Property of an Obsessive Vampire

Chapter Three

Had she been fully aware of the scene, Bella would have called for help. She was only acutely aware what was happening now, but the part of her brain that told her to take flight or fight was asleep, along with the rest of her body. She was getting worse.

There was little she could concentrate on. The sound of the stranger's melodic voice seemed distant. A hushed argument over time was lost to her. The whoosh of wind whenever the windows were rolled down drowned out anything that might have been of importance. Sometimes it felt like the sun was right on her, scorching her skin, but she wasn't sure if it was just another side effect to her sickness.

Then she was cradled in his arms again.

"...My wife...a room...just checking..."

She only heard a fraction of the conversation. The rest consisted of low murmurs. Bella felt the soft cushions of a comforter before she drifted into a deep slumber.

Her mouth was dry when she awoke and it felt like she might be sick. Tilting over the bed, she was surprised to see a bucket already set on the ground. She eyed it curiously for some time, before memories flashed back. She sat upright and studied the room with wide eyes.

It was a small area and most of the space was taken up by the queen sized bed. There was only one window on the wall across from her, but the blinds were closed, plunging the room in darkness. There were three doors staring back at her. One was cracked open to reveal a bathroom. Another was smaller, perhaps a closet, and the last had a bolt locking her in.

Bella felt the blood drain from her face, but she concentrated on her thoughts. She was usually pretty good at dealing with unpleasant situations. After her mother died, she had gotten used to the routine. She brought the white covers to her chin and forced herself to remember.

The past few hours were shrouded in darkness. The images and sounds were mixed with dizziness and the uncomfortable smell of roses. She was almost sick at the thought, but there had been a man, she was sure. Bella eyed the empty bedside to her right, wondering if he had set himself beside her and watched as she slept.

Ignoring her fear, she forced herself out of bed and was thankful to see she was still in the same clothes as yesterday. Yesterday...had it been yesterday when she was sick in the cafeteria? Time seemed nonexistent in the ominous room. There wasn't even a clock for her to check the time.

Her legs felt strange to be standing on. They were heavy and awkward as she stumbled her way to the window. She opened the blinds and saw the structure of a brick wall. She tried to pry the window open, but it was clamped shut.

There was a phone on the bedside table, but it was temporarily disconnected. She had tried the door, even as there was an obvious bolt, and found it wouldn't budge. The bathroom was small and had nothing of convenience. A bar of soap, sink, shower, and toilet gleamed back at her. She was too anxious to use any of it.

The only thing left for Bella to do would be to threaten her capture. Searching the closet, she took out a broom. She tried breaking it in half with her thigh, the way she had seen people do it countless of times on TV, but it only splintered a little. She then whacked the broom against the sink a couple of times until it finally gave away.

Now she had a weapon and one lesson of self defense on her side. Would he be able to take her down? She remembered being pressed against his muscular chest. She would have to make sure this didn't become a fight between strength.

Bella looked up and caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. She looked like death. Her brown hair was tousled like a haystack. Her usually fair complexion was pale and complete with dark circles under her eyes, but her expression was frozen. There was a fear in her eyes she could pick out, something she had never quite experienced before. It scared her more than the thought of facing this man.