Bloodseeker - Colin's Conquest Part 3

"Where am I?" She labored to sit up once more.

He pushed her back against the pillows and said, "Do not attempt to rise."

Ignoring him, she managed to prop herself up on her elbows and craned her neck to see out the door. Again he pushed her back down on the bed and held her there with one hand.

"Where am I?" She demanded this time.

A look of irritation stained his features, eyebrows drawn together, lips tight, but it vanished so quick she didn't know if she saw it or not.

This time he spoke with a deep melodious diction that she deducted was his natural timber instead of the light airy soothing voice he used with her before.

"You are at your new home Joanna."

Her eyes grew wide and she began to sputter.

"Wha.... wha.... what?"

He continued to hold her down on the bed, exerting little effort, her attempts to rise as ineffective as a kitten's.

"This is my home, and Ben's, and now yours too."

He gave her a lopsided smile, then his gaze traveled the length of her body, stopping to watch her chest rise and fall with her angry breathing, then rising to her face where their eyes locked. Lost in the rich dark caverns within his eyes she ceased her struggling with a sigh.

"Do not attempt to rise." His words rang in her ears like the note of a miniature gong. "You will find that you are physically unable to leave this bed."

His command had been simple and low, yet firm. A voice of authority, a voice that expected to always be obeyed, a voice that she was determined to defy, no matter how gorgeous the owner.

He lifted his hand, releasing her, but she remained still and that seemed to please him. She watched as he crossed the room and turned back to her at the doorway."I must go, but I will return soon. Try to get some rest."

No sooner than the words filtered through her stuffy ears, he disappeared. She listened for his return. Hearing nothing, she put all her energy into getting out of the bed. Her body failed to cooperate but she continued to try until she panted with exhaustion and one foot made it to the edge of the bed.

Joanna choked on her own saliva when the gorgeous one appeared beside her bed again.

"Did I not just tell you to get some rest? Are our definitions of rest that different?" The irritation in his voice grated across her already frayed nerves and she flinched when he bent at the waist to bring his face close to hers. His mouth turned down at the corners as he scowled at her. Anything she had been about to say died in her throat when her flas.h.i.+ng green eyes met blazing brown ones.

"Go ... to ... sleep."

Colin stood over his slumbering future mate, watching to make sure his hypnotic suggestion stayed with her. Then he went to the kitchen to see what Ben purchased in town.

"I bought a little of everything so I hope she finds something she likes," Ben said as Colin entered the room. No response from Colin. He turned to face him and noticed his creator standing at the refrigerator, his face as black as the back of his jacket.

"What is it? What's the matter?"

Colin sighed, lifting his hand to run his fingers through his hair several times before he opened the door to look inside the fridge.

Satisfied with the contents, he nodded his head and closed the door before he met Ben's curious gaze.

Resting his teeth on his bottom lip, he seemed to be deep in thought but then he wet his lips with his tongue and pressed them together, making a smacking sound before he smiled.

"I fear there will be trouble ahead for us, my unlucky protege," Colin shook his head. "Yes, loads and loads of trouble." Then to Ben's utter amazement, Colin laughed.

Four

"Wake up little wild cat ... wake up! Come on, you've slept the whole day away. Joanna, wake up sleepy head."

Someone sang in her ear, shook her arm, then sang again. Too tired, don't want to wake up.

"Go away!"

"Wake up, wild cat."

That irritating musical voice would not turn off. If she had the strength she would konk him one, right in the mouth.

Oh please let this all be a dream. Turning her head towards the voice she cracked open her bloodshot eyes to see him, the boyish blonde who attacked her last night.

"Oh s.h.i.+t." Joanna squeezed her eyes shut.

He laughed right by her ear. "I'm still here."

She glared at him. If looks could kill, he'd be one dead son of a b.i.t.c.h. He ignored her killer stare and squatted down beside the bed, grinning at her like a halfwit.

"Good evening, wild cat. Remember me?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "a.s.shole?"

He laughed again. He had a nice laugh and nice face when he didn't show those horrid teeth that she remembered so vividly.

"Yes, yes, you remember you naughty little wild cat. You know we really must work to clean up your language."

The a.s.shole stood up and she saw a pretty little Corning Ware bowl in his hand, steam rising from its' contents.

Joanna tried to sit up and found to her horror that she still couldn't lift her head, even though she felt stronger now than she did before.

"I've brought you some chicken soup. Isn't that your human cure all?"

She didn't answer, but continued to glare at him. At least, she didn't act like a simpering ninny. He admired her courage, even though she maddened him beyond measure!

Happy that he spared her life and didn't savage her, for Colin's sake, he still had the sinking feeling that he'd wish he could kill her in the next few days. The stubborn set to her jaw gave him a sense of foreboding he couldn't shake.

Ben's gaze drifted over her figure. The sheets outlined her slender body almost as if they were form fitting. d.a.m.n it all, he found her so appealing! He had to will himself not to swell with desire. That would not be advisable. These thoughts must not enter his mind!

Colin would rip out his heart and eat it if he knew! With chagrin he recalled rubbing his l.u.s.t against her struggling body ... h.e.l.l ... he hoped that she would not remember that!

Her face, as she glared up at him, shone with a defiant light. No doubt, she longed to leap from the bed and scratch his eyes out.

Ben imagined her hands like claws as she prepared to attack him. He antic.i.p.ated their future altercations even though he valued his body parts.

"Are you hungry, my little wild cat?" His voice dripped honey. He held the bowl out closer so her puny human nose could pick up the scent of the chicken broth. She lifted her hand to swat the bowl away, but he was faster and had already stepped back and stood there moving his head back and forth like an angry parent with an errant child."I am not your little wild cat! And, how can you possibly expect me to eat? In the first place, you a.s.s, I can't even sit up, and in the second place, I'm a prisoner in the home of two uh.... uh.... two uh," she hesitated, staring at his mouth.

He pressed his lips together, one corner lifted in a crooked smile. He enjoyed her discomfort, that much she could tell.

With a little less bl.u.s.ter, she spoke again. "You are the only two, aren't you?"

He continued to smirk, his face unchanged, but she thought he might have nodded in answer to her question. An almost imperceptible nod, and maybe just wishful thinking on her part.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, despite the aggravating smirk he still wore.

"You stand there grinning like a f.u.c.kin idiot at me ... I want to go home ... I won't stay! You can't make me!"

Her voice grew shrill and she saw him wince, although he tried to conceal it. He walked with measured steps around the bed to place the soup on the nearby dresser, and then he stood for a moment with his back to her, collecting his thoughts. Through his white unders.h.i.+rt she noticed the rippling muscles in his back clench and relax, clench and relax.

Then without thinking about what she did, her eyes dropped to his very nice backside covered by the familiar black slacks with smooth high slits for pockets that took away nothing from the appearance of his firm behind. Even those muscles hardened as he rotated back towards her.

When he turned to approach he did it with the same restrained movements. Like a pit bull on a leash, he seemed to be holding himself back. The first taste of fear entered her mouth, as caustic and bitter as biting down on a pickled lemon wrapped in foil. She tried to sink farther into the mattress, to widen the distance between them.

Placing a hand on each side of her body, he leaned over her and stared into her flushed face. His features lost all signs of boyishness, his s.h.i.+ning baby blues deepened to a glowing navy and his nostrils flared. The thin lips that seemed so charming in a smile changed into a terrifying grimace allowing a brief glimpse of the glistening fangs inside.

"Now you listen to me, Joanna. We are vampires if that word suits you and you would be a fool not to be afraid of us." He paused for a moment, closing his eyes and letting his features relax. When next he lifted his lids, his eyes changed back to the paler azure and the boyish good looks returned.

"I allowed you to live only because Colin commanded it Joanna. So you should fear him even more than you fear me." He watched her for signs of resignation and still saw none.

Ben didn't know that Colin's small infusion last night made her more astute than even she realized. Annoyance replaced her fear as she realized his b.e.s.t.i.a.l transformation had been a ploy meant to scare her and nothing more. Her medic of last night, Colin, would not allow this one to harm her. She vowed to get this young one back for his display! Maintaining a mask of fright proved no problem for an actress such as she, so she laid there playing helpless and afraid just for him.

"You can't get away from here so don't even waste your precious energy worrying about it."

His scowl appeared funny to her, but he tried being so serious with the corners of his mouth turned down and his eyebrows drawn together for emphasis. Nothing amusing in his expression, on the contrary it appeared he was doing his best to put forth his most disagreeable image. His superior att.i.tude began to irritate her though, and it became more and more difficult to control the laughter hiding just beneath the silly petrified expression she wore plastered on her face. He didn't notice the facade she kept up for his benefit as he reveled in his own supremacy.

He sure acted like a typical, macho-type man! Rising up from her bed, he stood with his arms crossed in front of him, his expression grim.

"Do as you are told and you won't be hurt. Disobey and you will wish you'd never been born." After issuing his empty threat, he gave her one more menacing glare, rounded the bed then exited the room with an impressive display of his supernatural speed. She gave the pompous vampire 'the finger' and muttered "a.s.shole," under her breath.

Laughter echoed down the hall and her cheeks reddened when his voice reached her ears. "I heard that!"

She almost jumped out of her skin when the a.s.shole's head appeared around the corner of the door, his pale fingers clutching the door jam.

A broad smile stretched across his face. "My name is Ben, not a.s.shole."

She felt the heat emanating from her skin and she slithered down farther into the bed, pulling the sheet up to her nose, hiding her blazing cheeks.

His eyes twinkling with merriment, he watched her growing discomfort until she tried to hide under the sheet, then he threw back his head and laughed like he hadn't laughed in years. He left her to head toward the kitchen when he heard Colin enter the back door, his laughter trailing him through the house.

"What is it you find so amusing, Ben?"

He sobered up when he saw the Creator's inflexible features. Something about Colin's expressions could wipe the smile off even the Ches.h.i.+re cat's face.

"It's nothing really, Colin, I was just telling our uh, guest, my name. She had me confused with someone else, someone by the name of, ah let me see, yes ... it was a.s.shole, I believe." Ben thought he saw a glimmer of emotion in Colin's dark eyes, but his pale angular face remained expressionless.

"Yes, I see where her confusion lies." Colin opened the refrigerator and retrieved a canned soda, examined the label, then popped the top and brought it to his mouth. He saw Ben's mouth drop open over the length of the bright red soda can. So he had never drank anything in Ben's presence but blood, why should anything he did shock him so? He finished the drink in one long swallow and flattened the can in his left hand.

"Aaaahhhhhh.... I have no idea why I ever gave cold beverages up." He tossed the empty can to his still gaping apprentice, then left the room.

"How are you this night, Joanna?" The unexpected male voice breaking through her silent thoughts nearly made her wet her pants.

"Can't you knock?" She snapped before she glanced up to see the dark-haired one, not the nettlesome Ben, standing in the room beside her.

Her heartbeat quickened and she gazed up at the awesome figure looming over the bed. This one she did fear even though he'd been nothing but kind. He carried an aura of omnipotence and perhaps even menace and without being told she knew that he held her life in his hands.

"You are stronger now, would you like to sit up?" He pulled her up to a sitting position and propped pillows behind her back. He didn't give her time to answer his question, indeed it hadn't been a question at all, just a nicely phrased command. With unbreakable integrity, his long immaculate fingers gripped her upper arms and she knew that his grip could tighten to the point of snapping her fragile bones in two. But he wouldn't hurt her would he?

"Only if you force me to..." His voice startled her. He answered her unspoken question, but his unearthly features remained unchanged. His mouth never moved!

In a blur he moved to the dresser, retrieved the bowl of soup, and brought it to her with quick, unnatural movements. No question in her mind about his humanity now. Like the other one, Ben, a vampire, but much more powerful. He radiated incalculable strength. She saw it there in his deep sepia eyes.

Her close scrutiny disproved the human visage, the preternatural glimmer in his eyes, the faint phosph.o.r.escence of his skin, the awesome restrained energy in his poise. Almost funny that she thought those words, words she read in a vampire novel, and in his case those eloquent expressions were not entirely accurate.

His eyes did gleam, his skin unnaturally white, not glowing, but so white that he appeared more like an albino human than a supernatural being out of a book.

The uncomfortable ball of anxiety in the pit of her stomach grew as she stared at him. It spread to the rest of her body and insidiously transformed into terror. She gulped and tried to scoot away from the vampire, but nowhere to go, her back already against the wall. How could this be true? How could beings like this exist unbeknownst to the world? Because anyone with the knowledge dies...

Colin warmed his hands with the soup bowl, watching her delicate features as the reality of his existence and now her own hit her full force. Her fear upset him, yet it rea.s.sured him at the same time. He didn't wish to frighten her, but she must not delude herself about her situation. Fear would make her cautious, careful in her actions, and that was good. But terror was not good, hysterics he would not tolerate from his chosen one, for she must be strong.

"Joanna." He bent to catch her eye. "Do not fear, no harm will come to you here."

His soothing voice calmed her and she didn't know why she had been afraid of him before. His expression didn't look menacing and his attire appeared neat and very business like, nothing monstrous about him. The deep black of his impeccably kept suit made his colorless skin gleam next to the collar and his dark curly hair blended in with the jacket so that his hair never really seemed to end, just change textures. All lines of black and white, black jacket, white skin, white s.h.i.+rt, black kinky hairs peeking out from his unb.u.t.toned s.h.i.+rt, black cuff, white hands, but then she looked to his face and all of the disciplined black and white ended there.

Uncommonly pretty eyes, though using the word pretty in reference to this being seemed ludicrous. Staring into those entrancing brown ovals of his she felt a sudden empathy for him, for his constant self-restraint and discontent. His countenance softened for a moment and she thought he might touch her, but he jerked his eyes away and his body tensed, the tenderness gone in an instant.

Without another glance at her, he placed the bowl of soup in her lap, and backed up a few paces. "Eat your soup now."

The liquid in the bowl only served to remind her of the discomfort her full bladder caused, and she lifted the bowl to cross her legs.

The movement only made it worse. In the process of leaving the room, Colin stopped at the doorway and turned back to peer at her. She didn't want to look up, didn't want to ask for his help. Just too embarra.s.sing.

"Joanna." His soft voice turned her name into a hushed lullaby.

She would not look up.

"Look at me, little one."

She lifted her eyes to his.

"You may leave the bed now if you wish." He held her gaze for a moment more, then s.h.i.+fted his eyes to the door in the left-hand corner of the room. He looked back to her and allowed his lips to form a slight grin that grew into a genuine smile as her face reddened. Then he turned and left her.