by Sam Crescent
“It makes sense, I guess.”
She watched as Augustus took a sip of his drink. The other vampire was on edge. Marianna saw it in his posture and the way he kept glancing at Gregory.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m waiting to see what Gregory decides,” Augustus said.
It was more than that. Augustus was actually nervous about what Gregory wanted. Marianna was sure of it. “I sense the sun is almost down, which can only mean you’ve had a long day to think about it.”
“I have thought about it,” Gregory said. His drink looked and smelled like a sweet tea.
“What have you decided?” Augustus asked.
Gregory rolled the warm cup between his hands.
“What’s this about?” Marianna felt left out of their private discussion. Why weren’t they including her?
“Our little human has spent the day deciding if he wants to be a vampire or remain human.”
“I don’t see why that is a problem,” she said, smiling at Gregory. The decision had been taken away from her, but she was dealing with it. She didn’t have any family to worry about her and no job after Gregory handed in her notice. Besides the need to fuck she didn’t see a huge problem with her turning.
“I made a decision not long after the sun came up.” Gregory took a deep breath. She watched as his chest expanded and retracted. The blood was pounding around his body, but what called to her was the swelling in his pants.
Strange.
“I want to be like you. I want to be a vampire.”
****
Gregory saw the shock on Augustus’s face. He knew his friend had been nervous about whatever decision he’d try to make. Thinking about his life over the next fifty or so years Gregory didn’t like the outcome he saw. He was dying anyway because of the abuse of the drugs, but the blood he took from Augustus wouldn’t be enough to stop the aging.
The aging was slowed down, but it wasn’t over.
He didn’t know how long he’d have with Marianna and Augustus. Gregory only knew he wouldn’t have as long as either of them. They had an eternity together being vampires. He got as long as the blood sustained him. Walking during the day out in the sun wasn’t particularly thrilling.
When Augustus hid for the day, Gregory was alone. There was no one to share his mornings with. Even with Marianna living with them, he was still alone, and being alone sucked. He’d been alone for a long time.
The only future he saw for himself was living throughout the night and dealing with his days as they came. Marianna and Augustus were the only people he wanted to be around. No one else mattered to him.
His family were long gone, and he’d not made any friends in years. From the moment Augustus walked into his life, Gregory knew his path was always due to be with the other man.
“Are you sure?” Augustus asked. “Once you take this path there is no stopping it.” “I know. I’m tired of being alone. The only two people I wish to be with are you two. Please, let me make this choice for myself and respect it,” Gregory said.
“You’re so lonely. I never realised how lonely you felt.” Marianna stroked his cheek.
“You’ve not known me for long, baby.”
“I feel like I’ve known you a lifetime.” She cupped his cheek, kissing his lips.
He accepted her affection. His heart hammered inside his chest.
“I only ask one thing,” Gregory said.
“What is it?” Marianna asked.
“I want Augustus to do it, and I want it to be tonight. Now.”
There was no need to wait for a decision. Gregory had spent the whole day thinking it through. He’d spent the last five years thinking it over.
“All right. We need to move this upstairs. The bathroom would be easier to clean up,” Augustus said after staring at him for a few minutes
“Clean up? Are you expecting messy work?” Marianna asked. She didn’t even remember the state the kitchen was in when she turned.
Blood and mess were inevitable in turning a vampire.
“It could be that way. I’ll need you there Marianna in case it goes messy,” Augustus said, standing. The vampire was naked, and Gregory couldn’t help but look down the length of his body.
“I hope that erection isn’t for me,” he said, joking.
“No, it’s not. I’ll get some shorts on. Marianna, will you take Gregory up to the bathroom?”
“Okay,” she said.
Gregory took her hand, and together they made their way up to the bathroom.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Marianna asked.
He cupped her cheeks and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. This is what I want to do. I’ll be with you and Augustus. You two are my future.”
She smiled. Her hands covered his, and she moved them away from her face. “I didn’t get a choice in this. If I wasn’t a vampire I’d be dead. You have a choice.”
“I don’t have a choice, Marianna. I either become a vampire or I die. I don’t want to die. Augustus is my best friend, and you’re my woman.” Tilting her head back he kissed her deeply. “I’m not risking anything to be away from you.”
“Aren’t you a little afraid?” she asked.
He looked down at the floor. “The truth is I’m terrified. I don’t want to die. Being a drug user messed with my head. Vampires shouldn’t exist, but they do, and tonight, I’m more thankful than I’ve ever been.”
Gregory kissed the top of her head. “Tonight, I’ll be with you and Augustus for eternity. It’s what I want more than anything.”
“I wish there was something I could say to make you change your mind or show you another way, but there isn’t, is there? You’re dying anyway, and I don’t mean from being a human. The drug use is killing you.”
“Augustus’s blood sustains me. It’s not curing me.”
She ran her fingers down his chest. The small touch made him hard. “Tell me what to do,” she said.
“It’s going to get messy. I’m going to strip down to just my underwear. Are you okay with that?”
He saw her nod. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I’m wondering if I can keep myself in check. Sex seems to always be on my mind. It gets a little boring after a while.”
Gregory chuckled. “Another reason I need to turn. As a vampire I should be able to keep up with you. Being human, I can’t.”
“What do you think you’ll be like?”
“I don’t know. If I’m lucky I’ll be like you, always thinking about sex.” He chuckled even though he doubted it. With his past filled with addiction he could only see the thirst for blood in his future.
“Tomorrow night you’ll wake up a vampire.”
“Yes, and then there will be no getting rid of me.”
Chapter Twelve
Augustus washed his hands and splashed water onto his face. He needed to get his mind into the game. If he wasn’t careful tonight he could kill his friend, and killing Gregory was not an option.
“You can do this,” he said.
When he’d turned Marianna he hadn’t been planning on changing her. Her heart had been on the last few beats when he’d given her his blood.
Closing his eyes he counted in his mind trying to calm himself.
Once he was done pacing himself, he walked up the stairs to the bathroom where Gregory was waiting for him. Marianna sat between the other man’s legs stroking her hands up and down his thighs.
“I love them both.”
Gregory’s thoughts calmed him. He cleared his throat making Marianna jump. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I’ll stay by the door in case you need me,” she said, standing up. They passed, and Augustus reached out to her.
“You’re not as strong as I, but you’ll be at an advantage. You’re not thirsting for blood. I expect you to keep my friend safe,” he said, warning h
er with his eyes.
“If you’re about to turn Gregory into a vampire, how can I protect him?”
He glanced back at Gregory. The other man was rubbing his hands together staring at the floor.
“If I lose control feed him your blood. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop.”
She frowned at him. “You’ve never fed from Gregory have you?”
“No, he’s dropped blood into my cup, but I’ve never drunk from him.”
Marianna wrapped her arms around him. “I’ll protect you both. I don’t think you’ll need it. You love Gregory.”
He nodded even though he doubted himself. Squaring his shoulders he stepped closer. Gregory stood. His blond hair caught the light giving him a younger appearance.
“I never thought this day would come,” Gregory said.
Marianna faded into the background. They were the only two people in the room.
“This day was inevitable. Marianna has nothing to do about this. You always wanted to be a vampire. It was only a matter of you being ready.”
Gregory stared back at him. “Were you going to change me regardless?”
“I was giving you until you were forty-five. If you didn’t make a decision before then I was going to change you,” Augustus said.
“Why?”
“You’re my best friend. I’m tired of being alone. Do you really think I like leaving you every morning?” He turned back to look at Marianna. Her arms were folded as she leaned against the door. “She was the best thing to happen to us. You can’t deny it.”
“No, I can’t deny it. Being without either of you is not an option. I love you both too damn much.”
Augustus stepped closer. “Do you want me to do this in front of you, or behind you?”
Gregory took a deep breath. His hard muscled chest grazed Augustus’s chest. He felt the heat radiating off the other man. They were polar opposites, one hot and the other cold.
“In front. I think it’s the only way I could handle this.”
He nodded and brought his hand up to stroke Gregory’s cheek. “Forgive me for taking your life.”
“There is nothing to forgive.”
Sinking his fingers into Gregory’s hair, Augustus pulled him closer, closing the final distance between them.
Their naked chests touched, and the electricity sent a sparkle of awareness through Augustus. Sending a little prayer above, he tilted Gregory’s head to the side, exposing his neck.
The pulse thumbed at the side of his neck. Licking his lips, Augustus slowly closed in on the pulse. At first he sucked on the flesh feeling Gregory shake.
Marianna moaned in the background. The scent of arousal filled the air. Sex was not on Augustus’s mind. He needed to make sure he held onto his sanity long enough to turn his best friend.
Closing his eyes, his fangs extended. In the next breath, he struck. Gregory tensed underneath him. Holding him close, Augustus stopped him from pulling away. At first, his friend pulled away from the grip.
Their woman, as if sensing their need, spoke up. “Don’t fight, Gregory. This is what you want. If you don’t want it keep fighting, and he’ll let go and we’ll go back to how it was before. You’ll be fed, and then you can go on living in the light … alone.”
“I … don’t … want … to … be … alone,” Gregory said.
His body went lax against Augustus.
When this was all over he’d thank their woman. He needed to hold onto his sanity, and the only way to do that was to have everyone at his disposal. If he didn’t do everything in his power to help Gregory, then his friend was nothing more than a dead man.
Striking back, Augustus sank his fangs into the wound he started. Gregory’s blood wasn’t the nicest he’d ever tasted, but there was a connection between them which ran far deeper than the taste of human blood.
Marianna stepped away from them.
They were alone. Augustus held him in his arms while sucking out his blood. He heard Gregory’s heart start to slow down as he relaxed. Slowly, he held his friend in his arms until there was nothing more for him to do.
Gregory held onto him. The other man’s arms were startling strong even as he was dying.
“Augustus, you need to stop,” Marianna said.
He heard her words and forced himself to tear away from Gregory’s neck. Even with his constant suckling, blood covered Gregory’s body, and some was smeared over his own chest.
Tearing into his wrist, he pressed his open wound to Gregory’s mouth.
“Drink.”
Within seconds Gregory was taking enough. When Gregory had taken enough, Augustus collapsed to the floor with his friend in his arms. Slowly he watched the other man’s eyes droop. His heart slowed down.
Bump … bump ……bump.
“I love you, my friend. Come back to both of us.”
Gregory died in his arms, and if Augustus could cry real tears he’d be sobbing and there would be a puddle around him. Holding his dead friend hurt more than he’d ever imagined possible.
****
Marianna sat watching the two men she loved with all of her heart. Her heart no longer worked, but she could still love with the same passion as any woman.
“Are you all right?” she asked, moving closer. The blood didn’t affect her. There wasn’t much mess around. The main bulk of the mess coated Augustus and Gregory.
“He’s dead.”
“He’ll come back.” She covered his hand with her own. The look of despair on Augustus face tore at her emotions.
“He’s still dead. I finally killed him.”
She sat behind Augustus and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m still here. We’ll be here when he wakes.”
“What if we’re in the basement when he wakes? I couldn’t bear for him to have no one when he wakes.”
Running fingers through his hair, Marianna struggled to think. There was a deep love between the two men.
“Then we’ll take him down to the basement.”
Augustus nodded.
“I don’t mean to rush you, but we’ve got to get him clean and down to the basement.” Tingles erupted along her arms. The rising of the sun was close.
“I feel the sun, too.”
“Come on.” Marianna rose and helped Augustus to his feet. They worked together, using the rest of the night to clear away the mess. Gregory lay in the bath and was deathly white. She didn’t like the pale look on him. Marianna was used to his happiness and smiles. “My life has changed so much in a matter of days.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
She held her hands up to stop him. “I’m not sorry. I didn’t have anything else going for me. My family is gone. They’re dead, and they’re not coming back. You and Gregory are the only family I’ve got. If I could go back and choose, I’d choose this life.”
“But you’re craving sex all the time. I know you want to fuck now.”
“I’m young, Augustus. I’m sure all young women want sex.” She shrugged. “I didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy sex when I was young. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
Marianna washed away the last droplet of blood. “I’m going to be happy with my life. I know this. I hope you can be happy with having two friends for the rest of your life.”
Augustus laughed. “I look forward to it.”
“All right, we better get him out and take him to the basement.”
He carried Gregory down to the basement while she locked up the whole house. She bolted the doors and windows and closed all the curtains.
When she finished, she grabbed some blood from the fridge and took it downstairs. Augustus lay with Gregory in his arms. Both men looked beautiful together.
Letting out a sigh, she moved back to the basement door and locked it.
“Do you think he’ll hate me?” Augustus asked.
“I think when he wakes up and realises how strong he is, Gregory will kick your ass.” She jumped on the bed beside him. “You’v
e got to remember he was fighting anyway. Gregory was dying no matter what you did.”
“What if he doesn’t come back?”
The thought struck her deep. She’d be heartbroken without Gregory. He’d been her first, and the thought of never having him to hold or to love filled her with regret. “Then we’ll build a memorial for him. We’ll take him somewhere to be buried, and we’ll care for him. I love him too, Augustus.”
“He’s like the brother I never had.”
Wrapping her arms around Augustus she stared down into Gregory’s face. “He’ll be all right. He’s a fighter.”
Thirty minutes later they both looked at the door.
“The sun is up,” Augustus said.
“Why do I get tingles all over my skin before the sun comes up?”
“It’s a warning. You’re being warned if you don’t find shelter soon, you’ll be dead.”
Staring down at her arms she shivered. “That’s creepy.”
“Or safe. We’ve got inbuilt vampire senses. We know when we’re going to be attacked or what others are thinking.”
“With Gregory being a vampire we won’t be able to hear his thoughts, will we?” she asked.
“No. His thoughts will be his own.”
Marianna nodded. “I like that. I hated hearing his thoughts. I felt like I was invading his privacy.”
She climbed off the bed and poured some blood into a cup. “Where do you get this blood?”
“I get it from the butcher. He’s my supplier, or at least he was Gregory’s supplier.”
Augustus took the cup off her and took a drink. The blood was cold, but it was better than starving to death.
“What do we do?” she asked.
“We wait it out. Gregory’s dead. He’s turning into a vampire.”
“Can you sense it?”
Augustus shook his head.
“You’ve lived a long time without anyone around. Why?” she asked.
“Why are you asking a lot of questions?” He sat down on the sofa. Marianna sat on the cold concrete floor.
“You’re not going to go to sleep. I know you enough to know you’re waiting until Gregory is awake until you do anything. I’m not leaving you on your own. You may as well answer my questions. I’d offer you to ask me some. There’s not a lot about me. I’m boring.”