The Kiss of Death

Chapter 6

Will's POV:

    It's a common misconception that vampires don't sleep. I think it's been passed down through the ages by the vampires of old; the ones who lived in a world ruled by humans, forced to hide to survive and make up stories to keep the hunters off our trail. A genius idea if you think about it. How could they ever find us, let alone hunt us to extinction, if they're using loads of false information. 

    Some of those stories have since been disproved. Fact is, it's hard to keep some theories alive when you run the place and everything is pretty much out in the open. We can walk around in the sun without bursting into flames, holy water doesn't burn our skin, garlic is safe to eat, and we still have to sleep. Though not nearly as long as a human's usual eight hours. We tend to sleep for three or four depending on our diet. 

    Let me explain. Vampires can survive off of a combination of human food and blood. The more we rely on human food, the more our bodies function as a human's would, resulting in longer sleeping times and a weakening in our abilities. Very few vampires eat human food as sustenance and rely solely on blood, therefore those that eat more food require more sleep and those that drink more blood can survive on little to none. An hour or two tops. 

    I had known the instant El drifted to sleep and usually I wouldn't be far behind, especially considering the warmth radiating between us and the steady drum of her heart beat to lull me to sleep. However after practically draining her dry tonight, I'm wide awake and probably won't need to sleep at all. Usually, I'd have plenty to do to pass the time until sunrise but I don't want to leave her warmth. I'll have loads of time tomorrow to finish up the work I came with and I'd much prefer to stay like this, counting the soft, deep breaths that puff against my chest as she sleeps.

    So much has happened in the course of a few hours, it's hard to wrap my head around it all. Already, this one little human girl has come to mean so much to me. I love her. Absolutely. Irrevocably. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly, like literally stumbling over the edge with no warning. I knew the moment I saw her that something was different. 

    Love has been a foreign concept to me. Aside from a meaningless fling or two during my teenage years, no one ever really interested me in that way. I've been content to fill my life with other things like work, fine art, music, and perfecting several talents that a vampire of my status possesses. I've had family, friends, and pets to fill the void I didn't even know existed until Eleanor. 

    Now I realize I've just been waiting for something exceptional. I'd been wandering alone, never finding her because she wasn't alive yet. If only I had been born a human, or she a vampire. Our situation seems so impossible, the obstacles so unsurmountable, it's hard to see the way through without losing everything. 

    The possibility that I could lose her forever is one I can't accept but I see no clear way to avoid it. If I could just walk out on her to afford her a happy, normal, human life then I would do so gladly. But in a world full of vampires who wouldn't hesitate to make a meal of her, the only way I can protect her is to keep her with me.

    I stare down at her sleeping form and lift a hand to lightly brush the back of my fingers along her cheek. Her long lashes flutter over her cheeks in response to my touch and she murmurs something incoherent under her breath as she snuggles impossibly closer to my side. I lift my hand away from her and let it hover above her sleeping form until she stills, keeping absolutely still so as not to wake her*

    I can't lose focus for one second or I know I could risk crushing her skull when I meant only to caress her face, or snapping her bones instead of pulling her closer to my chest. Like I said before, more blood consumption equals increasing strength. Having overfed from her today has left me a few thousand times stronger than my little El so it takes all of my concentration to keep from hurting her.

    Anyone who says life is fair is either lying or stupid, my thoughts take a dark twist as I consider the position I'm in. To give a pureblood vampire prince a human mate is laughable. No matter which way you look at it, a vampire in love with a human is just a cruel twist of fate. The odds would be stacked against us even if I was a lower class citizen, but as luck would have it the stakes are even higher because of my high rank.

    The perks of being a pureblood are many but so are the hinderances. 

    We're an elite class among vampires because we possess gifts that most don't. For example, I'm telekinetic. I can shatter bones and stop hearts with only a thought. Only problem is that my emotions are tied to my gift and in the past I haven't always been able to control it if I get too upset or angry. It's taken me over a century to perfect it and even now if I were to lose focus for a second when I'm angry I could hurt someone without meaning to. It's unimaginable power but it's also a curse to have to avoid feeling too strongly about anything or anyone.

    Purebloods are also the only vampires that are able to turn humans but not without difficulty. It isn't ever for certain and it's a very long and grueling process so must of us don't bother with it. I've never successfully turned anyone but I did attempt it once when I was very young. The woman who practically raised me was a human. My biological mother never had time for me, the life of a pureblood is a busy and extremely demanding one, so I was left to be cared for by the help. Human slaves who took the time to feed me and teach me. They played with me and comforted me.

    I never meant to hurt her, but it was an accident that haunts me still to this day. I was not yet ten at the time and I remember my mother had requested my presence in her bedroom where she proceeded to ask about my studies as though she cared at all about the progress I'd been making. She only half listened to me as I replied to her inquiries until she finally came around to the subject that really interested her.

    'William, it's important to remember the family you were born into. As a pureblood, we have a responsibility to be held in the highest regard by those around us and must act accordingly. A pureblood vampire like you and I must marry into another pure bloodline to keep the power alive within our blood, which is why since before your birth you were destined to mate with another from the Darcy clan.' She paused and glanced up from her desk to look at me. 

    'I know mother, you've told me all of this before, why do you bring it up again?' I had asked, glancing down at the letter she had been replying to before she covered it with a stack of fresh parchment to keep it from prying eyes.

    'My point is that we have many responsibilities and you have not measured up to my standards as of yet. There is another thing I expect of you that you cannot seem to be bothered to comply with.' Her tone had turned dark and I could tell she was trying to hold her tongue and reign in her temper. At the time I couldn't imagine what she was referring to but I knew better than to speak. So I waited silently for her to fill me in, biting my tongue to keep from talking back.

    'I expect you to know the difference between a vampire and a human. I expect you, Will, to not introduce your nursemaid to other noble families as if she is of some higher importance to you. She is a human, a slave, a pet. She is food. She is not a friend or a loved one and I will not tolerate you damning us in the eyes of other noble families and slandering our name.' She was all but screaming at me then and it was hard but I managed to hold back the tears.

    To me, she was much more than a pet. She was the women I had called mommy until I was old enough to know better. She was my caretaker. The woman who sang me nursery rhymes when I went to sleep and played hide and seek with me on rainy days so I wouldn't get bored. She taught me all I know and my world would be much darker and lonelier without her in it. How could I not think of her fondly or sing of her praise? I loved her.

    'I'm sorry mother, I didn't know.'

    'You didn't know because that animal didn't teach you any manners! Humans are not people Will, we do not consort with animals and we most certainly do not speak of them so fondly to other nobles! She cares for you because if she didn't she'd be dead. You've brought shame to this family. See to it that you don't let it happen again and get out of my sight.' She waved her hands at me angrily and nodded to the door. 

    I remember running as fast as I could, away from that room and away from that woman. To be scolded for simply mentioning a human to another noble child didn't make sense to me at the time but I knew mother's threat was not to be taken lightly and I feared what could happen if I ever slipped up again.

    Tears burned my eyes and stained my face as I finally reached my own bedroom and I had flopped down onto my bed, feeling sorry for myself and hating my mother. I can still remember the power flowing through me that day, can still remember the feeling of it coursing through my veins and growing exponentially harder to control or resist. 

   'Leave me alone!' The knock on my door was nothing but an annoyance and in my distraught state, I had flung my hand out behind my back to ward off any potential victim without even a glance in their direction. I realized too late what a mistake that had been when I heard the glass shatter from my window. I looked up just in time to watch as the heavy shards were thrust through the air and into my beloved mommy's body.

    I'll never forget the look on her face, the blood flooding out of her small frame, too quickly. I'd jumped up and offered her my blood immediately, hoping that if she drank enough that it would heal even the largest gaping wound but it was no use. I convinced myself that maybe she would heal or that one transfusion would be enough to turn her but I didn't know enough and it was too late. The shards had pierced too many vital organs, and she bled out in my arms as I watched. 

    I'd cried for hours as I held her; rocked her cold, lifeless body as I shook with the sobs that wracked through me. 

    In hindsight, giving her my blood had been a mistake. One I wish I could take back. 

    I'd thought that it worked, that I'd changed her into one of us, when she lifted a blood soaked hand to cup my cheek hours after she had bled to death. Only the hand that had once been so gentle did not glance over my cheek as it had before, but clawed at my face in a desperate effort to pull me down to her mouth and feast on my flesh. I had changed her not into a vampire, but into the walking dead. A mindless creature with unfathomable hunger for the meat on my bones.

    She was no longer my mommy. She was a monster. She would never again sing me nursery rhymes or play hide and seek. I'd never feel her arms wrapped around me or receive her kiss atop my head. 

    It was many years ago, but still it was a memory that I will carry with me as long as I live. A mistake that I will regret until my last breath.

   A quick jerk from El startles me back to the present and my eyes fall to her face as a noise escapes her lips, a pain filled whimper to accompany the sudden movement. She must be having a nightmare, I notice, as her heart sputters in a slightly panicked rhythm and her eyelids flutter upon her cheeks. I watch her for long minutes to see if she'll still and ponder whether I should wake her. 

    A glance out the window tells me that daylight is nearly upon us as the dark sky has slowly begun to lighten. The sun should be up within the hour, but I can't let her continue to sleep if her dreams are haunting her. 

    I look back down at Eleanor, my brow furrowed with concern, as I watch her toss her head, waiting to see if she'll wake up on her own. I lift my arms up to allow her room to move and continue to watch, unsure what to do next. It seems I don't have to wait for long because only seconds later she sits up and gasps herself awake, looking around the room wide-eyed and afraid.

    "Shh El, Eleanor, I'm right here. You're alright babe." I try to keep my voice warm and soothing but its hard when I'm so desperate to calm her. "It's just a bad dream." I tell her, trying to reassure her and myself at the same time. I can't protect her from every bad dream, but god do I want to. I shouldn't be so alarmed at her having a nightmare. Does she sense my unease? 

    She turns to look at me, jerking away from my arms just as quickly as she had bolted upright from her sleep. Her eyes are full of sleep and lingering fear but I can tell the moment it dawns on her that she's awake and safe again because her hand flies to her chest and she takes a deep calming breath. 

    "I'm sorry.." She gasps, trying to catch her breath and calm her nerves. I can hear her heart beginning to slow back down to its usual rhythm with each passing breath. "I'm embarrassed. I don't usually wake up like that. I promise." She stutters through an apology as if she felt she owed one and shakes her head just a little, probably to clear the dream from her mind.

    "Everybody has nightmares. You don't need to apologize, El. Come here." I wave my hand in a come hither motion and sit up straight, backing up against the head board and making room for her to sit between my legs.

    She hesitates for a moment, nibbling on her lip nervously before crawling over to me and turning around, settling her back against my chest and leaning her head back to rest on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her and pull her snug against me, then sigh. I wish we didn't have to leave this room. I can't hold her like this out there. I can't kiss her if I want, or touch her like I want. I can't treat her like I love her without the entire world having a problem with it. With us.

    She sighs as well and drags her fingers lazily along my arm, up and back down, staying quietly pensive. I wonder what she's thinking about, if the same thoughts have crossed her mind or if she wishes things were different. I know I do. 

    But this is the hand we've been dealt, there's no use crying about it. I could wish and sigh all I want but nothings going to change unless I change it. I refuse to lose her, to lose this shot at happiness. I need a shot, just one chance to keep us both alive and together and happy.

    "Don't worry so much about today." She interrupts my train of thought, turning her head towards the window and watching the sun peek up over the horizon. "I know everything you say or do out there is a show. I won't take it to heart, I swear. Just tell me how to act, what to say or do and I'll do my best to play my part too."

    I turn my face to the window and watch the sunrise with her, frowning deeply as I process what she's said silently. What do I say to that? This isn't how this is supposed to be. We should get to be together all the time. I should get to show her off to the world and tell her how much I love her out in the open. We should get to be happy now that we're together but all I can feel right now is sad. 

    "One day at a time, El." I murmur, resting my head atop hers. "Promise me, we can take this one day at a time until we find a way to make it right. I don't want to lose you. I can't change who I am, or what I am. I can't change the world we live in, but maybe I can find something that will save us both." 

    She nods and lifts my hand to her mouth to kiss my palm. "Okay." She whispers softly, turning in my arms so she can wrap her arms around my neck. "Just stop that. You sound so sad." She presses her lips to my throat then up my neck and across my jaw. 

    I tilt my head a smidge, smiling softly down at her before closing my eyes to enjoy the moment. "Are you trying to distract me?" I run my hands down her sides to grip her hips as she straddles my lap and continues to kiss her way up to my lips, stopping just at the corner of my mouth. I can feel her grin against my cheek.

    "Maybe. Is it working?" She teases before dipping her tongue out to lick at the corner of my lips and into my mouth. 

    "Too well." I groan. I open my eyes to stare into her face warningly. "You don't know what you're asking for love, I suggest you reel it in a bit." I mumble against her mouth as she nips at my lip, gently tugging as her hands fist into my hair and pull hard. 

    "I don't know, I kind of like where this is going don't you?" She whispers huskily against my lips, continuing her teasing assault on my mouth with her tongue and lips. 

    "I wish I had your self control. I'm warning you El, stop. I'm too rattled right now, I don't want our first time to be something we both regret because we got swept up in the moment." 

    She stops and pulls back just enough to look me in the eyes. "So then we'll wait, but it doesn't mean we can't have a little fun. Sounds like we could both use a little, stress reliever. I'm a big girl Will, I promise I know what I'm doing. It's you and me from now on right?" 

    Shock doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now. I never expected my El to be so blunt. "So what, you want to fool around? Play a little?" I run one hand up her back and move to tangle it in her hair, tugging lightly so that her head is tilted back and she moans softly in surprise. 

    "Yes." She closes her eyes.

    "Oh baby," I pause, gripping her hip hard and throwing her gently back onto the bed as I climb on top of her and settle my hips between hers, grinding against her roughly. "Let's play."