Chapter 10

Richie brushed his lips across hers as they came down, the feeling his of teeth receding back, took him by surprise as he laid his head on her chest. As he caught his breath, questions began to circle in his mind. Was what she said true? How was it going to change his life? What could he do if it was true? God vampires couldn’t go out in the sun, was he gonna burst into flame? How could he go forward; would it possibly change his life forever, along with that was the question of the connection he felt so intensely with her that he'd never had before with anyone else.

She languidly ran a hand over his back then up into his sweaty hair, a relaxed smile on her lips. "Why do I get the feeling you're feeling more settled now?"

Richie looked up her and smiled "I am, its a weird feeling, I feel completely relaxed and centered" his head returning to its position. Confusion still seeped into his mind slowly but he knew he'd have to wait to find out more.

An easy gentle laugh whispered over her lips, as a strange understanding flitted around the edges of her mind. "Go ahead, ask."

Richie chuckled "Mahrime? Dead? what does that all mean?"

She shook her head, "I'm Romany, you know what that is right?"

"Um no, I know nothing at all" he admitted.

Her giggle tinkled in the room, "Gypsy, you know like you see in the movies, I’m Romany, its sort of like being French or Italian or well like that. The word mahrime is a gypsy word meaning unclean, just like shilmulo means vampire. In our culture it is wrong to have anything to do with the unclean or undead."

She sighed her hand sliding under his cheek to lift his head so she could gaze into his eyes. "But you aren't dead, and although you seem to be like a vampire you have a heart beat. I'm not sure, what to think. I really don’t."

"Wow,” He tried for a bit of humor first, “Man I take a shower every day, twice when in concert, I ain’t unclean.” When that had her smiling he settled in further and let the talk go back to being serious. ”I had no idea about the vampire thing, still not sure I AM one to be honest. What about all the dreams, you had the dreams too right?"

She smiled as he shifted to his back and pulled her on top of him. Propping her elbows on his chest she mused quietly. "I did, and although I have dreams a lot, although I've seen a lot of things, I have never experienced that before. I can't explain it too you. Maybe... it was simply meant for me to tell you what you were. You really didn't know did you?"

He shook his head “I had no idea, and these sort of cravings and things hadve only just started happening, maybe you were meant to tell me. Is Mic the same as you?"

She shook her head, "No, she's Romany yes, but our abilities are different." She lay her head on his chest, reassured by the steady thump thump of his heart. "You defy all the things I know."

"Well that makes two of us darlin" he said as his arm crooked around her shoulders to hold her closer to him.

He silently tried to take everything in, he knew he'd have to tell Jon this at some point, but how did he tell him?

"Its sorta odd though." She traced his lips with her finger, "I always thought it would hurt, the getting bitten that is."

"I’m surprised it didn't, I can't help it, its almost like a point I cant control it" he admitted.

She whispered into his chest, "It didn't hurt, it felt good, like an orgasm. Damn if you didn't know that, if you weren't controlling it, God, what would happen if you could?" Bright green eyes looked up, "If you learn .." She shivered at the thought of how lethal his lovemaking might be with just that control.

He laughed "Well who knows darlin, who knows" his mind began to wander down the path as he decided just maybe he needed to figure out the control issue.

She rubbed her cheek along his chest a moment as she thought over what she knew. "Richie?"

"Yes?" he asked softly.

"How do you eat with the teeth? I mean," She huffed out a soft sigh, "Do they stay long like that?"

Richie snorted softly "I eat fine with them, they only tend to come out during moments of intense feeling or when I feel the need to, well feed or bite, I guess. I’m going to have to work out what my triggers are."

"Might be a wise idea." She wiggled up and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "I should be scared to death of you, but I'm not."

He smiled "Well if it helps I would never intentionally to hurt you darlin"

Two slender hands cupped his face as silken hair whispered over tanned skin, "Aren’t ya glad nibbling feels good then?"

He leaned in and kissed her "Absolutely" as he rolled closer, burying his face into her sandy blond hair. "Gia?"

She curled into his chest, her eyes fluttering open to see his worried look. "Hmmmm?"

His arm trailed down her soft skin. "What does this mean for me? Like will I kill someone, or what if I do it accidentally if the need becomes too much and there isn’t someone as understanding like you around" his mind catapulted into the scenarios. "Will I die if I don’t feed?" he asked quietly.

Gia’s soft voice held a bare hint of a sigh, "I don't know much about Shilmulo, errr vampire's Richie, and what little I know doesn’t match up to things I’ve seen in you.” Her smile was sweet as she reassured him as best she could. “I don’t think you’d kill anyone simply because you already worry about it, I think you’d be careful.” She pressed a kiss to his chest and snuggled closer, her hand gently rubbing his back. “You’ll see, it will be ok.”

Richie nodded unconvincingly. "What if I go mad and kill all my band mates?" he tried to joke, but the joke fell a little flat.

"What if you don't? I bet they've made you crazy enough to before and they're still alive right? I don't feel that inside of you. You're not a killer, being what you are wont change WHO you are at the core." She reached up her finger brushing along his cheek. "You're not evil enough to kill," she couldn’t tell him how she knew that, hell she wasn’t sure how she knew it herself other than the fact none of her protective charms had hurt him. She just KNEW he wouldn’t and it lent confidence to her words.

He smiled as he listened to her encouraging words, the urge to simple taste her causing him to lick along her finger. "Do you know where I can find out more about to what I am? I mean do they have books?"

She shook her head and laughed, "I honestly don't know, I mean sure there’s probably lots of books, lots of movies, but doubt you can trust that." She sighed and buried her nose into his neck as she muttered, "I can't even rely on the knowledge of my people, its so obviously wrong."

As he felt her skin so close to his again, it set fire to that indefinable something again, that suddenly familiar feeling he was coming to know. This time, it was the desire more than the need that drove him as his lips brushed against her cheek, he moved a little so he had better access. "Gia" he breathed out on a groan, his voice shallow as he trailed his mouth down along her jaw line and onto her neck. He rubbed lightly against her jugular, feeling the supple softness against his cheek combined with the dizzying pulse he could both feel and hear. He growled as his fangs began to slowly lengthen, his hands trailing down her body as he started cupping her breasts gently. With the softest sigh he pierced her skin ever so slightly before clamping down.

A quiet moan whispered through her as languid fire stole through her veins, she curled tighter too him, her hands coasting over hard muscular plains. She could feel the pull of his lips, felt her essence rocketing towards some secret place that held only him and the heated desire as he murmured against her neck.

His hands intensified the sensation as she began to rock against his length, her hands unable to still as her soul reached out to him through the openings he teased with fang and tongue. "Jesus....."

Drawing the sweet warm blood onto his tongue, the taste so new and sinfully delicious to him, he knew he could of gone on all night but a part of him was vibrantly aware of her weakening state. Pulling away he lavished his tongue across her wound to stem the bleeding. He looked up at her his eyes content, "I gotta stop doing that or you will have nothing left darlin" his lips met hers gently in a kiss.

Glassy dazed eyes smiled as she snuggled into his heat as her body throbbed with unresolved sensation. "Might want to leave me a pint or two yeah." She managed a wink before stretching against him slowly, "although I probably wouldn't complain."

Richie slid his generous hands across hr hips and past down her thighs, his fingertips teasing her skin, the heat from her was radiating, and he could feel it on his fingers, and sure enough her skin was slick with sex. His eyes widened as he took in the scent of her, undeniably he could smell her fresh juices, he’d done this from just a bite? Holy fuck…..