head. My heart ached at the thought of ending it with Ayden. The idea was more painful than what I was feeling from tonight’s encounter. I knew I couldn’t leave. I loved him and wanted him too much. So I had to accept what he was and all the possible situations that could arise from this. Especially knowing Darius wanted to hurt Ayden somehow through me. So I made my choice.
I chose Ayden. Relief swam through me and wonder about the future. I emptied the tub and peeked out the door to grab the clothes and towels. To my surprise the clothes were my own. How did he get them? I dressed and tried to brush my hair and went back into the living room. Ayden was standing watching the fire in the fireplace his arms folded over his chest and motionless. When he heard me he turned.
“How did you?” I pointed at my clothes.
“Impossible speed remember, and once you invited me in I can come and go as I please in your home,” Oh now the whole invitation thing made sense. I should have thought of that. Then something else dawned on me.
“You have been in my home much more than those two nights,” he sighed.
“You are an intuitive one. Yes every night since you invited me in and I watched from outside most nights once we had met in school,” he was being honest. I flushed. So he was there that night after our first kiss before I had called him about the intruder outside.
“I never did or watched anything that would be ungentlemanly,” he added at the look on my face.
“That is how you knew to wear a silver tie,” I said smiling softly. He just nodded and smiled a fraction himself.
“What about sleep?” I continued.
“I need very little of it,”
“And blood?”
“I feed on the forest creatures, I do not take human essence,” he pointed out seriously. He called it essence, must be a vampire thing.
“It is because blood is life and we are death. We need life in order to survive,” he started to answer my thoughts now since he could be his vampire self around me.
“Any other powers?”
“Some I can influence your moods sometimes if your mind is open,” hence I thought the sedative effect he had on me sometimes. I sat on the couch and hugged my knees to my chest. He gazed at me and slowly came to sit next to me.
“I understand if you want to leave,” he said sadly and softly.
“I’m not leaving,” I reassured him. Hope flickered on his face. I reached out to touch his cheek.
He then let the change of his eyes happen as I touched him to show me. They turned blood red with slits for the color of his normal brown iris. And the fangs protruded from his mouth and he looked terrifying. I guess he couldn’t help the fangs popping out as he seemed to try and hold that aspect back. I took in a deep breath fascinated and reached out to touch one of his fangs and his eyes. He pulled away and his face back to normal as I touched him.
He seemed surprised by my reaction. He leaned closer to me and kissed my lips gently as they were swollen and did not want to hurt me further. Cool and soothing his mouth was. Love and relief flowed out of him and into me washing away my fear. He pushed gently leaning me back against the couch as his chest pressed ever so slightly against mine as he kissed softly his weight barely a fraction of it against my body.
He kissed deeper as the flame of our desire roared bright between us. His hands roamed over my sides and hips and he pulled away breathing heavily and slowly his breath against my neck as I inhaled his scent. I thought of how much I loved this creature and accepted him for who and what he was as he accepted me. He smiled as he sat back up apparently feeling my thoughts.
“You are all that matters to me,” he said holding my face gently in his hands. He pulled me into a strong embrace and I felt that sedative feeling and love so strong and before I could respond I was drifting to a deep sleep.
Authors Note: Sorry its been awhile since I updated I was sick and did not feel good enough to write anything. I am pretty much caught up with this book from what I have written to having it typed up. I have one more chapter to type up but its not finished being written yet either than it will slow down as well as I write and type it up to post. Hope you all have been enjoying it so far. I know it has some hints of other things in it but I am working on editing it as well and seeing what I can do to eliminate that. So far this is just an experimental piece for me. Thank you for your reads!