Battle for Blood Ch. 03

She looked up at him. The sick feeling in her stomach only had a little to do with the physical withdrawal. Vampire blood. Like her father had done to her mother. Now she really wanted to throw up. "What's going to happen?" she whispered.

"If this is anything like a vampire addiction you will experience rapid changes in body temperature, nausea, weakness and muscle spasms." He sat on the bed next to her. His nearness comforted her even through her tortured thoughts. She looked up into his hansom face. He was quite attractive. For a human he wouldn't have been more than 30 years in his appearance. Even with his serious gaze and her burning body she couldn't help but notice his jaw line, his lips even his eyes. But something in his eyes told her he wasn't done. "Some don't make it out." She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. She was going to die? Again? "Shane, listen to me carefully. I would not propose this if I did not think it was necessary. I would never offer this under different circumstances but we are in a strange place and a difficult situation. We need to leave here, the human's will not understand the symptoms and I cannot explain them away. Once we leave I will take you to some place where I can take care of you through the process. I will make sure you are okay. Shane? Look at me."

She had been staring at her hands. She knew what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to take his blood. She couldn't. She wouldn't. Her stomach turned violently. They had drugged her? Turned her into some sort of drug addled steroid freak? All that training? Just so they could pump her full of vampire blood like another sick experiment? She finally looked up at him, her green eyes glowing with tears she would not shed. Was he telling her the truth? Could she really trust another vampire? He had kept his word till now. She couldn't take care of herself on her own. Withdrawal would have to happen sooner or later. Her chest burned and her legs shook. She didn't want to do it here. The humans made her uneasy. Cole was right; they couldn't explain away the symptoms. They didn't really have a choice. They could run now, while she was weak and still recovering and now on top of it going through withdrawal. Or they could wait. She looked up into his grey eyes. She could see how much it hurt him to ask her. She knew he understood what this meant, how deep this betrayal went. She looked away again. Her nod was almost imperceptible.

He slipped his fingers beneath her chin and tinted her face towards him. She was surprised to feel him so close all of a sudden. Her breath caught in her throat. He leaned in very slowly as if waiting to see if she would pull away. His lips brushed hers lightly. Shane felt as if someone had sent an electric current through her body. She had never felt someone this close, this intimately. She had been kissed before but it never felt like this. Cole slipped his bottom lip against his descending fang and kissed her again, pressing his lips against her soft ones, letting a small trickle of blood flow towards her mouth. She felt his lips against hers more urgently. The heat in her body seemed to focus in on her chest, where her beating heart threatened to burst. Just the kiss was enough to make her forget the pain of her injuries, the weakness in her body and the added misery of her withdrawal. She felt a heady rush of excitement. But then his blood hit her tongue. No longer diluted, the blood felt like it was burning her mouth, the bitter, painful flavor seemed all too much. She broke away, breathing hard as it hit her system. The heat receded immediately. She felt her muscles soften and her head clear. Her body relaxed, finally getting what it needed. It felt so good; the thought made he sick.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She couldn't bear to look up into his eyes. She didn't want to see his face. She nodded miserably. She tried to hold back. She had never cried in front of anyone. It had been years since she had given into the emotions that would let her break down. But with everything that had happened, the world she had known, unmovable in it's loneliness and routine was a distant memory. She felt the horror of an unknown future for the first time. Even after she was taken she knew they would use her as her father had. Now she was alone with a vampire who seemed to care. What was she supposed to do with that? How was she meant to act? To feel? Her tired and beaten body was about to suffer an even worse round of withdrawal. She might not make it like the others. She had come so far, cheated death and yet she was facing it again. She was so tired; the idea of more pain was too much. The weakness in her body kept her from clamping down as all of these questions crashed down on her. She couldn't keep it back.

Cole wrapped his arms around the girl as she cried quietly into his chest. He felt heartbroken, dirty, for what he had done. The thought of what others had done to her was overwhelming. He wished he could take it away, all of her pain and her solitude. She had saved him, alone, starving, half mad. If he could only return the favor. But his blood would only harm her. He had so little to offer her in return. When he had first fed from her he had tasted it, that familiar bitter flavor, mixed deep in with her blood. Was that her own blood or was it incorporated from what they had fed her? Without it the two of them may not have made it. He had needed that strength to get them this far. He couldn't tell her that. She didn't need to go looking for any good in this situation.

He held her close, running his hands through her chestnut waves. What would become of them? He had a house they would go to after they left here. No one knew about it. He'd left it for just such a time. And this girl? What would happen to her? She had been treated little better than a dog for her entire life. This miracle of a creature had been played with and forgotten, neglected and finally sent to her death with little thought to the person living inside her skin. For now, she would heal. He hated to think of what was to come. He had watched an entire group of vampires consume themselves with their addictions during the Boxer Rebellion. While the world filled with opium they had found their own way to destroy themselves. Cole tried not to think of their burning eyes and twitching bodies as they lost control. They had pleaded for his help and he had nothing to offer them. He would not fail this time.

Shane continued to cry softly against him. He was grateful she wasn't recoiling from him. He couldn't help to feel like part of the problem. He kissed the top of her head, holding her close. He felt her tears stop but he kept holding her until she raised her face to look up at him. This close, her eyes were a terrifying blend of human and vampire; the deep green color was oversaturated, almost glowing. After her tears they were so bright it made his breath catch in his chest. He couldn't bring himself to let her go just yet. The electricity between them was interrupted as they heard one of the humans coming to the door. She pulled away from him but he shook his head and smiled.

"Let her catch us," he said and leaned in to her. Her lips were the softest things he had ever felt. When he kissed her he felt like his entire being was leaping towards her. He had to remind himself not to hold her too tight. He wanted to, to hold her to him and keep her in his arms forever. The doctor's heartbeat came to the door and he heard it swing open as she knocked. He broke the kiss, much to his dismay and turned to the small woman standing in the door.

"Oh, oh my, I'm sorry." The doctor blushed deeply. "I wanted to see if you were hungry. I'll come back. Sorry... so sorry." She grabbed the door and closed it a bit too fast, slamming it loudly. "Sorry!" they heard through the door. Cole turned back towards Shane and smiled at her. She surprised him by giggling and resting her head on his shoulder. Maybe she would be ok.

"Let me get you something to eat," he said after a minute. "You haven't eaten anything in almost a week." She nodded against him and he slid to standing. "You are going to be okay Shane. You are stronger than you think you are. You can do this."

Cole came upon Greta, John and Shelly in the kitchen.

"How is she doing?" Greta asked. She had been worried sick for days. Being helpless was not a usual occurrence for her. Cole understood that but he was beginning to lose his patience with her.

"Much, much better. Thank you. I can't thank you enough for all of your help." He nodded at John who inclined his head in response. "I was hoping to bring her something to eat. Nothing too hard though." Greta nearly leapt at the chance to get something done.

"Give me 5 minutes. I'll heat up some stew for her." John moved towards Cole and leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms across his chest.

"She's really turned around huh? Boy, when you guys first got here I was real scared she wasn't gonna wake up." He reached out and grasped Cole's shoulder. "I sure am glad you found us."

"As am I, John. I don't know how to repay you." John shrugged him off.

"Don't you go talking like that. You'd do the same for us if the roles were reversed."

Cole tried to keep his face earnest. He was hungry. Animal blood would only take him so far. Sooner or later he was going to need to feed. He had tried to find other people but Greta and John's cabin retreat was far away from the closest town. Cole hoped he wouldn't be forced to do something more drastic but every night he was feeding on more and more animals. He glanced over at Shelly who looked away quickly.

"Don't worry about that Doc," he said with a broad smile. "I wouldn't mind your professional opinion now that Amy is really awake." Shelly looked back at him.

"Now?"

"As good a time as any," he said and walked back to Shane's door with her. He walked in first. "Amy," he said as a warning. Shane looked up from her half seated position to him. "The doctor wants to make sure you are doing okay. Is that alright?" Shane looked puzzled but she nodded. Cole knew the doctor would not be satisfied until she checked in on Shane and she hadn't left in 3 days. He didn't like her suspicious looks. If she left he may have a chance to feed.

"Sorry to bother you again. I just want to make sure you're in good shape before I leave," Shelly said as she moved towards the bed.

"You're going?" Shane asked. Cole smiled inwardly; Shane was as good an actress as he could have hoped for. She picked up on his cues and played the humans well.

"Yes missy," Shelly said as she checked Shane's blood pressure, heart and lungs. "I've got other patients to look after and while this has been a pleasant vacation you seem to have gotten better in no time and it looks like I'm not needed." Shelly lifted the covers to look at the bruises on Shane's body. Though they were healing faster than usual they had been deep and her ribs were still several shades of purple and yellow. "Nothing to be done about these though. They look like they are getting better. I'll ask John if he has any cream that might take the edge off. Now listen Amy, eat, sleep and then tomorrow I think you can try walking. Cole, you should help her with this. You are going to tire fast but a few days ago I would have been relieved if you were awake at this point. Don't get discouraged. You are making great progress." The doctor gave Shane a strange look. "Anything else? Do you feel anything different now than before you fell, save the bruises?" Shane shook her head. That was an odd question.

"Are you leaving tonight, doctor?" Cole asked. He tried to keep his voice light but something in Shane's look told him she knew something was going on.

"Yes I think so. It's time to get back to my own bed." Shelly was avoiding his gaze. He wanted to write it off as her being embarrassed by walking in on them but he knew better. She was suspicious of him, of them. Since the first night they arrived she had been questioning things she should have accepted at face value.

"Has anyone reported this to the authorities?" Cole asked, using the same conversational tone.

"Not yet," Shelly said with a shrug more to Shane than to Cole. "I have a log of your injuries. I figured when you were back on your feet you could come in to town and we'd go together." Cole could see that Shane had picked up the lie. What was this doctor playing at? Why was she lying? If she had details of Shane's injuries someone might recognize the vampire attack. If anyone was still looking for him they might be able to get information from this doctor. Her lies complicated this situation. There were too many unanswered questions. The doctor glanced up at him, visibly nervous. Maybe his mask was slipping. He smiled sweetly at her.

"Well we will be sure to do that. I'd say Amy and I will be in town in a few days and the three of us will go."

The doctor nodded, again avoiding eye contact. She opened her mouth to speak but there was a tap at the door. Greta peeked in with a tray in hand.

"Hello, I brought some food," she said cautiously. She had yet to meet the girl who had been sleeping in her house for several days now.

"Of course, thank you so much," Cole said, opening the door the rest of the way to let her in. "Greta, this is Amy. Amy, this is Greta. She's been kind enough to take us in the last few days."

Greta stood by the door looking at Shane. "It's so nice to meet you. You have no idea how worried we were." She moved over towards the bed with the food, still talking. "When you showed up you were white as a sheet of paper. Shelly had to give you a blood transfusion on our couch! Imagine that! Oh it was just terrible. We are so glad you woke up so soon. Really, stay as long as you want. John and I are just thrilled that you are getting better."

Shane shot Cole a panicked look. This human may be more than she could deal with. She looked back at Greta. "Thank you," she said in a quiet voice. "You are really too kind." Greta set the tray over Shane's legs.

"Oh, forget it. I wish I could do more. This is my mother's recipe. John got this deer himself and I made some stew. It'll do you good. You need to put some meat back on your bones." Shelly started moving towards the door. She was hoping to sneak out with all of Greta and Cole's attention on Shane. Cole wasn't fooled.

"You already leaving already doctor?" Cole called out. Shelly halted by the door. Greta came in very useful.

"Oh Shelly! You can't leave in just as it's getting dark. It's too far. Stay with us. I'll wake you up bright and early tomorrow. Don't you worry. No one is getting sick tonight in town. Besides you know how treacherous the roads will be."

Shelly opened her mouth to argue and closed it. Cole could feel waves of anxiety coming off of her. Her heart started beating faster. He looked over at Shane to see if she'd heard it as well. Shane gave him a look and the tiniest nod. He was going to have to find a moment to speak with this woman, alone.

"Alright. I'll be off early though," Shelly said and hurried from the room. Something was very strange.

Greta, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to any tension. She continued chatting with Shane, rarely taking a breath. For a country woman she certainly had a lot to say. Shane started to relax once it became clear she didn't actually have to say much and got to eat the stew. Cole could almost feel her relax. Thank god. They needed to get out of here. He had suddenly become very aware of the precarious position he was in. He had no idea why, three years ago, he was lured to the woods, impaled with silver and forced to starve slowly for years. He didn't know who was after him, how many were involved, if they were werewolves, vampire or something else. He didn't know what kind of information they had on him. He knew next to nothing about Shane and she knew less than he did.

He looked at her again. If he had found her beautiful while she was sleeping it was nothing compared to now. Awake and alive she practically glowed. What kind of monster keeps a girl like this locked up in some distant cabin to live far away from any kind of joy. And what kind of magic was she that through all that she was still open, funny and warm. In her place most people would be cold and angry. She caught him looking at her and smiled. His breath caught in his throat. She was beautiful.

Greta chattered away. Cole decided to take this opportunity to find out more about the doctor. He gave Shane a wink and slipped out the door. He walked silently through the house towards the two heartbeats he could hear upstairs. He padded silently down the hall to the door at the far end. He could hear one of the hearts beating faster than the other. Shelly was lying again.

"...home. I've been here for two days now. I just need to get back." Cole heard Shelly moving around the room, sounded like packing.

"Relax," John's voice carried through the crack in the door. "Take it easy for a minute, doc. You don't need to be on call for every person in town 24 hours a day. What's the rush all of a sudden to go tonight?"

Shelly stopped moving. Cole leaned in to hear if she was whispering. She took a breath. "Nothing, it's nothing." Her tone was overly light. "I just need to make a call that's all. I left the number in my office."

John laughed, "Well shit Shelly, who is gonna be up in the middle of the night when you get there? I'm getting up with the crows tomorrow so don't you worry. We will have you packed off at first light."

Cole slipped away before John immerged, disappearing down the stairs in a blur of movement. There was something going on with the doctor. He would find out. He would also get what he needed from her shortly.

Greta continued to talk as Shane ate the stew. Cole had already slipped out and Shane was finding it difficult to focus on what this woman was saying to her as she listened for the events in the house. She knew the doctor was lying, but what about? Were they in danger here? What did Cole know about these people? Her head started to ache from focusing on too many things. She let the two heartbeats upstairs fade away. Cole would take care of it. Greta was telling her about her kids, all grown up and moved out.

"...Sam was the first to go to college. Learning welding and getting an engineering degree. Fancy that. He's about your age. How old are you, dear?"

"21," Shane said without thinking. She should have made herself older. Cole looked like he was at least 30. They were supposed to be in a relationship for their story no? Would this woman get suspicious?

Greta grinned at her. "I was 19 when I met John. Oh he was sweet. So much older though. My parents did not approve. But they came around. Don't you worry about it. Your man seems like a great catch. And such a face. My goodness. If he weren't half my age I'd want to eat him." Shane blushed, remembering his kiss. She felt a great wave of heat settle in her belly. This didn't feel bad, just made her blood rush and her lips tingle with the thought of him there. As if on cue, Cole stepped back into the room, cause her blush to deepen. Greta stood up from the bed, practically beaming at the two of them. "Well I'll just clear this plate real quick. It's getting late. I'll see you in the morning."

Cole looked at Shane as Greta moved out of the room. "You two have a good night!" she called over her shoulder. Cole gave Shane a slightly puzzled look. She blushed deeper and looked away. She needed to change the subject, anything to distract her from the tight feeling in her chest and the burning in her cheeks.

"What's going on with the doctor?" she whispered, partly so has not to be heard, partly so she could find her voice again. Cole came over to the side of the bed and sat down next to her. It wasn't helping. His nearness made her head buzz. She had been too surprised and distressed before to anticipate his kiss. Now her hands shook as he came closer.