by Fawn Lowery
Perhaps Miriam is different from the others. He watched as the tear slid across her cheek and disappeared from sight. He raised one hand and wiped at the moisture with the ball of his thumb. For an instant, he felt almost human—almost. Remorse wafted through his insides. There was little use pretending. He was of the undead. And so is Miriam.
Chapter Six
Duella awakened with a start. His eyelids flashed open. His ears pricked up. He gazed at the rough beams of the ceiling overhead, momentarily forgetting where he was. Miriam moved beside him, bringing recognition to the fore. He turned his head and looked at her. She lay on her back, his arm beneath her head for a pillow. He watched her lashes flutter against her cheek on awakening. He flexed the hand that lay atop her waist, inching it upward to cup a fleshy breast.
The memory of the sex they had shared last night came back to mind. He had sated his body and given her multiple orgasms, before the sun rose to end their sex play. It had been a most enjoyable time. One he would long remember.
She covered his hand with hers and pressed his palm against her breast. “The sex was good, Duella.”
He kissed her temple. “Yes. We are good together.” He thought about his statement—hoped it didn’t give her the wrong idea. He couldn’t promise he would be with her always—Drucella was a threat to him that he didn’t want Miriam involved with.
“It’s good to find one of my kind.” Her words broke off, leaving him to wonder. “I’m famished.” She laughed. “It must be from all the sex.”
He refrained from telling her that it was because she was a vampire—she was already aware of her circumstance and he was loathe to bring the subject up. Perhaps she was attempting a bit of sex talk to lighten the mood as they awoke. He rolled to his side and sat up. The mound of dirt shifted and its aroma rose up to tease his nose. It wasn’t the soil of his homeland, but it would have to do. He pulled the fragrance in, turning to watch Miriam get up.
Her body was tempting in all the right places. Her large breasts jiggled teasingly as she moved toward the stairs leading to the main level of the house. Her hips were nicely rounded, her belly flat and her waist was small. She combed her fingers through her long hair, shaking out the dirt and pushing it over her bare shoulders. She picked up her dress from the floor and pulled it over her head, hiding her body from his inspecting eyes. He released a long breath and stood up. His cock had began to grow hard from his watching her, but he pulled on his pants and reminded himself that he needed to feed before turning his thoughts to sex.
He watched Miriam rise effortlessly up the staircase and into the living room of the old house, her slim body hovering easily just inches off the floor. She glided through the door and lifted into the nighttime sky. He hurried to catch up to her, hoping his insistence on following her didn’t disrupt her nightly ritual too badly.
The sky was lit brightly with a million stars. The moon hung full and luminous high above. The stench of the city drew his attentions as he passed over the structures, private homes and assorted businesses—one-story dwellings intermingled with tall multi-level buildings. The scent of food and automobile exhausts blended with that of death and old time statuary scattered throughout the dark streets. The above ground graveyards particularly pulled at his senses. The fragrance of old bones and the rotting stench of fresh corpses encased in the stone coffins permeated the air to the extent that he could think of nothing else while he passed over the cemetery. Had the living knew of the vile odors escaping the crypts, surely they would consider cremation over internment.
He watched as Miriam paused, hovering in the sky like she was weightless while she chose a place to feed. He hoped to discover her usual feeding ground so that he could learn her habits. He chided himself for having such thoughts. Last night, before they shared such fulfilling sex, he had decided not to put her in danger with his presence. Now his thoughts seemed to have taken another venue. Don’t get too complacent.
Miriam moved, lowering her body to the street below, floating downward as though she were a feather on the breeze.
He took up position atop a tall building, watching her movements from above. She stood in the shadows, waiting. He glanced up the street. Two males were coming down the sidewalk. Their voices wafted up to his keen ears. They were discussing a baseball game they had attended. Their team had lost and neither man was happy about it.
They saw Miriam then, and paused their steps for a second before resuming. Duella jerked his head toward the woman. She had stepped into the light given off by a nearby streetlamp and was removing her dress. She let the garment slide from her hand onto the sidewalk while the men hurried their steps toward her. She giggled and stepped into the alleyway between two buildings.
“I could use a piece of tail!”
“Me, too!”
They laughed and stepped into the darkness where Miriam had disappeared.
Duella listened, surprised at the carnage taking place in the alley where Miriam had lured the two men. Loud screams rent the stillness, then a blood-curdling yowl, followed by complete quiet.
Duella waited, his interest peaked as to Miriam’s means of finding her victims. He stared at the sidewalk below, fighting the urge to go to the alleyway and watch while he waited for her to return to pick up her dress. He saw her then, step from the darkness and cross the walkway to get her garment. She casually pulled the dress over her head, hiding her lush naked body, then rose into the air.
He rubbed one finger across his chin, wondering if Miriam had killed her victims or merely subdued them while she took their blood. He jumped from the building roof and flew into the alleyway to have a look. He saw the two men getting up as he landed a few feet away. They were both naked, holding their necks with their hands, and staggering around in the darkness.
“What the hell just happened? What did that bitch do?”
“Man! I don’t think we fucked her—like we thought we were going to.”
“Where are my clothes? Are you naked?”
“Yeah! Shit!”
Duella smiled and rose into the air. Miriam’s methods were perhaps a bit unorthodox, but successful nonetheless. He took to the air, assaulted by a strange feeling coursing through his insides. Surely I’m not jealous. I’ve only met the woman—I couldn’t have feelings for her already.
He considered his thoughts. His time with Miriam had been wonderful—sex filled and heated beyond his wildest dreams. He had ceased to think of anything besides her while he held her in his arms. She was a perfect sex partner, willing, patient, giving. And she was beautiful. Don’t be a dolt.
He could have any woman he wanted—alive preferably, so he could feel their warmth in his arms, sink between their legs and become engulfed by their heated passages. The memory of Miriam’s cold body shook his senses.
He grimaced and dashed the thought. His blood thirst gnawed at him. He needed to feed. He set his sights on the avenue below. A number of cars were stopped in the street, waiting for the traffic light to change. He eased to the ground and quickly entered a car with a single male at the steering wheel.
“Who are you?”
Duella grabbed him almost before he spoke the words, dragged his body from the front seat and speared his jugular with his fangs. He held him steady while he sucked his blood, feeding his failing body. In seconds, he released his victim, pushed him back beneath the steering wheel of his car and exited the vehicle. He was only a blur to those on the street as he transformed into a bat and soared upward, disappearing into the darkness.
He flew through the night, his eyes turned toward the city beneath his bat body. He needed to explore his new surroundings and become familiar with the goings on of normal nightlife. And he needed to begin establishing himself as a member of society. He needed a residence, and a business, perhaps—just to pass the time.
He spotted a large sprawling building and sensed it housed a multitude of books. Gliding effortlessly on the soft currents above the city, he hovered, then dove, c
oming to land on a wide window ledge. He peered through the glass, deeming the building to be a library.
“You like to read books?”
He jerked his head round as Miriam’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Without answering her, he vaporized and seeped beneath the window frame, materializing into his vampire form once he was inside the building.
“Surely you can think of something better to fill your time.” Miriam materialized beside him, a smile on her face as she reached one hand to cup his cock. “I can think of something more interesting than reading an old book, Duella. Let’s go back to the house and have sex.”
He covered her hand with his and, for a moment gave serious consideration to her invitation, then pulled her hand away and brought it to his mouth. He kissed her palm, his lips lingering for a moment. “My sweet Miriam, I have work to do before I enjoy your lush body. Now be a good girl and run along.”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily. What kind of book are you looking for? I’ll help you find it, then we can go.” She ran her hands across his chest. “I’m aroused. I want you to fuck me.”
“Later, I promise.”
She let out a little huffed sigh and marched across the room to flop down in a wooden chair. “This is a stuffy old place. It stinks of books.” She turned her head, looking across the room at a tall bookcase set aside from the others. “Do you sense something strange?”
He thought for a second. He had slipped beneath the window for the sole purpose of looking at the city’s business directory, tax assessments and the like, in an effort to decide which business he wanted to obtain. The notion his tactics were a bit pompous gnawed at him, but being a vampire, what other means of obtaining a business did he have? Short of placing the present owner in a trance and having him sign over his deed, there was little else he would undertake. He wouldn’t harm the owner—if he could help it—just remove him from ownership of his business. Then, once the papers were legally administered, he would take the helm and be established as a New Orleans businessman. In time, the townspeople would adjust to him—his nighttime hours and the like.
“Well, do you?”
He shook his head. His mind wasn’t on chasing strange things that Miriam thought she felt. He turned his feet toward the business section of the library and left Miriam sitting in the chair staring at the bookcase across the room.
Businesses had changed a great deal since his time, yet he seemed to be aware of all the necessary steps to locate the information he sought. He entered the business section of the library and went directly to the directory at the librarian’s desk. Choosing a thick leather-bound book from a glass enclosed case, he placed it on the wide desk and began thumbing through its pages.
He considered his choices of businesses. There were many. And several that stemmed off one major resource. He noted the names of the founders, the present CEO’s and their addresses. Given his abilities of persuasion, he could own the whole city if given the notion. He smiled slightly, relieved to know that it would be easier than initially thought to establish himself among the business class of the city.
All of a sudden, he heard Miriam hiss and jerked his head toward the direction the sound came from. He saw her flying across the room, her body propelled backward as though some invisible force was pushing her. She crashed into a long table flanked by wooden chairs and landed on the floor.
Duella leapt to her side, his eyes alert, his fangs bared. He jerked his head from side to side, trying to identify the force that threatened Miriam, but he failed to see anything moving through the darkness or sensed any being in their midst.
“Did you see her?”
He lowered his gaze to Miriam as she clutched at his hand in an effort to get up.
“I didn’t see anything.” He returned his gaze to inspecting the room, pulling Miriam to her feet. He wrapped a protective arm around her waist. Slowly, he gazed at the expansive room, taking in the dozen or so of long wooden tables and towering shelves laden with volumes of book. The side of the room facing the street had several tall windows, allowing for light from the streetlights to filter inside. The illumination was faint, but Duella’s eyesight was keen. He could see the furnishings as though the space was afforded ample lighting.
“There was a woman hiding behind the bookcase. She grabbed my throat.” Miriam raised one hand to her neck as though relieving the episode. “I fought her off, then decided I’d take her blood just for the hell of it. But she was too strong. She broke free and pushed me back. The next I knew, I was flying through the air.”
Duella tried to keep his emotions at bay while he listened to Miriam. He fought the idea that Drucella was somewhere near, ready to attack if given the chance. He scanned the room again, searching for anything that might lead him to the witch. He raised one hand and clasped the amulet, silently hoping it would reveal Drucella’s whereabouts to his inquiring eyes.
Miriam crossed her arms over her chest and shivered. “This might sound odd, since I’m already dead, but I feel a chill.” She searched the library, glancing quickly from side to side. “I think I’ll leave now, Duella. You can stay if you want to.”
Duella turned his gaze on her as she returned to the window ledge where they had entered the building. In a second, she had materialized and vanished beneath the sill. He raked one hand through his hair. He hadn’t seen the woman Miriam claimed to have seen, or sensed any presence, but every instinct he had told him that Drucella had paid him another visit.
Chapter Seven
Duella stood beyond the window of the home office and stared at the squat man seated at the large desk. He was intent on his work, bending his head and scribbling frantically with a pen. He studied him, sensed his fatigue. His body was failing. His heart was weak. He owned the largest corporation in the city, Glasco Enterprises, a manufacturing and distributing giant that branched into England and France. His holdings were vast. And he intended to have them.
Duella transformed, vaporized into a wispy mist and seeped beneath the glass patio doors leading into the room. He materialized into his vampire state in one dark corner of the office, his host none the wiser as he appeared absorbed in pages of figures splayed across his desk. He had taken the liberty of entering his name in the business records of the corporation, making himself CEO and assuming ownership upon Fred Glasco’s death. He would inherit the house he presently occupied, and the two homes he owned in England and France, along with the yacht he kept for his cruises along the Rivera. Fred Glasco had no living relatives, aside from a distant nephew that he hadn’t seen in almost twenty years. Duella deemed him no threat should he turn up wanting a share of the old man’s assets.
Duella stepped up to the desk, drawing Fred’s attention from the scattering of papers. He gasped, blinked his eyes at Duella as though he couldn’t believe he was looking at a vampire with bared fangs and glowing red eyes, and fell over dead, knocking his head against his desk. Duella listened to his heart beat its final thud, quiver a moment as though trying to strike another beat, then cease altogether.
Well, that’s done. Duella turned on his heel and strolled from the room. Finding himself in a wide foyer, he turned his feet toward the lighted portion of the spacious home. He would be moving in once Fred’s body was moved out of the premises. He clasped his hands behind his back and strolled amid the beautiful rooms. Each seemed more lavish then the last, with expensive paintings decorating the walls and exquisite furnishings.
I’m going to like it here. He would keep the house staff, of course. He would need people to keep the place clean and the gardening crew. The lawn spanned almost five acres, with plants too numerous to count. He would assume a life as normal as possible, given his vampire state. With his powers of persuasion, he could maintain a reasonable existence and have people to do his biding.
With his plan set in motion, he left the estate, deciding to look up Miriam. Last he had seen of the she vampire, she was distraught over the incident in the library. His bro
ws furrowed as he thought about Drucella and the reason she had sought him out.
She cannot have the amulet. Convinced that the gem was the reason he was adjusting so quickly to his new era, he would fight to the death to keep it. He clutched it in one hand, vowing to never take it off his neck. It would remain with him forever.
He began his search for Miriam at her house, but found no traces of her. Returning to a more crowded part of the city, he materialized into his male form so he could walk among the people on the sidewalk. He paid close attention to their mode of dress, realizing that he would have to imitate the mass so as not to call undue attention to himself. Noting that most of the males were clad in denim jeans and long sleeve shirts, he soon came upon the retail section of the city and went in search of his own clothing.
A few minutes later, he returned, casually dressed, and resumed his mingling with the people of the city, an eye out for Miriam. He didn’t think he would find her in any of the nightspots he had seen those on the streets frequenting. From his evaluation of the she vampire, he didn’t think she was very likely to have established herself in the city, either professionally or socially. And the long black dress she wore was hardly fit to be seen in.
He felt a shard of sadness grip his insides with the thought. Miriam seemed nice enough—as vampires went. She hadn’t tried to bite him while they were together and he had only seen her long talons once, that being when she was returning to her vampire self after having fed.
He stepped through the door of a nightclub and paused, having decided that it would be in his best interest to see what went on in one of the rowdy bars. He moved to the side of the door and turned his gaze out over the crowd. There wasn’t a vacant seat in the room. Loud music blared into the space and at the back of the room, a six-piece band performed on a small stage. Dancers filled the space before the stage, their bodies gyrating to the tune of the music. A long bar spanned the length of the room with a row of pedestal stools flanking it. Every stool was occupied and several people stood between the stools. The din was almost deafening. One voice couldn’t be discerned from the other. Turning his gaze on one couple seated along the edge of the room, he tuned his hearing specifically to their conversation.
