Damned To Be Loved

At first, I could not open my eyes or hear the sounds around me. It felt like my senses hadn’t been used in ages. There seemed to be a residual tingling feeling moving down my arms and legs. Actually, it was more like a fire just put out. What happened to me? 1

Slowly I opened my eyes against the light. It was very little light be let out into the room but it caused me to squint. My intuition told me I should be scared but I just couldn’t seem to feel the fear. 2

When my senses began to come back to me, my ears seemed to be turned up extra loud. The first sound I heard was breathing. Nothing heavy instead it was very calm and smooth. Following the noise, I was presented with a young man seated next to me. How did I miss him? For a moment, I just gawked at him. Not really sure what was going on now. The man stared at me for a moment and then flashed a small smile of relief. 3

“How do you feel?” his voice let out. A heavenly sound. 4

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how I was. There seemed to be no pain or fear. This seemed odd but overwhelmingly normal. Again, I stared the man in the eyes. Searching for an answer. 5

“I’m not sure.” 6

“That’s normal.”7

The stranger reached out to me and offered to help me sit up. I obliged, half expecting my bones to crack and yell out in stiffness but to my surprise I felt no discomfort. Why wasn’t I scared?8

“Because your subconscious has already accepted what has occurred.” The man answered my thoughts. This startled me. My eyes shot a glance at the man and he just smirked. 9

“What are you talking about? Occurred? What has occurred?” I asked sensing the panic growing. 10

“Just relax. Everything is fine. You were in a car accident. Do you remember?” The stranger asked calmly. 11

“No, I don’t remember anything.”12

“I was worried that would happen. No worries though.”13

“No worries. What is happening?” I asked now with fear. 14

“Marie, you were nearly…”15

“How do you know my name?” I interrupted. 16

He drew in a breath and reached for the nightstand next to the bed. Pulling the drawer open, he retrieved a small card. Flipping it over, he revealed to me a picture of me. It was my driver’s license. Quickly, I calmed myself. 17

“Sorry”18

“It’s alright. I can’t blame you for freaking out. But you are taking it better than I thought you would.”19

“What’s that?”20

“You were nearly dead when I found you. I assume your car skidded off the road and down the embankment. Honestly, I didn’t think I would reach your car before it sunk into the lake. But I did. When I brought you back here, you heart barely beat. So I did the only thing I knew how.”21

“Which was?”22

“I bit you.”23

A response came to me and then left me. He bit me. Why would he bite me? It felt like an eternity I sat there trying to understand. The only reason he would bite would be…no he can’t be that. That is impossible. Vampires don’t exist. 24

“Are you sure about that?” he asked, again intruding on my thoughts. 25

“How do you do that?” 26

“It’s part of the damned life.”27

This had to be a dream. I crashed my car and I am out cold. Soon somebody will come along and wake me up. Then this will all be just a dream. Right?28

“You have already woke up, Marie”29

Words evaded me. Anything that I would usually say when I was upset or nervous no longer existed. The man sat patiently while I comprehended everything. His green eyes watched me intently. He was quite breathtaking….looking up at him I found that he was smirking. Right, everything I thought about he could hear. Well hear this “Get out!”30

“I’m sorry; I do it out of habit.” He replied with a grin. I could tell he was blushing some. 31

“Well stop it.” I demanded angrily. 32

“My name is Peter.”33

I crossed my arms and sat in the bed looking straight forward. Could this be happening? A gorgeous man bites me and now I am a ……34

“…..Vampire.”35

“Dammit, I thought I told you to stop that.”36

Peter giggled some and looked away again. Many thoughts ran through my head. What would happen now? Can I go home? Would he force me to stay here with him?37

“Marie….”38

“So help me….”39

“Now just hold on a minute. I am trying to help you understand. You are in no way a prisoner. But I don’t suggest you go back home.”40

This is getting really old. I make an attempt to get out of the bed and find some clothes. Peter, being such a gentleman, grabs me by the hand and sits me back on the bed. 41

“What are you doing?” I demand. 42

“Where are you going?”43

“To find some clothes.” I reply through my teeth. 44

He points a finger up, signaling me to hold on. I watch as he walks over to the oversized armoire and opens the doors. The piece was stunning. Dark mahogany, with designs etched into the wood. Peter pulls out a pair of jeans and black tee shirt. Walking back to the bed he lays them down neatly. Looking up at me kindly, he motions towards the clothing. 45

“The clothes aren’t anything to fancy but comfortable nonetheless. I will understand if you don’t want to stay. Fear will do that to people. Trust me I know. But I would be honored if you stayed. You might learn a thing or two.” He stated as he left the room. One last glance at me and he closed the door. 46

For awhile, I sat on the bed contemplating my options. Weird things never seemed to bother me like other people. The concept of vampires never really occurred to me but I also never said it wasn’t possible. I just never had an opinion on it. 47

Most girls would be terrified at this point, cowering in the corner crying hysterically. I wasn’t most girls. I was the tom boy in school, the girl that really should have been a boy. Fear was never an issue either. If there was anything that my parents had taught me, it was to never fear anything and always stand up against it. Peter wasn’t anything to be feared. The idea of me being a vampire now, well, that wasn’t anything to be afraid of either. There was also no reason to believe that it wasn’t true. Anything was possible, even if you were taught that mythical creatures like vampires were fake. 48