Blood Desires

Taylor yawned and stretched her way out of bed. She pulled her glasses on and went straight to her bathroom. She decided the best way to start off a day was with a bath. She turned it on hot and left it running while she sprinted to her laptop so she could send in her article. With a few clicks it was on it's way to the editor. All that was left was to keep her fingers crossed for the best.

She was pretty proud of her work though and that was rare, so she had a feeling it would work out. No matter what, she liked it and that's all that mattered.

Slipping into her bath her mind raced to the night before and she went to making sure she was going to look fine for tonight. After soaking she went to doing a touch up on her eyebrows with the tweezers then straightened her hair out. Everything would be just right.

As she prepared her mind made it's own fantasies as she pictured herself a part of the Gossip Girl cast and that she had her own lover much like Nate and Jenny. She could see herself being swept off her feet by her mystery man who would steal her heart, and even though complications would arise, it wouldn't matter because they loved each other.

This all seemed so nice and pleasant. At least until Taylor almost burned her hair. Her dreams were quickly forgotten as she tended to her mistake and tried to repair the damage. Frustrated with herself and spacing out she stomped to the bathroom and sprayed curls into her hair.

After all the time she had spent it was still only a disappointing six o'clock. Three more hours until things really began to come to a boil. She had to kill some time and going to dinner seemed innocent enough, even though she was by herself. Dinner at a bar didn't seem so lonely though, and even if it was a little past happy hour, that didn't stop anyone in New York.

She strutted her way down the street until she came across The Saloon and entered it. Some country cooking sounded good right about now. Sitting down she picked through the menu, finally deciding on a hearty steak meal. After ordering she began to feel eerie and after glancing around found that a strange man was staring at her. She let it pass thinking she was just being paranoid and focused on her meal.

It arrived and though she kept eating, the feeling couldn't be shaken. She turned to find him still there, not staring completely, but his occasional glance her way scared her deeply. She looked out the window at the front of the bar and saw that it was beginning to get late. Her panic increased as she scarfed down her food. She paid the tab and quickly slipped out. The cold air hit her hard and took the breath from her. Walking quickly down the street she spotted Obscurity and was prepared to be there.

That was when he struck. The man from the bar had followed her down the block and had grabbed around her waist just a few feet from the club. Taylor started to scream when his hand covered her mouth. He pulled her into the alley and the only thought that she had was of her dying. She could see the inevitable laid out before her like a horror movie. This was how it always ended right? The girl is pulled into the dark alley only to be raped and murdered. "Oh god, please not raped", she thought to herself.

The man pushed Taylor against the wall slamming her back hard, knocking the breath from her. She gasped for air as he began to pull off her coat. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. His mouth went to her neck and began kissing around it. Her fears were soon realized to be true. She closed her eyes and with all her strength took a deep ragged breath and screamed as loud as she could.

Surprisingly she heard the piercing cry, but knew it would do little good. His hand covered her mouth again as he unbuttoned her shirt with his other hand. That's when her saviour came down the alley and punched the man from the bar in the face.

At first her shock told her to run, but her legs felt like jello and part of her said to stay in case he needed help as well. Her mind raced as she watched the two fight it out. The man from the bar was losing.

This new guy was built fairly well. He was clearly muscular even without seeing clear details, and his sandy blonde hair attracted her. He was throwing punches at the man from the bar left and right, and his stance was quick and agile. She didn't know what to do, she wanted to help the guy, but thought it was best to stay out of the way. Eventually the man from the bar was down and out and the guy that had swooped in and saved her came over to her.

"Are you okay?", he asked, a clear british tone to his voice. His blue eyes stunned her with their warm gaze.

"Fine, thank you", she breathed. Taylor was somewhere between terror and awe. "Thank you."

"No problem, just try not to get in any more trouble. Maybe don't walk alone?" With that he helped her up. "Try staying at home in the kitchen where it's safe." He checked her arms for bruises and scratches and handed her a wad of cash, then with that left her there to fend for herself.

Her emotions couldn't be stopped, she just started crying, out of anger and being scared half to death. She was angry at how that guy had treated her, how he had swooped in to save her and left her stranded afterwards with a feeling of hopelessness. He made her feel like such a helpless person, and he made her feel so under him, so worthless. Not only that, she had seen her life flash before her eyes. It was a scary prospect to think of dying, to think that's the only choice you have. She was surprised to have lived, but happy to.

Suddenly, the club didn't seem quite so fun anymore and walking home seemed scary, so Taylor reached into her clutch and pulled out her cell phone to call a cab to take her home.