Bride of Blood:: First Kiss (17 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
With the last of his strength, Anton smashed Azrael’s head into the dock.
 
There was an sickeningly loud crunch.
 
Brains and blood seeped out Azrael’s nose, mouth and ears.
 
His body slowly slipped off the dock and into the ocean.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton collapsed.
 
His head was humming from lack of blood.
 
Soon his whole body began to ache and plead for nourishment which he could not provide.
 
So this was what it was like to die, he thought as the pain began to subside.
 
Soon numbness overcame his entire body.
 
He thought of Alexander.
 
Then he thought of Velara.
 
Then he didn’t think of anything at all.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Velvety soft hands began stroking his body.
 
He became aware of them almost immediately.
 
They felt good and he could almost move again.
 
The caressing was so soft and sensual that he felt his body start to come alive.
 
Had there been more blood in his body, other parts might have responded.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A soft pair of lips met his.
 
He didn’t recognize their taste as he accepted them.
 
The breath that entered his mouth was soft and sweet.
 
He couldn’t find the strength to open his eyes although he desperately wanted to.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The hands lifted his head off the ground and fingers began to run through his hair, rubbing his scalp.
 
One hand danced lightly on his lips, encouraging his mouth to open.
 
He did so without hesitation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Next a forearm was placed in his mouth.
 
A bite had been made on it, probably by its owner and Anton suddenly realized that blood was trickling into his mouth.
 
He began to swallow it down a little at a time.
 
As he did, strength began to return to his body.
 
He knew that this was not human blood, but life-giving vampire blood that was willingly being given to him.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Soon he opened his eyes and saw a beautiful-looking vampiress.
 
Her shoulder-length brown hair fell around her face.
 
Her eyes were dark and almond shaped.
 
She was a small woman, but still had the strength of a mistress vampire.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She smiled at him with a soft, yet concerned smile.
 
“Drink, Anton,” she said to him, encouragingly.
 
He obeyed and drank.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A few moments later she pulled her arm from his mouth and wiped it with a cloth.
 
Anton’s strength had returned, but not fully.
 
With a struggle he reached up and touched her face.
 
Her skin was smooth and white like a China doll.
 
She stroked his cheek and then kissed him again on his lips.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Sleep, Anton,” she commanded in a whisper.
 
“I will stay with you until you are awake.”
 
With that she started to massage his scalp again.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton needed to more coaxing as he closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.
 
He whispered his savior’s name before he went to sleep.
 
“Michelle.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton awoke the next evening in a large, warm bed.
 
The room was entirely dark, but he could see the windows had been covered by large, black blankets.
 
Next to him was Christina Michelle, sleeping peacefully.
 
Obviously he had been moved soon after he’d gone to sleep.
 
He rubbed his face and then pushed his hair back.
 
Suddenly he became aware that he was naked.
 
He didn’t bother to pull the sheet over himself, but instead sat up and looked down at Michelle.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She looked the same way she did when he’d last seen her almost 70 years ago.
 
She was personally trained by Lady Bernadine although she chose not to serve as a handmaid.
 
Because of her direct bloodline, her blood had been more powerful and life-giving than most.
 
Anton had lost track of her after their last brief tryst.
 
She was a lovely woman who appeared to be in her early 30’s.
 
Christina was relatively, a mere 200 years old.

She was originally from what would become the Kentucky area.
 
She had been traveling with her family west in a wagon train.
 
She was in her late 20’s at the time and already had a two very young children and a husband.
 
Her parents and several other people were heading out to California at the time of the great western migration.
 
She wasn’t too happy about the move since she felt that they’d had a good life in Kentucky.
 
But her husband and her relatives had believed all the pie-in-the-sky hype about making it rich in the West.
 
Her husband, Frank had even convinced her relatives and some other people in town to move out there with them.
 

Once they were around the Missouri area their wagon train was attacked by Sioux Indians.
 
Christina was the only one to survive by pretending she was dead when she was shot in the shoulder.
 
The pain had been so intense that she almost felt like she was dead.
 

After what seemed like days, she awoke and to find everyone around her either dead or gone.
 
She found the bodies of both of her parents and her husband, but her two daughters were nowhere to be found.
 
She started to wander off in a daze and headed off into the prairie.
 
She didn’t know how long or how far she’d wandered.
 
Several days later she was filthy, tired, and thirsty, totally given up on living.
 
She was trying to climb a small hill when she collapsed.
 
She closed her eyes and awaited death, knowing in her heart that she would be reunited with her family.
 
She lay on the ground for what seemed like hours.
 
As night came, she prayed that death would come quickly.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching.
 
She figured it was one of the Indians and prayed that he would mercifully kill her.
 
She closed her eyes tightly and waited.
 
Then she felt herself be lifted off the ground.
 
She didn’t have the energy to fight or to even look at who was picking her up.

The person who picked her up was a large man named Victor.
 
He looked like a lawyer, clean-shaven with his hair neatly parted on the side.
 
He had a large moustache and very muscular arms.
 
He put his head close to Christina’s mouth and nodded.
 

A woman walked up to him and smiled.
 
She was a small woman with long brown hair and delicate features.
 
Her face was pale and almost seemed to glow in the darkness.
 
Her eyes were soft and giving all who looked into them a reassuring feeling.
 
She looked at Victor and said, “Set her down, Victor, I have to save her.”

“Yes, Mistress Virginia,” he said obediently.
 
He watched Virginia spread a blanket and laid her onto it.
 
Lady Bernadine had nick-named her “The Savior” because she had rescued so many battered and abused women and had given them a new life as a vampire over the centuries.
 
Virginia was 1,000 years old and had easily attained the rank of Legend.
 

Virginia touched Christina’s face and brushed the tangled hair from her dirty face.
 
“My child,” she said, preparing herself.
 
“I know that you have endured a most terrible tragedy,” she said right after she read Christina’s mind.
 
“But now I will give you a new life, one that will allow you to live forever.
 
I predict you will do great things and will bring new life to others as well.”
 
With that, Virginia bared her fangs and buried her head in Christina’s neck.

After being made, Christina made the rare choice of keeping her mortal name.
 
Virginia had readily agreed because she loved the name, but gave her the second name of Michelle.
 

After her training and attainment of the rank of Master Vampire under the tutelage of Lady Bernadine and Lady Virginia, she stayed on as Virginia’s companion.
 
Around the 1950’s she left Virginia who had made her own compound outside of Denver, and headed back to the south that she hadn’t seen since her mortal years. It was during this time that she and Anton had their affair. Although the affair had ended not too long after it had started, Michelle refused to take on a new lover. It was her own charitable work that kept her mind off Anton and her loneliness.

Although it was forbidden to create any new vampires, she financed several safe houses for battered women across the country. She eventually moved into a large townhouse in the city, but continued to run the shelters.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Michelle suddenly stirred and opened her eyes.
 
She smiled at Anton and slowly sat up.
 
The sheet fell off her shoulders, revealing her white, naked body and her very large breasts.
 
She reached over to Anton and kissed him.