Forever Owned Ch. 03

Cassidy stirred slowly, one sense awakening at a time. It was a smell that had roused her, a sweet and pleasant smell that reminded her of summer at her childhood cabin on Lake Michigan. It smelled like wet earth and cool night air. As the smell wrapped itself around her, her other senses emerged. She heard pounding music and loud voices, though the sounds were muffled and somewhat distant. Slowly, she realized that she was not sleeping in her own bed, where she usually required complete quiet to fall asleep. She felt warm, though. The blanket that she was wrapped in was flannel, it had that comfortable downy feeling that blankets only got when they had been used for years.

She cracked her eyes open, wincing as dim lighting hit her retinas. Where was she? The room she was in was dark, two windows were covered by thick curtains, though it was obvious that it was dark outside as well. The room was small and sparse. She lay on a dark wood futon that was cushioned nicely. Colors were hard to make out in the dim lighting, but she was pretty sure the walls were a slate gray color. The ceilings were high and accented with dark wooden beams, the floors were also a worn dark wood but the entire room looked as if it had been well cared for over the years. A grey, red and black area rug covered the floor near the futon. The only light in the room came from a wood burning fireplace in the corner of the room.

Cassidy rose slightly off the futon, grasping the comforter around her. She smiled slightly at the pattern on the comforter, which appeared to be frolicking orange moose and pine trees. It did not exactly fit in with the rest of the room. As she clasped the comforter closer to her body she gasped as she realized she was naked under the blanket. What had happened?!

"I brought you here after you were hurt..."

Cassidy jumped at the unexpected voice, nearly dropping the comforter from her bare bosom. She whipped her head around and saw the stranger from the bar standing very still near the fireplace. He made no move towards her and did not seem very threatening, but as the whole club night came back to her; the bar, Garrett, the near-rape, the fight between him and this stranger. Cassidy began to back up on the comforter and gave a little involuntary squeak as she did so. Oh yeah, that should fend off the crazy axe murderer.

"Please...don't be nervous. I promise not to hurt you..."

Cassidy relaxed slightly. Apparently her rescuer was not very chatty...

"Where am I?" She asked, checking her voice. Her voice cracked, her throat was dry. She licked her lips but it did not do much good.

He took a tentative step towards her, she saw him bring his left hand up and rub the back of his neck. She smiled slightly, thinking that he looked a lot like her when she was nervous and twirled her hair. "I can't tell you where exactly, but you're in my apartment above a bar called 'Whistler's Gulch.' That's the sound downstairs...it's almost 2 AM on November 3rd. You've been unconscious for almost five days. You got pretty beat up by...by tha' guy in the bar and you had to heal a bit..."

She noticed that he didn't really seem to look at her in the eye, his gaze shifted to nearly every other space of the room. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. She couldn't believe that she had been unconscious for five days, but, moving around, she realized that bones she thought had been broken seemed only slightly sore and her pale skin that normally bruised so easily, appeared clear. She had to get some better answers.

First things first. "Who are you?"

The man glanced towards her quickly and the second that their eyes met, Cassidy felt an array of emotions; intense sorrow, overwhelming loss, suspicion, curiosity, and (perhaps most of all) a crushing sense of longing. Immediately, Cassidy wanted to move to him and comfort him -- only a man with a very sordid past could look like that. Almost as instantly as the feelings came over her, they stopped.

As he made no move to answer her, she repeated, "Who are you?"

He sighed, "I apologize. It's been a long time since my verbal skills were necessary. My name is Hunter, and I'm quite possibly your greatest enemy..."

Cassidy squinted her eyes at him, trying to deduce what he could possibly mean. He had somehow saved her life, he had nursed her back to health, allowed her to sleep in his rooms and now he was telling her that he was somehow dangerous. "How do you mean?" Cassidy asked timidly.

Without missing a beat, the stranger began rattling, "Your name is Cassidy Delia Bennett, but everyone close to you calls you Dee. You love sports of all kinds, but classic team sports are your favorites. You're 22 years old. You hate your freckles. Your parents still live in the UP of Michigan, you have four older brothers. You love country music, but you're often embarrassed by the fact. You hate that you don't fit in with other women in Chicago. Your greatest fear is not getting the most out of your life. You have an orange tom cat named Jasper, but you really want a dog even though your apartment doesn't allow them. You once tried blonde highlights in your hair but then hid it in ball caps for three months. You don't watch much television but you love Gilmore Girls, SportsCenter, and How I met your Mother. You love comedy movies. You want to get married someday, but only to someone who appreciates your career goals..."

She raised her hand to stop him, "Okay. How do you know all that? Have you been stalking me? Sitting outside my window at night jerking a load?"

His lips twitched as if he wanted to smile but couldn't bring himself to do it. "No, nothing like that. I am..." he stopped talking and his ears pricked slightly. She started to ask what was going on, but she shushed her. "I'll give you answers, I promise...but we need to leave. Right now. Get dressed..." he threw a pair of jeans and a white 'wife beater' tank top along with the thong she wore the night of the club and the matching bra. She blushed slightly but started to change as he turned around. Just as she had zipped up the jeans she went to move towards him to tell him to just take her home when the door to the room exploded inwards. Cassidy screamed and Hunter pushed her gently against the wall and blocked her from whatever it was coming in the door.

After the dust had cleared she saw two hideous faces standing the doorway. Both looked vaguely human, one male and one female, but their brows were wrinkled sinisterly, their mouths were turned into menacing growls. She gasped as the man on the left spoke, "Give her up, Hunter! She drew blood! No one has a claim on her except Raius! Especially after you killed Koritt without cause!"

Glancing at Hunter to see his reaction to all of this, she gasped as she saw his handsome facial features had morphed into faces like their attackers. His seemed more human though, she couldn't put her finger on why but he still looked extremely handsome. His sensual mouth opened to speak and she saw his incisors were twice their normal size. Cassidy shook her head, this was like something out of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

"Raius will not have her," was all Hunter said before the two attackers fell on the floor -- writhing in pain. Hunter turned to her, his face back to normal, "Out the window! Now."

Cassidy moved towards the window, but suddenly she was tripped up. She looked down at a pain shooting up her leg and saw that the female had grabbed her ankle and was pulling her down to the ground with a superhuman strength that seemed impossible. Behind her, Hunter hissed, and the woman began screaming again and as she took her hand away from Cassidy's flesh, Cassidy noticed that the woman's palm was smoldering and beginning to painfully blister.

Hunter grabbed Cassidy's hand and before she could stop him, they had climbed upon the windowsill and he had picked her up as if she weighed nothing. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes, screaming as she felt them step off the sill. She opened her eyes moments later, realizing that the snapping of broken bones that she had expected never came. She felt her rapid breath and noticed that Hunter did not seem to have the same affliction of fear as her. She looked up into his dazzling green eyes and her breath quickened even more. He was staring at her with an intensity she had never known before.

Suddenly, he dropped her. She was so unprepared for it that she ended up landing straight on her tailbone. She cursed out loud and she heard Hunter wince and chuckle above her, before offering her his hand. She graciously accepted and he pulled her up. When their hands met, heat flooded up her arm and little waves fluttered in her belly. He broke the contact quickly. She looked around and saw they were outside a seedy little motel, surrounded by trees. She saw lightning in the distance and could feel static in the air...a storm was coming.

He started to walk towards the motel office but she chased after him and blocked him, "What the heck do you think you are doing?!" she practically screamed at him.

He seemed surprised by her outburst but he stopped and looked at her, "Checking us in?"

She shook her head, "Ohhhhh no, mister. You owe me answers! What the hell was that back there?! Who are you?!!"

He sighed, "I'll explain everything, but can I do it in a room that will keep us dry? We only have a few moments to spare." He continued to walk towards the office and Cassidy started laughing uncontrollably. It seemed as if everything over the past week was releasing itself in a fit of laughter. She laughed so hard that tears were rolling down her face and she barely noticed that Hunter had grabbed her hand and was leading her towards a room. The second that he unlocked the door to room 12, the sky opened up and big fat raindrops began pelting them. He ushered her inside and shook his head like a dog, spraying her with some water from his hair. Even wet, he looked like a god.

Cassidy moved to sit on the big queen bed that was in the center of the room, barely noticing as he fussed around the room, turning on the heat and locking the door. Finally he sighed and moved to sit by her, though not close enough to come into contact with her. She looked at him as he gathered his thoughts. She frowned, he seemed so tired. She moved her hand up to his flawless face. He seemed surprised by the contact, but he welcomed it. His skin was tan, but freezing. She slowly traced the line of his scar back to his left ear and scooted closer to him. She heard his intake of breath but continued to allow her ministrations. She ran her fingers through his short, russet hair, smiling at its softness.

"You know what I am." He stated simply. She stopped her actions and lowered her hands, surprisingly, though, he grasped her hand with his own and squeezed it slightly.

She nodded, "I think so. I mean...I never thought...vampires actually exist?"

"Yes. But we are no' like the vampires from stories. We are much more terrible..." Listening to him, she spun towards him and brought her legs up to the bed, ready for a long story. She grinned listening to his Irish brogue...despite herself, she found it sexy. "We are mostly unaffected by sunlight or holy water, though prolonged exposure to sunlight is vaguely annoying and some of the youngest of us can be burned by it. We don't sleep in crypts or are killed by stakes through the heart. We live amongst our prey. We have our own societies and monarchies. The entire 'life' purpose of a vampire is to become powerful or stand aside for others to do so. Many of us have special powers that we are endowed with at our creation. Some are more useful than others and some even help on the rise for power. Because of it, we can live eternally if you are good at it..." He seemed lost for words. She understood; he must rarely have to explain this whole thing.

"How do you gain power? Do you have any powers that others don't have?" She surprised herself by asking questions. She realized that he did not scare her, even though he should.

He nodded but answered slowly, "Yes, I have some powers that others of my kind do not. Power can be gained a few different ways. Many of the specialized powers come when a vam...a vampire is created. Frankly, no one really understands it fully. The theory is that the more painful and terrible the transition from human to vampire is, the more power is instinctual. Power beyond that is gained by killing vampires more powerful than yourself...dethroning them so-to-say."

"You can throw others across the room. You can hold them in place just by looking at them. You can read minds. You don't get hurt easily. You move quicker than anything I've ever seen. You can cause unimaginable pain without touching anyone. You can sense danger coming... how much of that is a normal vampire and how much is you?" Cassidy asked, almost scared of the answer.

He rubbed the back of his neck and coughed slightly, "Well, most vampires can read minds very easily. Most have enhanced senses...they can hear, smell, taste, and move things more intensely than humans. Most have immeasurable strength and can heal quickly. The rest...well...much of what I can do are specialized powers. You've named most of them..."

Her mouth dropped open. Most of them?! That means... "So, you are very powerful?"

He shrugged, and she took that as a reluctant 'yes.'

"What did Garrett mean when he said 'you don't rule anybody anymore?'"

He closed his eyes, lost in thought, "Back when I was first created, I was very power-hungry. And I rose in power rather quickly. I ruled a monarchy for a while... I guess technically I still do because I have never been challenged for it...but I no longer act upon it."

"Wow." Cassidy realized there were not words for what he was telling her, "What about what that vampire at your apartment said? About handing me over? About Garrett?"

He winced again, "I'm so sorry..."

"What?!" She began to panic.

He began again, "Koritt was my brother. Not by blood," he explained quickly, "But our creators were the same man. He always was jealous of my instinctive power and fought me on nearly everything I earned. His special power was manipulating feelings of those around him, and he often used it for rape. When I saw him at the club I knew what he was going to do and I had to stop him. Unfortunately, I was too late before you drew his blood. In vampire society, a human drawing blood on a vampire is the equivalency of a blood claim. It means that if Koritt were to have survived, he would be the only vampire who had a claim to drain you, change you, enslave you... basically touch you in any manner."

Cassidy sighed in relief, thank god he was dead. "Why do you call him Koritt? Was his name actually not Garrett?"

Side-stepping, Hunter explained, "When vampires are created, they are given a 'true' name. Many vampires keep their human names as everyday names because knowing another vampire's true name gives you some power over them. Koritt was his true name while Garrett was the name he had when he was human."

"Is Hunter your true name or human name?" She asked, but he shook his head. She realized that she may never get that answer.

Hunter began again, "Unfortunately, because I hastily...got rid of Koritt...it means that technically your blood claim moves to Garrett's creator...my creator, Raius."

Cassidy shuddered at the name, not knowing why. At this point, she realized that she felt very cold in her light layer of clothing and she started to shiver.

Hunter seemed to notice as well, "You're freezing. You should take a hot shower. I'll dig through some things of mine and find you something warmer."

Cassidy nodded, not quite sure how to respond now knowing that her suspicions were true and that things she had thought were only bed time stories were really true. She turned back to Hunter, "Does this mean that I am going to be hunted? That I am on the run?"

Hunter was silent, but one of his rare smiles donned his face and he answered, "I will not let anything happen to you. This is my fault. But frankly...I may be your only answer."

Cassidy flipped her dark hair and headed towards the bathroom, shivering all the way.

After allowing the hot water to cascade over her sore body for almost an hour, Cassidy stretched and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a fluffy towel. She noticed that Hunter set a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt on the dry sink for her to sleep in. He thinks of everything she chuckled to herself. After changing, she stepped silently into the main room. She smiled slightly as she saw Hunter sprawled out on the queen sized bed, sleeping. In his sleep, he looked so normal. The sorrow that normally overrode his features disappeared and he even had a slight crooked smile. She moved towards him and went to brush his face with her hand like she had before, not being able to help herself.

At the first slight contact she made with him he woke and grabbed her, rolling her body underneath his own, his face back to the taunt vampire face. He held her completely immobile and even squeezed her arms above her head. She yelped loudly, and recognition crossed Hunter's face. His skin relaxed and his teeth shrunk back to normal size. He stared down at her unmoving, lithe, slim body but made no move to release her, though his grip became much softer.

She stared into his clear green eyes, and he smiled as he looked into her amber ones. Her small, pert breasts were heaving due to the scare factor. He sighed as he felt his member pressing painfully against the denim of his jeans. He tried to ignore her. All he had wanted was to help this girl that had caught his attention so fully when he so rarely found someone that entertained him as she did. He found himself entranced in her stubbornness, her bravery, her nonjudgmental questioning of the life he had come to hate.

Moments passed with neither one of them moving, other than Cassidy's breathing, which had slowed considerably. Ever so slowly, testing his self-control, Hunter moved his face towards Cassidy's. Her scent engulfed him, and he nearly lost control right there. As he got closer, she moaned ever so slightly, and that was the end of him. He crushed her lips with his own.

Cassidy lost control of herself the second they came into contact with each other. Her tongue strained to dance with his, her hands wrapped around the base of his neck and traveled up to run her fingers through his downy hair. In the back of her mind, she worried that she might cut her tongue on his sharp incisors but it was a fleeting thought. Her brain was soon too filled with his scent, his taste, his feel, to worry at all about such trivial things.

She smiled as she felt the muscles in his neck and shoulders twitch under her touch. His mouth worked magic on her lips -- his taste was like a magical elixir...she couldn't get enough of him! She felt his hands run down her shoulders and down the side of her stomach and down to her hips. His touch was gentle, but it caused a fire at her skin and ice to flow in her veins. Moisture pooled at her pussy lips. She didn't know if she had ever been so turned on. The broom-closet, groping make out sessions that she'd had with her college boyfriends could not compare to this onslaught of pure lust.

His lips crept away from her lips and down the base of her neck. She arched her back to offer more skin to him, but as she did, he flew backwards and backed up against the wall. His eyes were closed, his face turned from her. She noticed for the first time that his breath was not erratic like hers, in fact...he did not breath at all. Cassidy sat up, pushing her raven locks out of her face, noting that her pale skin must be bright red with excitement and embarrassment.