Vampires, Love Potions and Other Immortals: A Collection of Paranormal Short Stories

by Susan G Charles

  “Ok,” Charles said, still sounding a bit confused as he shrugged mildly. “But I didn’t mix that potion with anything, I just drank it straight. And then I spilled the rest when you tripped into me, so it should be ok, right?” he looked at her hopefully, thinking he completely understood the situation.

  Susan slowly shook her head no before she answered him. “You took that potion straight,” she closed her eyes briefly as she knew what she had to admit to him next. “Then the rest of it spilled on my cut hand.” She showed him her cut, which glowed lightly with some of the remainder of the bottles thick, sweet contents, still on it.

  “Even worse, without even thinking about it, I then licked my cut, with some potion still on it. Now, that love potion is really strong, it isn’t meant to be taken directly in such a high concentration. It is always made to be mixed with something else. Believe me, I know this potion well – I make it all the time. Plus, it’s really not meant to be applied directly into the blood stream, or mixed with blood and drank. Ever.”

  Feeling a little desperate and terrible for the error and the accident too, Susan avoided looking at Charles. She was hoping that, maybe in this case, there would be an exception and everything would be okay. But she knew deep down that this was not the case. Instead of meeting his eyes she examined the remains of the broken bottle right beside her. Just as she had feared, both the shattered glass and pavement were completely dry – there was no potion on either.

  “My body absorbed the rest of the potion through the cut on my hand.” She swore, and attempting to get up, took Charles’s hand with her uninjured one as he helped her to her feet. The very instant she touched his hand, she felt a wave of heat rush through her like a pre-menopausal woman in the middle of a hot flash. She immediately broke out in a sweat!

  “We really need to get off of the street. Now!” She warned him with urgency.

  Charles followed her, still slightly confused by her sudden and urgent instructions. “Why do we need to get off the street? What do you mean? I don’t feel any different. I’m fine, really – is something supposed to…” and at that very second his voice dropped an octave and his hand tightened on hers as he suddenly stared at her and said, “Oh. You’re right. We Do need to get off the street. Right now. Come on! Come on!”

  After that, everything just happened so fast that it all seemed almost a blur to Susan. A warm and hazy blur. Susan gasped as Charles did not hesitate to swing one arm under her knees, the other around her body, sweeping her up into his arms and picking her up like she didn’t weigh anything at all.

  Charles then covered the distance back to her potion store in a few seconds it seemed – definitely a lot faster than the pitiful previous attempt she had made only a few minutes before. If anyone on the street had been watching the pair, they would have assumed they were just two playful lovers, not complete strangers. Susan tried to calm herself down as he fumbled with the door knob with her still in his arms. Finally he opened the door to the shop and carried her inside.

  Charles kept looking down at her as they entered the store, with glances so hungry that she knew he could not wait to have the chance to enjoy. She too could feel the potion’s magic coursing through her veins. No, no, no…

  Already she could feel her heart was beating so fast and loud with longing for the handsome man holding her that she knew with complete certainty what would happen next. Even the subtle touch of his grasp was enough to make her dizzy with desire for him as he continued to hold her in his strong arms.

  Susan tried to do the right thing for both her and him, and she forced her words to go against her desires. “Charles, please, please put me down for a second.” When Charles’s grasp tightened on her, she pleaded again. “Charles, please. Please! Please put me down, I promise this will just take a second.”

  After what seemed an eternity of him simply staring hard into her eyes, he complied, and gently placed her on the ground. Trying to calm her breathing, Susan did her best to quickly flip the stores “Open” sign on the stores front door to say “Closed”. It seemed an eternity but she finally accomplished her goal and locked the door and closed the store, as the heat in the room and in the pair raised inside her small store.

  She knew there was no stopping what would happen next. It was just the magic of her powerful potion taking effect on the two of them. With Charles shadowing her every movement, his hands reaching out to stroke her shoulders, her hair and the curve of her back, she did her best to write a quick note for her sister giving her a heads up on kind of what had happened. It seemed to her to take hours to jot down a few thoughts to her sister. Even so, each one of his touches was now inspiring a new shower of sparks inside her that radiated over her entire body.

  “Sis, Magical mishap! All ok(ish) for now, but see u tomorrow. I’ll explain in full later. DND!!!!”

  Book 2: Paranormal Beverages, Potions and Tonics (Chapter 5)

  Susan took a second more to leave the note on the cash register where Emma would be certain to see it when she returned from her lunch break. As soon as she finished Susan turned back to Charles. “All right, my apartment is upstairs, come on. We are going to need some privacy for a little while. Come on!”

  She reached out and grabbed his hand which sent out even more magical fireworks between them. All the while she couldn’t help but think to herself that the buildings old air conditioner was on the fritz again. Charles seemed to be a little confused by everything that was happening, but that did not stop him from nodding his head in agreement to her suggestion. Susan practically bolted up the flight of stairs to her apartment, as Charles stayed right on her heels.

  As she comically attempted to unlock her apartments front door, fumbling with the keys and door knob, Susan tried to talk to Charles. It was really hard to even form a complete sentence as his hands wandered all over her terribly warm body.

  “I think this will be a little more….” At that instant Charles spun her around and kissed her hard, pressing her entire body against the door frame as he did, “bearable in a few hours,” she finished her sentence as she broke the kiss for a moment. Her body was screaming for him. And there was no doubt in her mind that he felt the same way.

  Clearly Charles felt the same way she did as he finally bumped the door open with his hip. He claimed her mouth in another blistering kiss and picked her up once again walking deeper into her apartment. This time the tightness of his grip made it clear to her that he did not intend to let her go for any reason, any time soon.

  He kept on walking, still carrying her deeper into her small apartment, only stopping when he finally found her bedroom. Suddenly she felt a sharp rise in her desire for Charles just as he swung the bedroom door closed. Purposefully he walked over to the bed and laid her down across it, using the same care as one might take in laying down any treasured object as not to break it.

  “Is this what you want? Are you sure? I want you to be happy, okay?” he asked her as he began to unbutton the buttons on her blouse rather clumsily, one at a time. “Should we be doing this? Is this wrong?” his voice was trembling with the force of his desire.

  It was obvious he was hoping she would not suddenly change her mind. He was trembling all over as the tension inside him built to an overwhelming level. Susan felt exactly the same way. Her body was filled with sensations she was sure she had never felt before, but she was surely enjoying this experience.

  “No, it’s not wrong at all,” she assured Charles as she closed her eyes and let the sensations swirl around within her. “Actually there is no point in fighting it. The effects of this love potion are powerful and absolute. No way around it. Believe me, I’ve been making this for years now. This is going to happen no matter what we do, no matter if we fight it, or give in to it, so it would be better just to enjoy it. Don’t you agree?”

  “Oh, yes, I’ll enjoy it,” he said swiftly and climbed on to the bed right beside her. Their lips desired to be in constant contact, their tongues engaging in a
sultry rhythm that was soon mimicked by their bodies.

  Somewhere between the groans of pleasure, clothing disappeared, bodies intertwined – and then Susan managed to blurt out. “I’m sorry about all of this Charles, really, I am” she yelled as he brought her to the height of her first pleasure.

  “Don’t be,” he moaned and kissed her again and again, drinking in the passion that was still emanating from her. “Please don’t be.” His hands reached for hers and clasped in a moment of absolute desire, fervor and submission. He continued to kiss her all over.

  Overcome with desire Susan closed her eyes and cried out as she felt the pleasure roll throughout her entire body. Heat, passion and desire emanated from her entire body equally. She knew full well that she would likely never experience anything so potent, so desperate or so passionate ever again.

  As Charles continued to caress her, her entire body was ablaze with every touch he offered her. He was feeling the same thing as her obviously with the touch of her fingertips and the exploration of her kisses upon his athletic frame. There was simply nothing that either could do to resist this potion enhanced enthusiasm, but neither even considered trying to stop at this point.

  The next several hours inside her small apartment passed in a warm blur for the two, as they made love repeatedly, with barely a moment for a sip of water, bathroom break or a murmur of affection between them. Susan had never experienced anything like this in her entire life! No wonder this was probably her best selling potion of all. If everyone had results like this, no wonder it kept her so busy making several batches a week.

  There was more than just raw lust between them; it was as if the two had been made to fit together perfectly in every way. Every curve of hers fit every hard plane of his and vice versa. Their rhythm was flawlessly in sync and their hearts beat together to a matching tune only the two of them knew.

  Magic filled the air and every time they reached their climax it was in perfect unison. Charles’s eyes almost seemed to glow with the passion he now felt for her, and Susan’s body trembled as he reached for her over and over again and with every touch they now shared.

  Eventually time caught up with them and the limits of human endurance were reached. When they were both finally too exhausted to continue, Charles pulled Susan tightly to him and held her cradled in his arms. She was so spent after all their previous encounters that she could barely keep her eyes open as she drifted off to sleep on her handsome, and well muscled, pillow.

  “That’s one hell of a potion you brewed. Everything I heard was true. You are the best potion maker this side of the ocean.” He murmured in her ear, smiling, as he pulled her close – then they both fell asleep.

  Susan smiled at Charles comment in complete, blissful agreement. What a day it had been! And so completely unexpected too. But as she sank completely into slumber she gently reminded herself, that this was all it had been. Just a reaction to her potion.

  Nothing but magic – their previous encounter was just a magical reaction. It was not real love she continued to tell herself, it had just been intensified by the potency of the liquid and the way they had both ingested it. Completely defying all written instructions.

  She felt pretty certain that whenever they woke up in the morning Charles would be horrified by what had just happened, and probably even demand a refund for the potion he had ordered but never actually used. Susan’s consciousness was drifting into a deeper state when she decided that she wouldn’t blame him if he did. But for the moment, she was lulled into sleep by the slow caress of his fingertips along her tender skin and the exhaustion her tiny body now felt.

  Book 2: Paranormal Beverages, Potions and Tonics (Chapter 6)

  A loud and persistent knock on Susan’s door finally woke the pair early the next morning. Susan woke against her will with the lethargy of someone who had sacrificed their last ounce of energy to passion – she almost felt as if she had a hangover. A magical, passionate, love potion induced, sexual hangover!

  She took a second and glanced over at Charles, who was just starting to rouse himself after hearing the knocking, then looked back to the door. She pulled herself out of the tangle they were both in, trapped in each others arms, wiped down her hair as best she could, looked for some clothes, of which there were none close enough to grab, and then got out of bed searching for her robe. As soon as she found her robe she pulled it on and whispered to Charles to stay where he was, though he was reluctant to let her leave.

  Charles continued to stay in place as requested though he reached out to her playfully, as if he might pull her back into bed, and Susan was amazed to discover that the effects of the potion had yet to wear off. Amazing! She wouldn’t mind enjoying a few more hours with Charles if she had the opportunity.

  Susan walked through the apartment, strewn with odds and ends of their clothing, a sock here, his tie there, a shoe by the bedroom door. She didn’t even attempt to hide them as she continued to make her way to the front door of her apartment where the knocking continued, though softer now, and not as fast, though still persistent. Susan unlocked the door, turned the knob and answered the door, surprised to see her sister Emma standing there, with an ingredient bottle in her hand.

  “Hi Susan. Is everything ok up here?” Emma said, looking a bit hesitant, confused and shy, though curious.

  In an instant Susan blushed, red as a tomato, and shook her head. “Yes, I’m fine. A little tired and sleepy. But I feel…” Susan yawned, stretched her arms in front of her body and took stock of how she felt. “You know, actually I feel pretty amazing.” she sighed with a lopsided smile still a bit hung over from the effects of the potions spell. Emma smirked at Susan’s realization, but before she could speak, she was silenced by the slow swagger of Charles’s sleepy approach.

  “Me too. I feel good!” Charles’s sleepy voice came from just behind Susan, causing her to shiver with the anticipation of his presence. His hair was sticking out in every direction possible and he was only wearing a pair of pants as he approached the front door.

  Surprised and a little confused at the strangers presence, Emma looked first at her sister, and then at the handsome stranger who had clearly spent the night with her. “We had a little accident with the love potion I made yesterday…” Susan admitted to Emma, blushing as she did so. She bit into her bottom lip and sneaked a quick look back at Charles, still walking toward them both. Emma was sure there was nothing little about the accident of which Susan spoke.

  “Um, yeah, I need to talk to you a minute about that love potion.” Emma said casually, though her cheeks were burning intensely now too. “I think you should take a careful look at this,” and with that Emma opened up the bottle she held and shook out a few mauve colored flower petals onto her hand.

  “Did you put these in the love potion you brewed yesterday? I found this bottle sitting next to the spell kettle yesterday when I got back from lunch.” She looked up at Susan with a mixture of hope and hesitation, completely curious as to what her sister’s reply would be.

  “Let me see.” Susan took a few of the plants in question and thoroughly examined them before answering. Nodding her head she instantly recognized these flowers as the same pale violets she had complained about yesterday when she hurried to complete the potion after her sister had left for lunch.

  “Yes I did use these – I remember completely. We really need to talk to our herb supplier about quality control. Those violets are really, really light and faded. They are almost a mauve and not the typical deep, dark purple we use at all.” She burst into a helpless smile as Charles’s arm now swept across her waist, and he kissed the top of her head.

  “But they worked just fine if you ask me, purple, mauve or whatever,” he purred beside her ear and took a gentle bite of the sensitive lobe. “I can’t imagine the purple ones being any more intense.”

  Susan swatted him playfully away as she blushed again looking to her sister. “Emma, this is Charles. Charles, this is my sister Emma. She i
s half owner of the shop too.”

  Seeing him up close now Emma giggled and shook his outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you Charles.” After the handshake was complete she handed the bottle back to Susan with a newly formed smug expression on her face. “I need you to read the label on the bottle – read the label very carefully.”

  But before Susan even had a chance to look at the label, Emma told her older sister, “May day primroses” the label clearly stated.

  “Primroses? But that’s not possible. There is no way I put primroses picked on May Day into that potion instead of violets! That’s just not possible. I would never make a rookie mistake like that!” Susan stood staring at her sister, flabbergasted by this turn of events.

  “What’s wrong, Susan? I don’t understand. Does that make some sort of difference? I mean the two different flowers – can swapping them have some sort of different effect on the potion? Is it really that big a deal?” Charles asked, he suddenly looked very confused at the conversation the two sisters were having.

  “Yes, Charles, it does make a difference, ” Susan quickly replied. “In fact, it makes quite a difference just swapping out the two flowers. Each ingredient in every potion must perfectly match our recipes to work as directed, otherwise the outcome can be completely different. I mean, it’s almost like swapping flour in a cake recipe with corn meal. Or swapping chocolate in a candy recipe with licorice. Can you imagine what kind of cake or candy that would be? It can make all the difference in the world by just adding just one wrong ingredient.”

  Emma looked back to Susan and confirmed her findings. “And if you accidentally substitute May Day primroses in a love potion in place of purple violets…”