Love Bites

Chapter 8

Alex had just finished sucking dry the body of a homeless man he had found asleep on the outskirts of town when he decided he’d had enough and missed Jack too much to stay out any longer. He dropped the corpse, shoving it out of sight carelessly and wiping at his blood-stained chin with the back of his hand. He’d clean up later – he needed to get back to Jack. Alex began to pick up his pace, gliding swiftly through the streets on the other side of town where he had left Jack home. Knowing his fiancé, Jack would probably be asleep with a half-eaten hot pocket laying on his chest back at home. Alex chuckled at the thought, dodging street signs and moving so quickly it was difficult to spot him with a human eye. Something, however, had him stopped dead in his tracks.
“Alex!”
He had only faintly heard the shriek, but he knew that voice by heart. The voice that belonged to Jack Barakat. Immediately, he caught a small whiff of his scent in the air. He was about two miles away. Before Alex could even register what he was doing, he was flying in the direction of Jack, following his scent. This was a rare moment when Alex was fervently grateful that he was a vampire. The street lights flew by in a blur, Alex practically tripping over people to get to his lover in distress. If his heart could pound, it would be going at a mile a minute. He could practically taste the danger that Jack was in.
Upon arriving at the scene, he skidded to a stop, only to see what was really happening. Blood, everywhere. Jack’s wrists were being held down by a man who had messy black hair similar to Jack’s. There was a small knife on the ground that had bits of Jack’s blood resting on the edge of the blade. But what truly made Alex’s instincts go frantic and his insides burn with fury was the taller man on top of Jack, fumbling with his pants and holding Jack’s throat like he was some kind of animal. Jack’s cries with every slight motion the man made were loud, reverberating in Alex’s ears as his self-control disintegrated and in a flash, he was ripping the tall man off of Jack and pushing him against a wall, the bricks crumbling slightly underneath him. He could hear Jack’s heart pounding, he could hear the blood dripping from the wounds on his body. Alex lifted his eyes to meet the man’s that he held in his fists that were fearful and confused as to what was happening to Alex’s distorted face. He could feel the familiar darkening of his irises and the veins that grew prominent with blistering ferocity, and his lips had curled back into a growl that revealed his unusually serrated teeth. His mind reeled, processing everything that he had just seen. Jack’s whimpers of pain and fear echoed through his thoughts and the vivid images of this dirty man forcing himself onto him plastered themselves into his brain. A snarl ripped up Alex’s throat as the white-hot fury washed over his body, his ears ringing with the pounding hearts in the small alley around him. His vision shook, his limbs twitching for some kind of relief to this irrepressible rage, while the vampire side of him took complete control. Black spots clouded his vision as the beating hearts grew louder and louder, almost to a point where Alex could no longer endure it. And then, suddenly, utter silence. Alex began to come to his senses, his eyes travelling down to his shaking hands, one of which that held a freshly removed human heart. His gaze snapped back up to the man he held, his body now slumped against the ruined brick wall, blood running down the sides and down Alex’s wrist.
Along with this new discovery came the burning in his throat, the scent of the blood now his main focus. Slowly he lifted his wrist and ran over the trails of blood with his tongue, attention shifting to the body in front of him. He despised doing this in front of Jack, but his self-restraint was severely impaired by his heightened senses and he was having a difficult time stopping himself. He sank his teeth into the body’s neck, snapping it and drinking as much as he could before he heard scrambling feet behind him. He whipped around to see the shorter man he must have thrown aside, pulling himself off the ground and watching in horror as even more red liquid ran from the corners of Alex’s mouth. He knew his face was still contorted, and that made the man even more frightened. He tripped over his feet, breaking out into a sprint down the alley and around the corner, crying for help. Alex knew he had to act fast – this wouldn’t end well if he stuck around much longer. He hoisted the body of the man into a nearby dumpster before turning his complete attention to Jack, who had managed to sit himself up now and was trembling with fear.
“Jack, baby,” Alex whispered quickly, appearing at his side. “I know you’re scared, but I’m here now. We have to leave. Come on, baby, let me carry you home.”
Jack didn’t protest as Alex took him into his arms, cradling him to his chest and turning to dart the opposite way down the alley and hauling them over a few walls with a powerful jump. He managed to land lightly on his feet before tearing out of the area, holding a silent Jack to him the entire way home.

Later on, at about two in the morning, Alex finally was able to coax Jack into the shower to rinse off the blood and grime. He carefully undressed him, seeing as Jack was still frozen in fear and shock, and helped him stand and step into the hot water of Alex’s shower. Alex removed his own clothes before stepping in behind him, sliding the curtain closed. Jack stood straight, staring blankly at the tiles that lay in front of him. Alex cautiously slid his arms around his bruised torso, receiving a slight wince but acceptance from Jack.
“Baby, I know you probably don’t want to even think about everything that happened tonight, but I can promise you I never meant-”
“You saved me,” he heard Jack say in a small voice.
He slowly turned around to face Alex, who was extraordinarily confused at this point.
“Jack, I’m a monster. I…I don’t even know what to say for myself. I shouldn’t have let my anger control me, but he was so fucking dirty, Jack, the way he had you pinned down helplessly, I couldn’t stop myself, I had to tear that sick bastard apart. But I shouldn’t have. I should have done what a human would do and just had him arrested. I’m disgusted with myself – and especially since I did it in front of you. I’m so fucking sorry, I promised myself you’d never have to see me like that again and I wrecked it all and I just-”
“Alex,” Jack cut him off again. “I don’t care about that. All that matters is that you came and stopped him before he was able to actually do harm to me, and you were there like you said you would be forever. That is the promise that matters.”
His voice shook slightly and Alex wondered where this sudden sureness came from.
“But he did harm you."
"Only a little," Jack interjected, subconsciously rubbing at his cuts and bruises.
"Do you see now why I don’t want you to become like me?” Alex whispered, resting his fists on the wall of the shower. “I don’t want you to be a monster, too. I want a full life for you, not an existence as some soulless demon. You are so much better than that.”
Jack was still, and for a slight moment the older man thought he was going to agree. Instead, Jack began to lightly trace the smooth, flawless contours of Alex’s back.
“Alex…I know what you think of yourself. And, I know you didn’t have a choice. But this can’t happen again. I’m tired of being so afraid all the time. I’m tired of being weak, and I’m tired of feeling like you have to hold yourself back around me because I’m so fragile. I want this, I want you, forever, and I want to be able to walk the streets and not be afraid, whether I’m on my own or by your side. I- I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get over this night. This has changed something inside of me. And suddenly, I need you now more than ever. And I can’t just be average anymore, Alex. I want us to be equal, I want us to be the same so that you can be completely yourself around me. I don’t want you to have to hold back the other side of your nature. I want to be a part of it. I want you.”
Without realizing it, Jack had begun to touch his lips to Alex’s shoulder, kissing slowly and thoughtfully while the older man flexed his muscles in frustration and need. He whipped around, grabbing Jack’s hips and bringing them forward to grind against his own. Jack let out a soft moan, kissing Alex’s jaw hungrily and reaching down with one hand to stroke his length, rubbing it against his own. Alex growled and grasped a fistful of Jack’s hair, pushing him back against another wall of the shower and turning him around so that he was standing behind him.
“You want me, eh?” he murmured, hissing as Jack thrust his hips backward against him again.
“Y-Yes, Alex, please,” Jack choked.
His fingers trailed down Jack’s bare back, moving to grip his waist before taking his own length and pushing into the younger man, receiving a cry of pleasure.
Alex leaned forward before moving closer to whisper in Jack’s ear. “You want to see my true nature, and not just the sweet, gentle side you’re used to, huh? You want to see the real Alex?”
Jack could only nod his head jerkily before Alex growled again and began to thrust forward.

Jack finally was asleep, Alex stroking his hair thoughtfully and holding him in his arms as he watched the pale moonlight pour in from the windowsill. That was surely…different. Jack had seemed to enjoy the harsher side of Alex almost as much as he enjoyed the usual Alex, the more human side.
He sighed and turned over in his sleep, snuggling into Alex’s lap and mouth falling slightly ajar. The vampire chuckled and resumed twirling his hair softly in his fingers. His gaze returned to the window, just as his mind returned to his thoughts of Jack as an immortal. Would it really be for the best? Alex had definitely played with the thought before, but he always knew he would try damn hard to keep Jack human. He craved to be as innocent as Jack, why couldn’t Jack see that being a monster like Alex was absolutely disgusting and vile? Alex honestly couldn’t believe that Jack was even still here. Had Alex been human and in the same situation, he would’ve ran and never turned back. But some kind of unforeseen courage held the younger man to him, and for that, Alex was forever grateful.
But why couldn’t Jack see that being mortal was so much better and healthier than being a bloodsucking creature of the night? Maybe, just maybe, he actually was sick of being vulnerable. Maybe this experience really did change him. To tell the truth, it changed Alex, too. Usually, the thought of Jack becoming a vampire would never have even crossed his mind, but suddenly he was turning the idea over and over in his head. Would it really be so wrong? Would Jack being strong and immortal really be a disadvantage to him? He was so frail and weak to Alex, sometimes he worried that even a hug could crush him. Tonight was easier for Alex, also, because Jack had asked to see his true nature, and for once the older man didn’t have to hold back as much as he usually did. He saw that Jack was honestly comfortable with him. He was okay with everything, and he wanted to be a part of the circle of immortality. Alex bit his lip, pausing to glance down at the sleeping boy in his lap. Jack looked so innocent, he wondered if he had the guts or will to take it away forever and allow him to become like himself. He considered the idea until his head almost hurt, and laid back on his own pillow, eyes trailing up and observing the details of the ceiling.
Another thought had occurred to him tonight that he didn’t want to even consider, but he knew he had to. The second man had seen everything. And the second man had escaped. He also knew that some people had witnessed him leaping over the walls, all bloodied and frenzied with Jack lying limp in his arms. He shuddered as it became clear that he should be expecting a conflict sometime in the near future, and that this would not be an easy thing to deal with. Trouble was coming, and Alex could only prepare himself for what was about to occur.