Into the Darkness

What was this she was feeling about him? Was it gratitude that he'd saved her life, or did she really just like him that much? Lei was confused. She'd had a trying past few days, to put it lightly. She still wanted to see her family. But remembering June's story, maybe it was best she stayed away.

She leaned up and punched the pillow in disgust. She didn't know what she wanted, who she was, or what the rest of her life was going to be like. She didn't even have her own clothes. Tears sprang to her eyes and she angrily dashed them away. There was no time for crying. She never gave into it often before, and she certainly wasn't going to now.

The door gave its familiar creak, and Lei's eyes opened. Of course it was Draven, and he had an odd expression on his face.

"What's wrong now?"

"Nothing. You just never shut your mind, so I've been hearing you the whole time."

"That's just fantastic." Lei closed her eyes, embarrassed of what he'd heard.

"Don't be embarrassed. I've just never heard your thoughts that completely before." He took his chair.

"What do we do now, Draven? What's life like now? Do I work? Do I stay here, imprisoned in this gilded cage?"

"Eventually, you can go back to work. I just can't answer you when. But I do have a feeling you're not going to change all the way. I think you just acquired the good parts of being a vampire, without this bloodlust business." He tried to smile.

"So I'd be safe to be out in public?"

"As far as I know. You haven't been around a human since this happened. Tomorrow, I'll take you into a town and see how you react. If nothing happens, then...I guess you're free to go." For some reason this made him uncomfortable. He tried to tell himself that it was because he didn't know for sure if she was going to stay as she was. But deep down, he knew differently.

"You won't let me do anything stupid, will you?"

"Of course not. You'll be completely safe."

Silent tears fell, leaving twin trails on her cheeks. Draven moved in and cupped her face, catching them with his thumbs.

"Come on, don't cry. You can go shopping. Women like shopping. You can get new clothes and shoes and...a purse! Women like shoes and purses." Draven tried to get her to smile, and finally a slight quirk of her lips broke free.

"So stereotypical. I'm surprised at you." Lei sniffled.

Draven dropped his hands and acted offended. "It is not. It's a proven fact."

They both ignored the real issues and the events of the day. Lei just wasn't ready to try and sort that out quite yet.

"Hey, it will be daylight. Is that going to be okay?"

"Yeah. We do have to go out sometimes in the day. There's a strip mall that is lined with trees. I can hang in the shade. It'll be fine."

The next morning came, dreary and rainy. It was also pretty chilly for so early in the fall. Lei was grateful that Draven had never tied her back up. She supposed since he could see into her mind, he would know if she was about to make a break for it. But the truth was that she didn't really have a desire to escape. It wasn't like they were trying to harm her in any way. She did want to get back to her loved ones, but she would wait until it was safe.

Up early, with the sun barely trying to make its presence known, Lei drew herself a bubble bath. The smell of lavender rose up to greet her and she felt a smile touch her lips. Ahh, simple pleasures, but they were heady. Who would have thought a bubble bath could bring that much joy? She stripped out of her pajamas and stepped into the fragrant water, easing down until just her head and knees showed.

Lei had turned on the radio on the counter, and rock music played quietly in the background. She'd laughed at her choice for her relaxation time, but it was the only station that came in without any static. She gripped the edge of the tub with one hand and closed her eyes. She didn't want to drown in the tub. That would be counter-productive. That startled a laugh from herself, and after yesterday, she couldn't believe she felt this normal.

Draven made his way to Lei's room, curious to why he sensed her being up and about so early. He hoped yesterday hadn't spooked her too badly, and that she wasn't planning to make a run for it. He opened her door as quietly as he could, and saw that she wasn't in the bed. A frown furrowed his brow as he gave a quick search of the room. Finally he smelled lavender and saw light coming from under the bathroom door.

Of course. She was up getting ready for their day. Draven couldn't begin to puzzle out why he was so drawn to her. It seemed like if he was away from her for too long, he got antsy, and that just wasn't like him. He tried to blame it on the fact he was worried about her getting away, but he knew deep down that had very little to do with it. But discovering what 'it' was, was proving to be a challenge.

Just to be sure she wasn't setting him up; Draven moved to the bathroom door and opened it slowly. He should have known he had nothing to worry about. Music was playing quietly, and Lei laid in the tub, her fingers tapping out the beat on the edge. Her head was back, eyes closed, and all that was exposed was her knees. Fluffy bubbles encased her, and she looked like she wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

Draven studied her for a moment, drinking in her face, the way her eyebrows arched, the way her lashes cast tiny shadows on her cheeks. There wasn't much else to see, other than her hair being piled on top of her head, and tendrils stuck to the curve of her neck. He literally felt his mouth water at those curls and he was jealous of the way they were allowed to cling to that sweet, pale skin.

He felt his teeth lengthen, and quickly looked away. That was more of an arousal reaction than a blood thirsty one, but he didn't want to take any chances. Draven moved from the doorway quietly and closed the door behind him. He sat in the wingback chair and waited for her to return to the bedroom.

Lei finally had enough relaxing, surprised that she hadn't fallen asleep. She credited the lively music for that. Quickly washing her hair, she scrubbed her body, rinsed and got out. She dried off a little and wrapped her hair in the towel, then grabbed a new one to wrap around her body. Turning up the music a little, she opened the door to let the steam out and danced to the cupboard for lotion.

Slathering herself up, she sang along with the radio, and gyrated her hips while she put mousse in her hair. Another song she knew came on, and Lei squealed in excitement. It was one of her favorites, and she hadn't heard it forever. She turned it up a little more, and danced around while she moisturized and powdered her face. She had to stop moving long enough to put her make up on, but that didn't take long. Lei headed out of the bathroom, singing and dancing her way to the dresser.

She was, obviously, clueless to the fact Draven was waiting in the wings.

He was loathe to stop her. She was so free. So light. So happy. He didn't want that to end. But he knew it would soon enough, and it was probably better to alert her to his presence than to let her figure it out for herself. He really enjoyed watching her though, and part of that troubled him.

"You're up bright and early."

"Whha!" Lei spun around, slamming her rear end into the dresser.

"Sorry." Draven did his best to look sheepish. But he felt like the cat that got the cream.

"Holy crap, you scared me half to death!" Lei rolled her eyes at the choice of words.

"I didn't want to disturb you. You have a beautiful voice. And you've got some moves on ya." He flashed a grin, and Lei felt it to her toes.

"If I knew I had an audience, I would have tried harder." She recovered from her shock admirably.

"If you knew you had an audience, you wouldn't have been half as free. I enjoyed watching you, even if it makes me a pervert." Another thousand watt smile.

"Only a little bit. I'm almost ready. When does that mall thingy open?"

"Eight I believe, but if not, we'll grab coffee and breakfast."

"Oh, that sounds good either way." Lei turned back to the dresser and dug around for a pair of panties.

Draven felt like he should do the gentlemanly thing and leave her for some privacy. But something stronger kept him in his chair.

Lei walked to the closet, seeming unaffected that she was wearing nothing but a smile and a towel, but that was far from true. She was attracted to Draven like no one would believe, and she was secretly aroused that he was seeing her in such a compromising way. However, he'd held her while she was dripping wet and naked in the shower only days ago, so this should be a piece of cake. Maybe that was why she wasn't self-conscious.

Draven didn't track her movements by turning his head, but he kept her in his peripheral vision. He watched as she pulled out a pair of jeans and checked the size, and then pulled the panties and pants up under her towel. She never asked him to leave or turn his head. He got a flash of upper thigh and a peek of her ass, but that was about it. She dug deeper into the closet and produced a white tank top with a built in bra, and tugged that on over her head as she let the towel drop.

That time, he got a quick peek of her breasts, but a longer glance at her tummy before she tugged the shirt the rest of the way down. Her skin looked so soft that his hands longed to touch it. He wanted his fingers trailing over that expanse of skin, wanted to kiss it, to taste her.

Draven mentally shook himself. This was not a great time to be fantasizing about her. They were about to be alone for the day. No way to get away from her and get her out of his system.

Lei fluffed her hair as she looked for something to put on over the tank top, and finally settled on a hunter green sweater. It was a little small, but it would have to do. She turned to tell Draven she was ready, but the look in his eyes stopped her cold.

He looked like...he wanted to devour her. But somehow she knew that he didn't want to suck her blood. It was that sexually charged, devour your soul kind of look. It was intense enough she hissed a breath through her teeth. Draven glanced up and met her eyes, and Lei swallowed hard. His eyes flickered down to her throat for a split second, and then he met her gaze again.

"I'm ready." Her voice was husky.

"I see that." Draven stood, trying to shake off the effects of his lust. It didn't work very well.

Lei thought that maybe if he kissed her, that would satisfy some curiosity and they could go on about their business. But the look on his face said that he doubted it.

As they drove closer to town, Lei could smell something. Her mind opened in her confusion, and Draven almost hit the brakes and turned around.

"It's humans."

"That's what I smell? That's what they smell like?"

"Yes. Do you want to go back?"

"No. It isn't...appealing to me, if you know what I mean. It's just weird." Lei sat back in her seat.

Overall, the day was uneventful. She did sniff out a few that were appealing, but she still had enough human in her that sucking their blood was a turn off. Draven was tapped into her thoughts and sighed with relief. They had had a nice time, even if he couldn't always accompany her into stores. Lei had managed to buy several pairs of jeans, enough shirts for two weeks, panties, a couple new bras, and a few pairs of shoes. And yes, she walked out of the shoe store with a new purse. Draven had laughed and shot her a look that said she proved his point. To which Lei stuck out her tongue. He laughed again.

Much to her surprise, her stomach growled as they headed back into the country. It was only a little after noon, and they hadn't eaten breakfast, though they did grab a cup of coffee.

Draven more heard it mentally than with his ears, and he chuckled.

"Want to stop?"

"No, I'll make something at the house. I'd just as soon get you out of the sunlight."

"It's no trouble."

"It's fine, Draven."

Lei knew she had said his name before...but it tasted good on her tongue. This time was different. The shape her lips made as she pronounced it, the way her tongue hit the back of her teeth on the 'd'. Even the way her breath whooshed from her mouth as she finished the sentence felt erotic. A glance to the side proved she wasn't the only one to hear it.

Draven's jaw was set, a muscle twitching down the side of his face. He white knuckled the steering wheel and kept his eyes planted firmly on the road.

"What is this, between us? I don't understand it." Lei looked down at the dashboard.

He took his time answering, and finally said, "I'm not a hundred percent sure, and I don't really understand either."

"Is this an effect of me changing?"

"Partially."

"Draven..." Again, his name felt good on her lips. He felt it too, deep in his gut.

"Typically, when you change someone, they develop affection for their maker. Usually, your maker leads you through things and teaches you. If it's a man and a women, ordinarily they end up falling in love and being together forever. Your case has been different all the way around."

"So you think that because you've been my 'teacher' I've put my affection onto you?"

"I would assume so, yes."

"I don't think so. I think...that I'm...attracted to you because I want to be. I don't think there are any magic spells and voodoo about it."

"We will probably never know." Draven shrugged a shoulder and shot her a glance.

"So what's your excuse?"

The car jerked as Draven clenched up and spun in his seat to face her.

"Excuse?"

"Yeah, and please watch the road. Maybe get back in your lane." Lei felt a smile tickle the corners of her mouth. "If your theory is that because you're my teacher, what's your excuse for being attracted to me?"

"Who says I am?" He shot back.

"Not a soul." Lei blasted him with her most wide-eyed innocent look, her emerald eyes almost glowing.

Draven growled.

"All right. I am. And I'm guessing it goes with the whole 'the teacher falls in love back' part of the story, all right?"

"All right." Lei was mocking him.

Draven couldn't figure out why she was bringing this up and what she hoped to accomplish. He didn't know what they were doing any more than she did. He didn't have all the answers, which bothered him, but there was just something about her...he wanted her for keeps. He wasn't sure she would be able to handle hearing that right now.

Lei just wanted to know if what she was feeling for him was real. She liked him, and was probably well on the road to loving him. And she was attracted to him...was she ever. Draven...she dreamt about him, thought about him when she wasn't with him. It was like her whole existence had narrowed to a pin-point, and he was the only thing she could see sometimes. Apparently, her big teddy bear wasn't ready to hear all that. So she kept to herself.

Hours later Lei lounged in her bed reading a book. Draven had disappeared the moment they got back...she figured he was hiding. In her brain she heard him deny it, which just caused her to laugh. He growled, and then she didn't hear him anymore.

"So freaking weird. Really gotta get used to that." She shook her head to clear it, then went back to her book.

Somehow, the wimpy hero in the romance novel June let her borrow paled in comparison to Draven. After only a few paragraphs, her mind drifted. She thought about his eyes, and the way they flashed at her. The way his gaze would drift to her mouth and he acted like it didn't. His sharp features; his big, protective body. She assumed the rest of him would be big as well, and the thought caused her to shiver in delight.

Lei was just warming to her mental perusal of her captor, when he appeared at her doorway. She jumped in surprise, and felt her face flush, considering the direction her thoughts had taken. Draven's eyes narrowed, but she must have been blocking because he didn't act like he'd caught on to anything.

He came and sat on the edge of her bed, facing away from her.

"I don't know what this is, Lei. I really don't. But I am obsessed with you. I don't know how to end it. Do I even want to? This is...I've never had this happen before. I've never felt like this before. And it's uncomfortable." He still wouldn't look at her. His speech was disjointed; like he'd rather be doing anything than talking about it.

"I don't know either, Draven."

Lei bit her bottom lip and eyed the back of his head, noting his stiff shoulders and posture. Before she really knew what she was doing, Lei set her book aside and got on her knees, crawling to him. With her knees on either side of his hips, she reached and ruffled his hair with one hand, and rested the other on his shoulder.

Draven turned his head slightly to the side, one eye visible as she stroked his hair. She watched the muscle clench down his cheek, and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his temple. Draven made a noise that was part moan, part grunt of dismay. He felt the heat radiating from between her thighs, and it felt so good compared to his cold. He wanted to feel that around him; the slick warmth of her cradling him between her legs. His cock lurched to attention, and he grimaced. He didn't think he had the strength to make love to her without hurting her. She was still sort-of-human. Coming in here had been a bad idea, and he turned slightly to tell her so.

Lei's face was a scant two inches from his as he turned. Her lips were full and pink, begging to be kissed. The words he meant to say drifted from his mind as he answered the siren's call that was her mouth.

Lei's blood fizzled as Draven placed his lips on hers. No, he didn't place them. He claimed hers. He took hers. He sucked her breath into his lungs and her tongue into his mouth. Within moments, Lei was gasping against him, her fingers curled in the cloth of his shirt, pulling him closer. She needed their bodies to align; needed to feel him pressing against her hot center. Draven helped pull her around so that she was straddling him. He left his hands on her ass and squeezed, pulling her down against him.

As their mouths fought, Lei ground her pelvis onto him, moaning in the back of her throat at the feel of him through the layers of clothing. Her nipples hardened as she pressed her chest to his, and she opened her eyes. Draven was looking at her. They watched each other for a moment, and finally Lei let her lids drift shut. She wanted to focus on the sensations.

Draven's hands moved to her thighs, his fingers lightly exploring. He pushed one hand between them, and used his thumb to rub against her. Lei whimpered, feeling the material press against her, slipping in her wetness to rest between her lips. Draven was mildly surprised at how ready she was, and he was still trying to talk himself out of this. It was no use.

Draven braced his arms under her ass and stood. Lei didn't miss a beat, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. She climbed his frame to get their parts aligned again, and sighed into his mouth when she felt him against her. Draven lowered them onto the bed gently, down onto Lei's back. Her hips writhed, rubbing herself against him even as she made inarticulate noises, loving the feel of his weight pressing her down.

Lei's hands stroked his back, kneading the muscles, encouraging him to continue. As if he needed any encouragement. His mind made up, he hoped it wasn't a mistake. Draven stood and began removing his clothes. Lei lifted her hips and shoved her pajama pants down the length of her legs, then sat up halfway to tear her shirt over her head.

He was on top of her again quickly, pressing her into the mattress. Their lips found purchase once more, even as Draven lurched forward. Lei's eyes flew open wide, and a scream of pure pleasure ripped from her throat as he filled her. Draven's mouth muffled it, and he drank it in. His hips moved quickly, thrusting himself inside of her again and again, and Lei gasped in surprise as she started to come.