BLOOD CURSE.

THE BIGGINING

James stood at the gates and looked at the imposing building in front of him. Christ it looked like something out of a horror movie, dark and foreboding, ivy clung to it's walls, paint peeling from the window frames and the garden overgrown and full of weeds, all it needed was Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing to appear at the steps.

Walking up the path he could make out the flickering of lights in one of the rooms. Another iron gate, going to the heavy wooden door he rung the bell hearing the clanking on the other side. Go!, run, get out NOW! shaking off the sudden urge, he had a job to do, the Local Gazette was doing a piece on the supernatural a spat of murders in the town all had the signs of the occult, poor buggers, found in the most distressing of situations there throats ripped open, limbs torn off and blood everywhere.

"Come in Mr Hatfield, I've  been expecting you" The large hallway was just as the outside, damp and neglected, candles light the room casting shadows that jumped around as if they were trying to grab you. "Thank you for seeing me..err?" turning to face her his stomach lurched, she was the most stunning woman he had ever seen. Her blond hair cut in a bob framed a heart shaped face her eyes a colour of blue he had never seen before and her skin so pale he thought she would brake if he touched her. "Miss Le Mort, Emily Le Mort, please come through to the drawing room and warm up by the fire, it's a chilly evening.

Rubbing his hands at the fire he looked round, the room mirrored the hall, shabby, dark and unloved, the furniture was obviously old and would make a lot of money at an auction, for a rich lady she didn't spend much if any on the large house's upkeep. Miss Le Mort left the room only to appear a few moments later with a silver tray on which lay sandwiches and a glass of wine. "Please help yourself Mr Hatfield" the lady insisted, her voice soft a hint of an accent. "Thank you for allowing the paper to interview you I understand you have studied the occult quite a bit" taking a bite out of a sandwich, "Please don't let me eat these by myself" offering the tray. "Thank you but no, I have already eaten"

"You read the police report? what do you think?" Emily thought for a moment "It's either the work of a madman or..." her voice trailed off. "Or?"

"Well the only other explanation would be...a werewolf" James choked on his drink, "Are you serious!" Her piercing blue eyes stared at him "Deadly" her voice solemn, "You do not believe in such things?"

"No, myth, folklore stories to scare kids.

"Aah! but they exist, as do other creatures not everything is or looks as you see, where do you think these stories came from, they were warnings to ancient villagers to stay indoors after dark, explained why their livestock and children disappeared and if they were found there was not much of them left" "I'm sorry but I can't believe that, that these creatures roam the world and have done for god knows how long, we would have seen them the government surely would know, destroy them"

Great! a looker who is nuts, he thought.

"You believe in God?" James nodded."You can't see him yet you believe, so why not believe in the others..the darker side"

"Because like so many other things in life they were invented, made up to entertain, we love to be scared whether it's from a book or film"

"I suppose you're gonna tell me that Vampires exist" Turning she looked at the fire, "And if they did?"

"I would ask it for an interview" he laughed, "But really another fairytale, Bram Stoker would be delighted his book made such an impact"

She turned and looked at him, for a moment he thought her eyes had changed colour. She was beautiful, petite but the curves she had, the dress clung in all the right places, something stirred, Oh great! that's all he needed..a hard on.

James placed his glass on the sideboard, "You say it could be a madman?"

"That's possible"

"But you don't believe it, a werewolf, creatures sorry I don't buy it"

"You won't believe in such things till they jump up and bite you in the neck...so to speak"

"Exactly"

She was in front of him, so close they were almost touching, jeez! she was fast he hadn't seen her move. She smelled of Lillie's and....something else, what was it? "I seem to have an effect on you James!"

"Miss Le Mort..."

"Emily please, you can feel it, the sparks between us, their is something there, yes?"

                        

"But perhaps we should leave this discussion for another time" she stepped back, "I will show you to your room and we will talk more tomorrow evening"

"Tomorrow evening? won't I see you in the morning?"

"Alas no, I am very busy during the day leaving early but I will be back at dusk and we can talk more then.James nodded, "I look forward to your ideas on this killer"

"My dear James who said we will talk about your story, I am thinking of something else...much more fun"

James pulled back the blankets and sat on the bed, there was definitely sparks flying their and who said you can't mix business with pleasure. Outside it had started to rain the wind was getting stronger, in the distance wolves howled to each other. James had a quick look round his room. Turning out the light he snuggled under the blankets.

The following evening James sat in the drawing room listening to Emily who had come up with a profile on the madman who was terrorising the town. "I would suggest you look for someone that has delusions of being a werewolf, he will live alone shut off from the outside world...."

"You still think it's real?"

 "I do, honestly do you really think that any human could cause such injuries?"

"A nutter yes" Emily touched his arm ,the feelings he had last night returned. "I would much rather talk about something else" she purred. "What else is their?" James could feel his sudden swelling, Emily had noticed too "Our attraction to each other" her eyes slowly travelled down to his crotch.

"James you can't deny it, you are attracted to me and I you, this is not just carnal, it is much deeper...so much deeper" He wanted to take her there and then, RUN,GET OUT! a voice screamed in his head. "I want you James" He didn't need to be asked twice.

Taking her in his arms. "Kiss me" she whispered huskily. Their lips met, his arms tightened their hold pulling her closer, his tongue flicked seductively over hers. Emily moaned the excitement in her growing more intense her hands explored his firm body resting on his manhood. Her touch drove him wild, he looked into her eyes, their it was again..that odd colour, it vanished.

James kissed her neck moving down, undoing her buttons. Her pert breasts strained against her bra, his hands cupped them stroking them through the material, slowly he moved down. "Take me now" Sweeping her off the floor he headed for the stairs.

Their clothes left a trail to his room, laying her on the bed. Emily grabbed him and pulling him close nibbled his neck. James was on fire the heat in his groin unbelievable, he entered her making Emily groan, digging her nails into his back. Their lovemaking fevered, desperate, he had never had sex like this before, it was if they had been celibate for ten years and the pressure and blown. Their bodies moved in rhythm, James could almost hear the blood roaring in Emily's veins. The release when it came was mind blowing, he had never felt so spent.

                   

He looked at the clock, Emily was gone. That was one hell of a night he smiled to himself, he was surprised at how much energy he had and Emily what a highly sexed woman. Stretching, it was too early to get up, closing his eyes he wondered what exactly she did for a living away all day and judging from the last night she didn't need much sleep.

              

Finding breakfast laid for him he ate quickly then went to the computer Emily had kindly had set up for him.

Researching the libraries he found an Emily Le Mort had lived in the eighteenth century, she was found murdered at the age of twenty five, apart from the records showing she was married their was nothing else except her husband was the last of the Le Mort's. Obviously she was a long lost relative. He got to work on his report typing up what he had found out so far...missing out the bits about a real werewolf.

Grabbing a quick lunch he explored the house. Most of the rooms were empty, going outside he went to the pond, the fountain sprayed water into the air which fell showering the plants and weeds tangled together. In the far corner of the grounds under a willow tree he spotted something, taking a closer look...

Headstones! worn with time half hidden by the dense weeds one of them severely close to collapse. Marcus Le Mort, loving hu.... Annab.... Emily Le Mo.... Wiping the grime and mold of them he was still unable to read anymore. Impossible! this couldn't be the murdered Emily Le Mort and why was her grave away from the other two? Who was the Emily Le Mort he knew!

Back at the house he flicked through the bookcase, most of the books were about the occult one on werewolves. The sun was setting when he finally put the book down, after a shower he headed back to his room, dinner was at seven thirty and Emily was to give him some thoughts on this mad killer. Opening his door he stopped his heart in his throat, Emily lay on his bed naked. "I've been waiting for you" she told  him seductively.

"What do you want to see me about" he teased. "I'm sure something will come up" Emily said sweetly as she pulled him down to her. They both laughed, he had never felt like this before, love them and leave them was his motto but with her, it was like she had a spell on him.

Finally they managed to drag themselves from the bedroom, James headed to the kitchen he was starving.Emily said she was fine? In the drawing room she patted the seat next to her. "I want you to move in with me"

Shocked James looked at her, "We've only known each other for a short time" "I know but we've connected, the fire between us is immense" she looked at him her violet eyes seemed to stare into his very soul. Their was definitely something about this woman, a story somewhere and as a reporter he wanted to know what, he could stay for a while. "I'm not into the whole commitment thing but we could give it a go" Putting a finger to his lips, "Before you decide I must tell you something"

"I'm a Vampire!"

                           

He turned to her and froze. Her eyes had changed colour no longer the beautiful violet blue but an orange red, almost wolf like. "I'm sorry" she said softly her fangs glinting in the lamp light. "How?" he stuttered. Emily stared at the wall, the fangs retracted her eyes went back to their normal.

"I was born in the early eighteenth hundreds, my parents were wealthy... I married at twenty to a Marcus Le Mort and we had a child Annabella. Although the marriage was arranged we got on well but their was never love, it was a wonderful time filled with parties, the house was always busy"

               

"It was at one of these balls that I met him. His name was Darius, he was tall dark and so handsome, when I danced with him I was dancing on air. His eyes were so dark when you looked at him it was like falling in a well with no bottom..lost forever, he exerted power even the men were in awe of him. All the woman were swooning over him but he only had eyes for me, I was smitten"

"We started an affair, I was besotted with him, as soon as my family were in bed I would go to the private gardens..to him, we would make love under the stars. It was wonderful, I dreamed of running away with him but when I mentioned being together forever he would just smile" Her face changed, fear and sadness clouding her eyes.

"The night I died we had met as usual, we embraced under the willow tree" The sadness in her voice pulled at James for a moment he forgot what she was, he wanted to comfort her. "His kiss passionate, his lips caressed my cheek then my neck" she shuddered. "I was bewitched, when his fangs sank into my neck I didn't scream" her voice became a whisper, "He drank deeply and as I lay on the ground my eyes fixed on him...his smile will haunt me forever" Emily was no longer sitting with James she was back in the gardens, dying all over again. "I realised then that he never loved me he was a hunter and I the prey...he had won"

Emily looked at him. "Do you know what it is like to die but not be dead, aware of being put in the ground"James shook his head struggling to cope with what he was hearing. "I have walked this earth for centuries I have not the will to destroy myself"

"And what of your...?"

"My family, my daughter died the following year of smallpox and my husband, he drank himself to death" She looked at him her eyes so full of pain, torment it would have destroyed any human. "My husband found out what I had become, I would get into the house to see my child..watch her sleep, he came in one night to check on her and found me, shocked and terrified he was going to kill me...I begged him not to, he agreed but the guilt of letting a creature like me go ate him up inside, when Annabella died I went to him asked him to destroy me but by then he was sick in the mind as well as the body, to weak"

Emily pulled him to his feet kissing him gently, "I thought I was to be alone forever but when I saw you I knew I had found my mate"

"Will you turn me" he asked nervously. "Only if you wish it, it is your choice as it is to stay with me, sleep on it, if your gone tomorrow when I rise I will know you answer" James nodded his mind numb this cannot be real, a hoax? Emily pressed herself up against him her hand moved down to his crotch as if on cue it responded. "Make love to me"

                  

Laying her on the bed her kissed her tentatively, shit! what was he doing, he should push her away get out now.... Emily growled pushing him back she pounced on him like a animal, her kisses fevered her hands exploring every part of him. James was lost, forgetting everything, his body responding, her passion overwhelming he was hard as rock.

                

James sat in the drawing room and light a cigarette, putting it to his lips he drew deeply. In the cold light of day it was a dream but it wasn't, this was a nightmare. He listened to the birds sing, watched as the sun moved higher till it looked as if it sat on top of the house. What was he to do? leave it was simple just grab his bags and get the hell out. He would keep her secret who would believe him anyway, Vampires! best to keep quiet. Emily?

Emily slept, if she could dream it would be of James but the dead don't dream. He would stay, she was certain of it, she needed him, it had been a long time since she had felt like this the only other man....Darius. James would stay. The sun bathed the house in a beautiful golden glow. Emily slept.

LIFE