FANGIRL
Chapter
excerpt
SECOND
CHANCES
It’s time to come home, darlin’, a voice whispered in Kendra’s mind. She woke from a sound
sleep and shot up in bed. Her heart pounded in her ears as she scanned the
room, looking for any signs of her old master.
Light crept in from
the edges of the curtained windows. Kendra breathed a sigh of relief seeing it.
It was daytime, and Hector would be sleeping just as she had been. “It’s just a
dream,” she reasoned, and tried to lie back down to sleep.
But sleep wouldn’t come.
Between thoughts of Hector and Marcus, her mind was abuzz with activity.
Hours passed in
semi-silence. Kendra watched small particles of dust dance in the shafts of
light streaming in through the edges of the curtains. Midday light was
powerful, more intense; harsher and brighter. She endured the small tingling
sting at her skin as she waved her hand in the stream of light.
“What are you
doing?” Marcus’s voice startled her.
She turned to find
him leaning against the doorframe, with his arms crossed and his head cocked to
the side. His tee-shirt clung to his body like a second skin, outlining his
pecs and six-pack abs.
“Just passing time.”
Kendra sighed serenely, enjoying the view. She couldn’t believe, after all this
time, she was here with him. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“I could ask you the
same thing. Aren’t vamps supposed to—”
“What?” she asked
with a playful smirk. “Sleep in coffins?”
“Well, maybe just
sleep.” Marcus laughed.
“I don’t need as
much rest as you think.”
“What are you doing
in the light?”
“I like to feel the
warmth sometimes.” She passed her hand through the shaft of light again and
giggled. “It kind of tingles.”
“So the no sunlight thing is true?”
“For the most part,
yeah.” Kendra frowned. “I can handle the dawn, with a bit of help. You know,
sunglasses and all that, but midday is completely out of the question.”
“What’s it like?”
Marcus looked on her with a questioning gaze, and Kendra found herself
entranced, getting lost in the beautiful hazel of his eyes. They were like
sparkling gems that shifted color in the light, first blue, then green, with
hints of brown and yellow. Sadness crept into to her thoughts. She realized if
she stayed with him, and the bond became stronger, he’d want to be turned. She
might want him to turn too. If that happened the beautiful hazel would be lost,
washed out and faded to the pale bluish gray all vampires shared.
“Don’t ask me what
it’s like.” The playfulness left her voice. “You don’t want to know.”
Marcus took a step
into the room. His ankle sagged and he stumbled. In a burst of supernatural
speed, Kendra was at his side, steadying him before he hit the ground.
“Careful, you still
need to rest.”
“I don’t feel so
bad. A little dizzy, that’s all.” Marcus draped his arms around Kendra’s
shoulder, allowing her to hold him up. His scent wafted to her nose, that
tantalizing earthy masculine scent that was all him. She savored it, inhaling
slowly as she helped him to the bed.
“I took a little
more than I should have from you last night. You need to lie down and allow
your body to recuperate.”
Marcus leaned back
into the mattress, propping himself up on his elbows. “I can’t get you out of
my head... Why?” He stared up at her, meeting her eyes with a look that begged
for answers she couldn’t give him.
Kendra knew what he
was feeling, and it went beyond the bond they shared. She’d been in his
position before: the need, the want, the willingness to do anything for just
one more taste… of blood. That was really all that mattered now. Blood and how
to get it again.
“That’s just the
bond, the addiction talking.” She sat down next to him and gently stroked his
arm. “I’m so sorry, Marcus. What I did to you … It was wrong. I should have
never—”
Without warning, his
lips crushed hers in a demanding kiss. A rush of excited energy washed through
her. She’d dreamed of this moment, never actually thinking it would really
happen. His lips were silky, his mouth hungry, and before she knew what was
happening, his deliciously warm hands were sneaking their way under the hem of
her shirt. Goosebumps erupted across her body. She moaned and he swallowed it,
deepening their kiss. He was an exquisite temptation, forbidden fruit, and as
much as she knew she shouldn’t, she savored the moment.
She wanted to have
him, every inch of him, and she knew he wanted the same from her. The need
radiating from him matched her own secret desire. The bond they shared
intensified this connection, making it hard for her to think clearly.
It took all the
strength she had to pull away. “No. We have to stop this.”
“No, we don’t,”
Marcus said, breathing heavily as if he had just run a marathon. “I don’t know
how I can feel it, but I know you want this too.”
“It’s not real.” Her
hands trembled as she pushed herself backwards on the bed, away from Marcus.
“It’s the bond. You want my blood, not me.” Kendra felt sick. Her stomach
churned with regret and sadness. She wanted his affection to be real, but how
could it?
Marcus cringed and
clutched his stomach as if he was about to be sick. “What’s happening to me?”
Marcus groaned and fell backwards on the mattress. He stared blankly up at the
ceiling.
“I’ve cursed you
with what I’ve done. You see? You can feel everything I feel. It’s the bond at
work.”
“Look, blood bond or not, I know you, Kendra.
I remember you from Enigma. You were so beautiful, so sexy. You still are. I
wanted you then, but I didn’t take the opportunity. Let’s not waste that chance
now.” He rolled towards her. “I want to taste your lips. Your neck, your—” He
bit his lip and groaned.
“Go ahead, say it.
You want my blood. Vampires are ruled by our instincts,” Kendra said
matter-of-factly, repeating the words she had heard Hector say before. “We’re
hedonists with a finite limit of control. Wants, needs, desires are all
amplified.” She looked down at Marcus. “You see? It’s so easy to give in. To
become the beast we’re known to be. I’ve cursed you to this fate. Already
you’re acting on your desires. You want my blood.”
“You said I’m not a
vampire though, just bonded to you.”
“You’ve tasted my
blood. You may not be a vampire, but you’re different now. And no mortal drug
will ever come close to the ecstasy you’ve felt. It’s only natural you want
more.”
Marcus propped
himself up on his elbows. “Then give me more. Share yourself with me. Or don’t
you think I could handle it?”
“No. Don’t you see?
The bloodlust will consume you.”
“What if I
have just a little more? What then? Will I become like you?”
“I won’t let that
happen.” She fought the urge to reach out to comfort him. She could feel him struggling
to hide the desperation he felt. She’d been there before. She knew the pain.
“I want to be with
you, to be like you. If that’s the only way, then let’s do it.”
“I wish things could
be different. Marcus, I’ve wanted you for so long. I always have, but I can’t.
Fate’s decided things for us. I’m a vampire. That’s not the life for you. You
deserve better. Look how hard you and the band have worked. Look at all you’ve
accomplished. Don’t throw it away because of bloodlust.”
Kendra took a moment
to calm herself. Breathing slowly, she quieted her mind.
“It’s not just
bloodlust.” Marcus stared deeply into her eyes. “I want you… all of you.”
Kendra let out a
stuttered breath. Echoes of her own pleading request to Hector ran through her
mind. After her first taste, she couldn’t resist. She’d been willing to say
anything necessary to get another taste. And Hector used those
words to trap her into this life.
“You don’t know what
you’re asking,” she said, looking down at him.
“Then show me what
it means to be with you.”
“It would never work
between us. How could I ever know it was me you wanted and not just the drug
that is my blood?”
Marcus sat up. “I
remember you, Kendra.” He let out a deep sigh. “I remember your poetry. I
wanted to get to know you back then, but I was so wrapped up in the band I
never had time to talk to you. And then … you disappeared.”
Her breath caught in
her chest.
“Why didn’t you say
that before?”
“I was a little out
of it last night,” he said with a smile. “I have something to show you.” He
stood up and walked to a small black duffel bag against the wall, unzipped it,
and extracted a dirty, tattered notebook.
Kendra recognized it
immediately. Beneath the layers of dirt and grime she saw the familiar
monogramed K on her old journal.
He handed it to her.
“I found this sitting on the table at Enigma. I had hoped to return it to you
at the next show. It gave me the perfect excuse to talk to you.” He let out an
awkward chuckle. “But you never came back.”
“You’ve held onto
this for ten years?” Kendra pulled off the rubber band holding it closed and
flipped through the pages. Among her old writings were notes and sketches in
the margins.
“Well, at first,
yeah, I held it, hoping to see you again, but after a while…” He raked his
fingers through his disheveled mop of sandy hair and cleared his throat. “Well,
it sort of helped me to come up with our lyrics. Please don’t be mad.”
Kendra sat silent,
filled with happiness and pride. The fact that Marcus had held on to her
journal, that he actually remembered her and on some level sincerely wanted her
was enough to wash away the doubt in her mind about how he felt about her. But
genuine affection aside, she still couldn’t condemn him to her way of life.
“Please say
something,” Marcus said, kneeling down in front of her.
“I don’t have the
words—” Tears choked back her voice.
“We owe a lot of our
success to you. Your poetry.”
“I’m glad my writing
helped. I’m… honored.”
“But—” Sadness
turned the corners of Marcus’s lips. “I can feel there’s a but there. You’re still not convinced. Why am I feeling this?”
Frustration edged his voice.
“I’ve already told
you. You can feel what I do and vice versa. I can’t tell you how happy I am to
be here, to be with you right now, but I just don’t know how we could be together.
I’m not human anymore, and I refuse to condemn you to my life.”
“Okay. I won’t ask
you to turn me. Just give me the chance to get to know you, now that I have you
here. I don’t want to miss that opportunity again.”
Kendra clenched her
teeth. She knew she should say no, but she too wanted the chance to see what
she had missed all those years ago.
“No promises about
the future, but while I’m here, we can get to know each other.”
As if the lights had
been turned on, Marcus’s eyes lit up and a wide smile stretched across his
face. Through their shared bond, she felt his elation like a warm pulse of
energy that matched the beat of her heart.
He jumped up,
capturing her mouth, knocking her backwards into the mattress. He landed on top
of her but caught himself on his hands before he crushed her. His toned body
fit so perfectly between her legs. His hot breath blew across her ear as he
spoke. “I’ve wanted you for so long.” Marcus’s words melted her heart. She
wanted him too, and hearing the words and feeling their intensity made them all
the more meaningful. A small chill, a ripple of excitement, rolled through
Kendra’s body. She felt the stiffness of his erection through his jeans, but
even without that physical sign, she knew his desire. It was hers too. Their
bond was gaining strength by the minute. She tried to fight back the sudden
urge to run her hands over his body and pull him even closer. As if Marcus had
read her mind, he wrapped his arms around her, rolled over, and pulled her on
top of him.
Kendra had a moment
of painful clarity that shocked her back into reality. She couldn’t do this.
Not now. Maybe not ever. Things were happening too fast. She needed to get a
little control. She’d already made too many rash mistakes. She rolled off
Marcus and sat up on the mattress. “I want you too. But… let’s take this slow,
okay?”
FANGIRL is available now from Amazon and Smashwords.
Rozlyn Sparks is a
thirty-something lady who’s been around the block a time or two. A Sin City
native, she believes what happens in Vegas is fantastic inspiration for
fiction! She knows the best stories are the ones that need to be shared. Give
her a pen, some paper, and a Redbull and Vodka and she’ll spin tales that will
have you begging for more.
Rozlyn Sparks
is represented by Rising Sign Books.
Find out more about her and her books at:
Or
Email her directly at rozlynsparks@cox.net
