The Embrace

by Jessica Callaghan

  “Are you hurt that your aunt decided to leave you out of the will?” He asked me.

  “I don’t know if I’m hurt, I just don’t understand it. Penny and I were always close. She practically raised me after the murders. I don’t love her in the same way anymore, obviously. I can’t love anyone anymore, except you, but she shaped the person I am. I can’t forget that so easily.” I was confusing myself even more as thoughts swirled around my head. “I feel as if she’s trying to patronise me or hurt me, and I don’t appreciate that.”

  Gabriel wrapped his arms around me and held me until he drifted off to deep vampiric sleep. It took me slightly longer to sleep as I had so many thoughts blocking the path to ny usual deep slumber.

  Penny and I hadn’t seen each other since my mother’s funeral and I couldn’t imagine what I’d done to offend her. I spent the rest of the night thinking about it until I finally managed to sleep, just before the sun rose.

  I slept in my childhood home for the last time without the happiness and relief I’d expected. Instead I was filled with confusion and, most strongly, betrayal. Fortunately it wasn’t long before other things arrived to keep my mind busy.

  Gabriel and I left town for good early the next night. I said a quick goodbye to my home from the pavement outside. I had only a few items of clothing in my bag and Gabriel had taken a few books. Other than that, all memory of my previous life was locked up in this old house. I would probably never see it again.

  Gabriel and I had taken a long time to decide where to live. If he had been left to choose we would have ventured as far away as we could from my former home, but I had different ideas.

  I wanted to go to London, the bright city which was home to so much life. It was the core of Britain in every aspect, but I had hardly scratched the surface of it in my human life. After much persuasion on my part, we decided that this was our destination.

  It was several hours away from my human home but the journey was swift. Gabriel and I managed to get there easily, picking up a few victims along the way to keep our strength up for the road ahead. We reached London long before sunrise, with plenty of blood to sustain us while we found our feet.

  As we hit the city I was struck by how busy it was. The neon lights glinted in the darkness and even at this dark hour throngs of people crowded the street. I felt a strange optimism in this unfamiliar place. I hadn’t felt such a buzz since that first night Gabriel and I had spent together after our fight, and I knew I had made the right decision to stay in Britain. No matter what happened this was going to be a new start for us, I could feel it in my bones.

  Gabriel and I didn’t stick out as much in such a busy place. In my former town we grabbed attention everywhere we went, with all the local people becoming enamoured with us. In this bustling city we were just one of the many figures who travelled the streets late at night. Whenever someone’s glance drifted towards us they would be hit by sudden longing, but very few people ever stopped.

  It was strange to have to adjust to this new way of living, but Gabriel seemed in his element. The powerful atmosphere of the city drew him in like a magnet. I could see the bright lights reflecting in his eyes, radiating down through his veins and warming his cold heart.

  He held my hand limply, as if he was waiting for the right moment to pull away. I realised then that I could easily lose part of Gabriel to the streets of this enormous city. I reminded myself to take extra care to keep him happy. I couldn’t lose him, not after giving up my former home and moving to a strange place.

  We spent hours wandering the streets, taking in every inch of the fantastic architecture. We spent so long exploring our new territory that we ran out of time to find the perfect home for our new start.

  We had spent so long trying to secure a safe transaction for my previous home that we hadn’t put much thought into our new house. I had expected us to find somewhere easily but I could feel the sun starting her slow ascent and I knew we didn’t have enough time to find the perfect place.

  “Where are we going to stay?” I asked, full of worry.

  Gabriel didn’t answer me and I took this as a sign that he didn’t know. I knew better than to press him on a question he couldn’t answer and so I let him lead me through the twisting streets of upmarket London.

  A few minutes later we approached an abandoned Victorian home. It was imposing yet the grandeur was appealing to me. The garden was overgrown and unkempt, obviously after years of neglect. There was a shopping trolley abandoned amongst the tall blades of grass and several smaller items dotted over the lawn. One of the downstairs windows had been smashed and the others were boarded up. Despite the abuse it had faced over the ravages of time, the house retained some of its splendour and beauty.

  I placed my hand on the wrought iron railings and could almost see the history of the place. I saw the people who had lived and died there, the people who had settled in this home to start their family. Gabriel wrapped his arm around me and kissed me on the forehead.

  “This place will have a basement. Most old places in this area seem to have one so I imagine we’ll be fine here for the day. We’ll find a proper home tomorrow, I promise.”

  His voice held a soft undercurrent of sadness, and I could tell the events of the past few weeks had left him exhausted. He needed stability and rest, but this was all we had at that moment.

  I nodded and let Gabriel lead me into the home. The inside was in a similar state to the outside. The layout and architecture was the prototype of its era, but some of the floorboards had been damaged and the former reception room had an explicit image emblazoned on the wall in crude spray paint.

  I felt a twinge of emotion. It had been a long time since I’d been hit by emotions for such a trivial, human reason but the abandonment of such a historical place filled me with sadness.

  The lights in the house didn’t work but my highly developed senses told me immediately where the entrance to the basement could be found. Just as Gabriel had predicted, there was a large and spacious basement level, without windows, which could act as a makeshift sanctuary during the daylight hours.

  I knew how reckless we had been. Gabriel and I hadn’t anticipated having to find a home without any preparation, and we’d been uncharacteristically sloppy. Staying in the basement may be a temporary arrangement but it was potentially a fatal move for us. If a human stumbled upon us and realised we couldn’t be roused from our unnaturally deep sleep, we may leave ourselves open to exposure. All it took was a ray of sunlight and we would be burned to a final death.

  We had to make the most of it despite our foolishness. This was all we had and I knew Gabriel wouldn’t take too kindly to his mistakes being brought up in conversation again. This was just one of those moments where I had to put my trust in him. After all he was meant to be my true love and I knew he had my best interests at heart.

  So that night, our first in London, we settled on the cold, hard floor of this grand building and rested. We needed strength for the next night, our first full night in the enigmatic capital. I could hardly anticipate what this great city would bring but I knew I should prepare for everything.

  Chapter 12Gabriel woke before me the next night. Usually I was the first to rise but I guessed this was all part of being in a new place. Gabriel was eager to start prowling the streets in this new city, his true wanderlust finally surfacing.

  Gabriel paced across the basement floor, waiting for me to wake up so that we could leave the makeshift nest. There was a buzz running through my body, probably something I had caught from Gabriel’s demeanour.

  The heartbeats had already started to pop up in my brain. Normally it took a few minutes before the drumming started, but now the pounding noise began the second I woke. Obviously they were far more intense in London than in my former home.

  Gabriel smiled at me and for the first time in weeks his smile pierced my heart. I got up and kissed him full on the lips, letting my lust and happiness pour out of me and into him.


  His hands travelled over my petite form and I let my body melt into his. We kissed deeply and in those minutes all my worries dissolved. It was the start of a new life for us.

  I changed quickly into a brand new dress. I felt a small pang of longing for my old walk in wardrobe but I shook this material desire away and focused on the future. All I had left was the future, hundreds of years of future to be precise, and a lack of clothing shouldn’t bother me.

  Gabriel and I packed up the few belongings we had valued enough to take with us and removed all signs of our night in the basement. The old house was beautiful, but its vast emptiness had become slightly unnerving. I was glad to be moving on.

  Gabriel and I left the home with tangible excitement buzzing between us. We were out on the hunt for the first time in a brand new city, and nothing could be more thrilling.

  For the first time in our relationship Gabriel did not lead me. He knew as little about the area as I did and I felt my previously submissive position shift. In this new world we were equals. Usually he would be a few steps in front, leading me to our hunting ground for the night, but this time we walked the streets hand in hand, seeing everything with the same fresh perspective.

  The streets were busy even at this time. The number of daylight hours was increasing now that Easter was beginning to surface, and the increase in sunlight always seemed to bring out the humans.

  As we stalked the streets we saw every kind of person I could image: tourists searching for a place to rest their heads; families out for a meal to avoid cooking for themselves; couples making the most of their relationship.

  There was such a hustle and bustle around us that I could hardly control myself. Every person seemed like a potential meal, a victim waiting to be devoured. I was desperate to choose my prey, but we didn’t have time to loiter around. We had a nest to find and that took priority.

  Neither of us really knew where we were going, or what we were looking for. Gabriel told me to let my subconscious lead me, to let my inner demon take control.

  We wondered around the streets of London for around an hour without success but nothing could dampen our spirits. We both felt the electricity of the new city coursing through our veins and I knew that this place was going to be good for us.

  We reached a luxurious district filled with large apartment complexes, no doubt packed to the gunnels with wealthy inhabitants. This was the playing ground of the rich and famous, the home of the lucky few who could claim a place in the upper echelons of society.

  Towering above us was a sleek black apartment block made of a reflective stone, decorated with large glass windows on every floor. Strong waves of life and vibrancy poured out of the building, pulling me forward.

  Just like the Victorian mansion we had found the previous night, this building was an imposing feat of architecture but that was were the similarities ended. The Victorian building had once been filled with life and was now abandoned, giving it the solemn feeling of a graveyard. This new building still buzzed with life, the feelings of the people radiating out towards us.

  I knew the moment I set eyes on this tower that it was the place we would call our home.

  Gabriel and I both felt the pull of this building. It was as if an invisible thread was attached to our waists, slowly dragging us in. Without uttering a single word to one another, we both knew we had to make this building ours.

  I let a soft giggle float out into the atmosphere around us. I felt as if the burden and worry I’d been carrying around with me all these months had evaporated, leaving only the hollow feeling I had experienced after the change.

  This emptiness was a characteristic of a true vampire whose only emotions should revolve around the desire to hunt, kill and survive. I no longer felt myself worrying about my stalker or losing Gabriel. I had returned to the true monster I was designed to be. The emptiness had initially left me feeling unsettled, but now it was a comfort to me.

  I was lost in thought for several moments, letting my feet carry me forward instinctively. I looked up at Gabriel and saw his eyes glaze over. The two of us walked into the lobby of the grand building, taking our first step over the threshold like a joyful newlywed couple.

  “Do you feel that?” Gabriel asked me, his breathy tone revealing how mesmerised he was.

  I didn’t at first but then the heartbeats grew and converged, using Gabriel and I as the centre of their orbit. The beats circled around us, taunting us and playing on our hunger.

  I let out a low sound, the noise of a true predator, and Gabriel’s eyes lit up. In a brief lucid moment I realised the difficult task facing us when securing a home in this busy building.

  “Gabe” I said. “How are we going to do this?”

  He didn’t answer me. I don’t know if it was because he hadn’t formed a plan or if he was still too entranced to let me in, but either way we stood in silence.

  As we stood together a bell rang somewhere in the lobby. In less than a second I pinpointed the source of the sound: someone was coming out of the lift and straight in to our path.

  I led Gabriel to the gold, metallic doors. They were adorned with delicate carved roses, perfectly matched to the elegant beauty of the building. The doors opened in front of us and two people stepped out.

  The first to step out in to the foyer was an older man. He was tall and well built with a rugged jaw and grey stubble. He was dressed in a suit with a loose tie and dishevelled shirt. As he left the lift I was struck by the pungent scent of alcohol, and his bleary eyes. He was certainly a social animal. If he had been more relaxed he would most certainly have been a handsome man, but something about his shifty demeanour made others uncomfortable.

  Following behind him was a woman, far younger than her male companion. She had long, chocolate brown hair which had been irreparably damaged by the dual torture of back combing and hairspray. She wore a tight, leopard print dress and heels which made her long, tanned legs look taut. Her dress pushed her cleavage up to a level that would certainly have been irresistible to human males, and I could tell she was more than aware of her feminine assets.

  I felt my instincts take over as I took hold of the young girl’s arm. An image from her mind flashed through my head. In this scene she was being handed money by her male companion, and I got the impression that this money was far more important to her than the man. There was only one conclusion. She was a prostitute.

  This strange, telepathic connection was new to me. I had managed to control my victims through compulsion, and I had also managed to pick up a few weak thoughts from the heads of my victim. This was something different. My gift had never extended into a victim’s past before.

  Gabriel saw my brief interaction with the girl and joined in, using his body to block the pair off from the main foyer. I touched the girl’s soft cheek and stroked my thumb along her lips.

  I had already managed to take hold of her subconscious without even uttering a word, a sign that she was very suggestible. Some people are more susceptible to compulsion than others, and she was one of the weakest minds I had come across.

  Her companion was more difficult. He moved forward, trying to push his way out of the lift and past Gabriel, obviously frustrated by our strange behaviour.

  Gabriel gripped the man’s neck, squeezing to the point of searing pain. The man let out a scream that was rapidly stifled by Gabriel’s free hand.

  “Please” he managed to utter before his voice was cut off.

  The girl behind him gave a soft sob and a tear rolled down her cheek but she remained calm. As long as I was in front of her, maintaing some sort of contact, she was under my influence and I wouldn’t allow her to panic.

  Gabriel loosened his grip slightly.

  “If you help me I’ll let you and your whore get out of here in peace, okay?” He said with a cruel undertone I hadn’t heard from him in a long time.

  Gabriel let the man go, moving his hands from the man’s neck to his shoulders.

  The man
spluttered, attempting to return his breath in huge gulps.

  “Okay” he choked. “What do you want? Please...what can I do?”

  Gabriel stared into the man’s eyes, teasing him in a way no other creature can. Even in the vampire world, Gabriel was a master of taunting his victims, and he was bringing out the big guns again.

  “I want the key to your apartment.” He said after this long, torturing pause.

  “Will that work? Won’t he need to invite us in?” I asked Gabriel, displaying my ignorance as a newborn vampire.

  Gabriel shook his head. “When the owner dies their home goes into a state of limbo. That’s when vampires can go in and take over. We don’t need any permission if there isn’t any owner.”

  This was our way in. I knew Gabriel had spent centuries honing his abilities but I hadn’t realised just how skilled he was in the tricky parts of vampire lore.

  Gabriel would never let this man live now, no matter how much he begged. If we wanted a nest before the sunrise we would have to kill him and take control of his home.

  The man took the key from his pocket, one of those fancy, new key cards, with shaking hands and placed it in Gabriel’s outstretched palm.

  I was right about the lie. After Gabriel placed the key in his pocket he reached his hands back up to the man’s neck and snapped it with such a swift, fluid movement that even my highly developed sight only just caught it.

  As the corpse of her employer fell to the floor the prostitute, who was still in my grip, gasped in shock. She had probably never seen a dead body before, most people haven’t. As a human, I had been one of the unlucky few.

  Gabriel located the camera at the corner of the lift and stared in to the lens, warping the mechanisms inside. I had never seen him display this gift before, and I knew it would be many years before I could do it for myself. I knew there would be no trace of our murder on record. The camera would never work, no matter what the police tried.