TURNING by Dawn Kirby

First Touch

His hands slipped down her back sending chills down to her toes. Warmth spread throughout her body. Strong fingers bit into her sides. Her breath caught when she felt skin tear. Nicholas pulled her closer, nibbling on her ear. Alana closed her eyes and let her head roll back as his lips travelled to her neck. Despite the cool hand wrapped firmly around her throat, she let her body go limp in his arms. Safe and exhilarated was the only way she could describe how she felt.

He buried his fingers into her long brown hair, amused at how easy he’d won her over. Here he was, his finger resting on her lifeline, his fangs ready to drain it, his mind telling him not to, and her so willing; so trusting. She was his for the taking and he wanted her. The only question in his mind now was how to keep her.

Hours ago he’d gone out in search of easy prey. Instead of finding a mere meal he’d found her. A raving beauty with a brain. The fact that she also had a heart bigger than any country he’d ever visited didn’t hurt either. Nicholas needed love. What he needed more was a companion. In her, he saw both.

“Nick,” she whispered, covering his hand with hers.

“Nicholas,” he corrected, “My name is Nicholas.”

He covered her lips with hers before she could say another word. She wrapped her arms around his neck, absently twirling locks of long black hair around her fingers as they kissed. In one quick motion he broke away from her embrace and swept her into his arms. He kept his icy blue eyes locked on hers all the way up the stairs. In those few seconds his earlier question was answered.

Neither would get the thing they wanted tonight. If he wanted to keep her with him, he had to do it the right way. That meant keeping her at a distance, at least for now. He’d seen the scars a recent break up left on her soul when he first approached her. Now, after looking into her mind, he could see they were much deeper than he’d first thought. Vampire or not, he didn’t want to be the rebound guy.

That said he didn’t want anybody else to be either. As he laid her perfect body down on the white satin comforter Nicholas came up with a plan. One that would give him the ability to physically feel her no matter how far apart they may be.

“I’ll not take you tonight, love,” he said leaning over her. Alana started to protest, but found his finger on her lips instead. “Listen to me. You’ll not remember me come morning. Though I’ll feel you every night of my life, I will not to seek you out until you are ready.”

“Isn’t that for me to decide?” she asked him. “Don’t I know what’s right for me?”

In a flash he was on her. He pinned her hands over her head as his fangs sliced through her shoulder. Tears sprang from her eyes as a blinding flash of pain spread throughout her body. She struggled to get away, but he was so strong he merely had to wrap one leg around hers to keep her still. Worse, she could literally feel the blood leaving her body. Within seconds she began to feel lightheaded.

As quickly as it had begun the attack stopped. The room went dark. Her head was swimming. Alana thought she felt her body being carried, but she didn’t feel any hands holding her. She glanced around the room trying to focus on something, anything to help bring her around.

Frantically she searched her shoulders for the wound the monster in her dream had inflicted, but found nothing. Another quick glance around the room left her both confused and relieved. This was her room. She was lying in her bed. She was wearing her pj’s. Relief washed over her. That horrible experience had been nothing more than a nightmare.