Cured By Blood: A Vampire Pregnancy Romance (4 page)

The drinking of one’s blood releases endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, giving the person a euphoric high. Vampires also can last a much longer time and enjoy pleasure as well as returning it. My libido isn’t bad at all; I just require sex more often than most humans do.”

Tara watched his face; she could feel the warmth in her own belly grow. She didn’t know if she could sleep with him tonight, if she would be willing to do that, but she knew she wanted to, eventually. Dru saw the lust in her eyes, but it wasn’t consuming her. She had a curiosity and an expectation, but he was comforted in knowing that sex and being turned were truly not her only reasons for finding someone like him.

“My turn, Tara.” Dru leaned in, watching every movement of her face, “Why do you want to be with a creature that has great difficulty dying when you are but a breath away from death yourself?”

Tara swallowed, her brow furrowing in sadness.

“Because, I don’t want to be alone, but I don’t want to hurt someone by being close only to die so soon. I figured, a vampire is used to watching those around him die. What more am I to you but another brief face in your long, intricate life? I will mean much less to you than you will to me, and that is a relationship, a companionship, I am comfortable with.”

Dru reached out automatically to wipe away the single tear that rolled down her cheek. He felt as if his heart was being squeezed within his chest. The level of loneliness and heartache this woman was accepting seemed unfair for the beautiful soul he saw within her. Dru hadn’t realized she was leaning into his hand, until he tilted her face up and met her lips with his own.

CHAPTER FIVE

Tara felt the emotions roar within her and then recede as his mouth delicately melded with her own. His hands caressed her face, gentle light touches from cool fingers. She slid her hands over his shoulders and around the back of his neck, sliding her fingers up into his silky hair. Slowly and gently, Dru slid his arms around her and lifted her out of her own seat and held her in his arms.

In any other situation she would have felt foolish, but right now her mind was being wiped blank. She needed this, something to chase away the shadows with the flames of passion. Her body took control of her mind, allowing her to melt in his arms and sink into the embrace with oblivion.

Dru pulled back carefully, the pale powdered blue eyes gazing deep into her own. A pain she hadn’t seen before shown deep from within and made her gasp. She bit back her sobs, and leaned into him, allowing him to just hold her tightly as no one had done.

Unwillingly, the tears came, the anguish bursting through her heart. She felt her sadness and hurt on the surface and had no need to hide it from this man. He could see into her soul as much as he could see into her heart and mind.

As Tara choked back the last of her tears, her body spent, she felt embarrassed. She was curled up in his arms like a child, weeping and exposing her very vulnerabilities she had tried to keep locked away. She tried to pull away, to hide or bury her face in her hands, but Dru held her firmly, his soft hushes whispering in her ears.

“Shh, it’s OK You’re OK right now. I know it hurts and I can see your pain, but you are safe here.”

Tara searched his face and saw no contempt, disgust, or revulsion. He seemed unaffected by her breakdown with the exception of the sadness in his own eyes. He kissed her forehead and lay back in the chair, pulling her even closer in his arms. He stared at the fire, one hand stroking her hair as the other held her hands. She sighed before relaxing, gazing at the flames with him. Her mind still wanted to wander, to imagine her body as the logs and the cancer burning her alive, devouring her and leaving only a fragile black shell. Her eyes grew heavy with her thoughts and she felt the world fade away.

*     *     *

Dru could still feel the burn of unshed tears in his eyes. He could feel the passion and wanted to take her to his bed, but he also knew that she needed this more. There would be time for intimacy; there was still time to explore more than her soft mouth. Her initial post on the web site had intrigued him, but this nearly broke him. So much pain and sadness, he could feel every tear she shed and every sob in his very core.

As her breathing grew even, he continued to comb his fingers through her hair and hold her. Time was nothing for him. He could stay like this for years, if she needed it, if only to bring her a modicum of peace. He doubted she had slept without medication for several weeks now.

The smells from her skin made the truth a harsh reality, an obvious image of what she was going through. He could smell the chemicals from the medications and the rot from the cancer. Her blood was missing the tangy, coppery smell and instead had a sweet and sour odor. Dru held up his finger, and hesitated only a moment before biting the end. He lifted it over her slightly parted lips, and watched as a few drops slid between them into her open mouth.

He briefly put his finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding and watched as she smacked her lips and swallowed. Within a few seconds, Dru could feel her blood shift, unsure of the intrusion as the strange cells pushed through the thin membranes of her mouth and throat and joined her own.

It was only a tiny amount, but it was equivalent to her taking a double dose of pain and nausea medicine without the drowsiness, lethargy, and damage from the chemicals. On the contrary, his blood had the power to revitalize and energize.

Her eyelids fluttered slightly before she opened them. Her focus slowly slid into place, the brief moment of unfamiliarity and then the memory and realization. She sat up, cocking her head slightly as she looked around. Giving him a faint smile, a kiss on the cheek, she pulled away and moved back to the other chair. As she sat on the edge, he could see the emotions and thoughts flitting across her face. The confusion at why she felt different.

“Wow, I don’t know how long I was out, but I guess I really needed that.”

“It was only for a few moments.” Dru eyed her carefully. He wasn’t sure if she would notice.

“My mouth tastes odd. Sort of, I don’t know, like cloves and honey.” Tara tilted her head as she glanced at Dru, as she brushed her mouth with her hand, sliding her finger along the inside of her lip before holding up the red-tinged tip, “What’s this?”

“I can smell the medications you take and the disease. A few drops of my blood is better than those medicines.”

Dru stayed perfectly still as her face became stoic. She glanced at her finger and back at him.

“What will this do to me?”

“It will ease the pain and your stomach and will give you a burst of energy.”

“Will this turn me?”

“No,” Dru chuckled, propping his elbow on the arm of the chair and resting his chin on his palm, “no, my dear, it would take a significant amount to do that, much more than a few drops. I could give you a glass of my blood and you would still be far from turning.”

“Hm,” Tara’s brow furrowed as she slipped the finger back in her mouth to suck off the residue as she watched him carefully, “why did you do that?”

“I can see and smell your pain and everything that you are using to try and stop it, to ease it, and all the damage and issues that too is causing. This wouldn’t do that, wouldn’t hurt you.”

“I wish you would ask me, before you do something like that, but I am grateful for the help, any help. I don’t want to turn.”

“You have said this, and yet, I have more than enough to afford the cost.”

“I don’t have the time left to wait for registration approval and to go through the government processing.”

“Ah, yes, I have forgotten that as well. What if you could turn, and they didn’t know, what if you registered as an elder?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to really worry about it, honestly. There is just too much to consider and the changes to my life and the whole idea! I mean, I’m human, destined to die. I have come to terms with death; I don’t have the time or strength to change those terms. And as I said, I don’t revel in the idea of drinking blood, of living for decades and centuries. It’s just a lot.”

“I admire your dedication to your word, but I am saddened by your inability to contemplate something else, something more.”

“It’s hard enough to decide if someone you have just met is safe enough to sleep with, or to decide when you know enough and are comfortable enough with them to date them. The idea of deciding to spend decades upon decades or more with that person seems like taking rushing it to another level.”

Dru chuckled as he sat back in the chair, his eyes reflecting the dancing flames.

“That makes sense,” He smiled at Tara, “Well; I invited you to get to know me all that you want. It may take forever or perhaps only a moment. No this, the option is always here for you. I can help you get around the red tape. You have a beautiful mind and an amazing soul; I would hate to only taste the surface.”

Tara felt herself blush as she looked away and back at the low flames. Her mind raced with the idea. What if she did change? What if the cancer could be obliterated along with her obligations of being human? If she could hide her real identity from the government, if she could feign her age and pass as someone turned ages ago, perhaps there was a possibility. But she had barely met Dru and her mind was screaming the logic of making such a rash decision based on so little knowledge. The idea, though, the option, was available. That was a small token of hope.

“I would like to get to know you better. In fact, I look forward to it. I enjoyed our moment before I went into a complete breakdown and would very much enjoy getting to know you in that way as well.”

Dru stood abruptly, holding out his hand to Tara.

“Come with me. I want to show you the gardens at night. They are made to be the most beautiful then.”

Tara took his hand, slightly startled at the change of direction. She was relieved though, to leave behind the heavy conversation and to recover her dignity. Dru led her through the house and down the dimly lit hall to another large wooden door.

He opened it and stepped inside, pulling her in behind him. She was stunned to find they were in a glass tunnel of sorts. She could see the gardens she had spotted from the backyard outside of the path, but was confused as to where they were going.

Dru led her several feet further before the dark passage fell away into a large glass room. This was what she had thought was the greenhouse. It was much larger closer up, and the beauty of it stunned her. She stood gaping as her eyes tried to take it all in. Beautiful night blooming vines crawled up the walls and trellises.

There was a stream that came from somewhere outside and flowed under the glass walls, never more than a foot wide, it snaked through the room and up into a fountain with a beautiful woman pouring the water out of a stone pitcher onto a pile of rocks, allowing it to gently cascade onto the rocky, stream that led back out of the atrium.

The plants were so green, rich and heavy in the smell of earth and florals, the bursts of color under the moon were accented by the dim blue solar lights along the walking path. The ground was mostly river rock stone with occasional old medallions and pavers speckled about.

Dru reached out for a Moon Flower, the sterling white petals spanning almost a foot across. He gently plucked it from the vine and turned to hand it to Tara. She took the flower, and without thinking, she put it behind her ear. Feeling silly, she began to giggle.

“There are a lot of exotics in here; I suppose some of them could have odd effects in making one giddy.”

Tara almost removed the flower until she caught his pleased expression; he wasn’t making fun of her, but simply enjoying her happiness. Tara began inspecting some of the odd buds and gorgeous flowers. The strongest smelling ones seemed to be the most ordinary, whereas the elaborate and exotic flowers didn’t smell as strong at all. The ambient lighting, the full moon above, the air retaining warmth and the feeling of a forest on a summer’s night during fall was astounding. Tara’s face almost ached from all the smiling as she asked about the different plants and explored his indoor night garden. After she had seen every square inch, she was exhausted again.

“May I have something to drink? I’m sorry to ask again but I am always thirsty.”

“I know the feeling,” Dru smirked, causing Tara to shake her head in amusement, “Yes, of course. Never feel bad for asking. I tend to forget such things sometimes. That is why I keep the house stocked. I always forget about the needs of people to eat or drink.”

“I suppose if I didn’t need to, I would forget too.”

Dru took Tara back to the kitchen. With the realization that she hadn’t had any medication in a while, she decided on a glass of red wine. Dru welcomed her to help herself to the refrigerator and pantry. After only a small hesitation, Tara decided to forgo being shy and eat something. There had to be some truth behind the blood thing.

She was feeling refreshed, although she was starting to become tired again. But she was actually hungry, and felt a little like her old self for a moment. She saw a woven basket of strawberries and a stack of chocolate bars. She pulled out one of the dark chocolate bars and the berries and headed back to the bar in the center. Dru watched as she sat down opposite him. She sipped the wine and took alternating bites between the berries and chocolate.

“Do you miss food?”

“Everyone asks that. Not really, not anymore. I mean, I can eat if I want, but then my body would produce wastes and I do not miss doing that. So I prefer not to, usually.”

“Huh, I always wondered about that.”

“I haven’t needed food in so long, I am sure nothing tastes as I remember it.”

“Was it hard at first, not eating?”

Dru was trying to pay attention to her words, but watching the wine glass touch her lips, the dark red fluid meeting her top lip, the ruby red strawberries being delicately bitten, her mouth closing and her cheeks moving as she swirled the chocolate in her mouth was all very distracting. Tara’s words trailed off when she saw his face and felt the lust that had encroached upon the simple scene.

Keeping her eyes on Dru, Tara sipped the wine delicately, nibbled the food, and saw his eyes locked onto her lips. She wasn’t sure if it was the color correlation with blood or just how she was eating, but he seemed almost entranced. His eyes glanced up at hers and she felt the heat rush into her cheeks.

“Would you like to show me your bedroom?”

Tara felt silly being so blunt, but she did go into this with the idea to live her life to the fullest. The man was sexy, compassionate, comforting, caring, and very much into her. She would be an idiot not to go for it.
Even if it falls apart tomorrow, she could still have the memories of this amazing night,
she thought.

“Yes.” He stated simply before moving faster than her eyes could follow, sweeping her off the bench, and carrying her to the staircase. She knew he had to be moving at inhuman speeds. She barely blinked before he was laying her on a lush bed of crushed blue velvet. Large heavy drapes were pulled back at the four corners. With the rock walls and torch like sconces on the walls, she felt like a princess in a fairytale castle. Especially as the gorgeous prince leaned over her and met her mouth with his own.