AN: Welcome back to my BSB story. Fun with Kevin. I have to be in the right mood to write it but when I want to, wow, fun for all. =) inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com I write back, I really do. I also link and love to chat. All the biting takes place in the story, promise. ************************** Curiosity Killed... Chapter Six *********************** I follow Howie out of the bedroom and into the hotel version of a living room where the other four blood suckers are sprawled. I watch, amused, as Kevin looks pointedly at Howie and the man beside me shakes his head slightly, negative. I leap lightly onto the couch and land heavily on AJ who is laying across it. The dark haired singer laughs and I settle myself in his lap, secure in the fact that for now I have the upper hand. I bat my eyes at an annoyed Kevin Richardson. “I’m ready for Plan 2 oh Master of Seduction. Will you have Brian sneak up on me in the shower, or Nick hit me over the head and carry me off like the caveman that he is?” “Hey!” Nick protests and I wink saucily at him as AJ sits up and wraps his arms around me, placing his chin on my shoulder. I have three little voices inside my head; one screaming ‘get the bloodsucker off me!’, the second squealing ‘oh my god, AJ, eeeee!’, and the third whimpering ‘its been a really long time since my last boyfriend’. He smells good. Dumb boy band member and his expensive cologne. “You are infuriating…” Kevin growls and I watch, pleased, as Brian and Howie share a smirk. You can really tell they’ve all been together as friends for a very long time. They all know exactly which buttons to push to piss each other off. “So, how are ya’ll going to explain my presence on the tour? Or are you simply going to throw me in a duffel bag and hide me from the disapproving world…” I throw a dramatic hand over my brow and pose, theater style, and jump as AJ blows warm air into my ear. I glance back and curse at how idiotic I’ve been. AJ’s watching me with red tinged eyes and a smile that shows fangs. The arms around me, which I found comforting, are stronger than steel. I try not to panic, he’d smell it on me and well, mortal terror never helps these kind of situations. These kind of sticky life threatening situations. Shit, shit, shit. I’m going to get chewed on. “AJ, dear, how long has it been since you’ve eaten?” He doesn’t answer, just stares at the pulsing of my scarred neck with unnerving fascination that sends shivers down my spine. “Dammit,” Brian’s on his feet and warily in front of us in a second. “AJ, come on buddy, snap out of it, no eating our ticket to power and freedom from the Council.” We all wait in tense silence and I swallow as AJ ignores his friend’s plea to reach up and trace my most prominent vein from my jaw line to the dip in my collarbone. “AJ…” Brian tries again but the personality of the human man left in the shell of a vampire’s body has been overtaken by the monster within. I swallow again and try not to curse as I feel my throat constrict and the beginnings of what are fondly known as panic attacks. I don’t get them often… its one of the reasons I’m so grateful to Dracula. I’m not afraid of much. Don’t know how to be. Let’s just say that the scars on my neck from the yeti cover up older ones. I was eight when I was attacked by a desperately hungry Vampire, who usually have a fairly strict code against feeding off of children of any species. Maybe its where some of my curiosity comes from. No one had any explanation as to why a child was taken to a hospital with puncture wounds in her throat but I’ve found my own explanations over the years. Its been one of the only ways to face my demons, literally and metaphorically. I look for Vampires to make the little voices of doubt in my head go away. I don’t remember much from the attack, thank god, but I remember being held. I remember being afraid. I don’t mind being around Vampires. Dracula’s evidence of that, but, I’m much happier if none of them get too close. I’ve been attacked my fair share, have more scars than the ones that Backstreet has seen, but it’s the ones they can’t quite see that still have their hold on me. I haven’t had a full blown panic attack since the night Dracula decided to grant me immunity and protection, all that he could offer. It will be less than fortunate if my next one happens now. Nothing will make a Vampire feed faster than despair. Its why they feed so willingly on the helpless. I can feel myself start to hyperventilate and I hate the weakness inside that makes me want to cry. “Stay calm…” Brian instructs. “Its called a panic attack Sherlock!” I wheeze between tight breaths. I see the older singer pale before my vision starts to swim and I can feel the blackness clawing at my eyes. And then I pass out like the girl I am. *********************************************************************************** I’m kinda surprised that I wake up. Even more so that I wake up human. It wouldn’t surprised me if they’d killed me and brought me back as a zombie or something as equally as icky as that. Dracula would have still been pissed but he might had given them some leeway for effort and creativity. My sense of humor wouldn’t have been impaired, just my smell. I’m back in the bedroom and under a pile of covers on the bed, with Kevin sitting comfortable next to me, apparently watching me sleep. He’s also about six inches too close for comfort right now. “Are you all right?” he asks mildly and I start to get mad because I can see him laughing at me with his strange, green eyes. I want to make a snappy comment but the sarcasm sticks in the back of my throat with my bravery. It’s a little too soon to be witty and catty. “Can you please back up a bit?” He raises a single dark brow with interest but complies. Its embarrassing but I feel the tension melt away with every inch between us. “Care to explain the sudden coward ness you just experienced?” “About as much as you want to talk about being Changed.” A Vampire’s Change is a deeply personal and painful subject, something they rarely share with other Vampires, let alone mortals. Most only know the details of their own “children”, who they Changed, or of their personal Change. Kevin flinches minutely as his green gaze flashes with quiet anger. “Ahh… the bitch returns. Where did you hide the frightened little girl?” “In the past with your prime and ambitions,” I snap acidly. He hisses and I can see him counting to ten, then twenty, to restrain himself. “You try my patience.” “You don’t have any.” “I can almost see why Dracula found you amusing. I can see more why Marquis wishes to tear your throat out.” “How come I woke up uninjured?” Kevin winces a bit, distasteful. “Let’s just say that Brian’s arm is sporting a lovely pair of fang marks from shielding you when you passed out.” Ouch. I’d sympathize more if Brian didn’t have a pair of his own. “Don’t you feed yourselves?” Kevin shrugs. “Not unless we need to. Tonight was our night to feed and AJ, well, he’s hot headed and has less control than any of us. Combined with his physical attraction to you and your proximity and well, you’re still here, some would see that as a bonus.” I shrug as well. “Its partly my fault. I noticed ya’ll were a little pale to be within biting range of but you seemed rather well behaved over all. I forgot in the excitement of being taken hostage and all. Let myself get careless.” “The fact that you know what our skin tone means disturbs me.” “And the fact that I know that only sheer will is keeping you from coming in for a meal of Cat disturbs the HELL out of me.” We pause and stare at each other for a heartbeat, well, for a heartbeat from me, Kevin’s well, dead. Sorta. “I didn’t scream like a girl when I passed out did I?” I demand suddenly, wishing to ascertain the full extent of my embarrassment. Kevin Richardson snorts. “You didn’t but Nick did.” And despite ourselves, we laugh. “Okay, okay, enough bonding,” I say, “really, what are ya’ll going to do with me on the tour? I assume you’re not going to be sensible and let me be a prisoner in name only while I enjoy the same rights and freedoms I did before being kidnapped…” “You assume correctly,” Kevin remarks, cheery at my glower, “and we’re going to play some group mind tricks on the crew. You’re going to be a girlfriend that we’ve kept hush hush about and this is your first public thing with your ‘sweetheart’.” “How cute,” I remark dryly. “And just which one of you am I supposed to be dating?” Kevin smiles wide enough to reveal gleaming fangs. He leans down to whisper one simple word in my ear, lips brushing the cusp, “Me.”