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Natty Silver

By: EverNoir



As I entered Mickey's, I regretted telling Cher and Lisa that I would meet them here. Friday nights in downtown Shreveport were busy, filled with people making their way from one hot spot to the next. It was Tuesday, however, and people were sparse. I spied several creepie men eye-ball me as I walked to the bar.  Unfortunately, tonight was the only night the three of us would have off together for a while. Nurses schedules were often crazy like that.

"Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, please", I nodded to the bar tender. I didn't expect to get here so quickly, but the drive from Longview on I-20 was unpredictable. I had 30 min to kill before I expected the girls.  Great. I dug around my purse for my phone and decided it would be best if I acted busy on my phone so no one would bother me.

"Waiting for friends?" an Irish accented guy asked next to me. So much for acting busy. 

"Yes..." I turned to face the man, expecting one of the undesirables I had seen earlier, but was caught off guard. "Yes, I am." It was his eyes that threw me. Only in movies and fake contact lenses had I ever seen eyes as icy-blue as his. 

"May I join you while you wait?" He smiled warmly.

I had to force myself to break contact with his eyes. "Sure," I managed to say as the bar tender brought me my beer.

The Irishman seated himself next to me. He smelled as incredible as he looked. 

"Are your friends late or are you just early?" He leaned in towards the bartender, "Red Breast on the rocks."

I quickly glanced over him as I took a pull from the pale ale. Black hair, handsome face with a prominent nose and full lips, dressed in what appeared to be just a button up and jeans, but they looked expensive.  Perhaps his late 20s, early 30s. "I'm early. Wasn't sure what the traffic would be like."

He smiled. "Yeah, me too." His drink was quickly brought to him and he held up his glass of what could either be scotch or whiskey. "Here's to being early."

Irish was friendly enough, but it was always the hot men you had to watch out for. I clinked my beer against his glass and smiled. I wondered who was he waiting for? A girl perhaps?

His eyes roamed my face for a moment and then jumped as if remembering something. "I'm sorry. Forgive my manners," he said as he put the drink on the bar and held up his hand. "I'm Donovan Kelly."

"Natalie Silver, but people call me Natty." 

His hand was warm wrapped around mine as we shook. I felt a large ring on his middle finger. "Natty," he smiled.

I started feeling a bit strange... I could only imagine the feeling like the forest right before it is engulfed in a raging wild fire. I ignored it. "So, Donovan, fresh off the boat?"

He laughed. "Is my accent still that strong?"

"It's not strong, just noticeably different from southern."

"Yeah, I suppose that it is." Donovan stared at the glass in his hand for a moment, smiling. Slowly he lifted the drink to his lips and downed the last of the beverage.

He turned towards me and smiled again. Crystal blue eyes searched mine and traced my face. "Do you know how beautiful you are, Natty? Every man in this bar has their eyes trained on you... and I'm the lucky bastard sitting here." 

I smiled and looked down at my beer. How was one supposed to answer that? Thank you? I know? That accent was hot too!

"Please forgive my forwardness," he said, apparently catching my fluster.

I just shook my head. When I looked back up, it seemed as if something had just caught his eye over my left shoulder. His face grew serious, his icey blue eyes found mine again. "Natty, I have to go love, but I will find you later tonight." Donovan lifted my left hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "I promise." With that, he left in a hurry. I stared at my hand for a moment, then turned to watch him leave. But, he was already gone from the bar.

I looked down to my hand where Donovan's lips had been just seconds before. What did he mean he'd find me later tonight? I had no idea where I'd be, how would he? That had to be the strangest encounter with a man... no... a hot man that I had ever had. I took another sip of the beer. I hoped I'd see him again... but I knew better.

For 30 more minutes, I sat at that bar and had two more beers. I glanced at the bar top when a blue light caught the corner of my eye. My cell was ringing. Glancing at the number, I saw it was Cher. 

"Hey, where the hell are you?" I asked into the phone.

"We are at Mickey's.. where the hell are you?"

"I AM at Mickey's!"

"No, not Mickey's, Nickey's! Not Mickey Mouse but like Saint Nick!"

I was at the wrong bar. I sighed. "Dammit. Okay, do you guys know where Mickey's is in relation to Nickey's?"

Fortunately, Cher did know. I was just a block away from them. After receiving instructions on how to get there, I paid up my tab and made my way outside.

It was 8:30 in the evening in October. The sun had already gone down. The brick lined streets were illuminated in light... but pretty empty. Now, I needed to walk a block in Shreveport's downtown alleys... alone.

As I walked, my right hand felt in my purse to the beretta I had a license to conceal. The smooth cold metal calmed my nerves a bit.

The ally was pretty quiet. I shared it with couple walking the opposite direction. Apparently, they had started drinking before I had as they seemed quite drunk and enamored with each other. When they turned the corner, I heard real silence of the city. Nothing but my heels clacking and grinding against the worn bricks in the street and the far off traffic from I-20. 

I stopped suddenly, hoping I did not just hear what I thought I heard. Every hair stood on end as a shiver ran through my body. No, I heard what I had heard. It was a man, far inside one of the old buildings I was passing, yelling for help.  I glanced around. Whoever was yelling was in terrible pain as well. 

I could call the cops for him... and wait however long it would take for them to get there. Thirty minutes? An hour? Two hours? Or... I could find this man and help him myself. I knew it was a stupid and dangerous thing to do, but I had to help him. Perhaps I was naive, perhaps it was the 8 years of being a nurse, but I had to help.

I found the door of the building the man was in to be ajar. I cautiously peered inside. It was dark but the several broken windows allowed street light in and I could see fine. Further back in the building, I heard the man whimper out a plea for help.

I pulled the beretta from my purse, pushing the clip into the gun with a click. To hell with concealing it right now. Maybe it was someone that had fallen down some stairs... or maybe it was someone that was beaten and robbed... or maybe the cries for help were bait. I had to be prepared as much as I could.

I continued on, further into the old building that seemed that time had forgotten. It used to be a bar, or a club, at some point. Old wooden chairs were stacked on top of dusty tables. Some had been covered in cloth, others had been revealed by passing vagrants. Just like many of the old down town buildings, this building had good bones, begging to shine again.

I reached a set of large wooden doors and heard the man say something, possibly to himself. I knew he was just past the doors. I leaned forward, peering through the crack and gasped. I could see a man, hoisted up from the ground, hanging by his outstretched arms. 

Without thinking, I quickly pulled the heavy doors open and was fully immersed within the horrors that the man had been enduring.

His shirt was hanging open revealing the many gashes and knife wounds on his neck, chest and torso. His muscular body was nearly covered in his own blood. He was being held up by his arms, pulled to either side of him... with barbed wire wrapped around each wrist. Not rope or chain, barbed wire! The mans head hung down and I was afraid that he might die if I didn't cut him down quickly and get him to a hospital.

"Oh my god, I'm going to get you down!" I managed to find that the barbed wire was attached to regular wire. A system of pullies was used to hoist the main up into the air. I unfastened one wire and let it out slowly. When I saw the stranger was now hanging by his left arm, I ran to the other side of the room and let out that wire. The man collapsed to the concrete.

I was at his side in a second, concerned with removing the barbed-wire shackles from his wrists. I winced as I started working them off. The barbs were dug into his flesh at least a half an inch in some places. It took me a good two minutes to remove them from the poor man. Finished, I wrapped his arm around my neck and helped him to his feet. His body leaned heavily on mine. He lifted a finger to point to the doors at the back of the place. Those doors opened out to reveal the Red River right behind the building. 

"I have to get you to a hospital," I said and gently put him down. As I was digging for my phone, I felt the man's hand gently on my calf. 

"You can't."

"What?" I looked down at him and my eyes locked with ice blue. I felt my heart stop. "Donovan?!" I quickly sat down next him. "Donovan!"

His eyes were half open, his beautiful face streaked with blood and perspiration. "I can't go to the hospital, Natty." He struggled.

"Why not? You're going to die if you don't! You've lost too much blood!"

He shook his head and leaned back on his elbows. "No I won't, but, and I hate to ask this," Donovan leaned his head back with his eyes shut for a moment. "I need you to help me, once more."

I stared at him. "How can I help you?"

He swallowed hard. "I need you to trust me and not be frightened."

"What?" If I wasn't already on edge, I'd be hanging by my fingernails over a cliff right now. What was he needing from me? "Okay....?"

Donovan leaned forward and towards me. His eyes watched me as he gently took my left hand with his right. He pulled my hand his nose and inhaled the inside of my wrist slowly with his eyes closed.

What the hell was he doing? He was bleeding to death and he had to smell my perfume?

"Please don't be upset with me," his lips brushed against my wrist as he spoke softly. Without warning, Donovan sank his teeth into the inside of my wrist, biting into my flesh and the blood rich veins that live there.

"Donovan!" For some reason, I could only say his name. I was frozen. I watched in horror as he pulled blood from my veins into his mouth. My blood trickled down the corners of his lips. Was this how he needed my help? He was going to kill me? No way. I had to be dreaming, I thought. I felt myself teeter as I became light headed.

Donovan pulled his mouth from my wrist and steadied me. "No, stay with me, Natty." He slowly lowered me to my back on the concrete. "Stay with me."

My eyes fluttered, but I didn't faint. I looked up at him, "why did you..." and I noticed that there wasn't a trace of trauma on him, except for the blood he had already spent. No cut, no open wound... no puncture wounds where the barbed-wire had dug into his wrists. It was all gone. Had my blood healed him?

"I don't understand," I managed to say. 

Donovan was holding my wrist tightly with his hand. When he released pressure, it began bleeding profusely. "Watch," he said and bit his own finger, making it bleed. Quickly, he swirled his bloodied finger against my torn wrist. Almost, as if by magic, my wound started closing up, the bleeding stopped. I could feel the skin, vessels and muscle going back to normal. The dull throb eased.

"How..."

He pulled me to a sitting position next to the raised cargo wall, and leaned up next to me. Donovan took my hand in his and sighed.

"I mean, I've been in medicine for 8 years now and have seen all kinds of quote unquote wonder drugs... but nothing... I mean nothing, that could accomplish this."

Donovan raised his eyebrows slightly. "Nurse?"

I nodded.

"Are you afraid of me now, Natty?"

I rolled my head against the concrete and looked at him. "Something tells me that I probably should be..."

A faint smile tweaked the edges of his lips. "But you aren't."

No, I wasn't afraid of him. Everything screamed to me that I should be and that I should leave and never want to see him again... but I wasn't listening. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Yes, I will tell you, but first, I want to hear what you think."

What I think... what do I think? How did he not die from those wounds? "I'm a person of logic, proven science...  When a person is wounded, their bodies need time to heal. Lymphocytes, phagocytes, cells, the body can only heal itself so fast. A simple rose thorn scratch can take weeks to fully recover, but still leave a scar." I sat forward and inspected his chest, running my hands over his skin. When Donovan drew in a sharp breath, I tried to move my hand from him, but he caught it and placed it back on his chest. He simply smiled. He had been enjoying my fingers on his chest.

The wild fire feeling I had felt before started creeping back. I didn't know what to say, so I continued. "You healed from mortal wounds in mere minutes. I'm positive that it is not possible in the medical world. So...I'm left to guess at the supernatural?" I felt so silly saying that... but what else could explain it?

"And your conclusion?"

"You can't be an angel, they don't drink blood. You can't be a vampire, they don't bleed and you aren't cold. But...I don't think you are a werewolf either, but then again, it could explain the color of your eyes." I guess I didn't have a conclusion.

Donovan brought my hand down from his chest to his other hand. He held mine tightly with both of his. "It's amazing how time has a way of messing with the truth. What starts as fact, becomes contorted into a legend, then it is twisted into a myth."

"So it is one of those?"

"Yes."

"Which one?"

"Guess."

It took me just a second to mull it over. "You're a vampire"

"Yes, I am Natty." 

Natty Silver Ch. 02



Thanks for everyone being patient with this next chapter! There is more to come! 

----------------------------------------

"You are a vampire." The statement came fluidly from my lips. I should have been afraid. Anyone with any kind of sense would have been, but I felt... excited. My heart pounded in my chest, my mind raced... vampires are real, and I was sitting there holding hands with one as we stared out at the lights of Bossier City across the Red River.

"I'm sure you have questions," Donovan spoke after our long silence.

I could only nod. I did have questions, so many that I felt overwhelmed.

I heard a soft beep and realized it was coming from my purse. "Oh my God!" I dug in my purse and found my cell phone. 4 missed calls and 6 text messages. "I forgot that I was meeting my friends!" I stood quickly and dialed Cher.

"Natty, are you okay? Where have you been?" came her strongly southern voice.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just found a guy in the ally that was all cut up so I called the police and waited with him," I lied. Donovan smiled slightly.

"Is the guy okay?"

"Yeah, I think he will be. Where are you guys now?"

"We were about to head home. Couldn't really have fun while we worried about you." Cher's voice was concern mixed with annoyance. I guess I couldn't really blame her.

"No, let me meet you guys and I'll buy the next two rounds." I didn't want to leave Donovan, but I didn't want to ruin my friends night.

"Fine, but take a cab or something. Don't want you finding a stray dog that needs help."

I looked at Donovan. He was looking down at the pavement, smiling. Apparently, he could hear everything that Cher was saying. Dirty eavesdropping vampire. 

"Okay, where?"

"The Limbo Lounge. Need directions?"

"I can take you there, I know where that is," Donovan told me.

I nodded at him. "No, I can find it, Cher. See you guys in a bit." I ended the call and looked at Donovan. "Is your car nearby?"

Donovan buttoned up his torn shirt quickly and he took my hand. "Come on."

We walked, hand in hand, in silence for a ways. Seedy alleys completely void of all people that wanted to be seen... and I never felt safer. 

We found his car, which happened to be blacked out Chevy Nova SS. "Nice classic," I said as he opened the door for me. 

"Glad you approve."

The interior was rich, black leather, which I'm sure wasn't factory. This was much higher quality. The stitching almost looked as if it had been done by hand. This was a very nicely redone muscle car.

Donovan slid into his seat and started the engine. It was loud and rumbled like a lion ready for a fight. So far, everything about Donovan was sexy... and now I could add his car to the list.

"I'm sorry I have to leave."

Donovan pulled the car onto the road and chuckled. "Why are you sorry?"

I wasn't really sure why I was sorry, except that I'd have to say goodbye to him. "Nurse instincts , I guess. You were so badly hurt just a few minutes ago."

"Uh huh... and is that all?"

I glanced up at his ice-blue eyes, which were looking at me. What was that supposed to mean? I smoothed out my vulnerability with confidence. "Well, I was just getting to know my first vampire and now we have to part ways."

Donovan turned his attention back to the road and said nothing. I wondered if he expected me to say more, like I didn't want to leave him or something else that would put myself out there. I watched out of the passenger window at the old buildings go by. I liked him, but I had just met this guy. My judgment had been wrong with hot guys before... I wasn't about to put my foot... actually... my heart in my mouth this time.

The black Nova pulled up in front of a swanky looking club. Limbo Lounge was written in a fancy, mod type face in Neon.

I sighed, not wanting to get out of the car. Before I could speak, Donovan was outside, opening the car door for me. Chivalrous. Donovan could be over a hundred or two years in age... maybe even more. As he held out his hand to help me out of the car, I shivered and smiled at the thought.

Donovan lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "Thank you for your help tonight, Natty."

I could only smile. I hated good-byes. "It was nice meeting you, Donovan, even under these weird circumstances." I planted a light kiss on his cheek.

His hand was still holding mine. Donovan's eyes didn't leave me, he just continued to stare hard. Whatever he was thinking wasn't being portrayed on his face. 

I turned to leave, but Donovan had other ideas. He pulled me back to him and pressed me up against his car with his body. His icy eyes looked down on me with fire. He was hard in every meaning of the word, and I was enjoying being pinned against the Nova by this consuming man.

Slowly, Donovan lowered his lips to just below where my ear meets my neck. I couldn't move. When I felt the heat of his face radiating against my skin, I had to close my eyes.

He opened his mouth and I felt his teeth scrape my skin gently. It sent thousands of tingles through my body and swiftly added more to the pool that was growing at the apex of my thighs.

"The next time you are off from work, we will meet again," his whispered. Teeth scraped my neck again, this time a little rougher. I could feel my knees getting weak and I struggled to maintain my composure against him.

Donovan pulled his handsome face back to look at me. "I have so much about you I want to know." His lips found mine and I lost myself. I had been with plenty of men before, but never had I experienced a kiss like this. I was the rain deprived forest and Donovan was a fierce electrical storm. Together, we were a raging wild fire bound to happen and consume all.

Donovan kept his lips against mine for a moment before he pulled away from me. "Good night for now, Natty," he whispered.

I could barely think as I attempted to tame the hunger I felt at that moment. I definitely hoped I'd be seeing him sooner than later. "Good night, Donovan."

To much frustration, he pulled his body away from mine to let me leave. I glanced at him one last time. He stood there, statue like, watching me walk away from him. I took a deep breath and crossed the street. I needed a drink.

~~~~~

The next three nights passed uneventfully. I had some good patients that only liked to call me when they really needed something. I welcomed the non-patient care related busy work while I thought of Donovan. At least, no one could get hurt if my mind wandered as it was wanting to do it all of the time since the incident in Shreveport. I felt a little worried that I may not see him again since I didn't give him my phone number or town I lived in even. A vampire could figure that out, right? Hopefully? As tonight was my last night on for the next couple of days, I really hoped so. He had told me that we'd meet again the next time I was off work. We'll see.

It was dark and overcast when I went outside to my car at 7:34 am. I remembered hearing one of my patients say that it was supposed to rain for the next 24 hours. I smiled. Good sleeping weather. I was going to go hibernate in my comfy bed for at least 12 hours.

My Chartreux cat, Murphy, greeted me at the door. He seemed excited about sleep as well. I readied for bed and we fell asleep together.

Almost exactly twelve hours later, I woke to the sound of rain outside of my window. It must have been pouring and the sun had already gone down. No wonder I was able to sleep so well. I laughed. My mom would be upset with me knowing I had wasted all of the daylight hours sleeping.

Still in my string tank top and pajama pants, I wandered around the house a bit, wondering what I wanted to do for food. I really wanted some chicken fried steak from the Outback, but I'd have to drive up there to get it. The rain brought out the worst drivers in East Texas. The ones who drove slow in the sun, drove slower in the rain. The ones who drove fast in the sun, drove even faster in the rain. 

No matter, I wanted chicken-fried steak. I made an order online for their curb side pick up and changed my clothes. The food was ready when I pulled up to the restaurant. I could nearly cut and eat the air outside, it smelled so good! 

Five minutes later, I was pulling into my driveway. The rain was still coming down in sheets, but I didn't care. I was about to curl up with my fave comfort food and watch some stupid sappy movie on Netflix. By the time I made it from my car to the back door, I was soaked. I didn't really hurry because the nice spring rain felt good on my skin. Besides, I wasn't going anywhere anyway. 

My key found the lock and I turned the knob.

"Hello Natty," called a sexy familiar voice just behind me. 

I shivered and knew it wasn't from the wetness of my clothing or hair. "Hello Donovan." I turned to face him. He too was soaked. Black hair matted to his forehead and the black button up he was wearing was saran-wrapped to his sculpted body. I so wanted to rip the clothes from him and see exactly how far his perfection went. I blinked hard. "Let's get inside."

I went to the kitchen to put my food down and turned only to see Donovan still standing at the door way. "What, afraid to come in?" I couldn't help myself and laughed.

He looked down at the door jam, appearing almost embarrassed. "I have to be invited."

Well, what do you know. At least that part was true about vampires. "Please come inside, Donovan."

The big, Irish vampire entered my home and shut the door behind him. He was holding a bottle of red wine. Donovan cleared his throat. "Uh, I brought you a bottle of your favorite wine." I regarded the old label of the wine as he held the bottle out to me. It was a '75 Cabernet Sauvignon.

I took the bottle from him and marveled. "How did you know it was my favorite type?"

Donovan didn't respond, he just smiled, pulling two of my crystal wine glasses out of the cabinet and taking the bottle from me. With a quick snap of his wrist, the bottle broke cleanly, right below the cork.

I laughed as he poured the glasses half way. "That's a neat party trick."

He glanced up at me with a smile. "What?"

"The breaking the bottle off so neatly."

Donovan thought for a moment with his eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, yeah, sorry." He put the bottle down and picked up the glasses, handing one to me. "Forgot that isn't norm for you."

"Yeah, about that... I have... questions." I pulled the chair away from the dining table and sat down. I had a lot of questions... and I was hungry. "Do you mind?" I asked, pointing at the food.

Donovan sat down beside me and smiled warmly. "No, go ahead."

I organized my thoughts as I pulled my food from the bag. Now that I know vampires are REAL... what do I ask? Where do I start?

"I'm sure you are wondering who chained and cut me up in the building," he suggested.

I lifted my eyes to look into a sea of ice blue. "Yeah, that would be a good start. I've never seen something so horrifying in my life."

Donovan lifted his glass of wine to his lips and sipped slowly. "I am what we call a Regulator, or what you might consider a cop of vampires. I enforce vampiric law."

I listened intently as I ate dinner. I never would have imagined that vampires would have laws, or that they would need 'cops' for that matter.

"There are vampires that resist the laws though, the ones that simply act upon their urges, without regard to vampire safety, let alone human safety. We call them Primals." Donovan's long fingers traced the etchings in his glass.

"So a primal or some primals did that to you?"

He nodded. "A group of them did on order by one of the Primal gang's leader."

"That leader must be quite a bad-ass."

"Yeah, she is."

Sipping on the Cabernet, I was surprised to hear that the bad-ass gang leader was female. "A woman."

"When a human becomes a vampire, the only differences between the sexes are their body shape. They are equally strong and fast. Truth be told, some of the most ruthless and vicious vampires I can think of have been women."

"Interesting. So, how long have you been a vampire?"

"Since 1759, I was 28. It was just a couple of weeks after my Uncle Arthur acquired property to open his brewery." He looked pained as he thought of that event. "I didn't tell anyone and basically had to muddle about until I learned how to be a vampire on my own."

He had to figure out how to be a vampire.. on his own? "I can't imagine that. I bet it was hard."

"It wasn't too bad at first... there weren't many people around the brewery then. But, as Uncle's ale began to grow in popularity, he had to hire more men to help."

A question popped into my head... and, while I wanted to know the answer, I felt I already knew. "Have you killed a human?"

Donovan lifted his eyes from the glass in his hand. His steady gaze made me shiver. It was the look of troubled regret.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that."

"No, it's okay. It was a long time ago. You deserve to know what you are getting yourself into."

The conversation was turning dark and it made me uneasy. I sat my fork down on the take out box and took a big gulp from the wine. "What do you mean? What am I getting into?"

As he stared at me, Donovan's eyebrows grew more furrowed. Suddenly, he looked away and stood swiftly. "I should go. I shouldn't be here. I've already put you in too much danger."

I got up and grabbed his hand as he reached for the door. "No, don't go, Donovan."

The tall handsome man stopped and turned to face me, his eyes were hard and dangerous. "I never should have come here, Natty."

I didn't want him to leave. I had waited more than three days to see this amazing man again and I didn't want the night to end already. "Please don't go." I put my hand on his muscular chest. I could feel his heart beating with a strong, slow thump.

Donovan looked down at my hand, then continued to stare down at me with frustration in those striking eyes of his. I couldn't decide if he looked angry or worried.

"How can you do this..." He growled softly, his hard expression unchanging.

"Do what?"

He shook his head and blinked finally. "You have a pull on me." Donovan's eyes flicked over my eyes and face. "I can't..." His expression turned to hunger as his gaze traced my mouth. 

I felt my heart rate pick up as I felt the same fire that was in his eyes. I wanted this vampire so badly. I wanted him to do bad things to me that made me scream his name at the top capacity of my lungs... but instead, I remained frozen in his gaze.