The Sweetest Kill: A Young Adult Paranormal (29 page)

I wish I could hear her sing me a lullaby one last time.

Tingles swirl across my face, as Tobias runs his nose along my cheek. Something warm and wet drops on my face, and I turn to see Tobias’ tortured face stained with bloody tears. He cries blood, I think faintly. I never knew that. I try to reach up to wipe away his tears. My hand does nothing but twitch.

Not long now, I think.

“T-T…”

“This is bullshit.” Tyler growls and comes to snarl right in Tobias’ face, “Turn her, now!”

“I can’t.” Tobias tells him softly.

“You can, and you will! She’s here because of you, Tobias! You owe her this!”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Change her or I’ll make you change her!” Tyler threatens.

Thump, thump.

I can barely move my mouth. I want to tell him something. I don’t know exactly what I want to tell him. Maybe some long thank you for everything he’s done for me. Maybe it's some pathetic attempt of expressing my affection for him. Maybe, so I can curse him to hell for ever coming to my apartment all those nights ago. I don’t know what I want to say, but whatever it is, it will probably go unheard anyway.

Thump…thump.

My heart is slowing. I feel almost euphoric.

“Do it!”

Thump.

“Tobias! Do it now!”

Silence.

I had two weeks left. Figures.

Resurrection

I am in an endless darkness.

As someone who’s lingered on the idea of death for a long time, I kind of figured this is how it would be. It is an endless darkness with no sign of light. Maybe this is my punishment for everything I’ve done in my life. It is just this floating existence of nothingness. I could snort at the justice of it. It seems like a perfect representation of my living life up to this point.

Nothing moves, nothing can be seen, and nothing is here but me. Then, a slow drumming, and even beat echoes in the darkness. At first, I don’t know what it is, or where it’s coming from, but I get used to it. Later, this noise is joined by pain. A sharp pain begins somewhere below me, but still in me. Steadily, it starts to get sharper, and seems to move around. It throws my whole idea of death into a tailspin. I used to think that in death all the pain would disappear.

I try to scream, but nothing comes out, nothing moves. Everything feels separated from me and incredibly heavy. Gradually, the pain recedes. Like some slick sickness being bled out of my system. The darkness begins to fade as well, and my limbs begin to lighten enough for me to feel them. Wait, limbs?

The realization hits me, and it immediately pisses me off. I was supposed to be dead! I bled out on a damn oriental rug for god’s sake! I should be dead! It’s almost an improved justice than the floating in nothingness thing. Now, I get the one thing I didn’t want in the first place. I would be bitter about it, but another emotion grips my heart, replacing it with something much more overwhelming.

I am overwhelmed with fear, as my back arches and my heart seems to explode in my chest. This isn’t what I was expecting at all. Something about me is changing. It’s terrifying. Not only because I don’t know what’s going on, but also because I don’t know what I’ll be when it’s over.

I let out a purging scream, and it reverberates through my head. My ears are buzzing with new noises. There are just too many noises. I cry out again and try to move my hands over my ears, but they don’t even move an inch. The pain in my chest is starting to fade now, but there’s a burning in my throat. It's what I imagine sucking on a red-hot fire poker would feel like.

“Shh.” A familiar voice soothes, “It’ll pass.”

I still can’t open my eyes, but I try to frown at the voice. It’s incredibly soothing, but also makes me feel sort of… restless. I know who it is but the name is sitting in the back of my mind, like an itch I can’t scratch. I want to speak, but I need more oxygen for that. So I inhale sharply, filling my starving lungs. They seem sore and underused, which strikes me as odd.

I inhale again, but this time my exhale turns into a groan. This scent, so close, is mouth-watering. Musky, with a hint of something subtler, invades my lungs and dances on my taste buds. Something about this smell is incredibly appealing. Where is it coming from?

I force my heavy eyelids open, and see a black lacquer canopy above me. Am I still in the darkness? An intense electric current spikes up my arm, and I look down towards the place of contact. I let out a groan at the sensation, before my eyes focus enough to make out a blurry hand gripping another smaller hand. I think the smaller one is mine, but if it was, wouldn’t I be able to move it? I try again. Nothing happens.

“You’ve been resting a long time. Your limbs are suffering from a mild case of atrophy.”

I know the meanings of those words, but I can’t string them together. My head is pounding too much. His voice triggers that itch in the back of my mind, again. I try to turn my head, and I’m surprised when it moves. Everything within sight seems blurry at first. I blink a few times and eventually, it clears. When it does, I frown. At least I try to.

He looks familiar, achingly familiar. His face is full of angles, pale skin with dark veins visible here and there. I zero in on the veins, and feel my lips part in shock when I can make out the pumping of blood through them. My eyes feel sore suddenly, and I close them again. Why does everything feel so sore and underused? I inhale again and something clicks in the back of my mind making a single letter float through the fog.

T. Something about this man is associated with that letter. I can’t make out what it is though. Maybe it’s a name, or just a trait. I don’t know, but it’s irritating that I don’t know. Maybe I’m saying this out loud. Maybe he can just sense my confusion. I don’t know, but when he speaks he answers my question.

“My name is Tobias. You know me. This seems disconnected right now. Your body has been through a lot. It’s different now. You’re different now, but you’re still you.”

He’s speaking in riddles. I just want to know what happened.

I open my mouth to ask, but all I do is make a strange rasping noise. Tobias helps me sit up before producing a silver flask, one that strikes a chord of recognition. A salty smell hits my nose as Tobias unscrews the lid, and my mouth waters. As he puts the flask’s mouth against my lips, I open my mouth as widely as I can. When the taste hits my tongue, I groan.

It’s thick and warm, but it seems to ease more of the grogginess from my brain and body. Tobias takes back the flask, and I whine as I try to get it back. Whatever is in there, tastes fantastic. I don’t know what it is, but I want more of it. It’s all I can think about and I lick my lips, hoping to find some left over my tongue. That’s when another puzzle piece clicks in my head.

Turning my head, I glare at him and hiss, “Vampire.”

He winces and has the grace to look contrite, “Yes.”

I want to scream at him, but I can’t get the noise out. That one word took a lot of effort on my part. It was blood he gave me, I realize. That’s what I’m craving. I close my eyes, and try to fight the urge to punch something. He said he wouldn‘t do this to me, but here I am, craving blood like any other bloodsucker I’ve met.

Blood. The word strikes an odd chord with me. My mind conjures all my memories of the subject, and to my horror, I feel my mouth begin to water. I intend to glare at Tobias, but instead, my eyes land on his neck.

My tongue licks my lower lip in interest, as I watch the overactive pulsing in his neck. I can nearly hear his heart pumping his veins. It makes my own speed up in my chest. I press my hand to my chest in wonder. I have a heartbeat and it’s beating so fast. I’m distracted by this fact when he speaks again.

“I know you’re upset, but I did this to save you.” He tells me lowly. “I couldn’t… your death would destroy me. That, I believe, was the reason for your attack, to weaken me. I had no choice but to at least try. It was selfish, I know it was, but I can’t say I regret it. I can’t say that I regret any of it.”

Unrepentant as ever, I think bitterly, but can I blame him? If he were near death, would I have not done the same? I look at him again and try to think of a situation that I wouldn’t have. I can’t think of any. I scowl at that thought. I may not be able to think of any, but I can still be mad that he did this without asking my permission. Though, to be fair, I was bleeding out and dying. Would I have even been able to answer him?

My eyes flicker down to his neck again. It’s distracting to see his pulse fluttering under that pale ivory skin like it is. I vaguely remember how he tasted, sweet and thick like syrup. A dull pain resonates in my gums, and I try again to lift my hand. This time it works. I lift one hand to my mouth and hiss as something sharp cuts open the fleshy tip of my finger. Ow.

The smell grabs my attention though, I can’t really describe it. It smells appealing, but not as appealing as the stuff in the flask, or the smell of Tobias. It’s not unpleasant, just not attention grabbing. Experimentally, I stick the tip of my finger in my mouth. Surprisingly, the fire in my throat simmers for a moment before raging again.

I need more.

My eyes move over to Tobias, and the sight of his pulse grabs my attention again and I can’t ignore it anymore. Reaching over, I grab his wrist and pull it towards me. I inhale the scent coming from his wrist and squeeze my thighs together. I feel warm and needy.

My hands are clumsy, as I crawl up his arm and grip the collar of his black button up. I pull it down and reveal the tempting lines of his ivory neck. I lick my lower lip and look up to meet his eyes. His crimson eyes are pensive, but he tilts his head away from me, offering his throat to me. I press my lips to his neck softly and close my eyes, just feeling his pulse against my lips.

I go on instinct. My body seems to know what to do to stop the burning in my throat, and I give into it. No use fighting it anymore. Not with him feeling so willing to give me a taste.

Baring my teeth, I open my mouth as far as it’ll go before I use my fangs to slice into the flesh of his neck. My moan vibrates against his neck as I get my first real taste of him. He is as sweet as I remembered, but now I can taste every undertone. I am so wrapped in the flavors, that I barely register his hands on my hips.

My fangs are still in his neck as I push him until he’s lying on his back. I straddle his hips and continue to suckle on his neck. It a powerful feeling, drinking from him and making him bend to my will. I can see the appeal of it now. Being bitten was addictive, that’s true, but biting is even more addictive. Especially when it comes to biting someone as delicious as Tobias.

I remove my fangs from his neck and lick his bite clean, like he’s done to me so many times. I swear I hear him whine at the loss of my fang and tongue as I pull back. I sit back on his lap and look down at him. He’s a vision, that’s for sure.

His chest is rising very fast and the irises of his eyes are wide and dark, nearly corrupting the red. He wants me. I can smell it, which is strange. The musk in his scent becomes stronger than the other, more subtle scents. A powerful feeling comes over me again. I can make him want, but I don’t have to give. It’s sort of thrilling.

“What are you doing? Come back here.” He says roughly.

I lick my lips clean and I see him shiver as he watches the movement, “I’m wondering what to do with you.”

“What?”

I don’t answer his question. Instead, I press my hands to his still covered chest and move them down before letting my fingers skim under the bottom of his shirt. His skin is warm to me now, not cold like before. Actually, I think he’s sweating. I didn’t know he could sweat. Maybe I just didn’t notice.

As I move my hands up the skin of his chest, I pause when I feel something beating against my palm. His chest is moving rapidly and I can hear his heart crystal clear now, but that’s not what’s grabbing my attention. His heart is incredibly fast. The only comparison I can think of is that of a hummingbird’s wings. Moving so fast that you can’t even see them but you know that they’re moving.

“That’s… interesting.”

“Shoshanna…”

“Shh.” I order, completely distracted, “Don’t move.”

I hear him swallow thickly but he stays still.

I look down at him but now his eyes distract me. They look so much richer now. Still the same shade of red, but now they seem more vibrant. Gold flecks are circling his rapidly re-expanding pupils as he looks back at me. His warm breath dances across my lips causing my tongue to jut out, to capture and savor it as it glides across my lower lip. I can taste the mint on my taste buds and I frown. This is all very strange.

“Wallflower…” He tries again, but I give him a warning look.

“Shh.” I order again and he does, but he looks uncertain. So, with an eye roll I explain further, “I want to explore, and you need to let me. This is all new to me.”

Mutely he nods and I feel myself soften. The image of him plastered against Josette comes uninvited into my mind, and I purse my lips. Maybe I need to let him talk, to explain himself. Maybe that's all I need, to ease my mind.

“What happened?” I ask softly, “Where were you?”

Tobias’ eyes look pained, and he sighs before speaking, “She accosted me in my study and shoved a sabre in my heart. You’ve asked before if that would kill me, and it doesn’t. It paralyzes. I couldn’t move. I could hear your screams of pain, but I couldn’t move.”

“Where is she now?”

He smirks in an unsettling way, “Tyler found her.”

“He was the one who found me.” I remember, “He was yelling at you.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t want to make me like this.” I state. I know he didn’t. The words are faint in my memory, but I remember my thoughts on them.

“No.” He says softly, “I told you I wouldn’t, but I was weak.”

I search his face for a moment, before leaning down and closing the space between our lips. This is only the second time I’ve ever kissed him, and this time feels very different. He cares about me. I know that now. I knew it before. But for some reason, this makes it seem more real. Words can mean nothing, but actions... actions that can save a life, my life, those mean so much more to me.

“Thank you.”

He frowns up at me, “For what?”

I don’t answer him. Instead I just kiss him again. Tobias grips my hips and shifts us so I’m on my back. He hovers over me as he speaks, “You have nothing to thank me for, you know that, don’t you? You owe me nothing,”

“I know.” I whisper, “But I’m thankful all the same.”

My legs are bent on either side of his hips, and my breath speeds up at the feel of him between my legs. I turn him on. I can feel the evidence of that against me. My face heats up in embarrassment. When his hands brush the inside of my thighs, I realize that I’m just in a pair of underwear and one of his shirts. I smile against his lips at the wardrobe choice.