Love Bites

Prologue (Unedited)

*OK, I'm sure there's quite a few mistakes in spelling and grammar, but I've done the best I can right now. I'll be back to edit things up later. It's short and possibly confusing, but I'd be glad to know what you think. I'm not very good at writing from a male perspective, so please let me know if I should correct anything. :-) Thanks everyone. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.*

The snow fell in thick, blinding white sheets, the icy wind blowing in every direction, a storm of swirling, twisting snowflakes. The full moon was visible only when the raging wind happened to drive the clouds back, letting the pale silver glow illuminate the step mountainside. A large crevice near the ground was glowing with it's own soft orange light, a flickering brightness that was only faintly visible through the wind-driven blizzard.
It was the pale, warm glow of a fire, buried deep into the mountainside. Beyond the ragged, saw-toothed walls of the narrow tunnel, the mountain his a large cave, the rock worn smooth and flat. The cavern was not uninhabited; against the farthest wall lay a young girl, moaning in agony as her fragile body was wracked with violent shivers. Her closed eyelids flickered, tears tracing wet paths down her cheeks.
Blood stained her sickly-pale skin, seeping from the deep gashes in her throat, pooling in a thick blackish puddle beneath her. The wounds were red and inflamed, her skin an angry, feverish pink, damp perspiration rolling from her body.
She was not alone; crouching near the flickering fire, a tall, muscular young man was watching, his gaze focused and intense. His expression was a look of mingled fear, guilt, and child-like excitement.
He knew, deep down, that what he had done was unforgivable thing. He had lost control for one split second, and this innocent young girl would pay for it with her humanity. There was no way to reverse what he had done, no way to take back the curse -- this disease--he had inflicted upon her. He knew there was no cure-- he, himself, had spent centuries searching, only to realize he was clutching at smoke, trying to capture what did not exist. No, he could not save her now; the knowledge would torture him for the rest of his life.
And yet, as tremendous as his remorse and self-reproach were, he still could not bring himself to truly regret what he had done. He only feared that she would despise him, that she would hate him as viciously as he deserved to be hated. The thought of her eyes filled with contempt and disgust sent chills through his body. He did not know if he could stand being the object of her scorn.
Layered under his uncertainty and shame, however, was his eagerness. Soon the transformation would be over. He wanted her pain to be over, but he also had a selfish desire to speak with her, to finally ease his own loneliness. He wanted her for his own sake, for his own happiness , his comfort. He hardly cared about anything else. She was his sole focus, the only thing that held his attention.
He had spent the past four-and-a-half centuries in solitude, craving something he had never had a name for. But now he knew what he had been missing; a mate. He could not explain why it was this girl who had woken this instinct. He did not even know her name. The urge to possess her had struck without warning the moment he'd caught her scent on the fierce winds still raging outside; he had tracked her down obsessively, and before he'd even glimpsed her face he had sprung, sinking his fangs deep into her soft flesh. She had screamed, and then she had fallen into unconsciousness, writhing in pain as the infection spread through her bloodstream.
Would she remember the vicious attack when she finally woke? Would she know what he had done to her? Would she think him a monster for being unable to control his instinct? He didn't know how he could possibly explain himself, or if she would even understand. He could not justify his actions, even to himself.
He flinched as a loud snap echoed through the stone room, then a wild grin stretched across his face.
It was almost over!