by Various
“He kissed me, moving down my neck, nipping at the skin, mixing pain with ecstasy, drawing me to the brink, all with his teeth and hands. He massaged my breasts, my nipples hard against his palms. Then he stopped, backing away. There was a fire in his eyes that was almost demonic. Or maybe it was the light reflecting off them from the fire, but in my naiveté I assumed it was his lust.”
I paused, peeking over at Brenna. She listened intently, reminding me of how I once was, a human child ready to take on the world.
“Devon composed himself and sat next to the fireplace. He leaned against the chair. He glanced up at me and motioned for me to sit with him. He wrapped his arms around my chest, so I was locked to him. My heart sped up, and I could barely breathe. His breath chilled the skin of my throat. We stayed like that for a while. Time slowed and seemed to stop. The warmth of the dwindling flames was enough to keep us warm while we listened to my sister’s easy breathing. It was good, and peaceful.
“‘Do you want to be with me? For all time?’
“‘Of course,’ I whispered.
“Why wouldn’t I want to be with him? He had awakened so much in me, how could I ever let him go? No one else was coming to ask for my hand, no matter how much my father had in the bank.
“‘The day I met you in the Garden I knew you were the one for me. You were so quiet, caught up in your books. It seemed I’d never get to see inside your thoughts, but the longer I was around you, the more I saw that fire. But I didn’t know if you’d survive the change. There’s always a chance it’ll drive you insane. There is nothing to worry about, once you get over your first kill. Oh, I remember mine. It was the most glorious thing I’d ever done. Yes, you should be fine. I can feel how strong you are, so strong…’ He trailed off as he began kissing my neck.
“I listened to him, thinking he was drunk. That was the logical thought because the things he talked about were impossible. How could one live forever? And the nonsense about killing? I was flattered he thought me strong, but what did I know?
“He worked his lips harder into my neck, using his teeth to tug on my flesh. His intentions became feral. I tried turning in his embrace, but his hands locked around my tits, pulling me into him. I screamed, but no sound came out. Fear spread in my veins as I kicked my legs, trying to get away. My attempt was futile.
“Devon’s lips and teeth tore at my skin. Somehow, I got loose from him, but it did nothing more than allow him to tear huge gashes into my throat. This spurred him on. I panicked, but it just gave Devon the time to grab hold of me and lock himself to my wound. I heard a horrible sucking. I struggled again and he dropped me, satisfied for the moment. Weakened from the blood loss, I tried crawling away, but I only got a few feet. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to hold in my sobs. All that escaped was a hiccup, since I still couldn’t scream. Devon’s laughter echoed softly in my room and seemed to be in the confines of my mind as well. I tried moving away, but something tugged at me, and I was forced to look at Devon. My eyes widened at the sight of the man I was going to marry.
“His fingers were bloodstained. His mouth smeared with my blood, his lips curled back in a grin so I could see his two stained teeth still dripping blood. His face was more angular, almost pointed. His ears elongated, coming to a point at both ends so they resembled bat ears. His nose had flattened, looking like it been the victim of an errant frying pan. But his eyes scared me the most: they were completely black with pinpoints of red in the center. There was no white at all.
“As I looked into them, I stared into the face of a demon. I couldn’t even scream. He’d stolen my ability to call for help. Just as he had willed my sister into a deep slumber. What was I to do except let silent tears stream down my face?
“Devon smiled, reaching a curved finger to wipe a tear away. His nail, hard like bone, touched my face. He brought the tear to his tongue, tasting it, savoring the saltiness. I wanted to whimper for him to kill me. Extending my torment was a nightmare, but that was what he wanted.
“He traced my body with his eyes. The hem of my nightdress exposed my bare knees. His hands gently caught my foot as he kept his claws from contacting my skin. His touch was frigid on my warm flesh as he outlined the arch of my foot, moving slowly to my ankle, and then to the bend of my knee. All the while his strokes elicited both disgust and pleasure. Whatever he was doing to me was beyond my emotional comprehension. I wanted it to continue—and God, how I hated myself!
“His hand slid slowly up underneath my gown, caressing my thigh. I arched my back at the coldness. His hand covered my pussy. Devon felt how warm and wet I was. He rubbed his thumb over my clit, watching my reaction. At first I didn’t know what he was doing, but soon I could barely contain myself. I writhed and whimpered underneath his touch. I couldn’t get enough of him. Everything was building inside of me, but he stopped.
“Using one of his taloned fingers, he slid into me. His entrance was smooth, but so cold it felt like a knife had impaled me. I cried out this time as a gush of wetness retreated with his finger. He smiled, licking his stained claw clean like a cat grooming itself. The worst of it was that I wanted him more than ever. He embraced my rising pleasure, tasting it on the air.
“But he wasn’t done toying with me. He bent down, but this time, instead of using his hand, he worked his way up my legs with his tongue, stopping every once in a while to nip at a vein. These bites I didn’t feel. I was still lost somewhere inside my mind, screaming for help and absolution for being fucked by a demon. Then he made his way to my clit again where he took me delicately in his teeth and worked me with his tongue lapping at the blood that seeped from my wounded vagina. Every time an orgasm threatened, he kept me at the brink, only letting me taste what was on the other side, but never lingering there.
“This kind of torture went on for hours, until finally my clothes were in shreds, and his had all been neatly piled on the chair. In all of this he had given me a taste of his blood. That small sip kept my soul locked in my dead body when he stole the last bit of my life. I didn’t know it then. Only now, after seeing him do it to some of his victims to torture them, did I understand.
“Finally, when he knew I couldn’t take any more, he moved his dick into me, slowly, letting me feel how it was to expand around him, taking all of his enormous length in. It was painful because I was raw from all his intrusions, but I gritted my teeth and let him plunge into me. By this time his appearance returned to normal, except for the fangs and his eyes. During the night, his skin had grown warm as I grew colder.
“I bucked under him when he entered me. Pleasure mixed with the pain and I was lost to the sensations. His arms wrapped around my back as he moved in and out, holding me up. My body was numb, but I felt his every movement. He must have kept my endorphins going or tweaked the pleasure center of my brain as he fucked me. But something else was happening. I was dying. He was fucking the life out of me as the passion built. At the brink, his fangs buried themselves in my neck as he drained the rest of my spirit.
“I remember the last push of my near-dead heart as Devon took the final draught of my blood. The familiar pounding in my ears stopped. No breath passed over my lips, but I could still think. The process was slow, like there was mud in my brain. Oxygen stuck in my throat as it closed in on itself. It dawned on me through the haze that I was dead, but there were no trumpeting angels waiting for me. Nothing. I wasn’t filled with endless joy at joining heaven. I was frigid and stuck in cold, dead flesh. I was neither vampire nor human. I wondered if hell awaited me, but I saw no flames or devils. The only true devil was Devon. Fear didn’t even touch me. I was extraordinarily calm as true death was denied me. It seemed a unique adventure, and little did I know the hell it would become. There were only the dying coals in the fireplace.
“Tiny particles of dust floated in the air above me. Drifting freely, some came to rest on the floor, while others settled on my staring eyes. Their heaviness blurred my vision. I tried moving my eyes, but nothing happ
ened. It was then I knew heaven had been, and always would be, denied me.
“Devon took himself out of me and dressed. I only saw the outline of his legs. When he appeared again in my full vision, he’d thrown his jacket and vest on, but left them open. Picking me up, he cradled me, supporting my head. He positioned my face so it rested against his neck. Even though I was dead, I smelled the blood though his skin. It reminded me of freshly dug earth. The scent made me want to rip him open, to have the substance underneath. That was when I felt the first stirrings of hunger in my system.
“‘It’s time to be mine,’ Devon whispered to me.
“With that, he opened a gash in his throat, letting blood the color of kerosene spill out. At first, the thought disgusted me as drops moved onto my lips. Warmth seeped onto my tongue, sliding down my throat. Where each drop touched my skin, something inside me came back to life. It went into my stomach, igniting my body. Strength returned to my mouth so I could suck in the life-giving liquid. I lapped up his blood; it tasted like crystallized honey, but was thick like molasses as it went down my throat. Pins and needles worked in my toes and fingers as I came back to life.
“With more blood working into my bloodstream, my heart skipped to life and the cobwebs in my brain blew away. I pulled on the wound in Devon’s neck until he pushed me away. I landed hard on the floor, knocking my head on the flagstones of the hearth, but the impact didn’t hurt like it should have. My skull should have broken, but there was only a tingling as the skin knitted back together.
“I took a moment before getting up, and I peered around the room. Everything looked so crisp. Glancing at the windows, I saw the intricate patterns within the frost as though it were a lace doily spread on the glass. I looked at Devon and saw a red and black light surrounding him. It was his aura, I learned later. It reminded me of foxfire, the ghostly light seen in marshes. It flickered intensely, and then disappeared when pain exploded in my body. I felt like someone had put my insides through a meat grinder. Devon grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to focus.
“‘Look at her, on the bed. She can make the pain go away. Do you want that?’
“‘Yes,’ I breathed.
“‘Then take her.’
“The creaking floorboards screamed with each step I took. I wondered why my sister didn’t awaken. I watched the rise and fall of her breasts, entranced by their subtle movement. Then I heard it. The drumming. A steady beat, keeping time with the rhythm of life. My hand settled over my sister’s chest, absorbing some of the warmth her body gave off. But it did no good. I was still cold, frozen like the frost on the window. This warmth made me mad. It was then my canines extended into fangs, but I didn’t think anything of them. I needed her blood. My hand dove into her chest, tearing apart her ribcage. Blood splattered everywhere: the ceiling, the bed, the rug, and me. Bits of bone, muscle, and discarded flesh plopped onto the floor. I separated her chest bone with a smash of my fist and took her heart in my palms. It was slippery, emerging with a loud sucking sound. I held the organ above my face. I inhaled the scent of life, and it smelled like spring after a winter thaw, like cool mountain water. My tongue darted over the muscle and took in the crimson liquid. It slid down my throat, warm and salty, igniting my own system, allowing my newly transforming body to come into its own. The first taste was so sweet, I needed more. In my frenzy, I gnawed at the heart until it was pulp. It was only then, after sucking the blood from every last bit of meat, did I notice how much blood I had wasted. I desired more. I listened a moment and caught two more heartbeats down the hall. Licking my lips, I glanced at Devon for his approval. He nodded, knowing what I wanted.
“I rushed down the hall toward the sounds. This time, I savored the kill. First, I tackled my father. After a couple of bites I got the technique right and sliced open his jugular. Blood squirted from his artery like a fountain. It hit me in the face and went up my nose, but I didn’t care. I opened my mouth, covering the wound, while blood ran down my face and dried in my hair. I pulled hard, drawing in the substance my newborn body craved. The more I took, the more I wanted. Each drop warmed my body, burning my insides. All I remembered was being frozen, and that something inside me knew that by taking more I would be alive again and the chill of death could no longer touch me.
“After draining him, I moved on to my mother.
“Lodging my fangs into her jugular, I drank until I was full and warm. When I looked up, Devon stood at the foot of the bed. Blood covered his body. I listened and heard no more heartbeats. Devon had massacred the servants.
“Entranced by his slick, red body, I circled him, sniffing him like a dog. I smelled myself on him and that was good enough. I walked around him a few more times, never taking my eyes from the red liquid coating his body. I wrapped my hands around his torso, crushing my breasts against his back. One hand moved along his chest, feeling the marble smoothness of it, while the other embraced his shaft. He hardened under my touch as I slid my hand up and down his dick. All the muscles of his back clenched when he was ready to come. It was then that I sunk my fangs into his throat. He released, moaning and writhing against me at the same time. It’s funny, but that was the only time he let me be in control. And it was only for a split second.
“The acrid smell of cum split the air and settled with the blood-scent. I took his blood only for a few moments, still feeling how hard he was in my hand. I worked him again, but this time he squirmed out of my grasp and tackled me. Both of us landed hard, rattling the room. Bits of plaster fell from the ceiling, turning into red paste from the blood on our bodies. He dug his nails and teeth into me, licking and biting until I didn’t know where he began and I ended. It continued like that until dawn, when, finally the lethargy of sleep sucked me down as the orb rose in the sky.
“When I woke up the next night, I truly understood the nature of what I had become: I was a monster; a demon, pure and simple.
“My kind can’t see the beauty in the humanity they originated from. Once my kin open their eyes to vampirism, they cast off their humanity like an old skin and become what the blood makes them into. There are only a few of us who betrayed our origins, realizing humans were more than things to fuck with. Many vampires consider this way of thinking weak, hunting those like me because we are the black sheep of the species. Devon hated that he had created one of these. That was one reason he loved to torture me. However, my other half was satisfied with killing, especially my family, and wanted more. That night I swore I would never be what Devon wanted. That’s when my beast and I started warring.”
I turned from Brenna, my tale told. I had just divulged my history, something I never thought I could do. Now it was up to her to stay or leave. If she left I’d protect her from Devon, watching out for her until she died, even if she never knew it.
Silence descended on the room like the eye of a storm. She thought about all I had told her. I dared not peek into her mind in case I let out a maelstrom of emotion. So I stood, motionless, listening to the echoing footsteps of people passing in the night, of other guests dozing in their rooms, they’re breathing slowing. Dozens of heartbeats filled my head, each one a different song, adding to the chorus. They all tantalized me, igniting my hunger. I swallowed it down. Soon I would have to feed, or I would lose control. Brenna’s presence was a horrible distraction. It made me remember everything I was. I salivated just having her so close; my other half wanted out again to taste and ravage her, but I pushed her away. Brenna’s arms crisscrossed over my breasts as she rested her chin on my shoulder. She took in a few breaths, tickling my ear, thinking about what to say. Then, to my surprise, she kissed my neck, tracing the delicate line of my throat with her soft lips. My gums tingled as my teeth ached to descend.
“You do a dangerous thing.” My voice was shaky, as was my control.
“I trust you.”
“I’m glad someone does.”
“So what happens now?”
I shrugged, unsure of how to answer. It seemed fate had thro
wn a wrench in my path. I didn’t understand how this human could be my salvation.
“I don’t know. I just don’t know.”
Chapter Twelve
My name is Brenna.
My reflection showed the tiny lines around my eyes, little tick marks showing my age. They were almost invisible, but I knew they were there.
Tears sprang to my eyes when I thought of Veronica—alive for over two hundred years, an ancient woman wearing the guise of a twenty-five-year old. All because she fell in love with the wrong man. As she told her story, I sensed how much she yearned to be with humanity. I could bring her back to life and show her the light once again. I laughed while scrubbing off my makeup, thinking of what I had said about unmasking.
My true likeness stared back at me. My skin was now a subtle shade of pink from rubbing off so many layers of cover up and eye shadow. Underneath it all it was a pale white complexion. I strove to keep out of the sun. The sun didn’t bother me; I just didn’t like it. Its garish light hurt my eyes and browned my milk-white skin. I’d always been drawn to the night. To me, the midnight blue sky was endless and kept my secrets when no one else could.
I wrapped my tongue around my fangs, wiggling them loose before I pulled my lips back in a sneer to see their sharp points suspended among my other teeth, and then I plucked them off, throwing them into an empty contact case. Then I took out my evergreen contacts. Underneath the imitation eyes, my irises were a dark dull brown that saw the world with a human blurriness. Without my props I was a mere mortal, as Veronica would say. It’s funny how humans have a way of deluding themselves.
