I slipped two fingers into Ellen and felt her quietly moan against my lips at the mild relief of built-up tension. Before either of us got too far gone, I pulled back from her and slid my panties down my legs before climbing onto the bed with Kyle.
“How do you want to do this?” Ellen asked, kneeling behind me on the mattress and running her hands down the front of my body, her lips gently pressing on my neck.
“Kyle, stand up,” I demanded. “Ellen, you’re going to ride my face.” She groaned against the skin of my neck and bit into me, taking a minute to feed herself as my body experienced the same euphoria that came every time either one drank from me. It felt like a shock was running through my body the entire time and I found it hard to focus until she pulled off of me, softly licking the two puncture marks to help them heal.
Kyle stood at the end of the bed while I maneuvered to lie on the bed. He gripped my hips and pulled me closer to him, Ellen positioning herself above me. She lowered herself on my face, letting me hold onto her thighs with my hands to hold her still. I had barely lapped at her clit when Kyle pushed himself into me, making me moan out against Ellen’s wet heat.
I had never done anything like this before, so trying to concentrate on making Ellen feel good was hard with Kyle’s hips slapping against my own. His hands roamed from holding my hips up my torso to gently knead my breasts. I couldn’t help but dig my nails into Ellen’s thighs, but when she started grinding her core on my mouth, I could tell she enjoyed it. I moved from pushing the tip of my tongue into her to sucking gently on her clit until her body quivered above me, her body slumping forward as she let out a loud moan.
She reluctantly pulled off of me but instead of simply lying on the bed, she chose to kneel next to Kyle, her hand reaching to where he and I met as she rubbed quick circles on my clit. The snap of Kyle’s hips pressing against mine and filling the room with the sounds of skin on skin pushed me closer to the edge, especially with Ellen jumping in to help.
“Oh, fuck,” I moaned, letting my head fall back against the bed. My hands were gripping the sheets below me until I finally found my release, a loud moan of Kyle’s name leaving my lips. As my heat pulsed around him, he reached his own peak and slumped over me slightly as his rhythm faltered until he stilled inside of me. Ellen leaned back on the bed, letting out a sigh at finally being able to fully relax.
I followed suit and flopped down beside her, letting out a content hum at everything that just happened. Kyle didn’t have much room left on his queen-sized bed because, as Ellen pointed out so kindly, “You’ve got two queens already lying down. You’re not needed anymore.” All of us laughed at her comment and, just to prove her wrong, Kyle practically wrapped himself around me and closed his eyes as we all tried to drift off to sleep.
*****
After nearly six months of dating, I couldn’t have found myself in a happier state of mind. Maybe my body started sending more endorphins every time I let my boyfriend and girlfriend drink from me, but every night I spent with them, I found myself falling more and more in love with each of them. To make things even better, I couldn’t determine who I liked more – I assumed that meant I didn’t have a preference, thankfully.
I had sets of clothes at each of their homes for when I would stay overnight, but we still spent most of our time at Kyle’s. His place was a pretty even distance between my place, Ellen’s, and the college he worked at, so it just seemed convenient. Plus, we didn’t have to worry about my nosy neighbors trying to figure out why I always had a man and woman come over late at night and leave early in the morning, yet neither one ever seemed upset as if I were cheating.
Polyamory wouldn’t float well with the seventy-year-old next door.
While I loved the feeling of Ellen and Kyle drinking from me, I always found myself wondering what would happen to me. As vampires, they wouldn’t age; as a human, I would. Would they just stay with me and watch me die? Were we supposed to continue on knowing someday I would be leaving them?
The first weekend of summer break – for the other two, at least – Ellen and I stopped at Kyle’s with enough clothes and supplies to last a week. With the other two on new schedules, I didn’t plan on letting either of them leave bed for a while.
But the minute I stepped through the door, I felt a wave of déjà vu wash over me. Kyle opened the door before I knocked and led me inside. Ellen was already sitting on the couch in the living room and I knew something was going to happen. My first instinct was that it would be something bad, but neither one seemed concerned or scared. They just seemed nervous. But seeing them so nervous made me feel nervous too, except with me, they could hear my heart beat change.
“What’s going on?” I asked, slowly sitting in my usual spot on the couch, Ellen to my right and Kyle to my left.
“We have a question for you,” Kyle said, rubbing his hands together to calm his nerves. “It’s kind of a big deal though so we don’t expect you to answer right away.”
I just nodded for him to continue. When he stumbled over his words and couldn’t find a way to speak, Ellen stepped in, like usual.
“We’ve all been together for about half a year,” she started. “We’ve all said ‘I love you’ at least once a day and I know, at least for me, I love spending time with both of you.” I nodded in agreement as Ellen took a deep breath. “We’re going to have to move soon. People are going to notice we’re not getting older so we need to find somewhere new to start over. It’s always like this. We can’t stay somewhere more than twenty years, max.”
“What does that mean for me?” I asked. I already had an idea where this was going and I hoped the change of pace from my heart wouldn’t give it away.
“We wanted to know…if you’d want to become one of us,” Kyle said tentatively.
“One of us, meaning…a vampire?” I clarified. Both he and Ellen just nodded. I didn’t even have to think. I’d already spent night after night wondering what it would be like to spend eternity with the two people I loved the most in the world.
“Yes.” They looked at me with wide eyes before quickly switching to concern.
“Hannah, you can take your time with this,” Ellen assured me.
“I know, but I’ve already thought about it. I want to. I can’t bear the thought of letting you two watch me age and die before your eyes. I want to. I promise.”
Kyle and Ellen exchanged glances before finally looking back at me.
“Are you sure you don’t want more time to think it over?” Kyle asked.
“Kyle, babe, I’m sure. What do I have to do?”
He cleared his throat and brought his wrist up, biting a wound on his own skin. “You have to drink vampire blood and then die with the blood in your system. So, if you’re sure about this…” he trailed off, holding his wrist out to me.
I looked at it in disgust for just a second. The thought of surviving on blood only bothered me because I was human. It didn’t bother me when they drank from me, so I knew it wouldn’t take long for me to get used to it. With a deep breath, I looked back to Ellen and then up into Kyle’s brown eyes – the same shade as when he first approached me in my shop – and grabbed his wrist, bringing it to my mouth and sucking lightly.
I wanted to back away the second his blood touched my lips. It tasted awful, but I knew it was a small price to pay. After a few seconds, I pulled away from Kyle’s wrist and wiped at my mouth in case any blood escaped – like it frequently did with the other two. The amount of times they’ve almost walked in public with my blood on their lips…
“Now what?” I asked.
“You have to die,” Ellen said. The word ‘die’ shocked me a bit, but it made sense. Maybe I was being reckless. At that point, I could not care less. I simply nodded at them, leaning in to kiss Ellen before reaching over and kissing Kyle. Right as I pulled back, Ellen placed her hands on both sides of my face, giving me a small smile before twisting both hands.
And everything went black.
&nbs
p; *****
Once I came to, Kyle and Ellen fed me a little bit of blood from one of their blood bags and the next morning, we took off for Chicago. One thing they learned is that it’s easier to spend a long time in a city where you never see the same person twice.
“We both loved Chicago eighty years ago,” Kyle said.
We settled into a small apartment near downtown. In a city that size, no one would be able to judge the three of us for being together. Everyone had demons in their minds and skeletons in their closets; it would be hypocritical to judge us for making different decisions.
It was easier for Ellen to find blood bags for us, and with all of us sharing one apartment, we didn’t have to worry about a walk of shame in the mornings, unless we counted walking from one bedroom to another.
Even though I knew we wouldn’t be able to stay in Chicago forever, it was a good start. A start to the beginning of the rest of my life.
THE END
Another bonus story is on the next page.
Bonus Story 24 of 44
The Ranch of New Dreams
Description
Stephanie has been trying to stay away from her grandfather's ranch for almost ten years. She once loved this place and spent most of her summers here riding horses. She had met her first love here and experienced the most painful loss the guilt which she has yet to overcome.
Now, one year after her grandfather passed away, Stephanie has to return to the ranch to decide its further destiny. She is intent on selling it to invest the funds into her prospering IT company.
One thing she dreads the most is seeing Erik again. Her grandfather has left him in charge of the ranch. As great as her teenage love for Erik was, she knows deep in her heart she will never find the courage to forgive him for the heartbreak she went through.
*****
"Let’s stop for a quick coffee break, Nana," Stephanie suggested.
The closer they were getting to the ranch, the more she was looking for reasons to stop and kill some time. Anything that could prolong the trip and delay them from reaching their destination.
A part of her wished to be back there again, after so many years. Yet, she knew there were ghosts from her past that she was not ready to face yet. Ghosts that gave no rest to Stephanie for days and nights.
"Darling, it's getting late. I'd rather we got there before dark," her grandma said. Stephanie knew she was also impatient and wished to arrive a moment earlier. "I can't believe your grandfather is not going to be there to meet us." Grandma shook her head and signed. She looked out of the window and Stephanie knew her grandma was struggling to hide her tears. "He knew we were visiting, he'd always surprise us. Meeting us halfway to the ranch and riding on his favorite horse."
"Yes, I remember that, Nana," Stephanie smiled. "We all miss him a lot." She squeezed her grandma's hand.
It had been almost one year since Grandpa Jonathan had passed away. To Stephanie, he had not only been the head of the family but a true friend. She had shared many secrets with Grandpa. Now, he was gone and had taken her secrets with him—as he had promised.
The rest of the way they drove in silence. The road was slowly taking her back to where the most daunting memories of her past rested.
Now, following Grandpa's will, she was headed back to the ranch. She knew he would not be happy with the decision she had made. Stephanie missed him more than ever now when hard decisions were ahead of her.
"You're very quiet," Nana said.
"I know... I am just thinking that Grandpa would not be very happy that I'm planning to sell the ranch," Stephanie said, not looking at her grandma. She knew, in her eyes, she was going to see the same disappointment. They had hoped that one day she'd be in charge for that piece of land that had been such an important part of the family history.
"He had started it with only a small piece of land, a small cottage, and two horses," Grandma's voice sounded nostalgic. She had shared the big part of that rocky road to success standing by his side—always supporting him, believing in him, reminding that he could build his dream despite every hardship that came their way.
"Times are different now, Nana," Stephanie knew she was breaking her grandmother's heart with her words. "I wouldn't know what to do with a ranch. But if I sell it and invest the money in my company, I'm gonna build an empire in a couple of years. Trust me, Nana, I'm one of the best tech girls in the field and what we're working on is an innovation that can change the world!"
For many, Stephanie might sound like a dreamer whose head was filled with unrealistic visions and fantasies. She was not. She was quite down to earth and knew exactly how to measure her success rate. After all, she was an IT prodigy, who had earned her place in the vast world of technologies by the age of twenty-one. After spending several years working for corporate sharks, she was finally ready to start her own business and now her AI solutions were not just a dream but a very palpable reality and had laid a clear path to success.
"Your grandpa had the same determination," Nana smiled, her eyes still filled with shiny teardrops. "And had the same stubbornness. You know, long ago we had had a fight. He almost decided to sell the ranch when he thought that he had lost me," she shook her head in disbelief.
Stephanie had never heard that story. Somehow, it had always seemed that her grandparents' story was the perfect romance from the pages of a beautiful novel. She never expected them to have had any fights, let alone be on the verge of a breakup.
"Why did you want to leave him?" she asked, not sure she wanted her childhood fairy tale of romantic love to be crushed by truths of real life.
"I did not. It's just that love makes some people dumb and blind. Even the best of us. Even your grandpa," she laughed. "And Stephanie, I know that you've taken after your grandpa in almost everything. Don't repeat his mistakes. Don't jump to conclusions without knowing everything."
That was the inevitable path that this conversation was going to take. One indeed needed to be blind, deaf and dumb not to realize that for her this ranch was associated with one name—Erik, a man who had once broken her heart. A man who she would have to face in less than an hour.
"I don't want to interfere in what has happened between the two of you, darling, I know it was very painful for you," Grandma continued. "And I am not going to defend him. You are my only granddaughter and no matter what, I'll always be on your side. But he is a good boy. Just give him a chance to explain himself. Even if that will not change anything, you won't have to live with the unanswered questions tearing your soul apart."
Erik... With every mile, Stephanie could feel the heavy weight of memories of the past growing menacingly larger. Erik had once been everything to her—her best friend, her partner in every teenage crime she had committed, her first love and her first disappointment. Too many roles for one person to carry.
"For all we know, he might be happily married or something by now," Stephanie spat.
She had not heard of him for years. In fact, she had refused to step foot on the ranch since that horrible night when she had left in tears, knowing that her life would never be the same again.
"Well, I talk to Martha pretty often. She loves giving me very detailed updates on everyone's personal lives on the ranch," Grandma laughed. Martha had worked on the ranch her whole life. She was not just the housekeeper but almost a family member now. Martha, Nana and Grandpa had raised Stephanie while her parents were busy building their careers and traveling abroad, often spending months away from their daughter. And then there had been Erik, who had come to the ranch as a young ten-year-old apprentice. He was the one person who had a special way with horses. Even the wildest beast would let him close in no time.
Again, her thought had slipped into those forgotten moments of the past that she had preferred to keep hidden. They both had made their choices. And no matter whether Erik was married or single, whether he waited for her or still loved her, the past was better left in the past.
They arrived at the ranc
h about forty minutes later. Everyone had gathered at the farmhouse to greet them. They had all missed Nana. It had been almost two years since she had last been here. For Stephanie, it had been almost nine years. Back then, Grandpa Jonathan was still alive. It was an emotional reunion and even Stephanie, despite all her determination, felt the warmth of home as everyone welcomed and greeted them. Both, Nana and Martha were in tears.
Stephanie looked anxiously around. Everyone was there. Everyone, except for that one person who she dreaded to see. Soon, they laid a table on the large patio that Grandpa had built for large family gatherings. Martha had prepared a real feast with all the delicious foods that took Stephanie back to her childhood. This was a clear plot—who could resist all of this and not have their hearts soften?
Erik did not show up. Neither for the dinner nor for the late-night tea and sweets party. Strangely, it felt like everyone avoided mentioning his name. It did feel awkward, especially considering that he oversaw supervising the ranch now after Grandpa Jonathan had passed. Was he avoiding her?
That night, as Stephanie lay in her bed thinking, she wasn't sure what hurt more—the fact that he was hiding from her or the realization that she couldn't deny the thrill she felt at the mere thought of seeing him again.
*****
Erik stayed well after midnight, occupying himself with all kinds of useless work. We hoped everyone would be asleep by the time he got back. It was a childish escape. He could avoid seeing Fannie tonight and even tomorrow, but how long was he going to hide before he summoned the courage to meet her?
Could he still call her Fannie? Before, she'd let only him use that pet name. Too many things had changed between them since then. After all, she was the owner of this ranch now and he was her employee. As the manager of the estate and the stables, it was his job to meet her and provide a full report on everything. He doubted Fannie knew much about the business. She never cared about this place ever since… He shook his head, refusing to think about those times. He could stop thinking or talking about it, but there was no way he could turn back any of what had happened. He wished he could. The guilt was a heavy burden to carry.
Inextinguishable Love: Firefighter and Interracial Romance Page 76