Blood and Kisses

Chapter II

Aspen winced as she pulled the stake out of her flesh. She tossed it aside and pierced him with a glare. Maxwell is a tall guy, with dark hair and equally dark eyes. He had square jaws which give him a powerful impression. Well, he is indeed powerful and strong. Nagmula siya sa isa mga lumang angkan ng vampire hunters. His ancestors were the strongest and most respected of their kind.

"You are being reckless, Aspen." He drawled. She have always liked the sound of his deep voice. She could even feel it on her lady bits. God, if that didn't make her cringer. His voice sounded as if her was trying to seduce her and that made the hairs on the back of her neck stood on its end.

Don’t get too excited, lady vamp. Paalala niya sa sarili.

Ngumisi si Aspen—na siyang ginawa niyang paraan upang ikubli ang naramdamang pagnanasa sa lalaking kaharap—saka niya binalingan ang biktima niya na ngayon ay nakahalupasay sa sahig at tatawa tawa habang nakatingin sa kanila ni Maxwell. Lango pa ito sa lason na dala ng pagkagat niya. She crouched and pulled him up. Pabulong na kinausap niya ito habang nakatitig ng diretso sa mga mata nito hanggang sa tila isang masunuring bata na lumamlam ang mata nito at naglakad palayo.

"Alam mong hindi mo dapat siya pinaalis agad na nasa ganoong kalagayan pa ang pagiisip niya." Kontra ni Maxwell.

"What? Wala namang makakahalata." she shrugged and started to walk towards the opposite way her prey went.

Narinig niya ang pagtutol ni Maxwell pero hindi niya ito pinansin. Patuloy lang siyang naglakad habang pinapahiran ng kamay ang bibig niyang nakalatan ng dugo. She took a piece of cloth inside her jacket. It was a spare blouse. She always carry it around in case of troubles like this. She got rid of her jacket and old blouse, sighing as she go. She really liked that ensemble.

Aspen heard Maxwell clear his throat as she dressed herself. She glanced at him through her peripheral vision and saw him averting his eyes somewhere else. She smirked. As least now, she knew she was affecting him somehow.

Papadilim na at nagsisimula na siyang makaramdam ng lakas. Thanks to the young guy's blood. Matapos niyang magdamit ay muli na siyang naglakad palayo. Napangisi siya lalo nang maramdamang nakasunod parin si Maxwell sa kanya.

"Gusto mo ba talagang makuha ang atensyon ng mga vampire hunters, ha, Aspen?" he scolded. "Do you have a death wish?"

"No, Maxwell." sagot niya. Kung alam lamang nito na kung may vampire hunter man siyang kukunin ang atensyon ay ang dito ang kukunin niya. Too bad she couldn't say that out loud. Her steps faltered. "Will you please relax?"

"You know you are no match to them." she heard him say. "Mag isa ka na lang ngayon."

She felt that familiar sting right in the middle of her chest.  Tuluyan na siyang napahinto sa paglalakad. She doesn't want to be reminded of her reclusiveness. Not that she wanted that for herself. Saglit na sinupil ni Aspen ang daluyong ng sakit bago niya nilingon si Maxwell. He wore the same tormented expression she had earlier. Nangungulila rin itong tulad niya.

"She asked me to watch after you," tahimik at seryosong sabi nito. "Please don't make it hard for me to protect you."

Naikuyom ni Aspen ang mga palad. "I'm not doing anything, Maxwell!" Aspen couldn't stop herself from getting pissed. Everytime he uses that tone on her, it just hits her right through the nerve. He's treating her like a delinquent child who frequently needs his supervision. She's nearly two hundred years old and she's a lot older than him.

Because unlike her, Maxwell is not an immortal. He is almost thirty years old at mahigit tatlong taon na rin niyang tinitiis ang presensya nito.

Who are you kidding, Aspen?

She's attracted to Maxwell. Sometimes she even thinks she's in love with him. And Asoen knew it was wrong, in so many levels. Vampires are not allowed to have feelings for their hunters, like, that's so f****d up, right? They are supposed to kill each other, not try to screw each other. That's just how the world is.

Ngunit nakapangako si Maxwell kay Verena, ang creator niya, na hindi siya nito pababayaan. Now, Maxwell's lresence is just a painful and constant reminder of what she had lost and what she will never have. Umibig ito sa creator niya, isang pagibig na ipinagbabawal sa angkan ng mga vampire hunters. Verena was in love with a man whose sole purpose in life was to kill all vampires. Because why the hell not, right? Why not make things more complicated than it already is?

Ah, love! Ang pagibig na iyon ang naghatid kay Verena sa kanyang kamatayan.

Natuklasan ng mga kauri ni Maxwell ang bawal nilang pagiibigan. They went after them. Napatay ng mga ito si Verena habang siya naman at si Maxwell ay nakaligtas. He was lucky the hunter council didn't ask for his head. Which is up until this moment, puzzles Aspen.

Pero higit pa yata sa kamatayan ang naging sintensya sa kanya. Ang habambuhay na magdusa pa pagkawala ng pinakamamahal niya. Ang pagiibigan ng isang mortal at isang imortal ay mahigpit na ipinagbabawal dahil kapahamakan lamang ang dulot nito. Kapahamakan at matinding hinagpis. Dahil kailanman ay hindi maaaring magsama ang dalawang nilalang.

Not peacefully, at least.

Still, Aspen could not stop herself from falling to same trap Verena did. Like mother, like daughter, as the human saying goes. Though in this case, like creator, like newborn. She wanted him, but hated him at the same time. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit nawala si Verena sa kanya. Kung bakit mag isa na lang siya! At malungkot. Sobrang malungkot.

It was hard living through three years of emptiness. All her life, she only had Verena. Naging kasapi sila ng isang grupo ng bampira ngunit kailanman ay hindi siya nakadama ng anumang koneksyon sa mga ito. She only had that with her creator and she's been taken away from her, violently, to say the least. Hanggang ngayon apektado parin siya. Hanggang ngayon hindi parin siya makarecover mula sa pagkawala nito. Gaano katagal na panahon pa kaya ang kailangan niyang igugol sa kalungkutan na ito? Will she ever move on?

"What's the worse that low life could do?" tanong niya kay Maxwell. "He's drunk from my venom. No one would notice. He'll go straight to bed, sleep it off and wake up tomorrow and forget that this all happened. He wouldn't even recognize me, kung magkasalubong man kami sa daan."

"A hunter might see."

"That's highly unlikely," she grinned at him. "Considering your dwindling numbers these days." lumapit siya sa lalaki at inilapat ang kamay niya sa dibdib nito. "What are you doing here, Maxwell? I thought pupunta ka ng Egypt?"

Isang taon na ang nakakaraan nang huli niyang makita ito. They were still both hurting then, hindi sila pareho makatingin sa mata ng isa't isa nang hindi naaalala si Verena. It was so painful they decided to just part ways. But they still kept in contact. They were both bound by their promise to Verena afterall.

Mahinahong tinanggal ni Maxwell ang kamay niya. Napatiim bagang si Aspen at ibinaba na lamang ang kamay sa tagiliran niya. "Galing na 'ko dun, kababalik ko lang. I didn't know you'd be here in the metro, Aspen. The last I heard from you, you're staying in Visayas and then I lost you. You never called back."

Muling bumalik ang mapaglarong ngisi sa labi nya. "Nag-alala ka naman? Na-miss mo ba 'ko, Maxwell?"

"I made a promise to Verena." mataimtim na sabi niya.

"Ayan na naman 'yang pangako na 'yan! Punyeta!" bayolenteng ibinagsak niya ang kamay niya. "If you keep showing up wherever I went just to remind me of that, don't show up anymore. Ayaw na kitang makita!"

Nasasaktan siya. At nagsasawa nang marinig iyon mula kay Maxwell. Gusto niyang marinig dito na nais din siya nitong makita. And that he misses her. And that he's protecting her because it's what he wants and not because he's being compelled by a little promise he made to a dying vampire. Ipinapaalala lamang nito sa kanya na hindi siya nito kailanman matututunang mahalin at isa lang siyang unwelcome na responsibilidad para dito.

"Aspen-"

Tinangka nitong pigilan siya nang talikuran niya ito. She decided to shake him off. "I have to go." she have not fed enough due to Maxwell's interruption. Hindi na siya nagawang pigilan nito nang lundagin niya ang isang three storey apartment building.

Masama ang loob na nagtuloy si Aspen sa isang bar. She was a vampire but that didn't make her immune to the effects of alcohol. Although hindi siya nalalasing, kinakalma ng alcohol ang tensyon niya. At ngayon ay ngarag siya gawa ng komprontasyon nila ni Maxwell. Darn him! Bakit ba kailangan pa nitong magpakita para lamang pasakitan siya? Naging okay naman siya nitong nakaraang taon ng hindi kinakailangan ang tulong nito. She went through a lot of mishaps and she never even considered calling him! She went through it by herself! Why all of a sudden he shows up and everything that she's trying to forget came back, hitting her luke a f*****g hurricane and she's back to square one again.

"Scotch on the rocks." order niya. Maaga pa kaya hindi pa gaanong puno ang loob ng bar. Ngunit marami na rin ang tao. Naalala niyang biyernes nga pala ngayon.

Unti unting napuno ang bar paglipas ng isang oras hanggang sa wala nang natirang mauupuan at wala nang bakanteng lamesa. Nakatayo na ang karamihan sa mga parukyano at maingay na sa buong lugar. The loud music was pounding on Aspen's ears, she wasn't able to enjoy the alcohol anymore. Nakaramdam nanaman siya ng uhaw. Mahinang napamura siya. Ano bang nangyayari at bakit hindi mapatid ang uhaw niya? There was a burning feeling on her throat which is beginning to be difficult to ignore.

Naisip niyang marahil ay gawa iyon ng pagtarak ni Maxwell ng stake sa kanya. She had to heal and it used a great amount of the nutrients she got from feeding from that horny kid earlier. Kainis!

She reluctantly looked around the bar, searching for a potential prey. Quick snack lang, Aspen ha? Sa dami kasi ng tao ay baka may makakita sa kanya, problema pa! f**k it! Kainis kasi ang hinayupak na Maxwell na ‘yon!

A guy in the far end of the bar caught her eyes. He has brown tousled hair and a James Dean kinda look but instead of blue eyes, he had striking green ones. She had never seen such intense eyes. She knew she wasn't looking at a vampire but he was extraordinarily beautiful. What is he?

Curiosity reigned over her. She smiled at him seductively and he responded with a mysterious, almost naughty grin. He gestured his shot glass to her and drank its contents.

Aspen flashed him another smile and she watched him nod. Tumayo siya at tinungo ang back entrance ng bar. Through her enhanced senses, ramdam niyang tumayo ang lalaki at sumunod sa kanya. Naramdaman din niya ang pamilyar na bugso sa puson niya at ang pagkauhaw. I must feed on him only. Kailangan pigilan ko ang sarili ko na sumiping sa kanya.

It was hard. Mahirap pigilan ang tawag ng laman lalo na sa katulad niya. But she must resist now. Hindi klaro sa kanya kung bakit niya pinipigilan ang sarili niya. The guy is beautiful and he seems willing to have s*x with her. So, why the hell not?

Naalala niya bigla si Maxwell. Marahil ang kaalaman na narito na itong muli sa bansa ang pumipigil sa kanya na sumiping sa lalaki. Ganito rin ang nadarama niya noong huli niya itong nakasama.

Damn that guy! Kahit kailan ay masama siya sa sistema ko!

"Hey."

Narinig niya ang baritonong tinig na iyon mula sa kanyang likuran. She looked at him with hooded eyes. Madilim na sa bahaging iyon at batid niyang nakikita nito kung paanong kakaiba ang kulay ng balat niya sa kadiliman. Her pale features didn't faze him, though, instead he sauntered towards her and asked, "What? You'd prefer to do it on a dark alley?"

"I'm kinky like that." she teased him.

Ngumisi ang lalaki at lumapit pang lalo sa kanya hanggang sa gahibla na lamang ang layo ng mukha nito sa mukha niya. She could feel his warm breath on her cheeks, it smelled alcohol and something else. Something a little disorienting.

What the hell, Aspen? You're a freakin' vampire. You are not easily disoriented!

Isang makapangyarihang bampira siya. Centuries old. But at that moment, she could hear the warning bells ringing. This guy is dangerous.

She backed off a little and smiled an alluring smile that she knew could disarm a prey. That is if this guy is a prey, cause right now he seemed like the predator to me.

Gumana ang sense of self preservation ni Aspen. Importante sa mga bampira na alam nila kung paanong ililigtas at ilalabas sa peligro ang sarili. Afterall, vampire hunters are tailing them all the time. Hindi ka makakaligtas sa mga ito kung tatanga tanga ka.

"What's the matter, love?" bulong ng lalaki. They are still on kissing distance. "Chickening out on me now?"

Hindi maintindihan ni Aspen ang sarili. The way the man talks. It sounded like a vampire trying to allure her! But she couldn't be allured by a fellow vampire! At kung bampira nga ang lalaking ito, malalaman niya dapat! Aspen could smell a vampire from miles!

"Look at me, love." the mysterious guy said. It was not a request but a command. Surely this guy is not compelling her. He cannot do that, can he?

But as she held his gaze, something inside her snapped. Maybe her will? Her resolve? Coz she completely surrendered herself to the arms of her predator.