by P. Mattern
At that moment Cass seemed to come back to himself,” Oh Mitzi” he said, instantly reaching up the staircase for her, ”I’m so sorry my love, you couldn’t have known what you were doing but it makes me worried for us-especially for you. I didn’t mean to lose it like that-but you’re my EVERYTHING now. The thought of you in danger, or even potentially in danger ,makes me crazy. Especially since…”his voice trailed off as he looked at her abdomen, then gathered her up into his arms as she wept ,making kittenish sounds and sniffing as she relaxed limply in his secure embrace.
Over Mitzi’s head against his chest, Cass found himself gazing into Ariel’s surprised face-Ariels eyebrows seemed to pose an unvoiced question.
Cass nodded, ”Yes we are-5 months now to be exact. But please don’t tell anyone-except Celeste of course!”
To his surprise Ariel threw her thin white arms around both he and Mitzi and started laughing in delight.
“What joy!” she exclaimed, ”A baby in our extended family! You must let Celeste and I be Godparents!!”
Cass couldn’t help but smile, even though it had been a mess of an afternoon, and his wonderful Mitzi had endangered their very existence out of her innate Southern Scottish thriftiness and not wanting to waste anything-well, there was still much to be happy about.
“Of course ,” he said, ”If Mitzi is agreeable.” He tilted her chin up so that they were looking at each other again ”Okay with you hon?”
Mitzi nodded vigorously, ”We’d be honored. And I’m sorry I caused so much trouble. I wanted to keep the dress ,but forgot about the ring…probably because it didn’t MEAN anything!” she said with emphasis, giving Cass a pointed look.
Cass was happy to see Mitzi’s always mercurial mood change with her statement. Among other things it meant she had forgiven him.
And it was a universally known fact that ‘make up sex’ was the best. That gave him something to look forward to.
Celeste returned, looking relieved.
“Gone.” She said simply.”And I picked up on your good news from Ariel’s thoughts. Congratulations to the both of you!”
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A few days later Cass and Mitzi were having a private dinner at home. Charley was at the university library, Buttercup was resting upstairs in her room, and the the two of them were luxuriating in the silence. The last few days had seemed way too hectic, Mitzi was still fussing over how to tell Charley that he was finally going to have a sibling, and Cass was just happy to have a quiet night off from his other pursuits. The were discussing the three newest additions to their ‘tribe’-in particular,the human girl Kimbra and her half human boyfriend Carey.
“Fress has a V-net attorney working on papers”,Cass commented, ”If everything goes okay she’ll be responsible for them and they’ll be her wards. It’s tricky but at least they aren’t minors-first they need all kinds of documentation that looks official enough to pass muster in court. She’s very determined though. “
Mitzi smiled, ”Fress is so kind, and I did meet Kimbra-she is really a beautiful girl. I haven’t yet met Carey…what is he like?”
“Very intense and serious young dude,” Cass replied.”And very committed to finding a ‘cure’ for his current state of semivampirism. He was attacked by a gang of rogue vampires-all that dna changing venom and saliva created an odd condition. He has powers, I know that he does but he’s so repulsed by what he’s become that he rarely exhibits them. He’s been single mindedly studying everything that he can get his hands on and searching for an antidote for his internal chemical chaos.”
Mitzi’s brow puckered in concern, ”Is it possible that his condition can be reversed? Can he really become human again?”
Cass shook his head slightly.”There is so much we don’t know about the ‘gang’ mutation I’d hate to hazard an opinion. It would be a oddity in the world of the V-net,I can tell you that much. Usually humans attacked in that fashion don’t live through it, and they are not meant to. And logically, the fact that he was so severely and repeatedly bitten is sure to lower his chances of any kind of reversal, in my mind.”
Mitzi thought for a moment as she forked another mouthful of the dinner for two that she’d specially prepared: very rare filet mignon,haricots verts,twice baked potatoes and red velvet cupcakes for dessert.
“And his girlfriend is human. Is that what’s driving his obsession to return to a human state? Does he have the thirst? Does he drink blood as we do?”
Cass raised his eyebrows,”Good question. And I don’t know the answer to that one. Maybe he doesn’t have to yet. I’ll have to ask Fressie.” He took a sip from a blood filled goblet and swallowed,”This meal is delicious ,and Mitzi you are glowing tonight I might add. How is the love of my immortal life?”
Mitzi blushed slightly with pleasure.
“You look very handsome yourself. And the baby is doing well too-very active! I need to tell Charley within the next couple of days, but it’s been hard finding the right moment” .she finished.
Cass raised his goblet.”To our eternal love.”
Mitzi clinked her goblet on his ”To our eternal love.” She echoed, smiling and sipping.
Cass seemed to be a little flustered. Clearing his throat he said,”What happened the other day, when we found the dress, reminded me that I have been somewhat neglectful of you in certain ways. You deserve…..everything Mitzi. And the time has come for me to man up and ‘put a ring on it’ as the song goes. And so…”Cass, never taking his eyes from those of his beloved, fumbled clumsily in his pants pocket, eventually retrieving a white velvet box.
“And so…”he continued, stalling for time as he moved over to her side of the table and got down on one knee, ”Parmitsvia Elaine Rabbit, I would like to ask you for your hand in marriage. I am mindful that you have stated in the past that you never wanted to remarry…and I am willing to be as patient for that event as you need me to be. But even if you take centuries to think it over, I will still be here, by your side, loving you and protecting you with my immortal life. I promise I will be all you ever need, and I will love you completely and the flame of our love will continue to burn as brightly in the future as it does now. I love you Mitzi. Please say yes.”
As Cass opened the velvet box to her, Mitzi gasped with a sense of wonder at the treasure inside, a flawless diamond of at least 3 carats surrounded by a circle of tiny sparkling rubies ,all the gemstones set in platinum.
“Oh Oh Oh Cass, ”Mitzi breathed, her eyes widened in amazement. Then, as he gently removed the ring from its nest in the velvet box and slid it onto her dainty finger, she screamed excitedly,”YES,YES AND YES!!!” as she kissed him ferociously.
Cass was jubilant.
“There are ten rubies surrounding the diamond”,he told her-and it’s a Thaimani Diamond,the only certified conflict-free diamond mining operation in the Democratic of Congo,I made sure of that. And the rubies represent everyone in our little ‘tribe’,because we all love you. So you can remember that every time you look at it-which I hope will be often. ”he confessed.
Mitzi was flushed with pleasure and giddy with happiness. She held her finger out so that the diamond and rubies caught the light of the chandelier and made rainbows dance on the ceiling.
“This is… ”she said ,looking at Cass, ”The most beautiful material thing I’ve ever been given. Thank you. But you know that the greatest gift of all is your love, Cass, and it’s what I value above all else.”
“Can we have dessert later? “ Cass implored with a twinkle in his eye.”I feel like consummating something.”
Barely waiting for Mitzi’s nod he swept her up in his arms and flew up the stairs in a wink. It would be a dinner –and an evening-to remember.
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There were roughly 19 of them, the number varied according to the severity level of the conflict in the group, and at least once on a monthly basis two or more of them would be angered enough to fight to the dea
th and take each other out. Replacements were difficult to come by. Those in the service of the last few forth-bittens in existence on the planet had to undergo a specific ‘initiation’ to be included-one that was intricate, painful and involved the participation of the entire vampire pack.
The most recent attempt to recruit a new member had gone horribly awry.
The boy had seemed any easy mark, so easy that they’d gotten careless, letting him run a bit more than usual just for sport. They’d also miscalculated how much group venom they’d managed to inject into the boy’s system. It was supposed to be enough to being him to the brink of death and not beyond. Just the right amount for a specialized mutation of his DNA ,to change him into one of THEIR kind.
When they had returned the next day to revive and orient their newest recruit he was gone from the place he’d been left to ‘cook’-a slang term they used for the hours it took for so many kinds of vampire venom to percolate throughout his system, changing him from a human to something else entirely.
There were arguments of course. Balik,the strongest and the recognized leader of the pack, blamed the newer members for allowing him to run until he was perspiring heavily,saying that that alone might have caused his body to excrete some of the poisons through his pores. It was a known truth that the human body was fearfully and wonderfully made and remarkably efficient at ridding itself of poisons of all kinds-even vampire saliva and venom.
Balik also chastised the senior members ,telling them they should have made sure every square inch of the human boy’s body was punctured and injected. The boy should have been out cold for at least 24 hours. But when they’d returned to claim their ‘prize’ they found only the stale scent of his blood and his nearly shredded shirt.
Mission NOT accomplished.
Now they were being called on the carpet by the Mavesla, the unseen leader behind their contingent of specialized vampires, bred to create more of their own –an underground rebel army consisting of the remnant race of a darker, more chaotic time in the history of the planet.
Forbidden to either fly-though few of them could-or use the portals that were the global mass transit system for ‘straight’ or ‘V-net” vamps, they trudged toward a system of underground caves which harbored one of the most powerful beings in existence, as well as a growing army of vampires and hybrids. There were four main compounds located in the contiguous United States, but the one they were headed toward was by far the largest.
And it was located in Southern Indiana, USA.
The karstlands that were rich in limestone sinkholes and underground caverns only existed in a few of the states. Aside from Indiana, Kentucky,Missouri and Florida hosted miles of mazelike tunnels and caves with huge cathedral-like ceilings.
Some of them, the smaller uninhabited ones, were open to the public.
The Mavesla’s lair was a scant 3 miles from the touristy Marengo Caves, located near the Blue Springs in Indiana. As the snarling and restless group moved through forested areas one after another ,they weren’t expecting to run into tourists or sightseers. It was the wrong time of year ,for one thing-the busy season usually started in June and lasted until October. Early spring weather, often inclement and chilly in Indiana ,did not attract many campers.
Balik ,the leader of the group stood stock still in surprise as they came to a naturally formed and unexpected clearing. Within the clearing they saw two family sized tents, two smoking grills and a large campfire crackling and emitting plumes of white smoke. The wind changed and brought to them the delicious scent of humans-males, females ,one young female in the throes of menses and several children.
It appeared as though there would be at least one apiece for each of them.
They hadn’t been seen-a good thing, and they stood silently just inside the periphery of the tree line and communicated wordlessly in the manner of a pack of wolves or other large predators.
Balik, his impressive mane of straight black hair blowing in the wind, gave silent instruction. The largest female and the menstruating younger female would be captured. This command was greeted with disatisfied snarls until Balik assured them that he would show them an entertaining trick with the captives. The rest, he told them, were first come, first served. He cautioned them that any fighting over a human would result in the death of both warring parties.
Balik allowed the humans one last undisturbed half minute as the pack waited for his signal .’There they were’,he thought,’ unsuspecting, laughing, eating-the children running around the camp circle playing tag.’ One man in a red plaid shirt drew in cherry scented smoke from a pipe and lazily blew a series of smoke rings as he exhaled.
Then ,in the next instant, mayhem and chaos. First Balik’s second and third in command flew out ,grabbing the heavyset female and the younger female and pulling them by their hair into the recesses of the forest. Their screaming alerted the others of course, though many of them stood stunned and unbelieving as the vampire bandits sunk unforgiving fangs deeply into their necks, greedily drinking the human blood down into their parched throats. Two of the human males ran for weapons –one human had his rifle raised when he was attacked from behind and lifted ,making an odd gurgling sound, several feet into the air where he was tossed back and forth between two dark brothers as they took turns feeding on him and causing his blood to rain down upon the others struggling to escape.
Balik thought it had been a glorious picnic, and took supreme satisfaction in making sure everyone drank their fill. His lieutenants were each handed the coup de gras of the feast-a fat human toddler each. Their very young blood had a bouquet and robustness all its own-like a new wine-and was considered a delicacy.
When the tribe had exhausted the supply of blood at the campsite, they travelled back deeper into the woods to where the older ,heavyset woman and the young female cowered against the base of a large tree. Oddly the sun had broken out, and shafts of it penetrated through the thick forest treetops all the way to the forest floor around the women ,like the shafts of golden spears, almost forming a cage around them.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT?” the older woman screamed at them, pushing the girl behind her and panting heavily in fear.
Balik stopped to contemplate her for a moment. Then he answered.
“We want your blood.” He said matter-of-factly. “Is that your daughter hiding behind you?”
“My n-n-n-niece.”the woman answered-her teeth were chattering so badly she could scarcely speak.
“The rest are dead. And you will soon join them. But first I will make you an offer-we will spare the young woman’s life if you do what we say. Are you agreeable to that?” He lowered the timbre of his voice so that it was almost gentle.
At her nod he said tersely, ” Then remove all your clothing.”
The light seemed to go out of the woman’s eyes just then, and he knew that it was at that exact moment that she was sensing her own impending demise. With stiff and clumsy movements, she began to tear her clothing off. First her blood and mud spattered jacket, then her thermal undershirt. Several of the bandits began laughing and making both squealing and oinking noises as her abundant flesh was exposed. The woman struggled to remove her bra, kicked away her jeans, and finally removed her huge underpants to more jibes and catcalls. By the time she had finished she was standing before them shaking ,her adipose tissue jiggling with each shallow breath she was straining for .Her female genitalia were almost completely covered by the low hanging skirting of her abdominal fat. In the frigid spring air she was covered with gooseflesh, her nipples standing out like pencil erasers.
Balik motioned with a finger for the woman to come forward ,his eyes never leaving hers. Then with lightening quickness he began to tear open her major veins and arteries with the skill of a practiced surgeon, using his fangs-first the jugular ,then the carotid, the vertebral. Reaching further inside her with his long nails he ripped open the femoral and the deep femoral.
At her moment of collapse he picked her up from behind
and elevated her ten feet in the air.
The pack began to cheer as the fountains of her blood poured down on them. Greedily they filled their mouths with the ruby streams-she had become a blood piñata for their pleasure.
All too soon the blood streams lost their pressure and Balik tossed her aside ,letting her blood drained body hit the forest floor with a resounding thump. He then turned his eyes to the young female crouched down in front of the same tree she’d been cowering against since the pack had taken her. Her eyes were squinched tightly shut and she sobbed in fear. He moved so that he was standing directly in front of her.
“Now as for you. What shall we do with you?”
The question was rhetorical. He already knew what the young woman’s fate would be.
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Pierre was one of Lux’s coworkers at the Blood Donation Center where they both worked. Pierre was actually on the verge of getting his Physician’s Assistant designation and working at the local blood bank was part of his practicum. The two had been friendly for several weeks-once Pierre had hit Lux up for a ride to the service station where his car had been repaired during the workday. Pierre had offered to buy Lux a drink in return at the local bar nearby but Lux had had to take a raincheck ,since he and Charley Rabbit and his brother Cass were still working on the construction of the indoor/outdoor family room. Persistent but never pushy, Pierre had mentioned his offer a few times recently, and as they washed up and prepared to leave for the day, the topic came up again.
“Lux my man” ,Pierre said with a smile throwing Lux a packet of sterile swabs to restock the workstation, ”Time for that drink. Surely you can spare a few minutes to relieve me from being in your debt. And it’s Friday man. So how about it?”
Lux bent over to check supplies on the bottom of the station, then straightened up and smiled.
“Well today is the lucky day I guess. We finished the indoor/outdoor room two days ago so I’m actually free to have that drink !”Lux reached over and clapped Pierre on the side of the arm.”In fact I put you off for so long –how about if drinks are on me?”