Saving Grace: The Guardian Chronicles Book 2

Chapter 26.

Chapter 26.

Nathan walked slowly behind Aiden, following the two young women through the quiet jungle night. It was very dark, and had it not been for the clearing created for the temple, he doubted they would have been able to see any stars through the dense jungle foliage. His keen senses made it extremely easy for him to see and hear all the creatures just on the edge of clearing. He wondered how the girls saw anything, there were no torches or lights of any kind. Shaking his head, he tried to remember what it had been like to be human. He had only been changed for less than a year. It was December now. Soon, he would celebrate his first birthday as a vampire.

Lost in his thoughts of how his life...no existence, as Emil said...had changed, he nearly ran into Aiden.

"Hey, watch it kid," Aiden said quietly.

Nathan looked up and saw one young woman holding back a similar rug in the smaller of the two shelters flanking the temple. She smiled shyly at him before peering intently at the ground. He passed by, ducking through the low doorway. The pulse she emitted called to his hunger. His senses were so raw from needing to feed, he fought the animal surge to reach out and grasp her. No matter how hungry he was, he refused to behave in any way which might foul Emil's name. Everything he did was to please his adoptive father and Jean. They had taught him to feed in a humane way, which could be covered up easily. Jean had even hinted if done correctly, it could bring pleasure for his victim. He had never had occasion to want to give pleasure to his dinner, though.

Standing next to Aiden, the giant redhead, he felt small, though when the young woman passed him, his true height was evident. The girls were both small like the indigenous people, like Marie. They both had lovely dark skin, black hair pulled tight into braids and smooth faces with wide set eyes. Both kept stealing glances at the males as they worked in the small space, smiling with closed lips and suppressing giggles.

"What's going on?" Nathan whispered to Aiden.

Not having had much exposure to other cultures, having only been a vampire for less than half a century, he shrugged and said, "Don't know. Just stand still and follow their lead."

Nathan shrugged in return and continued to stand watching the girls. They lit small oil lamps, which emitted a pleasant fragrance, and shook out rugs and placed stacks of animal skins, one on either side of the structure. A curtain of sorts fell from the middle of the room, and one girl reached and unhooked it from behind its mooring.

"Are they making beds?" Nathan said in surprise.

"Shh!" Aiden said, the hunger burning in his eyes already. His orange eyes were backlit with an unnatural light. "Yeah. Just go with it."

Nathan looked from the male back to the girls who had approached them. Both stood facing them, expectant looks on their faces. The one who appeared slightly older reached out tentatively and took Aiden's hand. A feral grin crossed his face, and he turned quickly and winked at Nathan, who watched his departure as if they were setting sail to the farthest reaches of earth.

The young vampire turned back to the girl before him, and gulped. She smiled encouragingly, and reached to take his hand. At the contact he nearly jumped out of his skin. Nathan had been in ninth grade when he was attacked, eventually leading to his becoming a vampire. He had not been closer to a girl than one would get at an awkward middle school dance. Sure, it was not unheard of for kids his age to 'go out' with each other, but he had been more into getting his Eagle in scouts than girls. The cool façade he had managed to present so far shattered when the girl again claimed his hand with hers he had drawn away from as if it was pure flame.

She suppressed a small laugh and tugged softly, leading him to the pallet she had arranged. She made small noises in her throat, not saying words, as she did not speak English. She seated herself on the center of the pile of furs and looked up with a curious quirk to her brow. When Nathan did not sit, she patted the place beside her.

After a moment, he woodenly sat next to her, staring directly ahead of him. Though he was very hungry, he had not been given someone in such a manner. He did not know if he should just turn to her and drink, or if there was more ceremony. He chanced a peek and she smiled softly again, tilting her head to the side, making her neck an offering. His vision narrowed in on the fluttering pulse just below the angle of her jaw in the flickering candlelight. He flared his nostrils and inhaled. Her warm blood flowed so close to the surface, enticing his hunger.

Not sure he could resist much longer, he leaned in to her and grasped her tightly. The sharp intake of her breath slowed him slightly, as he realized it was the first time he had not moved at a human pace in front of her. He eased his grip slightly and pulled back to look at her. She hid her fear well, tilting her head back, further opening herself to his invasion.

The hot pungent scent of human blood, the very essence which controlled Nathan's hunger and existence, called to him. Trying to remember all he'd been told in regard to how to pierce the skin to create free flowing blood, how to control the release of his saliva, so as not to make her into Undead, and how to remember not to crush her as he allowed himself to feed, he nuzzled close to her throat. He allowed his tongue to run over the pulse, a pleasure he had learned on his own through feeding. It added a tactile dimension to those of sight, scent and sound. The warm blood almost seemed to beg to be released into his mouth as he raked his fangs over her skin. She whimpered once as he bit swiftly into her neck, the burst of the sweet nectar on his tongue sending his own unconscious moan to join in.

Within just a moment, her stiffness had melted away and she was clutching him, running her hands along his back. The fight he was used to experiencing from his dinner was so different, the sensuousness of her actions startled him. He drew back for just a second, but the hooded lids over her eyes told him she was doing just fine with the feeding. He sealed his lips to her neck again and pulled lazily at her blood. He was listening for just the little skip the heart did when it started to feel the loss, telling him to slow down and seal his victim.

Before her heart could trigger him, he was startled when her hand slipped up over his as he cupped her face, and drew it down to her breast. As soon as his hand was there, she squeezed his hand once. Unsure what to do, Nathan continued to feed. The moment her wandering hand landed in his crotch he flew away from her without looking back. He wiped the dribble of blood from his chin and raced back to the other shelter, feeling somewhat excited, but dirty at the same time.

A/N Just a little tidbit...More to come. Nathan needs to have some time in this story, too.