Love Bites

LOVE BITES

   I see you from across the crowded room. Your pale skin is like fine china, your eyes are a curious blend of ice and fire. A fire that burns me to my deepest soul. An ice that freezes my blood in its veins. You smile, and my heart pauses, my breath stills. Your lips part, and your tongue dances out enticingly, teasing the corners of your mouth.
   You draw nearer; your scent drifts across to me, conjuring images of wildflowers.
   Like a boy I blush, my skin aflame with passion and desire. I wish to drink from your ruby red lips, to indulge my whims.
   Your figure is of an angel, and I wish that it would be pressed against mine.
   You are next to me. I gaze into your eyes, and I start to drown, my mind reeling. I am yours, your slave, my will not my own. You sweep me along with you, outside.
   The fog is drifting in off the moor, swirling around us, hiding us from prying eyes.
   When we are out of earshot, you stop. You turn me to face you, and my knees are rubber. You take my face in your fine hands, and the coldness of them steals my breath again. You have bewitched me, and I'm at the mercy of your whims.
   Your long nails prick my skin, and I try to draw away, but you hold me prisoner with your iron will. You draw me in closer, hungrily. Your lips close over mine, and my heart starts racing, again your coldness takes me aback. My warmth seems to seep away. You break off, and gaze into my eyes. What I see in them makes me fearful. You see this and smile.
   Your nails dig in deeper, drawing blood. The blood trickles down my cheeks, and you bring my face down to yours. Your tongue darts out, and slowly, deliberately you lick up the blood greedily. This proves too much for me, and my knees buckle. I collapse to the ground, and you hover over me like a dream. You drop down beside me, and I try to scramble away. With a pounce, you push me down. You take my hand in both of yours, and again I have no free will. You kiss my palm, the cold burning my skin. You raise your head, smirking. You draw one of your hands up level with my eyes, displaying your nails to me. While I watch, they grow, becoming like the talons of some predatory bird. You drop these to my hand, and with a smile you drive them into my palm, piercing it deeply. The pain is intense, but I can't cry out. Blood wells up, and you draw my hand to your mouth. You start to lap at it, as a cat would milk. The blood stops, and with a moan of pleasure you look up. You bring your lips, which are smeared with my lifeblood up to mine.
   "Delicious", you purr, "I do so enjoy it."
   You kiss me again passionately. Your lips trace a line down my cheeks, to my throat. I feel your breath on my neck, as your mouth lingers over my pulse. I feel your mouth open, and you press it to my pulsing neck. Your teeth are pressing in hard against my skin. With a tear, they drive in under the skin, slicing through the vein. Though I know I must, I cannot pull away.
   My blood pumps out through the wound, and you drink, leeching all my strength. I feel myself grow colder, the light growing dim. My heartbeat is like thunder in my ears, the time between beats growing greater.
   You draw your head away, licking your lips clean.
   "You are dying", you say, your voice roaring in my ears. "This does not have to be. Just say the word and I can give you a new life. If you say no, you die in the dirt like an animal. Decide."
   I drag my head up, each move an immense struggle.
   "I choose life." I gasp.
   The words are out of my mouth for a second and you act. You slash a vein in your arm with a claw. Blood pours out, and splatters my face. You place your arm to my mouth and tell me to drink. I drink from the bubbling well of your lifeblood like a newborn pup. At first it is bitter, but the more I drink, the sweeter it tastes. I can't get enough, but you snatch your arm from my lips with a cry.
   "My aren't you a thirsty one? Well that's all for now, you can have some more later. Now we must go, you must rest."
   You are right. I am so tired. You take me in your arms and leap into the air. I watch the lights of the house dwindle till they disappear. My eyes start to close.
   "Sleep now my little one, when you wake it will be a new night, and you'll have your own wings."
   I drift off, and for the first time in quite some time, thoughts, which excite me, flow through my mind. The last thought to pass through is that I'm going to enjoy the new experiences of my new life.

Lawrence Cottam