Endless Midnight

When I finally woke it seemed as if I were seeing through a black veil, I lay perfectly still, letting my mind and senses focus. I realized that I could see the individual threads of the cloth above me. Cloth? All that had just happened slammed into me as I stared up at the canopy of an unfamiliar bed. My mind was startlingly clear and I knew that I should be panicking; but a surreal peace seemed to be flowing through me. I could not reach any real kind of focus.

The crimson silk sheets caressed my body, their almost liquid quality cocooning me, lulling me into a euphoric calmness. Closing my eyes I ran my hands over them. This is touch, this is feeling, electric and ethereal… have I never touched silk before? A gentle breeze rippled the cloth canopy above me and I almost stopped breathing. I watched an intricate dance of highly defined threads…such beauty, have I never before used my eyes? A small sound slowly penetrated my almost blissful state, that of a heartbeat.

A pain tore through me then, so sharp I thought I had been stabbed. I bolted upright. I was alone, of that I was sure, not another living thing stirred in the house. I was in an ornate bedroom, the décor antique and done entirely in blacks, reds and gold. To my very core I could feel it, the absence of another. Sebastian, where was Sebastian? He was the cause of this; he was the one who…

That heartbeat again, ringing in my ears. Ten feet from the foot of the bed french doors opened to a sparkling twilight world. Again my breath caught, a sea of midnight blues beckoned just beyond the room.

A small scream tore from me as pain assailed me once again. Clutching my stomach I fought off tears. Still I did not panic, every feeling, every sense overwhelmed and weakened me. Sliding off the bed, I fell to my knees in the thick carpet. I could not tear my eyes from the open doorway nor my ears from that maddening sound. Thud, thud, thud…
Clutching the bed post I shakily pulled myself to a half standing, half crouching position. My mind a near blank slate, all that was left to me was feeling and that lead me closer to the open door. Time stood still, time raced forward as I made my way. My hands clutched at the cold black metal of the balcony railing as my legs gave way.
I watched the darkness intently; a myriad of deep blues and greens painting an almost painfully beautiful picture. Thud, thud, thud. Aaah that sound! Desperately I searched for its source. Eyes darting back and forth over the huge backyard tears began streaming down my face. Then something moved near the large oak, I froze. That I was not breathing, that it was not my heart that was beating barely registered. My whole body focused on the lone man leaning casually against the tree and a fierce hunger nearly swept me into unconsciousness.

A growl escaped my lips as my very being pulsed to the sound of that man’s heartbeat. I wanted it, I needed it. That knowledge alone finally scared me and caused some panic to rise. What was I doing? What the hell was I doing! A door opened in the room behind me and I whirled around, the room continuing to spin even as I stood still.
Sebastian stood in the doorway. His eyes were almost panicked and he was calling my name as he rushed towards me. My legs gave out as he reached me.