Shadows of the Night

ok. so once again i\'m back. this chapter may be a touch dark, as i\'ve been dealing with some really nasty real life issues. they have chosen this moment to jump up and kick me in the head and remind me quite painfully that they\'re here. more\'s the pity for me. ah well...

just a warning that there will be violent death in this chapter. probably very bloody, too. i merely wish to keep you informed of what is going on. reading the chapter is entirely up to you.

please, if you find you like this, or wish to make some suggestion about this story, do not hesitate to leave a review or some constructive criticism. thank you.

Chapter Two: Surrounded By Death
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sky was overcast, the blue hidden behind a thick, iron gray blanket of clouds that even now spilled out a thin pattering of rain. It was a prelude to the inevitable deluge of a heavy, sheeting downpour to come. The weather matched the mood of the gathered mourners. Nearly everyone of them stood under the cover of umbrellas. Only one person allowed the wet, cold drops to shower them. A thin, pale woman stood off by herself, staring at the gleaming wood of the coffin.

Tears mingled with rain drops on her cheeks. She sobbed silently, her arms wrapped about her middle tightly. As if she clutched at herself. She stood off to one side, away from all the others. To the casual observer, it appeared as if she was cast out from the rest of the mourners. What they couldn\'t see or know was that several of the mourners had tried, still tried, to draw the solitary woman into the fold. They didn\'t know that the woman had turned them down repeatedly.

They couldn\'t know that she held back because she blamed herself for the death of the man in the gleaming wooden coffin that was the center of attention.

Kat listened to the drone of the priest with only half an ear. Part of her attention was drawn to the fiery pain that rushed through her body with every beat of her heart. It had been a week since the attack and since then, her doctor had been unable to find a reason for it. No amount of pills, neither prescribed nor over the counter, could dull the pain for very long. It hadn\'t lessened in that time, either. If Kat had to make a guess, she\'d swear that the pain was worsening. Sleep was now hard to come by. She could only capture snatches of rest when she thought of the strange dream she\'d had her first night in the hospital. That man, the words he\'d spoken to her, gave her a few moment\'s respite from the continuous throbbing pain.

\"Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust,\" the priest said softly, tossing a handful of dirt on top the of the casket. Kat shuddered, a flash of memory assaulting her. She could clearly see her parents\' funeral, the two of them buried in one single event. The vision altered and became her Gram\'s funeral. Kat felt the anger bubbling up, knew she was going to explode soon. This was another of those times when she hated God. Hated his plans. Hated him.

She lost track of time as he finished his graveside service, her eyes riveted to the dark wood lid. The casket Jeremy\'s parents had chosen for him was stained a deep mahogany, the color so dark it looked like coagulating blood. It reminded Kat of how he had died. She could clearly see that... thing chewing on his neck, eating at him. She could see it stand and look at her, a knowing gleam in it\'s eyes as it scented the air around her. She remembered how it came at her, how the penis dangling between it\'s legs stiffened as he stared at her. She would never forget the pain as he had shoved himself into her body, how her flesh seemed to have burst into agonizing flames.

As if it knew what she was thinking, the pain flared. Kat had to bite her lip until she tasted blood to keep from crying out with it. Her body throbbed and ached, the center of all the pain located between her thighs. Her limbs trembled, and she felt herself pitch forward. Before she could land in a heap on the soggy ground, a pair of hands caught her and kept her on her feet. She glanced up and found herself held on her feet by Terry, Jeremy\'s older brother. She offered him a small smile and tried to pull away. His grip didn\'t lessen. \"I think I\'ll just hold on to you for a while, Kat.\"

\"I\'m fine, Terry. Really,\" she protested, once more trying to pull away from him.

\"Not according to Tami,\" he replied, inching her closer to him. \"She told me you haven\'t eaten since they let you out of the hospital. And she said she\'s heard you crying at night, when you\'ve gone to bed. That\'s not healthy, babe. It isn\'t your fault, what happened to Jer. He\'d hate it that you were risking your own health because of him.\"

Kat looked up at Terry, her wide gray eyes taking in his face. Jeremy and Terry looked so much alike, they often passed for twins. Despite the difference in age. She saw in his face her deceased friend and felt hot tears prick her lids again. There were some differences between the two, though they were more in personality than looks. Both brothers were smart, though Jer took his to a higher level than Terry. The eldest of the PIllings brothers was a natural athelete, as was evidenced by the well muscled body he took great pride in. Beneath the well tailored lines of his black suit, you couldn\'t see them. But they were plain to see in the graceful and smooth way he moved. He had a fluidness about him that no one could deny.

\"I\'m fine, Terry. I really am,\" she tried to pull away once more. He refused to let her go, merely turned her to face him in the circle of his arms. One of his arms left her so that he could lift his hand up to her face. His fingers wiped away the tears that slipped from her eyes unchecked.

\"No, you\'re not. Jer wouldn\'t want you to mourn him. Not like this. He never told you, but he loved you. I don\'t mean friendship love. I mean the happily ever after kind of love. Jer wanted to marry you. He had a ring, and he was going to ask you when he knew the time was right. He wanted you to...\" Terry\'s words ground to a halt as Kat turned wide as saucer eyes up at him.

\"Don\'t, Terry. Please, don\'t,\" she shook her head. His words brought her strength rushing to the surface and she pushed him from her. Without his arms to hold her up, she staggered back and fell to the ground, landing on her bottom hard. Sobs rolled up her throat, out of her mouth without her notice. \"I can\'t hear this. Not now. Not ever. Stop, please.\"

\"Katya, Jeremy...\" Terry pleaded, watching as she scrambled away from him. The two of them failed to notice the silence that permeated the air around them, and they certainly didn\'t see the gathered throng of mourners watching the two of them. \"Kat, please. Let me help you. You\'re not well and...\"

\"Fuck you!\" she whispered, knowing what he was going to say.

\"Katy, watch your language! Ladies don\'t speak like that,\" her Gram\'s voice flitted through her mind, but she ignored it. She didn\'t have time to consider whether or not she was going insane.

She dragged herself to her feet, pinning him with an accusatory glare. Hysteria was creeping in. It was too much to find out on the day of her best friend\'s funeral that he\'d wanted to marry her. It was too much next to the constant pain and the vivid nightmares that haunted her every slumbering moment. Oh, she had cried in her bed every night. Out of agonizing pain. She didn\'t want to eat, couldn\'t force food into her mouth in the hopes that it would push the pain out of her exhausted mind. But it never did. The weakness didn\'t help. It let the pain take even further control of her. No matter what she did or tried, nothing helped. Nothing stopped it.

\"Katya, please don\'t make a scene. Tami has been so worried about you. She called me and told me what was happening. I want to help you. I want to make it all better,\" Terry pleaded softly.

\"You have no idea what is wrong, do you? You don\'t know! No one knows!\" she lifted a finger to point at them all. She shook with a mix of pain and rage. None of them knew what she was going through. They would never know. Not unless some vile creature that shouldn\'t exist tried to force them. Backing up a step, she hit a large headstone and stopped. \"Just let me be. Please. Let me be.\"

Before anyone could say anything to her about how atrocious her behavior was at the funeral of her friend, she turned and made her way across the soggy grounds of the cemetary on wobbling legs. She didn\'t care if they thought her stark raving mad. She didn\'t care if they thought she was an uncaring bitch. She only knew that she had to get out of there and try to find a way to make the pain subside. She could only think of one method left to her with which might be able do that.

~*~*~*~*~

The bar was small and dirty, the tables pushed close together in the dim, stale air. The only men there were the kind of men that no one messed with. Big, bulky, muscular men with no necks and no tempers. Most of them eyed Kat like she was some undiscovered species of life on the planet. They\'d been doing so since she\'d entered the out of the way place, though she was hard pressed to recall just when that was now. She stared at the glass before her, not even sure what she was drinking anymore. She only knew that she\'d finally found something to kill the pain that throbbed in her very bones constantly. She was drunk and numb. She actually felt good for the first time in a week.

\"You come here often, sweetheart?\" one of the men asked as he sat down at her table. Kat looked up at him with bleary eyes, barely able to focus on him.

\'Nope. First time,\" she replied, crossing her eyes in an attempt to bring both of him into focus. She only succeeded in making her head hurt. Sighing, she gave up and lifted her glass to her lips. Seeing as she hadn\'t taken her hand from the glass, she didn\'t have to worry about trying to find the cold tumbler. And to solve the problem of finding her mouth, she lifted a finger up to feel with. When it touched her lips, she brought the glass up along its length and fit the rim neatly between her parted lips. Not bad for a woman who couldn\'t feel her toes.

\"You looking for some company?\" he looked her over, noting that she was terribly easy on the eyes. She set the glass down slowly, as if she didn\'t know where the table top was, and seemed to study him at length. Some part of her argued with herself that she shouldn\'t do this, that she was not mentally and physically ready for what he was asking her to do. She listened to it a moment or two, then the alcohol took over and shoved it aside. It told her she was superwoman and she could do what ever she liked. She offered him a smile.

\"Why the fuck not?\" she shrugged, then lifted the glass to drain the remainder of the fiery liquid from it. Setting it down, she stood from her chair and immediately felt the room lurch into motion. His hand was there, under her elbow to keep her upright and lead her from the bar. Some part of her brain, thought fogged with the numbing power of the alcohol, screamed at her that she shouldn\'t do this. She just couldn\'t quite recall the reason why. The man tossed a knowing grin and wink over his shoulder to his buddies, then helped Kat out the door.

\"Wanna go to your place?\" he asked her, leaning close to her so he could nuzzle at her throat. She giggled, which was enough to tell her she was completely pissed, then shook her head as best she could without falling over or losing the ability to remain upright.

\"Nope. Roommate. She\'d never understand,\" Kat told him.

\"Ah. I see,\" he purred, licking along the line of her throat. She felt a shudder run up her spine, that same part of her foggy brain telling her it was not a good thing. She watched him look around, as if he was studying the area, then he motioned to a small park across the street from the bar. It was dark and secluded. Perfect for a tryst. \"There?\" his hand had found her breast and was squeezing it almost painfully. Her mind screamed at her again, but she pushed the warning aside and felt her head jiggle in what they both took to be a nod of agreement.

He steered her toward the trees wordlessly, his hand still pawing at her breast. Kat felt curiously detatched from herself and thought fleetingly that she was very drunk and shouldn\'t be doing this. He was a stranger and she had just been attacked by some... thing not more than a week ago.

\"You do not want to do this. He is going to hurt you,\" the voice whispered in her mind. Kat shook her head, wondering if she were so drunk that she was hearing things. She supposed it was a possibility. Either that, or the lack of sleep and constant throb of burning pain was sending her over the edge. She pushed the unasked for warning aside.

Just at the edge of the trees, a lone figure stepped between them. Kat managed to focus on the person after some very intense squinting and found herself looking at a rather attractive blonde. She was smiling at the two of them, though it didn\'t look very nice. She took a step closer to Kat and her masculine support and poked him in the chest with her finger. Hard. \"She\'s with me, big boy.\"

\"She didn\'t say anything about a girlfriend,\" he told the blonde evenly.

\"She\'s so drunk, I doubt she recalls the color of her underwear,\" the blonde replied sweetly, her hand creeping up his chest on the tips of two fingers. She locked gazes with him, her lips curling up in a feral snarl that had Kat stumbling back in fear.

\"Maybe we can share?\" he suggested, his gaze letting the other woman know he liked what he saw. She snarl became a smile, something frightening and evil. Kat scrambled away from the two of them, crawling like a crab on her hands and feet as she stared at them, refusing to tear her eyes from the danger she suddenly saw herself in. She couldn\'t understand how she could let herself think that what she\'d planned on doing was alright. Somewhere in the fuzziness of her brain, she knew that she was in as much trouble now as she had been that night.

Kat stopped when her back slammed up against a car. She watched as that blonde pulled her escort\'s head down and took his lips with hers. Arms twined about one another, the two bodies pressing against each other as their mouths met and melded together. Kat watched them, staring as if mesmerized, as the man\'s hands searched out her curves. His large fingers cupped her backside, pressing her body even further into his. Her hands slipped up, cupping his head. The kiss didn\'t last very long, but there was something in it that Kat found highly erotic.

\"Come here, Kitty Kat,\" the blonde pulled her mouth away so that she could purr the words in Kat\'s direction. There was something hypnotic, something suggestive, in those words, and Kat found herself willingly climbing to her feet. She staggered across the expanse of sidewalk to where the two of them stood. Part of her was fighting it, telling her that she didn\'t want to get anywhere near the woman. But her feet wouldn\'t listen, kept leading her to the two people entwined about one another like a vine about a tall oak tree.

The moment she was within reach, the blonde turned in the man\'s arms and pulled Kat close enough to take her lips. Kat felt her head whirl when the soft, cool lips pressed her own. She was faintly aware of the man dropping his head to lick at her throat once more. The majority of her attention, though, was given to the feeling of the blonde\'s lips moving over hers. She sighed softly, finding herself moving closer to the blonde. Two pairs of hands lifted to run over her body.

Kat sighed. It felt good, despite the warning bells going off in her head. Some part of her could tell that something was wrong with the scenario. She\'d never seen the blonde woman before in her life. And yet, the woman knew her by name. The blonde was pressing her lips firmly to Kat\'s, her tongue prodding at the seam. Kat felt her mouth opening, and the other woman\'s tongue drove into her mouth. A groan rolled up Kat\'s throat as desire exlpoded to life in her veins. Part of her didn\'t understand what was happening, as she\'d never been interested in women before. But the touch of the mysterious blonde had her aching. Wet and ready and so terribly in need.

The man moved, slipping behind Kat. His hands crept around to her front, cupping over her breasts as his groin pressed into her back. She could feel his erection grinding into her lower back as his hips churned against her. Kat felt her mind slipping from her as the desire flared outward like water from an underground spring filling a pool. The uneasiness she felt seemed to slip away as if it had never existed and she suddenly wanted to find the solitude and darkness of the little park so she could strip all three of them down and....

The thought left her when she felt the blonde\'s lips and mouth slide from hers to move slowly over her cheek and down her chin. The gentle caresses slipped down the column of her throat. Kat tilted her head to the side, giving the blonde easier access. The man\'s hands slid up under Kat\'s shirt. They pulled her bra from her, sliding into it so that he could cup her breasts. His fingers clamped around her nipples, pulling on them. She shuddered at the feel, the tips of her breasts firming up into nearly painful peaks. Her hands were suddenly on the blonde\'s head, holding the woman\'s hot mouth to her throat.

\"Oh gods!\" she moaned as the other woman\'s tongue flicked across the taut flesh on her neck. Another shudder rolled up her back as the blonde\'s teeth grated over her skin, teasing her with the promise of a minor pain. The man allowed one of his hands to fall away from her breast to find it\'s way under the waistband of her skirt. She sighed when the thick length of his fingers worked between her panties and her flesh, then pressed between the swollen layers of her nether lips. She cried out, a soft cry of shock and bliss. Her hips rocked into his fingers while her hands held the woman to her.

The echos of her soft cry of joy had barely faded when the cry of pain followed on its heels. Kat\'s eyes flew open, her fingers trying to pull the woman\'s head from her throat. Sharp teeth were driving further into her neck and she could hear the woman growling. Her lips were locked to her skin. She could feel the blonde sucking at her. She could feel the blonde drinking from her. The blonde was a....

The word vampire was echoing in her head when she felt her body driven from the hold of both parties. Something held her as it propelled her away from the man and the blonde woman. She heard the scream of rage the echoed loudly in the darkness. One of her hands lifted to her throat. When she drew it away to look at it, she could feel the blood smeared across her fingers. She wasn\'t sure if it was the loss of blood or if it was the alcohol, but she saw the blackness creeping up on the edges of her vision. At the moment, unconsciousness seemed like a good idea and she didn\'t fight it when it took her.

~*~

Niki roared in anger as she felt the woman pulled from her grasp. She was on the verge of draining the woman to the point of weakness, to the point of Kat\'s needing her to survive. Something had been fast and strong enough to drag the girl from her arms. She\'d been so close to getting what she wanted. And now it was gone. Someone would pay. Someone would die for this. Her eyes narrowed as all her attention turned toward the man standing there, staring about stupidly as if he couldn\'t believe what had just happened.

Containing her anger for the moment, she smiled at him and inched closer. He looked at her. \"Where did she go? What just happened here?\" he asked her.

\"It doesn\'t matter, poppet. She\'s not important anymore,\" Niki smiled at him, sliding up next to him. Her hand slid down over his jeans to cup his bulging crotch. He blinked and looked down at her, his smile slowly returning. She supposed it was meant to be his seductive look, but she found it lacking. Still, he would suit her purposes this evening. All of them. \"You\'re just what I need.\"

\"Am I?\" he whispered, his arms wrapping about her to pull her closer. His mouth found hers, kissing her hungrily. She returned it, pressing herself against him. He dragged her into the trees, his hands already pulling her clothes from her body. Her own hands did the same and together, the two of them left a trail of scattered clothes behind them as they moved further into the darkened park.

\"Right here, lover,\" Niki purred into his ear when they found a clearing. He nodded, then lowered her to the ground. Before he even had her laid flat, he was shoving himself into her plaint flesh, pounding his hips against hers mindlessly. Her hands crawled across his body like spiders, leaving nail marks behind where she clutched at him. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling his cock even further into her hungry body. Her mouth left his long enough to leave a trail of searing kisses along his flesh.

\"Oh, baby. You feel so damned good. So tight,\" he whispered in her ear. She moaned softly, letting him know that she was turned on by his words. Her hips worked in time with his, her muscles clutching tightly at him. She could feel him swelling within her, telling her of his impending release. She growled, let her fangs slide across his skin. The second she felt him explode, she drove them deep into his jugular. His groan was loud in her ears. Her body burst into orgasm as she drank deeply of him, taking as much of him into her as she could.

He finally collapsed on top of her, his cock shrinking and slipping from her. She pulled her fangs out of him, licking at the blood trickling over her chin. He tasted good, the alcohol in his blood giving her the smallest buzz. He went up on his elbows and looked down into her face. He frowned almost instantly when he saw the blood smeared across her chin. Sitting up on his knees, he put a hand to his throat and felt there. \"You fucking bitch! You bit me!\" he snapped at her, his hand drawing back to deliver a stinging blow to her face.

\"Yes, I did. And you tasted good, too. I like the way you fuck, lover,\" she smiled at him, the light of insanity once more burning in her blue eyes. \"Wanna do it again? Wanna fuck me in my tight ass?\" she laughed with the question, getting up on her hands and knees before turning her backside to him.

\"Give me a minute, baby, and I\'ll fuck you however you want,\" he panted, letting the bite go for the moment. She watched him over her shoulder a moment, a mischievous grin on her face. His hands worked at his limp prick, stroking it slowly to bring the flow of blood back into it. He knew it would take more than a minute, but he\'d be crazy to turn down an offer like that. A woman who asked him to put it in her ass. That was as rare as a woman who didn\'t want anything more than sex.

Time ticked by as she watched him, and still he stayed soft in his hands. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he stroked and stroked in an attempt to work himself back into an erection. She sighed softly and turned to face him, sitting down in front of him. \"Poor lover. Let me help you,\" she purred at him, using one hand to push him onto his back on the ground. He watched her as she straddled his thighs, making sure to rub her wet pussy along the ridge of one before bringing her head down to his crotch.

He felt her breath tickle his skin a moment before her lips sealed tight around his shaft. She sucked at him greedily, sliding up and down his length while one hand held him at the base. He groaned softly, throwing his head back at the exquisite feelings racing along his body. She was talented with her lips and tongue and he could feel the blood already pouring back into his cock. Even as she worked her mouth and tongue up and down and around his shaft, it stiffened and hardened. \"God, baby. That feels so good,\" he groaned loudly.

She lifted her head and smiled at him once more. Then she got back onto her hands and knees, turning so that her ass waved at him. He needed no further prodding and got up on his knees. He didn\'t bother preparing her. He merely positioned the head of his cock against the puckered rim of her ass, then grabbed her hips and shoved forward. He sunk in with just enough resistance to make him have to work for it. The tightness felt good around his shaft, so he stilled a moment or two to savor the feel of her ass clenched over him. Then he drew back and shifted into her again. He was hard and forceful as he pounded her hole. Her loud groans and cries filled the night and went far toward encouraging him to be even rougher.

~*~

\"No more, baby,\" he sighed when he felt her lips curl over his limp prick. He was exhausted and worn, having fucked her hard three times already. The woman had to be some kind of nymphomaniac. No matter how much he drilled her, she didn\'t stay satisfied for long. He was sore and tired and his buzz was wearing off. She was gorgeous to look at, but he didn\'t like the single-mindedness that seemed to control her every thought and move.

\"Come on, lover. For me?\" she purred, her tongue licking up the underside of his cock before her mouth closed over it to suck once more.

\"I\'m tired, baby, I want to sleep,\" he whispered, his hand reaching for her head to pull her from his lap. She growled, not budging. Her mouth closed over him tighter, the suction increasing. Against his will, he found his cock filling with blood again. Her hands curled over his thighs, her fingernails digging into his skin hard as she pulled him all the way into the back of her throat. Pleasure washed over him and he felt his hips arch into her questing mouth.

Her head lifted when he was fully and painfully erect. She smiled at him, her eyes taking on a glazed look. \"Oh, look. Dinner is served,\" she whispered. He watched her head lower a bit, then she looked up at him again. Though the light was faint, he could plainly see the glint of her teeth. He had a brief flash of fang before she struck. With a blur of speed, she dropped her head down, her mouth curving over the wall of his shaft. He screamed in agony as her fangs sunk into his fully engorged cock.

\"Get off me, you bitch!\" he howled, his hands reaching for her head. He yanked at her hear, tearing some of it from the bed of her flesh. She growled at the attack, one hand reaching up to curl around his hand. They both heard the faint snapping noise as she wrenched his wrist. He screamed again, his good hand curling into the ground in a vain attempt to pull himself back and away from her. \"Get off, bitch!\"

She lifted her head to stare at him, the smears of blood on her chin black in the almost non-existent light. A feral smile curled her lips. \"You have no idea what I am, do you?\" she hissed. \"Lover.\"

He shook his head, the final word coming from her mouth sounding so obscene, yet oddly full of compassion. Her hands reached for his cock, almost tenderly caressing the ravaged flesh before her fingers curled so tightly that he felt his pulse pounding against her own palms. Then she jerked, a harsh, singular action that brought a high-pitched scream of pain and terror to his lips. Flesh ripped and tore. She tossed the lump of skin in her hands aside, the shriveling length of his cock making a dull thud on the ground.

He felt the blood pour out across his thighs and the grass beneath him. He was screaming silently, no sound leaving his lips as one agonizing cry after another rolled out of him. She dropped her head, burying it between his thighs. He could feel her tongue probing the ruin of his crotch, her teeth grazing his coated balls. He whimpered, then screamed again when she sunk her fangs into them. Pain rippled up and down his body like a series of waves, each one more intense than the last. His body was on fire.

\"Oh God! Someone help me!\" the plea was a soft whisper in the silence of their surroundings. She lifted her head and laughed at him, smelling the fear rolling off him like sweat. He was ripe for the picking. She felt her body clench with need. His eyes were wide, riveted to her face. Blood was smeared across it, soaking her hair and coating her shoulders and neck. She looked like some kind of demented, evil clown in the faint light.

\"There is no help for you, lover. You\'re going to die. And you\'re going to make me a very happy woman for it!\" she told him, sliding up over his torso. He could feel the slick moisture leaking from her body, her arousal leaving a trail across his belly. She stared down into his eyes, letting him see the truth of her words in her own. \"Say your prayers and prepare to meet what ever god you believe in.\"

\"You\'re sick,\" he managed just before she lunged forward and buried her fangs in his throat once more. His body arched beneath hers as the fresh pain swallowed him. She could hear his voice, whispering softly into the night as he did as she\'d suggested. He was praying.

~*~*~*~*~

Kat woke up with a low groan, feeling something soft and comfortable beneath her. She shifted, the movement bringing to life in her throat a dull, throbbing pain. At the same time, the constant pain realized she was conscious and flared to life with a vengeance. It seemed the alcohol had worn off and left her at the mercy of her own body. She\'d rather have a full-blown hang over than this. She attempted to sit up. A cool hand touched her shoulder, helping steady her when the pain nearly bowled her over. She looked up at him and frowned. She was dreaming again, it seemed.

\"Here. Drink this,\" he said softly, then offered her a glass of orange juice. She took the glass, cold and sweating under her hand, and lifted it to her lips. It tasted good going down, and Kat realized it had been over three days since she\'d put any kind of food into her system. She looked up at the man and offered him a small smile.

\"Thank you,\" she managed softly, clutching at the glass between her shaking hands. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching her closely a moment. Kat was a little frightened of what would happen, given what she\'d been engaged in earlier. Her eyes flew wide when she recalled the blonde and her teeth. One hand left the safety of the glass to touch her throat. There was a fresh bandage there. She cringed and hurridly set the glass down, then struggled to get out of the bed. His hand was there to help her, and he steered her toward the bathroom without a word.

The orange juice burned as it came back up. Her sides ached as she heaved. The man\'s hands were there, one palm curved over her forehead while the other hand held her hair back. The wretching didn\'t last long, as there was little in her stomach to begin with, and she soon found herself sitting propped against the man\'s chest, swallowing hard to control the gag reflex. He whispered in her ear, some language she didn\'t know. But it was soft and soothing and went a long way toward making her feel somewhat better.

\"You cannot go on as you are, little one. Each day, the pain takes a firmer hold,\" he said gently, pulling her close to him. She sighed and snuggled back, not understanding why this man made her feel safe when no one else did. She hadn\'t felt like this since Uncle Brett had held her. \"You must try to fight it.\"

\"I don\'t know how. I don\'t understand what it is. Why won\'t it go away?\" she asked him, because he was there and she was tired of being clueless.

\"It is from the shapeling. Their kind are not meant to procreate. And certainly not with a human. It is his.... taint,\" he finally said after searching for the right word. She tilted her head up and back, looking at him over her shoulder. He offered her a faint smile, then stood. Holding a hand out to her, he pulled her to her feet and helped her back into the other room. Setting her on the edge of the bed, he knelt before her. \"Katya, there are things in this world that are not so simple as black and white. There are things that lurk in the dark.\"

\"Like that blonde,\" she nodded almost to herself, her mind rolling back to the small park. She shuddered when she recalled the feel of the woman\'s teeth... the woman\'s fangs, sinking into her throat. She didn\'t know what had been wrong with her. First she\'d left with that man from the bar, then she\'d nearly engaged in a threesome with the woman. She wasn\'t sure if it had been the blonde\'s influence ruling her, or if she\'d actually wanted to have sex with her.

\"Yes. Like that blonde. Her name is Niki and she is very dangerous. You need to be careful of her,\" he told her.

\"She\'s a vampire, isn\'t she?\" Kat asked after a moment\'s hesitation. He stared at her for a few moments before heaving a soft sigh and nodding.

\"She is,\" he confirmed verbally. Kat reached out and touched him, her fingers skimming over his cheek with a near ghostly touch.

\"And so are you,\" she whispered. He was surprised to find that there was no fear in her voice as there was with any other mortal who discovered what he was. Well, with exception of the Goth kids who thought that it was all a big joke. They all found out in the end that he never joked. That was when they screamed like everyone else. They all bled like everyone else. He nodded at her statement, though there was no need to. \"You saved me. Why?\"

\"It is my job to watch over you,\" he replied easily. She seemed to accept that for what it was, merely staring at him. Finally, she sighed and closed her eyes. Her body was once more on fire with pain. She felt him stand, his hands lifting her easily to lay her down on the bed.

\"Why are you doing this?\" she asked him, her voice tight with the sharp ache that pulsed through her. She felt the mattress next to her depress as he sat, his cool hand settling on her forehead for a moment.

\"I told you. It is my job to watch...\" he began, but she slitted her eyes open to look up at him.

\"Not this. This isn\'t part of your job. I know it well enough. I can tell,\" she gazed directly at him. \"You were in my hospital room that first night. You helped me sleep. You took the pain away. That isn\'t part of you watching over me.\"

\"I do not wish to see you suffer,\" he admitted softly, even though he wasn\'t sure why. \"There is something about you that brings forth such protective emotions in me. It is unusual for me to feel this way.\"

\"You\'ve been alone a long time?\" she whispered, feeling exhaustion pull at her. She sighed and once more closed her eyes. She would love to sleep. Just lay in a state of uninterrupted unconsciousness for a few days. She was starting to think that the pain had always been with her, because she couldn\'t remember what it had felt like to be normal.

\"I have. Vampires tend to be solitary creatures. I do not mean we live by ourselves. We live in covens or \'families\' but do not bind ourselves to one another the way mortals do,\" he told her.

\"That\'s sad. Everyone should have a friend or loved one to turn to when they need them,\" she whispered. He watched as her eyes opened yet again and she looked at him. \"What\'s your name?\"

\"I am called MacKenzie,\" he replied softly, a hint of a smile on his face. She remained silent while she simply studyied him. She took quite a bit of time to look him over, but she finally offered him a slight smile.

\"The name suits you. My name is Katya Dominique Fitzsimmons,\" she told him.

\"I am pleasured to make your acquaintance,\" he inclined his head at her in a gesture of respect. \"I only wish it could have been under better circumstances.\" Kat said nothing, merely closed her eyes once more and worked at evening out her breathing. He could tell when the pain flared, as her breath hitched in her throat each and every time. One hand curled into a fist at her side. He knew when her nails cut through the flesh of her palm, drawing her own blood. A single tear tracked over her cheek, but she remained silent. \"Katya, you must fight this.\"

\"I can\'t. It hurts too much. It feels like I\'m on fire,\" she whispered, never opening her eyes. He could hear the agony in her voice, could feel her strength failing her. If she didn\'t find peace soon, the pain would win the war it waged with her body. He watched her for a time, his mind waging a war of its own. He debated for several moments. It was her sob, low and filled with anguished pain, that saw him decided. Slipping the coat he wore off his shoulders, then kicking his shoes off, he climbed up into the bed next to her.

She started when she felt his cool hands on her arms, then slowly relaxed as he pulled her body next to his. He held her against him for some time, simply lending her his own strength. Kat was content to lay in MacKenzie\'s arms. The feeling of safety washed over her again, though she wasn\'t sure how she knew she could trust him. She just knew that he made it all seem less real. When he rolled her onto her back, she didn\'t protest. His lips were curled up at the corners in a faint smile that looked to be self-mocking. She watched him, waiting for him to speak. \"There is something I can do to help ease the pain. But it would only be for this night. It would not be permanent.\"

\"Why do you sound reluctant?\" she asked him.

\"Because it involves things which shouldn\'t transpire. I should not even mention it to you. But I find myself in a quandry. I need to help you in whatever manner I can, even though to do so is wrong. For you. For myself,\" he told her.

\"I don\'t understand,\" Kat shook her head, staring at him.

\"If you agree to this, you will. Do you wish me to help you? Even though it is only for a short amount of time? Even though it will only add more worry?\" he asked her, his face searching hers.

\"If it will give me a night of uninterrupted slumber, it\'ll be worth it,\" Kat replied quickly. He looked at her a moment longer, then sighed and nodded. One of his hands, elegant and cold, touched her face. His long fingers cupped her cheek a moment or two, then fell away to glide along her arm to her hip. She trembled when his hand settled over her abdomen for minute or two, then slipped lower. His fingers curled around the hem of her skirt and he glanced up at her.

\"You still have time to tell me no. Once I begin, I will not stop,\" he warned her.

\"Please,\" she whispered softly. He nodded, then slowly pulled her skirt up until it was bunched around her hips. He lowered his head, his mouth nuzzling the soft skin on her inner thighs. Kat knew she should be frightened, that she should worry about his intentions, but she was surprisingly calm. His hair slithered across her legs, sending shivers of anticipation up her spine.

His breath blew across her panties. She felt muscles tighten with the short blast, felt moisture begin pooling between her thighs. His hands curled under her knees then slid up her thighs to where her underwear rode her hips. She sighed when his nails scraped across the skin on her hips as he pulled the straps on her thongs down. She didn\'t stop him when she felt the cool air rush across her heated flesh. She could only shudder when one of his hands lifted her foot to remove the strap of her panties.

She moaned loudly when his fingers skimmed the edges of her netherlips, encouraging them to swell and open to him. Kat was vaguely aware of some part of her mind growling out a warning, telling her insistently that she shouldn\'t be allowing this. She paid it no mind. Her thighs fell open further and her body thrummed with need. She thought she would shatter when he slid two fingers into her with a painstakingly slow stroke.

Kat was almost disappointed when his hand pulled away. She held back a sob, opening her eyes to look at him. She watched, fascinated, as he put his wrist to his lips. She heard it as his teeth, as his fangs, broke through the skin. The sound was wet, like ripping wet silk. His mouth was bloody when he pulled his arm away, crimson staining his lips like the sweetest of berry juices.He tipped his hand down, allowing the red fluid to flow toward his fingertips. She stared, transfixed, as the thick, viscous blood rolled down his pale flesh and coated his palm and fingers.

MacKenzie offered her a smile as his bloodied hand moved toward her once more. Kat thought he looked, for the briefest of moments, like some kind of demonic clown. The notion left her, though. She felt his wet fingers prodding her opening gently, felt them wiggle and work themselves into her. She couldn\'t stop the moan that rolled up her throat and out of her mouth. She only knew that it felt so very good. Her eyes slid shut as he worked his fingers up into her moist pussy. First one, then a second and finally a third filled her easily. She shifted as they worked together to smear the slowly cooling blood on her walls.

It seemed as if hours had passed, but only a few short minutes had flown by. Kat felt the impending orgasm building as his fingers dipped in and out, driving deeper to work more blood into her body. She didn\'t understand what he was doing, but she didn\'t question it. He had told her it would stop the pain for a time. She believed him. His fingers thrust into her hard, burying themselves deeply. It brought her back up in an arch off the bed. She gasped out something he couldn\'t understand, then convulsed around his fingers. Her muscles went rigid and held his questing digits in place for a time, then subsided. Kat collapsed against the softness of the mattress, gasping for breath and already nearly half asleep.

MacKenzie righted her clothing, once more covering her. She offered him a sleepy smile. He returned it, pulling the sheet up over her. \"Sleep, little one. Sleep and dream of pleasant memories,\" he whispered to her.

\"Only if you lay with me,\" she told him. She was asleep in a moment and she never felt his body lay next to hers, never felt his arms close around her and pull her against him.

~*~*~*~*~

Detective Bill Freeman had been a cop for well over thirty years. He\'d walked a beat, just like everyone else and worked his way up the ranks until he\'d made homicide. Twelve hours ago, he\'d have sworn to any who asked that he\'d seen everything. Twelve hours ago, he wasn\'t wishing that he could be curled up in his recliner with his remote control and a twelve pack of Coors. Twelve hours ago, he hadn\'t known that a human could be killed so visciously. He\'d never seen the like in all his years on the force. He hoped to God that he never would again.

The call had come in just as he stepped into the station. A jogger had called 911, hysterical and screaming about a dead body. He, along with half of the force, had been dispatched to the address given. Even some of the most experienced men on the job had spent time with their head in a trash barrel. The mention of doughnuts had sent more than one of them scurrying off, looking very green about the gills. The jogger, a woman who\'d been so distraught by what she\'d seen that she couldn\'t even recall her name, sat in a picnic table bench, wrapped in a blanket and studiously not looking anywhere but her feet. No one on the sight could recall ever having encountered something both so bizarre and brutal.

A man, identified as thirty-seven year old Jimmy Dalton, lay sprawled on his back in the grass. Every last stitch of his clothing had been shucked from his body. One of the uniforms had found them scattered along a path leading from the street in such a manner to suggest that he\'d taken them off of his own accord. Prostitutes were known to bring johns into the park for a quick fuck and a fast buck. It was the general consensus that this was the case with their dead body. But they\'d never known a hooker to be brutal like this.

Hell, they\'d never known any killer to be this viscious.

Jimmy Dalton, aged thirty-seven, had bled out. At least, that was what the Medical Examiner was saying was the cause of death at the moment. How he\'d bled out was what seemed to be the topic of conversation with the men and women on site. His throat looked as if it had been ripped apart by some kind of wild animal. Bone and tissue was plainly visible even from a distance. The edges of the wound were jagged, as if something had torn into the flesh with it\'s teeth. Much of the tissue was missing. It looked almost like something had eaten his throat away.

There was a large wound in his belly. The initial examination of it had seen the M.E. declaring that claws had done the damage. The man\'s intestines now spilled from the gaping hole. They flowed down his corpse on both sides, trailing off into the grass like a wriggling worms escaping a cage.There were darker things mixed with the viscera that Freeman didn\'t want to even hazard a guess as to what it could be. It was believed that his intestines were spilled out all over hell\'s half acre as they were because they\'d found his stomach in the trees and his lungs were tossed casually under a bench. They thought they\'d found what was left of his kidneys near a low cropping of bushes.

One of the younger officers, fresh to the job of homicide detective, had discovered the victim\'s heart stuffed in one of his boots. Closer examination by the M.E. had revealed claw marks on the organ. The entire team had been sick with the discovery. But it was still capped off by the fact that the victim was found with his own penis shoved into his mouth. His groin was a ruin of torn flesh and dried blood. The liquid had dried all over his thighs and the grass. It was this that had driven the Medical Examiner to state that the man had bled to death. Every man present had groaned and crossed his legs upon seeing this.

\"Where\'s Peterson?\" he barked at no one in particular.

\"He went over to barrel to heave again,\" a passing patrolman replied.

\"What the fuck for? This is his third trip!\" Freeman spat.

\"He found this,\" the M.E. held up a jar. Freeman squinted at it, taking note of the pale liquid filling it. He frowned at the two round object floating in the water.

\"Fuck me,\" Freeman sighed. Just what he hadn\'t wanted to see. Some guys nuts floating in a jar of water. There were days when he hated his job.

end chapter two.
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thanks so much for reading. once again, i am my own beta. so any mistakes are mine and mine alone. please don\'t hurt me.

if you like this, please feel free to let me know. if you have helpful suggestions or criticisms, please let me know. don\'t flame me.