Born of Ice

Chapter Two

   He sped down the road towards the safe house, checking his mirrors to see if he was being followed. He noticed a small sedan following a few cars behind him, making the same turns he was. He made several abrupt turns onto different roads until he came to an enclosed parking garage for one of the office buildings. He turned into it scanning a device over the machine to raise the bar for him to drive in. A useful little device they had designed he decided as he parked close enough to see if they tried to pull in yet far enough away they would not clearly see him. He eyed the entrance for a few minutes, waiting to be sure they had continued onward down the roadway. 15 minutes into the waiting game, he noticed the car pull up to the bar. He saw the occupant smack the steering wheel before opening his door and standing up to peer around the parking garage. He slid down in his seat, peering over the door as the man locked eyes on the car briefly before continuing his scan. Another man stepped out from the other side to fiddle with the machine, trying no doubt to find a way to get the arm to lift for them to enter.
   Just as he thought they would give up, the arm gave a jerk before going up allowing them to drive through. The man fixed whatever he was doing before walking around to get back in. He slowly reached for the ignition as they made a slow pass by the vehicle, seemingly not to notice them sitting there. As they made their way to another row, he started the car and gunned it out of the parking spot. He blew out of the exit, squealing tires as he turned back towards where he had to go. He watched the review mirror as the other vehicle did the same, cutting off a police cruiser that was no doubt getting ready to read his plates. The cruiser flicked its lights on pulling the pursuing car over, allowing him to get away without having to lose them again.
   He peered at Tisha in the review mirror, noting that she was still out cold. He made a note to himself to get her to feed as soon as she woke. The prospect of him being a living food item turned his blood to lava, looking deep in his core like never before. Sure he had donated in such a manner before, never once experiencing such a reaction. It had been centuries since he felt the stirring of his body of its own accord. There had been a few in the beginning that he tried for, never ending up more than a one night fling to feel something other than the mental agony he had been in. They understood naturally, not making him feel any better than he had prior. So what was it about this stranger that had him stirring after so long? As he mentally conversed with himself, Tisha began to stir. He heard the click of seatbelts before he felt the brush of her climbing up to the front seat to sit. She peered around her half dazed before locking her unfocused stare on him.
"Where are we?"
"About 3 miles out from the safe house. Once there, we lay low for a few days before we head for the extraction site to get the hell up out of this place. You need to feed to regain strength."
"Where am I suppose to find Syntho around here? The closest vampire community is hours from here!"
"The fuck is Syntho?"
"You've never heard of Syntho? Never?! How long have you been living under that rock of yours? It's synthetic blood replacement. Kind of like truvia or splenda for humans to sweeten things with."
   He gave her a glare out of the corner of his eye at her rock comment. He was old not sheltered. He vaguely remembered one of the younger turns mentioning something about a blood replacement but he preferred bagged blood to anything that sounded remotely fake. He held up his wrist for her to take. He looked over to see her eyeing him with speculation.
"What would you like me to do with that?"
"Bite it? I am offering for you to feed. Whether you do or not it entirely up to you, however take note that I can not hold my arm out to you for long so decide quickly."
"You..you...you want me to bite you? Isn't that against the rules or something?"
   He gave a snort of indignation at her comment. He lowered his arm back down, peering at her from the corner of his eye before shaking his head. He took a deep breath to calm himself before giving her question an answer.
"No, it's not illegal or I surely would have been imprisoned long before now had it been. Do you want to feed or not?"
"I mean yea but...I mean...I have never had to bite anything with a pulse before. I always kept Syntho with me. Won't it hurt you?"
"I am a soldier that has lived centuries. It will not hurt anymore than any other injuries I have suffered in that time. If you wish to feed do so. I do not know what they have stocked at the safe house."
   He held his arm back up to her. Her cold hands wrapped around his wrist, causing his pulse to jump under her fingers. He felt her warm breath feather over his wrist before her teeth sank into his wrist. Electrical shockwaves arced through his system as she fed. He heard a low groan vibrate through her, hitting him right in the gut. He heard the growl tear from his lips before he could clamp down as fire raced through his veins, pooling low. What was happening to him? He never experienced anything like this before with any of the team he had offered his life blood to. He turned on the dirt road that led to the safe house as he felt her tongue rasp against the pin pricks in his wrist. He looked at her from the corner of his eye, noting the flushed skin of her cheeks and neck as she sat back with her eyes closed. He licked his sudden dry lips as she seemed to slip back into slumber beside him. He took that time to readjust himself, marveling in the fact that he had to after so long. If he was completely honest with himself, he hadn't even been sure it still functioned in such a way.
    The safe house came into view as he continued his mental monologue. He pulled the garage remote from its compartment to open the door, pulling the car in and shutting it off. He closed the bay door before getting out to stretch his tense muscles. He went around, attempting to rouse her from sleep. When she would not wake he simply picked her up, cradling her against his chest as he walked into the house. He took her up the stairs to the rooms, finding the master bedroom to deposit her under the covers of the bed. He checked to ensure they stocked clothes and essentials before exiting the room with a soft click of the latch. His next mission being the removal of the suit so he could shower and loosen himself up. It was going to be a long few days being couped up in this safe house with her.