The door creaked open I hardly dare look up as the knot of fear in by stomach tighten to a new level.
“Comfort?” Lucas asked softly and as the old fear eased a new fear gripped me. Who was this man I had let into my bed, I didn’t really know him at all “Are you here? I’m sorry about that he’s gone now” I stood up slowly.
“Who the hell was that? What are you?” my voice was shaking.
“It is very hard to explain’ he sighed ‘I never wanted to drag you into this world; I knew it was a mistake”
“Well you have… dragged me in so try and explain” I answered my fear now turning into anger.
“Okay, come on we will both need a drink” he answered taking my hand, I pulled it away; I didn’t know this man and I didn’t want him touching me. As I walked behind him down the stairs the anger melted away as I saw the extent of his injuries from the fight.
“Take your top off” I ordered as we got downstairs trying to keep my voice firm.
“Excuse me?” he answered.
“Your bleeding let me take a look at your injuries” I responded.
“I’ll be fine” he said looking down at his shirt “I’m a quick healer”
“I was a nurse, just let me have a look…. please” I sniffed as a new batch of tears sprung from my eyes, he looked into my eyes for the first time since the fight and slid his shirt off letting in drop on to the floor. He sat down on a low chair so I could look him over; he began to explain.
“I am truly sorry for scaring you and I will leave when I have explained if that is what you want, I should have never endangered you like this in the first place” he sighed with regret in his voice “That was Bailey, he is a mark, a very dangerous mark, I have been tracking him for a year now. Although this is the first time he has come to me obviously intrigued by what I found so fascinating about this bar. And he found you I’m so s…”
“Lucas don’t apologise again, just tell me what you’re talking about a mark, tracking, what do you do?” I asked gently as I cleaned the smaller cuts over his shoulders and back, my anger and fear had completely faded replaced with concern and love, and now I was sure I loved this man.
“Oh sorry, I am a sort of bounty hunter, or at least that is the best analogy I can think of and Bailey is the reason I came to Manchester and why I first came into the bar. I had heard he was around this area and I know he likes to creep around in small bars. Then, then I met you” he sighed “I was spellbound, even after I heard he had left Manchester I stayed, it was irresponsible and reckless” he looked at me as I moved round clean the wounds on his chest, he put his hands gently on either side of my face but I didn’t pull away I just stayed where I was and smiled at him.
After a few minutes I said “Most of your cuts are superficial but I need to finish cleaning you up’ I laughed ‘Oh I don’t want you to leave over this.”
“I wish that was everything but unfortunately….”
“Shhh baby I don’t need to know tonight and I will never ask you to leave, I promise” I smiled and kissed his chest. He flinched as I felt down his ribs.
“Sorry, I think you’ve got a couple of cracked ribs, we should go to the hospital to get them checked out.”
Lucas stiffened “I cannot go to the hospital.”
“Why not? You won’t have to tell them what happened, just need an x-ray and maybe to get a couple of these cuts stitched up” I replied.
“You can stitch the cuts and my ribs will heal fine” he responded quickly.
“I haven’t sutured a wound in a long time and I don’t have any anaesthetic or anything.”
“I can take the pain and just use a normal needle and thread” he answered.
“Lucas don’t be stupid, tell me why you won’t go to the hospital please” I responded frustrated.
He sighed again “Okay sit down and I’ll explain” he said picking me up and placing me on the seat he was sat in “the reason I cannot go to the hospital is that I am not human” I started to laugh what he was saying sounded so ridiculous “Do not laugh I am being perfectly serious.”
“What are you then if you are not human?” I asked still chuckling.
“Do you remember Bailey saying that he would love to see your face when I told you what I am? Well he meant when I told you that I am a vampire” He looked at me, the disbelief in my eyes “do you want me to show you?” I nodded unable to speak. In a blink of the eye he was across the room behind the bar smiling at me, my mouth fell open, and then he was back kneeling in front of me.
“How, how did you do that?” I stuttered.
“It is the vampire blood, it means I can run very fast, my senses are incredibly acute, I am extremely strong and I can do this…” he opened his mouth displaying his teeth. All of a sudden his canines grew to three times the length of normal, this was too much and I fainted.
The room was spinning as my eyes struggled to open. I was laying on the sofa, Lucas must of carried my up here after I had fainted. I tried to sit up but this made the room spin even more and nausea rose in my throat.
‘Lucas’ I whispered but there was no response. I looked around the room best I could from my position but he was no where to be seen, all I saw was a note on the table in front of me next to a fresh scotch.
Comfort,
as I promised I have left. I knew this would be to much for you to handle. It was selfish and wrong of me to have dragged you into this dark world. For what it is worth I was considering telling you, unfortunately Bailey forced my hand and you insisted on knowing everything. To leave you breaks my heart but to endangered you as I will if I stayed with you is unacceptable. I am sorry.
I will carry you in my heart for as long as I live,
Lucas
The nausea rose in my throat again, I managed to calm it with the whiskey but when I remembered where it had come from I retched for real this time. I stayed up long into the early hours of the morning reading and re-reading the note he had left. At times I cried over it and others a screwed it up in anger. I was a wreck, not knowing what I thought or felt from one moment to the next.
When I finally fell into bed I didn’t get very much sleep, too many questions floated around my head and I could smell him on my sheets. When I did manage to fall asleep I would wake with a start from the nightmares about being stalked down dark allies. When I awoke I looked for comfort but never found it. Although I hated to admit it I wanted to know where he was and what he was feeling.
The sun crept through the curtains and finally my fitful night was over but the my questions still were unanswered as I didn't know when or even if Lucas would return. The following weeks were was just as bad, every time I heard a voice in the street or a floorboard creak my stomach tied itself in knots thinking it was him.
“Are you okay Comfort? You look terrible” asked one of my regulars about a month after the fight.
“Yes thank you sweetie, just had a bad day.” I smiled back.
“Any chance your waiting for someone? You've been watching that door like a hawk for weeks.”
I laughed “Yes, keep thinking that Lucas will come back.”
“Lucas is that the guy who used to come in, sit in the same spot every night and drink whiskey?” He asked.
“Yep that's the guy.” I replied.
“He gave me the creeps, something just wasn't quite right” He said making me laugh, he didn't know the half of it “I just hope you were careful around him, because we all know there was something going on.”
This made me laugh even more “Oh did you now, I thought that I kept that a secret quite well.”
“Nope we all knew for weeks,” Chipped someone else “you never were good at keeping secrets.”
“I should bar you all for being cheeky.” I replied midst fits of laughter.
“Aye and then you'd not have any customers.” Was the reply.
“Well you don't have to worry about me any more, I doubt we will be seeing him again.”
The door creaked open and there Lucas stood shrouded in light. A hush fell across the bar as took his normal seat. 'Hi' was the only thing I could say as it was taking all the strength I had not to faint.
“Good evening” Lucas smiled wearing down my resolve to stay on my feet “how have you been? You look tired,”
“I haven't been sleeping very well.” I replied trying to keep my voice even.
“I could do with a drink. A scotch would be lovely.” Lucas replied. Still trying to remain composed I fetched him his drink. The night continued quietly, there was the odd hushed conversation and quiet joke but the atmosphere had changed the moment Lucas walked in bar. Eventually as the night wore on my costumers left and it was just me and Lucas left sat nursing drinks in a silent bar. Just as we had done on that first night, the night we met.
“Are you okay my love?” Lucas asked after we had been sat in silence for 15 minutes.
“Yes I'm fine and I don't think you have the right to call me love any more.” I smiled tightly because I was realising that I was so happy and relieved to see him and I couldn't dream of being without again him but at the same time he scared me. I was so scared by what he was and what I knew about him, but more so I was scared by what I didn't know about him.
“I scare you' he sighed 'I knew this would happen I should not have returned.”
“Is that another one of your vampire senses then? ESP?” I asked in a harsher voice than I had expected. Lucas simply laughed and said “no Comfort that is love, I can see it in your eyes. There has always been an element of fear there although in the beginning you didn't know why I scared you so and I think there always will be fear there. But now it is much clearer and has replaced the laughter I normally see.'”
“Well what do you expect from me Lucas? You tell me you are a bounty hunter and I accepted that, we get attacked but I believed you will protect me so I tried to forget my fear and then you drop on me that you are a vampire and disappear leaving a pathetic, cowardly note and now your surprised I'm scared,” I sighed with tears in my eyes “Our whole lives we are taught that things that come out of the darkness are bad and we should fear them. But here I am, completely and utterly crazy about a someone who all the sense in the world says is straight out of a nightmare and that person seems to want to tell me as little as possible about themselves. You see now that scares me more than anything. It makes me wonder what is so horrifying that you need to protect me from it no matter what that means to me!” I exclaimed the tears streaming down my face giving away more than I wanted to. Lucas just stood there and watched me for a few minutes before he stepped forward and took me in his arms. We stood like that for about 10 minutes in silence hearing only each others breathing and heartbeat before Lucas sighed and said “Okay, what do you want to know? I will answer all your questions honestly and truthfully.”
