by Brandon Hill
“I’ve seen it happen before. Moreover, you’ve been touched by our kind, and this is something that even Lothos’ clan can sense. We would have to expend precious resources in order to keep constant watch over you for a long time, as you, even in ignorance, would be more of a target than ever.”
“But if my memory of all this is gone…” Amelia ventured to say, but I stopped her with a gesture.
“Memories can be reconstructed,” I said. “Lothos has ways of doing it, none of them pleasant. He would take you for everything you had, and then…”
“He’d kill me?” Poor girl. She was truly so naïve.
“With the enemy, death is seen as a release, not a punishment,” I said. “No, they’d do much worse to you. Even I don’t know all their ways and means, nor do I care to know, but I have heard rumors, and I think that I’ve frightened you enough for one night.”
I had upset her, and I was so sorry for it. But she had asked to know, and I did not deny her. “This isn’t real,” she whispered, cradling her face in her palm, shaking her head. “This just can’t be real.”
“It is real,” I said. I leaned forward and removed her hand to look her squarely in the eyes. My own eyes must have been so disturbing to her: blood red irises, with slitted pupils, like a cat, as compared to her lovely gray orbs. “The most important thing for you to do right now is to accept that this is reality, and not something that you can deny and hope will just go away.”
“I can leave,” she said.
I nodded in agreement, but knew that she had made the decision in her heart. “You won’t,” I replied.
“You don’t know that,” she said. “You offered me the chance.”
“You would’ve done it long ago.”
“I don’t want to go back to that club!” Amelia retorted, the desperation in her voice transforming her words into a strained keen. “I don’t want to do this alone, not after what I know. I don’t want evil vampires hounding me; I’ll panic!”
“No one said that you’d be doing it alone,” I assured her, and smiled. I felt my skin grow warm as I took her hand in mine. I saw the color returning to her face. “Humans in our cause are never allowed to take solo actions.” I then gleaned the address of the club from her mind, and came upon a pleasant surprise. “And besides, there’s barely any danger of you running into Lothos, or his clan…seeing how I own that club.”
“You…own it?” Amelia said, at first surprised. Then her eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. My friends know the guy who owns the place, and he’s not you…unless you can change your shape as well? Like to a fat body and a pink Mohawk?”
“No, not me,” I said, laughing at the image her words produced in my head. “But I do own the place. The person you were talking about is only a front man. And he knows me.”
“Wait, I never even told you the name of the place,” Amelia said. “How do you even know it’s the same place you were talking about?”
“I saw the image in your mind. The club is called Pink’s, right?”
“Yes,” she said, awestruck. A strange grin played at the edges of her mouth. “Yes, it is.”
“Then seeing how there aren’t any other clubs with the same name in town, I think it’s safe to assume that it’s the club I own. I can show you the deed, if you like.”
“No, that’s okay,” Amelia said. “I believe you. I don’t understand why, but I do.”
“There are things about us that take a while to understand,” I said. “You’ve only just barely scratched the surface.”
“No arguments there,” Amelia said, and laughed in spite of herself. “It’ll take me weeks just to get my head around all that you’ve told me already. So should I go tomorrow?”
“No. Not tomorrow.” I shook my head.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re still too weak to be up to it.”
“I feel fine,” Amelia said, and leaped out of bed before I could stop her. That food you gave me did wonders. See?” She tried to spin, and then promptly collapsed. With preternatural speed, I stopped her before she hit the floor.
“Weird…” she said in a slurred, breathy voice. “I…I was able to come to you a little while ago.”
“But that was before I fed from you a second time,” I said. “I told you the first time is a shock to your system,” I placed her back into the bed. “I took more blood from you than I should have. It’ll take you at least a day to recover.”
“Just a day?” Amelia said, confused. “Doesn’t it take several days to replenish blood?”
“Not for you,” I said. “Not anymore.”
“I gather this goes under the ‘Things It’ll Take a While to Understand’ list?”
“No. You'll understand it soon enough.”
I felt a wave of annoyance rise within her, and then quickly subside with momentary apathy and weakness from my drink. She did not know it, but she was much stronger than even I expected to be able to move as much as she was. “Well, I'll admit that I have been feeling a little weak,” she admitted, making for a most amusing understatement. “But you’ll have someone with me when I do go?”
“Of course,” I said.
“If you promise you will, then I’ll do it,” Amelia said.
“I promise, then.”
“You’ll probably be sorry you chose me,” she said. “I’m not whatever it is you think I am…unless you plan to turn me?”
“No,” I said. I almost snapped this. “Never. Not you.”
“Why not?” She did not cringe at my sudden change in demeanor, but I could both hear and sense her disappointment at my words.
“The decision to turn someone is not something that is taken lightly,” I replied, immediately regretting my earlier vehemence.
“But why not me?” She was practically whining it. “I could serve you better if you—”
“Enough!” I looked her squarely in the eyes. “Amelia, this isn’t about ‘serving’ anyone. Humans from all walks of life work with our clan, and are never turned. For anyone to even be considered for it, certain conditions must be met. It’s the way we have done it for millennia. And no, I will not discuss those conditions here. No human can even begin to fathom what it’s like to be one of us. And if you knew for even a moment, you’d understand my reasons for not doing it to you.”
I closed my eyes and regained my composure. I knew that I should not have been so angry with her. She was, after all, only human, and had no idea what she was asking.
“I’m sorry. You’re so new at this. And on top of everything else, I still have so much left to teach you. If you choose to stay, then all I ask is for your patience. You’ve only just now stumbled upon a world that you once thought only existed in legends and nightmares, and there is much to tell you.”
She forgave me, but I knew she was still worried over a great many things. No amount of euphoria or after-effects of feeding would change that. This was something that I could only accept. After all, she was not the first human that I had introduced to my world. Despite her frustrations, her exhaustion caused her to drift off once again into full, restful sleep. She most certainly needed it; she had lost a lot of blood, and would sleep for a long time while her body changed.
The next evening, Amelia awoke with me, having slept throughout the night and day. I could tell that she felt much better as she ate ravenously from the fresh tray of food that I had provided. After she was finished, she looked to me with pleading eyes, and I could no longer resist her. I drank deeply as we fell into the bed. I did not stop until she cried out in the ecstasy that she longed for. Afterwards, we lay together on the bed, side by side. It was not until I had fully recovered from my own bliss that I realized that her hand was in mine.
“I feel a lot better than I should,” Amelia said. “Is this part of what you meant when you said that it wouldn’t take me several days to get my blood back?”
“That’s part of the effect of the drink,” I said. “You replenish blood much more
quickly than a normal human. You’re also faster and stronger now than you once were. And should you choose to stay with us, you’ll live much longer than you normally would.”
“Really?” Amelia’s eyes grew wide. “How much longer?”
“Twice your normal lifespan,” I said. “Sometimes, even two and a half times longer. Plus, you share our immunity to all sicknesses and disease”
“Oh, wow!” She squealed, and I could not help but chuckle at her exclamation.
“Those benefits seem to sweeten the deal, do they not?” I said.
“How can I say no now?” Amelia rolled onto her stomach and kicked her legs back and forth in the air. “Why would anyone say no to that?”
“Because we’re vampires,” I answered matter-of-factly. “Sometimes that’s enough reason. Benefits be damned.”
“Then they’re fools, if you ask me.”
“Not really,” I said, and rolled over onto my stomach to meet her eyes. Amelia reached out her finger and brought a stray sliver of blood from the edge of my mouth to my lips. I licked it away from her finger with a grateful smile. How comfortable had she become with me in such a short time! “Because of our war, few of our human friends live to see the extent of years that our blood gives them. Few humans, even those who take coming into our knowledge well, will willingly walk into a war just to have the opportunity to live a hundred forty or more years.”
“I see,” Amelia said, her eyes downcast.
“It seems you have made your decision, though,” I said, gleaning her thoughts.
“I think I have,” she replied. “I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t agreed to have someone with me when I went to the club.”
“We take care of our own,” I said, my voice gentle and reassuring. “No humans go in alone, even our most highly trained take no solo actions against the enemy.”
“So who will be coming with me?” Amelia asked.
“I will.”
“Really?” I felt the happiness burst from her like sunshine.
“Remember how I said that I need you?” I asked.
Amelia nodded.
“You will never know just how much I do need you.” You are not just a host. You are my host…my consummate host. You and I are bonded.”
“You mean…like marriage?” Amelia asked, clearly not understanding my words.
“Not quite, but the relationship is almost as intimate. I have never had a host like you, Amelia. Ours is a rare bond among my kind. No human’s blood will ever make me feel the way yours does. And I doubt any vampire feeding from you will feel the same.”
“So you’ve claimed me for yourself?” Amelia asked in a sly, playful voice.
“I wish it were that simple,” I said, and could not help but smile. “You claimed me long before I ever claimed you. For the rest of your life, you will be the only human I ever feed from.”
“You know, if I didn’t realize you were talking about using me for food, that would almost sound romantic,” Amelia said, and giggled. Her blush betrayed how impressed she was with what I had said. “But I still like it.”
If only you knew just how much you satisfied me, I thought, and then reeled at her enticing scent. But I kept a tight rein upon my desires as I sat up and strode around the room to Amelia’s side of the bed.
“You may go home for now,” I said, taking her by the hand and helping her to her feet. I mentally summoned Justin. “I know you’ll have a lot to absorb. I doubt you’ll get much sleep because of it.”
“Can’t I stay with you?” Amelia said, crestfallen. I expected this; the bond, after all, was still strong. I had not yet trained her to manage her desire for my drink.
“That wouldn’t be advisable,” I told her, even though the memory of her blood made it difficult for me to say it. I very much wanted her company; my want for her blood was that powerful and the few drinks I shared were heaven. But even when the thirst was sated, the psychological hold remained. Her presence would have been particularly distracting to me. “Being around only my kind is not healthy for your psyche. You need to associate with humans.”
Justin came in at that moment. I took Amelia by the hand and guided her to him.
“Justin will be escorting you home,” I said. “Stay by his side. Return to me in two days. You’ll want to do it sooner, but you must resist that urge. Trust me, it’s much better if you do.”
“All right,” Amelia said, still disappointed.
“It won’t be long until you see me again,” I said. “You do want to be a part of us, right?”
“No,” Amelia said. “I want to be a part of you.”
“I will never leave you alone,” I assured her. “I could no more stand to be held apart from you than you could stand to be held apart from me.” I brought my fingers to her cheek, and felt the tingle of her blush warming her skin.
“Until we met again,” I said, and kissed her on the forehead. Justin then led her into the hallway and out of sight.
I bit into my lip, recalling the red her face had turned, and the scent of her blood beneath her soft skin.
Chapter Four
I have fought Lothos longer than any of my kind, and so the times during which we have little activity from the enemy leave me restless. I stay away from the Lair and take refuge in safe houses near areas where there has been some enemy action, where I proceed to throw myself into danger involving both the lowest echelons of Lothos’ clan, and their human collaborators, making certain these calm times last as long as they possibly can.
Amelia had changed me instantly. For the next two nights, I lost focus from our objective there at the safe house. I did not obsess over Lothos’ whereabouts or plans as usual; rather my thoughts turned to her. I tried to tell myself that I had not bonded with Amelia.
That night, I summoned two humans to my chambers the next night and fed from them, but their blood became sand in my mouth and lead in my gut. I quickly dismissed them; they were disappointed, but glad, as all humans in our cause were, for the honor of having earned my personal attention. For the next two nights, I wrote in my journal; I sparred with the new recruits; I searched the city, in vain, for any trace of the enemy. At last, after learning that Justin had no news to report the night before I was to meet Amelia again, boredom claimed me, and I retired.
When I awoke, it was with a strange sense of urgency. It was late evening the next day, very close to sunset; all of my kind was still asleep, but I was driven to awaken even earlier than normal, feeling a nameless need. I disguised myself using my Jewel. The almost magical relic of my people’s old technology worked its wonders, and the hue of my skin and eyes transformed into those of a human.
Still, I knew that this would not protect me from the ravages of the setting sun, as resistant as I was to it after the endless centuries. I concealed my hands in gloves, and obscured my face with dark shades and a broad-brimmed hat in preparation for my outing. I then braced myself to open the front door.
The sun was beginning to set, but even this was painful. I could withstand this level of light, but still, it sapped my strength. Any sunlight at all did this. But need overpowered my weakness. I had to reach Amelia. And as I pressed on, guided by her scent, still as strong as if she had been beside me, I began to understand what had roused me so early, and drove me.
It was not her blood, as much as I desired it; rather, it was fear. I feared what would happen to my clan in the ensuing weeks. Amelia’s insertion into my life had awakened a stark fear in me that I would lose her. Times of calm such as this would not last forever, and once Lothos knew of the bond I shared with a human, he would target her at the very first chance.
Humans under our sway from the first drink usually do not lie, and Amelia seemed gentle and harmless. Her thoughts had an almost motherly timbre, but time and circumstance had bred caution in me. I had Justin check into her history, and as I expected, there was little need to worry. Amelia led a simple life. She was single, lived alone, and had no pets, but possesse
d a large network of friends and acquaintances that she kept in constant touch with whenever she could find time away from her job.
I kept my mind occupied with these thoughts on the way to her house. I went at a brisk pace, seeking shade where I could find it, as the sun weakened me ever more. Several times, I had to travel a succession of city blocks with no respite, feeling very ill when I at last found some. My skin began to prickle and itch beneath my thick frock; the skin on my face began to peel and crack. When I at last arrived at her house, I was grateful that she had an open air garage, with a dark corner behind a pile of boxes to momentarily retreat into.
Unfortunately, no one was there.
On my way here, I realized that the location of Amelia’s neighborhood kept her in walking distance of her school, the local supermarkets, downtown shops, and boutiques. A northern breeze blew, and I caught her scent faintly on the air, coming from the direction of her school.
I steeled myself for the walk ahead, but then was relieved when I noticed an opaque black umbrella resting against the wall beside me. I would look odd with it open above me in early dusk, but no stranger than I did during the few times when I went out in summertime evenings. Heat does not faze me, but my choice of clothing in sweltering weather made for quite a sight.
My skin had become as normal-looking as my weakened state would allow, and so I opened the umbrella and headed for the school. Her scent grew stronger along the way, and into the school, to her classroom. All was a colorful assault on the eyes, as elementary classrooms were. Art projects hung from strings of yarn tied to the ceiling; numbers and renditions of the alphabet in bright, perfect cursive were posted high upon the wall above the blackboard, along with various educational posters.
A myriad of books lay in stacks upon the floor and beside the teacher’s desk; others were stored neatly in cubbyholes and shelves.
But Amelia was nowhere to be found.
I stood for a moment, perplexed. Rarely did my senses fail me when it came to tracking mortals, and now that I was bonded to Amelia, it should have been laughably easy to locate her. The sun was fast setting, but enough light still poured through the blinds that covered the windows to be uncomfortable. I surmised that perhaps my senses had been dulled by the pain from the sunlight as I glanced around the classroom, at a loss for what to do next.