The Vampire’s Redemption

Oh, God.

Michael squeezed his eyes shut. Those sounds haunted him. How many people can actually hear their demons?

Yeah, but you’re not people. You’re a predator, so claim your prey. Claim the blood.

Michael swallowed and opened his eyes. His throat was so damn dry…

“You need a drink, man,” the stranger said, taking a large gulp from his bottle as if to emphasize the importance of his words.

Michael laughed, hoarse and slightly hysterical. It didn’t sound human. “You have no idea.”

The man held the bottle out to him, and Michael shrank back as if scathing embers were being hurled at him. It was a small movement that only brought the man a few inches closer, but Michael could feel the warmth emanating from his flesh. He was so hungry.

“Go away,” he growled again.

His fangs came out then. He had not meant them to, but he couldn’t help it; his control was slipping, and so was his humanity.

The man jumped back, the bottle falling from his nerveless fingers and crashing to the asphalt, shattering in a million pieces. “Your eyes…”

“GO AWAY!” Michael lunged at him, and he only managed to stop himself at the last second by some miracle.

As they say, third time’s the charm. The man took one last horrified look at him and ran as fast as his drunken legs would carry him. Michael fell back against the wall and into the puddle—this time the cold went completely unnoticed. He leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes. It was so hard. How the hell did Stephen do it? Michael’s hunger was a beast writhing inside him.

“Michael?”

Michael’s eyes snapped open. Great, now he was hallucinating.

“Michael, it’s me.”

Something in Danielle’s voice made him pause. He squinted at her in the semi-darkness of the road. “Danielle?” he croaked.

“Yeah. It’s me,” she said again.

She approached him warily, and eventually she was kneeling in front of him. She was even more beautiful than he remembered, which seemed almost impossible. Her almond-shaped blue eyes sparkled in the light of the lamp posts. She reached out and tentatively put a hand on his knee. The contact was enough to jolt him back to something resembling himself.

He blinked, astonished. “What are you doing here?”

She gave him a small smile. “I heard you were in trouble.”

Michael frowned. “What’s it to you?”

“Are you okay?” she asked, ignoring his question.

He shrugged. “Not really.”

“Did you really give up drinking human blood from the vein?”

Michael groaned. “Yes. And if you ask me, it was a very bad idea.” He tried to infuse irony in his voice, so she wouldn’t know he didn’t mean it and that he wasn’t about to go off on a killing rampage despite his very obvious discomfort.

To his surprise, Danielle chuckled. It was the best sound he had heard in a while. “Come on, let’s get you out of the mud. You’re soaked.”

*****

“What’s it to you?”

Danielle had wanted to tell him that it was nothing to her, but during her drive through the deserted Ojai streets she had realized that it was everything to her. Eli had told her Michael had taken to wandering the mostly empty city in the dead of the night, when almost no one was around. Danielle had thought she would start the search in what she knew to be Michael’s favorite neighborhoods. She had not expected to find him this quickly, however.

Presently they sat at the kitchen table in the cottage in the hills, nursing hot mugs of coffee. Danielle knew that was the safest place for Michael to be right now, and so she had driven him there. To her surprise, she found Stephen had acquired his balance back. Michael’s brother had left them alone, giving them privacy, but Danielle knew he was probably listening closely from a nearby room for any sign that he should intervene. She didn’t think it would be necessary, however. Michael was clearly hungry and in not great shape, but she didn’t think he would hurt her.

“Thank you,” Michael said, finally breaking the silence that had settled over them.

Danielle looked up at him. “For what?”

“Coming to find me. You didn’t have to.”

Danielle gave him a small, bitter smile. “I kind of did.”

Michael frowned. “Why?”

Danielle sighed. She was reluctant to open up, but she also knew that more secrets were not what either of them needed. “I tried to get you out of my mind, but I just can’t do it. I still love you, even knowing what you are.”

Michael stared at her in open disbelief. “Are you serious?”

Danielle smiled. “Crazy, huh?”

“Yeah,” Michael admitted easily.

Danielle shrugged. “Can’t help it.” She took a long sip of her coffee. “I did a lot of thinking these past few weeks, and I did some more after Eli told me what you were doing.”

Michael cocked his head to one side curiously. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I want to help you. I want to help you give up drinking blood from the source, as you guys say.”

“Why?”

“I told you. I’m in love with you. The past few weeks without you have been the hardest of my life, and if there’s even one chance that we might be together, I have to take it.”

Danielle could scarcely believe the words that were leaving her lips. It was all true, however. Over the time that they had been separated she had come to realize that, no matter what Michael was, she couldn’t stand to be apart from him.

Michael was staring intently at her. “Have you thought this through?”

Danielle arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear me say that I’ve done some thinking?”

Michael smiled and shook his head fondly. He sobered up quickly, however. “I mean it, Danielle. We’re dangerous creatures. We try to do our best, but…well, you’ve seen what happens when we slip.”

Danielle nodded darkly. “I haven’t forgotten,” she said. “I will never forget. But I came to realize that you didn’t choose this.” A thought struck her suddenly. “Did you?”

“No,” Michael said immediately. “I didn’t. Stephen didn’t, either.”

Danielle studied him carefully. She nodded, satisfied that he was telling the truth. “But I can choose, and I choose you. If you’ll have me.”

Michael’s green eyes had gone unbearably intense. “I’ll have you,” he said quietly. “I’ll have you, Danielle. But what if—”

“How about we deal with the ‘what if’s’ when and if they happen?” Danielle smirked. “How about you just kiss me now?”

Michael did, and it was like coming home. Danielle gave in to his soft lips and sensual touch, and she let herself kiss her vampire. Over and over and over again.

The end.