The Beautiful Boy with a Brand New Toy

At the first sound of the fight, I struggled in Caleb's arms though the pain rendered me useless. The need to be with him, to help him fight and protect him was unbearable. My vision was blurred with blood and black ink spots that clearly stated I was ready to faint from mental exhaustion. My body felt weak and ached painfully from the torture I had undergone in the last twenty-four hours. My strength was leaving my body in bursts, I had little left that I used to struggle. I needed to feed and regain my strength and then take on Damian and protect Zack.

Caleb's glare fixated on me, his hold tightening. "Stop struggling. You will only make it worse."

Knowing that he spoke of only the truth, I was forced to give in. I ceased all movements and allowed myself to simply exist in his arms. I felt useless, a creature of no importance for I was unable to do anything. I was not as strong as I had once believed I was and now it was costing me. I could lose the one person I love. That knowledge hit me like a ton of bricks and I inhaled sharply. In that one moment, I felt like I had been reborn. I could not understand where the sudden strength and adrenaline had come from, but I could feel the life coursing through me. It wasn't until I let my eyes wander that I realized what had been done. The metallic taste of blood lingered on my lips and I stared up at Caleb in disbelief.

He cradled his wrist near his chest as the flow of blood seeped over his arm and stained my clothing in droplets.

"Why did you do it?" I breathed in despair. Every vampire knew what it would cost them to allow another to feed from them. Sharing blood created a connection, a bond between the vampires that could pass as the connection between twins created in the womb. Even sitting in his arms I had become acutely aware of his emotions and caught glimpses of his thoughts. His scent had also changed unfortunately, and was certainly more desirable than I had thought.

His eyes had softened in response, acknowledging the bond and reacting upon it civilly. His freshly healed hand came to caress my cheek softly and my eyes closed against my will, my body fresh and alert.

"I have done this because there was no choice. I could sense the life slipping from you. When tortured mentally, it is possible for a vampire's brain to completely shut down. Possible, but rare. Almost unheard of." His voice was affectionate and wise, something I had not noticed about him before.

I could nothing more than nod in understanding and he set me upon my feet. The snarls and growls remained constant along with the sound of the house crumbling around them. I jumped onto the balcony and took in the scene before me carefully, analyzing the situation. Both men were bloody and held pure animalistic rare in their eyes as they tore at each other, flying around the room in a blur of colors. I watched carefully until I found the opportune moment and struck like a coiled snake. I reached out and grabbed Damian's neck with precision and held him still. All motion stopped and Zack straightened from his crouch and turned to spit blood onto the gaudy carpet.

Damian's eyes were wild as he struggled, but for all his brawling he had grown weak and tired. I squeezed tighter and waited for him to cease movement while giving Zack time to compose himself. As he straightened, our eyes connected and I felt warm and relieved. I felt safe and invincible from just being able to stand in the same room with him. We were finally together again and that was all that mattered to me in that moment.

He took the last few steps and reached a hand to take mine and I felt the reality settle in. I sighed with relief, feeling all the anxiety and stress roll off like a breeze until I felt calm and clear-headed. I smiled lovingly and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. His eyes were like liquid pools of ocean as they gazed back at me and I saw the love there, the undying love that would last an eternity. I had never realized how much he had cared for me until that moment when no one else existed.

Damian's hiss brought us both back to reality and I turned to him with a murderous glare. A growl slipped through Zack's clenched teeth, coming from deep within his chest and I watched his face as he turned away from me. Without a second thought, I released Damian and took a step back just as Zack struck, tearing his head clean off with a shrill wail of metal against metal. Damian's head rolled to the floor at my feet and I sneered at it in disgust and kicked it clear out the window into the distance.

I turned to Zack and reacted on impulse. I reached for him, held him close to my body as if afraid I could never get enough. Passion heated the air around us and I could feel the electricity spark in the atmosphere. I didn't care that the others were still below, watching and waiting with sheepish expressions. I clung to my love with all my strength and kissed him fervently until I felt I was going to burst. Arousal had heated my flesh and sent currents over my skin, through my body to my very core and I almost lost my mind.

Aroused and teetering on the edge, I managed to place my hands on his chest and push him away to breathe. His eyes questioned me, revealing his confusion and I shook my head only denying the wants of my body.

"We have to wait. We can't do this before the wedding," I said deliriously, still shaking my head that seemed to be filled with fog, clouding my judgment. I needed to step away and regain my composure or there would definitely be no waiting. I turned away and jumped down to the ground before he could capture me in his embrace. The others were trying hard not to look at me and hide their smiles. I ignored them but felt the odd sensation of jealousy tingle through my spine and couldn't help but steal a glance toward Caleb. His eyes were fixated on Zack's form as if trying to avoid my own and I instantly felt angry. Angry that I had been forcefully placed in the middle of a tangled web of emotions and desires. Zack was everything to me and yet a piece of that had been removed when Caleb had given me his blood. He now held that portion of me and I him.

As Zack appeared at my side with a slightly confused expression, I murmured my reassurance and deliberately strayed to my friends away from him. I knew it would only take moments before he realized my scent was different and I was too tired to take part in another fight.

I knew he would find out eventually, and I knew that it would ruin their relationship forever.