Chapter Three
Zane didn`t know what prompted him to make the offer, and even as he maneuvered her in the dark of the mental hospital, his keen senses guiding them out and away from those that patrolled, he questioned his own sanity.
Maybe all that crazy blood I’ve ingested over the years has made me nuts. Why else would I be saving a girl who doesn’t deny she hears voices and said voices would have saved her from rape? And even crazier, why the hell would I tell her she can stay with me?
But even as he thought this, he wouldn’t change his decision. He hadn’t liked the danger that bastard nurse had posed at all. If he’d left her behind, who would have protected her in the daytime or when he hunted? He didn’t understand why he cared about her well being, but he couldn’t deny the rage and … possessiveness he felt. I look at her and all I can think is she’s mine. Getting her out of here to explore these unexpected and strange feelings seemed the most logical choice. And if he didn’t like the answers, he could always just eat her. But to his shock instead of seeing himself biting into the smooth, white expanse of her neck, he pictured himself between her white thighs, lapping at her sweet core while she cried out. Zane thanked the darkness hid his instant and very evident erection.
What a shame he couldn’t dematerialize them both to exit the same way he’d entered, the trick didn’t work on other beings. Using some of the special skills—some would say magical—that he’d acquired over the years, he unlocked the doors that stood in their way. He weaved them a path through the shadows that avoided the humans that kept watch, the rich scent of their blood and life force a beacon he could sense from a distance. But as they approached the side door the night staff kept unlocked for their smoke breaks, he cursed under his breath. Around the corner from them and steps away from freedom, two burly fellows stood in the way. Eventually they’d discover the girl missing, but he preferred it happen once they were far away.
He bent down to whisper to her. “Stay here for a moment.” She clung to his hand, the fine bones of her fingers tucked around his, spreading warmth through his undead body. A warmth which did nothing to alleviate his still aroused state. “I need to take care of those two guards.”
Biting her lip—something he hoped to do to her later—she let go of his hand and hugged herself. Her pose suggested nervousness, but the brightness in her eyes suggested excitement.
Zane went around the corner and focused on the two humans ahead of him.
“You will go outside and have a cigarette. It’s quiet outside. You will see and hear nothing. You will not remember these commands. Go.”
As if in a Jedi trance—a phrase that Zane had picked up watching Star Wars—the two staffers eyes glazed over and pivoting, they headed out the door.
“Come,” he beckoned her. She peered around the corner then came forward and tucked her hand into his. Her trust in him made him want to shake her and say “Don’t you realize you should fear me?” Instead of castigating her, he tightened his grip on her hand.
Zane led her through the door to the night outside. The two orderlies smoked without speaking and didn’t even turn their heads to look at them. He had to drag the girl who stared open mouthed at the entranced guards. He could see the question in her eyes, but he shook his head at her before she could voice it.
When they reached the wall, he turned her to face him. “Hold my shoulders,” he ordered as he placed his hands on her waist and drew her into his body. His big hands spanned the slimness of her waist easily, and the thinness of her gown made him realize how close he was to touching her warm skin. Even more shocking, the scent of her arousal wafted up to him, like the most decadent of perfumes. She desires me. That simple fact shocked him and lust roared through his body. Had he not learned the art of control, he would have taken her then and there like a rutting beast. But he had a bed at home that would be more comfortable, not to mention they hadn’t left the grounds of the institution yet. With a coiling of power, he levitated them, her slight weight not even taxing the innate magic he’d acquired as one his vampiric gifts.
He heard her gasp as her feet left the ground and her fingers clutched him tighter.
Tucked into his body, she could surely feel the evidence of his desire, yet she didn’t remark upon it.
“You can fly! How marvelous.” Her obvious enthusiasm made him smile. She definitely did not react like most humans would.
“I can do many things,” he whispered in her ear, his loins tightening when she shivered in his arms.
As soon as they hit the ground on the other side of the wall, he let go of her and she stepped back, but he could still hear—and feel—her heart racing.
“Now what?” she asked gnawing her lip while looking around her. She looked like a seductive wraith in the dark with the faint illumination of the moon making her skin glow translucently while her hair glimmered a pale silver. A moon goddess come to life, and his for the taking. A desirable one whose seductive curves were enhanced by the thin gown she wore. He longed to latch his mouth around the pert nipple that poked through the fabric.
Cursing under his breath at uncontrollable thoughts, Zane pulled out his key fob and hit the unlock button. Lights flashed in the darkness. “Now, we get out of here.”
And I introduce you to the mattress in my bedroom.
* * * *
The voices finally returned just before she got into the car with her rescuer. They spoke quickly.
“Stupid girl. What are you doing?”
“Run while you can. Quick before he eats you.”
“Freedom at last!” said one with cackling laughter.
She ignored them all except her own voice in her mind which pointed out an interesting fact that she voiced as she clambered into the car. “I just realized something. I don’t even know your name. I’m Ella.”
He tilted his head towards her and she caught the gleam of teeth as he smiled.
“Hello, Ella. My name is Zane.”
Zane. Ella like the sound of it, but the niceties out of the way, she now had a more important question, one that the voices in unusual tandem had shouted at her before shutting up. Well two, but she figured that asking him to take care of the warmth that suffused her would be better done with action than words. “Are you a vampire?”
The car swerved slightly, and she clutched at the armrests, startled as well as unused to being driven.
“Why do you say that?” he finally replied tightly.
The voices had quieted since she’d gotten into the car and Ella licked her lips, determined to tell the truth, but knowing, just like all the others, he wouldn’t like it. “It’s the voices in my head. They told me.”
“Really,” he said flatly.
“I’m sorry. Is it true what they say? Do you drink blood? Is that why you were there the other night? Feeding?” The flood of questions poured from her and only when she realized he hadn’t responded to any of them did she taper off, uncertainly. I really just don’t know when to shut up, she thought sadly as she waited for him to freak like everyone in her past had when she spoke truths they thought secret.
“I will answer your questions, Ella of the voices, but in return, you will answer some of mine. Agreed?”
He isn’t mad? She smiled in the darkness of his car. “Sure.” Ella had nothing to hide.
He already knew the world considered her nuts. Anything else he wanted to know would pale in comparison.
“Very well. In answer to your first question: yes, I am a vampire.”
Ella bounced in her seat. “Oh, my god. That is so cool. Are you like hundreds of years old? Do—.”
* * * *
“Slow down,” Zane said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. Her lack of guile and obvious lack of fear intrigued him and her obvious arousal at his simple presence just increased his lust for her. He couldn’t get home quick enough, but he’d give her the answers she wanted in the meantime. He had no fear of her sharing them, for now that he had her in his possession, the only way she’d leave would be in death. “I believe you already gave me a list of questions to answer. Let us start with those. As a vampire, I drink blood to survive. Human blood, that is. I try not to kill my victims in order to not draw attention to myself. I use places like mental hospitals and long term facility care places for patients in comas and whatnot to feed myself when I’m in the mood for variety. I spread my feeding among multiple humans, most of whom can’t talk or if they can, are considered crazy if they do.”
“Ooh, so would you have bitten me had I not talked to you the other night?” She sounded breathless and the scent of her arousal filled the car. So sweet.
“That was the intention, yes. Now, your turn. How long have you been institutionalized?”
“Forever.”
Her answer took him aback. “You jest?”
“Okay, not forever. Since I was seven years old. The voices made me ask my dad why he was cheating on my mom. Needless to say, that didn’t go over well. My parents split up and neither wanted me, so they had me put away. I’ve been there ever since.”
Zane who’d seen quite a bit in his lifetime—lots of it not pretty—found himself horrified at the callous disregard her parents had shown her. “How old are you now?”
“Twenty-five.”
So young in comparison to him. “So you’ve always heard these voices?”
“As far back as I can remember. Sometimes they do things, too.”
“Like?” She’d implied previously that the voices she heard could act, but surely that claim was a part of her madness.
“Enough about me. Your turn again. How old are you?”
Zane grinned at her. “Very old.”
She cocked her head and looked at him, her eyes going slightly out of focus. “Three hundred and twenty seven.”
Once again, the car swerved and Zane shot Ella a look. How did she guess? “Why that number?”
“It’s what the voices say.”
“I thought you said they went away.”
“They have, but when I asked them just now, one of them answered.”
A niggling thought made him say, “Are you sure you’re crazy?”
Ella giggled. “What would make you think I wasn’t? Only crazy people hear voices.”
“Okay, let me ask you a different question. Are the voices always right?”
She didn’t immediately answer and he looked over at her and saw her looking at her hands clasped in her lap. She finally replied softly. “They’re never wrong. It’s why I get into so much trouble.”
The sadness he heard made him want to hurt someone, make that a lot of someones.
Although why he even cared eluded him. An idea formed in his mind, What if she’s not crazy? He suddenly decided he would take her to see a friend of his to test a theory.
But first things first—a fuck then a suck.
They’d reached his home. A sprawling mansion hidden behind a gated wall that opened as he approached. The long drive led right up to the house and he parked in front of the steps and quicker than a human could, exited the car and opened the door on her side.
Anticipation made his blood quicken and his loins tighten. It wouldn’t be long now.
Soon he’d have her naked in his arms and hopefully this obsession he had for her would dissipate.
He looked forward to the seduction even as the thought of returning to his boring, lonely existence troubled him.
* * * *
Even in the dark, Ella could see Zane’s home was impressive. She’d watched her share of movies and shows over the years, severely censored, of course, to avoid inciting the other patients, so she knew what she looked at wasn’t the norm for most people. But then again, Zane wasn’t a normal person. He’s a vampire. The idea titillated her. She’d read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a gift from a nurse who’d smuggled it into her. One of the few people she’d encountered who’d treated her like she was just a regular person. Sadly, they’d transferred Nurse Kelly and the books had stopped, but Ella had never forgotten the dark tale of the being who survived on blood— and who loved.
Zane took her hand and tugged her up the steps to the grand wooden doors. As if by magic, they swung open and she stepped inside at his urging. Turned out it wasn’t magic but a real butler who’d opened the door, almost as fantastical. Ella suddenly shy, stepped closer to Zane, his electric presence making her feel better as the elderly gent who’d let them in looked her over with dispassionate eyes. She’d become used over the years to people looking right through her.
“Hendricks, this is Ella. She will be staying here for a while. Please advise the staff that I want her treated with the utmost courtesy. Also, she’ll require meals, so ensure the kitchen is stocked.”
Unused to nice treatment, Ella’s cheeks bloomed with color as he gave orders to his servant. She knew she should be more leery of his kindness, but while a part of her understood Zane’s vampiric state should frighten her, she couldn’t help but trust him. He is the savior from my prophecy. How can I not trust him? Besides the warmth that suffused her whenever she found herself in his presence felt too good to be wrong.
“Will that be all, Master?” asked the sober butler.
“Yes, you may retire.” Zane turned to face her but with a curse, pivoted around.
“Hendricks," he called.
"Master?" said the servant who stopped before going through the door he’d opened.
“Clothes. Ella will need clothing. I trust you can ensure she is outfitted properly?”
“As you wish.” With a bow and speculative look at her, Hendricks left them alone.
Ella found herself tongue tied, baffled at his actions and afraid she’d say something to ruin this dream—and even more afraid the voices would do something to ruin it. She looked up at him, and for the first time got the full impact of his face.
Oh, my god, he’s gorgeous. And finally she had a face for her dream savior and lover.
Piercing black eyes held hers, framed by decadently long lashes. His face defined the term chiseled with a strong, square jaw, a straight aristocratic nose and a surprising olive complexion, if a pale one. She found herself transfixed from his slightly ruffled black hair, to his full lips that quirked in a smile.
“Enjoying the view?” He raised a brow at her and grinned even wider when she blushed hotly. She caught a glimpse of white teeth, and more interestingly, two pointed canines.
But back to her initial thought before he’d distracted her with his good looks. “You don’t have to do all this.”
Zane frowned at her. “I know I don’t. I choose to. Now come. Let me show you my home.” With obvious pride of possession, and while holding her hand which made butterflies flit in her tummy, Zane gave her a tour of the house from the magnificent and cavernous living room, to the mystifying and gleaming kitchen. A conservatory, library, massive dining room and even larger reception room took up the first floor. On the second floor, there was an entertainment room with a television so big she wondered how they’d gotten it in the room. A multitude of guest bedrooms lay behind a hallway of doors, each sumptuous and larger than she’d ever imagined someone needing. Finally, he showed her a bedroom draped in reds and blacks, its bed massive and a huge window with heavy drapes pulled back to let in the moonlight. His room, she surmised as she spotted the silken robe lying across the bed.
Pulling free of his hand, she wandered to the middle of the room and ran a finger down the satiny comforter on the bed. The voices came back in a rush.
“Oh, dear girl, you’ve entered his lair.”
“Stake him.”
Ella’s brow crinkled at the conflicting commands. The voices quieted abruptly when Zane grabbed her by the arms.
“Are you okay?”
“I am now. My little friends upstairs don’t like you, and they were just letting me know.”
“They stop talking when I touch you?” he asked, the grip on her arms loosening and sliding so that he held her in a loose hug.
It didn’t even occur to Ella to push him away. The soothing relief his touch brought from the voices, not to mention the heat that infused her body, made her cling to him tightly. “Actually so long as I’m fairly near you they shut up.”
“Then we’ll have to ensure you stay close to my side,” he said in a low voice.
Ella looked up at him, startled. Hooded eyes looked down at her. Zane brought a hand up and with one finger, stroked her lips. Light headed and mesmerized by his touch, Ella’s lips parted. As if this were a signal he’d waited for, his head dipped down. Closing her eyes, she waited for her first kiss.
And oh, the fire it ignited.
Gently he brushed her mouth, sliding his lips across hers. Ella, inexperienced but curious, and desiring for the first time in her life, tentatively pressed back. His arms tightened around her and he deepened the kiss, his lips tugging and tasting hers. The flick of his tongue made her gasp and he used it to his advantage, slipping his tongue into her mouth to twine with hers. Ella’s knees buckled, but he held her up, crushing her against his hard body, igniting a fire between her legs. Ella vaguely understood what was happening. She’d seen patients coupling with each other or the orderlies, she’d just never indulged herself. She’d never wanted to touch someone like she did Zane.
A sharp canine nicked her lip and she tasted the metallic tang of her blood, a flavor that seemed to enflame Zane for he moved them backwards in the direction of the bed even as his hands pulled at her flimsy gown.
Eager even in her uncertainty, Ella knew she needed to tell him before things went any further. She just hoped it wouldn’t make a difference.
“Zane,” she panted pulling away from his eager mouth.
“No more questions, Ella. I want you and I can smell your desire.”
His words made her tremble. Wanted. She could feel the proof against her lower belly and her reciprocal desire in the wetness that made her panties wet. But, he needed to know. She hoped he’d consider what she had to say a gift. “I want you, too. I just wanted to say, I’m glad you’re going to be my first.”
* * * *
Zane froze a hairsbreadth from her lips even though his body screamed at him to claim her—and not just with his cock. He had to have misunderstood. “You’re a virgin?”
She nodded at him and smiled. “The voices never let men get near me, not that I ever wanted them to before you. And I know we just met and all, but you make me feel ever so wonderful. I know it’s going to hurt a little, and I’m fine with that. I just thought I should warn you.”
Zane withdrew his hands from her and backed away in shock. He couldn’t decide if he liked this unexpected development or cursed it. Untouched. Pure. The savage in him exulted and clamored to claim her, to put his undeniable mark on her flesh. But to his surprise, a shred of humanity he’d thought lost forever rose up and admonished him to leave her be. How dare he sully her? After what she’d been through, she deserved better.
A chance to live, something he could never give her.
He backed away from her, trying to forget the taste of her blood on his tongue when he’d nicked her, the softness and yielding of her body in his arms. He tried to ignore the sweet smell of her arousal. With a curse, he turned from her clear blue eyes, unable to face the uncertainty and questions that clouded them.
A fluttering touch at his back and he whirled, grabbing her hands. “No,” he said firmly.
“I don’t understand. Is it because I’m a virgin? I would have thought you’d be pleased.” She appeared confused, and he longed to kiss her and show her much her words enflamed him.
“Why would you want to gift me with that? You do realize I am a creature of the night. I am not human like you are. I could drain you of your blood and not feel a moment’s remorse.”
“Oh, I get you’re not human, but I don’t think you’d kill me.” She pressed her palms up against his chest and looked up at him with eyes that shone with trust. A look that made his heart hitch. “I might not be experienced, but I know you desire me. I want this, Zane. Please.”
Zane groaned at her plea, the burning touch of her hands through the fabric of his shirt making him forget his reasons for abstaining. “I do want you. But it is very possible that I will lose control.” In the throes of passion, the breaking of her maidenhead and the purity of the blood released … it would be beyond pleasurable, and dangerous. And here she almost begged him to do it.
“Will you bite me?” she asked as she slid her hands up to his shoulders and again, stepped closer to him.
“Probably,” he whispered, mesmerized by her, his lust close to overwhelming his reason.
“Does it hurt?” she asked licking her lips, the sweet musky scent of her arousal floating in a cloud around them and making it hard for him to remember why this was a bad idea.
“Only for a second, then you’ll experience unbelievable bliss.”
“Then take me.” Tilting her head back, she exposed the long length of her neck.
Zane trembled, his usual cynicism and mastery of all situations blown away by her simple trusting act.
Leaning forward, he let his lips graze the skin she offered, the pulsing of her vein making him groan. He sucked on her neck and she moaned. Wrapping her in his arms, he lifted her and moved her towards the bed. He wanted to be inside her when he bit her, her sweet life’s blood pouring on his tongue as he plunged his cock inside her sex.
Something hit him on the back of the head and letting her go, he whirled, looking for the intruder that dared invade his private quarters—and interrupt his seduction.
No one appeared nor did he sense anyone, but that didn’t stop the objects in his room from lifting on their own and sailing at him.
What the hell?