Sophia shook her head, trying to chase away the ridiculous thoughts. Of course Logan would never cheat on her with Michelle! His heart belonged only to her! She also knew she had no need to fear that he would ever bite her and turn her into a vampire! If he had wanted to do that, he would have done so long ago. Still, the uneasy thoughts wouldn’t leave her mind, and she wasn’t the only one. Dark rumors and gossip about vampires were already circling the town.
Chapter Four
Sophia listened silently as rumors and gossip about Michelle spread across the university campus.
“I saw her lying in the street after she was attacked!” Sophia’s good friend Mark Wheeler was saying to a group of students outside the lecture hall. “She had two puncture wounds on her neck. My friend Sophia was able to revive her with CPR, but her skin remained as white as death!”
Michelle’s boyfriend, Clyde Mason, said, “I went to the hospital to see her and I heard the doctors talking. They said they had to replace nearly all of her blood. They said she had virtually been drained dry. They had no idea how she was able to be brought back to life after such a brutal attack. They said it was supernatural.”
“What kind of animal could do a thing like that to somebody?” a girl from the crowd asked.
Mark spoke up readily. “No animal I’ve ever heard of. This may sound crazy, but I think she was attacked by a vampire. My grandfather told me there used to be vampires living in Longfellow Castle, and that they killed a young girl by the river.”
Sophia’s heart leapt into her throat. She swallowed hard against it and she rushed to join the conversation. Laughing lightheartedly, she said, “You’ve always told the most unbelievable stories. Let’s go get some pizza.”
The crowd didn’t fall for the ploy, however, and everyone readily agreed with Mark. They swapped stories about vampire lore and shared in his speculation about Longfellow Castle. Sophia knew she had to warn Logan and Michelle that the townspeople correctly suspected what had happened. Quietly, she slipped away from the crowd and ran all the way to Longfellow Castle.
The sun was still shining, but she knew where Logan kept a hidden key and let herself in through the front door. Heavy drapes covered the windows and kept the interior of the castle dark enough for her to wake Logan safely. It was the first time she had ever knocked on his coffin door and she felt awkward and shy about it, but she knew she had to warn him about the townspeoples’ suspicions.
Logan arose from his coffin slowly and groggily, but as soon as he saw Sophia he was instantly alert.
“Is everything all right? What’s the matter?” he cried, taking her into his arms. It touched her heart that his first concern was for her and she smiled at him lovingly.
“I’m fine, but you may not be for long.” She explained to him about the rumors circulating about Michelle having been bit by a vampire. Logan let her tell him everything, keeping a patient and friendly look on his face the entire time.
When at last she had finished, he held her close. “This is not the first time I have had to endure such speculation. It will pass eventually, however it does give me cause to be concerned about your friend Michelle. She won’t have the time to learn how to handle her transformation slowly. The risks to her safety are too great. I must take her away from here to a secret hideout I have just outside town. There, I will teach her every possible moment and train her how to be a vampire of good and not one of evil. As soon as she can become self-sufficient, she should leave this town and go where she will not be recognized and can live a long and happy life in safety.”
“I hate to see you both go, but I think you’re right,” Sophia agreed. It saddened her to think about losing both her lover and her best friend, but she was even more frightened of what the crowds would do if they discovered them.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Logan said, kissing Sophia gently on the lips. “For it means I must dedicate all my time to Michelle. I will miss our evenings together, but I cannot risk taking time out of her training to visit you. Besides, it would increase the likelihood of someone discovering my secret lair. Take care, my darling. We will be together again soon. Until then, I have much to teach her.”
Logan guided Sophia to the door, gave her loving kiss goodbye, and then closed the door behind her, locking her out of the castle.
Sophia stood on the porch, feeling hurt and confused. Jealousy burned in her eyes as she stomped away. So, Logan had much to teach Michelle! She just hoped it wasn’t the same things he had taught her when she gave him her virginity!
Logan could tell how hurt Sophia was as he heard her walking away, and he longed to go after her, scoop her into his arms, and tell her how much he loved her. If it hadn’t been for the burning sun shining outside, he probably would have, but it was fortunate that he could not. Right now, Michelle needed him far more than Sophia did. His heart belonged to Sophia, but he had a duty as a vampire of the Longfellow family line to train Michelle first. It was for the safety of the new vampire created by his cousin and the reputation of his family, as well as the safety of the entire town. There was no doubt in Logan’s mind that Peter had turned Michelle into a vampire as a way of harming them all, and Logan knew the only way to protect them all was to teach Michelle how to safely control her powers. He just hoped Sophia understood; after all, she was the one he wanted to protect most of all.
Sophia didn’t understand, however. She had never had a lover before, and to suddenly be shunned by the first boyfriend she’d ever had so he could spend time with another girl was too much for her to bear. She became listless and temperamental as the days dragged by and her friends all noticed.
“Is everything all right?” Clyde Mason asked her with concern one day. He’d been feeling much the same way since the disappearance of his girlfriend Michelle several weeks ago. The police still didn’t have any leads on what had attacked her or where she had gone afterward. They’d even gone to Longfellow Castle to talk with the resident there, and found the place abandoned.
“I’m fine,” Sophia lied and pretended to be absorbed in her book, although it was turned upside down and it was obvious she wasn’t really reading it.
With a gentle smile, Clyde took the book from her hands and turned it right side up. Feeling chagrinned, Sophia smiled weakly at him and nearly laughed.
“Okay, so maybe I’m a little distracted,” Sophia confessed sheepishly.
“I miss Michelle too,” Clyde said, not understanding the true source of Sophia’s misery. “She was so full of life. So beautiful and so sexy. I just wish I could make love to her one last time.”
“Surely you two did more than just make love,” Sophia said.
Clyde sighed with some distant memory. “Yeah, but that’s what she was best at. Michelle was smart, funny, and a great person; but what really drew me to her was how sexy she was. She just exuded a fire and a passion that made me want her all the time, and not just me. Ask any guy on campus and they’ll tell you that they were attracted to her too. Some women just have that charisma, and Michelle had it big time! I don’t think there’s a man here who could spend much time with her and not feel the same way about her.”
“I gotta go!” Sophia blurted out angrily and stormed away with tears burning in her eyes. She didn’t understand that as Michelle’s boyfriend, Clyde’s memories were biased, and he was simply dwelling on his own attraction for the woman he loved.
Engulfed in jealously, Sophia ran all the way to Longfellow Castle and used her hidden key to break inside. Of course Logan and Michelle were both gone, they were huddled up together in their secret lair. Sophia realized that Logan hadn’t even told her where it was; probably so she wouldn’t interrupt their affair. Sophia knew Logan well, however, and knew just where to search for information he wanted to keep secret.
The antique desk in his bedroom had a secret compartment. Inside, folded among the other documents was a map. Surely it led to the secret lair where Logan was teaching Michelle! Blinded by her own i
mpulsiveness, Sophia took the map and ran out the door, not thinking of the consequences or noticing who was following her.
Chapter Five
Sophia walked as quickly as she could across the rough, uneven ground of the riverbank. The sun was getting low on the horizon, and she had to squint her eyes to see the handwritten map she clutched to her breast.
It led her far away from town, over the hill, and deep into the woods. The journey had taken far longer than she had anticipated from just looking at the map, but she had come too far to quit now. The sun had fully set, but a full moon filled the night sky and allowed her to see well enough.
A cracking noise from behind startled her, and she whipped her head around just in time to catch a glimpse of movement as someone darted behind a bush.
“Who’s there? I know you’re hiding behind that shrub, so you might as well reveal yourself to me!” she cried out, sounding far braver than she felt. Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard, she feared it might explode.
The figure in the bush rustled from behind the leaves, and then stepped out into the open forest. Sophia gasped with surprise then sighed with relief as she ran up to hug her friend.
“Clyde Mason! What are you doing out here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Clyde said with a grin. “You ran off so suddenly when we were talking that I was worried about you. So I followed you. What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“She’s looking for me!”
Clyde and Sophia both turned to see Michelle walking toward them from deep in the forest. She looked different; but it was still definitely her. Her skin had become deathly white, and her dark eyes were now practically black. Her wide smile revealed sharp fangs and she moved with a supernatural speed, covering the wide distance within seconds. Still, there was a kindness and familiarity about her that let them know she was still their friend.
“Michelle! What’s happened to you?” Clyde gasped, rushing to hold her.
Sophia looked at the young couple and her heart ached for them. She alone understood how difficult it would be for them now to continue their relationship. Touching them each tenderly on the shoulder, she said, “I’ll leave you two alone to talk.”
Logan appeared out of the woods and took Sophia’s hand, and they walked off together. Once they were completely alone, Michelle held Clyde by both hands and explained everything to him as gently as she could. He took the news well and revived quickly after fainting from the shock.
“I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it,” Clyde kept muttering to himself. He sat down heavily on a fallen log and put his head in his hands, clearly in a state of shock.
Michelle sat beside him and wrapped her arms lovingly around his broad shoulders in an effort to comfort him. “It’s a big change and lot for you to have to process. I’m sorry to have hurt you in this way. I want you to know that I’ll always love you, but I understand if you don’t feel the same way about me anymore.”
Clyde lifted his head and looked into her dark eyes. “Don’t be foolish. Of course I still love you! It’s going to take a lot more than you becoming a vampire to get me to stop loving you. I was just upset because I thought you wouldn’t still love me.”
Michelle’s lips turned into a smile of pure joy, mirroring the happy look of love on Clyde’s face. Both of them sighed with relief that their love for each other was unchanged and she embraced him in a kiss. Gentle at first, it quickly grew in passion, and their tongues intertwined as they held each other tightly.
“I’ve missed you so much!” Clyde whispered, and his hands slid up, under her blouse to squeeze and fondle her firm, round breasts.
“I’ve missed you too!” Michelle moaned, and in one quick motion she knocked him off the log and onto the ground with a strength she never had before. He landed on his back and within the blink of an eye she was straddling him and had taken off her blouse.
Clyde gasped with shock at his girlfriend’s new abilities, but as she presented her naked breasts to him, passion replaced surprise, and he eagerly took her nipples into his mouth and suckled them. Michelle found that her sexual desire had increased, along with her speed and strength, and quickly felt moisture growing between her legs from the erotic stimulation.
Before Clyde knew what was happening, Michelle stripped him of his clothes, and was fondling his manhood, bringing his member to full hardness.
“I want you,” she moaned, as she stroked him with one hand, and pleasured herself with the other. Her fingers slid easily in and out of her most sensitive folds, which were now wet with the juices of her lust. Sensing he was ready, she knelt on the ground on her hands and knees, spreading her thighs wide, and invited him to enter her from behind.
With his eyes glittering with sexual excitement, Clyde knelt behind her, gripped her hips and slid deeply into her hot, wet slot. A moan of pleasure escaped both their lips, and Michelle rocked back to meet his thrust, drawing him more deeply into her than they would have thought possible.
“Harder!” she moaned, quickly nearing climax.
Clyde obliged willingly, thrust deeply within her with great passion and lust. Each thrust drew out new moans of pleasure from them both and soon they were climaxing together in unison, their bodies trembling in sweet ecstasy.
“Wow! It’s never been that powerful before!” Michelle gasped and sighed, when they had finished. “When can we do it again?”
Clyde chuckled happily, as they both put their clothes back on. “You’ll have to give me some time to recuperate, and then I’m all yours. I never would have thought that sex with you could get even better than it was, but somehow your becoming a vampire has enhanced that too. I love you now even more than ever.”
Michelle giggled and kissed him lovingly on the lips. They were both dressed now, and took a moment to dust off the dirt and leaves from the forest floor from each other’s clothes. As Michelle brushed a leaf from Clyde’s shirt collar, she suddenly noticed the veins pulsing beneath the skin of his neck.
An overwhelming thirst suddenly overcame her, and her mouth began to salivate. Opening wide, she bared her fangs and moved toward his throat, eager to sink her teeth into his flesh, and slake her thirst.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Clyde asked and gave her a gentle push to gain some distance between them.
The action brought Michelle to her senses, and she shook her head in an effort to clear her mind. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. All of sudden your neck looked so delicious and all I could think about was drinking your blood.”
Clyde turned pale with fear and the distance between them widened as he stepped back from her. “You were going to bite me? How could you do that? I thought you said you had this under control? I thought you said it was safe for us to be together?”
Michelle started to cry. “I do have it under control! We can still be together! You said you loved me more now than ever before. Don’t let that one moment of weakness change things!”
Clyde shook his head. “Having all my blood sucked out of my body is not just a little moment of weakness! I’m not the one overreacting here. You’re the one who’s underestimating the danger I’m placed in if I stay with you!”
Michelle reached her arms out toward Clyde, but he shook his head and backed away from her even further. Hot tears ran openly down Michelle’s cheeks now. “What are you saying? That it’s over between us?”
Clyde looked at the ground and thought for what felt like an eternity. Then he finally looked up at Michelle, with hard eyes full of pain. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I need more time to think about all of this.”
Then Clyde turned around and ran out of the forest, leaving Michelle all alone, sobbing with all the pain of her broken heart.
A rustle of leaves made her turn around, and there stood the same vampire who had attacked her outside of Longfellow Castle. Peter Longfellow had been keeping a distant watch on Michelle since she escaped from the hospital, bidi
ng his chance to finally get her alone. Now that moment was finally here!
“You! What are you doing here?” she cried out, suddenly full of anger. “Did you come here to finish the job you failed at before? Well, it’s too late! I might not be dead, but my entire life has ended!”
In a fit of rage, she flew at him, slashing with her razor-sharp nails and fangs. It was all his fault that this had happened to her! His fault that she had to give up her life, her friends, her dreams! His fault that she had just lost the one man she truly loved!
He caught her easily and pinned her to his chest, holding her by the arms as if in an embrace. He put his face very close to hers, as if to kiss her and whispered, “I know how you can get it all back.”
“What do you mean?” Michelle asked, confused.
Peter smiled evilly. “My dear cousin is teaching you the wrong lessons and as a result, you’ll live a lonely life full of misery. Come with me, and I’ll teach you how to get everything you ever wanted, including that boy who just ran into the woods.”
Michelle was no longer struggling in Peter’s grasp, but looking at him with curiosity and eyes filled with hope. He released her, and she followed him into the woods.
Chapter Six
Sophia felt badly for her friends Michelle and Clyde as she left them alone to talk in the woods. She knew how difficult it would be for both of them. She grasped Logan’s hand tightly as they walked hand-in-hand through the trees, and felt grateful for his presence.
“They’ll be all right,” he said, comfortingly. “Michelle is the most adept student I’ve ever had. Throughout the centuries I’ve helped many people learn how to be good and peaceful vampires, and she is picking up on the lessons faster than anyone ever has.”
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