“Blood Bound”

2011 © All Rights Reserved

Chapter 6

Leo came awake at a start from the subtle knock on his bedroom door. Looking down he stared at his little bride and couldn’t help but to smile at the memories from the night before. 

Finally, she fed and was well on her way to completing the conversion.  In two more days time, she would awaken anew and he could fully introduce her into his life.  And more importantly he could make her his wife in all senses of the word.

The knock came again, a little more insistent this time and begrudgingly Leo worked to carefully untangle himself from the haven of Shelby’s delectable little body.  She was so soft, so warm and so silky feeling that if it was possible, he would be content just lying beside her twenty four seven and caressing her delicate skin. 

Now that is what I would call a perfect day, he mused.  Just Shelby and him, alone with no one to bother them and all the time in the world to explore every inch of her glorious body. 

“Leo,” Ric almost shouted from behind the closed door.  He was staring at the darkened wood, tapping his foot with impatience as he waited for his master to leave the underling that he had taken to and open up the damn door.

His mother had arrived and she was some kind of pistol alright and Ric refused to deal with her.  From the moment that she came in, Mrs. Risso haughtily dropped off three humongous suit cases at his feet and then mussed his hair like he was some kind of lap dog or something, not hardly.

Leo swung the door open wide and came face to face with his servant, Ric who was looking at him with impertinence. 

“What do you want?” He growled out perturbed by the fact that he was interrupted with his lovely lady.  He glared down at his minion and breathed out a slow long breath reigning in his anger.

Ric’s eyes widened at his dark demeanor, “I’m sorry to disturb you Leo,” he quickly spoke and took a few steps back while bowing his head in reverence.  “But your mother has arrived and she is requesting your presence in the lounge.”

Leo looked down and curled up his lip in distaste.  He had expected her arrival but had not been looking forward to it, especially not now with Shelby in the midst of the conversion process.

Sighing, he looked back in the room where she seemed to be sleeping dreamlessly away.  It would be several hours before she would need to feed again and Leo needed to feed himself so that he would be strong enough to feed her again later.
 

“Alright,” he said sounding wistful, “I’ll be down in a minute.”  Leo closed the door behind him and locked it so that his bride would be kept safe.  He didn’t know what he would do if something happened to her now.  He had waited entirely to long for her and now that she has here, he would hold on to Shelby by any means necessary.  Even if that meant locking her up.

Ric followed in behind his master with his hands folded behind his back.   The walk down that large hall was quiet with the exception of their foot steps pounding along the tiled floors.

“Ric.” Leo stopped suddenly and turned around to face his servant.  “I need you to rustle me up some food for this afternoon.  I need to feed and I can not leave my lady alone at the moment.  She is far too fragile.”

This time Ric wrinkled his nose in disgust and spoke the words aloud before he thought about the repercussions, “So you went through with it, you are actually converting her into a creature of the night like us.”

Leo lifted a brow at his minion.  Ric’s family had served the Risso’s for centuries now.  In their world, there was a definitive hierarchy of who is at the top and who is at the bottom of  the ladder.  Although, Ric’s family is in the lower tier, Leo has always made an effort to try and treat Ric with a certain amount of respect that many of his social stature never even sees.

“Do you have a problem with my Shelby?”  Leo asked dangerously cool while glaring down at Ric and taking an imposing step forward.  His eyes narrowed at the shorter man as he waited expectantly for an answer.  If it was the wrong one, Leo would not hesitate in correcting the situation, any which way he seen fit.

Ric stepped backwards and met the cold hard feel of the wall against his back.  There was no where else to go.  Trying to cover up his angst over his master’s newest obsession Ric frantically shook his head back and forth, “No sir.  No.  Not a problem at all.” 

He tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace showing nothing but lips and teeth.

Leo studied him for a minute, maybe I have been to easy on him in the past, he mused.  Maybe I need to do something a little more viral to remind him exactly where his place was.

“Leonardo darling, there you are,” the all to familiar voice called out from down the hall.  “What in the blazes name is taking you so long?  I have been waiting down stairs for quite a while now and no one has even come to offer me any refreshments.”

Leo turned his head and looked down the hall at his mother that was fast approaching them.  He pasted a smile on his face as the elegant woman that raised him all those years ago came forward.

“Mother, it‘s good to see you,” he stated and went to meet her, embracing her in a ill formed hug that felt both rigid and odd after holding on to his desert flower most of the night.  Stepping back he held on to her hands and gave her a once over.  She looked as beautiful as ever.  For going on one hundred and eighty years of age, she looked as exquisite as she had on her twenty first birthday. 

“I was just on my way down,” he told her before glancing over at his servant.  “I had been resting when Ric here came to tell me that you were here.”

Isabella Risso slid a cursory glance in Ric’s direction before turning back to her son with a welcoming smile. 

It has been way to long my son.”  Leaning in she pressed a kiss to each of his cheeks in the same manner that she had when he was but a little boy barely coming to her waist.

Leo hooked his arm with hers and  started back down the hall, “Indeed it has mother.  Let me show you to your room so that you can begin to settle in and maybe we can catch up later in the evening.”

Isabella stopped and pulled Leo to a halt with her.  “What about now?” She asked sounding rather put out like a whiny child.  “I really wanted to talk to you darling.” 

Reaching up she patted his cheek affectionately.  “You do so much like your father.  He was a handsome man and you my son are just as handsome too.”

Leo covered her hand on his cheek while he remembered his father.  His father was a lively character, but he was too soft when it came to the ways of human treatment and their kind.  In the end, that had been his ultimate downfall.  He was far to trusting and when he made the mistake of trusting the wrong human it had cost him dearly, it cost him his life.

Brushing the memories aside Leo peeked up at his mother.  “I look forward to talking with too mother but your visit was sudden and I have a few things to attend to.  It may be a couple of days before I can free up some quality time.”

And then I can introduce you to my life partner, my heart and now my soul, he thought with the same feeling of euphoria that he tended to experience at the mere mention of his Shelby.

Isabella stuck her lips out in a studious pout.  “Well, I suppose this was kind of sudden.  I understand that you have things to deal with darling, you are, in fact, a Risso and a very important man in our society which brings me to my next bit of news.”

She smiled up at him and started to walk again.  “There will be another visitor coming in later tomorrow night.  Surely you have a room to spare for a dear friend of mine don’t you?”

Isabella stared straight ahead with her chin up in the air and her shoulders thrown back so that her posture was as regal as any high society Queen. 

This time it was Leo that stopped pulling his mother to a halt, “Who is coming mother?” Leo was no fool and he was highly suspicious of his mother and her motives. 

She glanced over to her son and tugged on his arm to continue walking again, “Just a friend darling, nothing more.”

Leo led her down the stairs and through another hall that led to his guest quarters stewing over whom this friend could be.  Just a friend my ass, what are you really up to mother dearest? 

Leo‘s temper was short, especially right now because he was feeling bereft without his bride to be close by.  After an interminable silence between the two he asked once again, this time his tone was a bit more demanding.  “Who is coming tomorrow mother?”

Isabella sighed, “Just like your father.  Impatient as a three year old child.  If you must know, it’s Tatiana Liaberdi.”

They stopped at a door that was ornately decorated with 18th century wood work.  “Tatiana,” Leo repeated the name.  That was definitely a blast from the past.  It has been over fifty years since he had last seen his fathers best friends daughter.  And that was when he still resided in Europe.  

“Yes, Tatiana.  I promised Frederico that I would be her ward while she visited in the United States for a few months.  I am here, so she will be here too.”  Turning so that she faced her son Isabella placed a delicate looking hand over her chest, “Surely that isn’t a problem Leonardo.  Frederico is such a dear friend of the family and you don’t have a life partner either.  I really didn’t think that it would be that big of a deal.”

Leo closed his eyes to bite back the words that he really wanted to say.  He didn’t want anybody here right now.  Not while his desert flower was in such a delicate state.  Not his mother and most definitely not another single femme vampire.

Opening up his dark eyes, Leo sighed.  “It will be fine mother,” he assured her.  “Now,” Leo said and opened the door that was in front of them, waving her in, “We’ll talk more later.”

Isabella walked in the room and surveyed it thoroughly,  pleased with the accommodations.  “Later then,” she replied looking back at her son.  Shooing Leo back out of the room she told him, “Run along now and do what you must.  When Tatiana arrives I fully expect you to have freed up some time to help show her around.”

Leo stopped at the door, opening his mouth and then snapping it shut.  He figured that he probably looked a bit like a gold fish gasping for air as he got ready  to voice his protest and then thought better of it.

“Fine,” he settled with and it came out curtly.  Turning on his heel he shut the door and leaned up against the wall, covering his face with his hands.

“What are you up too?” He groaned and stood there for a moment leaning up against the wall.  One moment led to another before Leo felt the rising tension from his bride to be.  She was waking up way to soon.

Startled, Leo waved his hand over his body transforming himself into a misty cloud so that he transport himself quickly back to his bedroom.

Reappearing in his true form, Leo stood at the edge of the bed and peered worriedly at Shelby.  She was sitting up touching her fangs with a blank look on her face.

“My sweet, don’t.” He told her going around to the side of the bed and pulling her hands away from her mouth.  “You might hurt yourself,” he added and brought her hands up to his mouth so that he could kiss each one of her fingers, taking care to make sure that she had not accidentally pricked one of them.

“What did you do to me?” Shelby asked quietly and looked up at Leo with a grief stricken look written all over her face.

Leo was perplexed by her emotions.  Sliding closer to her so that there thighs were touching he cocked his head to the side and replied, “What do you mean my sweet?” 
 

Shelby scooted back away from the dark man that has seemingly changed her so.  She didn’t understand it and she wanted no part of it.  “What did you do to me?” She repeated the question a little louder this time staring into the midnight black orbs of the man who so obviously was not a real man at all.

Leo blinked and then blinked again.  This made no sense to him.  She was in the middle of a conversion and she should be sleeping.  Holding out his hand to her Leo softened his face and lowered his voice, “Come here my sweet.  Come back and rest.  You need more rest and we can talk later.”

Shelby jumped back off the bed and almost lost her footing when she tried to stand.  Leo was there in an instant to catch her.  He held her up easily while Shelby smacked out at his hold.  “What did you turn me into you freak?  I’m a monster.” She yelled getting more frantic by the second, “I’m not normal, you made me a gawd damn monster!”

Tears were streaming out of her eyes as she pounded her fists against the steel chest of the man that continued to hold her.  “You changed me!”  She continued to rant as her fangs glistened in the candle light making Leo ache for her pain.

He didn’t understand what was wrong with her.  “Sweet, please, I don't understand what is wrong.  Please, stop,” he begged.  “You are going to hurt yourself if you do not stop this non sense.”

Shelby stopped and glanced up disbelievingly at the dark stranger, “What do you mean you don’t understand?”  She pointed at her fangs that Leo had thought was a picture of pure perfection.  He remembered vividly the highly erotic sensation as those sharpened pearly whites sank deeply into his flesh earlier in the evening and Shelby drank in his very essence.  He provided for her and here she is, in his arms as a lively as a fire cracker and she belonged to only him.

“Your beautiful,” he answered her sincerely.

Her eyes widened as she shook her head back and for the, “THIS IS NOT NORMAL!” She screamed flattening both of her hands against his chest.

“Sweet,” Leo tried again, using his calm and rational tone.  “But you were never normal.  From the first day that I saw your broken body and drained my life into you, you changed.  You became one with me and only me.”  Leo wrapped his arms around Shelby a little tighter and pressed a kiss on her forehead, “You’re like me Shelby, a vampire.  A creature of the night.  My dark Angel and my salvation.”

Shelby couldn’t comprehend was this man was telling her.  This was crazy.  This was nuts.  She was going insane.  “No. No. No. No.” She repeated the word and tried to pull away from his arms.  I’m dreaming again.  I always dream. This is just another very, bad dream,” she stated with conviction.

Leo took a finger and lifted her face so that she was forced to look up at him.  Her eyes were filled with unshed tears as she stared numbly back at him.  “I assure you my sweet that this is not a dream.  This is very real.  You are a vampire now, like me.”

Shelby stared up into the face of the stranger whom she had always thought was her Knight in shining armor.  His face was carved perfectly and his body was toned to the tee.  There was no denying that this man was sexy as sin. But he is a vampire, she thought to herself.

A vampire.

Shelby blinked once, twice, and then a third time before she went boneless in Leo’s arms.  This is too much, way too much for an ordinary or in my case now, not so ordinary girl to handle.  Giving in she let the darkness claim her, again.