The II AM Trilogy Collection

by Christopher Buecheler

  “Perhaps. That doesn’t mean you should feel bad. You’re a lovely woman, Two.”

  “Short, no boobs, no hips …” Two began, and Naomi made a sound of perturbed amusement.

  “Gorgeous eyes, pretty face, shapely legs, fantastic rear end …” the vampire girl continued, and Two laughed.

  “You been checking out my ass?” she asked.

  “Every chance I get. Are you all right, Two? Do you need a glass of water?”

  “I’ll be fine. Sleepy.” Two laid her head down on the pillow. “Thanks, Naomi.”

  Naomi reached over and turned off the bed-side light, enveloping them in darkness. Two lay on her side, listening to Naomi breathing, feeling the warmth of the vampire’s aura. There was a tiny sliver of light coming into the room from a crack in the curtains, and eventually Two’s eyes adjusted well enough to see Naomi’s silhouette. She watched the vampire girl for a time, until Naomi opened her eyes.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Don’t move,” Two said. Naomi said nothing, only looked at her, questioning, unsure of what was happening.

  Two reached out her left hand and touched Naomi’s cheek. She moved her fingers up, into Naomi’s hair, smoothing it back and tucking it behind Naomi’s ear. Slowly she leaned her head forward, heart pounding, unsure of herself and of what she was doing but wanting to try.

  When her lips touched Naomi’s, the vampire gave a small gasp, opening her mouth instinctively. Two began with small kisses, tentative at first, but with growing confidence the individual kisses becoming longer, more connected. Naomi bit gently at her lower lip, and Two smiled, kissed for a few more moments, and then pulled away.

  “Thank you for understanding me,” Two said.

  Naomi smiled, nodded, reached out and took Two’s hand. Two let her do it, happy to have the contact. Exhausted, still far from sober, and wanting the day to be over with, she closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep.

  * * *

  Time passed, as it always does. Autumn gave way to winter and the temperature dropped. Two, Naomi, and Stephen settled into a routine; the vampires socialized with others among their kind, happy to enjoy the long hours of darkness, while Two had taken to waking up in the early afternoon and going out to a local pub for her evening meal. She was getting to be friendly with one or two of the employees, and happily answered their questions about life in New York. She also spent a great deal of time at the Kensington Central Library, just a few blocks away from their townhouse, and had made a point of visiting several of the museums in the neighborhood, rekindling her love of art that had lain dormant since before her time with Theroen.

  Two’s relationship with Naomi began to move slowly toward something more than friendship. After the night that Naomi had invited her to bed, there had been a period of several weeks where nothing further happened, but Two had nonetheless felt closer to the vampire girl than before, as if they had shared more than just a simple kiss.

  Naomi’s aura, too, seemed to have changed. Where before it had only been a source of warmth and comfort, there was now an intimate, nearly erotic tinge that sometimes left Two in a state of mild arousal. She was concerned by this, but also excited. She didn’t know if she was falling in love with her vampire companion, but she was certainly becoming more physically attracted to Naomi.

  Christmas came, and Naomi insisted that they celebrate despite Stephen and Two’s lack of enthusiasm. Two had found a very pretty pair of earrings for Naomi and had managed after some effort to find a gift that she thought Stephen would like. Through careful searching on the Internet, she had been able to locate an autographed game ball from an Ireland Rugby Union match. Stephen, not normally one for sincere emotion, had been nearly speechless, then had apologized repeatedly for the inadequacy he felt for his own gift – an original work from a London street artist whom she had pointed out one evening – despite Two’s obvious happiness with it. Naomi had given Two a book of poems authored by William Wordsworth and printed in 1807. She had also managed to find a more modern printing, sparing Two the agony of choosing between reading the book and causing it any physical harm.

  Stephen spent New Year’s Eve, and most of the month of January, in Ireland. Two and Naomi celebrated the transition of years by finishing more than a bottle of champagne apiece, an evening that ended in a lengthy session of kissing on the living room couch, and that might have gone further if Two had not forced herself to grab hold of Naomi’s hands as they began to remove her shirt.

  “Not yet,” she had murmured around the vampire’s lips. “I’m sorry … please.”

  Naomi, to her credit, had stopped herself immediately, and the pair had spent the night on the couch until the early morning sun pouring through the living room’s bay windows had irritated Naomi, forcing her to move to her bedroom. Two had not followed, still drunk and not trusting herself in the darkness and warmth of the room. When Naomi had awoken later, she had said nothing of the encounter, giving only a small smile when first she came back downstairs.

  Two wondered sometimes whether Naomi had any real doubt about how this was all going to play out. Did the vampire already know what was going to happen? Was she just waiting for Two to figure it out? Or was Naomi just as confused and uncertain about her feelings as Two was, and simply better at hiding it? Sometimes Two wanted to ask, but whenever she began to do so, she grew flustered and uncomfortable, and would change the subject. Naomi seemed to understand this, as she seemed to understand everything.

  It was a bitterly cold night in late January when it happened. Two was sitting on the couch, channel surfing, nearly ready to go to sleep. Naomi had been out all night with three other vampire friends, though Two had no idea where. The sun would be coming up soon, so it was no particular surprise when Two heard keys jingling, the front door open and close, and Naomi’s footsteps on the stairs.

  “Hey, Naomi,” Two said as the vampire came wandering into the living room. Naomi’s face lit up when she saw Two.

  “I thought you’d be in bed!” Naomi exclaimed. “I’m so happy to see you.”

  “Uh … well, OK,” Two said, laughing a little. “Glad to see you, too.”

  Naomi came over to the couch and flopped down next to Two, sighing in contentment.

  “You’ve been out a long time. Good night?” Two asked.

  “Oh, it was wonderful. First, we went to the theatre, and then we went dancing. Angeline met this lovely, beautiful boy and he invited us all back to his place …”

  “Cue the porn music,” Two said, and Naomi laughed.

  “It wasn’t like that. We’d already fed, and he wasn’t trying to get into our pants. At least, not all of them.”

  “Just Angeline’s?”

  “Yes. She was still there when I left. If she’s not naked by now, she’s a fool.”

  “Sounds like a good night,” Two said, smiling a little. Naomi’s lips were dark purple, stained from an excess of wine, and she was slurring her words.

  “It was. I wish you would come out with us once in a while. Angeline and Penelope and Emma would love to meet you.”

  They had discussed this before, after Two had several times demurred when Naomi had asked her if she wanted to come out. Two had explained that she felt uncomfortable with the idea of spending time with other vampires. “It’ll just make me jealous,” she’d said, and Naomi had said she understood.

  “I’d like to meet them, too,” Two told her now. “Once we’ve been to see the council and I’m a vampire, I’ll come out with you, I promise.”

  Naomi smiled, and rested her head on Two’s shoulder. Two could feel the girl’s aura now, stronger than usual, pushing on her like a physical force. Its warmth was spreading through her entire body.

  “Once you’re a vampire …” Naomi said wistfully. “Oh, I can’t wait.”

  “Me neither,” Two said.

  They were quiet for a time, and if not for the aura, Two would have thought Naomi had fallen asleep. The warm feeling still
pulsed and throbbed within her, though, and it was becoming tinged again with desire, as it so often did these days. Two could feel her nipples hardening, and funny little bursts of adrenaline were running through her.

  Finally, Naomi spoke, her voice a low, husky murmur. “I’ve been thinking about you all night. I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Good thoughts?” Two asked, trying to keep her own voice neutral.

  The vampire girl put her lips to Two’s ear. As she spoke, they brushed against the sensitive skin of Two’s earlobe, sending shivers through her entire body.

  “Warm thoughts,” Naomi whispered. “Wet thoughts.”

  Two’s heart was racing now, in a combination of fear and desperate excitement. She could feel Naomi’s aura, more overtly sexual than at any time in the past, working on her, turning her on, making her hot. Part of her wanted to step away, to regain some sense of control. The rest of her wanted only to remain where she was and let this delicious warmth continue to run tingling through her body.

  “Really?” she asked. “That sounds … very interesting.”

  “I can tell you all about it, if you want,” Naomi murmured into her ear. She reached a hand out, ran it lightly along Two’s thigh, lifted it to cup Two’s breast. “Or I could show you …”

  “Jesus Christ, Naomi,” Two gasped, twisting, turning her head, searching for the vampire’s lips. Naomi brought her head up and forward, kissing, biting. Her hand left Two’s breast and went to Two’s hair, fingers tangling there and pulling. As she did this, the last of Two’s defenses seemed to give way, and the aura flooded through her, setting her on fire. She could feel, for the first time since Theroen’s death, the lust for skin against skin, the desire to give pleasure, and the simple but overwhelming need for orgasm.

  “I want you to be naked,” Naomi was saying in between kisses. “Don’t make me wait any longer. Let me make love to you. Please, Two!”

  “OK,” Two gasped. She pulled her lips from Naomi’s, pressed them against the vampire’s neck. She could feel the pulse pounding there, the skin hot. “Yes. OK, Naomi. Just …”

  Just what? Go slow? Be gentle? That wasn’t what she wanted at all. Not anymore. In what seemed like seconds, she had gone from cautious attraction to white-hot desire. Were these feelings really her own, or were they simply a product of Naomi’s aura raging out of control? Two didn’t know. At the moment, it didn’t seem to matter.

  Naomi hadn’t waited to find out “just” what, either. She was pulling Two’s T-shirt up and off, kissing Two’s abdomen while she did it. Two raised her arms up, then took Naomi’s face in her hands, bringing it back up and kissing her again. Two wasn’t wearing a bra, and Naomi cupped her naked breasts, running her thumbs over Two’s erect nipples, making Two arch her back and draw in air through her teeth. Naomi responded to this by pressing her lips hard against Two’s neck.

  She didn’t bite, though Two thought for a moment she would. She only pressed, and then began to kiss her way down Two’s neck and shoulder. Two tilted her head back, eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of Naomi’s lips on her skin, Naomi’s hands on her breasts. The vampire was straddling her now, facing her. She brought her head up again and kissed Two deeply on the mouth. Two responded by bringing her own hands up to unbutton Naomi’s blouse.

  Naomi put her lips to Two’s ear again, kissing and tugging at her earlobe. She shrugged off her blouse, and arched her back to help Two remove her bra. Two put her hands up, tentative despite her desire, and touched Naomi’s breasts.

  Naomi gasped, murmured Two’s name, resumed kissing Two’s neck and shoulders. Two could feel the vampire’s nipples, hard little nubs pressing into her palms. She could smell Naomi’s hair, her skin. She laid her head back again on the couch, lost in the aura and the waves of pleasure that seemed to spread through her from wherever Naomi kissed, like ripples in a pool of water.

  Naomi was undoing her jeans now, and Two let the vampire slide them over her hips and along her legs, taking her panties with them. Naomi took a moment to remove Two’s socks, and now she was naked, just as Naomi had wanted. Two shuddered a little, looking down as the vampire girl began to kiss her way back up Two’s calves and shins.

  Two was damp between her legs, throbbing, desperate. The anticipation as Naomi worked her way upward was murderous. Two’s body tingled with it, her nipples standing up so hard that they ached. Had she wanted to wait? To take things slowly? It seemed like now it was all she could do not to beg, and she wondered again for a moment if this sudden need sprung entirely from her. It felt like it did, but …

  Naomi’s fingers wouldn’t allow her to finish her thought. They caressed the insides of Two’s thighs, teasing their way upward into the soft, light brown curls of hair on her vulva. Two made a choked noise of desire, opened her legs wider, slid her hips forward.

  Naomi said, “Oh,” and kissed Two’s thighs. Her thumbs pressed against Two’s labia and parted them, opening Two up. Naomi moved her head slowly forward, looking up, eyes locked with Two’s. She stopped just inches away, and Two could feel her breath, hot against her sensitive skin. The wait was excruciating. Interminable.

  “Naomi,” Two gasped. “Naomi …”

  She couldn’t seem to move, couldn’t close her eyes, couldn’t do anything but wait and watch. Naomi favored her with a wicked smile that only seemed to make Two’s need even more urgent.

  “Please,” Two said.

  The vampire lunged forward, tongue teasing, running from bottom to top and then in a rough circle, around and around. Two made a sound that was more like anguish than pleasure and wrapped her hands in Naomi’s hair. She had come very close to orgasm just from this initial contact, and knew she would not last long under Naomi’s expert ministrations.

  Naomi didn’t seem to want her to try. After teasing Two with the slow progression up her legs and that last, agonizing wait, she seemed now intent on bringing Two to climax. She increased the pressure of her tongue, toying with Two, kneading at her sensitive flesh, and Two could do no more than lay back and pant. It seemed as if every nerve ending in her entire body was sending streams of pleasure down to the place that Naomi was attending to, and in only moments she cried out again as her body clenched, and clenched, and clenched.

  When Naomi kissed her after, Two could taste herself on the vampire’s lips. She was still tingling all over, still felt tremendous desire for the girl next to her, but the urgent, physical need had now passed. After a time, she broke away from Naomi and leaned her head back, eyes closed.

  “Was that OK?” Naomi asked.

  “Jesus, yes,” Two said, this time with a shuddery laugh, still trying to catch her breath. She opened her eyes and saw that Naomi was grinning at her, watching her eagerly.

  “I’ve been waiting to do that for months,” the vampire said.

  “Well, I … God, that … I don’t ….” It seemed impossible to form a coherent sentence.

  “I wanted to make you feel good.”

  “That was way beyond ‘good,’” Two told her. She took a few deep breaths, and then sat forward. “Naomi, lie back.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  Two laughed. Kissed her. Pressed on her shoulder and made the girl lie down.

  “Shut up,” she said.

  * * *

  “What are we going to tell Stephen?” Two asked.

  They had retired to Naomi’s bedroom as the sun rose, carrying their clothes with them, racing up the stairs naked and giggling. Under the covers, Naomi had brought Two to orgasm again, this time with her fingers, and they were now lying in a sweaty jumble.

  “Stephen won’t care,” Naomi responded, her voice fuzzy and near sleep.

  “That doesn’t mean he won’t have something stupid to say,” Two replied.

  Naomi gave a small laugh. “True.”

  “He knows that you’re into girls, right?”

  Naomi made a pfffft noise and said, “I am into people. Some of those people are women. He knows th
at, yes.”

  “I’m just going to tell him to fuck off, I guess,” Two said, yawning.

  “That seems like a wise policy,” Naomi replied. She turned over onto her belly and nestled her head into the pillow.

  Two lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling, content for the moment to let sleep pluck at the edges of her consciousness without yet succumbing to it. She felt comfortably fatigued, exercised without being exhausted, too full of endorphins to worry about the repercussions of what she had just done. Still, one question lingered.

  “Naomi?”

  “Mmmh?”

  “Did you make that happen?”

  There was a lengthy period of silence. At last, Naomi propped herself up on one arm and looked at Two. Her hair was tousled, eyeliner smeared in dark smudges, lips still purple from the wine. She looked as if she wasn’t sure whether or not to be offended by the question.

  “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know?” she asked.

  “Probably.”

  Naomi frowned. “What if I told you that I haven’t slept with anyone, male or female, human or vampire, since I met you? Would you believe that?”

  “Yes. Naomi, I’m not trying to start a fight.”

  “No. But I want you to understand. I’ve wanted to make love to you since the third night after we met, when we went to the club and talked about Thomas.”

  “I remember,” Two said. “We came home and sat on the couch and then you were going to bed, but you stopped, and there was this … this moment.”

  “I wanted to invite you, yes. If you’d shown any sign, I probably would have. That’s, what … three months? No, four. That’s a long time to wait if I had magic powers that could make something like tonight happen.”

  “That’s true.”

  Naomi sighed. “Lisette is the only other vampire I have ever known who did this … this thing that I do. I’ve asked every Ashayt vampire that I’ve gotten to know on more than a cursory level, and it doesn’t happen to any of them. Few of them have even heard of it. She was supposed to teach me, but …”