A Vampire's Heart

(Present)

 

 

I got out of the car and stared up and the old Victorian house before me. I smiled inwardly, and walked up the front porch steps. I pulled open the door, and stepped into the warmth of the entryway.

 

 

It was exactly like I remembered it, except that the boxes full of stuff ready to be moved was gone, they had unpacked and had stayed. Possibly for the chance that I might make my way home.

 

 

"Do you need anything?" My mother's soft voice was behind me, and she put her hand on my shoulder.

 

 

"No, I just want some sleep."

 

 

"Okay, goodnight." Her face looked troubled, and she was worried about me. I mean I was calm and I guess that wasn't exactly normal. Most people would have been crying and not wanting to be alone. But I needed to hunt, and Jaxon was probably in my room waiting for me.

 

 

I walked up the stairs, pretending to be tired and making my footfalls heavy. I could hear my parents talking in the kitchen below me, they were talking about how I would need therapy. God, they had no idea just how much I would need to think that the past two years of my life I would need to get rid of.

 

 

I entered my old bedroom and saw the faded flower wallpaper and the pristine white bedspread, there wasn't any dust in the room. I guess they took care of it when I had been gone. Jaxon was there, just like I had predicted. He was holding a book, and reading with a very Jaxonish smirk on his face.

 

 

"You were so, human. 'January 15, 2008. He talked to me today, I think he finally noticed me.' The vamp got a human crush?" He laughed at me, and extended his fangs. He was mocking me.

 

 

"Give it here, now." I held out my hand for it, but he just smirked.

 

 

"Take it from me."

 

 

Growling, I lunged for him, and apparently he wasn't ready for that. His eyes went wide and we both fell to the ground. I snatched the book from him and then went over to my desk drawer where I hid a lighter.

 

 

Then smirking at him, I went over to the window, I held the book outside and lit it on fire. Before the deadly flames reached my fingertips, I watched the blaze fall to the earth, when it hit the ground, the fire slowly blinked out.

 

 

"Read it now, Jerkson." I hissed at him, then I heard the unmistakable sounds of my parents coming up the stairs. "Get out!" I hissed, then I threw myself into bed and pretended to be asleep.

 

 

The door cracked open and light spread across my bed, covering my face in light. I heard Jaxon's low laugh, and I wanted to strangle him, right then and there. The door closed and I heard my parents heavy footfalls as they went back down the stairs.

 

 

There was a slight whoosh!, then the false breathing of Jaxon was back. I opened my eyes and saw him smirking at me.

 

 

“Little vamp has to be baby-sat?” He taunted, making kissy faces at me. I snarled and fought the urge to lunge at him.

 

 

“Whatever, I need to hunt.” With that I pushed past him and leaped out of the window, feeling the wind lash past my face.

 

 

 

(Two Years Earlier)

 

 

I walked outside and felt the sunshine on my face for the first time in what felt like months. I closed my eyes and let the warmth spread through me, breathing in the deep scents of woods and something slightly floral, but sweeter.

 

 

I opened my eyes and saw Jaxon wearing his trademark smirk. “Don't you have any other facial expressions?” I asked him, annoyance hanging off my every word.

 

 

He seemed to think about this for a moment, then he replied, “I don't need any others, girls dig this face.”

 

 

I rolled my eyes at his cockiness and turned towards the woods. “So hunting? Like, humans?” I wrinkled my nose in distaste, I didn't want to hurt anybody, or risk taking their life away from them like mine was. Through vampirism.

 

 

“Uh, yeah. You're a vampire there's no room to be squeamish now. You have to feed or will 'die'.”

 

 

“How can I die again?” I was totally confused now, I was already freaking dead! You cannot die again.

 

 

“You don't really die, more like shrivel up until you drink human blood. It's not a good situation to be in.” He shivered as if remembering a nightmare, then the smirk was back. “The little vamp is scared of a little hunt.”

 

 

I lifted my chin defiantly and squared my jaw. “I am not. I just don't like hurting people.”

 

 

“Get used to it. If you can't inflict pain, then you will never make it as a vampire.” He looked at me, then kept walking, his step was light and lithe, like a male ballerina. I smirked myself when I thought of that.

 

 

“I never wanted to be a vampire.” I muttered, trying to follow his footsteps, but apparently I didn't have the vampire grace yet. I think I may have fallen at least five times.

 

 

The last time I fell, Jaxon extended his hand to me. “You are not in good shape. When is the last time you fed?”

 

 

“Um, never.” I shrugged my shoulders and kept walking.

 

 

“He kept you locked up for two days without letting you drink any blood? Is he insane? He wants you to kill.” Jaxon looked forwards towards where the noises of the town were able to be heard.

 

 

“What do you mean, 'He wants me to kill?'” I asked him, stopping mid-step so I could stare at him in confusion.

 

 

He smirked at me and at once, the old Jaxon was back. The one that annoyed the crap out of me, and who never answered any of my questions. The one I wanted to throw through a brick wall, not that it would hurt him that much, but it would be amusing.

 

 

I sighed and his smirk grew even wider, and he slid his fangs out of their sheaths.

 

 

“I thought that man said that if we hunt humans we would start a war between us and the humans.”

 

“That's Max for you. He doesn't believe in the way some of us live, but it's the only way for us to live.”

 

 

“How does he live then?” I stepped over a tree branch and nearly fell over, but Jaxon grabbed my arm and kept me upright.

 

He kept walking, heading towards the town where we would be hunting. I cringed inwardly at the thought of feeding from someone. I mean, what if I killed them?

 

 

“Max works in a hospital, he steals blood bags from storage.”

 

“But that blood is meant to save lives! For people who need it because they've lost blood.” I stared at him as he gave me a look.

 

 

“Technically, it is saving lives. Max doesn't know how to hunt without killing someone. Which is why he doesn't hunt like the rest of us do. I think it really bothers him sometimes.” Jaxon shrugged and kept walking. He was faster than me, so I basically had to run to keep up with him.

 

 

“So if the rest of you don't kill, how come you almost killed me?”

 

 

For that, he didn't have an answer. I stopped asking questions, because I knew he wasn't going to answer anymore of them.

 

Was he sorry that he had almost killed me and I had ended up being a vampire? Did he just make a lot of mistakes and Max had to be there to help him?

 

 

I tried to shake those thoughts off as I thought about what he was taking me to do. We walked for about five minutes until we came to a dimly lit diner/bar. A fading and slightly broken sign out front read: Casanova's.

 

 

The wind blew and the open sign above the door waved in the wind, squeaking slightly. “Nice place.” I murmured, sarcasm dripping off my voice.

 

 

“I come here all the time.” He said as he pushed the door opened and the little bells rang.

 

 

“Of course you do.” I muttered, knowing full well that Jaxon would hear me anyways. Sure enough, his mouth twitched into a smirk.

 

 

“Ah, Jason. Long time, no see.” A waitress behind the bar said to him. She set her hands on the counter and leaned forwards, exposing more of her chest. I rolled my eyes, and wanted to laugh at the fact that she had called him Jason.

 

 

He sat down on one of the bar stools and grinned at her, flashing his white teeth. I stood there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do.

 

 

The Jaxon turned around. “Aren't you going to sit down?” His voice was falsely sweet, and he patted the seat next to him.

 

 

I sat down and the girl behind the bar gave me a cold smile. I could tell she thought I was with Jaxon, which technically I was, but not in the way she was thinking.

 

 

“So who's your friend?” She leaned forward more and pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She smiled warmly at him, and I really wanted to vomit.

 

 

“This is my friend, Rose. She just got in and I thought I'd take her out for a drink.” He winked at the waitress and her eyes took on this glazed sort of look.

 

 

“Come into the back.” She walked as if she were being controlled by someone else. Her moves seemed almost robotic even.

 

 

Jaxon winked at me, and waved for me to follow him. “Where are we going? What did you do to her?”

 

 

 

“Nothing. Not today at least. She's under compulsion, she won't remember anything that happens.” He kept following her, and I thought about leaving.

 

 

Then as if he knew what I was planning to do, he grabbed my arm and tugged me along beside him. She opened the door to a backroom, and walked inside. Jaxon locked the door behind him and walked over to the girl.

 

 

She took off her shirt and cocked her head to the side. Jaxon grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me.

 

 

“Ladies first.” He brushed the hair off her neck and smirked at me.

 

 

I sucked in a breath and tried to back out of the room, but there was a blur and a whoosh and Jaxon was behind me, pushing me towards the girl.

 

 

“I can't.” I tried to pull out of his grip, but it was too strong.

 

 

“You're weak, you need to feed.” He pushed me forwards, and let go of me. I shook my head, but he was behind me.

 

 

He grabbed me and shoved me towards the girl, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't hurt her. I turned and tried to punch Jaxon in the stomach, he caught my hand.

 

 

“You need to feed.” He repeated, then while still gripping my fist in his hand. He pulled me along with him, then he leaned over the girl and bit her neck.

 

 

Blood slid down her exposed skin and I knew that it was a done deal, I couldn't resist the smell of the blood. Try imagining the smell of your favorite food in the world, then multiply it by a thousand for my heightened senses.

 

 

I walked towards her and Jaxon took a step back from the girl and I walked towards her, my previous thoughts about not wanting to hurt her were long gone.

 

 

I lunged for her, and I felt my fangs slide out and enter her skin. The warm blood entered my mouth and it was the best thing I had ever tasted.

 

 

 

But just as soon as I started, Jaxon pulled me off of her. “You're killing her.” But I was past listening to him, I tried to get back at the girl who was now slumped on the ground.

 

 

He caught me and threw me against the wall, and had his hand against my throat. “Stop.”

 

 

 

I snapped out of it, and finally realized what I had done. “Is she okay?”

 

 

“She'll be fine, and won't remember a thing.” He picked her up and set her on the couch, then he put his lips against her neck, then pulled away.

 

 

Where the bite marks on her neck used to be, there wasn't anything anymore. Just her normal skin, he had healed her.

 

 

“How did you do that?” I asked him, I looked at the girl and couldn't believe that she wasn't bleeding anymore.

 

 

“You run your tongue over the wound, it stops the bleeding and heals the wound.” He murmured, then he checked the hallway to make sure nobody was coming.

 

 

Then he walked out and had me follow him. We went through a back exit and walked out into the cool night air, not that being cold bothered me anymore.

 

 

As we walked through an alleyway, I had to stop. I leaned against one of the brick walls on either side of the alley. I put my head in my hands and wanted so much to cry.

 

 

“I almost killed her.”

 

 

 

 

(Present)

 

 

 

I walked into Casanova's and Jaxon followed me inside. The girl behind the bar once again greeted us when we sat down.

 

 

“The usual I'm guessing.” She smiled, then her eyes turned glassy, just as they always did. She lead us into the back room, like she always did.

 

 

Jaxon put his hand on the small of my back, pushing me forwards. Already annoyed with him for having to come with me when I went home, I slapped his hand away.

 

 

With a smirk on his face, he put his hand back to where it had originally been. Growling audibly, I walked faster. What if my parents had come to check on me again and I was gone? They would so freak out.

 

 

 

“Thinking about your humans?”

 

 

When I didn't answer his smirk grew wider. “I don't see why you wanted to come back. They know something's up with you.”

 

 

“Whatever.” We arrived at the room and the girl was waiting for us. Jaxon walked over to her and pulled her shirt off of her.

 

 

His fangs slid out of their sheaths and he began to feed off of her. When he was done, he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, then pushed her towards me.

 

 

I did the same thing he did, but when I was done, I ran my tongue over the puncture wounds.

 

 

Then we walked out of the room and headed home.

 

 

I went in through the window, and got into the bed. Jaxon was leaning against one wall when the door to my room flung open with no warning.

 

 

Jaxon was in the closet in an instant, and I was looking towards the door.

 

 

My mother and father were there and they looked like they hadn't slept in a week.

 

 

“Where were you? We came in here to check on you and you were gone!” My mother threw her arms around me and was crying into my shoulder.

 

 

“I've been here the whole time Mom, I don't know what you mean.” I told her, hugging her tight. I heard Jaxon's quiet sigh from the closet.

 

 

 

“Maybe you just thought I wasn't here. A bad dream maybe?”

 

 

She nodded her head, my compulsion taking its effect on her and dad. “Just a dream.” They repeated together. Then they both walked out of the room as if they were possessed.

 

 

The door shut and Jaxon came out of my closet. “You just compulsed your parents.” He seemed awe-struck.

 

 

“Don't sound so proud of me.” I leaned back against the pillows and shut my eyes, rubbing my temples. I hadn't even been here that long and already things didn't look too good.

 

 

My parents had already realized that I had left for some unknown reason. Great, even though I had compulsed them, it didn't make me feel any better.

 

 

 

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't realize when Jaxon sat down next to me on the bed.

 

 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

 

“Do you remember the first time I took you hunting?” He asked me as he stared at the wall on the other side of my room. It was full of pictures of me as a human.

 

 

 

“Yeah, why?”

 

 

 

“You asked me why I almost killed you. I never answered you. I think its about time that I did.” He looked at me, his dark eyes scanning my face.

 

 

“Okay.”

 

 

 

“I don't try to kill everyone I feed off of. But when I first met you, I wanted you. I wanted to turn you into a vampire, so I couldn't kill you. I grabbed you, and started to feed. I knew that Max would show up and turn you. I wasn't sure I could turn you, but he did.

 

 

But then you hated me for it, and you still probably do. Since you hated me so much I had Max turn four others, I just wanted someone to stay with me, for all of my existence.”

 

 

His eyes looked so sad in the darkness of the room, I reached out and took his hand. He rubbed his thumb against the back of it.

 

 

If vampires could cry, I think he would have been. Then he leaned over and kissed me, just like that. At first it was soft, then it was more fierce, hungry.

 

 

He had a hand in my hair and was holding my lips against his. I felt his fangs slide out of their sheaths, and run over my bottom lip.

 

 

He pulled away and looked me square in the face.

 

 

“In think I'm in love with you Aria.”