Chapter 9 Drink Softly
He took a hold of my waist and asked me if I was alright, I nodded my head yes, if I had eaten any solid food I would have lost it for sure. We were in a dark alley. " How can you see and know where your going ?" I asked him. " I know this area, I have lived around here most of my life and all of my life while I was alive " So his house must be around here near somewhere I thought. He said nothing to me. He was still holding me. " This is going to be the hardest part Christine, it will change you, even more than I have. You again have a choice here just as I made you choose whether you wanted this life or not. You can live on animals - it will keep you alive but your powers will be weak but much stronger then when you were alive and I think you will eventually cease to live, I have never gone that far. Or you will take a life tonight and will want to do it again. That I promise you. You have taken my blood but taking it from a living person is different. It won't feel the way it did with me. You know how to stop, which is very good for one as young as you. " He looked deep into my eyes. " Are you sure your ready for this ? , we can wait if you want but you will still want to take my blood and as much as I like that, as you well know ' he kissed me " I want you to be able to have your own "
" We only take those who threaten us ? " " Well I am sure that the other's of us do it different but the only way I could live with doing it was to want to fight, I guess to get the blood lust going, it made it much easier for me anyway." " What if no one threatens you " " Dressed like this and flashing money around I have yet to have it fail, you should have brought a bag I suppose but I did not think of that but maybe just you being alone will be enough for tonight dressed like that." The hunger in me was growing as I could smell the ones around that were still alive. We were not in the best part of town I knew that by the smell of alcohol around. I nodded my head yes. " Are you sure Christine, as I said to you last night there will be no going back from tonight and there is a way to survive without doing it but I don't know for how long " I nodded my head yes again.
He kissed me on the forehead and told me to wait here, he told me would bring someone here and show me and then I would go out alone and do it. He let me go and walked down to the end of the alley and turned and looked at me once more, I could see his face clear and I shook my head once more yes. He was around the corner before I could blink. The smell of filth around me was almost making me sick, why did he have to choose here. What he said made sense to me though about taking those who only attack you first, it would get the defense mechanisms started and it would make it easier. Then I heard something behind me, it was a man - I could smell that. My female instinct at first was fear but then he asked me how much I was charging tonight then my anger took over I was sure he could see the fury on my face. He came up to me and put his filthy hands on me I was shocked but anger was overtaking me, he tried to push me against the dirty wall but I pushed him back and he laughed. "Like it rough then" I was furious beyond words, he came after me again and I pushed him harder this time, by then I knew Shaun was standing at the end of the alley. " Better do good honey your boss is watching " I was shaking I was so furious, he shoved me very hard up against the wall and tried to pin me there I looked and saw that Shaun had come only about a foot away.
I knew what he was planning on doing to me. I pushed him with all my might up against the opposite wall and he was a bit dazed by this " Bitch " he came after me again and I pushed him again and this time I pinned him against the wall and bit into his throat as hard as I could. His skin was sweaty and his blood was salty - not sweet like Shaun's had become to me, and it ran through me the way I never thought it would. I drank and drank until I felt no life left in him and he fell and I went with him. I felt Shaun catch me. I knew he was dead.
Just as Shaun had said, it was different here with this filthy man who was planning on raping me. At home with him it was sensual and wonderful, something I could never have imagined in my deepest fantasy. Here though in a dark alley with a horrid stranger it was cold and impersonal, but the blood racing inside of me felt alive, no matter how unpleasant it was getting it, it was something I knew I would want more of. Shaun was wanting to know how I felt, I told him " Not the way I thought, I thought I would have had a hard time doing this, killing someone but as you said, when they come after you it's easy " He was holding me tightly. " I am sorry it happened like this for you, I never wanted it like this " " I know, but you can't always have things just the way you want them " He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood off of my mouth and kissed me gently. He then handed it to me.
" We should go home " " You have not done what you need to do " I said. " I don't want to leave you alone, not like this, not now, I was planning on taking you home after anyway but it wasn't suppose to happen like this " " Shaun just go and do it, you need to " I knew he was hungry " Shaun just go " He shook his head no " Shaun go " he let go of me and went down the alley and turned the corner. I looked down at my dress in the light of the gas light, it was full of blood and filth from this place. I looked down at him and felt no remorse or pity. I thought that maybe next time it would be different because I would then know my own strength, which shocked me, and I knew that I would be able to win every time with them no matter how strong they were. I saw another man come around the corner and then Shaun came after, I stepped back into the shadows.
I wondered how he got him to come here willingly. I saw him gently push Shaun up against the wall and Shaun did nothing to fight him. The man bent forward as to kiss him and he turned his face away and walked further into the alley towards me and looked at me, he knew I was watching, and the man came after him and I heard him say to Shaun " Get back here " Shaun stopped and the man came up behind him and pulled him by the hair and pushed him against the wall again to try to kiss him and Shaun pulled away once more. He pulled his hair again and his head jerked back hard, Shaun turned and smashed him violently against the wall and bit into him very hard, I could hear the growling noise he made when he fed from him. I also felt the growl inside of me. when I was feeding, but I did not let it out, I was too angry. He let the man fall. I knew he was dead as well. I still had the handkerchief in my hand and I wiped off his mouth the way he did to me, and kissed him the way he kissed me.
He took my hand " We should go" " What about them ? " I said " Let the city pick up the garbage " I was a bit taken by what he said. " We are leaving now " He took my wrist and I again felt the lunge forward and there was only darkness and wind. I felt the direction that I guess to be North of where we were. I began to notice the feel of direction but not too much before it was over. I felt grass this time when we landed. It was not such a hard landing as before. I looked around and this was not the Island or the Castle, this must be his home. I began to get excited about seeing it, but then realized I would never see it during the day only in the shadows of the night. " This is my home and yours if you want that " he said. I could see it though well enough in the darkness to know that is was very large and up on a cliff. He took my by the hand up the stairs up 2 flights of stairs to the roof, which was a garden.
He let me go and sat down I knew there was something wrong, but I did not know whether I should ask him or not. " I did not want it that way for your first time, I wanted it to be easier for you - not like that. " He was shaking his head. It did not bother me as much as I thought it would. I think it bothered him more, he looked at me, he knew what I was thinking. I also knew what he was thinking, he hated the sight of me in another mans hands. Which I suppose was a normal male reaction. I don't think I would like seeing him with another woman. " Did he hurt you at all ? " " No, I said " I held back for a second and bit my lip a bit " How did you get him to go there with you " He looked at me and I was not sure if he was angry or not " Women and men both have always liked me, I have always known that even when I was still alive " " Then why was there never another woman in your life when you were alive " " I had never met anyone I wanted to be with in that way " I walked over to the edge, afraid that what I wanted to know I would regret asking - or even thinking.
I bit into my lip and my hands made fists " Then what about Lynn ? " I was too afraid to turn around to see the look on his face. His voice was very quiet. " I was a young man and I told you I found her attractive, I am not sure what I would have done that night but she did not give me the chance to decide. She had already decided for me. I could see the Island in the distance. I knew where I was, this was the haunted house on the hill everyone knew about and talked about. No one lived here but the grounds were kept and the rooftop garden was something that no other home had around here. There was no way to get in, the walls were steep and the only way in was the steps that were always kept heavily locked.
" Has there been anyone else you have changed ? " " No " " Why ? " " It was a long time before I decided I wanted to try to live again. Though my plan was never to stay this way forever. I was still looking for Lynn to do what I had planned. " I cut him off " Is that still your plan ? " " Part of it is yes, but the rest has changed " " You were never part of the plan Christine." I had to remind myself he was still thinking in a different frame of mind. " You then waited all those years for me to grow up ? " " I suppose I did, I couldn't take you from your parents when you were a child or when you were a young girl I couldn't do anything. When you became a young woman and your parents died, I stayed away to let you grieve, it hurt me to see you in such pain and I also did like your father. I thought I would wait long enough, - my mortal passions were still there and I was remembering what it felt like to want a woman again, and trying not to want you so much, that then was not the right time, then he decided to meet you and try to marry you." " Has anyone ever wanted you to change them ? " " I never let anyone get that close "
I turned around and faced him finally, he had been looking the opposite direction back towards the mountains. I walked over to him slowly and he looked at me, I thought I should not have said anything but then he knew what I was thinking. I ran my fingers through his hair and touched the back of his neck " Did it hurt when he pulled you ?" " Yes, we still feel pain. " I knelt down in front of him, put my hands on his knees and looked up at him and starting kissing his throat, slowly working my way back around and through his hair, the taste of him was sweet just like last night. He was kissing my shoulder when I felt the first rain drops come, the drops got to be more and more but I just kept kissing him. He bit slightly into my shoulder and drank softly and I bit into his neck slightly and drank softly, I took more than he did. He put his hands under my arms and stood up and pulled me up with him and held me very tightly and I heard him whisper into my hair " I love you " I said the same to him. He twirled me around and started to waltz with me, I let my head fall backward offering him my throat and he again bit lightly and drank softly, he took much more this time. I could feel the raindrops on my face as the swoon was starting again, I leaned back as far as he would let me and closed my eyes and wished this moment would never end.
The rain was beginning to fall hard " Let's go inside " he was still holding me very tight and looked at me and smiled, he took my hand, we went down a few steps to a very ornate design door that led to more steps. " This is the haunted house " " I know, it amuses me to hear people talk about it, once I decided I wanted to live at least for a while I used the money I had taken from my family and had it built, my mother was the first to dream of a rooftop garden and so I had it done." He was lighting candles on the way down the steps, I could see it in the dark but with light it was becoming much more beautiful inside.
From the top of the steps you could see the whole of the living room which was open to a very large set of doors which opened to a balcony from there you had a view of the Island and the Ocean, it must have been beautiful in the daylight. The fog and rain made it a bit hard to see, eyes that were alive may not have been able to see it well at all, but with a few candles I could see it. "It was from here I watched the fires burn that night and here was where I decided to have this built " It was a beautiful home. " I made the mistake of burning the houses before I thought to take any paintings from them, I wish I had. I had several paintings made of how my family looked though " He pointed in the direction of another room. I went in the direction and he followed. He lit several lamps and a candle near each painting. His family was indeed just a beautiful as he was, both his mother and sister and long beautiful dark red hair, I could see where he got his highlights from. He and his brother looked very much like his father.
He sat down and watched me walk around and look closely at them, without saying a word. I could not tell what he was thinking though, I could feel nothing from him, I wondered if he could control that - hiding things. He got up and came along behind me and blew out every candle near the painting I had looked at. He took my hand and led me out after he turned down the oil lamps and closed the door and locked it behind him. He turned down the hall and I followed behind him taking in the richness of this place, I thought I had a fine home. He stopped suddenly and I plowed right into him, he was looking all around us looking for something, he took my hand. I asked him what, he said it was nothing.
He led us to another door which he motioned for me to open and I did, it was a small room that led to a long flight of stairs. He lit a few candles and a lamp at the top of the stairs. He told me to go ahead of him and gave me a lit candle holder to take. It was narrow and I could hear and feel my dress brushing up against the sides and I could hear him just a step behind me, I had to admit I was nervous, I wish he had gone before me. Near the bottom there was a door and I stopped, he lit another lamp and opened the door and picked me up and carried me in, he put me down and lit a huge set of candles in a very large wrought iron candelabra. The room was huge and there were 2 doors at the opposite end. The walls were done in a dark red with purple trim and in the center there was a huge bed. A very large desk was at the opposite side and another small painting of the same lovely green hilltop over looking the Ocean that I had dreamed of. It scared me, I asked him what is was of. " Where my mother was born " I said nothing.
I sat down on the bed and he went over to one of the doors and opened it, I could see there were clothes in it, I dared not imagine how big that room was. He took out a long black shirt and told me that the bathroom was in the other door if I wanted to change and clean up. "I need help getting this dress off " he smiled and came up behind me and untied it from my shoulders and un-worked every loop slowly, he did not need to do that much but he enjoyed doing it and I enjoyed the feeling of it. I went into the bathroom and there was a very large bathtub with a small fire under it again something that was very expensive for this day and age. He came behind me and lit the fire underneath and turned a handle and water came out, I just stared at it in shock. " Every house will one day have this "
" We only take those who threaten us ? " " Well I am sure that the other's of us do it different but the only way I could live with doing it was to want to fight, I guess to get the blood lust going, it made it much easier for me anyway." " What if no one threatens you " " Dressed like this and flashing money around I have yet to have it fail, you should have brought a bag I suppose but I did not think of that but maybe just you being alone will be enough for tonight dressed like that." The hunger in me was growing as I could smell the ones around that were still alive. We were not in the best part of town I knew that by the smell of alcohol around. I nodded my head yes. " Are you sure Christine, as I said to you last night there will be no going back from tonight and there is a way to survive without doing it but I don't know for how long " I nodded my head yes again.
He kissed me on the forehead and told me to wait here, he told me would bring someone here and show me and then I would go out alone and do it. He let me go and walked down to the end of the alley and turned and looked at me once more, I could see his face clear and I shook my head once more yes. He was around the corner before I could blink. The smell of filth around me was almost making me sick, why did he have to choose here. What he said made sense to me though about taking those who only attack you first, it would get the defense mechanisms started and it would make it easier. Then I heard something behind me, it was a man - I could smell that. My female instinct at first was fear but then he asked me how much I was charging tonight then my anger took over I was sure he could see the fury on my face. He came up to me and put his filthy hands on me I was shocked but anger was overtaking me, he tried to push me against the dirty wall but I pushed him back and he laughed. "Like it rough then" I was furious beyond words, he came after me again and I pushed him harder this time, by then I knew Shaun was standing at the end of the alley. " Better do good honey your boss is watching " I was shaking I was so furious, he shoved me very hard up against the wall and tried to pin me there I looked and saw that Shaun had come only about a foot away.
I knew what he was planning on doing to me. I pushed him with all my might up against the opposite wall and he was a bit dazed by this " Bitch " he came after me again and I pushed him again and this time I pinned him against the wall and bit into his throat as hard as I could. His skin was sweaty and his blood was salty - not sweet like Shaun's had become to me, and it ran through me the way I never thought it would. I drank and drank until I felt no life left in him and he fell and I went with him. I felt Shaun catch me. I knew he was dead.
Just as Shaun had said, it was different here with this filthy man who was planning on raping me. At home with him it was sensual and wonderful, something I could never have imagined in my deepest fantasy. Here though in a dark alley with a horrid stranger it was cold and impersonal, but the blood racing inside of me felt alive, no matter how unpleasant it was getting it, it was something I knew I would want more of. Shaun was wanting to know how I felt, I told him " Not the way I thought, I thought I would have had a hard time doing this, killing someone but as you said, when they come after you it's easy " He was holding me tightly. " I am sorry it happened like this for you, I never wanted it like this " " I know, but you can't always have things just the way you want them " He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blood off of my mouth and kissed me gently. He then handed it to me.
" We should go home " " You have not done what you need to do " I said. " I don't want to leave you alone, not like this, not now, I was planning on taking you home after anyway but it wasn't suppose to happen like this " " Shaun just go and do it, you need to " I knew he was hungry " Shaun just go " He shook his head no " Shaun go " he let go of me and went down the alley and turned the corner. I looked down at my dress in the light of the gas light, it was full of blood and filth from this place. I looked down at him and felt no remorse or pity. I thought that maybe next time it would be different because I would then know my own strength, which shocked me, and I knew that I would be able to win every time with them no matter how strong they were. I saw another man come around the corner and then Shaun came after, I stepped back into the shadows.
I wondered how he got him to come here willingly. I saw him gently push Shaun up against the wall and Shaun did nothing to fight him. The man bent forward as to kiss him and he turned his face away and walked further into the alley towards me and looked at me, he knew I was watching, and the man came after him and I heard him say to Shaun " Get back here " Shaun stopped and the man came up behind him and pulled him by the hair and pushed him against the wall again to try to kiss him and Shaun pulled away once more. He pulled his hair again and his head jerked back hard, Shaun turned and smashed him violently against the wall and bit into him very hard, I could hear the growling noise he made when he fed from him. I also felt the growl inside of me. when I was feeding, but I did not let it out, I was too angry. He let the man fall. I knew he was dead as well. I still had the handkerchief in my hand and I wiped off his mouth the way he did to me, and kissed him the way he kissed me.
He took my hand " We should go" " What about them ? " I said " Let the city pick up the garbage " I was a bit taken by what he said. " We are leaving now " He took my wrist and I again felt the lunge forward and there was only darkness and wind. I felt the direction that I guess to be North of where we were. I began to notice the feel of direction but not too much before it was over. I felt grass this time when we landed. It was not such a hard landing as before. I looked around and this was not the Island or the Castle, this must be his home. I began to get excited about seeing it, but then realized I would never see it during the day only in the shadows of the night. " This is my home and yours if you want that " he said. I could see it though well enough in the darkness to know that is was very large and up on a cliff. He took my by the hand up the stairs up 2 flights of stairs to the roof, which was a garden.
He let me go and sat down I knew there was something wrong, but I did not know whether I should ask him or not. " I did not want it that way for your first time, I wanted it to be easier for you - not like that. " He was shaking his head. It did not bother me as much as I thought it would. I think it bothered him more, he looked at me, he knew what I was thinking. I also knew what he was thinking, he hated the sight of me in another mans hands. Which I suppose was a normal male reaction. I don't think I would like seeing him with another woman. " Did he hurt you at all ? " " No, I said " I held back for a second and bit my lip a bit " How did you get him to go there with you " He looked at me and I was not sure if he was angry or not " Women and men both have always liked me, I have always known that even when I was still alive " " Then why was there never another woman in your life when you were alive " " I had never met anyone I wanted to be with in that way " I walked over to the edge, afraid that what I wanted to know I would regret asking - or even thinking.
I bit into my lip and my hands made fists " Then what about Lynn ? " I was too afraid to turn around to see the look on his face. His voice was very quiet. " I was a young man and I told you I found her attractive, I am not sure what I would have done that night but she did not give me the chance to decide. She had already decided for me. I could see the Island in the distance. I knew where I was, this was the haunted house on the hill everyone knew about and talked about. No one lived here but the grounds were kept and the rooftop garden was something that no other home had around here. There was no way to get in, the walls were steep and the only way in was the steps that were always kept heavily locked.
" Has there been anyone else you have changed ? " " No " " Why ? " " It was a long time before I decided I wanted to try to live again. Though my plan was never to stay this way forever. I was still looking for Lynn to do what I had planned. " I cut him off " Is that still your plan ? " " Part of it is yes, but the rest has changed " " You were never part of the plan Christine." I had to remind myself he was still thinking in a different frame of mind. " You then waited all those years for me to grow up ? " " I suppose I did, I couldn't take you from your parents when you were a child or when you were a young girl I couldn't do anything. When you became a young woman and your parents died, I stayed away to let you grieve, it hurt me to see you in such pain and I also did like your father. I thought I would wait long enough, - my mortal passions were still there and I was remembering what it felt like to want a woman again, and trying not to want you so much, that then was not the right time, then he decided to meet you and try to marry you." " Has anyone ever wanted you to change them ? " " I never let anyone get that close "
I turned around and faced him finally, he had been looking the opposite direction back towards the mountains. I walked over to him slowly and he looked at me, I thought I should not have said anything but then he knew what I was thinking. I ran my fingers through his hair and touched the back of his neck " Did it hurt when he pulled you ?" " Yes, we still feel pain. " I knelt down in front of him, put my hands on his knees and looked up at him and starting kissing his throat, slowly working my way back around and through his hair, the taste of him was sweet just like last night. He was kissing my shoulder when I felt the first rain drops come, the drops got to be more and more but I just kept kissing him. He bit slightly into my shoulder and drank softly and I bit into his neck slightly and drank softly, I took more than he did. He put his hands under my arms and stood up and pulled me up with him and held me very tightly and I heard him whisper into my hair " I love you " I said the same to him. He twirled me around and started to waltz with me, I let my head fall backward offering him my throat and he again bit lightly and drank softly, he took much more this time. I could feel the raindrops on my face as the swoon was starting again, I leaned back as far as he would let me and closed my eyes and wished this moment would never end.
The rain was beginning to fall hard " Let's go inside " he was still holding me very tight and looked at me and smiled, he took my hand, we went down a few steps to a very ornate design door that led to more steps. " This is the haunted house " " I know, it amuses me to hear people talk about it, once I decided I wanted to live at least for a while I used the money I had taken from my family and had it built, my mother was the first to dream of a rooftop garden and so I had it done." He was lighting candles on the way down the steps, I could see it in the dark but with light it was becoming much more beautiful inside.
From the top of the steps you could see the whole of the living room which was open to a very large set of doors which opened to a balcony from there you had a view of the Island and the Ocean, it must have been beautiful in the daylight. The fog and rain made it a bit hard to see, eyes that were alive may not have been able to see it well at all, but with a few candles I could see it. "It was from here I watched the fires burn that night and here was where I decided to have this built " It was a beautiful home. " I made the mistake of burning the houses before I thought to take any paintings from them, I wish I had. I had several paintings made of how my family looked though " He pointed in the direction of another room. I went in the direction and he followed. He lit several lamps and a candle near each painting. His family was indeed just a beautiful as he was, both his mother and sister and long beautiful dark red hair, I could see where he got his highlights from. He and his brother looked very much like his father.
He sat down and watched me walk around and look closely at them, without saying a word. I could not tell what he was thinking though, I could feel nothing from him, I wondered if he could control that - hiding things. He got up and came along behind me and blew out every candle near the painting I had looked at. He took my hand and led me out after he turned down the oil lamps and closed the door and locked it behind him. He turned down the hall and I followed behind him taking in the richness of this place, I thought I had a fine home. He stopped suddenly and I plowed right into him, he was looking all around us looking for something, he took my hand. I asked him what, he said it was nothing.
He led us to another door which he motioned for me to open and I did, it was a small room that led to a long flight of stairs. He lit a few candles and a lamp at the top of the stairs. He told me to go ahead of him and gave me a lit candle holder to take. It was narrow and I could hear and feel my dress brushing up against the sides and I could hear him just a step behind me, I had to admit I was nervous, I wish he had gone before me. Near the bottom there was a door and I stopped, he lit another lamp and opened the door and picked me up and carried me in, he put me down and lit a huge set of candles in a very large wrought iron candelabra. The room was huge and there were 2 doors at the opposite end. The walls were done in a dark red with purple trim and in the center there was a huge bed. A very large desk was at the opposite side and another small painting of the same lovely green hilltop over looking the Ocean that I had dreamed of. It scared me, I asked him what is was of. " Where my mother was born " I said nothing.
I sat down on the bed and he went over to one of the doors and opened it, I could see there were clothes in it, I dared not imagine how big that room was. He took out a long black shirt and told me that the bathroom was in the other door if I wanted to change and clean up. "I need help getting this dress off " he smiled and came up behind me and untied it from my shoulders and un-worked every loop slowly, he did not need to do that much but he enjoyed doing it and I enjoyed the feeling of it. I went into the bathroom and there was a very large bathtub with a small fire under it again something that was very expensive for this day and age. He came behind me and lit the fire underneath and turned a handle and water came out, I just stared at it in shock. " Every house will one day have this "