Bliss and Bloodlust

I woke up to the brightness of an unfamiliar room. The colours of the light above me swirled and danced around my eyes, making patterns on the ceiling that distracted me for a moment from the present. And after a few minutes I began to feel my minor aches. Both of my shoulder and my left arm gave a dull throbs, my arm felt tingly like pinpricks, I didn't feel as bad as I thought I should have. And I felt very clean and the room smelled like lavender.

I tried to sit up in bed. “Take it easy, darling.” I heard Daniel's voice to my left, I turned my sore head to him.

He was seated in a chair, his hands resting on his lap, his red blonde hair disheveled, his face grim, dark circles under his eyes. But his clothes were clean and he managed a smile a few seconds later. He got up and came to sit on my bedside and helped me sit up. I winced as I moved my left arm. There was an IV in my right hand.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“So-so.”

He placed a gentle hand on my cheek. “You were so brave, darling. I'm proud of you.” I gave a small smile to the man who had saved my life more than once.

“I don't feel brave.”

“Well, you were.”

I told him to get in bed next to me. He threw the covers back and climbed in, wrapping his arms gently around my body. Someone had bathed and redressed me, I had on satin pajamas and my hair was clean. “How did you find me?” .

“My instincts... and Aaron.” He simply said.

“Aaron?” I asked quizzically.

“Yes. Your friend called me and asked if you were with me. I was just leaving the bar, and he told me she,” he spat out in disgust. I knew who 'she' was. “had sent him some kind of cryptic message. He feared for your safety, and rightfully so. When you didn't answer for any of us and your aunt said you weren't home I got worried.” He stroked my mussed hair. “Aaron asked Cassie where I lived and he came over. You can imagine my surprise at finding him there. Anyway, your truck was present but not you. One of them had picked the lock and the bedroom was a mess.” His voice was dripping with rage. “I recognized their scents, and told Aaron to go home, that I would handle it.”

“I bet he didn't take that too well.” I rasped out as I burrowed my head comfortably into Dan's chest.

“No, but I gave him no choice. There would be too many things to explain if he had tagged along. Aaron showed me the text and it was as if she wanted to get caught, I think a part of her did. She also left a message on your phone. I'm glad I looked at it, it gave me her location. I found the car.”

“Jayson was speeding.” I whispered. “She told you where we were?”

“A general location within a five mile radius.” He wanted to know what had happened to me but I told him to finish telling me his tale.“I followed your scent and in the nick of time too.” He sighed. “You were all dirty and bloody. I was a rather turned on.” That made me laugh. Daniel smiled down at me.

“Thank you.”

“There's no need to thank me. You seemed to be handling yourself rather well, love.”

“A girls gotta do, what a girls gotta do, blah, blah, blah.” I said with a tired wave of my hand. “Wait. Aaron... Aaron was there, wasn't he?”

“How did you know that?”

“A dream.” I whispered, confused. “... or something.”

“He stubbornly followed.” Dan said through his teeth. He was not happy.

“And you let him?”

“By the time I realized it, he was already out there. So I told him to keep his distance. And not to interfere.”

“Did you compel him?”

“No, but I should have. He almost got himself shot.” Daniel's eyes blazed with anger. I put my fingertips to his lips. He kissed them softly, his eyes coming back to me.

“So Aaron followed. Was that who Stephanie shot at?” he nodded. That explained a lot, she knew Aaron had been there all along. “So where was he when I shot...” I let the sentence trail as I remembered what I had done.

I had killed Jayson. I had actually killed someone. I suddenly felt sick. I pushed Dan away as I felt the bile rising in my throat. He grabbed the basin just in time. I mostly just dry heaved since there was little left in my stomach. Daniel stroked my back soothingly, trying to relax me.

“Is he really... gone?” I asked.

“Yes.” I winced as I laid back down. “Are you in pain?”

“A little. But it's okay.”

“Try and relax. The blood should be working it's way through your system.” That's right, his blood was in me, no wonder I wasn't in as much pain. I felt better than I had minutes ago. “Do you need me to get the doctor?”

“No, no just don't leave me.” I grabbed his hand as he was about to move out of bed. “Please.”

“Alright darling.” He gave it a reassuring squeeze and settled back in.

“What time is it?” The binds were closed but things seemed much brighter than they should. Vampire blood.

“Two.”

“In the afternoon?” I frowned. He nodded. “I've been sleep that long?” Another nod. “Where's aunt Bren, Cass, Aaron? The police...” I almost panicked.

“Stay calm babe.” He kissed my forehead. “No police.”

“But aren't we at the hospital?”

He chuckled, “No.”

“But you just said 'doctor'.”

“We're at a safe place. One I trust.”

I looked around. I was hooked up to an IV and the room looked as sterile and white as a hospitals. But with subtle more homey differences.

“The doc is a vamp. This is his place, it's kind of like a clinic. He helps out my kind and some humans when needed. He's fixed you up real good. Stitches and all, but by tomorrow you should be all healed up.”

“We're not at the hospital?”

“No, baby. So no cops or nosy people. Tell me what happened.”

“Is Steph alive?”

“Yes.” He curled his lips up. “Very much.”

“Where is she?”

“Don't worry about that. Tell me how things played out last night.”

I took a deep breath and told him everything. The phone call from Stephanie, how they must have followed me to his place, the break in, the kidnapping, trying to escape from the trunk, the car crash, the chase through the woods, the confrontation, the shooting, and he knew the rest.

“You're safe now. They'll never burden you again.”

“But Steph-”

“Isn't a problem anymore.” I didn't like the murderous look in his eyes.

“And Jayson?”

“He's been disposed of.” he stated emotionless. There was a soft rap on the door. “Come in.”

In walked Aaron. He looked like he had seen better days. I suppose we all had. “Hey, T.”

“Hey.”

“How ya feeling?”

I smiled. “Good. Better.” What was he doing here? Dan had said this was a place for vampires.

“I'll leave you two alone.” Dan said, kissing my bruised cheek and climbing out of the bed. He gave Aaron a look I couldn't read and then left the room.

“Thank you.” I told him as he sat down at the chair near my bed.

He looked down, a bit uncomfortably, but smiled. “You're my friend, T. I'd do it all over again if I had to.”
“But you could have gotten yourself killed.”

“So could you.” We said nothing for a minute. “This is all so... unbelievable.”

I grinned. “You're telling me.”

“I never would have thought in a million years that they would do something like this.”

“It doesn't surprise me.” I said then burst into tears.

“T. It's okay.” Aaron said as he came over and cautiously held me. “It's over.” he said but didn't sound too sure.

“Where is Steph?”

He shrugged. “Hospital.” he released me. “Don't worry about it now. There will be plenty of time to think things over later. You should rest.” he stood up as if to go.

“Are you leaving?”

“Just going out for some air. I'll be close by.” He was lying.

“Did you talk to her?”

He shook his head. “She was out cold.”

“Tell exactly what happened.” Even though I had already heard it from Dan I needed to see if their stories matched. When he was done and indeed it was nearly the same story, but of course from his perspective, I asked, “Why did she sent you that message?” I couldn't wrap my head around it.

He shrugged again. “Dunno. I suppose she really didn't want to do it, to hurt you, that is. Maybe she just hoped someone would save you and her in time.” After that he left and didn't return.

Dan returned with a big bowl of soup with cracker, I ate it quickly, my stomach rumbling and he got me some more. The vampire doctor, Norris was his name, checked on my gunshot wound and it looked significantly better than hours ago and was nearly healed. It had been slightly worse than my first one, but in a safer area of the body. If I never get shot again it'll be too soon.

By that night, I suppose it was night, I couldn't tell 'cause the blind were still closed, I felt ten times better. Nearly all of my cuts had healed and my shoulders were better. I sat up in bed texting Cassie, telling her I was staying over at Dan's tonight, the same thing I had told Bren. Hopefully no one would come and check since I was actually staying here at the vampire clinic halfway across town.

“It'll all be okay.” Dan said, reading the worry on my face.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Faith.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow at him, he laughed.

“Believe me, it works.”

“I'm never gonna stop owing you, you're always saving me. I'm going to have to return the favour one day.” I smiled up at him.

“Yes, I believe you will.” He said seriously, then, “Time for bed.”

“What am I ten?”

“Shh. Sleeping is good. You've had a long day.”

“What if I dream?” I said as I thought about Jayson's dead body lying on the cold ground.

A lump formed in my throat. As much as I grown to resent him, I hadn't wanted Jayson dead, but no matter how I played things differently out in my head, it would have been him or me. And I was glad it wasn't me whose life ended in those woods. But I knew it would stick with me for as long as I lived.

Daniel shook me out of that thought. “Then I'll be here.”

“You promise.”

“Scouts honour.”

“You're not a scout.”

He chuckled. “Well in that case, I just promise.”



By Monday morning I was as good as new. Doctor Norris even removed my stitches and there were barely any visible scars. We drove home in Dan's blue car around seven. I had had a nightmare but as promised Dan was there to ward it off. I knew this was what was going to be in store for me for a long while. A consequence of killing.

I rested my head on his shoulder as he drove. “Is this all real?” I asked.

He pinched me. “You feel real.”

I giggled. “Seriously. Thing will never be the same again.”

“They never are. Life happens. Even the smallest events change us forever. All we can do is adapt.”

“You'd know better than me about that, wouldn't you.”

“Yeah.” he said soberly.

After a while I asked something that I just had to ask. “Dan, why do you have a picture of me that I don't remember taking?”

He froze for a second, before he pulled himself together. “Would you take it the wrong way if I told you I was a little fixated with you before I ever met you?”

I moved to see him better. “By fixated you mean?”

“I'm not a stalker. Just an admirer of beauty.”

“In other words a stalker.” I furrowed my brow at him. “Dan, you watched me. Is that why you were in the woods that night?”

“No. I really was taking a walking. That's the truth. If I had saw what was happening to you, I would have killed that bastard on the spot.” His voice was hard. “I wasn't stalking you, really. I saw you once near that willow tree. You were just sitting there, quietly, thoughtfully and I thought you were beautiful. I never thought I'd met you. I wasn't sure how I felt about you yet. Our meeting was by chance, my being in those woods, you being shot. Fate, destiny, whatever you want to call it.”

I thought about what he said then asked, “Why the pictures?”

“Like I said you were so beautiful. I was admiring from afar. There was something about you that seemed familiar.”

“Like you already knew me?”

“No. More like maybe I would know you. A connection. I'm still working it out. I knew nothing about you Tourie, not until that fateful night. I just took a few photos, souvenirs... Oh, that sounds wrong.” He chuckled.

“Yeah, it did.” I teased.

“There really is no excuse. I liked you. It's sometimes hard for us vamps to admit such things. Especially about humans.” He smiled. “You find anything else in my underwear drawer?”

“Should I have?” We both smiled. I noticed he still had dark circles under his eyes. “Have you feed?”

“Yes.”

“Not the little bit you licked off of me. I mean seriously.”

“Yes, I have. I'll be fine.”

“Daniel.” I huffed out.

“Darling, you needn't worry about me. This is more from stress than anything else.”

“What happened at the bar last night? I mean the other night.” Geez, I was losing track of time. Had that really only been two nights ago?

“I'll tell you tomorrow.”

“Did you get hurt?”

“I'm strong.”

“Not what I asked.”

He smile a crooked smile, brushing his hair back. “Do you remember when I said that if you aren't careful, vampire blood could be dangerous?” I nodded. “Well there was a man and woman who had become addicted to it, took too much, staked a vampire and all hell broke loose.”

I raised my eyebrows. “They staked a vampire?” I asked in disbelief.

“Yes. Hard to believe but you know it makes you very strong if you drink enough of it, but luckily for you it doesn't make you stupid.” he grinned down at me, “They took the vampire down and drank from his corpse.” I shuttered. “No more.”

“What happened to them?” He didn't speak for a long while but it clicked. “Oh.” was all I said. “So they went crazy and you...” I let the sentence hang in the air.

“It had to be done.”

I don't know why that made me sad. Well I guess those people got desperate and in the end what had I expected to happen? “I feel sorry for them.” I muttered.

“They were too far gone and the vampire who allowed them to continually feed from him was a fool and knew they were out of control. He had it coming.” He said it all very coldly.

“I saw them at the bar, they were like junkies.”

“It's what can happen if you aren't careful.”

“Did you get hurt?” I repeated my question from earlier. “Tell me.”

“Only a few scratched, nothing more.”

“Have you slept?” He hesitated then shook his head. “You look tired.”

“I'm strong.”

“But even the strongest need rest.”

“Well then, when we get home, we'll rest.”

“That sounds nice.” I said, snuggling up against him once more. He threw an arm around my shoulder. We were near home. Home.

“It is.” he purred in my ear. “You know I'll be here for you, forever and always.”

“Always.” I said, trying the words out on my tongue. “Forever.” I giggled, then yawned. How could I still be so damn tired? “That's easy for you to say. You have forever.”

I could feel him smiling. “You know what?”

“What?”

He turned and planted a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Forever's overrated.”