Serenity's Dark Beauty

by J. R. Mitchell

  "What?” she shouted, annoyed at him already though he had not yet spoken. She rose gracefully to her feet.

  "That was a very foolish thing to do.” he stated without the slightest hint of emotion. “Had you drank too much you could have killed yourself.” Serenity didn't comment, instead she went over to a nearby creek and began washing off the blood. “Only vampires who have a hard time feeding off mortals try that. You don't seem to have that problem so why did you do it?” He went on as if he had not expected an answer. “It must be because of that boy. He didn't want to think of his lover as a murderer. Am I right?"

  "This is none of your business Maverick! I am not going to mate with you and I don't want your criticism either so just leave me alone!"

  "So you can kill yourself for him! I don't think so. I am trying to help you Serenity. It is very rare for one my age to do so. You should take advantage of it."

  "Well thanks, but I don't need your or anyone else's help!"

  "But you will listen to that human!” he spat the words at her like they were a curse.

  "Unlike you, he doesn't have an alternative motive!"

  "I am just trying to save our people from extinction."

  "I don't give a damn about our people! If you want to save them, do it with someone else!” His face turned whiter then normal and Serenity could tell by the way he clenched his fist that he was furious with her. She thought for a moment that he might strike her again. Instead he turned and slowly walked back into the forest. She watched until he disappeared from sight.

  Serenity was hungry. Her thoughts kept turning to the chubby woman she had allowed to live earlier. Not being able to resist any longer she flew toward town. The first person she found would be dinner. She searched the streets below for someone walking alone. It didn't take long to spot them. A man was heading down an empty side street. He had already gone far enough that should he scream no one would reach him in time. Silently she landed behind him. His scent was slightly familiar but she was so hungry that it didn't matter. All she could think of was the kill. The thought of his warm blood flowing between her lips made her move quickly.

  Running up behind him, she grabbed him by the jacket and shoved him against the wall. She held him by the throat and lifted him a foot off the ground. His struggles were useless compared to her strength. The beating of his heart thumbed loudly in her ears. All that blood being pumped through his veins. Her mouth watered with anticipation. Her fangs had just reached the exposed flesh of his neck when she heard him speak her name.

  "Serenity! What are you doing?” Glancing at his face for the first time her gold eyes met Dan's brown ones. “Serenity, are you okay?” He could barely speak for the grip she had on his throat.

  "Dan?” Her voice sounded like a child's. She had not expected to find herself about to eat one of her only friends.

  "Yeah.” He wheezed, his face was starting to turn purple. “Can you let me go? I can't breath.” She released her grip and stepped back. Dan slid to the ground gasping for air. “That's some grip you've got. What is going on? No one has seen or heard from you in days! Now you attack me and hold me like your superwoman! What has gotten into you?"

  "I'm sorry. I...” she was still in shock about what she had almost done. “I didn't realize it was you.” It sounded like a pathetic excuse even to her.

  "Why did you attack me in the first place?” He seemed more worried for her then angry.

  "I was hungry.” she answered without thinking.

  "So you attack people in the streets? Serenity, if you need money for food all you have to do is ask.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty. “Here.” She stared at the bill as if it were a snake. “Take it. Don't worry about paying me back. You can have it.” She stared at him a moment longer before turning and running down the street. She had no worry of him catching her. She was much too fast for that. Once she reached Main Street, she turned toward her neighborhood only to spot Erika and Phillip. They spotted her at the same time.

  "There she is!” yelled Erika as she brought up a crossbow and aimed it at Serenity. Phillip knocked it from her hand before she could fire.

  "What are you doing?” He shouted at her. “You can't just go around shooting people!"

  "She's not a person, Phillip! I told you that! She tried to kill your brother!” Serenity didn't stand around to listen to the rest of the argument. Not caring who saw, she jumped into the air and flew away. She could hear Erika's furious screams as she escaped.

  "You see!” Called the mechanic turned vampire huntress. “No human could do that! She is a vampire and you just let her get away!” Serenity had gotten too far away to hear what or if Phillip made a reply.

  Reaching Garret's house, she circled above it. She wanted to go to him. She could feel an invisible force that pulled her toward him but she could also feel the pains of hunger. Not to mention she was unsettled by her three encounters so far tonight. Serenity was worried that if she did go to him then she might loose control like she had with Dan earlier. Plus she couldn't go hunt because she might run into Erika again. Normally in her new form, that wouldn't scare her but Erika was prepared. The woman had obviously spent some time researching how to hunt her new prey. Serenity didn't want to risk it but she didn't want to risk Garret either. But she did want to see him.

  After flying in circles over his house for about an hour that invisible force pulling her finally won out over her other worries and she flew down to his window. Garret was there waiting for her.

  "What took you so long?” He asked as he took her in his arms. “I was worried."

  "I can't stay.” She replied intending to pull away but clinging to him instead.

  "Why?” She could feel his breath warm on her cheek and it was making it harder for her to pull away.

  "I tried hunting animals like you asked.” She looked up into his green eyes only to realize it was a mistake. She couldn't look away no matter how hard she tried. “It made me sick. Maverick said that had I drank anymore I could have died.” She saw fear flash in his eyes for an instant.

  "Who is Maverick?” That was not the question she was expecting.

  "He's an older vampire. He lives around here somewhere."

  "What does he want with you?” Serenity's heart raced. It was as if he knew what Maverick's intentions were and she couldn't help but feel guilty even though she had done nothing.

  "He is just trying to help me understand what I am.” She lied. She had never felt so bad about lying to someone before in her life. How did he have such power over her? He looked into her eyes silently a while before seeming to believe her.

  "I am sorry I asked you to do that. Please forgive me.” Again he said what she had not expected to hear.

  "It's not your fault. You didn't know."

  "Why can't you stay?"

  "I have not fed. I don't want to screw up and bite you again. I can't risk loosing control with you near."

  "You won't hurt me.” He sounded so sure. As if he knew her better then she knew herself.

  "You can't know that. I might without even realizing what I was doing. The hunger is too strong for me to fight."

  "Then don't fight it.” He spoke in a whisper but she could hear him clearly.

  "What am I suppose to do Garret?” She tried not to yell but she was frustrated. “You won't let me hunt and animal blood is poison to me!"

  "Take my blood.” At first she wasn't sure she heard him right. It was too crazy.

  "What?” She asked hoping maybe she had just misunderstood him.

  "Take my blood.” This time he said it louder.

  "No!” She had no intention of feeding off him.

  "You wouldn't have to take it all just enough to stop the hunger."

  "No Garret! I can't do that! I could kill you without meaning it!"

  "You won't. I know it.” She turned away from him to face the window. “Please I'll be alright and that way you won't have to go out hunting every night. My mom wil
l be less likely to find you. Please.” He was begging her and she could never bring herself to refuse him anything.

  "Just enough to stop the hunger and no more.” He nodded.

  "Of course. I don't want to end up in the hospital again.” He laughed. Serenity was nervous she couldn't understand how he could joke about something like this. She could still see the marks on his neck from the last time she had bitten him. They hadn't fully healed. She would have just bit him there again so he wouldn't have two sets of teeth marks but it would probably hurt him more and he could get an infection. He trusted her enough to let her drink from him so she didn't want to hurt him any more than necessary.

  Creating two new holes, she drank until the ach in her stomach dulled. Usually the blood tasted like the sweetest most delicious thing imaginable. But his just tasted like blood. It was hard for her to swallow. Each mouth full seemed to catch in her throat. She stopped as soon as possible fearing she would take too much.

  "How do you feel?” She asked. In answer he kissed her lips. The passion in that kiss made her forget all else.

  She kissed him back with fervor. Her tongue invaded his mouth as she grasped the buckle of his belt. Her normally lightening fast fingers felt overlarge and clumsy. When she finally achieved her goal, she realized that his deft fingers had already exposed her pert breast and were raising her dress to her waist. When his fingers first fond her love spot, she sighed out in passion.

  Finally achieving her goal, Serenity thrust her hand beneath his boxer briefs and grabbed his erection in her fist. She pumped once before Garrett lost his control and pushing his pants down further he slammed into her. Serenity reveled in the feeling of his hard member entering her and met each thrust he gave with her own.

  * * * *

  Phillip was worried about Garret. In the past month his brother had barely spoken to anyone. He had missed many days of school and become very antisocial. He avoided his friends and spent most of his days asleep. Phillip didn't know if Garret went out at night or not because his mother dragged him out every night to go vampire hunting. At first he thought she was insane but after that night he saw Serenity fly he'd begun to believe. They had even found a different vampire lair and slaughtered those creatures. Erika laughed, but Philip looked at it as doing the human race a favor. In their search for Serenity, Erika and Philip had found out a great deal of knowledge. His mother was fast becoming one of the greatest vampire hunters, with him right behind her. But no matter what he said or what proof he brought, he could not get Garret to believe him. He and Erika had even gotten his father to believe them but Garret still stubbornly refused to acknowledge that vampires actually existed.

  Something was defiantly wrong with his brother and it was causing Phillip to worry. Garret wasn't looking well either. He had become very pale. Phillip decided to convince his mother to give him the night off. He was going to talk to his brother and figure out what was going on.

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  Chapter 11

  Garret was late for class. It was the third time this week he had overslept. He had taken to wearing turtle neck shirts to cover the bite marks but this morning he was unable to find a clean one. So instead he chose a jacket and just pulled the collar up. He was too tired to care how it made him look. All he cared about was getting the day over with so he could be with Serenity. He would prefer to skip school and just sleep all day but he knew that would arouse his mother's suspicions. This would make it dangerous for Serenity to visit him.

  Trying to slip into class unnoticed he took a seat at the back of the room.

  "Well,” Professor Wallington remarked, “Good of you to join us Mr. Ramsey. Late again."

  "Sorry.” Garret didn't sound sorry because he honestly wasn't. Professor Wallington starred at him angrily for a moment before continuing his lecture. Everyone else was taking notes because the information was sure to be on the final. Garret knew he should join them but in his hurry he had forgotten to bring his notebook and he had nothing to write with either. Dan was in this class with him and he could borrow some paper and a pen but he just didn't feel like it. Deciding instead, to spend this class time like he did most others he settled back and started to doze off.

  "Today as I promised you last week we are to start studying what all of you know is my favorite subject. Vampires.” Garret's head popped up. He had missed hearing about this last week so when the professor announced it, it got Garret's attention.

  "Vampires are not as they are portrayed in horror films. They are a different species. They can survive only by drinking the blood of others. You see the blood in their veins dies quickly and they are forced to constantly replenish it. This gives them an insatiable hunger."

  "Do they always have to kill when they bite?” A kid in the front asked.

  "No they can just take a little at a time."

  "So why don't they do that?” The kid asked. “Why don't they just get a person and take a little from them each night. They wouldn't get caught so easily."

  "They don't get caught."

  "They do in the movies.” The kid's reply didn't seem to please Mr. Wallington whose face turned red.

  "To your question, if they continually feed off of one person that person would grow weak and die.” Garret had already figured as much. With Serenity feeding off him every night he had begun to weaken and feel sick. He didn't tell her though because he knew she would refuse to drink from him. If she went out hunting she would run the risk of meeting his mother and he didn't want that. She meant too much to him.

  "So why don't they just drink animal blood?” This from a blond girl to Garret's left.

  "Ah! That is a question.” Mr. Wallington smiled. “We are not sure exactly. It would defiantly be safer then hunting humans. The common belief is that human blood just tastes better.” A few people in the class laughed. Garret didn't find it funny.

  "They don't drink animal blood because it makes them sick.” The class went silent at Garret's remark. It wasn't what he said it was that he said anything at all. Everyone had gotten used to him not paying attention.

  "Your inattention is showing Mr. Ramsey. Blood is blood to a vampire. And nothing makes them sick.” Garret might be failing all his classes now but vampires were one thing he did know about.

  "Vampires are akin to humans not animals. Therefore it would be human blood that could best sustain them."

  "That's a very learned theory. I'm interested to know where you got your information."

  "Haven't you heard, my mother is a hunter now?” The class laughed but Mr. Wallington could tell Garret wasn't going to give out his true source. Conceding his loss, he continued his lecture.

  "Since vampires are another species then they must have a way to reproduce."

  "Don't they just bite people on the neck and turn them.” The blond girl asked.

  "That is one way and the most common but there is also another. You've all heard the story about vampires not being able to have children.” He paused till a good amount of people nodded. “Well it's not entirely true. Vampires can bare young but only if they are a mated pair."

  "A what?” The kid in the front asked.

  "A mated pair. It is the vampire form of marriage. It is when two vampires are able to achieve a connection that goes far beyond their normal one. For instance, vampires can sense each other when they're near. But a mated pair can always tell where the other is. No matter how far apart they are. They can sense if the other is in danger or feeling pain. And when one is killed the other dies as well."

  "Can they mate with a human?” Garret interrupted.

  "No Mr. Ramsey they cannot nor would they. A human is only food to them."

  "But what if a vampire were to have feelings for a human. Feelings that drew them to the human every night but they never killed them. Then what?"

  "Then I'd say the vampire was toying with the human.” Mr. Wallington was now focusing his full attention on Garret. It seemed as if he had forgotten
the rest of the class. “Vampires do not feel for humans. When a human becomes a vampire they loose all conscious. What to us would be unthinkable to them becomes doable. If a vampire were acting as if they cared for a human then it would only be some sick joke they were playing on us poor mortals. No matter what, it always ends in the human's death."

  "No!" Garret yelled startling the class. “She would never do that!” The words were out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.

  "She?” The Professor's face showed much interest but little surprise. “And whom might we be referring to?” In answer, Garret stood up and left the room, slamming the door behind him. It took the Professor a moment before he remembered his other students.

  * * * *

  Later that day Mr. Wallington stopped Phillip in the hall.

  "I need to speak with you a moment.” He said, pulling the youth aside. “It concerns your brother.” Phillip was already worried about Garret and any information he could get to help him figure out what was going on would be useful. “Lately he has not been himself as I'm sure you've noticed."

  "Yes, he's become very moody. He keeps to himself a lot now."

  "Have you also noticed that he has gotten very pale and seems to favor garments which conceal his neck."

  "What are you getting at Professor?” Phillip knew that Mr. Wallington was one of the leading experts on the study of vampires. He also knew now, that vampires did in fact exist. So he didn't think the man crazy like everyone else.