Eventually we all managed to settle down for the night, after a small argument of who was sleeping where. Fang was adamant that I slept next to him and I was just as adamant the world would come to an end first. Finally, we settled with Bubbles laying stiffly between us with everyone fully dressed. No nudie sleeping for fang boy tonight.
It was actually quite cozy. If you could get past the horrific thoughts of what might actually be creeping under the sheets with you. Instead of visions of sugarplums dancing in my head, I had images of bedbugs, pubic hairs and things a shot of penicillin wouldn't clear up. Not even the thousand and one times Fang assured me that I could no longer catch human diseases helped ease my germaphobic mind. I mean, I wasn't at Howie Mandel levels with my irrational fears, but that didn't mean I volunteered to go skinny dipping in a cesspool either.
But, despite all my swearing I wouldn't sleep a wink, I ended up sawing logs like I was at a lumberjack competition. In fact, I had been sleeping so hard, it took me a while to come around and figure out there was a pillow being held over my face. You know that awesome feeling you get when you wake up in the morning and you're full of energy? Yea...well, that was me...only it wasn't remotely close to an awesome feeling and the only reason I was full of energy was to save my life.
"Die, bloodsucking spawn of Satan!" Courtanya hissed above me.
Not a wise move on her part, especially since I hadn't had my coffee yet. Grabbing her wrist, I tugged it hard and she flew over my head. Her little body sailing across the room with the greatest of ease. For a second, I had a twinge of guilt she might have been hurt, but it was only for a second and she landed softly enough when she bounced off the hideously upholstered recliner in the corner.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" I growled, sitting up and throwing what was left of the pillow at her as she picked herself up off the floor. I was pretty sure I had feathers in my mouth and that was as close to kissing a chicken butt I had ever wanted to come. So much for my theory she had turned over a new leaf when it came to trying attempted murder. I swear, the girl had more personalities than Sybil and was impossible to try and figure out.
She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and grinned at me. Actually grinned! I shook my head in disgust and got out of bed. "Damn morning people," I grumbled as I rubbed the last of the sleep off my face.
"Good evening, Red," Fang drawled, appearing out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and a smile which gave me a bad case of jelly-legs and I quickly sat back down on the edge of the bed before my ass hit the floor.
Holy Moses on a pogo stick. The sight of him sent a shot of adrenaline through me faster than if I had chewed a handful of expresso beans and chased it down with a Red Bull. There was so much glorious, glistening skin to appreciate, I wasn't even sure where to begin. Too bad my inner hussy didn't have the same problem. She pulled my eyes straight down to his lines of Apollo. You know...that perfectly formed V that points down to the hidden treasure beneath the towel. I swear, his were so cut, you could have rolled marbles down them.
"The shower is free," he said, moving over to the mysterious brown bag he had brought in last night.
"At this point in time, I don't think showering is going to be enough. I'll need to be autoclaved to get the stank of this motel room off me," I muttered, watching his back muscles flex as he dug through the bag. I may not like mornings...or people...or morning people...but I sure as heck liked the way his ass looked under that towel. And since it was Sunday, I threw up a little prayer to the big man upstairs in thanks. Nobody could accuse me of not being a good Christian.
"Here," he said, turning to me and giving me a full fanged smile. "This will make you feel better."
He tossed me a small bundle and I caught it in mid-air. Sneaky vampire. He remembered the way to my heart in the morning was to come baring gifts or coffee. With excited glee, I held up clean undergarments. I had forgotten Mason had done some intimate apparel shopping, bless his little crazy ass heart. With my new fancy, lemon yellow bra and briefs tucked against my chest, I rifled through the rest. Holding up a black leather bustier type biker's vest and matching mini skirt. Okay...calling it a mini skirt was being generous. It was more like a strip of black leather the size of a Band-Aid.
The WTF must have been clearly painted on my face because Fang simply shrugged and his smile grew.
"There wasn't much to choose from," he said as if that explained it all.
"Choose from where? Hookers-R-Us?" All I needed to complete this ensemble was a pair of plastic shoes with goldfish swimming in the heels.
"The lost and found," Fang replied.
"You mean these were somebody else's?" I dropped them as if they had bitten me. Rubbing my fingers against the bedspread to cleanse myself of whatever cooties might still be lurking, I realized I was probably only making things worse. Gah! I needed to be fumigated!
"Bob has a box of things he finds in the rooms when people leave. It's either those or what you had on last night." He turned back around and continued to fish inside his bag of grossness. "And, just so you know, they are clean. A lot cleaner than what you are wearing."
"What are you wearing then?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him suspiciously. I couldn't believe the only thing in that box he could find for me was this homage to prostitutes everywhere.
He turned around and held up a black wife-beater tank top and a pair of black cargo pants. Oh...of course...he would find something all in black, I thought letting my eyes take a slow roll around in my sockets. "What about, Tinkerbell?" I asked hoping against hope there was something really dreadful in there for her because I was still slightly pissed about her trying to smoother me in my sleep.
He pulled out a purple moo moo with gaudy daises plastered all over it.
Bubble's gasp of horror had me rolling around on the bed in hysterics. Suddenly, my whore-wear didn't look near as bad. Wiping my eyes, I headed into the bathroom. Dumping my stuff on the counter, I picked up a new toothbrush still in its plastic. I smiled at Fang's thoughtfulness and decided he wasn't such a bad guy after all. For the next five minutes anyway. I was positive he would do something eventually that would change my opinion. Ripping open the package, I squirted some toothpaste from the small travel sized tube and quickly scrubbed my teeth. I was eager to jump in the shower and wash the layers of filth of me. I was dirtier than a toilet seat at Taco Bell on all you can eat taco Tuesday.
Despite the erratic spray of the showerhead that spurted water in every direction but down and the finicky knobs that went from freezing cold to water hot enough to boil a lobster...I managed to get clean. I was just finishing up, finally feeling fresh and rejuvenated after what seemed like days, when the first pang of hunger hit me. My stomach rolled and grumbled like a thunderstorm brewing over Kansas. It was so strong, I swore I saw my belly undulate.
Shrugging it off, I stepped out of the shower and was toweling off when another uproar from my midsection echoed around the dingy tiled room. This time, the feeling of hunger was so strong...I almost dropped to my knees and I had to clutch the sink to stop from falling. I was so hungry, I could have ate my own cooking. Which was really saying something because I could burn water. The one time I tried to make something from scratch...I ended up sending six people to the emergency room for food poisoning.
A low growl shot through the room, growing steadily louder until I realized it was coming from me. Looking up in the mirror with alarm, I watched as my fangs dropped...long and lethal.
"Oh no," I moaned. Brining a shaky hand up, I lightly touched the piercing points. Bloodlust. The thought no sooner registered in my head when my gut convulsed again, hard and sharp making me gasp in pain. Sweat broke out across my forehead and I felt like I was about to be sick.
Two loud knocks sounded on the door, followed by Fang's voice.
"Are you okay in there, Red?"
"Everyth'ing ith fine," I said towards the door, trying to scramble up to my feet. Drat! My teeth were so long, they gave me a lisp. How the hell do vampires deal with these things, I wondered as I sank back down to the floor. I was as weak as a kitten and didn't have the strength to stand, which really sucked considering how filthy this floor was.
"You don't sound fine." His voice was sharper this time, more demanding and less concerned.
"I thaid ith fine!" I hollered, wincing at the sudden speech impediment I had. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to will my teeth to retract, but, instead, another pang of hunger over took me and I slumped against the wall. My stomach chorusing loudly.
I barely had enough thought past the hunger to wrap the towel around myself before the door burst open and Fang came barreling in. His huge frame overtaking any extra space in the tiny bathroom. In one fell swoop, I was up in his arms and cuddled against his chest.
My head instinctively turned towards his neck. His rich scent sending my senses into a tailspin. My fangs grew even longer and I could feel my mouth opening, zeroing in on the pulsing beat of his jugular. Drool pooled in my mouth at the exciting thought of what his blood was going to taste like on my tongue. Horrified at what I was about to do, I snapped my head back, pulling up short before I could sink my teeth into his skin. Images of what I had done to poor Mr. Tinkles the last time this happened, gave me the strength to fight my ferocious hunger.
With all the effort I had in my weakened state, I started to shove and push him away from me.
"Let'th me go!" I hissed.
"You need to feed," he said sensibly, carrying me over to the bed and sitting down on it with me in his lap like a good little vampire sitting on Santa's lap.
"No th'it th'erlock!" Double drat! I really needed to use words that didn't have the letter S in them. Thinking hard, which normally wasn't my strong suit on a good day, but twice as difficult in the state of starvation I was in...I tried again. "I need to go."
His diamond eyes grew wide and his dark brows jumped to the top of his widow's peak. "Go? Go where? I'm right here."
"I'm not feeding on you!" Yay! I full, legible sentence...not brought to you by the letter S.
"Why the hell not?" His handsome face screwed up into a scowl.
"I need to find a cat...or a dog...hell...I'll thettle for a po'thum." I sighed in frustration. "Look, ju'th let'th me go and I will be right back. I promi'th."
"You would rather feed on some flea infested varmint than me?" His voice took an incredulous edge and his eyes glowed angrily.
"It'th no'thing per'thonal!"
"The fuck it isn't," he growled. With the palm of his hand, he jerked my head towards his neck. "Drink!" he ordered, tilting his head to the side.
My nose wrinkled up in distaste even though my mouth watered. I didn't like the fact he was offering himself up to be my own personal protein smoothie and I couldn't help but worry about sucking him dry until there was nothing left but a shriveled up shell. It would take me hours to dig a hole big enough to hide him in...and didn't even have my trusty wooden spoon.
"Where ith Courth'anya?" I asked, looking for anything to distract me from the smell of his skin. The lovely swish, swish sound of his blood pumping just centimeters from my predatory canines was pure torture.
"I sent her out for coffee. Now stop stalling and drink," he demanded, his voice turning into a husky whisper.
"That'th was th'upid," I exclaimed with a snort. "Th'ell put ar'thenic in my coffee."
"I'll drink it first," he sighed, shoving my head once again towards his throat.
I was about to tell him to stop being so bossy when a wave of hunger rolled over me, making me moan and clench my stomach.
"Dammit, Red! Drink!"
Roughly, he towed me up the bed with him until his back was against the headboard and I was lying across his chest like a lover. His delicious smell made my parched throat ache and I could no longer control the wild hunger inside me. The primal need to feed took over, there was no stopping it. With the quickness of a cobra, I struck his throat. My teeth slicing through his skin with surgical precision.
Fang gasped and went rigid underneath me, a low groan rumbling out of his chest. Then his arms came around me, holding me tighter than a pair of Spanx after Thanksgiving dinner. His chest vibrated as he purred, but I didn't care. Nor did I care about what else was growing rigid underneath me. My mind was solely focused on the blood spilling into my mouth. He tasted rich, decadent...like the sweetest of wines and the darkest of chocolate. My thirst for him unbearable as I clawed my way up his naked chest. Repositioning myself, I straddled him to get better leverage at his throat so I could continue to suck down his luscious elixir.
Suddenly, everything became sharper. The light brighter, sounds clearer. It was if I was seeing, hearing and feeling everything in super high definition. I could even smell Fang's arousal as his hips raised up into mine and I moaned around his neck. My hands which had been clutching his shoulders, now glided over the smooth expanse of his muscular chest as his skimmed over every bit of naked flesh on my body. In that moment, I forgot about everything, but the hunger and the need for him. Our bodies entwined, wrapping around each other as we arched and writhed...touched and moaned. When he grabbed my hips and rotated his pelvis up into mine, a blast of undiluted passion erupted in my neither regions like a dormant volcano and I pressed back. A burning need for him to...
"Your Majesty! NO!" Courtanya shrieked, the cardboard carrier she had been holding crashed to the floor sending a tidal wave of coffee across it which was immediately sucked up into the orange shag carpeting. Adding yet another stain amongst the many.
With a yelp, I jerked my head away from Fang's neck, licking my lips guiltily as I slid off his chest. Good gravy! What just happened? I had been so close to...my face turned bright red as I glanced over at Fang who looked like he was about to rip Bubbles from limb to limb. His chest was a crisscross of scratches from my nails and he was sporting a major woody in those cargo pants. Oh GAWD...
"You...you can't let her...oh...this is terrible," Bubbles cried, pacing the room. Her hands kept fluttering around her like she was fighting off a swarm of bees. "You mustn't allow...you can't...she can't..."
Fang lunged off the bed and caught her by the shoulders. Bending his head, he glared into her face. His eyes highlighting her face like a soft spotlight, a trickle of blood running down his neck from where I had bit him.
"You didn't see anything. Nothing you saw happened," he murmured on a hiss.
"I...I...I don't know what you are talking about, your Majesty," Bubbles said, blinking up at him with the same, if not rather vacant admiration as usual. "I brought your coffee as you requested." She looked around. "Where did it go?"
Less than an hour later, we were once again corralled in Gizmo flying down the road towards the mysterious compound. I glanced in the rearview at Bubbles who was sitting in the back humming softly. She had that same strange look on her face that she had ever since Fang put the mind whammy on her. My face flushed hotly at the memory of why it had been necessary. She had about caught us... I couldn't even bring myself to think about it. I wiggled uncomfortably in my seat, trying to tug down my teeny, tiny skirt for the hundredth time since I had put it on.
"If you keep doing that, it'll rip and you'll be in nothing but those charming yellow panties. Not that I would complain," Fang teased, giving me yet another one of those looks like the kind he had been giving me since our...ahem...digression. Yes...that's what I am calling it. A digression from my sanity. It's a well-known fact that people do strange and unusual things in extenuating circumstances. My transgression was caused by bloodlust...so...that's what we are going to call it. A transgression digression of my feeding obsession. Was I in denial? Honey, I was Cleopatra rolling down a river of it, but I didn't care. That was my story and I was sticking to it.
As soon as we got to this stupid compound, I was putting as much distance between fang boy and myself as humanly possible. Or...vampirely possible. Gah! I shuddered as another surge of energy flowed through me. I had to admit, Fang's blood was some seriously potent stuff. I felt fantastic and I hadn't even drunk much. I peeked a glance over at him, only to have his icicle eyes crash into mine. A weird connection surged between us, making me grip the steering wheel so tight, it squeaked.
Thankfully, he started barking out directions and I was too busy following to dwell on it. Before you could say zippity-do-dah...we were pulling up in front of a huge, goliath of a building. My eyes popping wide at the sight of it. I slammed on the brakes in the middle of a cracked driveway. Fang slammed face first into the dash and bubbles came shooting between the seats like a little blonde missile. Ignoring their complaints, I slowly got of the car. Little clumps of grass and weeds poked out of the pavement as Mother Nature tried to reclaim it. But my eyes paid little attention to the greenery...they were totally focused on the building in front of me. Standing sinister in the night.
It was a huge, brick building...dark...isolated and slowly decaying. Some of the front was in the mist of vegetation gone wild. Overgrown tree's hovered over it while vines climbed up the walls like bony fingers reaching from the grave. There wasn't a light to be seen as it sat in the deafening darkness, but that didn't stop the feeling you were being watched out of the countless broken windows. A childless playground sat off to the right. Its rusty swings frozen in time and the metal slide hardly visible under the vines. But, as if all that wasn't foreboding enough, there was the brick sign sitting dejectedly to the left. I couldn't read the first part of the name, but I sure as shit could read the rest of it.
"An insane asylum!" I screeched. "The compound is in an old spooky ass insane asylum?" No sooner had the words left my mouth, then the sky opened up and pouring rain deluged down on top of us.
Author's Note:
Dungeons, seedy hotels and now an insane asylum...boy Fang sure knows how to show a girl a good time! Will Mel go inside or will she finally decide she's had enough? And what is this strange connection between the two of them...hmmm? Stay tuned to find out!
I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of FANGED and if you liked it, you will consider giving it a vote. I love hearing from you and comments are always appreciated. If you don't see any updates here, feel free to check out my other stories Bending Steele, When Roses Collide and Steal You Away.
The next scheduled update for this book is August 12th.
As always, thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
K