Tales from the Dubh Linn

by Niall Teasdale

  ‘Chelsea?’ His expression turned confused. ‘Uh, blonde, kind of an airhead, huge… front?’

  Marian giggled; at seventeen, Chelsea was known to wear an F-cup bra. ‘Most of the boys like her front.’

  Mark shrugged. ‘Call me weird, but I prefer a trimmer figure. Something a bit smaller.’

  Marian felt herself flushing and ducked her head. She had a well-built, trim body. Gymnastics kept her fit, even if she did not practice it nearly as much as her parents or the sports teachers wanted. To go with the almost-gymnast body, she had almost-gymnast breasts. She had always wanted them to grow more, but unless they put on a sudden spurt she figured she was about as grown as she was going to be. Suddenly that did not seem to matter so much.

  Mark seemed oblivious to her embarrassment, or he chose to ignore it to save her further blushes. ‘I wasn’t really sure about coming in here at lunch,’ he said. ‘Everyone eating and me, well, not.’

  ‘You, uh, you’ve not been a vampire long?’

  ‘No, not long.’ There was such a deep sadness in his reply that she thought her heart would break. Whatever had happened to him had been bad. He coughed. ‘So, what do people do for fun around here?’

  Marian grinned. ‘I wouldn’t know. My idea of fun is curling up with a book. There’s a youth club I think the cool kids go to. Y’know? Chelsea and her friends.’

  ‘Ah. I don’t suppose there’s any pubs that serve drinks for vampires?’ He grimaced again. ‘Sorry, you wouldn’t know. I had to take a year out.’ Awesome, he was eighteen and could actually walk into a pub and buy booze, but mostly he was older, more mature…

  ‘I do, actually,’ she said. ‘There’s a pub in the town centre that sells vampire drinks. I’ve not been in, but there’s a little sign beside the door.’

  ‘Really?’ he said, his eyebrows rising above his glasses. ‘I figured a backwater little place like this would be dry.’

  ‘Guildford’s not that small,’ she scoffed. ‘It’s the county administrative centre. We’ve even got a university.’

  ‘A vast metropolis,’ Mark said, grinning broadly. ‘Look, I realise this is a bit… well, you wouldn’t show me this pub would you. Not tonight, obviously. School night and you’ll want to curl up with Scott and Christy…’

  ‘Christina,’ Marian corrected automatically.

  His grin broadened. ‘Christina. Maybe Friday night?’

  ‘Oh… uh… I don’t…’ Marian’s brain screamed at her. Was she nuts? The hottest guy in school, in her opinion, was asking her on a date, sort of, and he was a vampire, and she was saying no? ‘Yes,’ she said before she could lose any of her sudden resolve. ‘I’d love to.’

  ‘Great,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you later in the week and sort out the details.’

  Marian nodded dumbly. Her mouth was dry and her heart was pounding, and she was going out on a date with a vampire!

  ~~~

  By Friday night the rumours that Marian had hooked up with “that new guy” had even reached her own ears. No one had actually talked to her about it, but then that was the whole point of rumours. It was always so much better when no one knew it was true, but could suppose it was. Then again, Mark had sat with her every lunchtime during the week. Today he had asked her for her address and told her he would pick her up around eight since it would be dark by then. He had a car!

  The big problem Marian had was clothes. She had never really considered dating much and she had more or less nothing suitable for going out with a boy. At least it was warm, she could wear something light… She had a short, summer dress, but that had flowers all over it. Her mother had bought it for her and she had hid it at the back of the cupboard. She had one shorter skirt, in black. It came just above the knee and was quite tight, so that would do. She could barely walk in it, but she was not intending to go dancing, just a drink, that was all. All right then, so the little black tank with the spaghetti straps she had bought on a whim and never worn, and she would not need a bra, and she had one good pair of knickers with a thong back. And why the hell was she worried about her underwear?! A little bit at the back of her mind told her it was because she really hoped he would get to see it, but she pushed that away and got dressed.

  Clicking down the path from her house in the three-inch heels she had also bought and never worn, she felt like a prostitute. She never dressed like this. Then again, she never went out with boys. Her father had given her a nod on the way out. There was every chance he thought it was about damn time his daughter got out of her room and Mark was a year older, had a car, ergo responsible, and not too old to be some sort of cradle-snatching rapist. Marian had not mentioned that he was a vampire. Still, if her dad had not flinched at her choice of wardrobe, it could not be that bad, right?

  Mark stepped out of his car and walked around to open the door for her. She was not too good with cars, but it was a little black sports model. An MG maybe? It looked old, so had probably been cheap, or that was her guess. It also looked totally awesome, and here he was being the perfect gentleman, and… He was staring at her with dark, dark eyes. She realised she had not actually seen behind his glasses yet and her breathing quickened as she felt herself almost falling into those gorgeous, almost black, eyes…

  ‘You look… stunning,’ he said. Marian blushed. She had bullied her shoulder length auburn hair into a bun and applied a little kohl, that was it. ‘Seriously,’ he said. ‘You need to let yourself go more often. You’d have boys all over you.’

  Marian shrugged. ‘I’m not sure I want boys all over me.’

  Climbing into the car was not the easiest of activities. It was a low seat and her skirt more or less tied her thighs together. She managed it with a little help from Mark who seemed to be able to handle having her full weight hanging from his extended arm without a thought. Vampires were stronger than humans…

  They drove the short distance to one of the city centre car parks making small talk about school, the students, the teachers, and their lessons. She caught him taking surreptitious glances at her legs stretched out in the foot well, her chest which she had to admit looked fairly good in the little top even if she did not have Chelsea’s boobs. It made her blush, which made him concentrate very hard on the road. Vampires did not blush, but he was embarrassed about being caught looking. It was so cute.

  Of course, he had to help her out of the car and then she was faced with the other problem her skirt was going to give her. The King’s Head was at the top of the huge hill which formed the centre of Guildford, and they were going to have to walk up it.

  ‘We’ll take it slowly,’ Mark said. ‘I know I don’t mind the delay.’ His arm looped around her waist and she felt his hip against hers, and her heart was pounding again. Could he hear it? She had no idea what a vampire’s hearing was like. ‘You’re not used to wearing heels?’

  ‘Not this high,’ she said. ‘And maybe the skirt wasn’t the best choice, but I don’t have much d… uh, party clothes.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ he said, ‘you can call it a date. I think it’s a date.’ Her heart bounced in her chest and it felt like a second beat had joined it in her lower stomach. She leaned slightly against him and he tightened his grip, almost taking her weight as they walked up the pavement to the pub near the crown of the hill.

  Mark sat her at a table and went to the bar to get drinks. Marian tried to ignore the looks from the older patrons sat around the room, instead watching as Mark had to get his driver’s licence out to prove he was eighteen. She grinned as he walked back with a glass of Coke for her and a reddish drink in a large tumbler for him. ‘You’re going to be getting ID checks for a long time,’ she said.

  He grimaced, sitting down and placing her drink in front of her. ‘Yeah. An unexpected downside, as opposed to the expected ones.’

  ‘The blood thing.’

  ‘That, the prejudice, the loss…’

  ‘Loss?’

  He shrugged. ‘I lost friends. Had to move away and left them behi
nd. It feels like I lost something else though. My soul? Whatever that is.’

  ‘I don’t believe that.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘I look in your eyes,’ she said and swallowed because looking into his eyes made that beat in her groin hammer again. ‘I look in your eyes and I see… just as much humanity as anyone else I’ve ever met.’ She broke the eye contact. ‘Uh, what’s that drink?’

  ‘They call it a Dragon’s Blood. It’s a Mai Tai with warmed Syn in it. I find the thicker cocktails work better, and this is kind of sweet. I can only have one though.’ He grinned. ‘Stuff goes straight to my head.’

  Marian ducked her head a little. ‘I’ve had a glass of wine at home. It does the same to me. I get all giggly and don’t think about what I’m doing.’

  ‘Do you always think about what you’re doing?’

  ‘Pretty much, which is why I usually don’t do anything. I overthink it and imagine all the things that could go wrong and…’

  ‘You came out with me. A drink with a vampire. It’s kind of dangerous.’

  She caught his eyes again and almost groaned at the throbbing between her legs. ‘Oh no, I don’t think it’s dangerous. I don’t think you’d hurt me.’ Even if I asked…

  ‘Vampires are dangerous, Marian. I know…’ He broke off as some uncomfortable memory surfaced and took a drink to settle his nerves.

  ‘What’s it like?’ she asked timidly. ‘Being bitten. Does it hurt?’

  ‘Yes, but you don’t notice much. We can…’ He stopped. ‘Are you sure you want to talk about this?’

  ‘If you don’t want to…’

  He shrugged. ‘Okay, we can use our aura to make you feel good, euphoric. The bite goes in and it feels like a little pinch and then as soon as we’re drinking and our saliva gets into the blood…’ He closed his eyes as if remembering. ‘It’s like… your body thrums. Every part of you feels so amazingly good. Combine it with sex and…’ He shook his head and grinned at her. ‘I’ve embarrassed you again.’

  ‘I read too many vampire romance novels.’ She saw his nose twitch and wondered what he could smell that she could not.

  ‘It’s not all romance,’ he said. ‘I didn’t ask for this. My girlfriend turned out to be a lot older than I thought, and obsessive. After she turned me she was killed by the Greycoats. I’m grateful to them, she was keeping me prisoner. It took me a while to get over that, hence being a year late finishing school.’

  Marian looked horrified. ‘That’s terrible.’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said, taking another drink. ‘Yeah, it was. I loved her, she betrayed me.’ He shrugged. ‘I got over it and now I’m out with a girl who is my age, and I like her company.’

  ‘You do?’ She had not meant to let quite as much surprise show in her voice.

  He laughed. ‘I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. Don’t put yourself down so much. You’ve got great bone structure, a good body. You do dance?’

  ‘Gymnastics.’

  He nodded. ‘You’ve got great legs. I know you saw me looking in the car and it embarrassed you. It shouldn’t. You’re good looking, and a whole lot less vapid than the other girls at school. And you aren’t scared of me. They are.’

  ‘Why? What’s to be scared of?’

  Mark smiled, showing his fangs. ‘See? You’re just so much better than them.’

  ~~~

  The black MG pulled up outside Marian’s house. It was well before midnight and she had some time before she had said she would be home. Her heart was hammering in her chest, she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to Mark. ‘I had a wonderful evening, Mark. Thank you. Would… would you like to bite me?’

  The young man smiled. ‘Thank you for the offer, Marian, but never on a first date. I wouldn’t want you thinking I was easy.’ She giggled nervously. ‘I’ll take a kiss, if I may?’ He leaned toward her and, still nervous, she moved closer. Their lips met. Something almost electric seemed to sizzle through her body. He deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding between her lips to touch hers. Her body felt warm, her skin tingled, the throbbing beat between her legs became more and more insistent…

  He broke the kiss and she sat there, her body still responding to the glory that was her first ever kiss. She did not even notice him getting out of the car, starting as her own door opened and he offered her his arm to help her out.

  ‘I had a great time, thank you,’ he said. ‘I hope we can do it again.’

  Pulling herself out of the car, she stood up and found herself standing almost pressed against him. ‘Of course,’ she said, her voice breathy. ‘Next Friday?’

  His lips touched hers again and a spark flew straight from her lips to her groin. ‘That would be lovely,’ he said.

  Pulling herself away by applying all the willpower she had, Marian started for the house. Her legs felt weak and her body wanted, more than anything, to have Mark sneaking up after her to sink more than just his teeth into her willing flesh… She suppressed a groan as she heard the MG pulling away. She would go straight to bed. Tonight she would be dreaming about someone other than Scott and before she went to sleep she was going to make damn sure of what she was going to dream about him doing.

  December 2010

  The sun set on Marian’s eighteenth birthday and she trotted down the stairs from her room to meet Mark. She already had her coat on; her wardrobe had changed some in the last couple of months and using the excuse of the cold outside was a great way to hide her outfit from her parents. The only thing visible was the four-inch heeled pumps which she hoped no one would worry over since she had been wearing higher heels recently.

  It was a Saturday and her parents had taken her out for a birthday lunch earlier. Now she was going out again, and this time was the most special. She was eighteen now and they had been dating since September. When they parted now the kiss was longer and there was more roaming of hands, and Marian went upstairs to bed and used the thick, black dildo she had bought, pretending it was Mark. But he had never once bitten her, and they had never once gone past some enthusiastic groping.

  As she walked down the path toward the car where Mark was waiting, a bright smile on his face, she knew that tonight was going to be different. She smiled back, and then checked over her shoulder to see whether anyone was watching before she got to him. Running the last couple of steps, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Her tongue pushed into his mouth, fencing with his tongue, sliding over his fangs. Her body burned with desire for him and she knew he could sense it; she knew he could smell her arousal, and she knew she was aroused.

  ‘Ready?’ she asked.

  ‘Isn’t it me that’s supposed to ask that?’

  ‘You’re the one who’s been putting this off for months. I was ready the first night.’ She had no trouble getting into the car tonight, but she tucked her coat around her legs once she was sat down; it would not do to spoil the surprise.

  Mark got in beside her and started the car. He glanced once more at her, then slipped the MG into gear and pulled away heading out of town. Their destination was not exactly romantic, but it was private and away from anyone who might see them. He had already been there to prepare things. There would be a bottle of wine waiting and some lamps to give mood lighting. She would have liked candles, but the hotel room smoke detectors made that impossible.

  A generic travellers hotel on the A3 was not where Marian had expected to lose her virginity, but the anticipation as they pulled into the car park was making her wetter than she could ever remember being. They walked quietly through the lobby and down a corridor with mauve wallpaper and up-lighting every few yards, and then Mark was unlocking a door and ushering her in.

  There was a bathroom on the right and then she was walking into the room. She had no doubt that it looked distinctly like every single other room in the hotel, but with the little electric tea lights dotted around as the only light, the walls were almost invisible. It was a cave of delights waiting for her and it was perfect. Sighing, she unbuttoned
her coat and Mark was there to slip it off her shoulders. She turned and posed, grinning. Beneath the coat she was wearing a sheer white blouse, knotted under her breasts, and a pleated skirt so short that it covered barely half her arse.

  Mark drew in a sharp breath. ‘That’s… a really hot outfit.’ Giggling, Marian turned on the spot and heard him swallow. ‘You’re, uh, not wearing anything under that skirt.’

  ‘How observant.’

  He walked over to a set of drawers at one side of the room and she heard two glasses of wine being poured. When he turned one of the glasses had a slight reddish hue; he preferred cocktails, but a little synthetic blood, Syn, would let his body absorb the alcohol in the wine. Marian took a long pull on hers, settling onto an armchair. Mark sat on the corner of the bed opposite her and watched, his black eyes never moving from her. Her eyes watched his as she drank more wine and slowly spread her legs as far as the chair would let her.

  ‘You look amazing,’ he said, his voice breathy. She could see the bulge in his black jeans and she wanted to crawl to him and let it out and fill her mouth with him, but she stayed where she was.

  ‘Thank you. Mark, I want you to bite me. And then I want you to fuck me. I don’t have to be home until one, so we’ve got about three hours. Can you screw me for three hours, Mark?’

  He gave a long growl, deep in his throat and his eyes glowed red in the dim light. She felt light headed suddenly and wondered whether the wine had hit her, but Mark was there taking the glass from her hand and pushing her skirt up around her waist. His tongue snaked out and she gasped as it slid over her labia. She was already very wet down there and he breathed in her musk before licking again. Marian moaned at the exquisite sensation and then there was a sharp pain, like a pinch, on her inner thigh. She felt pressure there, suction. His tongue slid over the spot… Her body tensed, her limbs were lead weights, her skin was on fire. Her inner muscles clenched and relaxed around nothing as her body filled with the most intense pleasure she had ever felt. And it continued until she blinked and saw his face looking up at her, his tongue licking blood from his lips.