by J. E Hanson
“I hope you will forgive me for my ignorance. It never dawned on me that you would ever be in this much pain. It was never my intention, to watch you suffer. Will you please forgive me?” Papa asks me.
“I forgive you, Papa. The pain is finally over. I hope, I don’t disappoint you with my new appetite,” I answer, hugging him in return.
“Nothing you do could ever disappoint me. What’s with the new name? The last thing I would ever do is intentionally inflict pain. I appreciate Alexander for calling me. I needed to see this firsthand. I’m grateful to be here, and witness your first taste of blood,” Papa responds, and he kisses my forehead.
“I was contemplating better names for you, so I chose Papa. I hope you don’t mind. You can’t be my dad, grandpa, or it seems too impersonal to call you Saber. I found this name more practical for me—versus the others. I hope you don’t mind,” I happily answer Papa’s question.
“I actually love it! That’s a fantastic name! I like that better, than my name and grandpa. Papa… it does have a nice ring to it. I hope you can grab some sleep, because tomorrow is your big shopping day. Unfortunately, I’m unable to go with you tomorrow, but Louie will take you in my place. He has my credit card on file. Enjoy your shopping trip tomorrow. Please make sure that you buy out the store and I’m not joking either.”
I make sure to hug him tightly. “I will Papa, and I love you very much. Thank you, for understanding my plight.”
Christian’s eyes return to normal. I practically knock him over by hugging him.
“I am happy that you are no longer in pain,” he says as his face relaxes, and the sparkle returns to his eyes. I kiss his moist lips madly, but the kiss feels strange. I pull away and quickly cover my mouth.
“You forgot about your fangs. Now, the tables have turned. You’re now a victim of vampire puberty,” Ian teases me.
Louie teases his hair, and he hands his compact to me. “Ian, leave the poor girl alone. Here baby girl, this is what your fangs look like now.”
Chris stares at me. “You can open your mouth. You will not scare any of us,” he persuades me.
My mouth opens and I look at the mirror. My fangs have fully descended. I cover my mouth, and peek at Chris with embarrassment.
“You are okay, Princess. They are just fangs,” he comforts me.
He’s able to make his fangs descend, but his don’t bother me as much as mine does. I stare at the mirror again, and open my mouth even wider. I carefully touch my fangs, and I can feel the touch of my fingers through them.
“You have to love newborn vampires—or hybrid vampires. If you concentrate, you can make them ascend,” Alexander gushes.
There’s a euphoric feeling coursing through my blood, but since they’re out it isn’t as potent. My fangs are fully satisfied.
“You really have to focus, and it takes many years to make them ascend. All of us, older vampires have been around the block for a long time. We forget what a newborn vampire goes through. I have to laugh, because during the first few years, mine remained out. The next three years after, they were out at a drop of a hat. The older female vampires thought it was cute, but it does become an occupational hazard. That’s why we never allow a newborn vampire off the island until they can control their fangs,” Leo adds to Alexander’s statement.
Brannon laughs and squats down. “Aye… this reminds me of the time when Brennan found a good-looking girl. His fangs always descended out of impulse. He dated the girl, because she thought he was cute. The only time they are a nuisance, is when you’re talking to some lad, and for whatever reason, you become upset. They decide to come out on their own. Other vampires take it as a threat, so you may find yourself in a brawl—or two.”
My head leans on Christian’s chest. The Enforcers tell me more horror stories about how many fights they fought as a newborn vampire. Ian adds humor, by scaring off women with his fangs.
Ian pats my head and squats down next. “Newborn vampires are cute when it comes to figuring out their fangs. You should know that your fangs are like an arm—or like another major organ inside your body. We use them as an extra sense such as; smell, taste, and touch. Your fangs are as important to you as a heart is to a mortal.”
Alexander squats down. “I have to warn you not to play with them, because it will hurt if you accidentally flick them. You should never allow others touch your fangs, unless it has to deal with intercourse. Your fangs are a completely different story when it comes to sex. They will tell others, what kind of mood you are in, and they will come out on their own. I am trying to make you aware, that your fangs will mirror your every emotion.”
“Will they ascend on their own? How does yours ascend?” I ask him and the others.
“Yours will probably ascend in the morning. Just like everything else, it takes practice. But, I have to warn you that they will come out, and tell on you. Your fangs will tell your different moods. You have to always remember that,” Ian reminds me.
I yawn and the Enforcers compliment me on how cute my fangs are. Christian picks me up, and he carries me back to bed. I struggle with kissing his lips. He snickers a couple of times, but we’re able to work around them.
“I have never kissed a newborn vampire before. You are the first, sweetheart. I actually love kissing you even more now.”
“If it weren’t for you, they would have never made their debut. Will you stay with me tonight?”
Christian shakes his head no. “I wish I could, but I have a lot of work that needs my attention. I have been neglecting my clubs, and they are in poor shape right now. A werewolf thought it would be cute to torch a couple of nightclubs, since his were faltering. Who knew that other creatures did not want to see werewolves mate?”
The thought of promoting breeding werewolves, grosses me out a little bit. Christian disappears, after he makes sure that I’m in bed.
After drifting off to sleep, I instantly dream of sex with fangs this time. The dreams start to drain me.
The subsequent day, my mind preoccupies with the activities from today. My lengthy shower finishes, and I step out to dry off. Sophia left a note on my toothbrush, warning me not to brush my fangs, but I can brush my other teeth. I open my mouth to reveal my teeth. My fangs finally ascended! They are no longer halfway in—or out anymore.
The newly ascended fangs are an overwhelming feeling of pure happiness. “After all these years, I have normal teeth! It’s hard, to believe that they’ve finally ascended!”
I gawk at the mirror and jump up and down. I feel exceptionally giddy, now that they’re gone! Well, they’re not gone for good. I can smile for a change, without looking awkward! My hair even appears brighter today, but my vision improves drastically. I feel like I can see behind my head. The smells are more sharp and pungent, than they were before. All of my senses improve drastically, and so has my mouth.
Today is my big shopping day. I chose to wear a summer dress. Out in public, I have to wear my tiara at all times. The tiara is pinned to my head. “This thing feels uncomfortable,” I complain to Louie.
Louie takes us in his Hummer, and he turns the stereo down. “How’s the new Princess feeling today?”
I stare at the lack of fangs. “I feel like a newborn. I have normal teeth for a change. Well, I have normal vampire teeth.”
Louie picks at his hair in the rear-view mirror. “I bet you’re feeling so much better. I’m so glad that your fangs made their debut for you. I need to warn you. Sex will be the biggest issue for you right now. Your fangs will tell Chris every little fucking thing. If you think, they won’t descend when you’re thinking about him—think again. A very long time ago, I remember living with this man. He had these hot and incredible biceps with a ripe ass. My fangs stayed out so much, and there wasn’t anything to make them ascend. I wanted him so fucking bad, but unfortunately, he found out what I am. Well… you know that I’m gay… anyway, he nearly ends my existence. I’m like…, never doing that shit again! You will learn how to
control your fangs through the years. I have been alive like this for quite a long fucking time. The first twenty years were the biggest fucking pain in my ass. It is harder when you’re a gay vampire in the beginning. With more people accepting us, it makes it easier for us, in the last twenty years to survive, and to come out of the closet. I’m so fucking happy that Chris and Alex accepted me into the Brotherhood. They have no problems with gays. They are understanding men, unlike some of these other bitches in the castle. Christian and Alexander are comfortable around people, who are gay, especially from their time.”
“I know that this isn’t appropriate, to ask this question, but how were you turned? At what age did you turn? You don’t have to answer, if you don’t want to.”
Louie pulls on the interstate. “It is okay to tell you, how I was turned. I would say, it was about seven hundred years ago. I’m originally from Nottingham, England. A lot of us are from England. Sam and Charlie are originally from England too. I worked for the royal court in my time. My king at that time was King Edward II. They always had a very large court. Anyway, I was about twenty-four years old. I met this beautiful pale-looking man one night. We slipped off to a room together. I remember how physically fit he was. Well… we had sex. Unbeknownst to me, he also had a set of fangs. The next thing I remember, I woke up on a ship. My lover kept me under his thumb until Charlie set me free from him. His name was Paul, and he made an unauthorized vampire. I remained with Paul for a hundred years. He made more than one vampire, and that’s a huge fucking no-no. They sentenced him to immediate death. When your maker dies, it will leave you confused and alone. The guys brought me into the Brotherhood a hundred years ago. They saved me from going insane. Before you ask, Charlie had to do what he had to do. I respect him as my elder vampire, and I harbor no animosity towards him. He saved me. Because if Paul remained alive, he would have no doubt—killed me.”
“That’s insane! Do you have to do whatever your maker commands?”
“You have no idea. The only way you’re free from your maker, is if they free you—or if they die. If they never free you, than you have to do whatever they tell you to do. Your maker controls your mind. It is kind of hard to explain.”
“Thank you for telling me your story. Just so, you know, I don’t care that you’re gay, Louie. Just as long as we treat each other with the same respect, I will treat you exactly the way that I would want to be treated.”
“You’re so freaking awesome, Princess! You’re definitely fitting the criteria for a princess. You exceed my expectations of you. You will truly make an awesome queen one of these days.”
“I honestly don’t want to be queen, because that means I will lose, my Papa. I don’t want to lose him.”
“I know you don’t, but final deaths do happen. It is the saddest thing, to go through. When it happens, it’s almost as if that vampire never existed. You have no body to bury, just their remains—or their items. I hate that when it happens, but it does happen. The most heartbreaking thing is when the final death happens to their mate, especially, if they have been together for an incredibly long time.”
“I don’t want to even think about that. I can only imagine the pain vampires go through, when they lose someone. I have feelings for Chris, and I never want to know what it would feel like, if he’s gone.”
“I can already tell by that look, you’ve already fallen for him! That’s crazy! Ian also told me that you own a mansion together.”
“I did a favor for Ian. Instead of Ian buying me this incredibly gorgeous mansion, Chris bought it for me instead.”
“You’re one lucky girl, because Chris never spends any of his money on women. Like he has dated tons of bitches, and they come over to the castle, but he never bought them anything—ever. He won’t go out of his way, to buy them expensive jewelry either. I notice he keeps, like for real. He kept asking me, where to buy quality jewelry in the beginning. I thought it was for Tracy, because they were dating for the longest time. I helped him pick out the diamond droplet necklace for him. I was shocked, when I saw you wearing it. That’s when I knew Chris had his eyes set on you—girlfriend. There is like… no fucking doubt that he has made his intentions noticeable.”
“Is he doing this on his own? Or because of who I am?”
“What on Earth made you think, to ask such a question? You can’t tell that he loves you?”
“I accidentally listened to two women talking about Chris. They said that he’s only with me, because of his thirst for power. They believe Chris wants to become king one day.”
“First of all… you should have told those bitches to shut the fuck up. Second, Chris has more money than your grandfather does. He has no intentions on becoming king, because that puts you at the top of the food chain. People at the top, normally are the first ones to die. He doesn’t want that stress. You won’t receive any extra benefits—just more stress. It also places your family members and friends at risk. Chris is anything—but that. He isn’t an asshole, like a bunch of other crazy, and jealous bitches like to make him out to be. He fell for you—because of you. You’re the only woman that has ever thanked him for everything—and meant it. He loves you so fucking much. Check this out, if you two fight, then he’s a miserable prick. We receive the brunt of it, when he has a fight with you. Even his brother receives his shitty attitude too. You don’t see what we see?”
“What does he see in me? He can have any woman in the world, but he chose me.”
Louie pulls into a parking lot. “Hooker look at you. You’re fucking beautiful, and Chris saw that before the rest of us fools did. Did you know that when you left the library the other night, five assholes were checking your little ass out? They kept flapping their jaws, about fucking your brains out. They want to be in his shoes so fucking bad, and they hate him for it. They were the same assholes, who also said that you wouldn’t lose any weight. You’re a ginger sex bomb, and all those pricks are feeling stupid right now. They’re hoping Chris and you will break up, so they can go after you. I will be honest with you, Chris actually checks on you quite often. Even when you think, he isn’t home. Erik is also extremely overprotective of you too. He also makes sure that none of the guys bothers you. You remind Erik of his daughter, who was brutally raped and murdered.”
“Wow… I had no idea!”
“The younger guys like Ian and Zane, are not as bad as you think. They joke around, but they think about how stupid they were, for even doubting that you would lose all that weight. Now, they want to be friends with you. They are actually a lot nicer, than what you think.”
“I had no idea that they even felt this way.”
“Bingo! Now, do you see? Chris does love you, and he wants to be with you.”
We walk inside to see Sean waiting for us. “Oh, wow! You are skinner than the last time I saw you! Oh goodness, you’re smoking hot! You’re so gorgeous! I bet all the men are tripping over you now!”
I’m laughing at Sean's over-exuberance. He takes my new measurements, and abruptly orders different dress styles. Sean snaps his fingers. “I want you to look at maxi dresses. Some are satin, and some are cotton.”
“I think Christian won’t allow me to wear some of these dresses. He’s sort of overprotective.”
Sean chuckles at my statement. “He’s just a man, and it probably arouses him.”
Louie walks over to me. “I will pick out your dresses for you, honey. Christian will have to learn to deal with it. It probably arouses him too much. Look, you worked your ass off, to lose all that weight. You deserve to wear something a little sexy. Stop worrying about what he thinks, he will love you anyway.”
Sean and Louie talk me into buying those five dresses. Those dresses are the same style, as the one Chris wanted to rip off me in Greece. We pick out twenty dresses of every color. The bill has to be high.
They order for me twenty of the following: jeans, dress, slacks, business outfits, shorts, and Capri pants. The next order is for twenty-four skirts. They
finish ordering fifty of the following: casual shirts, dress shirts, blazers, camisoles, and shells. We even pick out ten hats for me and twenty belts of all kinds. They move to my undergarments with twenty of the following: thongs, boy shorts, and regular panties for workouts. Sean and Louie coerce me, to try more corsets. They order some without panties, see-through, leather, and tons of lace.
Sean interrupts my thoughts, “Will you please, go in the stockroom? You have to pick out the fabric you want to wear for a dress I’m working on. This is for another royal ball in the near future.”
I’m not an idiot; Sean and Louie want their private time. They are constantly groping each other. It isn’t hard to notice, but they need to have their alone time. My cell phone remains with me. I casually walk into the stockroom. The door slams behind me. I start the difficult task of looking through all the fabric samples.
There are many gorgeous fabrics to choose. All of a sudden, something catches the corner of my eye. This is something that I never anticipated. To make sure I’m not seeing things, I move a little closer. There’s a large bulletin board above a desk. Hanging by a thumbtack on a bulletin board, currently sits a calendar for 2011. There’s a familiar face, looking back at me for the month of October. Ian sits there, without his shades on. Majority of his piercings aren’t in his face or ears for this layout. I try hard, not to look below his face. Ian’s naked body is there, out in the open, and spread eagle. This is equivalent, to finding a naked picture of a sibling.
This calendar piques my interest, and I flip to the beginning of it. The title of the calendar reads, “BIB 2011.” The front cover only contains their headshots. Against my better judgment, I flip it to January. For January, there’s a naked Erik standing in Norwegian boots. The page quickly flips to February. That’s an even bigger mistake, because Sam stands there exposing his manhood—like Erik. Sam has a red heart-shaped pillow, resting on his chest in this picture. He gives a completely new meaning for “Too Hot for Teacher.”
