Hot Blooded

once the dark green leaves enfolded them, swallowed them, a haven of rich,
lush vegetation. The darkness was nearly inpenetrable beneath the heavy canopy
of foliage overhead. The fallen trees and thick shrubbery didn't slow him down.
He moved as one born and bred in the jungle, silent and deadly, protecting her
with his body as he raced through the darkened interior, putting distance
between them and the crumbling laboratory. He seemed to know exactly where he
was going, when most were disoriented deep within the forest. Before he had run
with speed and power, now he began to falter, his legs shaking as if he were
suddenly weak. Blood still ran from his wounds and trickled down his body from
the many lacerations.
    Juliette flexed her fingers, grasping his tattered shirt. She didn't have the
energy to cry out a protest, limp and lifeless, hanging like a sack over his
shoulder, but she was certain he was half-mad with pain. All at once they were
back on the edge of the trees where civilization had hacked the jungle back to
build small townships and villages. The jungle, as always, was creeping forward
to reclaim what had been taken, providing cover all the way to the very edge of
the village.
    He stopped near a thick tree trunk, a shadow in the darkness. She felt his
stillness, his gathering of information, scenting the wind. Her heart began to
pound in anticipation, a loud, terrifying beat. He was hunting prey. Deep within
her very soul, she knew he was hunting human prey with her leaden body draped
casually over his shoulder. She wanted to struggle, to scream, to warn his
victim. No sound emerged; her body refused to obey her. Her heart nearly
exploded in her chest, wild and frightened.
    Breathe
. It came again. A soft command in her mind—gentle, intimate.
A caress she felt on her skin, a stroke she felt in her hair. On her bare
breast. Air moved through her lungs, through his, and her heart found the
steady, natural beat of his.
    She heard the padding of footsteps, the murmur of voices carrying in the
night. Coming closer. Closer still. Who would be so foolish as to wander near
the jungle this late at night? There were many predators in the forest. He moved
then, shifting her into his arms, cradling her close to his chest, his black
eyes burning deeply into hers for a long moment. She could only stare
helplessly, half mesmerized, half paralyzed. Slowly he lowered her feet to the
ground, keeping his arm around her to hold her to him. To hold her up. She was
dizzy and weak.
    His dark examination was the most intimate thing she had ever experienced.
The connection between them was growing. His gaze drifted over her body, touched
her exposed breasts with the heat of a flame. Juliette couldn't summon the
strength to button her blouse so she stood swaying and vulnerable in front of
him. As if reading her mind, her captor drew the edges of the material together
and slipped the buttons in place. His knuckles brushed against her skin, sending
a shiver of awareness down her spine. He bent his dark head toward her, a slow,
almost seductive movement. Her heart thundered in her ears as his sculpted mouth
came close to hers. A whisper away, no more. Mesmerized, she could only stare at
him, waiting, forgetting to breathe. Abruptly, he turned his head toward the
small group of houses.
    Juliette saw two men moving toward them, walking straight as if on a path,
yet they were walking through dense shrubbery. Neither spoke, nor looked right
or left. Neither seemed to be aware they were close to the jungle where
predators lurked. Juliette tipped her head back. It fell against his chest, too
heavy for her to hold up on her own. His arm tightened, locking her even closer
to him so that the heat of his body seeped into the cold of hers.
    She could only stand there helplessly as the two victims walked closer and
closer. There was a stillness in her captor, the coiling of a snake. She felt
him gathering his strength, holding it in place while his prey came closer. The
two men walked right up to him as if drawn, as if programmed. A shudder ran
through her as one tipped his head back, exposing his throat. Her captor bent
his dark head in that same, unhurried, almost casual manner, and sank his fangs
deep and drank.
    Juliette's heart pounded frantically, adrenaline racing through her
bloodstream.
They cannot feel. They are not afraid, why should you be afraid
for them? I am not