Bloodseeker - Colin's Conquest Part 12

Colin drove without saying a word, looking straight ahead, his nostrils flaring and his lips taut. His chin moved back and forth as he gritted his teeth. Ben knew better than to mention Colin's speeding ... enough to attract human police. Lucky none pulled him over or he would've killed them.

When they arrived at their hiding place for the car Colin revved it through the brush then slammed it into park. He took a deep breath before getting out and opening the back door. Ben watched his hands tremble as he stared at Joanna's still form. Colin bent to drag her out of the car then an odd thing happened. As soon as his hand touched her arm his expression softened, and when he lifted her he wasn't rough ... didn't toss her over his shoulder as Ben had expected. Without uttering a word he turned and started carrying her through the woods toward the cabin.

Ben still sat there in the pa.s.senger seat of the car, stunned. Colin never ceased to amaze him! He'd expected him to kill Joanna as soon as they left the city behind. Snapping out of his revere he got out of the car, locked the doors and camouflaged it in the thicket. He didn't want to go home just yet so he decided to return to town and check his post office box again. By now something should have arrived for him. He found the box empty time and time again and he grew weary of it. But even if it was empty tonight it beat the h.e.l.l out of going home.

Joanna's body burned Colin's skin everywhere that they made contact. s.h.i.+fting her weight to the other shoulder, he noticed the silky softness of the exposed skin on her back. His hand slid across her slim body feeling all the bones of her spine one by one. His fury cooled by the moment. The thought of breaking every bone in her body one after another, seemed repugnant when just minutes before he had savored the antic.i.p.ation of snapping her puny mortal bones.

Colin stopped his rapid march through the woods and let Joanna fall to the ground amidst the dead leaves, pine needles and underbrush. He stared down at her like he did not know how she got there. What the h.e.l.l was wrong with him? He had been ready to kill her just an hour ago, for humiliating him at the shopping mall and running away. His cheeks blazed as he thought of himself standing outside the door, waiting. And getting concerned he had entered the women's bathroom to find a door leading into the hair salon. He grew angry again remembering the hairdressers' surprised faces and their laughter at his discomfort as he said excuse me and walked out through the salon.

Oh yes, that did it. His anger returned as he thought about her escape, but nowhere near the level it was earlier. Joanna would be punished, but he knew he could never break her bones. Injuring her that way was out of the question ... but debasing her ... hmm, perfect. When she awoke there would be a great deal in store for her. He stared down at her unconscious form and smiled.

Her body lay sprawled out in the leaves, unmoving, no awareness whatsoever. He felt a slight twinge as he watched her shallow breaths, the almost indiscernible rise and fall of her chest. But her heartbeat sounded strong and steady ... she would recover. With his unshakeable patience, he could wait for her to awaken.

Colin jerked Joanna from the ground by her arm, tossing her over his shoulder again. He started towards the cabin and this time he made sure not to touch her bare skin to his ... anywhere.* * * *

Ben entered the post office in a foul mood. He worried about Colin and his unconscious chosen one. He planned to stay far away from home for a long while, giving his angry creator time to cool off and be finished with his punishment of the disobedient Joanna.

It surprised him that he didn't want to see it.

A young woman stood at the far end of the building with the door to her box open. Ben frowned as he watched her remove envelope after envelope from the box and put it in her cloth carry bag. She smiled at him as he walked up and opened his own box, then she went right back to emptying her own slot.

His blasted box had one single piece of mail in it, but it excited him nonetheless. At least it broke up the emptiness inside the vast cavernous s.p.a.ce! His smug expression melted into a frown when he read the envelope and realized that it didn't belong to him after all. Someone else's mail ... and it appeared to be a credit card bill too. Wadding it up he tossed the unwanted mail into the trash container and turned to the young woman as she pa.s.sed behind him on her way out of the building.

"h.e.l.lo." He drawled out his "o" into a caress.

She smiled back at him, a bit apprehensive, and quickened her pace. Ben moved with ease to intercept her. Placing his hands on her shoulders he gazed into her now frightened eyes "It's okay, I mean you no harm. Relax." He spoke with a gentle drift of sound, no more than a heated whisper. As he knew they would, his words put her at ease as he mesmerized her with his steady gaze. Still holding her shoulders, his eyes left her face and searched the post office building for a dark corner. None there. Gla.s.s panels made up the entire front of the building and anyone pulling into the parking lot could see everything that went on inside.

"Is that your vehicle parked outside the door?"

Her soft brown eyes glazed over but she understood his question and nodded her head. Ben led her outside, stood beside the car and took the keys from her pliant fingers. After opening the door, he folded her unresisting body into the driver's seat and bent down beside her, kissing those soft full lips before he moved to her neck. The breath caught in her throat as his sharp fangs sliced through her skin and hit the throbbing vein but she melted into the seat as the euphoria overcame her.

After just a small taste, Ben removed his fangs and licked at the wounds until the bleeding stopped. He drank just enough to appease his appet.i.te and make her lightheaded and drowsy.

He kissed her ear and whispered his command. "Rest a while then go straight home"

Before he left her, he couldn't resist taking the bag from her and looking through her mail. When he saw the personal missives from a dating agency, he thought for a moment that he should follow her home. No doubt she lived alone, but no, he wouldn't do that to her. Ben kissed her again on her damp forehead and put the mail and her car keys in the seat beside her before locking the car door, shutting her inside.

Colin paced the floor beside the still unconscious Joanna. His indecision really irritated him, being so abnormal for his disciplined nature. The fact that his captive remained unconscious worried him also and it rankled him that he cared at all about her. The punishment for her offense would have to be extreme but he found himself wondering if she would even remember the misdeed after this long state of oblivion. What would he do then?

It did not change the fact that she not only ran from him yet again, but she shamed him too. For that she must pay. Kneeling down beside where he tossed her upon arrival, he gazed at her ashen face. Reaching to touch her jaw with his fingertips, he turned her head and saw the imprint of the rug on her cheek. His thoughts raged inside his troubled mind and he realized how uncomfortable he was squatting here in the middle of the den floor. So for his comfort, not hers, he lifted Joanna from the floor and brought her into his bedroom. He would not give her the security of her own bedroom and her own bed. No, she would stay in his sight, in his room and she would have no clothes to cover herself with. Yes! That was a good start for her punishment. Her nakedness would make her feel even more vulnerable and embarra.s.sed.Placing her on his bed, he jerked her shoes off without untying them and dropped them to the floor, then removed her socks and placed them inside the shoes. Her limbs flopped like a doll's with no resistance, no life. Her bare feet felt cool to his touch and he could not help but rub them to try and get some warmth back into them. Then he realized what he stood there doing and dropped her feet back onto the bed. Such small feet! He could fit his hand around her entire foot. He scowled, ran his fingers through his tousled hair and drew in a deep breath, holding it, then releasing it in a slow stream. This turned out to be a more difficult task than he expected.

His hands shook as he unzipped her jeans and slid them down her hips and off her body. The delicate underwear he ripped off and tossed down, not even looking at her exposed skin as he did so. She still showed no signs of awakening, even though he stripped her naked from the waist down. Sitting beside her on the bed, he pulled her up by one arm, propped her against him, lifted the s.h.i.+rt over her head and then let her fall back to the bed. Her face remained blank and pale. Her hair had fallen over part of her face and her shoulder and the rest splayed across the comforter in total disarray. He noticed a few leaves and twigs trapped in the long tresses and he reached to remove them before pus.h.i.+ng the hair back out of her face.

Then as if he had forgotten his purpose, he shook himself again, snapped the bra straps with two fingers and removed her last article of clothing. Forcing himself to remain detached became more and more difficult but he must persevere, he must not l.u.s.t over her delectable flesh and he must make this hard arousal go away.

She lay there like an inanimate G.o.ddess, blanched and still. Colin jumped to his feet and stood beside the bed, staring down at her, making his vision blur and wondering if perhaps he had made yet another mistake by removing her clothing. But it was already done. Resolved with his decision, he picked up all the pieces of her clothing and took them into the guest room. When she awoke there would be nothing for her to cover herself with.

He would force her to spend the rest of her time here nude, as she deserved no clothes to cover herself with. Smiling for the first time since this fiasco started, his choice of punishment pleased him. Not only would it cause her unbearable discomfort, but oh how delightful for him.

Even though he decided not to return to his room, he found himself back there again, staring down at her luscious body, aching to touch her. This time though his carnal thoughts were interrupted when he heard Ben come in the back door. NO! At once he knew that he did not want Ben also staring at his chosen one's nude form. What a mistake! Grabbing an unders.h.i.+rt out of his drawer, he ran to the bed and dressed her, pulling the s.h.i.+rt down to cover her thighs.

d.a.m.nation! What a fool ... to even think of letting her walk around with no clothing in front of Ben, who already l.u.s.ted after her.

Colin knew about Ben's infatuation, even though Ben did his best to hide it. Glancing at his bedside clock he noted Ben had been gone for hours. That meant Joanna had been unconscious for hours too!

Too long, something must be very wrong with her and it was his fault for losing his temper! Punis.h.i.+ng her did not seem so all- important any longer. What happened to his rage? What happened to his sense of justice concerning her? It had left with her clothing. There had to be a solution, a perfect solution that did not leave him standing alone with an aching groin.

A purplish tint crept below the hairline on her forehead. With his hypersensitive fingertips, he examined her skull for fractures and found none. He hoped he did no damage to her delicate brain when he tossed her across the mall office.

In a way, though, it was a good thing ... her unconscious state. Back in the office, while she remained on the floor he had gained control over his temper enough not to strike her again. And now, lucky for her she remained in this coma-like state so he could get over his anger and not feel the need to punish her more. If she were lucid now her mouth would get her into more trouble.

Now he stood over her, listening to her soft moans as consciousness returned little by little. He couldn't blame her for trying to escape. A weak-willed woman would be of no use to him. He had to respect her ingenuity at managing to elude Ben and himself at the shopping mall. He would keep telling himself these things until he believed them! He had underestimated her. It would not happen again.

A smile touched his lips as he pulled the sheets-his sheets, up to her chin and tucked them around her beautiful neck and shoulders. Lifting her right arm, his smile grew wider as he snapped the cold metal bracelet on her wrist and ran the chain down to the bed frame. He looked forward to her outburst when she awoke to find herself chained to his bed wearing only an unders.h.i.+rt from his wardrobe.

"Colin?" Ben whispered from the doorway.

"Enter." He never lifted his eyes from his captive. He felt, rather than saw his neophyte's presence at his side. His nostrils flared as the warm scent of the nightcap filled his head. Taking the gla.s.s from Ben's hand, he sipped its contents.

"Perfect. Just the proper temperature."

"Why thank you, Colin."

They stood staring at Joanna, sipping their O-negative c.o.c.ktails in silence until Ben spoke. "She has been out for a long time?"

"Yes."

"Is there some sort of damage?"

"I do not believe so."

"What're you going to do with her?"

Colin didn't answer.

"Are you gonna kill her?"

He turned his head to see Ben's worried expression. "Am I gonna kill her?" Colin mocked his words, words he picked up from Joanna's informal speech. Ben blushed, his cheeks tinged rosy red.

"Have you grown fond of this troublesome human, Ben?" When he saw Ben's blush deepen, he laughed. "You like her. Do you not? You like her!"

"Don't laugh at me, Colin. You like her too, or she would already be dead!"

"Yes. Unfortunately, you are correct. She tends to grow on you. Does she not?"

"Yeah, like barnacles." Ben snorted. "Would you like another drink?" He took Colin's empty gla.s.s.

"No thank you. But would you prepare a plate of cold cuts and cheese for her?"

Ben nodded his head. "Of course. Will she awaken soon?"

Colin trailed his fingers across her bruised head.

"I hope so."

Cold and pain ... the first things Joanna became aware of. Her head ached and her limbs felt frozen and numb. She found herself in an unfamiliar room lying on a huge bed. No doubt a masculine chamber with a large beautifully carved chest-of-drawers and roll- top desk of rich dark wood. The door in the right corner of the room stood ajar, but the she saw light spilling out from under the closed door in the left corner of the room.

Hearing the rattle of the doork.n.o.b, she turned her head to see who opened the door and the intense pain shooting through her head made her retch. She tried to lift her right hand to her throbbing temples, but it was trapped under something and she couldn't move it far enough.

Colin came towards the bed still adjusting his pants ... he'd just left the bathroom. Joanna saw him and gagged again. Her head s.h.i.+fted on the pillow with the spasms and throbbed even more, choking her with nausea. She squinted up at him and vomited all over the pillow.

"Help me." Tiny, pain-filled voice ... begging him.

He stroked her face and stood right there by her side while she threw up on herself. If she weren't so miserable, she would be embarra.s.sed. He placed the ice pack on her head and bent down to stare into her anguished eyes.

"Joanna ... go to sleep."

She obeyed and fell asleep in an instant. She didn't feel him was.h.i.+ng her face, or removing the pillow, or brus.h.i.+ng the hair back away from the lump on her head.

He thought for a moment about the best treatment for her pain and nausea. His own blood seeker's serum would work best, but how could he get enough into her bloodstream without sinking his fangs?

An idea came to him. After replacing the ice pack on Joanna's wound he went to the hall closet and pulled out the black case, removing a six cubic centimeter syringe and a twenty-two gauge needle.

Syringe in hand, he strode back to Joanna's side. He did not know if what he was about to attempt would work, but it could not cause any more damage than he had already inflicted on her. Running his tongue along the roof of his mouth, he searched for the pocket of serum that connected to his feeding fangs. He found the spot he sought and slipped the needle into the flesh beside his tongue, filling the syringe half way with the clear serum. Removing the needle, he held his tongue against the hole in his palate until it closed on its own.

A very powerful narcotic, his serum, and it only took a minuscule amount to produce the mind numbing euphoria. He clamped his hand around her biceps until the veins in the crook of her arm became distended then he released her and slipped the needle in the largest vein. Blood flowed into the syringe, stirring his thirst, but he ignored it and pushed the plunger in, sending the serum into her bloodstream. In mere seconds, her facial features relaxed and all the tension left her body in a rush. If the serum prevented her from awakening when he reversed his hypnotic suggestion he would know it worked.

"You may awaken now, Joanna." She slumbered on. Success.

Easing his body down on the bed, he sat beside her and stared un-seeing at the bedspread. The geometric shapes blurred into a shapeless ma.s.s. How could he be so cruel? No ordinary human, his chosen one, and he tossed her across the room as if he had no regard for her life whatsoever. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He cared for her more than he wanted to admit. He must learn to control his anger.

The diamonds and pyramids jolted back into focus when he heard the soft tap on the door. Ben entered carrying a tray heaped with crackers, sliced cheese, and a.s.sorted cold cuts. He stopped short when he saw Joanna in repose and gave Colin a scowl.

"I apologize, Benjamin. She will not be in need of your carefully prepared platter. I put her to sleep."

"You put her to sleep?"

"She is resting. It was necessary for she felt great pain." He lifted the ice pack to examine her wounded head and found that the swelling abated a little. She would be just fine. After replacing the ice pack, he smiled up at Ben, waiting to see what his next question would be. To his surprise, Ben didn't ask anything.

"I'll bring this back to the kitchen." Ben left the room and pulled the door closed behind him.

Stunned for a moment, Colin let his head fall back against the headboard of the bed. His mind in turmoil, he closed his eyes. His life was so routine, so blase before he brought her to his lair.

He knew what every night would be like, and every day. Even Ben's minor transgressions did not upset his life. Ben obeyed. Joanna did not obey. He never knew what to expect from her. He never knew what the next hour would bring, much less the next night! His mind drifted, dreams not far away ... human dreams, dreams of great desire, of cuddling with a woman, of sultry green eyes gazing up at him in adoration. He awoke with a start, his hands tangled in Joanna's long hair. She had turned over in her sleep and nuzzled her head in his lap. Her hand still manacled to the bed, she pulled the chain taut, her arm twisted behind her back.

How could she sleep like that? In addition to the painful position of her arm, she had the hard evidence of his carnal thoughts stabbing her in the cheek. Although he would love to leave her head right where it rested in his lap, he eased her over to his side.

Colin felt guilty for chaining her like an animal to the bed and he slid his hand into his pocket, retrieving the key to unlock the cuffs.

As soon as he removed the cuff, she brought her freed arm over her body and hit him right in the groin with a loose fist. He felt the pain as it gathered into an angry mob in the pit of his stomach and with a silent groan he willed it to disperse.

For a moment he thought she intentionally struck him, but after tuning in to her deep, regular breathing he knew that was not so. He cradled her torturous fist against his cheek, spreading her fingers to kiss her palm. Then, he moved his lips to her delicate wrist where he felt her pulse with his tongue. Her soft skin felt cool to his mouth and he followed the pulse with wet kisses up her arm, stopping to suck at the bend of her elbow before his tongue slid wet and warm, up to her shoulder. He could go no further while she still wore the tee s.h.i.+rt, and the piquant taste of her skin lingered on his taste buds like an appetizer, leaving him unsatisfied and wanting more.

Employing all his immortal stealth, he peeled the covers from her body and gasped with pleasure. Countless times, he viewed her legs, her entire body, and never had she appeared so appealing, so exquisite. Without warning, she turned on her back reaching for sheets that were no longer there and kicked out with her foot, just missing his already swollen groin. Before she could inflict any more damage, he straddled her legs and lifted the over-sized s.h.i.+rt, running both hands up her smooth stomach to cup her luscious b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her skin flushed with a rash of excitement as his mouth followed, blazing a moist trail across her midriff.

She stirred, running her fingers through his hair as he claimed first one tawny breast and then the other, suckling, nipping, licking, and then sucking again. His fangs descended in his excitement, but he nipped with care, not wanting to break the skin and his tongue darted between the elongated teeth to circle her pert nipples. Lifting his head to gaze through pa.s.sion filled eyes at her face, an icy shame washed over his heated body as he realized Joanna remained asleep. Had he become an incubus? Having s.e.x with a woman while she slept?

Disgusted with himself, he started to leave the bed when Joanna snuggled her head down deeper into her pillow, moaned, and turned her head to the side, exposing the long curved column of her appetizing neck. He caught himself drooling over her throat and he bit down on his bottom lip in an effort to gain control over his raging hormones, but alas, he could not. His mouth closed on her throat and he nearly lost control and melted into his underwear. Touching her torrid body now ... more that he could bear!

Throwing back his head, his eyes squeezed shut, he gasped, sucking in huge gulps of air to rein in his runaway ardor. The aching pain between his legs lessened and he let his head drop back into a normal position. He found himself staring straight into the sultry green eyes from his dream. She wet her lips, inviting his kiss and he needed no second invitation. Their lips met and bonded, demanding more as their tongues greeted each other like life long friends.

Without breaking the kiss, his hand explored her quivering body, her taut nipples, the gooseflesh on her arms and torso, her athletic thighs, her furred pelvis, and below. Her legs entwined with his, squeezing him when his fingers entered her molten body. She kissed him with animal-like abandon, tearing at the b.u.t.tons on his s.h.i.+rt. then she cried out when he bounded off the bed to tear his clothes off. He returned in seconds, warm and nude.

Joanna wrinkled her pert little nose as his thick black chest hairs tickled her face and he smiled. Colin held himself poised over her, his knees nudging her legs further and further apart. She squirmed until they were touching, male to female, firing his desire for total fusion.

"Are you aware, Joanna?" His voice was husky with restraint.

Staring into his beautiful dark eyes, she saw the real concern there, even though he was about to self-destruct with longing. Did he think she didn't know what they were about to do?

Reaching up to touch his eyelashes and the tiny wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, she whispered, "Oh ... I'm very much aware." She reached between them and grasped him in her hand, squeezing and pulling until he growled with pleasure and ground his mouth against hers in a savage kiss. His lips drifted over her face and neck as he mouthed her flesh and caressed her s.e.x with his free hand.

Colin panted as his breath grew short from her stimulation and he removed her hand to bring it over her head. He did the same with the other, until he clutched both her hands in his. He bent his head to her throat at the same time he moved to enter her inviting body. When he drove into her scalding tunnel he sank his fangs into the soft flesh of her neck. Slow thrusts at first, then his speed increased as he also drank from her throat. As soon as he released her hands, Joanna grasped his body, digging her nails into his back in ecstasy. Removing his teeth, he licked her small wounds until she no longer bled. His thrusts grew wilder and harder until Joanna cried out and he followed her, clenching his jaw to hold back his own shout. Breathing hard, he lay still, his arms quivering as he supported his weight on his elbows.

"Am I too heavy for you?"

"No." Her strained answer almost made him laugh out loud. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"Oh, but you lie." Rolling to his side, he gathered her in his arms and stroked her back.

Joanna listened to his strong, steady heartbeat under her ear and enjoyed his chest hair cus.h.i.+oning her cheek. His muscular physique and s.e.xual prowess proved to be a pleasant surprise. Compared to her dark complexion his skin seemed rather pale, but it didn't come close to the pallor depicted by the movie vampires. His touch made her stomach do flip flops, and when she peered into his eyes she had to take deep breaths and look away for fear that her chest would explode!

She giggled and turned her face to m.u.f.fle the sound.

"What is it?"

"My headache is gone."

His chest rumbled under her face with his laugh. "I know all the best home remedies."

"Colin.... I'm sorry I ran..." She apologized to him? He held her close, cutting off her words.

"It is forgotten."

They lay wrapped in each other's arms enjoying the companionable silence, both submersed in their own thoughts.