Page 5 of York

She was dressed in a slip. She didn’t have it on when she was hurt by her father, so she knew that someone had put it on her. She didn’t know who had done it, but she hoped they enjoyed the show. Asking the woman who she was had her asking the same thing of her.

“Rose MacIntyre. I own and operate MacIntyre Services. I was contracted to come in and make sure that the cars that are in this garage are ready to be driven.” She told her name was Phyliss Malone. She was the mother of the owner of the house and the cars that she worked on. “He’s very young to be lord of the manor, don’t you think? For that matter, you don’t look like you’re old enough to be his mother either.”

“I have six sons that I’m mother to, and they’re all very young looking.” She put her knitting aside. “I never did take to knitting. It’s something that my mother taught me when I was about your age. I think of older women doing it. What is it you wish to get out of being around my son?”

“Being around him? Nothing. I don’t even like him. He’s a bully and a smartass.” She didn’t disagree with her. “I’m assuming that he has money too. That makes me want to have nothing to do with him.”

“He is all those things, yes.” She stood up and went to the closet. “The hospital gave me back your clothing, and I had them cleaned. I’m afraid that most of the blood didn’t come out of them, but we tried.”

She took the clothing. “I need to get back to my place. I have a cat that needs to be fed twice a day.” Mr. Sprinkles jumped up on the bed and purred at her. “You’ve been to my place. I had no idea that you knew who I was when you asked.”

“I didn’t. York did. That’s my son’s name. One of them anyway. He’s out working, as I said.” She nodded and asked if she could leave. “I don’t mind, but I will tell you that York will find you again. He has it in his head that you need to be healed before you tangle with your father again. Does he usually beat you?”

“When he thinks I owe him something. Which is most of the time.” She pulled her shirt out of the bag and smelled it. “It smells clean. Like a summer’s day. What do you use?”

“I didn’t actually do the washing. My son’s staff did it.” Rose nodded and pulled the slip off her body and pulled her shirt on. “You’re very free with yourself, aren’t you? I guess that’s the way women of this age are. I’m more modest about my body even though I’ve birthed six boys. Oh, by the way, York is back.”

Rose looked at the door when the man who had been irritating her at the garage was standing. He was covered in blood and looked to be pissed off. Covering herself with her shorts, she watched him carefully. Asking him what happened, he only stared at her.

“You’re angry.” He nodded. A small movement of his head that made her think that he wasn’t himself. “Are you hurt? Is that blood yours?”

“No. It’s a rogue vampire that I had to kill. Usually I don’t go out twice in as many days, but today was different.” She asked him what he’d said. “Rogue vampires. Do you know what that is?”

“I don’t believe in vampires. I guess your next statement is going to be that you’re one. That would explain a few things.” He said he was the vampire slayer. “Whatever. As I said, I don’t believe in shifters or vampires.”

He moved so quickly that she didn’t have time to move. With her body bent backward over the bed, he loomed over her like he was going to hurt her. When he licked his lips, she saw them then, the longest fangs she’d ever seen. Swallowing hard, she asked him what he was going to do to her.

“I’d like to bite you and drink from you.” She shook her head. “Too bad. I could really make it worth your while.” The lick to her shoulder startled her, and she didn’t know what to think about the moan that followed. “Are you sure? You smell so good.”

“York.” His mother said his name quietly, but he didn’t back away. When he ran his teeth over her throat, just where her pulse was pounding, she pushed him away. Her entire body was on fire, and she wanted to…She wasn’t sure what she wanted, but him holding her wasn’t it. Pushing him away again and sat up. He moved around the room like she’d not just been beneath him, and her body ached. Like she’d been running uphill being chased by him. “Behave yourself. She’s a guest in your home.”

“My name is York Malone. Just in case you didn’t get that when my mother was here. I’ve been fighting to save humanity.” She asked him if he really was a vampire. “I am. So is my mother and brothers. We’ve been around for centuries. More than that. Millennium.”

“I don’t believe you.” He asked her if she was calling him a liar again. “No. I believe you think that you’re a vampire and thus there would be no telling you different.”

“How about if I drink from you and prove it to you? I think you’d enjoy it as much as I do.” She looked where his mother had been seated, and she was gone. Left with York in the room alone with her, she was slightly afraid. “I can smell you. You smell of fear. I’d never harm you.”

“Why?” He didn’t answer her but continued to pace the room. “You’re making me afraid of you with all this talk of being a vampire.” He moved again, and she could see that he didn’t much care for her disbelieving him. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because I said so. And I can’t lie to you.” Something about his statement about lying to her made him angry. “You have nothing to fear from me. I have it in my best interest to keep you from harm from now on. I don’t care for it, but there you have it.”

“You’re talking in circles. I don’t understand you.” He again didn’t say anything, and she found herself being pissed off at him. “Just say what you’re thinking so that I can get out of here. I have to get back to my shop so that I can have money. You’re not making any sense, and I don’t care for you.”

“That’s really too bad. And you won’t be going anywhere unless I say so. You’re still healing, and that’s the way it goes.” She shook her head and pulled on her shorts. Her socks were bloodied, but her shoes were all right. Pulling them on, she stood up. Being slightly dizzy was nothing new to her, but she held onto the footboard of the bed until she could get her bearings straight. That seemed to amuse York, and she didn’t care. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Home.” She moved through the room to the door. “If you try and stop me, I’m going to hurt you. I know how to fight.”

She found herself pressed against the wall and could feel his breath at her throat again. When she struggled to get away from him, he moved his hips in a way that she could feel his cock. Christ, he was hard and thick. She could almost feel him fucking her through her clothing.

“Stop this.” He asked her if she was sure. His teeth scraped over her pulse again, and it was all she could do not to give him her throat. “You’re hurting me. My back…it’s not healed enough to take this kind of pressure.”

“I could heal you.” She moaned when he rocked into her again. “You like that. I can smell your heat. Tell me that you want me.” She bit her lower lip until it bled and he licked her there. Dizzy with need, something that she’d never felt before, she did finally give in to what her body wanted and rocked into his. Her hands were suddenly up over her head, and she allowed him to kiss her throat. Just as he was licking her throat again, she felt his teeth sink deeply into her flesh. The climax took her breath away.

Waking in the bed again, this time she was alone in the room. However, instead of having the slip on again, she was dressed in her shorts and shirt. Getting up, careful this time of falling over from the dizziness, she held onto the furniture while she walked to the bathroom that she hoped was in the room’s other door. Getting in there, she looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked healthy. It had been a long time since she’d felt like she could work on her cars. But right now she was looking like she glowed a little. Washing up after using the toilet, she really looked at herself in the mirror. The mark on her neck was the next thing she saw.

The two tiny puncture marks looked to be bite marks. She leaned in closer to the mirror and could see that she had indeed been bitten. By what, she didn’t know, but she was afraid. Leaving the bathroom, she went into the hall looking for York. How dare he bite her without her permission? Finding him in an office, she walked right up to him and slapped him hard across the face.