Tuesday Tales: The Flag (Part II)

Thank you for stopping by for the second installment of my female vampire short story. If you missed the first installment, you can read it here.

The Flag, Part II

     The rhythm of his pumping heart made me thirst. “You’re tempting me in ways you shouldn’t.”

     “I know.” His smile was apparent in the rumble of his voice. “But maybe I want you tempted.” His hands ran smoothly down my hips and circled up around my back. Like a snake charming me into an embrace, I raised my lips to his.

     Our lips and tongues met in perfect sync. I could have dissolved into him like the souls I gobbled. He rolled me on top of him again, then grabbed my face between his strong palms. “Drink, Lindsey. You’ll be stronger. We’ll be stronger.”

     Tears sprang to my eyes as I fought to hold back every instinct in my body. My teeth elongated as he touched me; a hunger fueled by more than appetite. He was the forbidden food. The apple I was never to eat. And I wanted him so badly I could barely breathe.

     “Make me yours, Lindsey,” he panted.

     “That’s not who I am. I wasn’t born to kill.”

     “Look at me.” His hands caught my face again and our eyes locked. “You won’t kill me. I know you won’t. You’ll drink enough to fight back against the souls. You’ll be stronger.”

     “It’s not worth the chance.”

     “Damn it. I need to be more than your Flag, Lindsey. I need to be part of your soul too. Take me in. Please.”

     My tongue flicked against the sharpened points of my fangs, unused for more than eight years. “I still remember how you taste.” He tilted back his head and his warm flesh called me like a siren’s song. Leaning in to his neck, my lips parted until he was almost close enough to bite.

     Then my heart seized, as if a soul was reaching up with a gnarled fist and squeezing. My eyes rolled back in my head as I fell off Brogan and screamed in agony. An attack; we were being attacked. I felt Brogan twist me in his arms, but had no idea what he was doing until the sweet crush of iron filled my mouth. Without thinking, I sank my fangs in deeper and gulped long, greedy pulls. With each swallow, the soul’s hold became weaker until I owned my body again.

     But the real danger hadn’t even started. “Catcher.” A Carth’s voice, like liquid night, circled around my head. He was close. And just as I’d warned Brogan, I hadn’t sensed him until he was upon us. “Come and catch me.”

     “Stay behind me,” I whispered, sitting up and clutching the sheet to my chest for cover. Brogan’s sweet blood coursed inside my veins, fueling me, making me strong enough to face our assassin. This time, Brogan wouldn’t have to make me drink the soul, I would do it on my own.

     A purple-black mist filtered under my bedroom door as the Carth wound his way inside. I felt suddenly very naked as the menacing vampire took shape before us.

     “Lindsey, Lindsey, Lindsey,” he chided. “Don’t you know better than to fall in love with your Flag?”

     I lunged forward, prepared to inhale the Carth’s soul away with a well-placed breath, but he sidestepped me. Unlike the others I’d taken – those who’d sought me out by some lustful pull to a female vampire - this one knew what he was up against. He was ready for my defenses, easily avoiding them.

     Once around me, the Carth snatched Brogan’s neck and sniffed. Then his eyes locked on mine. “Freshly bitten, Lindsey? Tisk, tisk. I didn’t think you ladies fed on your pets.” The Carth’s tongue darted out, licking away a trail of blood that leaked from Brogan’s still fresh wound.

                                                 ***

The conclusion will be posted next Tuesday. Please join me then!