Even Monsters Get Lonely
Chapter 8

“NON, it can’t wait! Do you know why petite fille (little girl)?” He hissed as he stalked toward her.

Shannon felt her eyes widen and felt just a trickle of fear.

Vampire was showing himself, and he had worked himself into a lather!

She could feel the anger was pouring off him in waves. He obviously decided not to block his emotions from her anymore! This is so not good!

Vampire smirked then as he leaned over her. He then questioned, “Are you effrayé (scared)? You should be! I don’t like the pull you seem to have over me. I thought you could be an amusement for a bit, but no, my human-self started to fall for you. Now you are telling me that you feel my emotions? Tell me petite fille, what emotion do you feel from me now?”

“Anger, so much anger,” Shannon whispered.

“Oui, en colére, and do you know why I’m so en colére (angry)?”

Shannon shook her head no.

“Because you are the one, I want. Even now your blood calls to me, draws me like a flame draws a moth to it! You have made me crave you, and I want no other. Now though, now you tell me that every time I bite you, your ability to read my emotions grows stronger. I don’t like that, not one little bit.”

Shannon was now cringing back once more and whimpering.

As he spoke his voice became louder, his accent thickening in anger until he was practically yelling in her face. His yelling brought back memories, memories of how her dad would yell at her. Father’s yelling soon became hits, and kicks, along with more yelling.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!” Shannon cried out, putting her hands over her ears. The tears rolled down her face as she curled into a ball on the bed to protect as much of herself as she could when the blows came, but they never did.

Instead, she heard Vampire move away. He was now ranting in French, his angry snarls once more filling the room. Not knowing what he was saying, or doing, she slowly uncovered her face.

Vampire stood, his back to her, his shoulders moving up and down as if he was heaving for breath. He had his head in his hands as he continued to yell in French, and she soon realized it was at himself, not her.

Sadness swept over Shannon along with fear. She knew these emotions were her own because she was sad, sad that he would now make her leave. The fear of once more being without someone to care about her overshadowed the fear Vampire’s rant had caused. She needed him, but he didn’t want to need her and therein lay the problem.

“If you want me to leave I will. I don’t want to, but I will go if that’s what you want,” she whispered.

Vampire’s rant stopped, and silence filled the room. It was a heavy silence, and it made her heart ache because she just knew he was going to tell her to get out now.

“Non, stay. I need to go, but we’ll finish this when I return,” he told her in a cold, gruff voice which held no emotion at all. Then, in a blink of her eyes, he was gone.

Shannon lay on the bed hugging herself, silent tears falling as she waited for Vampire to return. She was starving, but she was scared to move in case he came back still angry. She didn’t want to make him angrier. Vampire, when he’s angry, was even scarier than her dad in a drunken rage, and that’s saying something!

After what seemed like hours, she heard the front door open, then close gently.

“Shannon, where are you?” He called.

He sounded calmer, so slowly sitting up, she called back in a voice barely over a whisper, “In here.”

Vampire walked in with blood all over his clothes and face. His shirt was torn and so were his dress pants.

Forgetting about her fears, and how mad at her he had been when he left, she jumped off the bed and moved his way.

“Baby what happened?” Shannon asked, the pet name slipping out in her worry.

Vampire tilted his head questioningly but said nothing

She ignored the look as she grabbed his hand, leading him to the bathroom. Once there, she pushed him to sit on the edge of the tub while she wet a washcloth. Then, she gently began washing the blood from his face.

“I ran into Rick and we got into it,” Vampire said with a snarl, finally answering her question.

Finishing with his face, she turned to put the cloth in the sink, and rinse it. She then said, “I’m sorry, I know he was your friend.”

She felt his hand gently move her hair to the side. So, she looked up into the mirror, to replace him standing with his eyes closed.

He then leaned in and ran his nose along her neck.

She knew then he still hadn’t fed because she could see the hunger on his face. She feared he might take too much since he was hurt, but the pull he had on her was too strong to deny him anything. So, she cocked her head to the side, giving him room even as her eyes fluttered closed.

His fangs sank deep into her neck and he began to drink.

As he fed on her, she felt his arousal grow, brushing against her butt.

His hands moved upward, up under her shirt, and began to squeeze her breasts gently.

She moaned deep in her throat at how good it felt, her head falling back to rest on his chest. She wanted this man more than she’d ever wanted anything.

“Baby, please! I want...” Shannon began to beg just as the doorbell peeled. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his in the mirror.

His eyes returned to their hazel color as he removed his fangs from her neck and licked the blood from it.

The sight of it had her thighs clenching, and she bit back a moan. She felt so needy, so she whispered, “André?”

André straightened. He quickly looked away from her and turned toward the door as he said, “I’ll go see who that is.”

Then, she was left standing there alone, her body aching with unfulfilled need.

Shannon didn’t know how long she stood there in the bathroom staring at the sink after André left. She couldn’t bring herself to move though, as the tears fell unchecked down her face. She covered her mouth to muffle the sobs, although, with his vampire hearing he probably heard her anyway.

“Crying never helps. All it does is stuff up your nose, making your eyes red and puffy.”

Shannon jumped, startled at the sound of a female voice. Turning, she stared wide-eyed, hand over her heart, at the woman in the doorway.

The woman was tall and slim, with her hair in a French braid. Her olive complexion made Shannon think she might have Italian in her.

“How are you feeling tonight Shannon?” The woman asked.

Shannon gave a hollow laugh. “I’m fine. Although, I have been better, thank you. May I ask who you are?”

“I’m Tamara or Doc as André likes to call me.”

“Oh, you’re the doctor that patched me up then,” Shannon said.

Tamara gave a light laugh, and said, “Yes I am. Now let’s get this cast off your arm.”

Tamara then moved from the doorway, toward the bed where she had left a doctor bag. Opening it up, she pulled out a small saw and plugged it in. Next, she turned to Shannon and demanded, “Come, sit, I don’t bite... much.”

Shannon ignored the biting remark, and asked the question, “Don’t I need to wear a cast for at least four to six weeks?”

“Normally, but I had André give you a drop or two of his blood, so it should be healed already.”

“Why? Why would you give me his blood?” Shannon asked.

“So, you would heal faster. I figured he would grow bored with you quickly. I also knew he would insist you stay until you were healed. So, I hastened the process along by giving you his blood.”

Shannon sat down heavily on the bed. “Why didn’t you give me yours instead?”

Tamara just gave a slight shrug, and quickly cut Shannon’s cast off. When she finished, she felt around on the bone a bit before nodding. Turning, she put her things away and then sat down on the bed next to Shannon.

Clearing her throat, she said, “Everything feels fine as far as your arm is concerned, so it’s healing well. Now, how about you tell me what the tears were all about.”

Shannon looked at Tamara, thinking, while she debated what to say. I don’t know this woman, or just how good of a friend she is to André, but I have so many questions. Questions that Tamara might have the answers to. So, perhaps she can help.

Shannon had just opened her mouth to reply when André tapped on the door frame, capturing her attention.

“Shannon, I have food ready, come to eat,” he said. Then, without waiting for an answer, he left.

Tamara stood up. “Come on then, let’s not keep the man waiting.”

With a sigh, Shannon stood and followed her out the door and to the kitchen. Shannon stepped into the kitchen, feeling nervous.

André avoided looking at her completely,

Tamara began to smirk as she said, “Aren’t you two just full of rainbows and sunshine?”

André frowned as he set a plate down on the table for Shannon.

Sitting down, Shannon picked up her fork. Before taking a bite, she looked up to see André now standing at the sink. She asked him quietly, “Are you going to eat?”

He barely acknowledged Shannon as he shook his head.

Shannon looked down at her plate, her appetite suddenly gone, as she poked at her food. She was afraid if she tried to eat, the big lump of emotion in her throat would cause her to gag. She knew he was upset with her, but she was upset with herself also for letting him get to her this way. Really Shannon? You barely know the guy! Why do you let him, and his bipolar attitude, affect you so strongly?

Unable to take it anymore, she pushed her plate away. Then she whispered, “May I go please, I’m not hungry.”

Silence. Not a word. Not a sound came from the other two occupants in the room.

Shannon was afraid to look up, afraid angry Vampire would come back. So, she did what she does best. She shrunk into herself and tried to be as small as possible.

“Perhaps someone would like to clue me in as to what’s going on here,” Tamara said, then paused as if waiting. When no one said anything, she continued, “André, you look ready to blow a gasket, and Shannon looks as if she expects to be on the receiving end when you do. Have you taken to beating women now André?”

“What! Non, non, I would never...!” His voice faded.

The feelings he had somehow been blocking hit Shannon like a tidal wave causing her to gasp. Pain, remorse, and sadness.

“Oh, petite,” he whispered, “I would never touch you in anger. I’m so sorry I made you scared. I just... I was so angry, and I didn’t...”

Shannon saw his feet as he crouched down in front of her. She felt his cool fingers under her chin before he lifted it.

“Look at me petite,” he whispered, “I won’t hurt you.”

Shannon raised her eyes to look at him, his features were blurry because of her tears, but she saw the sadness on his face. Then, with a sob, she threw her arms around him and sobbed into his chest. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“Non, petite, I’m the one who should apologize. Oui, I was mad, and oui, my monster side came out but...” he gave a deep sigh, “as mad as I was, I don’t believe I could physically harm you.”

“Well, as touching as all this is; I want to know what happened, between the two of you. I’m nosy that way,” Tamara said. “So, how about we move this to the sitting room?”

André stood up, and so did Shannon, following Tamara.

Tamara suddenly stopped in the sitting room doorway and gasped, then laughed. She turned to look at André, then asked, “Oh André, did we have another ‘Hulk smash’ moment?”

André groaned, saying, “Non, Doc I didn’t! That was over fifty years ago, get over it already!”

“But it’s still so funny to me,” Tamara said.

André glared at her.

“Fine, fine, my lips are sealed. No, wait, can I tell...?” Tamara started but didn’t get to finish.

“NON!” André shouted.

Tamara pouted, but without another word, she went and sat down.

Shannon looked back and forth between the two of them before going to sit down next to Tamara.

André went to the window to stare off into the night as he said, “Rick and I had an... altercation in here. You know how it is when vampires fight.”

“Mm... yes, I do,” Tamara said giving him a speculative look. Then she turned to Shannon. “Now, I believe you were going to say something earlier. What was it?”

Shannon twitched nervously as she looked over at André. That weird feeling of needing him close to her was beginning to make itself known once more. Her body was almost begging her to stand up and go to him. It didn’t even seem to be a sexual thing, just a need to be close, to feel him next to her.

“Well?” Tamara’s question brought Shannon’s attention back to her.

Shannon swallowed hard and cleared her throat. “I, it’s why André is mad at me. You see I’ve felt drawn to him from the beginning but two evenings ago Vampire...”

“Vampire?” Tamara questioned, looking confused. She then turned to give André a quick look before turning back to Shannon.

“Um… yeah, he was very emphatic that I call him that. He became very angry when I called him André,” Shannon said.

“Why André?” Tamara asked, turning to look at him again.

André turned from the window and shrugged.

Tamara frowned when she didn’t get an answer from him. With a huff, she turned back to Shannon to say, “Continue.”

“He bit me, taking blood, and then he left. When he was gone, I felt, well, alone, I guess. It was like a part of me was missing, strange but, it is what it is I suppose,” Shannon said as she shrugged. “Then the next evening he bit me again, and I felt all these emotions pouring in from him. I knew they were his, but I really thought it had to do with his bite, that it linked us together somehow or something! I mean, I don’t know anything about vampires, how was I to know it wasn’t normal? I did ask if it felt different somehow, but he said no, so I chalked it up to my imagination.

“Then tonight when he bit me, I asked him what he was doing to me. I asked why I was feeling what he was feeling, and he became so angry. I thought he was going to hurt me,” Shannon whispered as she looked down at her hands.

“So, you feel... Vampire’s emotions?” Tamara asked gently.

Shannon nodded, still not looking up.

“What about... André’s, do you feel his?” Tamara asked.

Shannon glanced up and over at Andre, replaceing him tense, his jaw clenched. His hands were also clenched at his side as he watched her.

“No, not usually anyway. I did tonight though when we were... um... kissing, and stuff,” Shannon admitted, feeling her face heat up as she remembered what they had been doing.

“So, up until now, it’s been only... Vampire’s emotions you feel?” Tamara asked.

“Yeah, but what does it mean? Why am I feeling them at all?” Shannon asked, even as she puzzled over why Tamara had paused. It was almost as if she’d been going to say something else.

“It’s actually really simple, and I’m surprised André hasn’t figured it out already,” Tamara told her, as she once more looked over at André. Then she asked him, “Or have you?