A Vampire's Reward

The sky had turned lighter in the east when we finally stopped at what looked like an old castle. I was so tired as he carried me inside, not even during past illnesses had I felt this tired.

A few moments later my body was laid down and I opened my eyes to see Dante there beside me, closing a coffin lid over us. Fear filled my throat and came out in a frantic cry. "What are you doing Dante? Get me out of here."

Instead he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, kissing me softly. "It's all right, my love, really. It's for our protection. You're a vampire now and you have to hide from the sunlight, just like all of our kind has to."

"But why did you turn me into, into... Oh god! Why turn me into a vampire Dante? I would have loved you no matter what."

He kissed my forehead. "I know you would have, but you would have also come to hate me, Marina. You'll find out soon enough that time has little affect on a vampire. So while we both may grow older it would've been only you who would show the passage of time. But I have another more selfish reason for changing you, love."

His voice stopped but I still felt his breath upon my skin. "What reason could you have that I would understand, Dante?"

"The reason I made you into the monster that I am is this, Marina. You would have grown old and died without me. You would have left me here, existing here without you forever. All these years that I have lived so far would seem like heaven compared to the living hell my life would be without you beside me. I could not and would not let that happen, no matter how much you may come to hate me for what I've done to you."

My eyes burned with the feeling of unshed tears but none would fall. "I'm sorry, Dante. I didn't think of it like that."

He kissed me softly. "This is all new to you, love and I've had years to think about it. Actually, I've thought of it since the first time I saw you and fell in love with you as a little girl. Do you remember a summer when you and your family went swimming at that lake one night to try and cool off from the heat?"

A few seconds pass before the memory came back, "Yes, I remember. I almost drowned because I went out to far. I went under the water and got tangled in some weeds or something. Then someone grabbed me and lifting me, weeds and all, from the bottom and took me to the surface. I never saw who it was, I guess I just automatically thought it was dad who saved me. Are you telling me it was you?"

"Yes love, it was me who saved you. After that I tried to keep watch over you when I could. Over time, as you grew up, I came to love you more and more. It nearly killed me watching you dance with those boys when you were younger. I wanted to kill each one of them for touching the girl I loved. You don't know how happy it made me that you decided to wait and marry someone you loved instead of going into marriage because it was expected of you. So while you finished growing up into the wonderful and beautiful woman you are, I waited and prayed that no one would come and take you from me before I could make you mine."

"Now close your eyes, sunrise will soon be here, then you can rest. I promise I will take care of you and show you all the new things your body can do now that you're a vampire. We can do so many things together and we will have centuries to love each other unlike mortals who have only a short time. Nothing will ever come between us."

I blinked a few times and the vision and memories faded as my mind pulled back from the past to take in the current view of the Smoky Mountains before me. I can still hear Dante's words ringing in my ears even now.

"You lied to me Dante. You said we would have centuries to love each other. Now look who is the one that got left behind." I whisper those words with my head pressed against the window and my fingers caressing my necklace. Turning away from the predawn sky, I went to my basement chambers and prepare to climb into my coffin bed. It's the very same bed that my beloved Dante shared with me that he had made special for us well over a hundred years ago.

Once inside I curled up on my side, hugging the pillow he rested his head upon against my chest. His scent still lingers on it. Feeling something on my cheek I wiped it away with my fingertips only to see that it is a drop of blood that had slipped from my eye.

"Even after all this time Dante I still cry for you," I whispered against his pillow, placing a kiss there before sleep finally took me.

*

The following evening I woke with Dante's pillow still clutched to my chest. I rubbed a hand across my face and came away with dried blood on it, evidence that I had cried in my sleep during the day. Slowly I pulled myself together and turned onto my back as my senses took control and checked for any signs of trouble.

I checked the area around my coffin first and found it safe. Next I searched the rest of the house and found that everything was in order. My mental vision searched for Chad and Rose, finding them just sitting down to dinner together in the dining room. Even though I haven't found anything wrong I have a sense that something is not right. I don't know maybe its just me and the funky mood I'm in from all the memories that the first snow always brings to me.

I lifted the lid on my coffin and climbed out, spotting that Rose had my dinner already sitting beside my antique rocking chair. I sat down for my first glass of blood and took a large swallow, grimacing from the cold taste.

I hate cold blood with a passion.

It's been quiet awhile since I've had fresh blood from a mortal. In fact it's been ten years since I've bitten one. And in that time I still have not found a way to make cold stored blood taste as satisfying as warm blood does from a human body. I finish off the first glass and grab the second one and try to down it quickly. Not even room temperature can improve the taste of it.

These days I have two ways of keeping myself fed. Depending on where I am in the world, I will sometimes survive on the local animals I find near my home or I survive on cold blood. To get that cold blood I buy what I need from an underground network of mortals and immortals that steal from blood banks around the world and ship it to those of my kind in need.

I wiped my mouth with the napkin Rose left behind and then changed into jeans and a soft blue sweater. When I opened the basement door into the kitchen I found Chad and Rose washing their dinner dishes.

"Good evening Rose, Chad. How was your day?" I ask them as warm smiles crossed their faces when they turn toward me.

"Good evening, Marina, It's been kind of busy around here with all the clean up after the storm. Chad's been outside for most of the day shoveling snow and picking up down tree limbs from around the cabin. I've been inside doing the usual household chores and keeping an eye on him so that he doesn't over do himself."

I looked over at Chad and saw him roll his eyes toward the ceiling. "She didn't tell you about her coming outside and trying to help me did she? No. I could have been inside sooner if I didn't have to watch her trying to chop wood."

"I thought we had enough wood for now?" I asked while fighting a grin.

Chad's voice raised a bit, "Of course we have enough but do you think she would listen to me?"

"I was just trying to help, dear," Rose said before hugging Chad and kissing his cheek, which turned red.

I cleared my throat and tried not to laugh. "Did you check the shutters for any damage?"

"Yes I did. Well actually we both did. I checked on the outside for any problems and Rose checked from the inside for any light leakage. Everything passed both of our inspections."

I walked to the window and look out over the snow covered ground. "Did we have any visitors today?"

"No, and it will be a few days before they get the roads back open. This storm caught everyone off guard down in the valleys so it's one big mess," Rose said.

I opened the French doors and walked along the shoveled path to the railing and glanced out over the snow covered mountains.

I used my senses to search the area close to the cabin. That nagging feeling of something wrong was still with me and weighed heavily on my mind. The first thing that I spotted are a couple of whitetail deer, pawing at the ground for food. After searching with my eyes I listened closely to the sounds of the forest and just when I was about to go back inside I heard something so faint that even with my sensitive hearing I barely picked it up. I listened again and this time it sounded like a whisper. I decided to check it out and stepped off the deck into calf high snow moving toward the trees.

If I had been a mortal I wouldn't have gone into the forest after dark alone. But with my vampire abilities and strength I had no qualms about doing it. At a down hill slant I went deeper and deeper into the woods, dodging tree limbs and braches weighted down with heavy snow. The whisper grew loud enough that I could at last make out what it said. "Help."

With a burst of speed I moved through knee high drifts and jumped over downed trees, finally stopping in front of an outcropping of rocks from the side of the mountain. My senses pick up a mortal soul very close by. "If you can hear my voice, call out to me."

A minute passed before a weak voice called out, "I'm in here."

I scanned the cracks and crevices of the rock until I found a small opening. Crouched down low, I worked my way inside and saw the mortal sitting on the ground huddled within a thick coat against the small cave wall. I ran my hands over each arm and leg checking for broken bones. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No," the mortal answered with chattering teeth.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Levi," he mumbled.

"Levi, we need to get you out of here. Can you make it to the opening of the cave?" He didn't answer so I tuned my hearing to Levi's heartbeat and found it was slow and his breathing very shallow.

I couldn't pick him up inside the tiny cave structure, so I had to drag him to the opening before I could lift him into my arms. The way back to the cabin took a lot longer then the trip out. I couldn't rush like I wanted for being afraid that I might fall or drop him and cause more injuries.

The cabin came into view with the lights inside blazing bright like a welcoming beacon in the night. I called out to Chad with my mental power to open the doors on the deck, that I had an injured man and to tell Rose to get all the blankets she could find. When I reached the deck the doors were standing wide open and Chad rushed over to help me carry the man inside.

Quickly we took him over in front of the fireplace and removed his coat, hat, gloves and shoes. We didn't stop to think about modesty when we started with the rest of his clothing; our only thoughts were of saving his life.

Rose came into the living room with her arms full of towels and blankets that we rapidly put to use. Carefully we patted Levi's skin dry trying not to rub incase he had any frost bitten areas. Then we wrapped two thick blankets around his body before laying him down on the sofa.

I went downstairs to the basement and change out of my wet soggy clothes into a pair of grey jogging pants and an orange sweatshirt, then return to the living room. Once there I found Chad spreading out more blankets over top of Levi who was starting to shake. I searched his clothing trying to find some form of identification so we could figure out if he was a tourist or a local and if there was anyone who we could notify that he had been found, but came up empty handed.

"Chad, why don't you and Rose head on to bed and rest? Since the roads are blocked there is no way of getting him to a hospital, so we're going to have to take care of him ourselves. I can watch over him tonight but you and Rose will have to see to him during the day tomorrow."

"I guess that you're right. Promise to come and get us if you need any help?"

"I promise if I need anything I'll come get you or Rose."

Chad walked off toward the kitchen then a few minutes later him and Rose came back. "Marina, I've got some chicken broth made up from earlier today in the fridge. If he wakes up enough to eat just heat that up in the microwave or come wake me up and I'll fix it. Okay?"

"Thank you, Rose, that sounds like the perfect medicine."

I pulled myself a chair up close to the sofa so I could watch over him as Rose sat down beside Levi. She reached out and brushed his jet-black hair away from his face. "Everything will be just fine once you wake up young man. We're here and we'll take care of you for as long as you need."

Rose got up and came over, hugging me close. "You keep your eye on him, Marina. I think there is something special about him. I can't say what it is but I just feel it."

She left the room leaving Chad and me to stare at one another over her odd behavior. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head a little, "Well goodnight, Marina. Remember come get us if you need help."

"I will, Chad. Goodnight."

I sat down on the edge of the sofa and took my first good look at Levi. From the looks of things he appeared to be part Native American. Even though he was pale I could see that his complexion was naturally dark. Long black eyelashes dusted the tops of his beautifully high cheekbones. At one time his nose must have been broken cause it crooked slightly to the left. But what kept drawing my attention the most was his mouth. His lips were perfect for kissing. The bottom lip had just the right amount of fullness to it that seems to be begging for someone to suckle from it.

The first couple of hours went by at a snails pace as I sat there watching him sleep and listening to the sound of his breathing. Then around midnight he began shaking badly and moaning. I went to his side, running my hand over his cheek lightly and whispered, "It's okay, Levi, your safe and warm. No one is going to harm you."

He seemed to settle down after a few minutes of my touch on his skin and the sound of my voice. When I tried to go back to my chair to sit his hand shot out from under the cover and grabbed my arm and he would not let go. I could have easily broken his grip if I wanted, but then he moaned and softly said, "Don't leave me."

So I removed the blankets from over top of him and, with my back against the sofa and him toward the fire, I laid beside him. After situating the blankets back over us, I wrapped one arm around him and held him close to me. Almost immediately he settled down, his breathing returned to normal and his body only slightly trembled.

It felt awkward at first for me to hold someone close again, having been ten years since the last time I had. Memories of the many times that Dante and I had laid in each other's arms rushed through my mind causing grief and loneliness to over whelm me. I felt trickles of blood fill my eyes as I whispered brokenly to Levi, "I promise you, Levi, that I will not leave you. I'll be here for as long as you need me."

The rest of the night I laid there holding him, my fingers caressing his cheek and combing his hair off his forehead from time to time. I could feel dawn approaching but I did not leave him. I was still lying there close to falling into the blackness of sleep when Chad walked over to the sofa. "Marina, you can't stay with him any longer the sun is about to rise."

I looked up at him. "I don't want to leave him, Chad. I promised him I would stay with him."

"You're not leaving him love; you're just going to get some rest. Rose and I will take care of him till you rise later this evening. Now come on, off to bed with you," he said, holding out a hand to me. I finally pulled back the covers and took it and then I tucked the covers back around Levi's still body and kissed his lips.

I turned away feeling the sunrise nipping at my heels, but I didn't have enough time to get down to the basement. I fell to my knees as the darkness started descending upon me, crying out weakly, "Chad..."

I barely felt his arms as they scooped me up from the floor. My last memory before the darkness finally pulled me into sleep was of him putting me into my coffin; placing Dante's pillow in my arms and then closing the lid as the sun rose above the mountain peaks.

*

My eyes opened wide and I woke to another night, wondering why I'm still dressed in my regular clothes. Then it dawned on me. The memory of Chad as he brought me down to my coffin that morning and me making a fool of myself. And it was all because of the promise I made to Levi about not leaving him while he needed me.

I know why I made that promise. It's because of Dante and the promise he broke to me. All the memories from the past couple of days of him, with his words still ringing so loud in my mind caused me to make that promise last night to Levi. I know Dante could not help breaking his promise ten years ago, but it still doesn't lessen the hurt that I feel.

Over two hundred years ago he told me that we would have forever to love each other. I know I should be happy with the amount of time I did have with Dante but I still needed him. I still needed him at my side and in my arms. I needed to hear him tell me that he loves me and that forever would not be nearly long enough for him to show me just how much he did.

Lost so deep in my thoughts I didn't hear Rose come into the basement. "Marina, dear, I know I shouldn't be here with you just waking but I wanted to see if you're all right after what happen this morning."

If I were to open this coffin lid right at this moment, with her standing there, I would scare Rose to death. She has never seen me right after awakening, never seen the look of hunger on my face or the dark red glow of my eyes caused by my need for blood. So I did something that I rarely do with Rose, but that I do all the time with Chad, I talked to her mentally.

"I'm all right Rose. Truthfully, I feel really foolish about Chad having to help me to bed this morning. It's just that, well you both know how I get when the first snow falls. Then finding Levi last night and, and holding him in my arms, well it just made things even harder on me I guess."

"I know dear."

"And you know what you said about there being something about him? You're right, cause I feel it to. Maybe it has something to do with him being Native American. We're not far from the Cherokee, maybe that's where he's from."

"That could be what it is then, Marina. But I don't know all that much about Native Americans. Do you?"

"No I don't. Is he awake yet?"

"Yes he is, has been for about an hour now I believe. He had some chicken broth but hasn't said much other than to ask where he was. He's still very weak; Chad had to help him to the bathroom because of his legs being shaky."

"Hum... Well I'll be up shortly Rose. Then maybe we can find out just who this Levi person is and hopefully get him out of here soon before he starts asking to many questions about all of us."

"Okay dear. I'll let Chad know you're all right. He's been worried about you all day."

"Thank you Rose, for everything. I hope you know how much I've come to love you both over the years. You're the closest thing to parents I've had in a very long time."

"And we love you too dear, just like you were our very own."

I hear what sounded like a sniffle before the door closed. I cracked the lid to make sure she was gone then as quickly as possible I got myself fed and cleaned up to go upstairs.

I went up the basement stairs silently and opened the door to step into the kitchen to hear the sound of muffled voices. I moved over toward the doorway that lead to the living room and spotted Rose seated in the chair I had used last night. She was talking to a very alert Levi. Thankfully he hadn't seen me as of yet, which gave me time to look him over.