The Vampire's Tainted Mate

Chapter 4: A Curiosity Teetering on Obsession

Gwen had not been able to get the tall, muscular, vampire bartender out of her mind since she first laid eyes on him. He had weaved his way into her mind and all she wanted to do was see him again. From his deep, velvety, voice to the way he carried himself with his wide stance and hands on the bar drove her into the brink of obsession. She had hyper-focused on their conversation repetitively in her mind since the moment he had opened his mouth.

She started boiling water to make coffee in her kitchen, hoping that will wake her up more. The fantasy of a shirtless Logan drinking coffee at her kitchen table while he read a classic novel invaded her thoughts.

Gwen grabbed a spoon and some yogurt, tapping the cold metallic utensil against her bottom lip and wondering how often he worked out. She wanted to know his past, how he had been turned, who had created him, and what he did in his free time. She wanted to know everything about him.

“I wonder if he eats yogurt. Actually, what does he eat if humans don't satisfy him?" She shook her head and set her yogurt and spoon down to grab her coffee to make it in her coffee press, “I'm losing my mind and I need to stop. This can't be good for me."

A notification echoed from her cellphone that she had quickly shoved in the side of her bra, and she pulled it out to look at the name on the screen. A smile fell on her lips upon seeing her best friend, Matt's, name.

She snatched up her yogurt and spoon and hit the call button beside his name, as she stumbled to her kitchen table to sit down at it. The phone rang a few times before he answered, as she shoved her spoon into the creamy yogurt to eat it.

“About time you called me," Matt shouted, making Gwen realize that he was too awake for her.

“I'm not awake enough for this," Gwen mumbled as she poked around her yogurt with her spoon.

“Still waiting for the coffee to hit your veins? You know you should just I.V. that in," Matt teased her, and she laughed.

“Then get your friend to do that for me," Gwen joked and giggled before taking another bite of her yogurt.

“Are you eating yogurt again? You know there are plenty of other delicious things to eat in the world besides that. Don't make me bring over some ingredients to make you food." Matt softly scolded her through the phone, and she giggled at him.

“I mean, I wouldn't turn down a meal made by my best friend." Gwen shrugged and swirled her spoon around her yogurt. “Speaking of which, when are you coming over for the gaming stream?"

“What time do you need me to come over?" Matt became serious for a moment.

“Around two would be good. I need help getting ready for it." Gwen finished her yogurt and got up to throw away her trash and put her spoon in the sink. She grabbed coffee on the way back to her kitchen table.

“By help you mean you want me to set-up your programs and computers to troubleshoot them and watch you get ready." She could practically see him cross his arms over his chest.

“How did you know?" Gwen teased him more and heard him laugh hard.

“Alright, I'll be over around two, but I'm going to bring you a real meal. I won't take no for an answer." Matt hung up before she could stop him.

Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed, tossing her phone back into her bra before walking over to sip her coffee on the way to her office.

She spent a while looking over the plan for her stream and wondering what Logan was doing today. She assumed he was working the club tonight and sleeping during the day, but she didn't know whether vampires practiced that. She chewed on her nails for a moment before poking her mouse to wake up her computer.

Her fingers moved fast on the keyboard as she typed in the club, clicking over to the list of employees. She scrolled until she found him on the list and looked over the drawing of him. She softly laughed and rolled her eyes, sitting back with her coffee in her hands. She focused on the way the cup warmed them and sighed, “Your picture really doesn't do you any justice."

She began to nitpick every area that the artist didn't get just right before a knock sounded on her door. The sharp rap on her door broke her from her opinion and she took one last sip before getting up to answer it.

“Coming," Gwen called as she set her cup down in the kitchen on the way.

“How long are you going to make me wait?" Matt teased her through the front door.

“Just hold on. Jeez," Gwen laughed and unlocked her door and opened it. “Welcome."

“Took you long enough," Matt picked on her and she rolled her eyes at him.

“Look, I was busy in my office setting up my stream." Gwen followed him into her office.

Matt stopped in front of her three monitors, gesturing at one of them, “And setting up included looking into that guy."

“Look, don't judge me." Gwen grabbed her make-up bag to get ready for the stream.

“I'm not judging you. He's a good-looking dude." Matt raised his hands in the air.

“Yeah, well too bad he didn't give me his number or want anything to do with me," Gwen mumbled as she fished through her bag of make-up.

“Are you sure about that?" Matt raised an eyebrow at her as he spun back and forth in her black and red gaming chair.

“I wasn't sure before, but I'm pretty sure now," Gwen rolled her eyes and sighed. “He seemed interested, but he could have just been being nice. His job is to flirt and be nice, ya know? You can't exactly be a jerk as a bartender."

“I mean, you can… but I doubt you'd make good tips." Matt brushed it off and spun to face her computer. “Did you set up everything?"

“Yep," Gwen sighed and finished putting on her make-up before putting everything away.

“What was the vampire guy's name?" Matt peered over at his best friend again.

“Logan," Gwen walked over to sit beside Matt in another chair. “Why are you asking?"

“Just be careful if he really is a vampire. I don't want to lose my best friend," Matt gave her a serious expression.

“I hate to break it to you, Matt," Gwen bumped into him with her shoulder, “but you're going to have to try harder to get rid of me."

“I'm just saying, you don't know this guy. All you know is he's a bartender at a nightclub and his name is Logan. He could have a ton of secrets lurking in that head of his and you don't know. For all you know, he's not really a vampire and is lying to you." Matt held her purple headset out for her to take from him, and she rolled her eyes and snatched it from him.

“I've seen his fangs," Gwen shoved the headset on her head.

“Doesn't mean they aren't fake. Have you seen how realistic some resin artists can make them? Some look legit. It's crazy!" Matt watched her click open programs on her computer to continue setting up.

“Well, if I ever find out… you'll be the first to know," Gwen laughed.

“I would hope so, I'm your best friend." Matt chuckled and took a deep breath as they looked toward the camera to stream a game together.

The stream had gone on for two hours before they ended it. There had only been a few hitches along the way, but nothing too out of the ordinary. By the time they were done, they were mentally exhausted, and all Gwen wanted was to go out.

“Let's go do something." Gwen stood up and grabbed her shoes.

“It's so late though," Matt protested and grabbed his hands to yank him up from the chair.

“Come on. It'll be good for us." Gwen got him to stumble over to the door.

“Alright, fine," Matt groaned and left her apartment with her.

While she was standing at his car, she felt like someone was staring at her again. The overwhelming feeling of eyes scaling up her back and focusing on the back of her head. She suddenly felt heavy and like she was being watched again to the point she shivered.

“What's wrong?" Matt noticed the way his best friend trembled.

“Nothing, just a weird feeling is all. It's fine." She shrugged it off and cleared her throat. “Ready to go have fun?"

“I am, if you're ready." Matt got into his car before she did.

Gwen looked around herself to see where the person was lurking but found nothing. Her heart beat faster in her chest, as she looked around the expanse of a parking lot only to be met with nothing out of the ordinary.

She licked her lips and yanked open the door, hoping that it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. She couldn't think of who would stalk her or even be following her in her life unless it was some crazy ex-boyfriend.

She shook it off and fell into the passenger seat, letting Matt take her out for the night.

Matt drove through the city with music blaring in his car around them. Gwen played with her hands in her lap and licked her lips before speaking.

“What do you think Logan does in his free time?" Gwen didn't look at her best friend.

“Feed on humans," Matt teased.

Gwen rolled her eyes, “He doesn't feed on humans."

“Oh? How do you know?" Matt glanced over at her. “He's a vampire, is he not?"

“He told me he had never found satisfaction in one," Gwen sighed and shrugged, “Although, that makes me wonder what he does do to cope with not feeding off donors."

“So, I take it that you didn't get your vein drained by a vampire in there," Matt focused on the road.

“Nope, but he would have turned me down. He acted like I was some innocent thing," Gwen sighed, and Matt burst out laughing.

“You, innocent?" Matt was thrown back by that. “Girl, you haven't been innocent since middle school."

“Yeah, yeah, but he doesn't know that. He seems to think once you are a vampire, you're no longer alive." Gwen stared out her side window and watched the city go by.

“Well, he's not wrong. Your heart stops beating. The only time you get that rush is when you feed. At least from what I've been told in forums online," Matt shrugged and pulled around a corner.

“He said his family was all over the world and that it depended on their objective. I joked that he sounded like they did illegal jobs." Gwen laughed, and her best friend shrugged his shoulders.

“I mean, he might," Matt pulled up to park at one of his favorite bars. “I've heard some do. That's another reason I say to be careful," he gestured towards her.

“I'll keep that in mind if I ever see him again. I have a feeling that I won't be seeing him anytime soon." Gwen groaned.

“You never know," Matt opened his door and got out before she did.

They spent all night talking and drinking before he took her home again. Every moment she felt like someone was watching her in the bar and in the parking lot. It was like a million eyes were peering into her soul and watching her every move. The thick atmosphere of people staring and singling her out made goosebumps appear and buzzed along her sensitive skin. She couldn't shake the feeling of someone lurking and following her everywhere she went, but maybe she was just being paranoid since the other night.

She shivered as she thanked Matt and told him to have a good night. As soon as her friend left, the feeling of being followed and watched only intensified. Her nerves vibrated and her heartbeat sped up until it slammed against her ribs as if it was trying to escape.

The ever present feeling of claws trailing up her back consumed her and she hurried inside of the apartment building before something caught her.