Heart of Darkness

"Your wings. Why can I only see them in the shadows?"

"I am hiding them. They take too much place."

"I want to see them again," she said.

He turned on one side to face her when she suddenly felt something feathery beneath her. It was his wing, covering the entire side of the bed and more. It was so soft, the best bed she lay in. A heaven on earth. She turned to touch it, feeling the dark feathers under her palm. Alexander closed his eyes.

"Do you feel that?" She asked.

"Yes."

The end of his wing came slowly wrapping around her. This was the best blanket ever.

"They are so beautiful Alex," she said almost rubbing herself in it.

"Mmm... you are so warm. It was cold without you." He mumbled, with a tired voice.

She turned around and watched him while he still had his eyes closed. "What happened? Where were you?"

"In the darkness. It felt like forever."

The way he said made her heart clench with sadness.

He opened his eyes, "yet, I was drawn to it. I couldn\'t pull myself out. I wanted it to consume me, completely."

She frowned, understanding the darkness and emptiness in his eyes a little better. He was hungry for warmth.

"Well, you made it back. That is how strong you are."

His cold eyes remained on her. "You just saw how strong I am," he said referring to drinking from her.

"You stopped."

"But I didn\'t want to." His eyes changed. "I am... so... very... hungry. It is all I can think about. I can hear your heart beating as if is right next to my ear, calling to me with every pump of blood."

His voice became low as if he was afraid of hearing his own confession. The extreme hunger for her blood she couldn\'t fully understand yet. Maybe he found warmth in it too or maybe now in his true form, he needed more nourishment. It could be both.

"Why are you in your true form?" She asked.

He watched her for a moment. "I am not my old self, Roxana. I carry darkness within now and to contain it, I need to stay in my true form that gives me strength but it makes me like this and adding the darkness to it... I..." he couldn\'t find the words.

Roxana hated that he had to contain that. It was such a heavy burden.

"Well, now you know," he said. "It will be dreadful to live with me."

She stroked his feathery wing, "very dreadful." She smirked.

He narrowed his eyes. "Remember you told me I was made for you, then you can\'t be dreadful to me."

Having taken his blood, the blood he took from her had probably already healed back. She didn\'t even feel like she was losing blood while he was taking.

Alexander nudged her closer with his wing. She rolled over, falling right into his arms with a chuckle. These wings were like extra hands. "You are perfect, Roxana," he said stroking her cheek, but his eyes remained the same.

That didn\'t discourage her. He was here and she could talk to him, touch him, feel safe with him. The rest would be solved eventually. This darkness within him, he would be able to overcome, because she knew who he was deep inside and she could still see that person. He was there, only overwhelmed by darkness and by his own powers.

"I hope your mind doesn\'t change," he added as if preparing her for how bad things were. She really wanted him to know that it wasn\'t bad for her as long as he was alright. She was more than willing to give him what he needed.

He wrapped them both in his wings and they fell asleep.

****

Skender only had to be awake for a moment with Roxana wrapped in his wings for his hunger to rise again. The speed was shocking and painful. It made him dizzy and unable to think.

His mouth itches and he went to order food instantly, even before going to the bathroom. Meat, lots of it in the morning but he couldn\'t differentiate all the starving going on. He also wanted blood. Roxana\'s heartbeat hummed so seductively to him.

He tried not to glance her way, where she slept with her tiny nightgown in the bed but he couldn\'t help himself. Now he hungered for her flesh as well. With her warmth and softness, he wanted to sink into her.

Skender thought he only needed last night and she would satiate his hunger, but it only got worse. Last night was like being teased and only having a taste. He wanted more.

He to the bathroom to take a cold shower. He let the icy water rush over him, hoping it would help a little as his mind wandered back to killing Nathaniel. He had been so enraged about his parent\'s death that taking out his heart wasn\'t enough. He had enjoyed eating it, yet it hadn\'t been enough. A part of him wanted to bring him back alive just so he could do it again. The better part of him knew it would make no difference.

Placing his hands on the wall he leaned on it, allowing his head to fall with his eyes closed. The cold water rushed over him, cooling his burning blood a little, but the temptress was awake. He listened to her footsteps, as she came to the bathroom.

"Alex? Are you alright?"

He didn\'t answer her and just prayed she would go away for her own sake.

"You have been in there forever."

He had?

She walked over and opened the glass door to the shower. "Oh Lord," she gasped. "What are you doing? It is freezing cold in here?"

He shut the water off, pushing his hair back. "I like cold showers," he lied turning to her.

"Not this cold." She said looking at him. His skin had turned blue. "Do you want to kill yourself?"

She stepped inside, shivering at the cold water. Grabbing the shower head she opened the hot water and began to mix it with cold.

"What are you doing?"

"Stand still!" She ordered and then warmed him with the lukewarm water.

God, she didn\'t know what she was doing?

"Don\'t do this to yourself again. I am here for you," she said.

He knew. She didn\'t even stop him. Her trust in him right now would put her in danger. Even now, he couldn\'t think clearly. His hands already itched to touch her. To take off this tiny gown and feel her curves. His fangs already ached.

Utterly frustrated he took the shower head from her and he didn\'t even know what to do next. He shut the water and put it back. Roxana looked at him confused, probably sensing his mood.

"You are still cold." She said and then began to scold him explaining how she healed much faster with his blood and then he wasn\'t following the rest. Only watching her lips.

"Alex, are you listen..."

Before she could finish he grabbed her by the hair and kissed her, his other arm pinning her to his body. She shivered, "ah...wait!" She pulled away. You are cold.

He reached behind her, turning on the shower above them, and then he took her lips against as the warm water soaked them both. She wrapped her arms around him, her willingness only fueled him. He loved how she responded to him so easily, and she loved and hated when he teased her which made him enjoy it even more.

He took off her gown, his mouth moving down to taste other parts of her. He kissed her neck, licking his way down to her pink-tipped breasts. They filled his palms perfectly and he gave them each attention that filled her moans in the shower.

As usual, she had to stop him from teasing her. She pulled him back up by the hair and he kissed her again. Her arousal made her heart beat faster and her blood hotter. He couldn\'t ignore the call any longer. He tilted her head back and laved her neck with his tongue before sinking his fangs in her.

The rush of blood into his mouth was intoxicating. He was already addicted with a taste, the rest of the world fading except for the warm blood. The heartbeat. His body grew even harder, the warm blood arousing him and her scent...

He could feel her arousal too, getting stronger with every pull of his mouth. She rubbed needingly against him, causing him to gasp in pain. He grabbed her thighs and lifted her.

"Ah, yes Alex." She wrapped her legs around his and he lowered her on his body.

She cried out, both of them finding a moment of relief. He pushed her into the wall, holding her against it as he pulled in and out of her. He could not stop. She filled him with so much pleasure that he was losing his mind. There was nothing to stop him as she kept moaning and crying even as he continued to drink from her.

There was nothing to warn him, not her heartbeat slowing down or her losing consciousness. He forced himself to stop with an agonizing pain just to make sure his mind wasn\'t playing tricks on him.

He looked at her, her cheeks flushed and hair wet. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes," she breathed.

Oh well then, he was still hungry. He bit her again, this time strangely not losing his mind. He felt a little calmer even if the hunger was the same and he could stop when he found pleasure in her body, clenching around him and making him shudder with relief.

Alexander held her until her body stopped quivering and then slowly put her down, holding her until he made sure she could stand.

"How do you feel?" He asked listening to her heartbeat that remained the same.

"Amazing," she said, allowing herself to fall on him.

She was right about his blood. He didn\'t think it would help this much. One less worry. Now he just had to handle this hunger. When he was finished with one, he could smell the other.

His meat arrived.