In Blood

by C M Thorne

  Erica shrugged her burnt sienna brown shoulders. “I am all about helping others.” She smiled and winked at him. She was wearing a jewel green dress that looped around her neck, leaving her shoulders bare, which seemed to gleam in the passing lights from some kind of makeup. She came off effortless and compassionate, not like most of the people he was used to from church or school.

  His sister turned up the radio before he said anything else and he sat forward again, not knowing what to say or do as the girls started to sing along to the song, which he didn’t know. He smiled at his sister when she glanced at him, nodding along to the loud pop music. He looked out the window, mind drifting off and entertaining the possibility of seeing the vampire again. His intense eyes had watched him, piercing through the shadow cast from his thick, wavy dark hair. He came off as dark and alluring, drawing the attention of all those near him. Caleb couldn’t help but want to know more. His nerves calmed as he thought of this, forgetting his father’s anger and what the fall out would be. He only cared about seeing the vampire.

  Caleb looked up as the car slowed, realizing that they were already pulling off the exit from the bridge onto the island. He blinked, his eyes burning as they were filled with tears. He must have been totally lost in thought, not blinking or moving. He looked around and noticed they were close to the building that housed the club. It loomed taller than the other buildings surrounding it in the dim light of early night, the top windows pulsating various colors from the dance floor.

  He watched the club as they drew nearer, the beat of his heart filling his ears over the music in his sister’s car. Dinah slowed, looking around hesitantly before turning down the alley to the club. The car crawled to a stop in front of the roped off line and a valet attendant approached, opening up Dinah’s car. Caleb hopped out and opened the back passenger door for his sister’s friends to clamor out, laughing at something her didn’t manage to catch. He resisted the urge to tug at his shirt, feeling self conscious even though the chance that they were laughing at him were slim.

  “Come on!” Dinah sounded cheery as she pulled her skin tight cobalt blue dress down and came around the front of the car. “Let’s get in line!” She looped am arm through Caleb’s and steered him to the back of the short line, filled with club goers who were expectantly watching the bouncers. She whispered as they walked, “Don’t worry, Cal. You look fantastic!”

  He forced a smile and puffed out a small laugh, “Thanks, Di.”

  Caleb tried to pay attention to the girls’ conversation as they waited in line, slowly inching closer to the bouncers. His mind kept wandering however, not letting him focus in enough to join in. He couldn’t wait to get inside and lay his eyes on the vampire again. His breath caught in his throat at the thought of watching the vampire as he watched him dance on the floor. His heart seemed to pound louder, slower, and harder at the idea of being close to the creature. His stomach clenched and unclenched in anticipation, making him want to throw up or scream, he wasn’t sure.

  “Caleb!” Dinah’s voice sliced through his thoughts, snapping him back to the moment. She was standing next to one of the bouncers, who was holding the velvet rope open. “Are you ready?” Dinah asked, eyes widening in irritation.

  He nodded and stepped forward as his sister cocked her head, looking him over as he stumbled around the bouncer. “Are you alright?” she hissed, grabbing him by the elbow and forcing him inside past the door. Her friends were already in the silver and blue decorated elevator, holding the door open while still talking and laughing.

  “I’m fine,” he finally answered and looked at her face, which was filled with disbelief. “I swear, I am fine,” he added. “I was just lost in thought. Finals are coming up and I,” he trailed off as they stepped into the elevator. “I am just a huge dork.” He laughed it off, though he did not think he sounded nearly as nonchalant as he had intended to sound.

  “I do not miss those days!” Erica draped her arm around one of the other girls, who Caleb had barely noticed. She was a short Asian girl with dyed blonde hair and tattoos crawling from both of her shoulders down to her forearms. She was wearing a tight red dress that seemed a little too short and Caleb instantly noticed that she was very into Erica. He watched Erica as the women continued talking, but he couldn’t tell if the feelings were mutual. Erica came off as soft and generally affectionate, which made it harder to read her interest or lack thereof.

  The elevator came to a stop and Caleb realized that he had lost track of the conversation again. He shook his head slightly and smiled at his sister as they stepped out of the elevator into the flashing lights and slow, throbbing hass of the song blasting throughout the club. Dinah and her friends headed straight for the closest bar, propping themselves up to talk to the attractive blonde bartender. Dinah glanced back at him with a questioning look a moment later and pointed at the bar. He nodded back and she gave him a thumbs-up, taking this as a cue to turn around and order something for him. He did not know what to get himself still, but he trusted Dinah’s taste.

  Caleb looked around the club while he waited. It was darker than the other night and the music seemed more rock inspired, fused into a dark techno vibe. It wasn’t bad, but it lent itself to some very sexual dancing on the dance floor of the darkened club, as the strobe lights flashed rhythmically between red, blue, green, and purple. He nodded his head along to the music, turning around and peering into the corners of the first floor. Dinah popped up near his left elbow and handed him a shockingly green drink.

  He sipped at it through the straw and found that it was lip puckering sweet. Dinah looked at him expectedly, drinking her own green drink. He smiled at her and gave her a thumbs-up, but he was afraid his smile looked more like a grimace. Caleb moved the straw out of the way and gulped the drink down. It wasn’t bad per say. It was just too sweet for his mood and it barely warmed him on the way down. He polished it off thinking he wanted something stronger and less sweet.

  “I’m going to get another drink!” He raised his voice over the pounding bass blasting throughout the club. “Need anything?” Caleb asked his sister.

  She smiled back at him and shook her head, sipping on her half full drink. He looked at her friends, but they were all dancing and chatting over the loud music. Caleb nodded and walked back to the bar. A petite, voluptuous brunette woman with wide, bright blue eyes was working this side of the bar and Caleb looked down at the busy gorgeous blond man from before a little forlornly, but decided he didn’t want to wait for the horde crowded around his side of the bar.

  The bartender served up a tray to a man and looked to Caleb. “What’ll it be?” she asked, pulling her long hair apart to tighten her ponytail.

  “Uh,” Caleb looked around, “I’m not sure. Something strong, but not awful tasting?” He laughed lightly, hoping she would be sympathetic and not find him annoying.

  She smirked, “Hmm, okay. I got you, cutie.”

  Caleb blushed as the bartender turned around and moved quickly, grabbing various bottles and mixing them together. She moved with expert precision and Caleb found himself wondering if she was human. She looked too flush to be a vampire, but maybe they weren’t always so pale. Did drinking blood make them flush with warmth and color? He wasn’t sure, but he had theorized that feeding would do that. It was probably how vampires went relatively infected for the centuries they existed before their great outing. The bartender finished straining the drink into a short glass over cubes of ice, splashing something over the top and spinning around to face him while putting a lemon wedge on the rim.

  “Tell me what you think,” she smiled, setting the drink down.

  He picked it up and took a sip. It was tart, but a little sweet. As he swallowed it, the warmth of the alcohol burned across his tongue and down his throat. Caleb grinned and looked up at her, “This is great! What is it?”

  The petite bartender looked triumphant as she grinned and answered, “It’s my take on a pomegranate Manhattan. Glad you like it.”<
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  “How much do I owe you?” Caleb fished his wallet out of his left pocket.

  She held a hand up, “Don’t worry about it. This one is on me,” she winked at him, “for trying my experiment.” She laughed and turned to help another person that had come up.

  Caleb blushed and took another long drink before opening his waller and throwing a five-dollar bill down as a tip. He made his way back over to the girls, who were standing near a high-top table near the windowed wall, sipping their drinks and chatting. They swayed their hips to the music as they talked.

  “What is that?” Dinah looked up at him and reached her hand out toward his drink.

  She took the drink and took a sip. “It’s a some kind of pomegranate Manhattan, I guess,” he answered as her face lit up.

  “That is so good! Holy shit! I want one!” She gave him back the drink and grabbed Erica. “Come with me! We are getting more of those!”

  “You need to go to that bartender,” Caleb stopped her and pointed to the petite brunette buzzing around behind the bar. “She does something different to it, so I don’t know if anyone else would be able to make it as good.”

  Dinah smirked at Caleb, “Look at you! Getting to know your drinks and who makes them best!” Her and Erica giggled as they walked away. Her two remaining friends were chatting and sort of dancing on the other side of the table. Caleb took a long drink and exhaled, not knowing what to do with the girls. He didn’t know them well enough to strike up conversation. He did not possess that skill, it had all gone to Becca and Dinah. He looked out across the dance floor, trying to look up at the VIP area that wrapped around the club. Caleb couldn’t see the vampire from his current position and began to wonder if the vampire would even be here again. Perhaps his presence the other night had been a fluke.

  His heart sank and he decided to wander around to possibly spot the man. He sipped at his drink and moved around the edge of the dance floor, intently searching the VIP area. There were more people on the second floor balcony tonight, crowded on the couches and against the railing. Caleb moved slowly, peering through the people carefully. By the time he had wandered around the club, his drink was gone and the girls were all back at the table. “Where have you been?” Dinah grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him closer.

  “I was just looking around,” he answered with a shrug.

  She peered into his eyes for a moment before slowly nodding, her brow still furrowed, but starting to relax. “Alright, well, we are going to head to the bathroom and then we want to dance.” Dinah called out over the music. “Do you need to go or will you be alright here?”

  “I’m okay,” Caleb smiled at her. “Do you want me to save the table?”

  She shook her head, “No, it’s alright.” She glanced at her friends, who had started to migrate away from the table. “Just stay around here so I can find you after.”

  Caleb nodded at her and she slipped away with her group. He stood there for a moment, holding his empty glass. He was feeling warm and pleasantly buzzed from his second drink. He swirled the melting ice cubes around and decided on one more drink before dancing didn’t sound like a bad idea. Caleb turned to head back to the bar, but stopped as a burly-haired man melted out of the people writhing on the dance floor and walked right up to him. His silky dark brown curls and striking blue eyes made him instantly recognizable. It was the vampire that Caleb had bumped into on his birthday.

  He stopped less than a foot away from Caleb and smiled, revealing perfect dimples in his porcelain white skin. “Hello there again, mon cheri.” His accented voice was rich and melodic. He was wearing a tight, thin nearly see-through black button-up with several golden necklaces dangling at different lengths between the open buttons. He rested a pale hand on the table, blocking Caleb from moving forward. He was a couple inches shorter than Caleb, but he knew that the vampire was undeniably the stronger of the two of them.

  “Uh, hi,” Caleb glanced at the floor.

  “You must have enjoyed yourself the other night,” the vampire looked him up and down slowly as he spoke. “You look lovely tonight.”

  “Oh,” Caleb blushed, “thank you.” The vampire was certainly attractive, but Caleb did not know how to handle his assertiveness.

  “Allow me to introduce myself,” the vampire continued, “my name is Henri.” He said his name with a much stronger accent, the French lilt making Henry sound like ‘honree.’

  “Caleb,” he nodded as he gave his name, eyes flicking up to look into the devilish gleam of the French vampire’s icy eyes.

  “A pleasure to meet you, mon cheri,” Henri bowed slightly, looking up into Caleb’s eyes before righting himself. “May I buy you a drink?”

  “Uh, sure,” Caleb looked around, wishing his sister would come back from the bathroom to rescue him. He didn’t entirely know what to do, or how to turn down the vampire’s advances. “Thank you,” he added softly.

  Henri wrapped a cold, strong hand around the back of his right arm and guided him toward a different bar. He was surprisingly gentle, not quite pushing or pulling him along, though his grip was firm. Caleb found himself panicking as the vampire did not let go as he leaned over the bar to order. He spoke quickly and lowly to the shirtless bartender that was a chalky shade of brown, giving away that he was a vampire as well.

  “Uh,” Caleb looked around, not knowing what to do, but knowing that he wanted out of this situation. There was something unsettling about the soft, cold grip of Henri’s hand on his arm.

  Henri looked back at him, “Do you need something, mon cheri?”

  “Well, no,” Caleb answered shakily. “Or yes? I, uh,” he looked toward the direction his sister had gone in with her friends for the bathroom. “I just need to use the restroom. I will be right back.”

  Henri looked at him with a blank expression, not letting go of Caleb’s arm for a moment that seemed to stretch on and on uncomfortably. “Of course,” he finally responded flatly, releasing Caleb’s arm.

  Caleb looked down at the ground and turned, resisting the urge to run away from the vampire. Walking deliberately, he tried to not seemed rushed or too slowed down. He got to the other side of the club and found a flight of stairs that went beneath the club with a neon blue sign indicating that the bathrooms were down there. He glanced around, seeing that he was shielded from seeing Henri by a throng of people and hurried down the steps, pushing open the black door to the men’s bathroom as the music pouring from the speakers above became muffled.

  The bathroom was large, done entirely in glossy black tile flecked with gold, real wood stalls painted black, and golden fixtures illuminated by soft yellow light from sconces between the ornate mirrors hanging above the sinks and the urinals lining the left wall. He headed toward a sink, looking at his face, which had gone pale and gaunt in the dark bathroom. He turned the sink on to splash some water on his face, but paused as he heard the door swing open.

  Caleb turned a little as Henri moved up behind him. The vampire grabbed Caleb’s arm and pressed himself against his back before he could even blink or breathe. “There you are, mon cheri,” Henri purred into Caleb’s ear as he pressed his body into the counter. He wanted to move, to squirm away, but the vampire was too strong. Henri pressed his bulging leather pants into Caleb’s butt as he lightly bit at his earlobe. Caleb let out a startled shriek and tried to pulled himself free, but Henri yanked on his arm.

  The vampire easily tossed him into one of the stall doors, which gave way and Caleb fell back into the stall. He smacked into the wall hard and his vision went foggy as he tried to blink. “I need to leave,” Caleb exclaimed, snuggling to get up and find his balance to leave.

  The assertive Henri flashed forward with his vampire speed into the stall, closing and locking the door in a little more than a blink of the eye. Caleb had never seen a vampire move like that in person and it shocked him, throwing him off so that he lost what little balance he had found and slumped back against the wall. Henri turned and pushed him b
efore he could right himself, grabbing at his shirt. Henri cupped Caleb’s crotch with the other hand and moved in closer. The vampire ripped his shirt a little as his mouth descended on his neck.

  He could feel his cool breath on his neck as his fangs lightly skimmed his skin, making him shudder. He wanted to scream, to push back at the vampire, but he was too weak, head swimming and vision blurring. Before Henri’s teeth could bite down, the door to the stall was ripped open and Henri went flying backwards, making Caleb slump down to the floor. The vampire crashed into the urinals on the other side of the bathroom, breaking the gold flecked tile between the two urinals and sliding to the ground.

  The dark vampire from the VIP lounge was standing in the opening to the stall, chest heaving and eyes blazing as he turned from Caleb to look down at Henri. “What do you think you are doing?” his words had a slow cadence, forced out from behind his clenched teeth.

  “I-I,” Henri stuttered. “I was only following the mood.”

  The dark-haired vampire turned his attention back to Caleb, who was leaning back against the wall, heart racing. “You wanted this?” the vampire questioned, deep voice rumbling in his broad chest.

  Caleb tried to speak, but his throat felt constricted and impossibly dry. He shook his head in a dumbfounded amazement, lost in the fire that seemed to light the rich amber hue of his eyes.

  The vampire turned back to Henri, who was still on the ground. The dark-haired vampire’s chest thundered with an animalistic growl as his lips peeled back and he bared his lengthening eye teeth at Henri. “Leave this club and never return!”

  Henri nodded as he scrambled to his feet and used his vampiric speed to leave the bathroom. Henri seemed to blur as he disappeared from sight, moving faster than humanly possible. Cal blinked slowly, wondering if he was actually seeing the apparent blur or if it was just the pounding ache at the back of his head messing with his vision.

  The tall, dark-haired vampire looked back to Caleb, the intensity in his eyes fading into a soft burn. “Are you injured?” he asked softly.