Living For The Night - Chapter 2

The wind howled and the leaves rustled on the trees. The world seemed at a stand-still, and the streets were deserted. Dark figures flitted over the moon, and threatened any living thing of the area. Once again the world was shrouded in gloom…1

Sabina Marquez awoke with a start. Hot and sweaty, she threw back her covers and stumbled through the dark to the bathroom. She splashed her face with cold water and stared at her bloodshot eyes in the mirror. Ever since her best friend, Flame, disappeared, she had been having the same reoccurring nightmare. It was starting to scare her, and she knew that it had to have some sort of significance. She refused to accept that she was never going to see her best friend again. All the police ever told her was that Flame had probably been kidnapped, and most likely murdered. They said that no one would probably see her again. But Sabina knew better. She knew what kind of person Flame was, and she knew she would’ve fought for her life. The police marked the spot where she had been thrown to the ground, but there were little signs of a struggle. That wasn’t like Flame. She was somewhere out there.2

“Sabina? Is that you honey? Did you have another nightmare?”3

Sabina glanced at the window, then at the locked bathroom door. “Yeah mom.”4

“Are you okay?”5

“Yes mom. Thanks for your concern.”6

“Okay. If you need me you know where I am.”7

“Okay mom.” She looked over at the window once more. As unhealthy as it was, Sabina frequently climbed out this window and ran to Flame’s house. She would just sit on the ground in front of Flame’s bedroom window, and would stare up into the dark. Her and Flame had been closer than sisters. They had shared clothes, music, shoes, and even boyfriends. They knew what each other was thinking at all times, and even finished each others’ sentences. Even after almost a year, Sabina could not get over this. Time didn’t heal all wounds.8

*~*~*9

Flame sat on the edge of her bed, staring out the window. She often dreamed of flying out that window, running away from this life that had become her only existence. As her mind drifted off into the clouds, her weakened body demanded fulfillment. Her fangs extended downward, and her wings pushed at her skin. Scowling, she tried to force them back to their resting place.10

“Not now. I don’t have any food!”11

“Flame, Flame, Flame…What am I going to do with you?”12

Flame turned. “Shut up Luke. I’m not in the mood.”13

Luke laughed and sat down beside her. “Are you ever?”14

“Frankly, not really.”15

Luke shook his head. “Flame, you have to stop all this negativity. Nothing you say or do is going to change what happened. I can understand not accepting this at the beginning. But it’s been too long. You need to accept that this is your life. I’m trying to help you, but you won’t let me.”16

Flame returned to staring out the window. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll ever accept this.”17

Luke reached out and touched her shoulder. “Flame, please understand that if it hadn’t been absolutely necessary for me to change you, I wouldn’t have. Ever since I did it, I’ve regretted it.”18

She flinched and pulled away from him. “Please don’t touch me.”19

He sighed and stood up. “If you need me, you know where I am. Except I’m sure that you won’t. You never do.”20

Flame watched him leave, odd feelings stirring inside of her. She could not deny that he was an extremely good looking man, and she could not help the lust she held for him; she was female after all. But what she would deny, however, was that her feelings were growing much stronger than lust. Every time she looked at him, or every time he touched her, her stomach did twirls. Remembering the feel of his touch, she shuddered and turned to stare out into the dark abyss once more.21

*~*~*22

“Nightstalker. I’m glad to see you. Come here.”23

Luke in turn was not happy to see Lilith. For weeks now, her never-ending infatuation with him seemed to be getting stronger by the day. “What do you want now?”24

Lilith put her hands on her hips, walking toward him with a sensual sway. “I think you know what I want. And I tend to get it now don’t I?”25

Luke sighed and plopped down into the nearest chair. “Lilith, not now.”26

Lilith stopped in front of him and ran her fingers through her hair, running her hands down along the curve of her body, stopping once more at her hips. “You know you want me. You always have. You never turn down an offer. Why now?” She bent over him, letting her long hair graze across his lap. “I know you can’t refuse me.”27

Luke felt a stirring inside him and groaned. Not now. At one time, every fiber of his being had longed to take Lilith in his arms and love her for all eternity. But now it was a different story. Ever since Flame had come into his life, it seemed that Lilith was in the past. Now he wanted Flame. His desire ran deep, so deep that he wasn’t sure Lilith could ever satisfy what he needed.28

But then again, it was worth a try. After all, Lilith WAS offering. “You’re right. I can’t.” He reached up and pulled her down into the chair. He ran his finger down her cheekbone, and traced her lip with his fingertip. She smiled, and pulled him into a deep and lustful kiss. As they kissed, he sank his teeth into her bottom lip, drawing blood, knowing it drove her wild. Lilith flipped her hair out of the way, and ran her long, black fingernails down his back. As she began to unzip her dress, Luke knew that, at least for the moment, Flame was out of his mind.29

Flame was growing lonely in her dark room. Sitting alone staring out the window, all she could do was think about Luke. He was right. She wasn’t letting him help her. She was afraid to get attached, afraid of getting hurt. One too many broken hearts and relationships had taught her never to get close to anyone, never trust any man but her father. Then she had met Matt, and her outlook had been completely changed.30

Matt was the kind of guy who would leave rose petals on her bed and love notes in her locker. The kind of guy that knew how long they’d been together down to the hour. The kind of guy every girl dreams about…and hardly ever finds. Flame was smart enough to know that she was indeed lucky to have found someone like Matt, and right from the start she felt a growing attachment. He seemed to do the same, and soon they were caught up in a torrent of crazy rendezvous and a summer of puppy love. She could remember the exact date and place where he had first confessed to loving her. Sunset, candlelit dinner, beach…it had been exactly how she dreamed it would be. And her first time, on a towel in the sand, turned out better than she had imagined it. After than night, the word ‘love’ was loosely thrown around, and taken for granted. Her last night with him had been wild, and she knew she would cherish what they had shared forever. He had shared a secret with her that night, and she had one to share with him. But then Luke had come along, and now she’d never see Matt again.31

Luke. The name wouldn’t leave her head. There was no way to hide that the physical attraction between them was high. Every time they were in the same room, the tension in the air was extremely thick. What flustered her most were the feelings that hit her every time he touched her. No doubt there had been passion with Matt, but the one thing that always had bothered her about their relationship was that there were never any “fireworks”. Everything had been great, but missing a spark. Whenever Luke touched her, it was like a bolt of lightning jolted through her. There was definitely a spark, and she didn’t know why. She knew Luke liked her, and maybe she liked him too. She needed to talk to him. Making up her mind, she checked her hair in her mirror, and headed out of her room. 32

Luke’s mind was most definitely not on Flame. He couldn’t believe what he was doing, it seemed surreal. He hadn’t felt this erotic in a long time, and clearly neither had Lilith. At first, he had at least expected his mind to wander just for a second to Flame, but her name was furthest from his mind. How great it was to be a vampire. He could do this forever.33

Flame knew better than to just run down the stairs. Being a vampire meant caution. She tiptoed silently down the stairs, peeking through the banner as she descended. As she reached the bottom step, she heard commotion in the living room. She glided across the floor, and flattened herself against the wall adjoining the doorframe. She couldn’t make out the voices, but she could definitely tell what was happening in the next room. She peeked around the corner, and her heart fell through the floor. Clearly Luke was not as attracted to her as she thought, or he wouldn’t be throwing his head back and moaning as Lilith bopped around on his lap. Fighting back tears and forgetting silence, Flame ran to the front door and flung herself out into the night. The wind whipped her hair as she sank to her knees on the street and let the tears flow rivers down her cheeks. How could she have been stupid enough to think that he cared about her? As she let her emotions overtake her, she could feel her fangs and wings finally emerge. It took strong emotion to trigger such a response. Now, like Luke, her fangs and wings would remain permanent until she was old enough to control them. This depressed her even more, and she bit her lip in frustration, already forgetting about her fangs. She felt the sting immediately, and blood dripped down her chin. She howled in pain and licked the blood. Automatically she could feel her body savoring the taste of the sweet liquid she had previously denied herself. 34

“Well hello.”35

The voice came from behind her, and she spun around, flinging blood into the air. “Who are you?”36

“My name is Tariq. I’ve been watching you.” A dark, mysterious male stepped out of the shadows, his green eyes glowing in amusement. Next to Luke, his looks would be nothing. But by himself, he was quite attractive, with an image that screamed bad boy. 37

Flame stood up quickly. “You stalker! Get away from me!”38

Tariq shook his head. “That’s not what I meant.”39

Flame tilted her head skeptically. “Then what did you mean?”40

“I live here too. I’ve seen you just sit in your room, staring out the window for hours on end. Of course you’ve never seen me. You never see anyone but yourself.”41

The statement struck Flame hard. She didn’t want to believe it, but deep down she knew it was the truth. She did only see herself. Her pain, her regrets, her sorrow…she wasn’t even able to see the others that lived in the house, or the opportunities she might have. She never even cared. “I…I don’t know what to say.”42

Tariq grinned, showing off brilliantly white fangs. “You don’t have to say anything. I know that Nightstalker is a traitor. I know the pain you must be feeling right now. But…”43

Flame interrupted him. “You don’t know anything about me.”44

Tariq stepped closer. “Ah, but you are wrong. I know that he hurt you, and I know that you need a strong man in your life, someone to protect you and guide you through this terrible time you’re going through. You’re still not used to this life, and you need someone to help you cope with your confused feelings.” He touched her arm. “I could be that person.”45

In her mind Flame knew that he could only be bad news. Yet something about him attracted her to him, and her body was in disagreement with her mind. She yearned to forget everything she had felt for Luke, everything she wished she could have. Throwing her inhibitions to the wind, she threw herself into Tariq’s arms, receiving a deceitful kiss in return. Words were not needed as he flew them both up to his room. 46