Footsteps echoed in the concrete tomb as she followed the stranger up the steps and into the darkness.
Why can I only hear mine? She wondered as she ran a hand along the rough wall due to the blackness being all consuming. She walked into something hard and warm, squeaking at the surprise before she realised it was him.
“Vanadine,” he said.
“What?” Carine asked in confusion.
“My name,” he mumbled. “It’s Vanadine.”
“Oh, pleased to meet you,” she said, hearing the tremble in her own voice. “I’m Carine,” she added. “Um, where are we?”
“Inside a derelict hospital or clinic,” Vanadine stated the obvious.
“Yeah…” Carine said. “But where are we in relation to the exit?”
“Not far,” Vanadine said, his voice devoid of any inflection or emotion. “Follow me,” he told her.
“Well I would but I can’t see anything,” Carine said, inhaling the warm scent that wafted from him.
A mix of the clothing he wore and something undefinable she was drawn to on a primitive level, Carine smelled no artificial scents, no aftershave or deodorant. This was his natural smell and she revelled in it, taking strength and courage from it as well as his proximity. Something warm but rough took her hand gently and pulled her forwards. Carine followed blindly, letting Vanadine guide her.
This hand nearly choked a man to death! She thought. Even so she refused to let go, somehow knowing Vanadine was not about to hurt her in any way.
Bastards deserved what they got. A savage part of her mind said. What would they have done if Vanadine hadn’t turned up?
Carine had had an excellent idea what was going to happen with Hann and Glenn. Eventually her corpse, battered and abused, would have been found in a river or dumped on some patch of waste ground.
A minute later Carine saw the paler outline of the doorway leading outside and rushed forwards, desperate to escape. Even so she did not release Vanadine’s hand but he sped up to allow her to get to freedom.
Relief washed through her at being outside, away from the concrete tomb she had nearly died in and the thoughts of what might have happened mixed with the adrenaline and endorphins in her bloodstream bringing tears to her eyes. Her knees buckled and she collapsed, kneeling in the dirt and filth outside the building. Strong arms wrapped around her, hauling her to her feet where she stared up into Vanadine’s face.
Closer she could see he was incredibly beautiful, not handsome in a traditional sense but beautiful like a member of a K-Pop band. Smooth skin pulled over a square jaw with just a hint of stubble. A straight nose flared gently above a mouth with dark red lips that were quite full and plump.
I wonder what they taste like?
Where did that come from? Carine wondered. Almost raped and murdered and you’re thinking about this guy’s lips?
His dark eyes regarded her in turn but the light was not bright enough to see them fully and all she could make out were twin points of reflected light. She leaned forward, trying to get a better look but he held her shoulders, keeping her from him.
“We should get you away from here,” he said gently, leading her towards the fence and out into the alleyway.
Vanadine headed along through the piles of rubbish and trash, his footing sure and steady as he went, while Carine stumbled and tripped over obstacles she could not see.
Who is this guy? How is it he’s so strong? She wondered, recalling him lifting Hann from his feet and holding him in the air for at least a minute. And at arm’s length! She remembered Hann’s legs kicking futilely at the air. It’s as if he can see in the dark too. How is any of this possible?
Approaching the end of the alley Carine saw the trash piles lessen and found the footing easier. When she reached the end, she stepped out into the street light, grateful to be able to see fully. Vanadine remained in the darkness and she turned, hoping to get a better view of his eyes. Yet with his head down to look at her, they remained dark and Carine felt a sadness wash over her as she realised he was just going to leave her there. She looked down at her ripped clothing and the filth she was covered in before looking up at him with pleading eyes.
“You’re going aren’t you?” She asked in a small voice.
“I have to, Carine,” he said, her name sounding exotic in his mouth. “I’m...not a good man,” he added as if the words caused him pain.
“I heard somewhere that if you save a life, you’re responsible for it,” Carine said, trying desperately to get him to stay. “And how can you not be a good man?” She went on. “You saved me from those two.”
“You were there, I almost choked a man to death,” Vanadine said. “If not for your plea I would have murdered him and thought nothing of it,” he added. “Forget me, Carine. For your own safety put me from your mind.”
But I don’t want to! Carine wailed in her mind.
“You should go to the police,” he advised. “Report this and they can come get those animals, lock them up and the world might just be a little safer.”
“You’ll get into trouble for...Hann,” Carine said.
Vanadine shook his head.
“They’ll never find me,” he stated as a matter of fact as if confident it was true.
“But…” Carine began.
“No,” his voice cracked in the darkness. “This has to be the end of it, for your safety.”
Carefully Vanadine draped his long coat over her shoulders, the mass of cloth enfolding her and warming her with his body heat trapped in the fibres. He pulled it closed at the front, covering her nudity.
“So am I ever going to see you again?” Carine asked as she pulled his coat tightly about her.
Carine turned to look at him but Vanadine had vanished.
Sickened by his loss of control in the hospital cellar, Vanadine swept through the night towards one of the thins, an area where his world met the human world. There were a few such places he knew of but the closest was in a park a mile or so away. Few people were out at this hour so he risked taking the streets, running along at an inhuman pace and pausing as soon as he saw someone. He hopped over the fence and headed into the darkness again, taking comfort and solace in the shadows.Tearing himself away from Carine had been the hardest thing he had been forced to do in years and Vanadine was surprised at the hollow that grew in his chest when he thought of her face.So small and helpless. He thought. Maybe I should go and see if she is all right.No! another part of his snapped. You know what you are and that is a threat to her. Stay away, stick to the shadows and remain alone for her sake.Vanadine knew his conscience was correct. Carine would be at risk if he was near her and stay
Returning home she had showered and changed, throwing her torn and ruined clothes away but keeping Vanadine’s coat. She examined it, finding nothing in the pockets and not even a label to say where it had been made. Yet she could tell from the weave and stitching it was a quality garment and probably expensive. With Laura still out, Carine lay on her bed and covered herself with the coat, trying to get some sleep. Yet despite the comfort and safety she gained from his scent surrounding her and the soft touch of the cloth, every time she closed her eyes all she saw was the grinning, leering faces of Glenn and Hann, ready to grab her again.She woke with a start, a scream on her lips as something grabbed her leg. Thrashing and fighting against the bedclothes and coat, she kicked and grunted, mewling sounds escaping her throat as she tried to escape. When her eyes opened and she saw the lamp beside her bed was on, she looked down to see the bed was undisturbed and the coat lay over her l
Muscles straining against the invisible bonds that rooted him in place, Vanadine felt the darkness begin to creep in. Anger and rage at his captivity seemed to develop thoughts of their own, driving him to lash out and maim.Who does this mongrel halfbreed think she is to bind us like this? Burn her alive! Tear out her heart! Kill this bitch in the worst of ways and let all know we are not to be challenged.Vanadine closed his eyes, concentrating on his human side, embracing the lighter, more forgiving aspect of his psyche.This is why you can never be with someone like Carine. His mind said. One slip and she would be dead. One tiny misstep and you would be watching her life force drain out onto the ground.Thoughts of Carine, her beauty and vulnerability, pushed the darkness aside a little and his thinking cleared as he watched the twisted horror of his former friend come into view before him.“I will have you, Vanadine, willingly or under duress but either way you will be mine!”The
Knees up, with arms wrapped around them and her head buried in those, Carine had her back to the door as she sobbed.I’ve fucked it now! She berated herself. And I took it out on Paul. He’s not the type to rape and assault so why did I shout at him?“Uh...Carine?” A voice came through the door. “It’s Laura, can I come in? Are you all right?”No. I’m not all right. What do you think, I screamed at him for fun?Despite feeling safe, cocooned inside the office, Carine knew she could not stay there forever and would have to emerge at some point. Slowly she dragged herself up and peered through the glass panel in the door. Only Laura stood there and she was grateful no one else was rubbernecking behind her. She opened it a fraction before retreating like the abused dog had done earlier.Laura entered and shut the door again, turning to look at Carine.“Don’t,” Carine muttered as she wiped her eyes.“Don’t what?” Laura asked, puzzled.“Don’t look at me with that face,” Carine said.“Okay, t
Stay away from her! His mind shouted as thoughts of Carine ran through him again.He had been in a world of pain and loss for a week, unable to concentrate on anything and with his already lonely existence, staying away from Carine was a torture he could no longer bear.I will just watch from afar. He told himself. No contact but I can at least see her, make sure she is safe.You are lying to yourself. Another part of him said. You will not be able to stay away once you see her.It was galling, Vanadine admitted to himself, that he felt so drawn to Carine. It had never happened before even though his human side was at the front of his personality. Maybe he had never let it happen before or maybe he was just so lonely his need for some kind of contact was overriding his common sense.I will forget her. He assured himself. I will keep clear for her own sake.Half an hour later Vanadine sat before a computer. It was an older model as the small office was part of a taxi company that was o
Guilt and misery had flooded her chest when Carine had tried to speak to Paul earlier that day. He had looked hurt and angry when she had gone to find him, cleaning the kennels outside.“Paul, I…”“Let’s just keep this professional, shall we?” He had said in a dead tone. “You made things perfectly clear yesterday. So you do your thing and I’ll do mine. Now if you don’t mind I’ve got loads of shit to clear up!”With that he had turned his back as Lucy and Brinn had pretended not to hear, the two girls harnessing several dogs each ready for their daily walk.Carine had left them, heading for the main building and the toilet where she had sobbed at hurting him and saying what she had. Paul was gentle and kind, even if she was not attracted to and did not have feelings for him. He had been a friend for a long time and they still had to work together. This was going to be awkward for a long time and not just for her, everyone would be able to feel the tension.Unless I leave. The thought t
Perched atop the roof of the Daniel Colefax rescue centre, his dark outline melding seamlessly with the night around him, Vanadine peered carefully in through the roof light, the slanted window offering him a view of the interior.Carine sat hunched over some paperwork she was writing something on, moving the occasional sheet to another stack. One hand braced her head, her delicate fingers cupping her chin as her ringlets of hair hung down like a curtain. Vanadine felt a smile cross his face as he saw her tapping one finger on her cheek occasionally as she concentrated. The sounds of some evening radio show filtered up to his sensitive ears. One of the dogs barked, setting off a flurry of yaps and barks that dissipated into the darkness. His eyes drifted to the back of her chair where he saw she had hung his coat and feeling of needy warmth spread through him at the thought of her small frame wrapped in his old coat.Desire crashed through Vanadine as he watched her processing the mun
Huddled in the toilet, Carine braced the door with her back as she relived the event that had forced her to hide here.In the middle of assessing some applicants who wanted to adopt dogs she had stretched, her aching back.Poor posture. She had thought.The face that had been staring down at her from the roof had terrified her, her intestines going cold as they seized up. Fingers of ice had trailed down the inside of her ribs, clamping around her heart and squeezing until she thought it would stop. Without looking again she had bolted for the toilet, slamming the door and locking it before sliding down it and hugging her knees.It’s Hann or Glenn come to finish the job! Her mind screamed.It can’t be. A more rational part told her. They don’t know where you work and Vanadine made sure they were out of action for a long time. How would they even get up there? You imagined it because of the stress and being here alone at night.Despite the soothing words her mind offered, Carine knew sh