Her First Thirst: Bound By Blood, #1

By M J Rutter

When I open my eyes, I know only one thing, I can't remember anything. Not who I am, or where I am from, I don't even know how I got here, wherever here is.

A warm voice in the dark reaches out a hand, a hand that is cool to the touch, but soft and smooth, almost like porcelain. Saul, soft spoken, almost regal in demeaner, he saved my life, if that is what you can call it. I learn of how I came to be here, to have needed to be saved and I meet the gorgeous Demitri, broad, muscular and eyes of violet, my two saviors, I wonder what they will want from me, I wonder what I will have to do, but the only thing consuming me is a burning ache inside, the only thing that makes my skin feel tight and as if there are insects running around under it, is this uncontrollable, excruciating thirst.

Demitri holds out a steaming glass, the scent makes my mouth salivate and as I take it from him, he smiles,
"Drink," he says, and I do.

The world is far from everything I believed, filled with creatures of the night and monsters who leave you for dead. Saul and Demi want me to embrace my new life, they want me to let go of my past, but before I can do that, I need to know what past I am leaving behind.

The first in the new series Bound By Blood, Saul and Demitri bring Gina into a lavish world where money means nothing and if you want anything, you only have to ask. A world where she will soon discover the true extent of the actions of someone she once trusted. A world where everything is at her fingertips, including these incredible Vampires.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M J Rutter
• Release date: Jan 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386314882

Book preview

One

Bleed

As soon as my eyes open, I know I am different, my body feels hollow. I breathe in swiftly, but the air goes nowhere. It is as if my internal organs are gone, been removed. I lay on the hard floor and though it feels cold, I am not shivering. Numb, that is how I feel.

I can’t remember my name, what the hell is my name and where in the world am I?

I want to get up, though I feel empty, I also feel heavy. Then it strikes me, am I a girl or a boy, how old am I, how long have I been here? Wherever here is. I open my eyes and look around. The walls are dark, as I scan across them, then I gasp, there is a door and if there is a door, someone put me here.

But who?

Do they know who I am?

Will they tell me?

I push myself up with my hands, I am not as weak as I first feared as my legs, though heavy and lethargic, pull me to an upright position almost instantly. I know it’s dark, I can see its dark, but I can see perfectly, I can see every brick in the wall. I look at my hands, if I am a boy then I have tiny girl hands, with long fingernails.

Someone is outside, I race to the door,

Hello? I call out, my voice echoes and feeling the door press against my body, I now know I am female. Is there someone there? I ask.

So, you are awake. A smug sounding voice replies from the shadows, Demitri, go and get him. I hear footsteps, still, I see no one. I can taste a sweet perfume on my tongue and wonder if its mine. Stand back, he says, afraid, I move out of the way, pinning my back against the wall.

A tall man, dressed in dark clothes, lowers his head as he steps inside. Behind him, two more men, one has lighter hair, the wall light outside of the door, reflects off the top of his head, the other is as black as night with wide, bright eyes also reflecting in the light and is wearing a hat. The tall man scans his warm looking eyes over me, though I am hiding in the shadows, his demeanor is making me feel inferior.

You don’t have to be afraid, Georgina, you are perfectly safe. He says smoothly, and a torch is lit, the room illuminates. He is striking, I am amazed at how gorgeous he is. I am Saul Haas, and this is Demitri Ivanovitz and Charles Fox.

How do you know my name? I ask glaring at each of them, he smiles warmly.

We rescued you, he answers. I am afraid the world isn’t as it appears, and you, my dear, were food for someone.

That still doesn’t tell me how you come to know my name, when I can’t remember anything. I retort. He gives a sideways glance at each of them.

Come with me, I will explain all. I am not sure if I should go, these men could be crazy, right? But then I can’t remember my own name and they seem to have answers. I move away from the wall and walk towards him. You must be starved, we’ll fix that for you. He adds as we walk the long, torch-lit corridor. So, I am a girl and my name’s Georgina, it’s a bit of a mouthful, surely, I am just Gina or Georgie, something shorter at least.

We climb some steps and the light burns at my eyes, I hide them with my hands until I can bear its brightness. When my eyes finally come into focus, I gaze around. The hallway is large with a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling above a grand staircase. On the walls hang many portraits and paintings, but furniture is scarce with only a telephone table and a vase holding flowers sitting by a huge wooden door.

I am led into a room which looks like an office. On the desk sits a computer and around the room there are many bookcases and shelves over filled with books and ornaments, every shelf is crammed up.

Have a seat, my dear, he says, I sit in front of the desk and he turns to me. In the warm light of his office I can see that he is beautiful, I mean, he should be in movies his skin is so perfect. Not a mark or a blemish or anything, just a subtle, thin looking beard along his square jaw, piercing his pale skin. He smiles as I study his face and it embarrasses me slightly. His hair is so dark, and his thin lips, a shade of purple, though it’s not weird, it’s attractive, in a way. Five days ago, whilst on our usual scout around the Boston area, we came across a screaming girl who was being attacked by a group of...uh...anyway, Demi and I stopped the attack and we brought you here.

Was I um, was I being uh, you know, raped? I ask.

No, not exactly. Georgina, do you remember anything from your life at all?

No, nothing, I shrug.   

Nothing about the attack either, what happened before? he frowns.

Sorry, I shrug again. How do you know my name? I ask again. He sighs as he opens a drawer and places a black purse on the table. Is that mine?

They uh, they threw it down on the ground beside you before running away. We had to check, of course. Inside is a wallet with a driver’s license and a few bank cards. Your name is Georgina Hicks and you are from Detroit, you are twenty-three years old and we have no idea of how you came to be here in Boston or anything, we were hoping you might remember something.

No, have you tried the address on the license?

Yes. You have no family in Detroit, you lived alone without even a pet. Your neighbor doesn’t even remember you, so we are at a loss as to who you are. He stands from the chair and moves around the desk, perching on it just in front of me. What I must tell you is going to be upsetting, you have to understand we either allowed this to happen or allowed you to die. Demi pleaded with me to save you and I did, only that comes at a price, I am afraid.

Is Demi your son? I ask.

He smiles slightly, I suppose, yes, he is like a son. He then frowns. Georgina, do you believe in fantasy stories?

You mean like, science fiction? I ask.

I mean, creatures of the night, that’s sort of thing.

What is going on? I ask, panicking, Why can’t I feel my heart beating? I am scared shitless and yet I can’t feel my heart thudding.

Your heart no longer beats to keep you alive, he replies.

So, am I dead? I could be, this could be hell, sure feels like it could be.

I just told you I had to save your life, you are not dead, you cannot die. I suck in another anxious breath that is useless, it whistles down my throat, I have no saliva to swallow and my throat is on fire. In order to save your life, I had to give you some of my blood. You were already starting the process of changing and there wasn’t a lot I could do about it, except allow it to continue or end your life. By giving you my blood, I saved you from dying and gave you enough strength to survive the transformation. I saw this in a movie, or maybe read it in a book, I know what he means now, though I never believed it to be true. Sweetheart, you are now a vampire.

You are joking, right? I scoff, he must be, they aren’t real, but then I had no heart, no pulse, I didn’t feel the cold of the dungeon or the warmth of his office. I lift my arm in front of me, my skin is pale, not as pale as Saul, he is almost lavender, but I am pale, and I don’t know why I can’t even remember my shoe size. So, my throat, it’s on fire is that the uh... is that because I need blood?

Yes, the thirst is unbearable at first, but you will learn to control it and we don’t eat all of the time, we can go weeks in between feeds.

Is Demi a um, you know?

Yes, he is, Charles is also, so, now you know, do you have any questions?

Will I have to kill people?

No, you can feed and not kill them, but you have to know when to stop, when the blood lust takes over your head, nothing will stop you in time. He stands from his desk. I am happy for you to be here with us, we will help you over the coming months. You will be treated as a member of our family and at the end of it, you are free to go whenever you choose, he walks towards the door. Let me get you something to eat and you will feel a lot better, you may even remember something about your life. He leaves the room and I sit there. Staring at my purse, I pull it towards me and search through it. Inside I find that sweet perfume I could taste, a pack of Winter Fresh chewing gum, a lipstick, and my wallet. I snap it open and gaze at my picture.

I am ordinary looking, I have wavy auburn hair that rests on my shoulders, though I am sure it’s dyed, brown eyes and a pale complexion. My lips are thin, and I have a dimple at the right side of my mouth. I study the address 1432 Apartment 10, Greenwich Avenue, Detroit, MI. My birthday catches me next, June 12th, 1990. I have no idea of the month or year we are in. But of course, I won’t turn any older. I will stay the same age forever.

As I place my wallet back inside my purse, I notice a pocket on the inside. I pull the zip across and find a piece of paper, across it is scribbled, Charles DeLuca, 555 2020. The door opens, and Saul enters the room followed by Demi, he is carrying a tray, and on the tray sits a glass and a blood bag. I gulp nervously.

Did you see this? I ask showing them the paper.

We didn’t like to search right through your purse, Demi smiles warmly. He is also very good looking, about my age, with dusty blond hair and blue eyes they are more violet in color. Now, this has been warmed, trust me from personal experience, it is better warm. He pours some of the contents of the blood bag into the glass and then hands it to me. I am not sure I can do this, drink blood. I close my eyes as I wave the glass under my nose, hoping the aroma will kick in and I’ll down it in one go, but nothing, it’s smells like metal and I don’t think I can do it.

Saul places his cool hand on my arm, When you are thirsty, nothing else matters, the thirst consumes you, it becomes all you can think of. If you drink that now, I can introduce you to the others, but I can’t if you are thirsty in case you attack them.

But if I don’t drink this, can I go back to being a human, you know, like in the movies?

No, he sighs and flashes his honey toned eyes at Demi.

I doubt Saul has told you of the many benefits that you will have now, like never getting tired, never needing the bathroom, or the fact that we can run faster than the wind, his eyes sparkle with excitement. I love this life, I am fit and strong and I will never die, neither will you, but you have to feed, Gina, I snap my eyes to meet his. Sorry, I think it suits you better. I take another wasted breath and put the glass to my lips, my mouth now waters, I am overcome with this sudden thirst, raging at my throat. I tip the warm blood towards my lips and allow some of it to seep into my mouth. As soon as it touches my tongue, the fire is eased slightly, though I want more, I need more. I gulp down the glass, emptying every drop. I feel greedy, but I look at Demi,

Do you want some more? he asks, I nod slightly, and he smiles as he empties the rest of the blood bag into the glass.

After I finish eating, or rather, drinking, I stand from the chair. My once heavy legs now feel lighter than a balloon. Saul takes my hand and hands me a napkin, I wipe the blood from my lips, and he leads us out of his office. There is an older gentleman, in a black suit standing beside the stair case,

This is Patrick, he will take care of you, he points to a woman of about sixty, her hair is almost platinum, her eyes are an incredible shade of green and she has a warm, kind smile which I cannot help but return. Margaret will tend to your every need and I believe she went shopping so there are some clothes for you to change into. He turns to me, They are human, and they are not fast food or a snack, there is plenty of blood here. You do not need to feed on my staff, besides, I don’t even know if your fangs have come in yet. My hand moves instantly to my lips, fangs. I run my tongue over my teeth, and they all feel normal. But, he continues, that is my only rule here, you do not feed on my staff, ever. Understand? I nod, Now, I have some business to attend to, I shall be back around three, write down any questions you have, and I will answer them.

We can still go out in the sun? I ask. They all chuckle.

You really have read too many books and seen too many movies. He smiles and walks towards the door.

But do we...? I am not sure why I think that we would glisten like diamonds or catch on fire, but I do wonder.

No, we do not catch on fire and we most certainly do not sparkle, he smiles wryly and leaves. The door closes, and I turn to Demi.

I’ll show you to your room, you can take a shower and freshen up, I nod and follow him up the stairs.

He leads me to a door at the end of a forest green landing, its dark and I can smell incense, I can also taste a cologne in the air. Demi turns me and smiles,

I expect your senses are going wild at the moment, he says as he turns the brass door knob and pushes open the door.

I don’t like your aftershave, I tell him. He flashes a warm smile, it tastes terrible.

I’ll never where it again, he winks one of his beautiful eyes and steps back from the open door. You have your own bathroom, it’s the door on the right, there are clean towels in the closet. I took the liberty of checking your sizes and as you had no shoes on you when you were attacked, I guessed the size, there are some new clothes and shoes on the bed, I hope they fit. I breathe in harshly, I am not sure I am comfortable