Silver Lining Ch. 02

Malachi drums his fingers on the steering wheel, his face is set in harsh lines and I can see the beginnings of stubble along the curve of his jaw, "Most of it will be easier to understand later. If you have questions now, I will most likely answer them." Which means he will most likely be an arrogant jerk, "That isn't very nice."

I curl up, as far away from him as possible, "I'm not a nice person..." I take a moment to gather my thoughts, "So the sun is a no go? Anything else incredibly deadly I should know about?"

"Direct sunlight will burn you, partial sunlight will cause the welts you got earlier, and even if you are buried in clothes the light can still hurt, so going out in sunlight is pretty much impossible. Wood is bad, our bodies are generally pain-resistant, but most wood can pierce our flesh. It also causes wounds that heal much slower than normal wounds, the garlic rumor is false, we can eat human food although that is mostly for show, it doesn't do anything for our bodies and since we can't digest it. Well, it just comes back up. That thing about mirrors is bogus, it also makes no sense. I have no idea where that one came from..."

"Christians thought mirrors reflected the soul, and it was believed that vampires did not have souls, since they were supposedly the spawn of the devil." Malachi glances at me and I shrug, "You said me surviving the change was rare, how rare?"

"Rare enough to take note of it, most humans die when they ingest vampire blood, I had expected you to die right there. You are one in a billion... Humans aren't really turned anymore, it used to be more popular a long time ago, back when the myths were made, but it always ended badly."

I study the landscape as it flashes by, "So you have mind control, you can make people forget right? Do you have to be in the same room as them to do it?"

I feel his eyes on me, but I don't want to meet that gaze, "No, but it is more likely to work if I am in direct contact with the person."

I am tense all over, I want to ask him to make Alana forget but I can't bring forth the words, I stem the flow of tears, "Are there a lot of vampires?"

"Not as many as you might think, about one vampire for every one hundred humans, it is large enough a population since we don't really die. There are politics and all that nonsense to deal with sometimes. But usually vampires keep to themselves, an Order keeps us all in line if things get out of hand but nothing too invasive."

"So there are no vampire families or anything? Like, where did you come from? You said you weren't like me, so were you born this way?"

Malachi takes a deep breath, "Yes, well, that is a bit more complicated."

Seems like that is the only explanation he is willing to give about that, "Well, okay then... Umm, how old are you anyway?"

"I used to keep track... That was hundreds of years ago though..." HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO? My mind flashes insanely within me, ugh it is like letting a dead man touch me... "Trust me, I am very much alive, just because my body doesn't work in the same way as yours doesn't mean I'm a walking corpse."

I glance at him, his jaw is set in a hard line, it would be easy to be cruel but for some reason I resist the urge, "I'm sorry, I wouldn't have said it."

His eyes catch mine, I can feel a tinge of surprise spark from him, "Anything else you wanted to know Devyn?"

"Do you have other powers? Will I be able to do what you can do?"

Malachi smiles broadly, showing a flash of pearly white straight teeth, "Halflings don't get any powers. In answer to me, I can manipulate shadows, bend them to transport me wherever I need to be and fade into them. Almost like another dimension, maybe I'll show you, if you're a good girl."

That condescending tone throws out the banter I had started to enjoy, I close off my face and look away, "So never. Good to know how to avoid that."

"Aww, don't be such a bore my sweet. I can show you such pleasure."

"Bodily pleasure is not all there is to life."

He is silent for a long time before he starts to say something, probably some smart ass thing that will push me further from him. His mouth clicks shut and after that the drive extends into silence. I switch on the radio when it starts to get uncomfortable, the cd blares a mix I put together. The sound is intense but I like it better than endless silence, I lean my head against the window and let the steady throb of music beat away everything.

I awake to bustling, people talking around me, so much fuss, "What did you do Malachi? Seriously, what the hell are you thinking, you just disappear for weeks on end. And now this?! Jesus, Mary, and fucking Joseph. I can't even deal with you right now!"

I glance up to see a pixie-haired woman storming away, I am bundled against Malachi's chest, in a warm house, dimly lit but I can gather enough details. I start to move, "Be still Devyn." I groan and glare up at him, but he doesn't even glance at me, there are others around us, whispering.

"...first in centuries..."

"...Order will not..."

"...who is..."

"...why..."

The predominant word is why, over and over again, pounding like a drum in my head, I study each stranger's face, careful to keep all my thoughts on a very general and polite guideline in case they can hear me. It is quite difficult to keep my thoughts on track with them all staring at me, I can only assume they are vampires. I can't hear their thoughts, so I take that as my cue, the house is large, the foyer big enough to host a party. A huge staircase that looks like glass extends upwards, shaped almost like an hourglass, curving ever so gracefully to the second floor. There are paintings adorning the walls, the whole place looks like something from an architect's wet dream.

"You are all guests in my home, and now so is Devyn, if I find that any of you have threatened her, or hurt her in any way. I will personally show you a living hell." His voice makes me cower, and I am the one he is guarding, I remain silent as the others back away. Some bow their heads and others kneel completely on the floor. One man shakes his head and storms out the front door, "And feel free to get the hell out if you can't deal with it."

So many questions start to spin through my mind but instead I focus on the staircase, forcing my mind to latch onto every little detail. Every flicker of light replaces my thoughts until the others dissipate, a few tossing glances over their shoulders before disappearing into the house. Malachi carries me up the stairs, a few long strides and we are in an enormous bedroom at the end of the hall, "You can move now." He sets me on my feet before backing away, "I'm going to shower, feel free to join me."

I back away from him with a blush, he winks at me as he peels off his shirt, and that's when I see it. A jagged wound, as big around as my palm, a giant purplish blemish against his otherwise smooth skin; I cover my mouth to muffle the surprised gasp, "Is that..."

He studies me for a long moment before kicking off his shoes, "Well you did bury a stake in my stomach, what did you expect?"

My guilt washes away instantly, "Well, it sure kept you from murdering me, so I guess I did it right."

We stand like that for a time, staring at each other, a silent war, "You will shower with me." I shriek when he reaches for me, I start to back away from him but there is no escape; within a second he has me pinned against the wall, "Stop fighting me."

All manner of resistance flows from me, I almost start begging, but instead I just glare at him. It doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest, "You are a pervert."

Malachi strokes my cheek, his touch so gentle that it reminds me of his tongue, of his fing... Oh god, what is wrong with me? I push away the desire, "What does that make you sweetest Devyn?" When I don't respond he smiles, "Get undressed, then join me in the bathroom."

He opens a door, a luxurious bathroom is revealed to me, all smooth white marble, my hands twitch. Aching to obey him, I bite my lip hard hoping the pain will distract from the order but my body has already surrendered to him. It is almost like not being inside my own body, like being trapped inside of someone else. My clothes are a puddle on the floor as I step toward the bathroom, the only hesitation is on my face, as I enter he is peeling off his boxers, his eyes locked on my body as he does.

It wasn't my intention to look, but I have always been too curious, always drawn to the damned dangerous things in life. His cock is already semi-hard, as his eyes scan over me it is enough to draw that thing to attention, it is bigger than any I had seen. But that isn't really saying much, "It is impolite to hurt a man's ego in that manner."

A blush creeps across my cheeks, "I didn't..." Why am I explaining myself to him? Stop it, stop treating this like it is a normal situation. You are in the lion's den now, so don't act like a fucking newborn.

"Come here." He extends his hand to me, I would like nothing more than to politely decline and walk away; alas that is not an option. Once I am near him he pulls me close, our bodies press tight and I can't help but whimper. Malachi presses a switch on the wall, with a few adjustments he pulls me with him into the huge shower, it is so big the shower head looks like a satellite dish just to spray into the entirety of the space. The water is scorching hot, I groan as it pierces my skin, I hadn't expected the water to feel so good. I close my eyes and let the water wash away the sweat and tears from my face, all the pain ebbs from my shoulders. I can feel Malachi behind me, his hands no longer on me but I doubt he has gone very far.

Malachi extends a bottle to me, "Wash yourself."

I obey but my eyes remain on him, "Why are you keeping me?" He starts scrubbing at his own skin, and I can feel something from him, his unwillingness to... something. I can't quite grasp it, "Malachi!"

He glowers at me, his eyes flicker red, "Must you always be so hostile?"

I fling the bottle at him, "I am not your plaything to control as you please."

Malachi pulls me into his embrace, he easily hauls me against him, once I stop fighting he breaks the silence, "I like your fighting spirit, it is one of the reasons I let you live."

"Live for what? To be your little sex slave?"

His smile is slow, it seems more sincere this time, but he doesn't respond, instead he lathers a large blue sponge and without a word starts scrubbing my body. I want to back away from him, but I don't want to fight a losing battle, I remember what that is like, "Trust me there is more to it than that, or would you rather satisfy my every sexual desire?"

The thought makes my heart flip, "Why was everyone so surprised to see me?"

His smile dims, I try to ignore the feel of the sponge caressing every inch of my body, "After the 17th century it became a crime to change a human, whether they were willing or not."

I pull away from him, "So, what does that mean?"

Malachi sighs before pushing me into the pulse of water, "It means you must be on your best behavior if you want to live."

I glare at him, "So you kill me then let me live just so I can die again? You have one sick sense of humor."

He rolls those hypnotic eyes, "I wouldn't waste my time with such a boring joke, no, I find you interesting."

I study him, hyperaware of how close his bare flesh is to mine, his hands still resting on my shoulders, "That is a dangerous pastime..."

"Danger is the flavor of life my dear."

"And here I thought it was love." His laugh bounces inside the shower, it startles me so much I bounce out of his grasp, it is like a wave of thunder that vibrates inside my bones. My heart stutters in my chest, something about that sound cuts into me, "Is it hard for you to answer a question with a straightforward answer?"

His eyes still shine with laughter, he shrugs, "Long life breeds sharp tongues." He flicks off the water and leaves me standing there, wondering if I am stuck with a crazy person for a master.

I follow behind him tentatively, expecting him to pounce on me, but instead he hands me a towel, I cover myself as he wraps another towel around his waist. The soft white of the towel accents the vibrant purple on his stomach. Just looking at it makes me a bit sick. Before I can think anything foolish I look away and dry my hair.

Malachi leaves me alone in the bathroom, I can see him rummaging through a giant closet, I force my gaze away from him and focus on my reflection. When I focus on my teeth I can just barely make out how much sharper my canines are, I lean too close to the fogged mirror and stare into my own eyes. I don't see the telltale red of a vampire, I still look the same, nothing about me has really changed, my skin hasn't turned milky or anything.

"These clothes will do for now, until I can buy more for you." Malachi is behind me, my body bent dangerously over the counter, with only a towel as protection. I start to stand straight when his hands grip my shoulders, his lower body pins me against the counter, "What are you looking at pet?"

I can barely breathe, his body isn't enormous but it makes me feel small all the same, I try to stifle the tremble in my voice, "Do my eyes turn red like yours?"

Malachi drapes my hair over my shoulder, exposing my neck, "Oh, would you like me to show you?" I am silent for so long that he begins caressing my arms, gently teasing at the edges of the towel, "Or we could do something else..."

I am shaking when his grip intensifies on the edge of the towel, "No please, show me."

He cocks his head, "Please what?"

I can feel what he wants, the words practically flowing from his mind into mine, "Please Malachi, please show me what I am." He wants me to call him master, I can feel it radiating from him, even in my desire to make this entrapment pleasant I doubt I will ever do that willingly.

The barest hint of a smile lights his lips, "There are many ways to awaken those fangs of yours; hunger, anger, and sex." The last word is a whisper against my ear, I tremble against him my eyes flickering closed, "Keep your eyes open Devyn, look into the mirror."

"Malachi..." My voice dies when his hand twists into my hair, his teeth find my throat, an instant of pain before my blood is flooded with intense pleasure. I see the flash of red in my eyes, and in that instant I know my humanity is lost, I know there is nothing left for me out there. My fangs extend with a tender pain in my jaw, I groan when his hands wrap tight around my waist, he draws away from me slowly, his eyes are bright when he catches my stare. Blood trickles down my neck, he leans forward and his tongue alights a path across my throat.

I am shaking all over when he pulls away, "Such a delicacy." Heat overwhelms me until I feel smothered by it, I can feel his cock pressing insistently against me.

He groans and pulls away slowly, "So vampires can feed from each other?"

His eyes are even more intense when they hold that red gleam, his smile is almost animalistic, his scent is overpowering, I want to taste him so desperately it is nearly tangible, "Oh yes, although more for pleasure than sustenance."

My body responds to his silken voice, so tender against my ear, his eyes holding mine in the mirror. His movements are too quick to resist, the towel is torn from me, once I am bared to him he groans and his flesh is pressed against mine. I cry out when his cock brushes against my inner thigh, "Please..."

Malachi's eyes seem to shine even brighter, his fangs have disappeared but there is something about his eyes... I can feel his desire pulsing over me in waves, so intense it smothers my own thoughts, "Please what my sweetest pet?"

He turns me to face him, in one motion I am pinned against the wall, my legs supported by his arms, his cock resting against my slick pussy. I let out a soft whimper, my whole body alights for him but I force out the word, "Stop."

Instantly he releases me onto weakened legs, I look up at him incredulously, I had expected him to ignore me but as he strides into the bedroom I realize there is something more to his teasing. I wait for my traitorous body to cool before I scoop up the towel and follow him, he is wearing boxers now but his cock strains against them. I see a long shirt laid out on the bed, when I tug it on I feel his eyes on me, I try to stem the blush threatening to flood me to no avail. The shirt barely covers my ass, I stand awkwardly holding the towel, not sure what I should do.

"Hang the towel in the bathroom, and do not leave this room." I obey him slowly, my body is wild with anticipation but when I return to the room his eyes are closed. Unsure of what to do I settle into the corner of the room and watch him, I am sure he is asleep although I cannot understand how he could sleep so quickly. On second thought I had been able to fall asleep much easier since the change, I have usually had such trouble silencing my demons, perhaps it is a vampire thing.