by D N Simmons
“It's me, Xavier.” Even over the loud disruptive reception of the intercom, his voice was clear and sexy. She pressed the button to unlock the door to the building's entrance. Before she could take her hand off of the release button, there was a knock at her door. She walked to the door.
“Who is it?” It couldn't be Xavier, she had just buzzed him in, this must be a neighbor.
“Xavier.” It was him! She couldn't believe how fast he got up to the third floor! She peeked through the peephole and sure enough, there he stood, looking down the hallway. She unlocked the door opening it. He turned to face her and smiled. He was breathtaking. He was wearing a smoke gray blazer over a black silk shirt and smoke gray flat-front pants. The cut of the pants really showed off his flat stomach, and made an impressive impact in the groin area. She smiled, stepping to the side, allowing him to enter. He walked past her carrying a pizza box. Natasha's stomach growled as the aroma of the pizza wafted up to her nostrils.
“Where should I put this?” he asked, indicating the box of pizza.
“Oh, you can put it right there.” She pointed to the coffee table in front of the sofa. He set it down, then took a seat on the sofa crossing one long leg over the other, right hand resting in his lap, the left, resting on the armrest.
He looked at her. “Are you going to come and sit down, or no? I promise I won't bite,” he joked.
She smirked at him then walked over to the sofa and sat down...cautiously. She looked at him, she definitely felt an attraction to him, acknowledging her desire for his body, but she was also afraid of him. She decided to play it cool, he still didn't seem to pose a threat. She opened the pizza box and looked at the delicious smelling pizza topped with onions, black olives, mushrooms, green and red peppers, sausage, pepperoni and double layers of cheese. She looked at him, and smiled.
“What are you trying to do, get me fat?” she joked. She reached into the box, pulling away a slice and taking a bite out of it, working the long strings of melted cheese into her mouth with her lips. Xavier smiled as he watched her eat.
“I picked their deluxe. Everyone there said it was the best thing on the menu,” he said.
“Well, it's delicious. Thank you.” She looked at him. “I'd like to just talk, if you don't mind. There are some things I'd like to ask you. I've never really seen a vampire in real life...at least not one I was aware of. And well, I wanted to know more about you,” she said with all honesty. He looked at her, he seemed thoughtful.
“Okay. Whatever you want to ask me, feel free. I'll answer all of your questions to the best of my ability.”
“Are any of the myths true?”
“Like crosses and holy water? No. Neither can harm us, or irritate us in any way. The only thing that can kill us or do us harm is the sun, fire, or decapitation. We can be injured as well, to the point where it may take days to heal, however it's very hard to injure vampires. But to my knowledge, what I mentioned are the only things that can kill us. That's why I have to take my hat off to the mortal world for equipping themselves with all of the weapons necessary to protect themselves. Really! Ultraviolet bullets are simply amazing.” He seemed truly astounded.
“What about, when you go to sleep, do you sleep in coffins, or in dirt?”
Xavier laughed outright, his hand slapping his thigh. “Neither,” he stated, still chuckling. “I choose to sleep in a bed, but there are some of our kind that choose to sleep in coffins, or even underground.”
“Can you make, well, do you...you know, when you have sex?” The blood had rushed to her face, and her cheeks were reddening.
He looked at her, his head slightly cocked sideways. He smiled. “Well, let me explain it this way. When we have sex, there is a release with the orgasm. But we are sterile, we can never reproduce. Our bodies are reanimated, so to speak, nightly, outwardly functioning much like a normal human body, after we've fed. Which is why it's hard to differentiate one of us from one of you. Our skin is warm to the touch, but if you've noticed, we sweat, we can cry, and we can ejaculate.”
Natasha's eyes were as huge as saucers as she listened to Xavier. Her mind raced with every detail he revealed. She was asking Xavier all of the questions that ran through her mind. Questions that were brought on by every vampire movie she'd ever seen and every vampire book she'd ever read and just her own curiosity.
Xavier continued, “Unfortunately, we cannot digest human food. Wait, I'll take that back. The oldest of our kind are practically invincible. They can carry on lives just like you. But for me, I'm too young to be able to have such luxuries. I have to feed nightly, I cannot digest human food, or go out into the sunlight. I'm well asleep before daybreak. I haven't seen a sunrise, or sunset in over seventy years,” he smiled gently as he watched her reaction. She appeared saddened by his information. “I know that once we get a certain age, we become resilient to the sun. Older vampires can walk around in the sunlight, just like any human, and even enjoy food. Mind you, they do not receive any nutrients from human food, just the thrill of eating, and the taste of the different cuisine. However, they must rid themselves of the food in the very same method that humans do. You can imagine how an ancient vampire views this option. Many of them choose not to eat human food. I have a long time before I can see those days come.”
“Do you regret any of it, not being able to have kids, or anything else?”
He thought about her question for a moment. “Sometimes. But there's always a price to pay, and we pay for our immortality.”
It was now Natasha's turn to think about his response.
“Why do you want to go out with me? You're a vampire, wouldn't you prefer your own kind?” she asked.
“Why? Why not? I find you intriguing, beautiful, humorous and kindhearted, besides the alternative of not being with you is unthinkable. The only thing standing in the way of our having a relationship, is you. Can you date a vampire?” he asked, turning the tables.
“Well, I don't know. I can try. I mean I like you. I can give it a shot, it's still really weird to me. I'll need time to get to know you better, but I think I can still give it a shot,” she said as she finished her third slice of pizza.
“Good.” He smiled, then a thought occurred to him, should he tell her about Darian now or later? He decided to wait for later, after they got better acquainted. He sat back, asking her questions about herself, what were her hobbies and her least favorite things.
“See, I enjoy going to the movies as well. We both like the same actors and actresses. Well, except for that one guy, I don't particularly care for him,” Xavier said as he lounged on the sofa. Natasha had settled in the chair next to the sofa. She chuckled at his jokes, he was surprisingly funny. And she realized that she felt very relaxed in his company.
“So,” she asked, getting more serious. “You're a vampire and now that we are here together, you seem like a regular guy, but just how dangerous are you? Have you ever killed anyone?”
He lifted his head to look over at her. He pulled himself up into a sitting position. “Well, I was waiting for that question.” He chuckled softly. “I live a different life than you do. Vampires live a different life than humans, yet it's a similar type of life. We have wars, and betrayal. We handle it in our own way, which can be violent. As far as how dangerous I am, I can be very dangerous and yes I have killed people. Does that upset you?” he asked, his expression had grown serious.
Natasha looked into his gray eyes. She knew that he was telling the truth, which earned him some major points in her book. She doubted a human man would be so totally honest. Were vampires more honest, or did it just seem that way? Or is it simply the way Xavier is?
“No...well...in a way, it does. As of right now, I don't know what I think about that. I have my thoughts, but then I realize you're not like me and that has to be taken into consideration.” She sighed. “I need to think about all of this, it's a scary truth, knowing that you've killed people.”
“I can imagine, but I don't kill fo
r fun, only out of necessity. I want you to know that I do understand your apprehension, I'm also pleased that you asked such a bold question. I'm impressed.” Xavier smiled.
“I really like you, it's kind of hard for me to imagine you killing someone, even out of necessity. I glad you answered the question, but it gave me something to think about,” she said.
“Okay. Why don't I let you get some rest, you look exhausted.”
“I am, thanks,” Natasha said, rising from the chair.
Xavier retrieved his coat from the arm of the sofa and put it on. They walked toward the exit, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, then turned to say “goodbye”.
“Why don't I give you my number so you may contact me.” He took out a pen from the inside pocket of his blazer and a piece of paper, he wrote down his number and handed it to Natasha. “Call me anytime, um, after sunset.” He chuckled.
Natasha took the paper, glancing at the number. She smiled, knowing he had trusted her with that information. She looked up at him. “May I ask you something? Can you enter a house without being invited?”
He grinned mischievously. “Yes,” he said, then turned and walked down the hall. When he had reached the stairway, he looked back at her. “Call me. I'll be thinking about you.” He blew her a kiss, then vanished as if he had teleported instantly, startling Natasha who wondered if he had done just that. She would have to ask him about that later. She closed the door, still experiencing mild fatigue. She decided to get some rest and fast. She wanted to be alert for her first day on the job. She walked into the bathroom and took a shower, using her favorite Anisi's bath products. She rinsed, toweled off, then put on her pajamas. She climbed into bed, drifting off to sleep the instant her head hit the pillow.
She stood over a prone figure of a woman crying as she lay tied to a metal, blood stained table. The woman was begging for her life. Natasha could hear herself laughing, a deep husky laughter. The laughter was not her own, though it seemed as if it was. She ran huge manly hands over the woman's body, suddenly claws started to extend. The woman screamed and began thrashing against her restraints. The clawed hand stabbed through the woman's stomach, causing the woman to cry out. Thick, dark red blood bubbled then flowed from the wounds made by the clawed fingers. Natasha could feel the woman's skin ripping as the fur-covered, clawed hand disemboweled her while she cried, screamed and begged for her life.
Natasha had never heard anyone scream in agony, true agony. It made her skin crawl. Blood and tissue poured freely from the wound as several yards of intestine came spilling out of the victim's abdomen. Natasha could feel an indescribable hunger rise inside of her caused by the scent of the blood. She could hear the laughter of another, feminine laughter. She looked up to see a beautiful woman with pale skin and long, black hair ending at her thighs, enter the room. She wore a black, leather cat suit with black four-inch heeled boots. Her fangs had extended and her eyes glowed bright red. Natasha felt herself panic, forcing herself to wake up. The first thing she saw were two bright red eyes staring at her through the darkness from across the room. She screamed and quickly turned on the lamp on top of the nightstand. She looked frantically around the room, but the eyes she'd seen were no longer visible. Her sheets were soaked with sweat, her hair was plastered to her face. Her heart pounded in her chest. She felt thirsty. She climbed out of the bed and went to get a glass of water from the bathroom. She drank the water down quickly and just as quickly refilled the glass for a second round. Afterward, she set the glass down on the edge of the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked frightened as she stared at her reflection.
“It was just a dream! Just a dream, you're being ridiculous. Those eyes were just a figment of your overactive imagination. Go back to bed, it was only a bad dream. Everything is okay,” she told herself, feeling herself calming down. Taking several deep breaths, she walked quickly back into her bedroom. She slowly looked around the room, giving everything a thorough inspection. After she made sure she was the only one in the room, she climbed back into bed but was restless and unable to fall asleep. She laid in bed, sheets pulled up to her neck staring at the ceiling. She looked at the clock, the time was 3:42 A.M. she had to get some sleep, she closed her eyes, willing herself to fall asleep.
She was awakened by the TV alarm coming on and the channel seven news was blasting in her ears. She opened her eyes to see the sun was shining brightly into her window. She shielded her eyes and looked at her clock, the time was 7:05 A.M.
“Shit!” she said as she jumped out of the bed and stumbled into the bathroom. She rushed into the shower, brushing her teeth at the same time. Then she hopped out of the shower and toweled herself off as she walked to her closet. She had picked out something really special to wear on her first day at work and she was excited about that. She sat on the bed and pulled on her stockings. She looked up at the TV to see the news anchorwoman announcing another gruesome murder.
“...and the body of what police think may have been a woman, was found today in an alley located at 55th and Garfield. It was reported that the head was missing and the body was devoid of some of its internal organs. S.U.I.T detectives are on the scene. Let's go live to Brian, who is at the scene right now and has one of the detectives with him. Brian?” the anchorwoman announced as the camera cut to Brian, an African American male with a bald head, wearing a long, brown trench coat. He was pressing his ear piece closer so that he could listen for his cue.
“That's right, Amanda, I have with me right now, Detective Warren Davis from the government's Special Unit Investigation Team. He and his partner, Detective Matthew Eric, have been on these gruesome and disturbing cases since Friday.” He put the microphone into the face of the handsome detective. “Detective, do you have any information for us?” Natasha looked at Detective Davis, wondering where all of these beautiful men were suddenly coming from. She loved looking at hot cops, what woman didn't like a man in uniform? Especially one as physically fit as this one. She stopped her dirty thoughts long enough to listen to what he had to say.
“Well, it is pretty early in this investigation, we have a few leads but nothing concrete. We'll keep you posted. That is all for now, thank you,” he said as he walked away. Natasha felt her throat tighten. The dream she had last night was really weird. She would never have dreamed that, would she? Maybe it was because she ate pizza before going to bed. Maybe it was her lack of medication. She shook her head, she wouldn't dwell on that. She had a big day ahead of her, she had to go to work then go visit her friend in the hospital. She put on the rest of her clothes, a black, wool-blend skirt with matching double breasted jacket, a white, pullover satin shell underneath. She checked herself over in the mirror. Aside from the bandages, and a few dark, purplish bruises here and there on her face, she was satisfied with the finished result. She grabbed her keys, her purse and left for work.
CHAPTER 17
This fucking son-of-a-bitch is pulling our damn chains!” Warren cursed through his teeth as he climbed into his truck, slamming the door shut. He sat in the truck trying to regain control over his anger. Matthew slid into the seat beside him, staying silent, not wanting to keep Warren inflamed by asking questions. When Warren had finally calmed down, Matthew spoke.
“This wolf, do you think he might be watching us now? Think he's in the area?”
Warren shook his head. “Not likely. I would have caught his scent, but I'm sure the bastard's watching the fucking news and probably laughing his fucking ass off! We look like fools. We have nothing to go on. I've scanned the crime scene, practically putting my fucking nose to the ground and can't find shit! They picked their spots wisely, like the shoulder on the side of a busy street. They do it for fun and, well, it's like this.” He turned in the seat so that he was facing his partner. “You got exhibitionists who fuck in public for fun. It's the excitement that they might get caught even though they don't want to, but the thought of getting caught adds more excitement. Only with a murderer like
this, he's killing these people in one place and then putting the bodies in public locations, leaving little or no traces. They know what they're doing. That fur left on the body the other day wasn't an accident, they wanted us to find it!”
“Why do you think it’s taking the heads?” Matthew asked. He didn't like this case one bit. Warren was right, they were working with professionals. The kind of killer that sometimes takes years to capture. The kind that liked the chase, that liked eluding the cops for the thrill of it.
“Trophies. I'm willing to bet that somewhere there's about three heads, shit, maybe more, mounted on a wall with blood dripping from their torn necks. When they put the body on the side of the road like that, they did it in the middle of the night. Probably around two or three in the morning, not many people driving along the road at that time. Most won't stop nor do they care why a car is pulled over on the side of the road. So that allows them the excitement of getting rid of a body in the open public and no one seeing anything. I can't fucking understand why this wolf is shredding these bodies to pieces and I can't find a scent to trace.” He shook his head, perplexed. He turned back in his seat and started the engine.
“Let's go back to headquarters to see what they may have found on the body from this morning,” Matthew suggested. This case was really frustrating him. They now knew for certain that this was another serial killer case, like that child murdering freak from a few years back. And he had been human. Matthew didn't know what to expect from a serial killing werewolf. Would now be a good time to retire? Matthew speculated.
“I looked over the body, thoroughly. I don't know how much more Marshall's going to find,” Warren said as he drove down the crowded streets, beeping his horn at people who didn't seem to care that he had the right-of-way. The rudeness of some people annoyed him. He drove back to headquarters, only stopping once along the way to pick up some of his favorite donuts. He and Matthew ate a few on the way, leaving the box in the truck. They entered the elevator and pressed the button to the lower level. Once they reached their destination, they exited the elevator and turned down the gloomy hallway toward the morgue, walking through the double doors. They saw Marshall Galen, bent over the remains of the female corpse that was discovered earlier that morning. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt and a pair of brown worn-out jeans that slightly sagged off of his waist.