Bara to Chi - a BS Bio Block 1 Fan fic

Okay... another one.

Bara to Chi

[Roses and Blood]

KYUUKETSUKI

000

Part I

000

She hadn’t been driving that fast, the curve in the road hadn’t been that sharp, the railing on the edge hadn’t been that shoddy, the cliff really hadn’t been that steep, and the road certainly hadn’t been that icy and slick.

So why is this happening to me? she thought, her car midair, ready to plunge into a bank of snow. I really hadn’t picked up the speed that much. Right?

The impact snapped Roan Eireen Buenaventura’s seatbelt. Her head hit the windshield a fraction of a second later and her body shattered the glass as it was thrown a good twenty feet or so from her totaled vehicle.

Her last conscience thought was of a peculiar pair of eyes. Brown, but with two rings of devastating hellfire surrounding the pupil and iris. When they had looked at her a few miles back, long before she’d come across that damn, tricky curve in the road, her heart had froze and she’d unconsciously picked up speed.

They’d wanted to devour her.

Just like…

000

Lorilee smirked as a white-haired young man burst from the snow below her. They’d been fighting for hours, and they weren’t always fair sports about it. Both had a competitive streak a mile wide, though Kevin was less likely to admit to it and give into his urges. But they were alone now, and he was showing her no mercy.

It was how she liked it.

Her body twisted midair, just when a hand was about to close around her left calf, and she kicked at his head. He bent backwards and got a hold of her foot. He used a tree below him as leverage and tossed the other girl away. She was not to be deterred. Again twisting her body, she managed to hit the tree with both of her feet, her bent legs absorbing most of the impact. She launched herself at the young man, and this time he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to clutch to him as they fell and rolled in the snow.

He landed on the bottom. She started laughing. He loved the sound of her laugh.

“It’s too bad we can’t play soccer right now,” she said wistfully.

He shrugged and opened his mouth to say something, but a sudden chill passed over them. He glanced up at the sky, and his eyes narrowed.

“Your brother is hunting.”

Lorilee looked sad.

“I know. It’s been a while.”

“If he’s hunting, he’s likely to kill.”

“He’ll probably nab another brown bear, like usual.”

Kevin sighed heavily.

“I hope so. But we are nearing the holidays.”

“More tourism.”

“Correct.”

“I scanned the area before we started to fight. I didn’t sense any cars or humans in the area.”

As if to spite her, a car flew past them on the icy road above. The pair looked up in surprise just as the car tore through the railing on the side of the road and plummeted fifteen feet to the snowy earth. The car hit a large snow bank at a strange angle and a body was tossed from the vehicle’s front windshield. It bounced around and rolled until it stopped, honey-brown hair flung in every direction and the face buried in the snow. Shards of glass were everywhere, along with splatters of blood.

They heard a roar in the distance.

The couple was upon the victim before the loud cry had time to echo.

While Kevin quickly scooped the small body into his arms, his panicked girlfriend said, “We need to get this girl to Ms. Venus before my brother gets here!”

He nodded tersely, and they ran.

Fast.

There was no sense in flying. Joey Gonzalez would have spotted them, and then they’d have been in a shitload of trouble.

000

A hand greedily dug into the red snow and shoved it into a starved mouth. Even if it was only a small bit of blood, it made his skin tingle in a way he’d never experienced.

This was the blood of the young person driving that beat up—and now destroyed—car. He hadn’t known what gender the person was. Hadn’t cared either, once he was upon the foolish mortal driving a car in his area. It wasn’t often he gave into his urge to feed, to kill, but he had gone too long without it.

Much too long.

And his inner demon had begun to take control.

When he’d seen that car, a wicked smile had curved his lips, and his gut clenched in the anticipation of hot, fresh blood. He’d been flying toward the mortal’s vehicle from behind, when the driver had looked into the rearview mirror. The soft brown eyes had widened in terror, and Joey Gonzalez had been so shocked to feel remorse and shame upon seeing such fear—especially given how he thrived on feeling it in others—and accidentally hit a jutting tree branch as the car sped fast away. He groaned in pain when his body hit the edge of the cold cement and rolled off to the clean snow below.

A dazed moment later he heard a car skidding off the side of the road in the distance. He released a furious roar.

My fresh blood! he’d thought.

That’s when he used his supernatural speed to get to the scene as quickly as possible. After all, the mortal could still be alive.

But when he’d arrived, there was no body, only specks of delicious red covering the once-pristine white.

He sat back and devoured another piece of bloody snow thoughtfully.

There was no body. He doubted the mortal could have vacated the area while miraculously leaving no deep shoe prints or a trail of blood, and there was no type of trail to indicate a large predator had dragged off the body. The only other option he could think of was that one of his kind had been in the area. A vampire. They could fly swiftly and run at speeds so quick their feet barely touched the ground. Given the lack of prints or trails, it was a likely option. Trouble was, he couldn’t think of anybody stupid enough to stick around when he got this bad. His kind all knew that to him, anything with veins and blood was an open target. It made him very angry to think one of his kind had found the body first and immediately left the area. He’d found it first, damn it!

His fangs lengthened and he hissed savagely, but he shook himself before he totally lost it. If a vampire had been in the area and taken his mortal, they were most likely heading back to town and Venus Banaag, the town’s special healer. To any human she would appear to be a regular, but spectacular doctor. To the vamps in town, she was the best damn healer in their dark world. And she’d chosen to stay in their dinky little town, to boot.

Venus wouldn’t let him anywhere near her patients in the state he was in.

With a heavy sigh he stood, shook his long coat clean of snow, and set out to find a large animal to suck dry. Preferably a native brown bear, but any larger animal would do as well.

000

Roan slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, and her body felt as if it weighed a hundred more pounds then it should. She wiggled her toes and fingers a little, then wondered when she’d taken off her shoes. Actually, when she had decided to lie down at all? She tried to sit up but her body would not cooperate.

A figure loomed overhead, but Roan couldn’t make much more then a blur of what she assumed was a white coat and a long braid of hair.

“I wouldn’t try moving, dear. I hear you took quite a nasty fall.”

The young woman wanted to say something, but her lips could barely move. She felt like she had cotton balls stuck in her throat.

“Here’s some water, Ma’am,” a new voice said.

A cup was put to Roan’s mouth. She spread her lips as best as possible and happily drank. She’d been parched. The water tasted as if it had been laced with some kind of berry flavor—strawberry maybe, or raspberry? She wasn’t a big fan of flavored water, but it soothed her mouth and slid down her throat delightfully. She was starting to feel a heck of a lot better too, so it probably had some pain-killers in it as well.

The fact that she hadn’t felt any pain at all the moment she woke up was lost in her fuzzy mind.

“Rest, dear.” The first voice was speaking again. “We’ll be watching over you.”

The thought comforted her as she drifted back to sleep.

000

His eyes still contained their rings of fire, but he had satisfied his bloodlust. He flew as close to the small town as possible without the threat of being seen, and jogged the rest of the way. Venus’s clinic sat at the edge of the woods, a convenient location for when his kind had troubles that required immediate assistance. He whipped out a pair of sunglasses and adorned them on his face before opening the back door.

Venus was waiting inside for him. It wasn’t unusual; she often had a keen sense of knowing whenever he visited her.

Or when anyone visited her, for that matter.

“You want to see that young woman,” she said bluntly.

“It’s a girl?”

That surprised him as much as it pleased him.

Women were easy. Easily seduced. Easily persuaded. Easily deceived. He would have no problem getting her delicious blood.

Oh yes, he was very much pleased.

Venus regarded him thoughtfully.

“She’s in room 141.”

Another surprise. Venus wasn’t usually so forthcoming with patient information.

“I will permit you access for five minutes. But do not touch her. She needs her rest.”

Joey cocked an eyebrow in her direction but bowed in respect—nobody dared to get on the good doctor’s bad side, ever—and headed down the hallway past various rooms. He turned to the left and walked as if in a trace. He was close to the room, so close that he could smell the blood running freely under what he assumed was soft, delicate skin. His mouth began to water.

141.

Finally, he was at her door.

It creaked with age as it was opened, and Joey quickly slid inside and shut it as softly as possible. He took off his sunglasses and scanned the room, his eyes immediately falling onto a stunningly attractive figure on the bed.

Excellent, he thought, the good-looking ones tend to be more vain and shallow.

Which meant he’d have her by noon tomorrow, bedridden or not.

The woman’s features were small and delicate. Her skin looked soft, succulent. The kind he loved so sink his fangs through. The sight of her mesmerized him. He hadn’t been aware of when he’d moved so close to her, but he was distinctly aware of their proximity when her fingers twitched and her head lolled to the opposite side of him, as if she wanted to get away from him.

Her heart sped up a fraction. His may have skipped a beat, too.

She made a fatal error in offering him her beautiful neck. His eyes glazed over, the red rings blazing, his fangs grew larger, and his hand involuntarily reached for her.

“Time’s up, Joey,” Venus said quietly.

He jerked away from the woman’s bed, hand retracting as if burned.

The healer stood by the door, a small, kind smile on her lips. She waited patiently for him to exit the room.

He left with an unfamiliar, yet not completely foreign, ache in his fangs.

000

Lorilee and her ebony-haired twin walked to the clinic.

“You sure you wanna see this girl right now, Christian?” Lorilee asked her companion. “It’s getting light out here.”

“It’ll be dawn soon,” her twin sister confirmed with a chirp.

Lorilee cocked an eyebrow.

“So…why?”

“I think she’s caught Joey’s attention.”

Lorilee bit her lip.

“Why do you say that?”

“Just a feeling I have.”

“Another one of your premonitions?”

“Yes.”

Ah, then that explained everything. Christian’s premonitions were never wrong. Lorilee was immediately alert.

“Is it a good or bad thing she’s caught his attention?”

Christian scratched her head and looked into the sky. Her eyes glazed over a little, and then she looked at her twin with an equally serious expression.

“I can’t tell. But I don’t have a foreboding feeling.”

“That’s good.”

“It feels kind of how I felt before dreaming of you and Kevin.”

“Oh.”

She didn’t know what else to say.

They opened the back door of the clinic and walked in. They didn’t see Venus or Carla, one of her faithful assistants, so they walked down the dark hallway alone. Lorilee used her senses to smell and locate the aura of the young woman she and her boyfriend had saved a few hours ago.

They walked into the room and both gasped and eyed the comatose woman in appreciation.

“She’s beautiful! No wonder Joey’s interested.”

“Yeah, I could tell she was a looker when Kevin and I were bringing her here, but I wasn’t expecting this. Oh God,” she moaned. “Daddy’s going to have a field day with this one.”

“I remember how he was with Kevin,” the other giggled, “but I think Joey will have to worry about his friends more then Daddy.”

“Ha ha, probably.”

Marvin and Carla walked into the room, each carrying large bags and a suitcase.

“What’s all that?” Lorilee asked.

“Miss Roan’s belongs,” Marvin said, dropping his load near the bed.

“Is that her name? It’s so pretty,” Christian smiled.

“It figures,” Lorilee remarked dryly.

“So what are you two country bumpkins doing in the clinic so late?” Carla questioned, raising an eyebrow. “I heard you were the one to bring her in, Lorilee.”

She nodded.

“It was Kevin and I, actually. We wanted to get her away from Joey as quickly as possible, ‘coz he was in the area…hunting.”

A chill swept the room, but Carla inclined her head in understanding. Joey was ruthless when on the hunt and would kill anything in his path—animal, human, or vampire.

Christian looked out the window, her eyes unfocused. She didn’t believe for a second her brother would have killed this woman upon meeting her. Already the gears in his head were probably working overtime…and wondering. Just like she was.

“Christian was the one who wanted to see the girl, though I admit I was curious to see how fast Venus’ healing techniques work on a human being.”

“She’s been wonderfully responsive,” Venus said, moving into the room swiftly. All eyes turned to her, noting her gentle but commanding presence. “Your brother stopped by earlier,” the twins gasped, “and left quite dissatisfied.”

The elder twin was aghast.

“He didn’t do anything to her, did he?”

“Oh no,” Venus waved her arm dismissively—as if anything could get past her, “I believe he is confused.” A serene smile crept across her face. “And just before he was about to reach out and bite her, the killing intent in his eyes all but vanished.”

Christian’s breath hitched with her sister’s.

Yes, her latest premonition had felt akin to Lorilee’s and Kevin’s because they were vampire mates.

“Is she really…” she started.

“…his consort?” Lorilee finished.

Venus gave a thoughtful pause before speaking.

“There is a high possibility she is, though I doubt Joey will understand this right away, dense boy that he is. It takes a lot to chip away at madness like that of which consumes him, but if she truly is his fated one, no other but she will be able to do it.”

All eyes looked at the small woman lying asleep on the room’s one and only bed.

Hope shown brightly in them.

000

Roan had no idea what these people were talking about, but she kind of wished they would get out of her room so she could rest in piece.

Oh dear, “rest in piece” certainly isn’t what I want to be thinking about right now.

She was sure she had had a close call last night. Her body had been in shock when she’d been tossed from her vehicle and even if she couldn’t feel the snow, she knew she was in it as she’d begun to lose consciousness. Right before everything had fallen into darkness, she’d had the vague sense of being picked up and carried away. Probably to the nearest town.

Then there was beautiful, soft chanting. Her body had felt as if it had been dunked in a cool river, and any pain she’d begun to feel had eased away into nothingness.

The next time she’d felt anything, her body had been on alert.

A predator was in the room.

Hunting her.

Stalking her.

She’d been so afraid.

Not again! she’d cried silently. Please, God, not again!

But the presence had lost its eerie, killing feeling the moment it was next to her bed. Her heart had begun to beat fast, and she’d become nervous, but she hadn’t been afraid. It was strange. The creature had seemed to grow confused by her as well. It was captivated. Her body had gone into hypersensitivity the moment his complete focus had been on her and her alone. She’d turned her head, offering her neck for something she didn’t understand.

Abruptly, it jerked away from her, and she’d let out a noiseless cry of despair at the separation.

Darkness seeped in again and remained until just a few minutes ago.

Why were these people still talking in her room? Didn’t they know how rude it was to be loud when there was a patient in the bed?

When they finally grew silent, Roan couldn’t even thank her lucky stars for the calm and quiet because she’d suddenly become the focus of each and every one of those pair of eyes.

And she had the distinct feeling each one of those eyes was looking at her as if she held answer to world peace.

000

Kevin was laying on his rooftop gazing at the stars when he felt a soft thump next to him. His eyes slid to the figure sitting down beside him and he quirked an eyebrow.

He should probably fear Joey the way everybody else did, but for some reason, he just couldn’t see him as completely insane and vicious.

“I went hunting earlier,” the taller man said cheerfully, “and I found me some amazing prey. And you no what happened?” He looked at his younger companion and grinned emptily when the other just stared back. “Her vehicle drove off a cliff, and somebody, a vampire, carried her to Venus.”

Kevin debated how to answer his friend before deciding to answer truthfully.

“Your sister and I found the girl.”

For the umpteenth time that night, Joey fought his surprise. His eyes narrowed.

“What were you doing in my area?”

If he’d caught them in the height of his bloodlust, there was a good chance he could have killed either or both of them. He did not want his sister’s blood on his hands. He loved his family, even if he could no longer show it to them.

The younger man sat up and shrugged.

“We were messing around. Didn’t know you’d be out hunting tonight, either.”

“You should be damn careful the next time you want to ‘mess around’ with my little sister and especially when I’m hunting. Or you’ll be the first I gut and suck dry.”

“So long as Lorilee gets away safely, I wouldn’t mind.”

000

A bird’s wings fluttered outside Roan’s window. The sun shown through the room, lighting the dark wood of the floor and bed, along with the sheets. They were tangled around her calves and feet, as she’d unconsciously pushed them down in her sleep. Her body was curled onto its side, her breathing even and peaceful. Her heartbeats even.

Someone was in the room with her.

She jerked awake, but she was too exhausted to do more then roll onto her back and glance around frantically. The sun blinded her sensitive eyes and she had a monster headache, but she needed to look at the face of the person in this room with her.

Horror began to fester in her stomach.

The presence was hiding in the shadows somewhere. It’s what they did.

She knew it from experience.

What if…what if that specific he—no, no, it—was in here with here?!

A cool, soothing hand rubbed her back. Which was totally ridiculous given that she was laying on her back, on a soft, rather comfortable bed in what she could only assume was some type of medical room. And there was that unsettling presence inside of it with her.

But, still. It soothed her.

And she could definitely do with a little soothing.

She eased back into her pillow and fell asleep again almost immediately.

000

Joey regarded the female with annoyance.

Any initial pleasure he’d gotten out of having her wake because she’d been responding to his sudden presence was smothered by her irrational terror.

Fucking humans. They were always like this. Assuming the worst and jumping to conclusions, always trying to rationalize everything that happened to them. If they didn’t have such tasty blood, he’d disregard the species entirely.

And look at her. She’d gone from peaceful, to scared shitless, to appeased in what? Ten seconds? Five?

Disgusting.

Pitiful.

Weak.

Though he had to admit, looking at her face cast in sunlight did something strange to his head. He didn’t want to stop looking at her, she was so damn beautiful.

Crap.

He needed to get his butt in gear.

He’d come in here with full intentions of waking her up and ravaging that hypnotizing throat of hers, but he just couldn’t help but want to comfort her and ease her turmoil when those doe eyes of hers had bugged and her heart had sped at an alarming rate. This urge to comfort her was freaking him out a little, but as with most things that just didn’t compute with him—which was basically anything outside of hunting and feeding and the occasional sex, though geezes, how long ago had that been?—he just pushed it into the back of his mind and fixated on his selfish wants.

He materialized his body from the shadows and sat at the edge of her bed. His hand rested his hand on her throat and his eyes rolled back into his head when a delicious burst of electricity raced up his hand and through his body at the contact.

Good God.

When had he last felt a sensation so wonderful?

000

Her friend was definitely out of it, completely transfixed on the small woman before him. The young woman must be this “mate” she’d been hearing whispers of.

It was the only feasible reason Caila could come up with as to how and why her friend hadn’t noticed her yet.

Joey was one of the most, if not the most, powerful vampire in their clan. Few things got past him, at least, as far as threatening things went. Love lives and girls on the other hand…well, the guy was an oblivious dud, to put it lightly.

Which brought her focus back to the wavy-haired beauty lying on Venus’s finest guest bed. She’d overheard Lorilee and Christian whispering excitedly about “Joey’s human mate” on her way to the room she and her mate shared, and had stopped dumbstruck, eager to know if what they were saying was true.

They’d encouraged her to visit the woman of room 141 and wait for Joey to stalk her. Each had no doubts that he would. And he had. Which was why she was standing here with Christian and Lorilee right below her, each also watching their brother with fascination, anticipation, and hope.

000

Roan felt an unfamiliar, yet pleasant sizzle ringing throughout her body.

Hadn’t she just fallen back asleep?

A large hand was slowly palming her throat, a thumb brushing over her jugular and the underside of her jaw. Male. It was…a male.

She recalled her earlier terror, but this was not the hand of whom she had feared. This person was different. She didn’t know how she knew, but everything in her was telling her the hand on her neck was not going to harm her. Ever. It felt warm and reassuring.

She sighed and leaned into the touch.

The person above her sucked in a sharp breath and leaned over her.

His weight dipped the bed, and her body brushed against his. One of them gasped at the contact—maybe both of them?—and she moved sluggishly to mold what she could to the body. The man’s other arm brushed against her chest as he used it to steady himself, and her nipples began to stiffen. Lips brushed against her neck. She barely felt them, but ohhh they felt so nice. A tongue slipped out and licked her neck, and her soar body arched, exposing her neck more as if in offering, and a ragged moan escaped her lips.

The man jerked away from her again.

No! she thought. Don’t go.

A vicious hiss made her gasp for different reasons.

Her eyes flew open.

000

Joey’s head jerked up looked to the door sharply. He’d heard feminine gasps coming from the door, and had a good, sinking feeling of a guess as to who it was. And he was right, of course. His sisters and Caila quickly ran away from the room when he’d drew his lips back, bared his fangs, and hissed like a alligator ready to snap off some unlucky bastard’s arm.

He heard the human’s horrified intake of air and felt the woman shift to get as far and quickly away from his body as possible.

It upset him. He was the one who should be horrified by his actions, not her! Better yet, his female shouldn’t be cowering away from him!

With that in mind, he pounced on her. Like the smooth operator he was.

She screamed.

Venus walked calmly into the room, grabbed him by the ear, and hauled him out of Inoue Roan’s room. She was probably the only person who could ever do something like that and live to tell about it.

Then again, everybody instinctively feared the great doctor on some level. Her wrath was not something any person, vampire especially, wanted to reign down upon them.

“I do not take kindly to any disruptions in my patients’ recuperation, Joey. You know this. I am sorry to say this, but please do not come back here without permission.”

“Ah…I’m sorry, miss.” He did actually feel a pang of embarrassment, and she nodded her acceptance of the apology, knowing she wasn’t going to get much else from him. “Whose permission do I need?”

Her eyes twinkled.

“Why, your father’s permission.”

He was silent for a moment.

Then, “Damn it.”





-

-

-

-



Author’s note: WELL… XD
Just a quick note, I did NOT draw inspiration from that fucking series known as Twilight.. XD I was just LOL-ing earlier today how much the vampire literature-dom has increased... so I decided to make my own. Better than sappy. I think you can all bear it. )

000

000

000

Part II

000

Venus watched Joey storm down the hallway. She had bought him and that young woman some time for personal reflection by demanding Joey ask for his father’s permission. Maki Gonzalez was still the clan leader, and as Venus was as powerful as the second in command, Jose Fabros, her word was law until Maki chose to override it. As Joey and his father were not on the best of terms, Joey would put off going to his father for help and probably stay in the shadows, pathetically hovering over Miss Roan Buenaventura until he couldn’t bear to stay away from her.

For vampires, to find one’s mate was to find one’s other half, the missing piece of breath and life. The one who could complete him or her. It didn’t matter whether they were human or vampire. A mate was a mate. One soul calling to its counterpart.

As Joey had turned half-rogue just after hitting puberty, he had never been interested in learning about identifying vampire mates and such. No doubt he was wondering why his mind was saying one thing and his body another. The woman would be in the same state, body and mind at war with one another, but as she was human, her obsession wouldn’t run as deep as Joey’s. And as that boy already had plenty of problems in the head, she could only imagine the lengths he would go to in order to be by her side. No doubt some of them would be unconventional.

She smiled softly and could honestly tell herself she was going to enjoy watching the pair stumble over themselves and eventually finding solace with one another, as Fate had predetermined.

She looked at the sign hanging on the door of room 141.

The poor woman inside must be so frightened and confused, she thought.

Time to do some damage control.

000

Roan huddled in the far corner of her bedroom. She was shaking uncontrollably and her raised arms were wrapped tightly around her body as she clung to the bed covers with a death grip. She’d managed to somehow drag her body to the darkest corner,

Those eyes, she thought in despair, those eyes were just like…!

She couldn’t bear to even think the name.

Worse yet, she remembered those hellish eyes. They were the ones that had been stalking her car before she’d driven off the side of the road into that large snow bank.

Of course the creature had come back for her!

I’m such a fool!

Roan was furious with herself. She couldn’t tell if the same vampire had seen her twice, but it really didn’t matter if there were one or two or twenty. She needed to get away from this place as fast as possible. Before that thing came back for her. And who was that woman who’d dragged it away?

Ugh, she squeezed her eyes shut. This is too confusing! I don’t understand anything.

Her body ached. Her head hurt. Her throat was hoarse from the startled scream she’d let out. Worse of all, she wanted to cry. And not even because she was so afraid, but because the creature’s touch had been so gentle, so soothing, and so…erotic. It hurt knowing it had just been toying with her before killing her, and she’d fallen for it as if she didn’t have years of experience at getting away from these monsters. How could she have fallen so easily for its mind games? That’s what they did, she knew. They took control of a person’s consciousness, made him ache for things he shouldn’t, and put him in a helpless state of bliss while happily tearing the guy’s throat out and drinking him dry.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

That’s what she was.

000

Joey was shaking with fury. He hadn’t been able to express it in front of Venus—no matter how much of a bastard he was, he really did respect the woman and wasn’t willing to offend her in her own home and livelihood—but now that he was by himself, walking through the streets of his snow-covered town as the sun rose above the horizon, he was free to be as pissed off as he wanted.

His father! Of all the things Venus could have said, she’d told him he had to get his bloody father’s permission. The woman was pure evil. She knew that was the last person he would ever want to go to, even for a cup of sugar. He couldn’t bear to be around the man. He hated the way his father looked at him with such love in his eyes and such an obvious ache in his chest. After all, the man hadn’t just lost his wife that fateful night; he’d lost his son as well.

Joey shook his head and mentally willed the cutting wind to hit his body harder and increase its sting.

Man, he needed to kill something before figuring out a way to get back to that woman. He needed to drink her blood and feel her body against his again like an addict needed the needle. He was pissed off at her fear of him, and then he was pissed at himself for being upset about it in the first place like some whipped pansy. That feeling of wanting to protect and comfort…he didn’t know what to think about that, so he just refused to even go there. It wasn’t like he gave a shit what the woman was feeling. All he wanted was her delicious blood.

And fuck anybody who tried to get in the middle of him and his prey. He’d rip them apart.

000

Venus walked into Roan’s room, knowing exactly where the poor woman was curled up in a protective ball of limbs and blankets.

“It’s okay,” she said softly. Her voice had a tranquil quality that always eased even the most high-strung individuals.

The young woman shook her head, eyes wide as saucers and her face pale.

“You…” she whispered, “you were with that vampire. You dragged it away, so you must also be a vampire too, or some kind of non-human creature. Why am I here? Where is here, for that matter?” She dug the heel of her palm into her eye, as if to relieve the pain in her head.

“I know you are very confused, Roan, but please be at ease. I would never harm you.”

She shook her head again, clearly not about to trust the older woman so easily.

“How do you know my name?” she demanded shakily.

“It was the name on your license.” She pointed to the purse and bags in the opposite corner. “I had my staff bring your belongings here before the large storm hit.”

“Oh, okay, I see,” she said, not really seeing at all. Why would…oh no. “S-storm? As in, snowstorm?”

Venus nodded and walked slowly to the edge of Roan’s bed to sit down. The girl was watching her like a hawk, clearly ready to bolt at any given moment, so she was careful to move with very slow, deliberate moves, so the young woman would know exactly what she planned to do next.

“There was a terrible snow storm last night. It has died down a bit, but it will probably continue to hit this part of the countryside for the next few days.”

“I need to leave. Now.”

Venus smiled kindly.

“You are in no condition to leave, young one. Your body is still battered from your accident. No one would be able to drive on our roads now either, at least not until the storm clears and the roads are salted.”

“But…I have to leave.”

“Your vehicle was totaled.”

“Oh.”

Darn it. Now she really was crying. How was she supposed to get away when she didn’t even have a car? She didn’t have insurance on it, which meant she would have to pay in full for a new one. She didn’t have health insurance, either, which meant more money out of her limitedly supplied pocket. Would she have enough?

“How much,” her voice cracked and she cleared it, “how much is this going to cost? Me being here, I mean.”

“Do not worry. The expenses have been taken care of.”

Roan frowned. She disliked people’s pity, even if she knew it was done through kindness. If the doctor had gone through her wallet, there was a good chance the woman knew how broke she was, as she was carrying the rest of her bank savings in it, she didn’t have any credit or insurance cards. If they didn’t know all of that through her wallet, then no doubt they could have checked up on her medical bills and seen from there as well.

“That really isn’t necessary. I’m really grateful, but I couldn’t possibly accept such kindness. I don’t mind paying.”

Venus had had a feeling the woman was going to say that, so she said, “Then work your debt off. Assist me here in the clinic when you are feeling better, and I will consider your debt paid.”

Roan looked down, unsure.

“How long would that take?”

“Most likely until the beginning of spring. Perhaps a bit earlier, with any luck.” The girl looked up in horror. “While the snow stops, and the roads in this town are cleared by locals, the highways around here are some of the last the county deals with because the weather is so harsh. A road that has been cleared may be a foot deep in snow the next hour, so the county usually waits until the season has settled down to save on time and fuel.”

It all made sense to Roan but…

“How am I going to get out of this town? I need to leave—!”

“You knew that man was a vampire.”

It was a statement, not a question.

The abrupt change in topic stunned Roan. How was she supposed to answer that? She stayed silent.

“You have had a frightening experience in the past.”

This was also a stated fact, but Venus’s voice was full of compassion and sorrow.

Roan closed her eyes and grimaced.

“Yes.”

000

Caila hummed as she peered about the florist shop at the beautifully colored, flowers.

But what kind to get, she wondered, and what colors?

She personally preferred purple, but she had a feeling the young woman inside Venus’s clinic was more a yellow and pink kind of flower girl. She decided on a cheerfully pink bonsai tree, a Chinzan Azalea, and hoped the young woman would like it. It would be easy to take care of, anyway, and they were cheerful looking.

She walked out the door and walked to the Gonzalez house, where she knew the twins would be in the kitchen preparing their guest a lovely meal. The clinic Venus was in charge of was attached to the house by a door and hallway. Before she presided over it, Uncle—or rather, Master Maki—had owned and run it. Then Maki was forced to take over the clan as their presiding Head, and Venus had been more then happy to step in from a neighboring clan, her adoptive son and daughter accompanying her.

It was quite the coincidence that Roan had fallen into their grasp this easily. Being Joey’s mate, as she had no doubt of that now after seeing him with her, and being so close to his home, with Joey being unable to see her per Venus’s punishment…insanity on his part was bound to ensue.

It made Caila want to do something she hadn’t done in years.

Giggling.

000

Roan could feel the pity radiating from the older woman, it was so palpable.

“I am sorry you had to go through any horrors involving vampire-kind, but most vampires are not evil.”

The unbelieving sound that came out of Roan’s lips was bitter.

“I am a vampire.”

It was said with warmth and pride.

Roan’s eyes flew open in alarm. It was one thing to shout out a conclusion in the midst of hysteria, and a hard-to-swallow other to have it stated plain as day. She had been so upset to learn that she would be unable to leave this town immediately that she’d completely forgotten that little factoid. How could she have forgotten something so crucial?!

As she began to subconsciously back away, the doctor stayed silent and unmoving on Roan’s bed.

“Miss Buenaventura,” she said quietly, “have I made any threatening gestures toward you? Treated you in a way that would suggest later malicious intent?”

She bit her lip and slowly shook her head. It didn’t matter if the doctor, the vampire, had the desire to torture her right now or not. It didn’t mean Roan could trust her…it…whatever.

“The vampire you have met in the past; tell me about him, or her. What characteristics defined this vampire?”

Roan pondered whether she should say anything. This vampire could be in league with that person for all she knew, though the two vampires she had encountered in her life had appeared to lead solitary lives. That particular one, at least, had always been alone.

The only other person it had ever wanted around it was Roan.

It was always searching for her. Even now. She could feel it, deep in her bones, as if her DNA had been programmed to recognize the fear of being hunted and the instinct of getting the hell away, as far and as quickly as possible.

“Their eyes,” she finally decided on. “They look like hell, literally. Like you’re gazing into its flames. They have a bright ring of yellow and red around their irises.”

Venus nodded sagely.

“That’s one of the more common ways to identify a rogue vampire.”

“Rogue vampire?” she questioned, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

“Yes,” the doctor’s voice became laden with sorrow. “Rogue vampire. Fallen vampires, they are often called. They are ones who have chosen to feed on human flesh and kill in the act of consumption. In essence, they lose their soul and whatever humanity is left inside of them, becoming vicious, bloodthirsty murderers without a conscious. It does not happen often that a vampire falls into darkness, but even my kind has a balance of good and evil.”

“Do they…work alone?”

“Yes. They are very solitary creatures. They are easily antagonized and have raging tempers. In addition to those is their never-ending thirst and desire to kill. This renders them unable to socialize properly.”

“Can a normal human be changed into a vampire?”

Venus answered carefully, “It is unusual, but not unheard of.”

“…What if a person is bitten by a ‘rogue’ and changed into a vampire?” It was the doctor’s turn to look at her in alarm. “Does that mean they’ll turn evil as well?”

Venus was beginning to understand the young lady’s horror. Someone close to her must have been bitten and changed. She was mostly likely hunted by this person as well.

That was the problem with converting humans. Normal vampires had trouble with it because there was such a high mortality rate for a human during the change, and worse, many who did successfully convert went insane and had to be destroyed lest they lose their soul by killing during feeding. The most successful, normal changes happened between vampires and their human mates, and while there was still a risk of death and madness, it was greatly reduced.

“Can they go into the sun?”

Roan had thought they couldn’t, but it was 3:17 PM, and if Doctor Venus Banaag were truly a vampire, then her past assumptions might have been wrong. Then again, it was winter and the sky was darker even if it was in the middle of the day.

The doctor shook her head.

“It is another distinctive feature of a fallen one. Normal vampires can be out at any time of the day, though we’re quite fond of taking midday naps. Many younger folks these days like to tan as well, so I hear.” Her humor made the young woman smile, and Venus felt her heart warm. “Rogues cannot stand to have any form of sunlight on their skin. It is excruciatingly painful for them to gaze into a sunrise or sunset, and the moment a ray of light hits their bodies, they burst into flames and disintegrate within seconds.”

“Can, uh,” Roan had to force the words out of her mouth, “can they be killed?”

“It is difficult, but not impossible. We can be mortally wounded, but the injury must be far more extensive then that inflicted on a human being, as we have a faster rate of cell regeneration.”

“I see.”

Roan twisted her blanket, a nervous gesture, and pondered whether asking the doctor her next question was wise or not. She still didn’t know if the doctor could be trusted, but she recognized that the woman was supporting her, had a calming presence that didn’t fit a “rogue,” and she didn’t have the scary eyes of one. In fact, Roan had never met such a peaceful being. There was a lot more she wanted to ask the doctor about vampires, especially since they were nothing like the legends and clichés suggested, but she knew she was starting to reach her mental limit. All the other information she wanted to know could wait for a later date, anyway, as she’d be sticking around the town for a while.

There was one last thing she had to know right now, though. The thought had been waiting up in the back of her mind, slithering around incessantly, waiting for a chance to be heard.

“That man before. His eyes…were that of a rogue. Yet you dragged him away so easily. How do you explain that if you yourself aren’t one?”

“Did he feel evil?”

“Eh?”

“The young man. Did he feel evil? Rogue vampires have an oily stench, a presence of evil so defined even an ordinary human can feel it and shrink away in terror. So I ask you again, was he evil?”

“…No.”

Roan was stunned by the revelation.

“Then, what did you feel?”

“Scared,” she replied automatically, eyes downcast. “Not all the time, but a lot of it. Sometimes I felt soothed and, um,” like she was about to say aroused in front of a woman she barely knew, doctor or not, “uh, not threatened.” Did virtue count with that one? “The first time—oh! Did that…guy…come to see me twice?” She was hoping the man in her room was the same one as before. She didn’t like thinking of other possibilities.

“Yes, he was.”

She sighed in relief.

“The first time I felt like I was being stalked. It was terrifying, but then…it stopped. I can’t exactly explain the feeling, but I didn’t feel like I was in danger anymore. Actually, I’m not sure if I had been in danger at all, but I could feel that the intent was somehow different once he got closer. I knew I still had his attention, but it wasn’t in a bad way.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “The second time, er, just now, it was almost the same as before. At least until I saw his eyes. Then I just…couldn’t bear to be around i—him.”

“Yet you felt no evil while around him? Not even once?”

“No,” she frowned.

Venus chuckled softly.

“I see you are confused. That young man is named Joey Gonzalez.”

Roan’s heart sped up. The name struck a cord deep within her.

“He is an unusual one. He walks on the precipice of becoming a fallen, but he has not completely turned, nor do I believe he will ever.”

“How do you ‘walk the precipice’ of becoming a rogue vampire?”

“He killed another vampire in cold blood. It was vengeance served rightfully, but the manner he went about the situation corrupted him, in essence. He now carries the trademark eyes of a rogue, and Lord knows he can have the temper of one, but he still has a beating heart and soul inside of him.”

“Why would he kill another vampire? What vengeance?”

“I am sorry, but that is neither my place nor my story to elaborate further. You must ask young Gonzalez himself if you wish to hear the answer to that.”

Not. Very. Likely.

She wasn’t going within a fifty foot radius of that vampire if she could help it. He was dangerous and unpredictable and he made her body heat up in ways it definitely shouldn’t be. Besides, even if he wasn’t evil, his eyes still scared the living daylights out of her.

“So…you’re a vampire…and Joey Gonzalez is a vampire. Excuse me if this sounds rude, but exactly how many of you are there?”

“The clan in this town makes up precisely half the population.”

Roan blinked.

“Oh. Oh my.”

There was that many? In just one clan?!

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She wasn’t even sure how she felt about vampires in general now. The two she had met had clearly been rogues, but Venus seemed to be a lovely person. Although she didn’t fully trust her, she sensed the doctor had been telling her nothing but the truth and that she was an inherently good soul. So she was willing to go on a little bit of faith, for the time being, at least.

Venus dug into her white coat pocket and produced a hand-sized vial.

“Drink this, dear. I was going to save it for later, but you have been up and active earlier then I anticipated, and your skin tone is beginning to pale.”

Roan uncapped the vial and tipped her head back as she took a large swig. A juvenile part of her was hoping it was a strong alcohol, but she was pleased to find that it was the same liquid she’d had before when that Carla woman had helped her drink. It soothed her throat, bubbled deliciously in her chest, and relaxed her muscles.

“I shall be taking my leave now. Do not worry, if you have dire need of me; I shall know and be by your side instantly.”

Roan didn’t doubt it.

“Before you go, there’s something I’d like to ask. I’m not exactly comfortable being in a town full of vampires, so is there any way I can identify them? I don’t say this to offend, and I’m not trying to make out the townspeople to be bad or anything, and, um, I’m sure a lot of them are as nice as you, but…it would really ease my mind if I had some way to tell.”

Venus reached out and put a hand on Roan’s head.

The motherly gesture made Roan’s eyes mist slightly, and she couldn’t figure out why.

“The earth has many forms of energy. Most humans have forgotten how to feel the different levels of energy around us. What was once treasured in the days of old by our ancestors have long been forgotten in the mix of modern age science and technology.

“Human bodies produce specific magnetic pulsations, or biomagnetic fields. Genuine healers in the past have been able to use this human energy in their therapeutic techniques. The surrounding energy in the world brushes up against human energy and creates a specific ‘color,’ as if one were mixing paints. Humans emit a golden aura. I have witnessed this radiance wither and die, becoming a black, unwelcome abomination in corrupted individuals. We vampires release a radiant white, with a hint of gold around the edges. Like humans, when one of us becomes corrupt and evil, our souls darken to match whatever else lies on the inside.”

Without warning she placed the tip of her index finger at the center of Roan’s forehead. A wave of energy crashed into Roan and she cried out in surprise more then momentary pain. It lasted but a fraction of a second.

“Whoa!” Her hands rushed to her forehead and rubbed where Venus touched her. It was extremely warm compared to the rest of her skin. “What did you do to me?”

“I apologize for my abrasive action, but it was necessary to fully awaken your inner sense. For a regular human, it was quite developed. If you were aware of what I was about to do, your mind would not have been relaxed, and I would not have been able to ‘open your eyes,’ so to speak. There is a large part of all human consciousness that remains asleep in most human beings. If awakened, it allows a person to experience the world in ways others simply cannot.

“For instance, a teenage girl may wake up one day having the power of telekinesis. A man in his forties may read the Sunday paper and make it burst into flames with his newly awakened pyrokinesis. An old woman might begin to have startling visions and premonitions of her daughter’s impending murder. There is no explanation of how or why these parts of conscious awaken when they do, but the ability to ‘see’ energy fields lies in that place. The pulse wave I forced into your brain did nothing more than fully arouse that sleeping piece of you. I am sure you are aware that you had an uncanny ability to sense varying degrees of goodness and evil in individuals, no? You have always been an empath. That is the first part of being able to see and distinguish energy colors.”

“Oh-kay.”

Roan had definitely over exceeded her intake of weirdness capacity for the day. And science had always been a mystifying subject to her in school.

“I shall be on my way. There are more patients to attend to. You will figure out how to ‘see’ on your own; it is not something that can be taught. Worry not, dear. I have a feeling you will be a natural.”

“Alright,” she said faintly, not really listening. “Sure.”

Venus stroked the young woman’s head once more and left room 141.

000

Caila rushed past Earl and Debei, who were currently up against the pantry door—oh no, she did not just see his hand go there—and followed the mouthwatering scent of spices and cooking meat into a large kitchen. It was a chef’s dream kitchen: spacious and packed with the best spices, freshest meats, and ripest fruits and veggies, along with the best knives and kitchen utensils money had to buy.

Christian was in the kitchen as much as possible. She loved to cook, and as vampires didn’t require as much sleep as human beings, it didn’t bother her to spend hours and hours cooking feasts every day for the household. She was hoping to open up a chain restaurant some day the last Caila heard, but apparently this was a far off dream as “there are way too many people in this house to get somebody else to cook for every day, and I can’t stand the thought that somebody else would be using my kitchenware.”

Lorilee could cook a dish as mean as her twin’s, but she preferred sports to cooking and could live off energy drinks and health bars for days if need be.

There were rare times, like now, that they would cook together. Caila gazed upon the scene fondly. Long had it been since she’d seem them so truly upbeat and joyful.

“Ah, Caila!” Lorilee called happily. “Wanna help us carry the plates to Roan-sis’ room?”

“Calling her ‘sister’ already?” Caila shook her head in bemusement. “And yes, I would be delighted to carry the plates. Just let me shift this bonsai tree around so I have room.”

While her twin stood next to the stove, spatula in hand and an apron around her waist, Lorilee quickly packed some of the finished dishes into small containers and placed them into a large picnic basket. She added some silverware and pulled some plates out of a cupboard and set them next to Caila, who then picked them up. Christian finished cooking the last of her meal, put it into a lovely dish, and the trio set out to the clinic.

000

Roan was blissfully not thinking about anything in particular. Her eyes were closed. She was awake because she couldn’t bear to sleep another minute, but she wanted the blissful unawareness that came with sleep. She would process her vast array of vampiric information later. Right now she wanted peace and quiet. The latter came easily, as she was the only occupant of the room, but the former was giving her some trouble now that Venus’s calm presence wasn’t there to stimulate her own inner calm.

She chose to let her mind wander—something she hadn’t done since her early childhood. She thought about the things that made her happy, including ice cream, bears, singing in the rain, sunshine, plants, the ocean, and so on. Any time a negative thought came unbidden into her train of thoughts, she quickly dismissed it and thought of something twice as happy.

As time passed, and she began to feel more and drowsier, Roan felt herself falling into a trance like state, though at the time she hadn’t been aware of it. She saw nothing but black, but the darkness didn’t make her feel afraid. Instead, she felt open and free, as if her spirit could lift up at any particular moment and soar into the sky. The distant murmurs of female voices made her turn her head toward the sound, but try as she might; she couldn’t focus on their words. The voices, though untranslatable, became louder and louder until one hushed the other, and a door was creaked open.

Roan saw three bursts of white, each outlined in gold. It was like looking at a silhouette in reverse. Vampires, she recognized. But white meant they were good people, and more than that, their cheerfulness tasted like spring honeydew.

She understood their words now that she had seen them. They were whispering but in her current state, she could hear them as clearly as if they were speaking in their normal tones.

“Aw, shucks, she’s sleeping. I guess we should go back and wait for her to wake up later.”

That voice sounded familiar.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have cooked a dinner. I forgot she was human, so I started cooking without thinking and…yeah.”

That one also. Where had she heard these voices before?

“Let me put this down next to her bed. We can come back later.”

This person was new.

Roan’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, and she slowly lifted her eyelids. As the silhouettes and darkness disappeared, they were replaced with three female figures and her room. They were blurry to her eyes, so she blinked the fuzz away.

“Oh, no,” a younger, blonde haired girl said worriedly, “We didn’t wake you up did we?”

Roan blinked a few more times and sat up slowly.

“No, I was already awake.” She shook her head to clear up the last few spider webs. “I was just…thinking, I guess.”

What the heck had just happened? Did she accidentally use her ‘new eyes?’ Doctor Venus said she was likely to be a natural. Even if she was sick to death of questions, she wanted to ask these new girls about sensing and seeing good and evil in people. Unfortunately, she didn’t know if these vampire women knew that she knew they were vampires.

“Can I help you?” she settled on.

“We came here bringing you some dinner,” the blonde said, holding up a large, decorative dish.

Roan glanced at her clock.

4:47 A.M.

“I know it’s late, er, early, but you probably haven’t had anything to eat for a long time and we thought you might want something substantial to eat and not the mush they like to feed patients here. Oh! And I’m Christian. Excuse me for being so rude and not introducing myself earlier. This is my twin Lorilee, and Caila, our older sister. Well, she isn’t our real older sister, but she’s been around long enough that she’s like family anyway. She and her husband—”

“Your babbling, Christian,” Lorilee interrupted.

The blonde twin laughed and explained, “Sorry, I get so excited sometimes I can’t help it. Let’s start from the beginning.”

“I’m Roan.”

“Ha ha, we know. Are you hungry?”

Roan’s stomach rumbled, making her blush. A hand went to her wayward stomach, and she said, “I guess I could eat a little bit.”

“Wonderful,” Caila spoke up. “Christian is a fine chef. She cooks the meals in our household. She’s planning on opening up a business some day.”

“That’s nice,” Roan said, smiling a bit. “I’m sure it’ll prosper.” She’d always wanted to be a pastry chef herself, but it was an unreachable dream. Maybe in another life she could do it. “The bonsai tree is beautiful, by the way.”

The older woman positively glowed, and Roan wondered if she had spent a long time trying to decide what to get for her. She would have been happy with anything, but the thought that somebody had gone to such lengths to get something pleasing for Roan made her warm inside.

The girls sat on Roan’s bed and began bringing out food and silverware. Caila passed the plates around and they reached for whatever they wanted and started to eat.

There was no better time to bond then over a good, warm meal.

“So, Roan, what kind of work do you do?” Caila asked casually, taking a bite of noodles.

She and the twins had been discussing odds and ends about town-related things, but she wanted Roan to feel included.

“Ah,” Roan cleared her throat, “I’m a freelance journalist.”

“Is that why you came up here to Hokkaido? On assignment or looking for a job?”

“Both, actually. I’m supposed to be doing research on small towns and local traditions, but I’m also looking for a new job in the mean time.”

“More the reason why it’s fate you’re here!” Christian chirped happily.

“We’re a smaller community,” Lorilee stated, “but I’m sure we could hook you up with something. Small towns like ours love new information and gossip.”

“It’s what we thrive on,” Caila said. She’d rolled her eyes but the affection in her tone was hard to miss. “The twins do have a point. We can find you a job immediately.”

Roan couldn’t help but smile at the trio’s happy manner. They were so…human…it was impossible not to feel at ease around them. In fact, since she had peered into their auras, she hadn’t once thought about how uncomfortable she should be around vampires.

“Thanks, but I’m okay, really. Ms. Venus suggested I work here to pay off my medical bill, and I still have my other assignment, so I think I’ll be too busy to look for something else.”

“Where do you come from, Roan-sis?” Christian smiled proudly when the young woman blushed. “You don’t mind if we call you that, do you?”

“Oh, um,” Roan was too surprised at the cute nickname to answer at first. It’d been ages since she had one… “I don’t mind. Thank you very much; it’s very sweet.” She sat back on her bed and shifted to get comfortable.

“I’m thinking you were a city girl,” Lorilee said as she put a finger to her lips in contemplation.

The honey-haired woman shrugged.

“I moved around a lot. Cities, suburban areas, towns; I lived in all of them at one time or another. I was put into foster care when I was little, so I ended up living with a lot of different families.”

Caila frowned.

“I cannot imagine a family would fail to fall in love with such a sweet-tempered girl. How did you end up in so many houses? If the question offends or delves into private territory, I apologize.”

Roan calmly folded her hands in her lap.

“It’s not offensive. I’ve had many people ask me the same thing in the past. A lot of families wanted to adopt me, but I’ve…never liked to be chained down to one place at a time, so I left their homes voluntarily.”

She put forth a convincing smile, but the truth was that she’d had no choice but to live like a wanderer, never staying in one place for too long. She’d made that mistake long ago, and innocents had paid for it. Now, whenever she was in one place for too long, she felt itchy and restless.

Caila knew immediately there was a lot more to the story then Roan was telling, but she wasn’t about to push. Instead, she changed the subject.

“How did you end up becoming a journalist?”

“I graduated from high school early by taking extra courses. In college I took a ton of online courses, so I graduated early from that, too. I’ve been working freelance from the get-go, though I’ve done a lot of odd jobs waitressing and the like when money was too tight.”

“Geezes, did you ever have time for anything fun?” Lorilee asked, clearly horrified.

“I like to keep busy,” she replied, as if that explained everything.

“Whoa, you’re amazing,” the twins said simultaneously.

No, she’d been trying to survive. ‘Fun’ had no business being in the same places she went to.

Thinking about her lifestyle and the basics of how she had ended up in her current position were making Roan itchy again. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from wiggling.

They finished their food in silence, thankfully, and began packing up.

“Have you been in your bathroom yet, Roan?” Caila questioned while glancing at a door Roan had yet to notice.

“Not yet. I haven’t really been paying attention much to what’s in this room.”

“Would you like a hot bath?”

“That would be wonderful!” How long had it been since she’d had a bath? She stayed in hotels a lot, when she wasn’t renting a cheap condo or apartment, and they usually never had baths. She was still a bit sore and achy and probably smelled… “Wait, I don’t stink, do I?”

Caila laughed, “No, no, you are fine. I just thought a nice soak in the tub might do you wonders. It is good feminine therapy, I hear, along with a hot meal and ice cream. I could get you some, you know. Christian loves making it.”

“I’m that much of a train wreck, huh?”

“You just look like you could relax a bit more. I am sure you are still sore and tired.”

The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom, and the twins walked back into Roan’s room. Neither older girl had noticed them leaving.

“The water should be ready in a few.”

“We put some awesome-smelling bubblebath in it.”

“There are new soaps and shampoos on the counter—”

“—and some gel and a shaver to shave your legs, if you want, and—”

“—we left you two fresh towels and—”

“—some lotion, along with—”

“—scented oils—”

“—if you’re into that kind of thing—”

The twins spoke so fast Roan could barely keep up.

“Whoa, whoa, girls. Slow down. You didn’t have to do all that. I have my own stuff in my bags.”

“Nonsense,” Lorilee said dismissively. “It’s been ages since we had somebody to fuss over. We’re small town folk, remember.”

“Well,” Roan said awkwardly, “when you put it that way…”

Christian helped Roan out of her bed and ushered her into the bathroom.

“By doing nothing you’re giving us a purpose in life,” she said, grinning widely. “This way, everybody’s happy.”

“Give her some breathing space, ladies,” Caila stated, shaking her head. She handed Roan a slip of paper and put a friendly hand on her shoulder. “Call me if you need anything and I’ll be right over. If you’re feeling up to it, we can show you the town tomorrow.”

Roan paused, suddenly overwhelmed by their kindness.

“Why are you doing this for me?”

The girls’ faces were kind.

“Because we like you, Roan-sis,” Christian said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Roan nodded, accepting the answer though not really understanding. As the girls left, she realized she didn’t know their last names. It would be too impolite to ask around using their first names, as they hadn’t known each other that long, so she was determined to get their full names the next time they spoke. She should probably also let them know she knew they weren’t human. It seemed rude and shady to keep that from them.

She began unbuttoning her top.

000

Finally, they’re gone! Joey thought.

He had waited impatiently for what felt like hours for his sisters and friend to leave.

Joey’s eyes were fixated on Roan’s hands. The same small, delicate ones that were slowly undoing button after button, revealing small tastes of creamy peach skin. He remembered how soft that skin had been in his hands, and that had been her neck. No doubt it would be more creamy and delectable lower. Oh yes, much, much lower.

His mouth watered.

000

An hour or so after making sure all her patients were sound asleep and recuperating normally, Venus walked into the Gonzalez library. She loved going there with a cup to tea to relax. As she browsed the shelves for a good book to absorb, she became aware that she was not alone in the room.

“Master Maki,” she said without turning around, “what a pleasant surprise.”



-

-

-

LOL. Joey’s a perv.. XD
Sorry dahil nawala ung mga italicized phrases for the thoughts. Ang hirap pag sa forum eh. Hindi na Rich Text. It's BB Codes na... it's a damn hassle if I have to search for every phrase from their minds just to wrap them in italic codes. Kaya understand na lang..

000

000

000

Part III

000

Maki seated himself in a large, comfortable chair and waited for the doctor to join him. His face was serious, and Venus knew this conversation was going to be very no-nonsense. Few ever saw Maki Gonzalez this way because he preferred to show his fun-loving side to everyone. It “keeps everybody’s spirits up,” or so he claimed. Venus knew he just liked to tease people endlessly, and acting like an oblivious fool was one of his favorite ways to embarrass them. His children took the brunt of his teasing, Joey and Lorilee especially.

Venus smiled at her thoughts and selected a book. She took a chair across from Maki and set her small cup on a nearby table.

“Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?”

She waved her hand toward a different table that had a teapot and cups.

The clan leader shook his head.

“I’m here to speak about my son.”

“I suspected as much.”

“There are rumors running amuck about your new patient, thanks to my girls and your staff, no doubt.”

“That does not surprise me. Roan Buenaventura is a special lady. I passed by her room before leaving and saw your daughters and Caila with her. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.”

“Yes, my daughters are beside themselves with delight. They believe her to be Joey’s salvation.” The leader paused for a moment and rubbed his beard. It was a habit of his whenever he was thinking deeply. “I…want to know your opinion on the matter. Please, don’t hold anything back.”

She took a long sip of tea.

“As I said, Buenaventura is very special. She had empathic abilities that I awakened fully.” Maki frowned, confused. “She knows what we are, Maki. She has had encounters with rogues in the past. These meetings have sparked a terrible fear inside of her, and she pleaded with me to give her the ability to differentiate between good and evil vampires. I awakened her inner sight as a sign of confidence and trust, and I believe it helped her.”

The clan leader sat back in his chair, his frown deepening.

“Do you think any rogues are searching for her? You know how they tend to obsess over prey, and if she saw them, it’s possible they saw her as well.”

“That was my initial speculation. She was very disturbed to hear she would be staying with us until spring and was adamant about leaving. When Carla and Marvin went to the site of the accident to retrieve Miss Buenaventura’s belongings, she was not transporting a great deal of luggage with her save for some clothes, a fold up futon, and a laptop. This led me to believe she may have been on a trip of some kind. However, after reviewing her past records, it seems she does not stay in one place for more than a couple of months at a time. She probably spends more time in her car then in a home, and she lives off the little money she makes with various jobs.”

“She will have a good home here,” Jose said.

The leader and doctor glanced at the doorway, neither surprised to see Jose Fabros leaning against the doorway with a cigarette in hand.

“Yes,” Venus agreed. “Perhaps she will be able to find peace here where she could not in other places.”

The elder Fabros stood behind Maki, one hand posted on the top of the chair.

“And my son,” Maki said. “Has he been around her?”

“Oh, I should think you will be hearing from your son very soon,” the doctor chuckled. “I allowed him time to see her, and I have no doubts she is his based on his obsessive behavior. It confused him greatly, and I have a feeling he is trying to put her in the perspective of just being food. It won’t work of course, as you know. Mates know each other in soul, not in heart or mind, though the heart follows the soul and so will the mind follow the heart. He went to her two times, but ended up scaring her on the second trip, so I told him he must seek your permission the next time he wishes to approach her.”

Maki began to laugh.

“Ah, Venus, you have just made my son hate me more, no doubt. The last thing Joey will want to do is come to me.”

“But go to you he must. I am sure you are beside yourself and already plotting ways to tease him mercilessly when that day arrives.”

The leader shrugged nonchalantly, but the smile creeping across his lips said otherwise.

Jose cleared his throat.

“There are graver matters at hand that need attention. People are wondering if Joey had a hand in the human’s accident.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Maki snapped.

“He was hunting in the area. It is merely speculation.”

“If she is his mate, he cannot bring harm to her.”

“We do not know what the conditions that come with mating and bonding will be like with Joey. He is not like other vampires, so the need to protect and nurture might not be as defined and instinctual in him.”

“Ms. Buenaventura did not feel threatened by his presence,” Venus said, knowing there would be an explosive argument if she didn’t cut in. “I spoke with her about the matter, and she said she felt no evil in him, either. He scares her, yes, but he did not, nor will, harm her.”

Maki nodded his head in gratitude.

“Thank you, Venus.”

“Whether he has the capacity to harm her or not is not an issue here. People want to know if he was involved in causing her accident. You know how selfish he is. If he recognized her as his mate, he may have done anything to keep her in this town.”

“Just what are you insinuating about my son, Jose?”

“Some lower members who do not like the idea that Joey may one day take over the clan are raising questions about your son’s behavior. It’s no secret he has been acting more and more eccentric in past years, or that his bloodlusts have become more frequent. People fear him with good reason. It’s likely a ploy to raise doubts about Joey, and probably you, as his father.”

“Doubts can lead to discontent,” Venus said softly, sipping her tea.

“Discontent can lead to the will to overthrow,” Jose nodded. “It’s presumptuous to get ahead of ourselves now, but I wanted you to be aware of the rumors.”

Maki looked toward his head at his second in command and gave a sharp nod.

“Thank you, Jose. I’ll give the matter some serious thought.”

“Perhaps it is time we show the town that Joey is not such the monster he and they think of him as,” the doctor said thoughtfully. “The town’s annual winter festival is coming soon. Perhaps we could include a public display of some sort to allow people to see Joey not only around his mate, but in a social setting.”

“A dance?” Jose suggested.

Maki smiled slowly, “Joey hates to dance. And the single, lonely townsmen will be all over Miss Buenaventura, if her beauty is anything like the rumors. It’ll drive my son up a wall.” He clapped his large hands together. “It’s perfect!”

000

As Roan tugged off her button down, ruffled shirt and eased out of her ruffled, pajama-like pants, she wondered who had dressed her in the old-fashioned outfit. Like so many things, she hadn’t really noticed or given any thought to her surroundings. Now that she was starting to concentrate on things outside of her own mind, she was becoming quite startled with the details she had missed. Like the thirty-six inch screen TV in her room. Or the walk in closet to the right of her bed. Or the chandelier that hung from her ceiling. Or the expensive mahogany wood that her bed and night table were made of.

The wealth of her surroundings was mind-boggling. She had never been a particularly material girl, so being in such finery was foreign, though not unpleasant. She was still a girl at heart, after all, and she liked pretty things. They just hadn’t really had a place in her dark world.

Roan shook her head and looked into the mirror. She leaned over the edge of the counter, placed her hands on the smooth glass, and stared at her reflection. There were still a few bruises marring her skin here and there, but for the most part she was completely healed, no doubt thanks to Venus’s medicinal concoction. Her soft brown eyes were wide and thoughtful. The fear that was always sulking in the background was still there, but for once, she allowed herself time to really look at herself.

Did she even recognize the girl who was staring back at her? It was amazing how much a person’s perspective of the world could change in such a short time, but she was glad for it. If the doctor hadn’t given Roan such a precious gift, her prejudice against vampires wouldn’t have allowed her to make friends with Caila, Lorilee, and Christian. She was sure if she found a way to use it while she was walking around the town later, she would feel a lot better. The thought of going into a town full of vampires she couldn’t identify wasn’t sitting well with her, and she needed all the reassurance she could get.

A bubble of hope was beginning to swell in Roan’s chest for the first time in years. Maybe, just maybe she could make a home here. For a little while, at the very least. It’d been so long since she’d chanced living in one place for over two or three months. Winters in this area were long and hard, and Roan had hoped by skim by the beginning of the season during her migration northward, but it was not to be. Maybe it would be a good thing. She doubted her ruthless pursuer would be able to travel quickly in these harsh climates, so she should have enough time to leave the town when spring comes. She couldn’t stand the thought of anybody being attacked because of her…

She sighed and edged away from the mirror, sick of looking at herself. She could figure this out later, one step at a time. Right now was for her and that water smelled positively delightful.

000

Though it was risky to be outside her room on a tree branch like the stalker he was, especially right before dawn, Joey just couldn’t help himself. Venus couldn’t have put the girl in a better room. A large oak tree had been planted over eighty years ago outside of it, and while it had no leaves to hide his form, the darkness of the night and the snow helped to hide him. Thankfully, it was still cloudy from the brief storm that had passed by a few hours ago, or the moon would have hit the snow and lit the entire yard.

His eyes were hooked on the small, wavy-haired woman in the bathroom. He began to growl low in his throat. It was so inaudible and instinctual that he didn’t even realize he was doing it.

Never in his life had he seen a striptease so fucking sexy.

His hand unconsciously moved toward his crotch and he hissed when his hand made contact with the growing bulge.

The clothes she was wearing should not look as sexy as they did, and had they been on anyone else, he would have sneered and reconsidered taking the woman as his meal. A part of him suspected if the woman had been wearing sackcloth and a bag over her head, she would still hold the same appeal.

She shrugged the top off and Joey momentarily forgot how to breathe. Her breasts were ripe and plump, and he knew they would be as soft and yielding as they looked. His hands itched to caress and squeeze them, to drag the woman to him and press the glorious mounds to his chest as he swept his tongue across her neck and heard her moan. He wanted to bite her neck and each of her lovely breasts, to mark her as his prey, his property, just…his.

Taking her flimsy pajama-like pants off was his undoing. She did it slow and deliberately, and though he knew she was unaware of her watcher, he couldn’t help but think she was unconsciously teasing him. Her legs were shapely and filled, her butt perfectly round and plump.

He quickly unzipped his pants, shoving a hand inside. He leaned back, eyes half-shut, and opened his mouth as he panted in pleasure.

She leaned over the large, marble counter and placed her hands on the mirror. Joey groaned as her ass was lifted slightly into the air. God, he really, really wanted to rub his hands all over it. His fangs lengthened, wanting to leave a mark there as well. Once on each cheek. Maybe on the backs of her thighs as well, for good measure.

“This has got to be one of your lower moments, mate.”

Joey lost his balance and nearly fell backwards out of his tree.

“Fidel!” he growled, quickly pulling his hands out of his pants and zipping them up. “I should tear your throat out, you bastard.”

The short man, Fidel, grinned unrepentantly from below. He jumped up onto a branch and eyed the room his friend had been peeping into. Joey bared his fangs possessively. He did not want any male’s eyes to be on his female’s naked body. The mere thought made his vision bleed red.

“Take your eyes away from that room,” he growled deeply.

Smirking, Fidel complied.

“Peeping doesn’t really suit you. How the mighty fall for a beautiful woman,” he teased.

“Fuck you, Fidel.”

“Got a wife for that, thanks. She’s quite lovely, too. All soft edges and—”

“Nobody wants to hear the sordid details of your happy married life, Fidel,” a new voice spoke.

Joey groaned, his erection completely lost.

Migi Fabros.

Just what he needed.

Although they considered each other friends and would put themselves on the line for each other, they did not get along. At all. In fact, they barely tolerated each other.

Joey glanced at his woman-prey and noticed she’d gotten into the tub. Which meant she’d already stripped of her panties, and now he couldn’t see them.

Fucking bubbles!

They were blocking his view, damn it!

Migi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and jumped gracefully onto another limb. The air about him was haughty as ever, and he eyed the situation before him with a calculated stare. He was lucky the branch he stood on rendered him unable to see into Roan’s bathroom, or Joey might have had to maim him.

“Any more of you idiots going to show up tonight?” he asked with a sneer.

“Just one,” a deep, calm voice said softly.

Joey’s hard edges softened for just a moment. Richard, had been Joey’s friend all his life, despite his humanity. When they were fifteen, Richard had been mortally wounded by a pitiless rogue. To save him, Joey had given him his life blood in order to change him into a vampire. It had been risky, but thankfully Richard had survived, normal and sane. Maki had immediately adopted him into their clan, and there he’d stayed, despite numerous offers to join and head other clans. Though not born vampire, he had one of the oldest lines of blood running through his veins, and his near-superhuman strength in human life had more than quadrupled now that he was vampire. Additionally, he was the only one of Joey’s oldest friends who could sometimes calm him in a raged or bloodlust state, even thought being near Joey, who had proved countless times to be incredibly unpredictable in his moods, was risky and potentially fatal.

“Why are you here?” he questioned, suddenly weary.

He made it no secret that he preferred being alone, that he was liable to kill any of them at any random moment, but for the past one hundred years they had never deserted him or left his side. He wondered why. Fidel and Migi could have joined the clans of their wives, and Richard had been asked to lead several of them. None of them were obligated to stay with the Gonzalez clan, yet they did. They put up with him and bad attitude; hell, sometimes they matched it with their own.

Their wives were tough spirits as well. Caila wasn’t afraid to tease him and hit him up side the head to keep him in line, and Laiza had an aura about her that demanded respect similar to Venus, though she wasn’t nearly as commanding.

For the first time in one hundred years, Joey looked at his friends and felt a tiny spark of thanks and gratitude.

Oh great, he thought with disgust, now not only am I obsessing over some chick, but I’m getting soft on my friends, too.

“We heard about your, uh, ‘interest’ in the latest addition to the town and decided to see what all the fuss was about,” Fidel explained.

Joey immediately glared suspiciously at them. Though neither man had looked at the other, they had all just shared some sort of secret message. It was irritating to be out of the loop.

“Well that’s nice.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Now what are you really here for?”

“It’s the truth, Joey,” Migi stated calmly, “but there is something more. My father wants to know if you caused her accident.”

Joey’s eyes began to bleed black, and his friends shifted uncomfortably.

“What did you say?” he asked, his voice deepening gutturally.

“Hey, man,” Fidel raised his hands in a gesture of peace, “you were in the area hunting, so the elders are just looking at all the possibilities to have caused the accident. Carla and Marvin said they could smell your scent at the scene, so the elders just want to make sure if you did or didn’t have anything to do with it.”

That was only half of the truth, of course. The “elders,” i.e. Maki, Jose, Venus, had asked the three men specifically to do this task. Fidel and Migi had be selected due to their friendship with Joey, and more so because they were already bonded and knew what it was like to deal with the rush of emotions that came prior to bonding. Richard was requested because of the calm atmosphere he was able to create when around the unruly black-haired vampire. All three friends had been ordered not to tell Joey what they suspected Roan was to him, and after seeing how he acted around her first hand, Fidel was beginning to believe the rumors to be true. He’d ask his wife about her thoughts when he got home. She had met the young woman, after all.

The black receded and Joey hesitated in his answer. Technically he might have had something to do with it, and he’d been hell bent on eating her, but did that really matter now? He didn’t want to kill her. At least, not right away…

“She may have seen me,” Joey said, knowing fully well their eyes had locked in her rearview mirror right before she’d swerved around the edge, “but it was her accelerating around an icy curve that led to car going off the edge.”

“That’s all you saw? That’s the only thing that happened?”

Joey nodded.

No way was he telling them he’d hit a branch as he was flying toward her car because he’d been so taken with her lovely eyes he hadn’t seen it in front of him.

“Okay,” Fidel said compliantly, “I’ll believe you, but only because we’re friends. I think there’s more to it, but the girl in question is okay, so it’s a moot point right now.”

“My father also wanted you to know there will be a dance at the winter festival,” Migi said. “Maki requires your attendance.”

“What?” Joey exploded. “I hate dances! He knows this! Why do I have to go?!”

Migi shrugged. He was just as curious to know why Joey was being called to attend. As it was a formal request by the head of the clan, Joey had no choice but to show. The vampire avoided social gatherings like the plague for good reason. He was liable to snap at any time and hurt somebody. As the black in his eyes was beginning to spread again, Migi wondered whether he and his friends were going to have to fight Joey and literally beat the rage out of him. Thankfully, Richard stepped in and placed his hand on Joey’s shoulder.

“You’re only required to make an appearance. Maki didn’t say anything about having to stay long.”

His deep, husky voice reached Joey in his half-raged state, and the black-haired man took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Surprisingly, thinking of the small woman in the room ahead of him helped ease his anger.

“It’s still a pile of bullshit,” he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

“What are you guys doing up there?!” Caila yelled from below.

The men looked down and saw the little black-haired woman, hands on her hips. She looked pissed.

000

“I’m waiting for an answer,” she said angrily. Geezes, she’d come back to the clinic to find something she’d dropped earlier, and she finds this after being gone, what? Twenty minutes tops?

“Ah, uh, darling! What a surprise,” Fidel said frantically, and Caila’s scowl deepened.

“Quiet down, idiot!” she hissed. She jumped up to a branch so she could be face to face with them. “You four probably woke up half the clinic already! Now kindly get your sorry behinds out of this tree and…” She trailed off when she noticed whose room was right across from the tree. Her glare intensified. “You perverts! Get out of this tree right now, or so help me God, I will—”

“Excuse me, but could you—oh…my…”

Roan stood at her window wearing nothing but a bathrobe, which had fallen half open in her surprise, partially baring her stomach and breasts to the world. One could even see the water droplets running down her smooth, porcelain skin.

Four horribly embarrassed and guilty individuals turned to look at the honey-haired woman standing so innocently at her window; one laid-back male took a glance at her and saw crimson red.

-

-

-

-



I told you not to read my work… =)) You guys all asked for it.. -_-

Damn, now my reputation is ruined… D: