Life Starts After Dark

“Get away from her,” the beautiful voice said. I tried to raise my head to see him, but it felt like my skull was made of lead. I tried to call out to him, to tell him to save me, but my mouth felt like it was glued shut.

“Or what, buddy? You gonna call the police?”

“I have a better idea,” he said, and I heard the smile in his voice. I heard both of the bikers gasp, and then they were scrambling to their feet to run away.

I heard another set of footsteps approach me, and then felt cool breath on my face. I couldn’t see anything; my vision was too blurry.

“Eric,” I managed to whisper. I coughed, and felt something wet and warm seeping from the corners of my mouth.

“I would have killed them, but we don’t have much time,” he whispered into my ear, and then lifted me. I would have screamed if I were able to do so; instead a pathetic airy noise escaped my lips.

“Can you hear me, Skylar?” he asked, and I felt him put me into my car. I knew it was my car, because I could smell the cinnamon scented air freshener I hung from the rear-view mirror. He put the seat into a recliner position with a lever on the side of the seat.

“Y-Yes,” I managed to sputter.

“I can do one of two things. I can give you my blood, and you will heal completely. On the other hand, I could take you to the hospital, but you will probably die before I can even get you there. Make a choice.”

“I…want to…l-live,” I said, knowing what he would take that to mean. I heard a sick crunching sound, and then he brought something to my lips.

“Drink,” he urged, and I obeyed. At first, it tasted disgusting, and I nearly spit it back up. Then I latched myself to him with all the strength I had, which was not a lot, and sucked deeply. Eric was making strange noises while I did this, but I paid little attention to that. I was more concerned about my survival.

Eric took his wrist away, even though I was still weak and could feel the broken bones in my face and ribs. Now I breathed more easily, and didn’t feel like I was about to die.

“More,” I moaned as he started my car and made his way out of the parking lot.

“Not now. I need some TrueBlood. You drank a surprising amount of my blood, and I need to replenish my supply before I can give you more.”

Eric pulled into the nearest gas station and appeared moments later with a six-pack of AB negative TrueBlood.

I tried not to complain about the pain I was still experiencing, although it was hard to ignore. I needed more blood.

I looked down at myself and realized I was bleeding on my red seat cover. “Oh, that’s just great,” I mumbled sarcastically.

“What?” Eric asked as he pulled into my driveway.

“My upholstery is ruined,” I whined.

“You are honestly worried about the condition of your car right now?”

I nodded, rewarded by a shooting pain in my head. Once again, I needed blood.

Eric carried me inside, because I was still too weak to walk.

He left me on the couch while he heated up three bottles of TrueBlood in the microwave. He drank them quickly, and then waited a few minutes while the synthetic blood coursed through his veins, replenishing what he had lost. I swear I saw a bit of pink return to his pale cheeks.

“Now, you may have some more,” he announced, pulling me carefully into a sitting position and leaning me back against his stony chest.

He bit his wrist, and then brought it to my lips.

This time I was stronger, and I grabbed onto his arms with both hands and sucked deeply. The blood flowed freely into my mouth as if it were eager to be coursing through my own veins.

This time, I also realized the noises Eric was making. He was moaning, and not in a way that made me think I was hurting him, No, he was definitely enjoying every moment of this. Deep sounds rumbled in his chest. I had not thought this could be so erotic for anyone. Surely, it would not feel so good for me if he were the one drinking my blood.

Eventually, I stopped, letting my head fall back on his chest. It was probably not a good idea to allow this much closeness between us after the kiss we had shared, but I was too worn out to really care now. Physically, I was fine, better than fine actually; I felt as if all my senses were much sharper now. Not to mention the fact that my bones had healed in record time. I probably didn’t even have a bruise. However, emotionally, I was exhausted.

“I didn’t know vampires liked being bitten,” I said nervously.

“Yes. Giving blood to another is a very pleasurable experience.”

“Hmmm,” I hummed the most appropriate response I could think of at the time.

“There are probably a few things I should warn you about, Skylar.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, you drank quite a bit of my blood. You will have heightened senses, and I will always know where you are and what you’re feeling.”

“That’s just creepy,” I commented, then quickly moved on to my next question, sensing he was holding out on me. “What else?”

“Well, you may find yourself attracted to me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, moving away from him to the far end of the couch.

“Well, when a human drinks a vampire’s blood, it can make them feel…sexually attracted to their donor.”

“Oh, perfect.”

“Not that you weren’t already attracted to me,” he chuckled, smirking at me.

“I am not, and I never was. And I never will be.”

“That kiss? Don’t try to tell me it was the result of your lack of attraction to me. Because if that is so, then I should start being less attractive more often.”

“You-you were messing with my head!” I accused.

“I most certainly was not.”

“Whatever! Oh, and what compensation would you like for saving my life. Because you sure as hell didn’t do it out of the goodness of your heart.”

“Don’t push me, Skylar,” he warned, his fangs appearing at their full length.

“Look, Eric. I’m tired. I got beaten within an inch of my life, and then was nearly raped. Excuse me for being a little less than polite. I need sleep.”

“I’ll be nearby,” he promised. “I’ll keep you safe, even if you cannot stand me.”

“Oh, go to hell!” I yelled, only half kidding.

“Goodnight,” was his reply. Then he was gone in the blink of an eye.

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I was dreaming. I knew that much.

I rolled over, the sunlight bathing my skin in its warmth.

Next to me was Eric, smiling at me as if I was his favorite person in the whole wide world.

“Good morning,” he said, kissing my shoulder and letting his fingers search under the sheets until they rested on the small of my back.

“Last night was…fun,” I heard myself say as I scooted closer to him. It wasn’t until our bodies were touching that I realized we were both completely naked.

Something surged through my body, spreading feverish warmth through my veins. I recognized the feeling at once: lust.
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I awoke, sweat causing my hair to stick to the back of my neck. I felt hot, even though I was only wearing cutoff sweats and a sports bra. I looked at the clock. It was 1:00 in the morning.

I went downstairs, my body still calling out so something…someone.

I turned on the news, looking for something boring that would help me get my mind off Eric, even as part of my subconscious mind was calling him to me, hoping he would respond and come for me.

I watched as the meteorologist gave the weekly forecast, but I was unable to keep focus on his droning voice.

There was a knock on the door, and I knew who it was before I answered, yet I opened the door anyway.

Eric was standing there, staring at me with lustful eyes. Then, without really seeming to think about it, he strode inside and took my face into his hands, kissing me.

My vision had come true.
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Then I really woke up.

God, I hate double dreams.