1 comments/ 9953 views/ 2 favorites Fire and Ice Ch. 03 By: Darlantan (Hey, people, thanks for your patience, and sorry about the wait. Had to make it worth waiting for! Darlantan.) Fire and Ice 3. The Gathering. The doorbell was so commonplace that Kendra almost laughed. The cowbell gave a jangle as they pushed through the door. There was a young girl, barely out of school, taking orders by the counter. Kendra's eyes darted around at the other people in the diner, but if they were Centre plants, they were good ones. Nearly to a man and woman, they looked up and then after a cursory glance at her breasts or at Scott, they looked away. Except for a man in the back corner, who didn't even bother to look up, but instead concentrated on his mug. Scott grunted as the young girl smiled charmingly at him. "Take a place anywhere, hon, and I'll be with you in a sec." The big cryogenic sniffed and lifted his chin towards the man at the back of the room. "We're here for him. To meet." The girl nodded and smiled, revealing a frightening lack of thought. "Well, when you're ready, you just come for me, okay?" Kendra raised an eyebrow, and the waitress looked her up and down, a hungry light flashing through her eyes for a moment. Then she winked. Kendra shook her head, and stared at her, but the waitress didn't take notice. She just kept going on about her business. The pyrokinetic looked up at Scott and frowned slightly, but he squeezed her hand and moved towards the dark corner. The waitress looked back over her shoulder and flicked her tongue out at Kendra with a naughty little smirk. Kendra felt herself become suddenly moist, and followed Scott with a held breath. The man in the corner sat, staring down at his mug, and didn't even look up until the two of them slid into the booth opposite him. When he did look up, there was something off about his face, an inhuman hunger. But his handsome features were the same as his brother's. But whereas Scott's eyes were a warm, confidant mix of blue and silver that shined when he laughed, his brother's eyes were black, and haunted. That's what was off about his face. He had absolutely no colour to his eyes. The black and white orbs moved sideways and slid into hers with a sudden glare of power. The haunted look faded, and power blazed there, power and rage. Scott's fist hit the table and scared her, but his brother barely smiled. "Fire and Ice. Sounds like a nightclub. Talk about opposites attracting. How strange that it could work so well." His eyes moved back to his brother. "Mythril. You look well. For a man who kills so...easily." Scott slowly withdrew his hand and slid it beneath the table. Kendra grasped it reassuringly, and Scott took a deep breath. "Marrack. Nice trick with the phone. Spooky." For the first time, a genuine smile lit the man's features, barring his eyes. No amusement flickered there, only that same haunting hunger. "Spooky is what I do, little brother. Actually, it was rather simple, scarily so. I cast a spell, and the spirit that connected us looked for your essence, not your phone number. When it found you, it was a small enough matter to make the phone ring." Scott nodded, and his eyes dropped. "What are you doing here, brother?" Marrack stared at his brother. "I thought we'd talk for a while. Before moving on to the unpleasantness, I mean. Some refreshment?" He raised his hand, and the waitress with the naughty eyes and tongue sidled over. Kendra felt herself begin to heat up, and bit her lip. The waitress stood with one hip jutted out to the side, and smiled down at them. "Something I can get you...?" she breathed. Kendra sat back, and Marrack leant over towards her and gestured. The waitress leant down, her uniform tight against her body. Scott shifted in his seat as Marrack twisted his hand towards her, and something moved along the table and slid into her. She shuddered and smiled. Marrack's eyes slid to the side to appraise his brother. "Well, ice-man?" Scott glanced at the waitress. "Hot chocolate, please." Kendra swallowed and smiled weakly. "Iced coffee." Marrack snorted. "Well," he sang, mockingly. "I guess that means I'll have to have some angel fruit cake." The waitress gave a breathy laugh, and Marrack shook his head slowly, his eyes locked on hers. "On second thoughts, you can go and get their drinks, and then I'm going to let you swallow my cock. You're a cum hungry whore, who wants what I can give." Scott and Kendra stared at him, then up at the waitress. She smiled and licked her lips. "Yes, master..." Marrack turned back to the table and smiled, this time it reached his eyes, the hunger flaring. "You see, brother, when you killed me, you let me discover something truly magical. The magic of sin, brother, can grant tremendous powers in this world. This world is already steeped in sins, something that only spurs my powers." "You seem to have come into your own power, brother. No more the Mythril, now you are what, the Popsicle?" Scott stared at his brother, his face stony. Kendra squeezed his hand under the table. "If you missed your brother, why does it matter? Why are you here?" Those dark eyes slid into hers and a smirk twisted his lips. "The dark meat denies her fear, I see." Kendra sneered at him and leant forwards. "I'm not afraid of you, but you seem to know an awful lot about us." Marrack shrugged. "More than you do about your beloved ice tray there." Kendra snorted. "I doubt that." The conjurer raised a hand and a deep blue pulsed within his skin, and hit Kendra square in the forehead. Scoot stood up and hit his brother hard, but Kendra didn't see it. Her eyes whitened over, and she heard the hiss of machinery, and the hum of computers and the low murmer of human voices. Marrack shook his head and held his hands out to placate his brother, huge over him. The waitress stepped around the corner and stopped, her mouth open as Marrack slowly wiped the blood on his chin. "She sees the day you killed me, brother. No more than that. She only needs to know where I came from." Scott didn't move to sit, but didn't stop his brother from standing up. The tray hit the table, and the drinks spilled as the waitress grabbed hold of Marrack's hand. "There's a bathroom this way, sir." Marrack nodded and moved out from the bench. He turned back to his brother, still standing, and glared. "Sit, brother, we're not done. Let your little spark's vision play out, and we can talk." He turned back to the waitress and nodded, and she led him away. Scott turned back to Kendra, who was shaking her head minutely and blinking. There were fluorescent lights and bright, clean steel benches everywhere. No matter where she looked, men in white coats where moving, until she came to the figure strapped to the electrical gurney. Wires covered the man's huge physique, and giant vials of a silver liquid surrounded him. The man was obviously in pain, and another man, his hands shackled to a heating coil, was yelling. "Scott, jesus, what are they doing to you, fight it, Scott!!" The man on the gurney grunted as his arms flexed, the huge, thick cords of muscle straining against the unmoving clamps. Marrack pulled his lip aside and inspected his teeth with his tongue. One was loose, and it was a miracle his face was not bruised to a pulp anyway. The waitress sat on the toilet, her hands feverishly trying to free his cock from his pants, and the sorcerer looked down as cold air hit his length. The woman was staring at his skin, at the arcane runes and demonic symbols burnt into the very flesh of his cock itself. She looked up at him and he slapped her, hard. Fury lit her features, and he grabbed her head. Power pulsed in his hands, and her mouth opened as lust took her. She pushed her mouth around his cock length and began to moved her head up and down it. The clamps didn't move, but something else did. Needles slid into his skin, all around him, and another hum began. The silver liquid began to drain out of the canisters and into Scott's body, and the man trapped on the heating unit began screaming in a new intensity, to match his brother's. "No, Scott!! SCOTT!?!? FUCKING BASTARDS, LET MY BROTHER GO!!" He strained on the metal of the cuffs and screamed. "Gan-Mach tal NON-Yeh!" There was an explosion of sulphur, and the shackles burst into bone dust. He raced to his brother's side as the alarm began to sound. Marrack leant back against the toilet wall as she worked at his cock, loving it, tracing the runes and symbols with her tongue. Her free hand guided him into her throat, because her other was busy, moving across herself with fevered intensity. He could feel himself growing closer to his climax, and pulled out. She panted and went after it, but he pushed her to the ground and moved her skirt up. Her bright red hair flicked as she looked over her shoulder, spreading her buttocks wide. He teased her slit with his head, and she began to cry and shake with need. In an instant, he moved up and pushed himself inside her shithole. The air grew cold and sharp as Scott was consumed by his rage and pain on the gurney, and Kendra ached to go to her lover, to help him. The clamps holding him down began to discolour as the cold whitened them. Marrack reached his brother's side and stared in horror at the silver tide overtaking his brother's skin. Scott gave an inhuman scream and the clamps shattered. Scotts huge hand shot up and wrapped around Marrack's throat. There was nothing human in Scott's face as his rage consumed him, and Kendra screamed as Marrack sank to his knees. "Brother..." "Fuck..." The woman cried as Marrack took her, his cock driving into the heat of her asshole. The lust was coursing through her, she needed satisfaction or she'd be driven insane. What she was being, was used. She took no pleasure from it, only the feelings he was making her feel, the lust, the insane lust, as he fucked her asshole. She began to gasp in pain as her cries further inflamed her paramour's uncaring thrusts. His hands were holding her hips down as he drove himself deep inside of her, feeling her passage squeeze him in pain. Marrack spat on one hand and pushed it below them, to rub at her pussy, and the waitress sighed in pleasure as her heat was breached. Scott stared stupidly at the tranq darts that seemed to appear on his chest, one after the other. The rage faded from his eyes and he looked down at the figure who had come to kill him, or make the pain worse. One of them. Two sets of silver-blue eyes locked, and Scott sank down beside his brother. "No... Markus...?" Kendra watched as Marrack/Markus reached up to touch the solid ice that his throat had become. His mouth worked as he tried to breath, but his throat wouldn't move. His hands gripped at Scott's shoulders, even as he sank down and blinked twice, his eyes beginning to close. Scott sank to his knees and blackness closed in as his brother died. "Brother..." The waitress moaned softly as Marrack dragged her up to kneel on the toilet seat. He drew one leg over his shoulder, and braced his hands on her bared shoulder. His cock began to drive inside her, going deeper and deeper. She lay there, letting him fuck her, just revelling in the sin of the act. Marrack smiled as he pulled out, her asshole closing again as his length left her for a moment. The cold water was running, and he wet a hand as he slid his cock inside her heat. He lent forwards, and viscously twisted a bouncing nipple. "I'm gonna cum in your cunt, bitch. Gonna cum and blast it hard." She moaned as he sped up, his cock growing thicker and thicker as he got closer. Kendra blinked as the shining metal and lights faded, to the dull red of a low fire. There was an oppressive heat, and two people talking. "Sin is the power on earth now, not prayer. You can go back, Markus. There's a darkness in you that I admire, the one thing that God created that I do enjoy. Hatred. You have it. And you have lust. What will you do, with these powers I give you?" Markus's voice shook slightly as he answered. "Sin, indulge. Enjoy them, I guess." There was a deep laugh, and then another scream. "Well, Markus, perhaps you shall enjoy them more. You need to change, just the smallest bit. Markus...shall be Marrack. And Marrack shall be mine..." The waitress's groan was long and stuttered as Marrack fucked his cock inside of her. Her juices began to squirt out as she came, to cover the wall and sink, and Marrack grunted in satisfaction as his thick cock burst deep inside of her. He pulled out as his cock kept streaming, and drove himself deep within the tightness of her puckered asshole. The waitress gave a shriek of pain and her arms flung wide, as she slipped down, one hand and shoulder going into the toilet, where she slumped, completely spent as Markus came inside her. The vision became white, and Kendra again saw the shabby diner in front of her. "Jesus," she breathed. Scott sat beside her, unmoving. Kendra's cheeks dampened with her tears and she threw her arms around him. Scott's chest heaved as he sighed, and Kendra held him close to her. "Jesus, babe..." Scott nodded. "Now you know. I killed him." Kendra shook her head. "That was an accident. Anyone could see you were insane with rage. God, who could blame you? It was an accident." Scott didn't answer, just sat, his mind whirling. Kendra looked up. "Where's Marrack?" Marrack let her weak carcass fall to the floor. The sudden chill of the air on his wet cock shrunk him a bit, but he leant forwards and spread his hand over her head. "You need to clean my cock, whore. Cunt, my cock is covered in our cum, and your ass. You need to clean me." She shook her head, and struggled up to a sitting position. She moaned against his open hand, and her eyes flickered closed. Light pulsed, and lust thrashed through her system again. She whimpered and opened her mouth as Marrack watched her worship his cock again. Her tongue and mouth cleaned him, and he tucked his softening cock back into his pants. He turned as she sat there, and opened the door wide. She whimpered again as the entire restaurant looked their way, and could clearly see her. She turned away and began to cry. The two fugitives watched as Marrack made his way back to their table. The door swung back shut behind him, and he readjusted his pants as he sat down. "So, our little viewing homework is done, yes? Here's the update then. The Centre has... what?" Kendra was staring at him in total hatred. "You just raped that girl. You fucking monster." Marrack shrugged. "We're all monsters, Kendra. My brother's own hand killed me, and yours killed your father. You begrudge me to spread a little sin, and get my cock sucked? You want your pussy fingered while we wait, Kendra? A snap of my fingers, and you can blow your mind..." Scott rolled his shoulders and put his hands on the table. "Is this going somewhere?" Marrack leant back and smiled. "Actually no, I'm just amusing myself. This whole meeting has two edges. Firstly, I've been sent by the Centre to capture or kill you both, you especially brother. With your new control over your powers, you're too much of a danger to the Centre. And the little runaway here has been gone for far too long, and she's moved from recovery to damage control. So either I take you in, or I don't get paid." Scott clenched his knuckles and Kendra could feel the cold emanating from him like a chilled fog. Her eyes began to burn, and Marrack smiled as her eyes flamed red. "Calm yourselves. They've gotten involved in something not quite their usual ilk. The only thing they have that they can give me is pleasure, and their souls." His lip curled up for a moment. "And that sort of thing I can get on my own." Scott turned around to look out the door, making sure the place wasn't surrounded. "Then why acquiesce to the hunt?" Marrack shrugged. His haunted eyes flickered between them for a moment, as the enigmatic sorcerer hesitated for a moment. "We were two halves of the same coin, brother. There was a strength between us, that they saw and destroyed. They made no move to stop you, in your insanity, from killing me, nor did they attempt to help me after you had frozen my throat." His dark, tattooed hands caressed his throat for a moment, as if remembering, and reminding himself that he could still breathe. "The Centre uses me now, unaware that my hatred for them exceeds any rewards or price they can grant. I'm...different now... I'm not Markus anymore, I'm Marrack. But our blood still pumps through my heart. The Centre, for too long, has done simply as they wished, as opposed to what they should do. You, and your little candle here, you could destroy their building, but the council of eight would surely escape. With three of us..." His words faded off and he sat back in the chair. "Go back to your hotel room, and I will contact you tomorrow morning. Decide, brother. Here, now, is the chance for vengeance and redemption." The two renegades stared at him, and Scott nodded slowly. Kendra eased herself out of the booth and stood as Scott followed suit. The brothers eyed one another for a moment, until Marrack nodded once, slowly, and Scott turned away. The cowbell saw them out, and they got back into the car. Dirt and dust rose up as Kendra gunned it, and they tore out onto the road. Back inside the diner, Marrack sipped at his now cold coffee. A candy-stripped uniform moved past him and slid into the booth opposite. Dr. Angela Lotus, board member of the Centre, breathed heavily as her hands went under the table, reaching for Marrack's cock. "Think they'll go for it, master?" Marrack shrugged as she sank under the table and unzipped his pants. He felt hot breath on the head of his cock for a moment, and then the rough touch of her tongue rubbing along the underside of his length. He grew firm and thick under her ministrations, and sighed. "It matters not. They will serve my purposes. The Centre will fall, and I will rise through it's charred and frosted ashes." He looked down at her, under the table, totally oblivious to the stares he was getting from the other patrons. Her teeth raked along the underside of his cock, and his breath hissed between clenched teeth. She opened her uniform and began to squeeze her right nipple, where a demon had chewed and infected her when last Marrack had fucked her. The nipple was black and bruised, as the venom fed its way through her system, enslaving her to her sins. Marrack's lips twisted as she began to kneed at his balls, pressing them against his pelvis and making him moan. He pushed her head away, and moved out of the booth. She followed, not even bothering to re-button her blouse. His cock, long and hard, swung freely and proudly as he made his way out of the diner through the kitchen. Lotus followed him needily, her whimpers only sending pulses of lust through the sorcerer. The rear doors swung open, and Marrack spun Lotus past him, and she slammed into the bonnet of her car. Marracks hand buried itself inside her, and she moaned in ecstasy as his fingers spread inside her. She was a wanton slut, and knew it. She reached back and spread her cheeks wide, begging him to penetrate her anywhere, and fast. He spat on her puckered asshole and pressed the head of his cock against it. She bit her lip as he began to move his hips forwards, until he spread her ass cheeks wide and slammed his hips forwards. Lotus cried out in pain, and Marrack raised both hands and slapped her hard on the bouncing globes of her ass. The good doctor was grinding her hips into the polished bonnet of her mercedes with abandon, needing Marrack to own her totally. The sorcerer sneered and his hands spread wide over the line of her spine, and glowed. Lust pulsed through her, again and again, waves of pure lust until she screamed with need. She turned, twisting Marrack's cock inside her asshole, and grabbed him roughly. She pushed him down onto the bonnet and slammed her dripping pussy onto his cock. There was a moment of pain, until she shook her head and began to ride him hard. Fire and Ice Ch. 03 Hope you're enjoying this so far—the characters seem to have a mind of their own; I think that I know what is going to happen as I write, but Emma and Adam have other ideas. Keep up with me as I get to know them better—we're still introducing ourselves. This chapter has a lot of explanation as to why Adam is the way he is. Bear with me as we get through the technicalities so that we can get to the juicy parts! Other than that, enjoy, and send feedback or write comments with anything you'd like to know, that you think I should include, or that you didn't like (or that you did), etc. I feel like an explanation is owed to you for this chapter, so I'm giving you fair warning: No sex yet, and it's a rather abrupt ending. I apologize for that, but I always find that sex is so much more titillating if you know the motivations and emotions behind it. Keep reading! Chapter 3 I shut my eyes, reminding myself to take deep breaths, leaning against the wall heavily. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... My mind had abandoned me, retreating into itself. I couldn't think, I couldn't feel. My vision seemed to turn to pinpricks. I tried to calm myself, struggling to breath gently and deeply, but I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate. Oh shit! I'm going to die...I'm going to die! Adam had started walking towards me, slowly. His hands were held up, palms out, as if he was surrendering to something. But I knew better. It was all a façade. He was going to kill me. I'd seen the fangs. I saw his eyes. I saw everything! "Please! I don't want to die! I won't tell anyone what you are, I promise! Just let me go...I just want to go home...let me go home..." I slid down, my back leaning against the wall, and pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging them to keep them there. I felt tears trickle from my eyes and start running down my cheeks, and slowly, I began to rock back and forth. "I don't want to die...I don't want to die...I don't want to die..." Adam had started walking towards me, and a thought occurred to me: I should pray. I hadn't talked to God for a while, but we might be getting to know each other extremely well pretty soon, so I might as well re-introduce myself. I gulped, he was getting closer. How had this happened? Why couldn't I have just continued on with my life as it was? I probably would have failed my microbiology class, but what the hell. I would have survived. I was too young for this! I was planning on going to medical school; I was going to be a pediatrician! I loved kids, they loved me, I liked science enough—it was perfect! I hadn't told my mother that I loved her, hadn't told my father 'Thank you', hadn't been able to mess up my brother's hair one last time. They say when you're going to die, your life flashes before your eyes. It doesn't. Death itself is way too scary, and it kind of blocks everything else out. Adam stopped directly in front of me and held out his hand. I winced, shrinking into the wall as much as I could, squeezing my eyes tight. I didn't want to see myself die. That would be too much. "Emma?" I didn't say anything. I just kept my eyes shut—he wasn't going to trick me into watching this. Fuck him! Who did he think he was? What gave him the right to take my life away? "Emma...come on. Get up." Anger consumed me. Just because he'd been around for so long, I was supposed to die? To hell with that! It was his turn—he had said so himself, he was ancient! I turned my face upwards and opened my eyes. He was standing there, in front of me, holding out his hand, just waiting for me to take it. His hazel eyes were soft, filled with pain. I wasn't buying it. He was a vampire! He was evil! And fuck it if I was going to stand by idly while he killed me! I sprung to my feet, refusing to touch him. He took a few steps back, his hands up in that surrendering motion again. "You can't kill me, Adam! I won't let you! I have things to do, you know!" I watched as a small grin played across his lips. Oh hell no! He wasn't going to laugh at me! "I'm serious! You let me the fuck out of this apartment, and don't ever come near me again! Or else..." my mind searched frantically. Vampires had weaknesses, didn't they? Stakes! And garlic! "Or else I'll marinate a stake in garlic and shove it through your heart!" His eyebrows drew together, concerned. Ha! I had him now! "That's right, I swear to god I'll do just that, Adam, if you don't let me go now!" Adam kept his hands up, just looking at me sadly. "You can go whenever you want, Em. I won't talk to you anymore. Not if you don't want me to, anyways." "I don't! I don't want to talk to you ever again!" Adam took a breath, "Figures." His head dropped, and he pointed to the door. "You know the way, Emma." It was that easy? I took a deep breath and actually felt my heart stop pounding. He was letting me leave? As I stood there, silently, a couple of thoughts occurred to me. 1. I wasn't dead. 2. Adam hadn't touched me except for that small kiss on my neck, even though his fangs were out. 3. Adam was a vampire! 4. I still wasn't dead. "You're not going to kill me?" Adam looked up, his eyes meeting mine, "God, Emma, no! I just...I needed...I thought you would understand, I guess." He took a deep breath. "I know what I am, Emma. I know it's hard to accept. And I realize that it's freakishly creepy. So..." He paused for a moment, seemingly struggling to say the next phrase, "...you can leave whenever you want. I'll never talk to you again, I swear." I stood there confused for a moment, thoughts rushing through my head. He's not going to kill me? He thought I would understand? Understand what? I took a deep breath and puffed up my chest a bit, "I'll leave when I decide I want to leave, thank you very much. As long as you promise you won't kill me." Adam gave a sad little smile and held up his right hand, "Scout's honor. I promise I won't kill you." He was a vampire, which meant he couldn't be trusted, but still. The promise made me feel better. I relaxed, ever so slightly. I shifted my weight, still too uncomfortable to sit down, eyes locked on Adam's. As I looked at him, I realized he was telling the truth. He wasn't going to kill me. Weird. But as we stood there, looking at each other, another problem arose. This was really, really awkward. "So..." I took a deep breath. "You're a...a vampire. And you're notgoing to kill me." Adam nodded, "Right." He was still keeping his distance, like he was afraid that I was going to freak out again. Anger started to bubble up from some unseen place inside of me. "Then why the hell did you even tell me this!? I liked you just fine, before you were a vampire. Now, I'm freaking out, and how am I ever supposed to act normal around you again? You're a vampire, Adam, for Christ's sake!" I paused to take a few breaths, but before Adam could speak up, I continued, "And now I'll probably fail micro!" I looked at Adam, and to my surprise, he looked like he was struggling not to laugh. He calmed himself down slightly, then managed to say, "Micro...yeah. That's a pretty big problem." The stupidness of it hit me, and I felt a smile tweak my lips. "Shut up, Adam. Micro's important." He nodded gravely, "Hell yeah, it is." I felt a giggle coming on, probably one of the side effects of my freak out earlier, and tried to stifle it. But Adam had a little grin on his face too, and I couldn't help it. I started to laugh wryly. He chuckled a bit too, and then I spoke up, "Sorry. That was a stupid thing to say." "It's better than 'I don't ever want to talk to you again.'" I cringed, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Adam." He took a few steps closer to me, but stopped before I felt uncomfortable. "Actually, your freak out was shorter than I expected it to be, Em. It's a little strange how normal you seem now." I didn't feel normal. I felt like crying. My best friend was a vampire. What did that say about me? But I swallowed my feelings and sighed, "This is still weird, Adam." He nodded, "I know. I'm sorry. If I could change it, I would." I made my way around him and went over to the couch, sitting down. If he could change it, he wouldn't be alive right now. So...who would I be talking to? If Adam wasn't a vampire, would I still have been studying alone in my apartment? As strange as it was, I started to feel slightly happy that he was a vampire, with that thought. He came and sat at the opposite end of the couch and we both were silent. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes emotionless. I studied him quietly. His profile was sharp. He had a strong jaw and a cut, Grecian nose. Imagine the statue of David, by Michelangelo, but better. His nose was stronger, and his hair didn't curl. It was closely cropped to his head and laid flat. Even the wind, that first day that I met him, hadn't ruffled it. His eyes were gorgeous, and I was jealous. That beautiful, strange hazel color dominated them now, not like when they had dilated. They had been almost completely black then. I felt myself shiver—he had looked so...menacing. Not like Adam at all. That trademark grin, always so readily available, was nowhere to be found. That was probably what had scared me most—the Adam that I thought I knew so well was nowhere to be found when he had transformed. Truly, it scared the shit out of me. I gave a little sigh, and he looked up, meeting my eyes. All traces of the vampire were gone. He looked human—approachable, harmless, and even a little sad. This awkward silence had to stop. I took a breath and spoke up, "So...how old are you, then?" Adam looked at me and smiled slightly, "Pretty old. I'm not exactly sure of the year that I was born, but I was turned to a vampire when I was 25 human years. That was when Marcus Aurelius was the Roman Emperor. They kept track of time differently then. It wasn't until the late 1500's, when Pope Gregory institued the Gregorian calendar, that the Julian calendar went out of date." He shrugged, then retreated into himself, thinking deeply. "That puts my birth around 155 BC, and it's 2010 now, so..." he went silent as he did the math, "...I'm about 1855 years old, I guess. That sound right?" My eyes must have been as wide as saucers, "1855? Seriously?" I shook my head; I couldn't even imagine living that long. "And you're the only vampire?" Adam shrugged. "I was changed by a vampire. For the first millennium of my life, there were vampires around. We had a coven. That's what they call a community of vampires. Our headquarters were in Europe, in Greece. That's where I was born as a human, and where I was sired, as a vampire." Adam sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Vampires have always been evil, according to humanity. I was sired by a woman known as Theoris. About 150 years after I became a vampire, a prominent Grecian senator known as Demosthenes became aware that she was inhuman, and denounced her. She was tried publicly in Athens and burned for 'necromancy'. Many vampires said it started later, but I believe it was then that vampires began to be hunted. "It's strange to me that humans were able to so completely eradicate our race. Vampires are the stronger of the two species. But humans are numerous, and when they have a goal, they are almost unstoppable. From the 14th to the 17th century, a time in your history books known as the Witch Hunt, every single vampire that I had once known vanished. I went into hiding as my friends and colleagues were tied to stakes and burned alive for charges of 'witchcraft'." His face had visibly paled, and he gave a shudder. "I survived because I fled to the east, to the island of Cyprus. It was a small island, so consumed with it's wars that it failed to notice the vampire living in its midst. I stayed there until World War I, when it became a part of the United Kingdom. At that point, vampires had been forgotten, and what remained of us was in fictional stories. They told of how we could change into bats, how we dissolved in sunlight, how we were repelled by garlic and could only be killed with a stake to the heart. I remember reading Dracula and laughing—the vampires portrayed were so pathetic, so weak—if they were real, I would have been dead long ago. "The one thing that humans always have gotten correct is how we feed. On blood." I could feel the blood running out of my face as he spoke. "That's disgusting, Adam. Can't you eat, erm, drink, something else?" Adam gave a sad grin and shook his head. "I've tried, Emma. While I can physically chew and swallow, I can't seem to digest anything except for blood. Most of our vampire records have been destroyed, but to my knowledge, vampirism can almost be described as a disease of the blood. Vampire blood has small, inhuman proteins in it that attach to the red blood cells. These proteins significantly enhance the bloods ability to carry oxygen, to flow, and even to allow the body to heal itself rapidly. However, these proteins come with a cost: the vampire red blood cell itself has a much shorter life span than that of a human red blood cell, or one without extra protein. To compensate, my diet consists entirely of human blood. When a vampire blood cell dies, the protein attaches to a normal cell and continues to survive. I can't tell you much more than that, except that a side effect from these proteins seems to be agelessness, as if my body has been frozen in time." Thanks to my major in biology, I could follow everything he was telling me. Vampirism seemed to make sense with that explanation—a disease. One that grants you immortality and superhuman qualities. The only thing that he was lacking was how the disease was transmitted. "So how do you become a vampire, Adam? How is it transmitted?" Adam clasped and unclasped his hands, "Much like any blood-borne illness, such as HIV. It's passed through specific fluids—blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk. Even then, just coming into contact with those fluids won't do the trick; they must come into contact with damaged tissue, or a membrane, like your eyes, or be directly injected into the system." "You seem to know a lot about this for someone who hasn't been able to find any vampire records," I commented. Adam just gave a small grin, "I've had a lot of time to study the differences between myself and humans. The proteins in my blood are visible under a light microscope. I've done a few tests and come to all of the conclusions that I just told you." I shivered slightly, then rubbed my hands up and down my arms. "So have you sired anyone?" Adam just shook his head. "I won't do what was done to me and sire someone without their consent. Being a vampire is a lonely life. I've always been an outcast, never able to do something as small as go out to dinner with a girl. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." I nodded at Adam, understanding, but still sad. To be alive for so long without anyone to talk to? Christ, I was freaking out because I was 22 and I didn't have a steady boyfriend yet. I couldn't imagine being alone as long as Adam had. I glanced at him. He was sitting on the couch, slightly hunched over, his elbows on his knees. He seemed to be nervously wringing his hands, as if he was afraid that I would say this was all too much and get up, leaving him for good. A part of me told me that I should. Adam was no good for me. He was a vampire, he was immortal. He had fangs, and his eyes dilated, and every article of literature that I had read about him told me that he was evil. But his explanation made it sound so normal, like he was just ill, not evil. He hadn't explained everything, though. "So, I get how you can move so quickly, and heal so quickly, and why you drink blood. But that doesn't explain why you have fangs, or why your eyes dilate, or why you emit...pheromones, or whatever you said they were," I was honestly puzzled. I was learning all of this for the first time, and I was curious. Adam looked as puzzled as I felt when he answered, "I've tried to figure that out. There's nothing in the blood that suggests a physiological change. I'm assuming that it's simply evolution, natural selection at its best. Somewhere along the line a vampire developed fangs to access human blood more easily, and that trait was passed on. Eventually, each trait would have evolved to make us better predators. The pheromones we emit draw humans to us. Haven't you noticed that at all?" I felt a blush creep all the way up my neck and cover my face. I had most definitely noticed it. I couldn't think straight around Adam. He screwed with my mind. Embarrassed, I thought back to the fantasies that I couldn't seem to stop having about him. Adam being a vampire changed things. Now that I knew why I felt the way I did around him, maybe I would have a chance at stopping it, because having sex with him was out of the question, unless I was planning on becoming a vampire, which I wasn't. I would just have to get ahold of myself and not let his pheromones affect me. I hadn't realized that I had been considering having sex with Adam until I stopped considering it all together. That threw me for a loop, like I didn't know I felt that way until it was gone. Adam was looking at me and I realized that he was still waiting for an answer. I cleared my throat and spoke up, "Oh, yeah. I've noticed. You said you'd noticed that I'd noticed...does that make sense?" Adam grinned, "I know I turn you on, if that's what you're asking." I rolled my eyes. He may be a vampire, but he was still a guy. And no matter how old they are, all guys like that confidence boost of turning on a girl. The problem was, most guys didn't know exactly when they were turning a girl on. Adam had potential to become one cocky bastard. Fortunately, I had my defenses as well. "Hey, you're the one who was talking about how good I smell." Adam had the decency to look embarrassed, glancing down towards the floor, "Touché." I felt myself smirk and a tiny bubble of pride welled up inside of me. I had just put an 1855 year old vampire in his place. Damn, I was good. As we sat on the couch, a thought occurred to me. Adam had drank something after his little 'outburst.' I felt myself pale and forced a swallow, "So, Adam..." I paused, almost unwilling to ask, "...you drank blood a little while ago, didn't you?" Adam looked at me for a moment and then nodded, "Sometimes it's hard to control myself. Drinking human blood is engrained into my system. Attacking them to get their blood is what I'm programmed to do. So when I saw the blood pooling out of your finger, I snapped for a moment. Just long enough for you to catch a glimpse of what I am. That's when I went to the fridge and filled a mug up with a little refresher, to keep me satisfied. To make sure I didn't hurt you. Back in the day, when I lived in the coven, every once in a while a vampire would refuse to eat. They go insane eventually, rampaging and killing anything in their path. It's actually pretty scary. It would take five or six of us vampires to even slow them down." I raised a brow, "Why would a vampire starve themselves? That seems stupid." Adam just shrugged, "Back then, the only way to get blood was to feed from a human. Sometimes, we would let humans in on the secret and they would offer themselves willingly. We wouldn't kill them, just drink from them. But a human can only lose about a quart of blood at a time before it starts to affect them, and even then they need to eat right away to replenish their strength. Most of the time, we would go to the gallows and feed on the freshly hung criminals before rigor mortis set in. But in times when people thrived and crime was low, we had to find other options." Fire and Ice Ch. 03 Adam shuddered, "You have no idea how hard it is. To be human one day, vampire the next, feeding on people who you have sympathy for. Your very nature changes, and for a long time you live with the guilt of what you've become, unable to stop the instincts that tell you to survive, to feed, to sire. I admire the stronger vampires who refused to feed; I was never that strong. It's easier nowadays. I've created a false laboratory that receives blood donations to test for cures for illnesses. Blood is shipped directly to me, blood that I don't have to kill to receive. It's not much, but it's enough. I only need about one human's worth of blood to survive for a week, which is about 6-7 quarts, or one quart a day. Since they come in packets of a quart each, it makes it simple." I didn't like the idea that Adam was feeding on blood that people were donating. You know, 'Give blood to save lives,' and so on. But in truth, it was a better compromise. Nobody died, and Adam survived. So I guess the slogan was still good to go. A morbid curiosity took hold of me, and I had to ask, "Could you drink my blood without me becoming a vampire?" I saw a small smile flash across Adam's face before he got serious, "Yes. Like I said, the willing humans were accepted into the coven. They were fed off of once a day by one vampire, and they survived. Some even chose to become vampires eventually. Most left after about a year of living with the coven." "Why'd they leave?" Adam grinned, "You said it yourself, Emma. I'm strange. Living with vampires is lonely. You're constantly attracted to them, but you can't have sex unless you want to be a vampire. Honestly, I think sex is one of the main reasons that humans chose to become vampires. Also, I was pretty rare compared to the others because I like interacting with humans. Most of the time, it just reminded the others of what they had lost. For me, it makes me feel more human, as if I'm almost normal again." I felt a sadness inside of me that probably only touched what Adam felt all of the time. He wasn't living, he was surviving. It seemed a miserable existence. Adam was quiet again, just staring off into space. I didn't really know what to say, but I felt as if I should offer him comfort, somehow. I'd once heard in a psychology class that touching someone did more than words ever could, so I leaned across the couch and placed my hand on top of his. His intake of breath was quick and quiet, but I heard it. He glanced up at me and gave me a sad little smile which I returned. "Nobody's normal, Adam. So what if you have a ridiculous sense of smell, or you can move really fast. I don't like coffee and I have an insistent, nagging need to keep all of my things organized. We're all weird, somehow." "Not quite as weird as I am, but thanks, Em. That made me feel a little better, strangely." I grinned and stifled a yawn. How late was it? I picked up my phone from the coffee table and turned the screen on. 10:04 pm. Not that late, but it felt like a lifetime since I had walked through Adam's door. Adam had maneuvered his hand so that it was now grasping mine. We sat there, on the couch, for a while, not saying a word, just sitting silently. For the first time that night, the silence wasn't awkward. I shifted on the couch slightly and Adam quickly turned to look at me, "Did you still want to study tonight, Emma?" I bit my lower lip. Studying seemed like a problem that the old me had, this new problem with a vampire best friend seemed a little more intimidating. Still, that test was speeding towards me, and studying could help to dissolve some of the tension that was still left in the room, so I nodded and reached across from me, to where my book bag was still laying on the floor. I rummaged through it and pulled out a pen and notebook. Adam had positioned himself on the edge of the couch and was waiting for me to be ready to begin. I closed my notebook, then sighed, "I don't think I can study tonight, Adam. I'm just not in the mood." Adam let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god. Studying is the last thing on my mind." I didn't want to know what was on his mind as I felt his eyes scour every inch of my body. I could feel the blush following behind them. My entire body was on fire, just from his gaze! I was supposed to have been empowered by the knowledge that he attracted every human he met, but somehow, I still felt like putty under his eyes. His hazel, grey, strange, gorgeous colored eyes. My gaze locked onto his face, and I pressed my lips together to keep from gasping. He was looking at me so intently, so seriously, that I felt like I would melt. I studied all of his features—his full lips, pale, smooth skin, his eyes. I kept coming back to his eyes. Slowly, I set the notebook and pen on the coffee table. Adam didn't take his eyes off of my face, nor I his. It was like a staring contest to the death. I was doomed to lose, he was immortal. Blushing furiously, I looked down, focusing on the hands in my lap. Suddenly, Adam was so close, so achingly close to me. I turned and our noses almost touched. He was breathing deeply, but quietly, and I could feel soft puffs of air brush across my lips. I willed myself to be strong, to pull away, but Adam's temptation was too great; he was the embodiment of sexy down to his very scent, and everything about him was pure attractiveness. Pressing my lips firmly together, I trembled as I struggled with the situation. Adam reached up and a hand caressed my jaw line, fingertips tracing along the skin, moving down the side of my throat. I shivered under his touch and my eyes closed. I relished in the feeling, savored the tremors that shot through my entire body, originating from the pads of his fingers. I couldn't help a small moan that echoed from my throat when he pressed his lips to the same spot that he had before, but this time, he didn't pull away. He inhaled deeply, doing no more than kissing the vein in my neck, but heat coursed through my body and pooled between my legs. I could feel myself getting wetter by the second. My hand reached up and my fingers entwined themselves in his hair, holding him to my throat. Adam let out a groan, and then sat up. "You need to go, Emma." I released him, my eyes wide. "Yeah, yeah. I probably do." "You don't understand. You need to go. Now." I nodded, feeling a little hurt, and grabbed my book bag, shoving the notebook and pen that lay on the coffee table into a pocket. Standing up, I took a deep breath and steadied myself. "I'll see you in class tomorrow, Adam." He just nodded, taking slow, deep breaths. Silently, I turned and walked to the door. My hand lingered on the knob, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, I opened the door and stepped through the threshold, closing it tightly behind me and walking to my car.