Vincent stalked through the darkening night with no particular direction in sight. The branches of low hanging trees swatted his face as he brushed through them at his inhuman speed. The brisk night air didn’t bother him, nor the icy rain drops that fell from the sky like icicles.
His only need was to get far, far away from Ally and the feelings that she had inadvertently caused to surge within him. Regret. Loss. Love.
Eventually, he stopped by a small brook of water and lowered himself down onto to large boulder near the edge of the surface. An almost inaudible huff escaped his throat and a single tear rolled down his cheek.
“This was not how it was supposed to go,” he muttered to himself. “How the hell did she even know about Olivia? Let alone remember anything that she knew about her. Bloody enchantress…”
A shudder ran through his body as he stared blankly at the water before him. His thoughts swirled and he couldn’t fight the direction they had taken. The force of it was too strong. The feelings too deeply rooted in whatever was left of his black heart to ignore. The nights he had shared with Olivia all those centuries ago rushed to the surface and left him gasping for air that he no longer needed…
He stood immobilised in the shadows as the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen walked along the bank of the river. Never had he seen a woman that made his blood boil with lust and a tenderness that he hadn’t even known existed, even in his human life, made itself known like a blow to the head.
Something about her drew him in. He wanted to bite her, that was a given, but there was more to it than that. He wanted to possess her, devour her and make her his own. But kill her to feed his appetite…never!
He shook his head slowly in amazement.
She drew closer and closer… as he debated internally: ‘Should I stay hidden or make my presence known? What if I stay in the shadows and never see her again?’ That he couldn’t live with. His decision made, he stepped out of the shadows.
The woman stopped dead in her tracks and looked at him with a curious quirk in her brow. ‘Why isn’t she scared?’ Then he caught her scent and realised in a flash why a young man in the darkness wouldn’t scare her…She was an immortal.
He cursed silently and contemplated running away, trying to forget this moment of insanity. ‘An immortal for God sakes!’ He screamed in his mind. But again, he couldn’t do it now…he’d seen her. He’d felt emotions that he’d never felt before and it was intoxicating…heady. He had to know her.
She watched him silently and tilted her head to one side, waiting to see what he would do. What he wanted. Who he was.
Vincent slowly walked towards her, as she took a few hesitant steps towards him. The pair met in the middle. Neither spoke at first, content to simply look at the other in curious wonder.
Vincent was the first to break the silent tension with a devastating smile and a small laugh. “Hello.” He groaned internally. He’d said the most inane thing possible.
She smiled shyly in return and held out her hand. “Hello, I’m Olivia.”
He grasped it gently, leaned down and kissed her hand. “I’m Vincent.”
She drew in a ragged breath as his lips touched her skin. It was a moment full of innocence, but to her it felt so much more than that. She gathered herself and tried to remember that this man was not innocent. Yes, she knew nothing about him personally, but there was one thing she knew for certain… “I know what you are.”
His eyes narrowed briefly. “And what would that be?”
She steeled herself ready to flee if she had to. “A vampire.”
He gave her an assessing look. “But you aren’t running. Why is that?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I should have run as soon as I caught your scent, but something about you…I couldn’t have left in that moment if my life had depended on it.”
He took her hand in his and looked deeply into her eyes. “I felt the same way too.”
“What is this?” she said, gesturing with her hand to the space between them.
“I don’t know,” was the most truthful answer he could give. “Walk with me.”
She narrowed her eyes for a second. The sudden wariness radiating off her in waves. “You’re not going to bite me, are you?”
He laughed. He couldn’t help it. There was something in the way she’d asked the question that had taken him by surprise. “No, I’m not going to bite you...tonight.”
“Tonight?” she questioned. “But perhaps another time?”
He smiled secretly and ignored her question. “Come. Walk with me.”
She followed him through the dark forest until they found two large boulders they could rest on comfortably. He grabbed her waist and lifted her onto the first one. He felt the shudder run through her body at the contact. They stared at each other intently before she broke eye contact and fluffed her skirt. He sighed inwardly and sat down on the boulder next to hers.
They spent hours talking about everything and nothing. Neither of them noticed the sun rising until Vincent let out a hiss.
“The sun is rising,” he said glumly. “I have to go.”
Olivia jumped out of her skin. “Oh my god, so do I! My parents will be frantic if they realise I’m not home.”
She jumped up and started to run for home, but he stopped her. His powerful hands grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. Their eyes locked and slowly he moved down to hers. His blood roared to life at the contact and a soft moan escaped her lips. His mouth devoured hers. She left him breathless and needy. He didn’t even care that the sun was rising in that moment. All he wanted was her!
Olivia was on fire and she couldn’t care less. Every place his hands touched burned her skin and those sinful lips upon hers made her heart beat wildly in her chest. All too soon, he broke the kiss. She felt cold and bereft at the loss of contact.
“I want to see you again,” he rasped.
She nodded. “Tomorrow night?”
“Yes. Here?”
She nodded and whispered. “I have to go.”
He stepped back and watched her leave, with a sigh he turned to run back to his house before the sun rose and turned him to a pile of ash. But there was something he’d realised on the way back and if the sun hadn’t been threatening his existence, he would’ve stopped dead in his tracks.
His heart had begun to beat once more…