An image of Erika [as how I imagine her to be]

I know I don't explicitly say she's half Asian except that she has an Irish tilt to her voice right? But she is.

That's probably because I've been listening too much to Marie Digby these few days.

She has this very simple and clean voice that I find very captivating.
Although she doesn't have that prominent Irish accent [she lives in LA], I still like the way she speaks. Kinda sounds like me though. *laughs*

Anyway, here's a video of Marie singing and I thought I'd just share it here because listening to her gives me some inspiration for Erika's character and I know I haven't developed her relationship with Alaron yet partly because I'm tentative about it.

Her purpose in this story is to provide a tension for the Culzean siblings and to give them to bond over a real problem in which Fiona is not the main cause.

Okay so here's the song I'm listening to at the moment.

Marie is really so cute. I just saw a video of her speaking Japanese and while she's confident, she has that hesitant way of speaking going Anu, Anu... That's like 'errr' or 'like'. And I love how the Japanese speak English with their Japanese accent as well. Really cool.

Anyway on the topic of half-Japanese singers, here is Justin Nozuka. This song is just amazing. I mean he's singing live and it's so clear and soulful! And then Marie comes in and harmonizes so sweetly =)

Into The Vampire's Lair Ch 3 (teaser) and still no sex?

Okay... I've already finished Into The Vampire's Lair Chapter 3. It's about 6710 words which would translate to about 2 or 3 pages on Lit.

But as I lean back and re-read the chapter, I'm wondering... "When is anybody going to have sex?" Lol. For the sake of story development, none of the characters have been getting any action except for maybe Fiona and Eian behind the scenes. lol. But I've already started Chapter 4 and there ends the celibacy for the rest.

Alright, here is a look at Chapter 3 so far. It is still in its raw, edited form and meant just as a teaser. =)

***

“Now look what you did.” Draven’s tone was not of accusation but a resignation as his eyes assessed the damage.

Alaron didn’t bother to reply. He was calling Aramis Culzean’s office to let him know about the situation. Vampires cannot mend broken bones as fast as they could heal mortal wounds. So in other words, Draven needed to go to the hospital but which one was the problem.

Meanwhile, Draven tried not to move too much in case he had other fractures, especially in his ribs. If just one were to stake through his heart, then he might die.  The thought pissed him off.

“Alaron, get off the damn phone. We’ll just do this our way without involving Father. You know how he is…” said Draven, wincing slightly as he shifted his body. “He might blow up the whole thing and have both of us locked in the house for the rest of our lives.”

“Hell no.” Alaron immediately disconnected the call. “So what do you want to do? You can’t go to a human hospital.”

“I know that. Call Eian and tell him we’re coming over to use his facilities.”

Alaron shot his brother the most disgusted look. “You want wolf magic hocus-pocus instead of proper medical treatment? You have got to be kidding me,” he complained but helped his brother up nonetheless. It didn’t take him much effort to lift the full grown man in his arms but he felt weird doing so. “When we get there, you’re getting into a wheelchair mister. We look like newlyweds.”

And sound like one too.

“That is absolutely sick,” said Alaron as he gently laid his brother in the back seat of his car. Turning one last time to look at the shop he muttered. “So which one of us is going to pay for the damages?’

“You,” they both said in unison. Alaron rolled his eyes as he started the engine.

“At this moment, you don’t have much bargaining power. You’re even incapable of getting yourself to the hospital,” he pointed out. “Plus you’ve lived so many centuries more than me. Don’t be mean.”

Draven was quiet for it was tiring for him to breathe through his mouth and talk at the same time. Furthermore, the pain was becoming increasingly unbearable. At times like this, he was thankful that he could communicate mentally with others if he wished to.

Mean would be me taking away the precious memory of you skirting around that girl.

Alaron immediately stiffened; his hands gripping the wheel tightly. “What girl?”

The reason why we had this fight. Oh please, don’t try to hide it from me… I practically raised you.

Alaron shut his mouth. There was really no point in denying it since Draven would find out anyway. Why did he have to have a brain nitpicker for a brother?

I heard that

“I didn’t say anything…” said Alaron; a smile slowly forming on his lips. “You’d better rest. I’ll call Eian once we’re reaching. He has wolves stationed at the entrance of the compound waiting to pounce on us.”

He gave us permission to enter the pack lands after they got married remember? It’s an extension for family members.

“Still, you smell like rotting flesh and I am not a wolf-lover so I’ll just call in case. But if that doesn’t work, then I’m leaving you to the dogs.”

That’s so kind of you.

Alaron’s eyes darted to the rear view mirror to catch his brother’s gaze. Any other Vampire would have ripped his throat out once they had the chance but Draven didn’t even reprimand him. He was as calm and collected as always and was exceedingly patient with him. In fact, Alaron couldn’t remember Draven ever raising a hand to strike him. Nag and curse yes but never beat. The thought made Alaron guilty.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized.

Forget it.

“I can’t. It’s just that you’ve always had everything… looks, swordsmanship, intelligence, abilities… Father’s approval… and I had nothing. It sucks to be your younger sibling… really. And the thought of you taking her away was just too much for me. It’s like I’m a curse or something you know? Mom got taken away then Fiona got taken away and now you want to lay claim on the human.”

“You have so much and more if you just take the time to appreciate,” said Draven in a coarse voice. It had taken a lot of energy just to say that one line but he thought it was important for Alaron to hear it out loud. “And I am not laying claim on that human.”

“Really?”

Yes. Can you just up and drive now?

“Come on… we just had the best fight of our lives… okay maybe for me coz this is the first time you lost. “ Alaron waited a heartbeat and heard Draven’s grunt of response. That’d do as a ‘yes’. “So you’re really not interested in her?”

I hate to repeat myself

“Man… Do you even dig women? I’ve never actually seen a woman inside your quarters ever. Well… not that any sane female would want to enter it. It’s like nerd-zone.”

Excuse me… I have taken female companions into my room before. Tsk.

“Like during the Neolithic maybe. Way before I was born. But seriously Draven… just how long have you not had sex?”

I am not discussing this with you

“Yikes! That sounds like a long time. Wicked!”

You’ll understand in another two or three centuries.

“No way. I think I’d want to have sex till I die. I don’t understand how anyone could get tired of it.”

I did not get tired of it

Alaron ignored his brother’s protest. “I’d want to do it everyday, maybe two or three times a day. I mean, they also work as convenient food.”

Alaron! You’re not supposed to do that!

“What… it’s not illegal here! This is Europe… not America anyway. I mean that’s the whole reason why we helped them invent the blood pill in the first place right? It’s because they have such a low supply of willing blood donors.”

I want to die

“Don’t be such a spoilsport!”

However, they were already at the main entrance of the compound so Alaron had to stop tormenting his brother and placed the call to Eian. Come to think of it, it was the first time he had ever asked for permission to enter the pack lands. Mostly, he lurked about at the outskirts, watching over Fiona.

As Eian’s voice filled at the other end of the receiver, Alaron snapped out of his thoughts.

“Hey, we’ve got a problem here. Draven needs some medical attention.”

Eian sounded somewhat annoyed on the other line but responded, “What happened?”

“He’s broken bones and needs to have them recast. We can’t mend them on our own and the human hospitals are just too dangerous.”

“But… don’t you have your own hospitals? You own the biggest blood bank and medical facility in Europe!”

“Here is nearer. Plus we’re trying to keep Father out of this… so we’d appreciate the discretion.”

He heard Eian sigh. “Okay enter after five minutes. I’ll send someone to guide you.” Then he disconnected.

A while later, two wolves came into view. Alaron eyed them warily but followed after them into the rugged terrain of the compound. He didn’t see any houses at all and figured that the Eian had given the wolves instruction to avoid bringing them near the pack settlement. Besides, the medical facility was almost at the edge of the compound on the other side as it served the small human community there from time to time.

When they finally saw the white and grey building, Alaron gave a relieved sigh and turned to Draven.

“We’re here. Prepare yourself for some mumbo-jumbo Bro.”

Do not call me that. You know I hate to be called that.

****

“You’re a WHAT?” exclaimed Erika for the tenth time.

Fiona was really trying to reel in her impatience for the sake of friendship and the safety of this human.  She couldn’t believe it was so hard to convince Erika that Vampires exist.

“Yes Erika… I’m a Vampire or at least that’s what you humans call us.”

“Oh my god… you’re going to kill me aren’t you?” she stammered in fear.

“No… please Erika… I’m not… I mean, have I done anything to hurt you at all in the past months?”

Finally! The fear slowly melted from Erika’s eyes but her guard was still up. “But I wouldn’t know would I? I mean you could have drunk my blood and then erased my memory or something.”

“It’s not like that! I would never hurt you Erika! We’re friends aren’t we?” pleaded Fiona although at the moment she was unsure if they would still remain friends after this. “I was Sired by a Pureblood so I don’t need to consume blood that much; once every few months and we have our own private blood banks for that.”

Fiona watched as Erika’s fear got replaced by curiosity. She was obviously interested to know more. That was good… at least she wasn’t shrieking and cursing anymore.

“So let me get this straight… Vampires exists AND you guys have a hierarchy going on? I am going insane aren’t I?”

“No you’re not. We do exist and we have a hierarchy with a Council of Elders to enforce rules as well.”

“Rules?”

“Yes… for situations such as these I suppose…” said Fiona sadly. “Erika… listen to me. The only reason I’m trying to make you understand is so that they won’t take you in and have your memories wiped. But they might have to anyway if they deem you as a threat.”

“Whoa… hold up a minute there lass. No bloody hell am I letting anyone wipe anything! This is all just a sick joke isn’t it?”

Fiona wished it was but she was getting weary from the stress of explaining to Erika over and over again. Fiona felt her lips tremble and her eyes threatening to cry. She really didn’t want to lose her friend. This was all Draven and Alaron’s fault. She was going to punish them severely for this. She had no idea why she even bothered to try and explain this to Erika. It was as though she was hoping her friend would accept it without question just as she had and then keep the secret.

“So if you’re a Vampire and so are your brothers, then is your husband and all those other people I met at the wedding Vampires as well?” she asked with a shudder. Fiona felt her heart sink. It was one think to say Vampires exist but saying Werewolves exist too was just going to open up a whole new problem.

Fiona saw the intense eyes of her friend demanding for answers and knew that hiding the truth was just a useless feat now.

“Please promise you won’t freak out…” she pleaded as an afterthought.

“I’ll try… nothing could be more sick than what I’ve just heard right?”

Fiona gave a weak smile. “My husband… and all the other bridesmaids and groomsmen… they’re Werewolves.”

The stunned expression of Erika’s face was priceless. Then she broke out into a hysterical laugh.

“Oh my god… oh my fucking god. Vampires AND Werewolves? This is a whole cart of bullocks. How in the world did I get myself involve in this blistering madness anyway?” she said, pacing up and down, mostly talking to herself. “I should have known it… You don’t eat anything and drink so little. Duh! Vampires don’t eat do they? Of course I’d offer myself if I had known but that would just have been weird. No forget I said that. That’s just bull.”

Fiona watched the petite woman try to absorb the information and internalize it but was clearly having a hard time. Knowing full well that Erika would be subjected to a memory wipe broke her heart. She would cease to exist in this woman’s life… forever.

Turning to look at her friend, Fiona blinked back her tears and gave her suggestion.

“Erika… I need you to sleep now and forget everything that ever happened here today when you wake up.”

The woman fell like a log, collapsing on the floor into deep slumber. Fiona was too distraught to notice that she wasn’t angry when she used her abilities. Picking the woman gently in her arms, she carried Erika upstairs to her bed and laid her down.

“Sleep tight my friend. I’ll wake you up when everything is over,” she whispered, squeezing Erika’s hand gently.

Closing the door quietly, she made her way down and came face to face with Alaron.

***

“What are you doing here Al…  I’m too depressed to kill you.”

Apologies later, he thought. Clean-up first. “Eian sent me. We need to destroy the security tapes right now,” he said, moving behind the counter to search for the camera feed.

“Wh… what? Eian knows about this?”

“He sent some Beta wolves to canvass the vicinity to see if anyone has seen or heard the uh… commotion this morning.”

Fear crept down Fiona’s spine. “Then what Al?”

“Then Draven will erase their memory…”

“Is he well enough to do so?”

“I’m not sure. The mending of bones is a bitch so they’re gonna give him drugs to suppress the pain. That will interfere with his pain receptors and his mind might be in too much of a bliss for him to do fully concentrate on erasing minds… Aha! Found it!” He raised his hand to show a disc but Fiona wasn’t paying attention.

“What are you going to do in the meantime?”

“We’ll have to bring the witnesses to a secure place and hold them there until he’s better.”

“No!” she shouted then frowned. “Wait… why isn’t Grandfather handling this matter? This is our mess. Why did you involve Eian in it?”

Alaron crushed the disc and the recorders carefully in his hands before moving away from her to look for the cameras. Those have to be destroyed too.

“He will lock us up Fiona… “he said softly as he smashed one of the cameras into a flat disc. “We can contain this… don’t worry…”

But Fiona wasn’t buying his unusual reassuring voice. “Something’s wrong isn’t it…”

With his head hung low, Alaron turned to look at her with a serious look on his face. “The reason why Father lets me get away with almost anything is because I am still underaged. That goes for any Vampire below the age of 100. As odd as that sounds, it weighs a lot in the Vampire world as to how they assess your punishment. I’ve been under house arrest for some time after your family’s… I’m sorry Fi, demise. They will look at this incident as a child’s lack of control and simply lock me up at home again but Draven is old and will be subjected to much harsher punishment.”

“Wait… you’re saying you only got house arrest for killing people? What is wrong with this system?” she shrieked.

“It is in place to protect our kind Fiona; above others. Do you know how many younglings and newly turned Vampires were staked and burnt in the past? Our kind almost went into extinction because all the young were too slow to evade human capture. And even now… do you think we can survive in prisons? If you’re placed in an isolation cell, you’ll probably just die from lack of feed. Either that or you’ll go mad with the burning need to kill and feed.”

Fiona slumped to her knees, clearly shocked at what she was hearing.

“Does Eian…”

“Yes he knows…” interrupted Alaron. “That’s why he was adamant on keeping you under his guardianship even though he’s a Werewolf. Because… one adult is only allowed to be guardian for one underaged Vampire.”

“What! Are you saying that I was under house arrest without me knowing it?”

“Hello… you attacked a man and sucked his blood till he fainted remember?”

“Oh…” she said, recalling the incident.

“And you tried to drown yourself which I thought was so stupid. But that’s beside the point. The council would do anything to keep their young alive… especially if they’re born into a Pureblood family or Sired by one.”

“Why?’

Alaron rolled his eyes. “You’re clearly not thinking clearly right now,” he commented, smashing another camera that he had found. “It’s better to breed Purebloods and Nobles as they only need to feed once every few months. Hello…”

“Oh. I forgot.” She was massaging her temples, trying to ease the headache that was slowly creeping into her head. Then she reached into her pocket and took out her phone and begin dialing.

“Sweetheart,” came the gentle voice on the other line. Fiona couldn’t wish for anything more calming than his voice at the moment. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you… I figure you’re still talking to Erika and that it might get a bit stressful for you…”

“Yes, she’s asleep now… I’m so tired Eian,” she whispered and heard his comforting words. “Have your Betas finished with their canvassing?”

“Why?”

“I’ll modify their memory right now. I refuse to let anyone be taken anywhere.”

A moment of silence passed.

“Are you sure?” he asked. Fiona felt a strange bout of comfort in his question. Even though he doubted her, he didn’t straight out refuse her help or ordered her not to intervene.

“It occurred to me that I had just put Erika to sleep and I wasn’t even angry. I don’t think I can wipe memories but I can suggest to them to forget what they saw or to pretend it was a dream or something.”

“Okay Sweetheart… Is Alaron there? Close the shop properly then stay with him inside until I get there with the Betas and the witnesses. Is that alright?”

She nodded her head slowly, mumbling a ‘yes’ into the receiver.

“I love you,” she heard him say before he disconnected.

“I love you too…” she whispered to herself.

***

The most touching thing that I have ever read. *cries*

Recently a fellow blogger introduced me to this story Wheels of Steel by PepperPace. You can find it here.

Initially I was just curious but after the first chapter, I was crying and nothing had even happened yet. So I continued reading and reading and now I can't stop. Damn it. It's almost 2am and I have a pile of readings to complete for my class and I'm too absorbed with the story that I won't stop. Yeah... I'm like that. I can read a whole book in a day; regardless of length.

Anyway, the story really touched a chord in me because I know what it is like living with a disabled person. It's not easy AND I have a mother exactly like Robin (the female lead).

So, to those who have never read her stories, please do. She infuses a kind of realism in her writing that comes with either a lot of experience or research but the effect is still the same- amazing. With that said, I'm waiting for Molkeke to finish her 'A New World Awaits' too then I'll spend the whole day reading them and crying. I'm such a baby!

But that is the hallmark of the work of a great author.

Into The Vampire's Lair Chapter 2- teaser

A reader suggested that I should post my stories here simultaneously or at least before it is posted on LitE but I don't know.... should I? Would people head over to read it on the website if they have a chance to read it here? Maybe... but for now, I'll stick with teasers unless it's a chapter I cannot wait to post or that I'm so proud of then I'll post it here.

I think I am scared that children/teenagers below 18 wander around in blog world and see so much erotica on display. But that aside, the blog is supposed to be an outlet for the creative process behind the writing; how I got my muse, inspiration and general feedback. BUT I will post longer teasers to satisfy [partially] the palate and leave the cravings still intake. Yum.

Okay enough rambling. Here is Chapter 2's teaser; still in it's raw form and unedited. I've only put segments here, omitting others but I think it will suffice for now =)

***

When Alaron entered the bookshop that morning, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for. He knew that Fiona would not arrive until half an hour later so he had to come up with any reason to enter before he chickened out and walked away.

A while later, he let himself into the store, pacing the carpeted floors. Erika was nowhere to be found. He leaned lazily against her cashier counter and surveyed the place. It was really a dump. How in the world could Fiona put up with it?

He waited for a few more minutes and heard the slight thud of footsteps.

“Excuse me? We’re not opened yet.” Alaron looked up to the sound of the voice and found her staring at him from the stairway. So… she lived upstairs.

“I’m uh… I want to get Fiona a book before she comes,” he regurgitated the script from memory. It had taken him five whole minutes to come up with the suitable line.

Erika looked at him doubtfully but took the bait. “What book?”

“Uh… some baby book. She’s trying to conceive you know? I thought maybe I should get her something to uh… help her along.”

Erika’s face suddenly lit up with amusement and she pulled her head back in laughter.

“She doesn’t need help in that department. Did you get a load of the guy she married? Now, Fiona can be a little soft around the edges but her husband is not…. Definitely not,” she replied, as she moved towards the coffee maker.

Alaron didn’t know why her sentence irked him. It was bad enough that Fiona compared him to that mutt… but this stranger? What does she even know about them anyway? Fiona’s not going to have an easy pregnancy like any other human. Sure he said he wasn’t going to help her with the baby thing but since when did he ever mean anything he said?

“Just help me find the damn book,” he growled in an irritated voice.

“Find it yourself. I’m not on duty right now so we are two perfect strangers in a public space,” she said, ignoring him.

Alaron couldn’t believe this woman. Why couldn’t all women be as gentle and sweet as his mother or Fiona? Okay… maybe they were scary when they got angry but generally sweet-natured. But this human was just unyielding!

Alaron let out a snarl but didn’t reply her. Obviously she was playing hard to get… which makes hunting the prey all the more thrilling, he thought. Just as well. He turned his focus to the bookshelf in front of him and began perusing the baby book collection that they had.

“Baby names, Pregnancy Journal… Belly laughs…” he muttered, obviously amused at the titles. “No wait… this one sums it about right: What’s going on in there?”

Alaron was actually amazed that people actually write stuff about babies and what to do about them. That was just as weird as him standing in front of the baby section looking for the right book.

“Al? What are you doing here so early?”

Alaron quickly hid the book he was holding behind his back as Fiona approached him. Her eyes flicked to the titles on the shelf.

“Baby books?” She looked puzzled then frowned. “Did you make someone pregnant?”

“No I didn’t silly!” he replied, giving her a playful push. “It’s kinda like for you…”

Fiona was about to reply when Erika shouted across the room at them.

“Get your hands off her! Fiona! How can you just stand there when he just manhandled you like that?”

Fiona looked up at Alaron. She knew he had pushed her, albeit playfully, but she hadn’t moved an inch; a normal human being might have flown across the room. It wasn’t a big deal… but apparently Erika thought it was for she was fuming as she marched towards them.

She was jabbing a finger against his chest and delivering various threats and curses. For a moment, the two Vampires just stood rooted in shock.

When she managed to snap out of it, Fiona eased away from them before she laughed out loud and ruin the moment. She had caught Alaron’s eye and saw the plea in them but all she could do was cover her mouth to stop the giggles.

When he left a while later, Erika went over to Fiona.

“Sweetie, you really shouldn’t let him push you around like that. I know he’s your brother and all but he sure is rough. If you get pregnant, it’s going to be unsafe for him to behave that way around you,” she warned.

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Honey… don’t you know anything about pregnancies? Bugger… that bloke was right about you needing help now aye? Well, if you fall, it might increase the chances of a miscarriage… and we don’t want that now do we?” she said kindly.

“Oh…” Fiona wished she was already at that state of worrying about a miscarriage… but she hadn’t even conceived anything yet. With a sad sigh, she looked at Erika and tried to change the topic.

“You know Erika… Alaron can be quite… aggressive at times but I’ve thrown him against a wall myself so you can say shoving each other is our favourite pastime.”

“Surely not!” she exclaimed in exasperation.

“Well… okay maybe I exaggerated. But my point is that he’s a very misunderstood person… sometimes I think he behaves that way because it’s his self-conscious defense mechanism.”

“Against what?!”

“Women… He wants intimacy but he’s afraid of getting too close. Losing his mother was really a turning point for him.”

“Oh…I’m sorry,” said Erika. “You don’t share the same mother?”

Fiona smiled and shook her head. The Culzean family tree was a bit too complicated for her to explain to the human at the moment.

“Well, I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on him then…” said Erika, moving to the door to turn the ‘closed’ sign to ‘open’. “But he’s still an asshole.”

Laughter bubbled in Fiona’s throat. “Ah… yes he is…”

***

[To know what happened here, wait for the chapter. *evil laughs*]

***

Meanwhile, Amber was sitting in her office, printing out the data from Fiona’s first visit. The blood results will be back in a day or two. Plus she still had to wait for Draven to take a look at Fiona’s blood sample.

Amber frowned. Just where the hell is he? He had missed the whole consultation! If he had been around, maybe Fiona wouldn’t have been that devastated.

“He’s freaking Ancient for god sake… surely he’d know more than me?” she muttered to herself.

Somehow that seemed to be the magic phrase, for a knock later; he entered, looking solemn as always.

“You’re late,” she said accusingly.

“Yes, I was caught up with something. My apologies.”

Amber leaned back in her swivel chair and crossed her arm. He didn’t even look at her when he said sorry!

“Right, so where’s her blood sample? I’ll just take it and be on my way.”

“You were supposed to be here for the consultation!”

“I told you I was engaged,” he replied tonelessly.

Arrogant bastard!

Draven turned to look lazily at Amber before moving towards the storage box to help himself to the sample. He wasn’t really interested in interacting with this Werewolf, even though she smelled divine. He gave a small shudder to dispel the thought and picked up one of the two test tubes containing Fiona’s blood.

“How soon can you give me the results?” she asked, clearly annoyed.

“I’ll fax it to you when I’m done,” he replied, moving towards the door.

Amber gave an irked huff, finding herself staring at the man’s back. Initially she had pegged him as self-absorbed, haughty, and annoying but on hindsight decided there was only one word to describe him: frigid.

What was it about cold, emotionally-unavailable men that just attracts her? In other words, Draven exuded the same calm yet icy demeanor as Eian did before he met Fiona. The only difference was that the man beside her was of the Vampire variety. Still, she wouldn’t deny that she was attracted to him; superficially or not.

“Have dinner with me.” The words blurted out of her before she could stop herself.

Draven who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks even though his hand was already on the door handle.

“Pardon me?” he said, turning around slowly.

“Have dinner with me. You know… eating and drinking… being civilized.”

He gave her a considering look and leaned his back against the door.

“I do not have mortal needs of eating, unless you’re offering yourself as my meal. Now that would be uncivilized. I don’t do wild animals.”

Amber was taken aback. Part of her was insulted yet the other part was curious. He was looking at her without an ounce of emotion and yet his sentence seemed loaded with innuendos… or was she just imagining it?

“I can’t figure you out, Draven… seriously. We’re supposed to work on this together and you act as though you’re superior to me; walking in whenever you want, taking whatever you want. I am as equally qualified as you are, if not more.”

Draven tilted his head back and laughed.

“Wolf, you may have a MD but I have been around much longer than you have and so I am superior to you.”

 Her eyes widened slightly to express the shock she was feeling. It took her awhile to get over it but when she did, she looked up without an expression on her face.

“I see. Well then, I’ll wait for the fax,” she said, watching as he opened the door. “Oh, just for your information, Fiona was heartbroken when she left.”

He heard her but didn’t stop this time. Walking himself out of the medical centre, he felt slightly guilty. He knew she wasn’t lying when she said Fiona was heartbroken. He had read it in her mind. Maybe she was right… he should have been there for the consultation. Looking at his watch, he decided it was too late to call Fiona. He’ll probably do it tomorrow.  

Draven massaged his temples slightly to quell the headache he was getting. Clutching the test tube, he decided that the best thing to do right now was to get to work.

That should give him time to mull things over. 

***

[To be revealed... ]

***  

Draven was seriously annoyed. He had been staring at his computer screen for the past eighteen hours, analyzing the blood sample he had taken from the medical centre hours ago. He had no idea why he was so agitated or why he was pushing himself without rest for the past 36hours.

He told himself it was for Fiona’s sake; that he wanted to deliver the results to her as soon as possible but he knew that was just the icing on the cake. The truth was, he couldn’t quite wipe the image of that she-wolf’s disappointed face out of his mind. She had been really hurt when he told her that her MD was meaningless to him.

But he was just stating the obvious. He was at least a few hundred years older than her and his years of research had resulted in various advancement in the medical and biochemical field. Hell, she probably studied the science that he had pioneered along with other scientists over time. What did she know?

When the light of dawn began to illuminate the sky, Draven’s head shot up to look at the time. It was almost seven o’clock.

Resting his head on the desk, Draven gave a loud sigh. His father had raised him up to be too much of a gentleman that it was inexcusable for him to behave like that in front of a woman. Sure, he was a noble and she a commoner but that didn’t give him the license to treat her like dirt. Now that was Alaron’s territory or so he thought. Somehow his brother seemed to have mellowed down a lot since Fiona’s marriage.

Whatever it was, he had to apologize to her. Otherwise it would reflect badly on the Culzean family name and as the eldest son, it was his duty to preserve their reputation. With a resigned sigh, he calculated how much time he had, considering that the centre opened in an hour’s time. If he wanted to reach there on time, he mustn’t take more than ten minutes to get ready.

“The lengths I go to for this family,” he muttered to himself as he whizzed his way through a shower and got dressed, taking just a minute more to make sure his hair was combed back and that he had slapped on some aftershave.

Rushing over to the computer, he saved whatever data he had analyzed, gathered the rest of his reports and sprinted to his car.

His watch showed it was 7.20am. He had roughly forty minutes to cover 180miles...

“Okay, so I took two times longer than planned… I can get there on time…” he assured himself, hoping that he wouldn’t have to break the speed limit. He really wanted to catch her before she started work, and then at least they’ll have some time to talk before the whole rush hour starts.

By 7.52am, his car was parked neatly in a lot outside the medical centre. It had him speeding on the highway close to 200 mph, if not faster. For all the hassle and possible fines, he didn’t want to waste anymore time but headed straight to her consultation room, not even knowing if she would be there. Without knocking, he barged in.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, spilling coffee all over the front of her blouse. Annoyance, more than anything flashed across her face as her daily ritual of savouring her first cup of coffee was ruined.

Apparently that didn’t put him off for he was currently looking at her with sharp, intense eyes. Amber was sure that one could actually melt in the heat of that gaze. Not in the sexual sense… but in the volcanic destructive sense.

“Yes?” she asked irritably and watched him take a deep breath before slapping the files he was holding on her desk.

“Alright, here it goes… I’m sorry Dr. Amber MacFarlane at my lack of civility and human compassion with regards to yesterday’s incident. I acknowledge you as a highly trained medical professional and I take back whatever insults I said yesterday.” He paused, gauging her face for a response. When she remained silent, he shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t… usually apologize to women, regardless of species.”

“And I don’t usually ask obnoxious cold-blooded Vampires out for dinner either. That’s a mistake on my part and I apologize for my lack of foresight.” Taking her gaze away, she looked down at the files on her table and opened them. “Are these the results?”

He nodded, watching the arrogance disappear from her face, replaced by a look of pure concentration.

“I’m impressed… you did all this in less than 48 hours? Damn… my own lab hasn’t even started working on my sample yet.”

Again he nodded and watched the arrogance returned to her face.

“Thank you. You can go now. My shift’s starting at eight.”

Draven heard her order and yet he was still standing rooted to the ground. It was the lack of sleep, he reasoned, that was propelling his feet forward, grabbing her by the back of her head and yanking her out of her seat.

His actions were so fast that Amber almost didn’t register the sensations of his lips pressed against hers. However, when she did, her eyes widened in shock and she valiantly tried to push him away.

He didn’t budge an inch and she was slowly losing the strength to resist. His kiss was firm and strong, yet tantalizing enough to make her insides go mushy. Very soon, she found herself surrendering to the onslaught of his kiss, her tongue willingly wrestling with his.

I want you… but I can’t. This is a public place and the nurses might barge in at any time.

He must have heard her for he pulled away reluctantly and looked straight at her, seeing the disappointment and lust pooling in her eyes. Just for a second, he felt the need to respond to her lust as though it was calling out to him. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of him being subject to this Were’s mating pull. That can’t be.

Draven gently let her go, distancing himself from her.

“I’ve got to go now.” He had to leave before something unavoidable happened. “If you need any clarifications, just email me.”

Then he was gone before she could protest.

***

Still in the process of editing... so it should be up by midweek or Thursday at least. I have been rather consistent with my posting, except for that long hiatus after TLAW chapter 8.

So Chapter 3 is in progress and I will be talking about the history of Vampires. It's complete fiction of course but I had to rely on various materials. I read some of Anne Rice and Lynsey Sands works but I'm avoiding Stephanie Meyer for now.

I also found some info here: http://www.answers.com/topic/origins-of-the-vampire but I'll mix and match as always. Readers must understand that no writer writes in a vacuum; we are all influenced by others.

Random Amusements

The first ever comic that made it to my book cupboard was called The Far Side by Gary Larson. I think I was 18 years old at that time and I thought the guy who gave it to me had a wicked [read weird] sense of humour. At that age, I was more into cheesy romance novels and surrealism and non-sequitur works did not appeal to me.

Then of course I got learned.

And so today I was randomly surfing the net and I came across this blog by Grant Snider and instantly I fell in love with his work. It's hilarious!

For example this one:


Love it!

Then a humorous take on my favourite place in the world- The library:
























Just check out the top right hand corner that says "Sexy Werewolf Novels" and "Sexy Vampire Novels". And I also love "Harry Potter's Room" under the stairs. lol.

Did I mention he's in Dentistry? Yeah I guess that comes close to being a Doctor. -laughs- And I dig doctors... partly because I was intending to be one but I decided not to after my GCE-A levels. Yeah, I love science and stuff... but I love reading and writing so much more. And by writing, I do not mean writing answers that demand a right or wrong answer. I like writing to prove a point and knowing at the end of the day my reader doesn't have to agree with what I say.

So I settled for [some humanities and social science] discipline. Hehehe. And I love it!

Okay I'm off to read more of his comics *poof*

Writing Improvements 1: Varying Sentence Structures

Writing is a tiring and draining process. It reminds me of that scene where Harry Potter has to write with a special pen that drains his blood to be used as ink on the paper. Yes- that about sums it up.

Lately, I feel myself trapped in a cycle of re-using and repeating old sentence structures, varying them only a little. Maybe I'm just being self-conscious, maybe I'm not. But a good writer [or one who strives to be] has to try and improve him/herself.

My method includes reading other author's work and going to the library to pick up those Writing 101 books.

Now, when I say read other author's work, I don't mean read only ONE author but a variety. As hard as that sounds, you've just got to do it. For example, I read way too many Nora Roberts' books that I know exactly how she's going to phrase her next words and ideas. So more than one... preferably 4-5 authors.

Right, so here are some of things I learned from reading these Writing 101 books/websites:

1. Vary the rhythm by alternating short and long sentences.

Several sentences of the same length can make for bland writing. To enliven paragraphs, write sentences of different lengths. This will also allow for effective emphasis.

Example: The Winslow family visited Canada and Alaska last summer to find some native American art. In Anchorage stores they found some excellent examples of soapstone carvings. But they couldn't find a dealer selling any of the woven wall hangings they wanted. They were very disappointed when they left Anchorage empty-handed.

Revision: The Winslow family visited Canada and Alaska last summer to find some native American art, such as soapstone carvings and wall hangings. Anchorage stores had many soapstone items available. Still, they were disappointed to learn that wall hangings, which they had especially wanted, were difficult to find. Sadly, they left empty-handed.

2. Vary sentence openings.

If too many sentences start with the same word, especially "The," "It," "This," or "I," prose can grow tedious for readers, so changing opening words and phrases can be refreshing. Below are alternative openings for a fairly standard sentence. Notice that different beginnings can alter not only the structure but also the emphasis of the sentence. They may also require rephrasing in sentences before or after this one, meaning that one change could lead to an abundance of sentence variety.

Example: The biggest coincidence that day happened when David and I ended up sitting next to each other at the Super Bowl.

Possible Revisions:

• Coincidentally, David and I ended up sitting right next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• In an amazing coincidence, David and I ended up sitting next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• Sitting next to David at the Super Bowl was a tremendous coincidence.
• But the biggest coincidence that day happened when David and I ended up sitting next to each other at the Super Bowl.
• When I sat down at the Super Bowl, I realized that, by sheer coincidence, I was directly next to David.

3. Link Sentences Through Subordination:

Link two related sentences to each other so that one carries the main idea and the other is no longer a complete sentence (subordination). Use connectors such as the ones listed below to show the relationship.

after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, if only, rather than, since, that, though, unless, until, when, where, whereas, wherever, whether, which, while

4. Transitional words and phrases

Vary the rhythm by adding transitional words at the beginning of some sentences:

accordingly, after all, afterward, also, although, and, but, consequently, despite, earlier, even though, for example, for instance, however, in conclusion, in contrast, in fact, in the meantime, in the same way, indeed, just as... so, meanwhile, moreover, nevertheless, not only... but also, now, on the contrary, on the other hand, on the whole, otherwise, regardless, shortly, similarly, specifically, still, that is, then, therefore, though, thus, yet

source: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource

Into The Vampire's Lair

Okay, so that is the working title. I've already posted Ch 01 out so it should be out in 2-3 days time!

P.S. I realise I forgot to credit Meg... so I'll double credit her in the second chapter! =(

Keiran and Fiona's Marriage Vows- teaser

Here's an excerpt from the sequel of To Love A Were. I'm still working on the title but it's already edited and should be out by the end of the week latest.

This is the description of Fiona in her dressing room with her bridesmaids:

***

Fiona got up and admired herself in the full length mirror. The lovely princess-cut dress flared down copiously from her waist with its intricate embroideries trailing like vines down to the hemline. The off white duchess satin felt cool over her skin and glided effortlessly when she swayed from side to side.

For a moment, Fiona truly felt like a princess… or to be precise, a Duchess to a Scottish peer. The dark blue and red stripes of Eian’s clan tartan were currently wrapped as a sash around her waist while another was pinned to her right shoulder, flowing down her back.

“I know it’s too late to ask this… but do you think this heart shape neckline is really a good idea?” she asked, daring herself to look down. The seamstress had done a wonderful job ensuring that it wasn’t too low a cut but Fiona was still slightly conscious of her body.

“Honey, you have a wonderful figure. Besides, the lace wrapping around your chest and sleeves ought to give you some coverage. I think you look beautiful,” said Pearl kindly.

“I suppose I do look beautiful,” said Fiona with a laugh. “Oh my god… I’m getting married today!” she suddenly screamed in excitement. “Can you believe it?”

“Only to the most gorgeous man around!” added Erika with a laugh.

“Then we shouldn’t keep him waiting for his bride!” said Amber, opening the door for the others.

***

And here is the description of Eian standing at the altar and the vows that would be exchanged.

However, there was only one face that mattered to her at that moment and he was staring at her, his smile never wavering as she walked closer towards the altar. Fiona blushed slightly at the intensity of his gaze but didn’t take her eyes away from him. He looked truly dashing in his traditional outfit; his tartan kilt with a formal sporran resting neatly in between his thighs and his jacket tapered neatly at the sides to enhance the broadness of his shoulders and lean body. There were silver links on his jacket that matched the silver crest pinning another tartan on his right shoulder. Fiona decided that she liked this look very much.

When they finally reached the altar, Aramis let go of her hand and moved to stand beside Dominic who was the best man for the wedding. Fiona then took her place beside Eian and listened as the priest began the rites of marriage:

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here this morning to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony.

Keiran Alexander MacFarlane, do you take this woman Fiona Reynolds Culzean to be your wife? To love, honour, comfort her and keep her in sickness and in health and forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live?

“I do,” said Eian, squeezing Fiona’s fingers gently in his. He thought it was nice of Aramis to officially allow Fiona’s real last name as her middle name. Apparently she thought so too for she squeezed his fingers back. The followed through with the consent and exchanging of vows, listening intently while trying not to be obvious that they were just brimming with joy and excitement to jump into each other’s arms.

May the Lord bless these rings which you give to each other as the sign of your love and fidelity.

They exchanged their wedding rings and patiently waited for the priest to pronounce them.

I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.

Eian let out what sounded like a sigh of relief before pressing his lips lovingly on his wife’s. His kiss was soft and fleeting but what stirred inside him was a great tornado of emotions, all culminating into the tears of joy that were slowly escaping his eyes.
When he finally pulled away, he saw that she too was blinking back tears. They smiled at each other before she took his arm and walked down the aisle together towards the reception area.

***

Brainstorm time!


Here are some suggestions for the title of this sequel-

'My Hearts Desire' 
'The Other Side of Me' 

'Into the Vampire's Lair' 

'To Love a Vamp'  

'To Warm a Vampire's Heart' 

'To Warm His Heart'

Add on to the list, or vote or spam me whatever. =)

I'm itching to submit the story already....