“Ready.”
He ran fast and I thought I would lose him. I tried to run to keep up and started falling behind.
“Faster,” he barked, and it was all the command I needed.
I ran without getting winded and in seconds, I had caught up to him. Grabbing my hand, we ran through the woods and into the center of town. I smelled things I hadn’t before. Sour milk that was spilled in front of the creamery. The stench of livestock that was kept behind the butcher shop. Even the dirt had a new smell to it.
And then it hit me.
I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I did. It was blood and I wanted it. Growling at the fact we weren’t going faster, I started to pull ahead of Regan. His hand reached out to me and grabbed my arm. Squeezing, he slowed me down with only a look.
“Slow. If you plow through too early, you can make it taste sour. Scaring them is good, but don’t do it too soon. You don’t want spoiled blood.”
“No.”
He flung open the door to the small shack that belonged to Simon Asher like it was nothing but tissue paper. I heard Simon yell and scramble to get out of bed, but he was too late. Regan was on top of him in seconds and had him pinned.
“Over here,” he said, and I obeyed. “Bite right here.” He traced a line down Simon’s throat and even in the dark, I could see and hear his pulse move along the thin line.
I moved closer, stood over him, and licked my lips.
“Alyssa, what are you doing?” Simon asked. “Please don’t.”
“Keep begging,” I whispered in his ear. “You’re only making me want it more.”
I felt Regan stiffen as he proudly pushed out his chest. I didn’t turn to look at him though. All I could think about was getting another drink. I sunk my teeth into Simon and rolled my eyes into the back of my head. It was even better than what Regan had given me at my house. It was so warm, fresh, and had a slightly sweeter taste to it.
“That’s what fear does. It tastes fantastic, doesn’t it?”
I grunted my reply because I didn’t want to let go of his neck until the very last drop of blood was gone. It only took a few minutes and nothing more was coming out. I let him go and so did Regan. Simon slouched forward and fell off the bed, landing hard on the floor. There was a look of terror forever frozen on his lifeless face.
“You did great, my love.”
“That was...I don’t know.”
“It’s what we do, but I have never seen anyone take to it like you did. You’re a natural. Born for this lifestyle, I can’t wait to teach you everything.”
Regan kissed me and I kissed him back. We made love again on Simon’s bed while he laid there, dead on the floor. Knowing he was in the room made everything even more exciting. I knew at that point I was made for it. I was destined to be a vampire and I loved it.
CHAPTER THREE
Five years later
I felt it run down my throat for the first time that night. Warm, thick, sticky on my tongue as it danced over my teeth. I licked the droplets of his blood from the corners of my mouth and savored the last of my treat.
No longer starving, I sat next to his lifeless corpse and really looked at him for the first time. His hair was ruffled and lacked the luster that first drew me to him. His skin no longer pink but an ugly grey, it matched how I felt before he was inside me. He gave his life so I could feel alive and that made me one with him in a sick way.
The high of the kill never got old. The screams they released and the adrenaline that pumped through them when they realized I was their end made them taste better than the sweetest wine I had ever tasted.
My breasts heaved inside the constricting top I wore for the only man I loved. He stood watching a few feet away. Though he was in the shadows where I couldn't see him, I could feel him. The new blood that satisfied my one urge opened the gates to another. I would wait for him to come to me and when he did, I would finish the dance he orchestrated for me.
“I love to watch you,” he said still in the shadows. The sound of him heightened my excitement and I fought the urge to touch myself.
“I love when you watch me.”
“Come with me,” he said, and I watched his hand emerge from the shadows. I took it and let him take me home.
We couldn’t get there fast enough. I knew what was waiting for us, and the anticipation of opening our gifts to each other was almost too much to handle. It was the one day a year when we would pick out what the other one dined on, and I had the perfect meal planned for him.
“My love,” he said and opened the door of our log home. The hundred acres that surrounded the small three-bedroom, one level house gave us all the privacy we needed.
I walked in first and stopped just inside the door. Spinning to face him, my breath left me as it did every time I saw him. His thick golden hair and deep blue eyes caught me first, but it was his perfectly chiseled face and masculine build that had me weak.
“I want you to open yours first, please,” I begged.
“Okay, my love. If it will make you happy.”
“It will.” He called me his love so often, I had forgotten my own name. It didn’t matter though. I would do anything to please him.
He followed me downstairs to the basement and to the far wall. I could smell her and knew he could too. I watched him to see how he would react; I needed to know I had done a good job. When he smiled, I smiled. He was pleased with my present to him.
“She is perfect,” he said walking up to the blonde and running his fingers through her hair. “I can smell how perfect she will be.”
“I knew you would like her.”
“I do.” He bent down to take a long whiff of her before turning to me. “Her first, then I want you.”
I watched as she tried to get away. She screamed, kicked, and begged. He never let up or went faster. Watching the cat play with the mouse had me ready for him and I wished he would hurry. When he bit down and pierced her tender flesh and I saw the joy in his eyes, I knew the months of searching for and grooming her had been worth it.
When the last drop of her blood was in his belly, he turned to me. Wiping one corner of his mouth off, I flew to his side to stop him. Standing on my toes, I gently licked the remaining blood from his face. His hands cupped my waist and he lifted me off the ground.
I let my maker take me right there in front of his gift to me. The sounds of him whimpering in the background heightened it all for us. I made sure to take my time with Regan and let my next meal get a full view of the love we had for each other. I had already climaxed once and was about to again as I felt Regan building up to his own. When we were finally satisfied, I got my gift.
“For you, my love,” Regan said and grabbed the terrified man from against the wall. He threw him to the middle of the room where he landed at my feet. The man started to get to his hands and knees before he was stopped by Regan. Putting his foot on his back, he flattened him back to the cold, hard cement ground.
Still naked from our love making, I did nothing to hide my flesh as the man stared up at me before becoming pale. Watching the color drain from their faces always made me want them more. It was the foreplay of the meal I longed for. Regan had shown me the best ways to make them scared so they tasted sweeter, but I put my own twist on it. I was moving in closer to make my next move when he spoke.