VK3 Dark Savior Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

“Was it really that bad…?” Loken asked, looking at her. “Bad? No, it wasn’t bad, that’s the problem!” Bethany groaned. He couldn’t help but stare at her. She was so beautiful to him, her spiky rooster comb of blond hair wild over her face, her blue eyes wide and her cheeks flush. He still wanted her but he was thankful he found the sense to stop. “I realize this can’t go on but I just…” He trailed off. He didn’t know what to say to her. He had stalked her, thralled her and now he had fed from her all without permission.

She hated him, she had said it out loud and she had every right to. His heart was broken over this entire mess but she’d never understand he was anything but a freak of nature. Bethany was staring at him, her face betraying her emotions so completely he didn’t have to look into her mind to understand. She was afraid, eager, lusting and worried. The last one confused him. “L-Loken, let’s just hold the phone here before you start with heartfelt goodbyes. I still have questions I want answers for. I assume you are a born vampire… right?” She asked.

“Yes.” He answered. “Then your father is a vampire…the fucking Mayor of Silver City is a vampire.” Bethany concluded. Loken hesitated but then nodded. He shouldn’t let her know any of this. It was putting her life in danger. If the Sentinels found out… “So, how old are you?” She asked next, fixing the blanket so it was wrapped around her shoulders. “Thirty-five… not exactly impressive.” Loken said sheepishly. “Oh, that is a little disappointing.  Figures I’d be stalked by a noob.” Bethany said.

Loken laughed lightly but then noticed how pale she was. “Would you like something to eat?” He asked suddenly. He knew that the loss of blood, though small, was enough to make her feel weak. “Uh… yeah, actually I could eat.” She said. “I saw a burger place down the street on my way here. I’ll get you something to help raise your blood-“ “I know how it works, I have read the vampire bite survival guide, Loken… damn, do I look like a rookie to you?” She paused, “This last encounter not counting.” She added.

They both laughed as he retrieved his shirt. “Well, I have behaved very poorly tonight, I know that…” He admitted slipping the shirt on. “The stuff in the warehouse was pretty cool, I mean, not the almost dying but the fire and stuff, pretty epic.” Bethany said and smiled. “We made a pretty good team…” She added awkwardly. He knew he had better go before he changed his mind about being a gentleman. He wasn’t feeling very gentlemanly. “Hey, you might want to stop at a drug store.” She said as he made a move to open the door.

He turned, perplexed. “Why?” He asked. “One, I should have juice and two… I think you might want a new shirt and pants. You still have some blood and guts on you. I’m just saying.” Bethany said and gave him a look. Loken blinked. “Oh….yeah.” He said. “By the way, I’d like a hamburger, no cheese and fries.” She added.

“I…Right. I thought you liked cheese?” He questioned. “For your information, mister stalker, I’m watching my weight, can’t be a sleek killing machine with muffin top, you know?” Bethany said. “I bet you could… I mean…Never mind, I need to go. Now. I’ll be right back.” He said and stepped outside of the room and shut the door. He took a few moments to breathe and collect his thoughts then headed down the hall and downstairs to the lobby. He didn’t like leaving Bethany there alone but she was able to handle herself. He had to stop being so much like his father.

The streets there were littered with drug addicts and the homeless. Crime ran rampant there and it was one of the neighborhoods that Loken visited the most on his night walks. He went to the drug store first and quickly purchased some juice, a candy bar and the largest clothes they had. They were of the city’s football team and he was sure the pants were not going to come close to fitting but that wouldn’t be an issue. He got a few strange looks from the clerk but these people knew better than to ask why someone was covered in blood.

He got her meal last and made it back to the motel within five minutes of when he left. When he opened the door, Bethany was lying in the bed with her tank top on and the blankets up over her legs. She was leaned back watching the TV. He had forgotten he had destroyed her pants. “Hey, look, this is one of those TVs that you have to put money in to get them to work!” She said excitedly. “Wow… that’s… neat.” Loken said and set the bags on the bed and her juice on the nightstand. He took a seat in the only other furniture in the room which was a small wooden chair. A tight fit to say the least.

“Thanks…” Bethany said as she rummaged through the bags. “It’s the least I could do…” Loken said. “The least you could have done was rape me and leave me for dead… oh!” She cried as she pulled the chocolate bar from the drug store bag. “Sweet tooth… and it’s good for your blood… regenerating…” Loken mumbled bashfully. He was such a nerd, why was he such a nerd around her? She smiled at him then went back to rummaging. She pulled out the clothes he bought and gave him a look. “I don’t think these will fit you…” Bethany muttered. “Well, it was the biggest they had…” He said trying to sound composed, however he wasn’t. He was talking to her, as himself… alone.

“Nothing for me? You cheapskate…” She teased and put them back in the bag. “I uh forgot…” He sounded so guilty he almost laughed at himself. “You just want to keep me in my underwear…” Bethany said, hiding a smile as she got her burger out. “I can go back if you want?” He asked. She ignored him and took a bite. “Oh God, that’s so good… I’ve been being relatively good this last week and, oh, this is heaven!” She said with her mouth half full.

Loken tried not to stare but there was something oddly sexy about her love for a simple sandwich. “You aren’t having anything?” She asked taking a group of fries and eating them next. She looked like she was in heaven. “Uh no…you were… filling…” Loken said awkwardly and looked away from her. That wasn’t true, he was starving. He took only enough blood to make sure he didn’t pass out again and healed. “Bullshit, you are jonesing so hard. Here, have some fries… you can eat, can’t you?” She offered and patted the bed.

“Bethany, that’s….I better stay over here. I’m just staying long enough to make sure you are okay and then I’m gone, no more Vigilante and no more Loken. Gone for good.” He said though his soul and heart were rebelling against it, he knew it was the best solution. Bethany looked up from her meal, wiping her lips clean with one of the thin cheap napkins. “What? Why?” She asked indignantly. He was slightly surprised by her reaction. “Well… to make sure this doesn’t happen again, that’s why. Bethany…I can’t be in the same city as you and not run into you… and I’m sure you won’t want to see me again after this. You know what I am and…its better.” He said.

Bethany gave him the dirtiest look he had ever seen a woman give him, including his sister after he glued her hair to the bathroom sink. “I’m sitting here giving you the benefit of the doubt after you bit me and thralled me and now you just want to disappear like it never happened? I’m sitting here willing to listen, Loken. Do you want to know why? Well, so do I. We can’t just say goodbye here. Plus we are bonded.” Bethany said chopping hard on a fry.

Loken was confused, rightly so since she actually had attempted to kill him. “I… I’m just trying to do what’s best for you.” He said, lacking for a better explanation. “You know, maybe I am still a little emotional from the blood sucking but the idea hurts, okay? I don’t like it.” She said quietly but there was anger there and more. “It hurts me too, Bethany. I want to keep you, all for me and never let anyone else touch you… but that’s not fair to you.” Loken said, his calm being washed away by annoyance at her stubbornness. Couldn’t she see he was trying to set her free?

“I decide what’s fair to me, Loken. Me, I do! My father ran my damn life since I was child and for some stupid reason I keep doing it, you know why? I thought I had to. I’m sick of doing things other people want…” Bethany burst out. “From the moment I read about the Vigilante, I knew you were special, something to give people hope and it made me think about who I am. Even when I was sure you were a vampire I still thought, man, I wish I could be like that. Don’t fucking ruin my idea of you by walking away from this problem. Don’t.” Bethany said. She crumpled her wrappers and put them into the bag.

“You want me to stay, that’s what you really want?” Loken asked, disbelieving. “Yeah, that’s what I want. I want to know who you are even if it gets me killed… at least I’m doing what I want for once.” Bethany said, composed now. Loken got up from his chair and rested on the bed next to her. He sat deliberately close to her and whispered by her ear, “Then you will be mine,” In a threatening tone.