I looked around the room in desperation; there was no sign of my so called angel. How could he have done this to me?? How could my angel have left me here alone?! I was frantic. Here I was, a vampire, a newly made daughter of the night, and my maker had deserted me. I felt like Lestat, the oh so famous character of an over-imaginative southern belle. He had been deserted the very hour of his creation; what had he done?? I sighed and tried to clear my head. "Claudia, you need to think," I said out loud. "What's the first thing you need to do?"
"Well, I imagine you should feed." I heard a deep voice behind me. Whirling around I saw him in front of me. He had returned. "Of course I've returned. You thought I'd left you? After I'd promised you to stay with you for eternity?"
Dumbfounded, l I nodded. "When I awoke you were gone. I just assumed….."
He laughed. "I thought I'd feed before you woke so tonight I wouldn't have to worry about it; I could concentrate on you." I blushed slightly. "By the way, my name is Julien. It's not fair for me to know your name without you knowing mine, now is it?"
"No," I said simply. "It isn't, Julien."
He gazed at me with the same seductive smile he'd used the night before. "Are you hungry, dearest?" I looked at him blankly and shrugged. To be honest, I didn't know. I felt a tingling in my teeth and in my throat but I didn't know what it was. Could it be hunger? Yes, it definitely could be. The more I thought about it, the surer I knew of it.
He extended his hand. "Come, let's go. I'll show you how it's done my dear." Smiling she accepted, reliving the moment of their meeting the previous evening.
We walked together out the front door and across the street to the club. "This is the easiest place to find them," he whispered. "So many people, so many… willing bodies. They disappear and no one even suspects a thing for at least a few days because of course they are just off with some flame they met on the dance floor, right?" The entered the door and she was filled a sense of de ja vu. "You pick out the one you want and then let me know; we'll do the first few together. In a few nights you can start feeding on your own, yes ma cheri?" I smiled. "Yes." Walking slowly through the club I surveyed it's current inhabitants. There were many good-looking guys, but just as before none caught my fancy. None caused a stirring in me, a feeling that told me he wanted to die in my arms… a fate I was almost too eager to demonstrate. I scanned the wall, the bar, the dance floor-- I saw no one that I liked. I could feel the eyes upon me, wanting me, drawn to me and I liked it. I felt the seductive smile across my lips and the sexy droop to my eyes. I was about to give up and look despairingly at Julian when I glanced at the bar one more time… and saw him.
He was tall and lean with light brown hair and light green eyes. His gaze met mine for an instant before he returned to his glass of beer. When he felt my eyes on him he looked up again and this time did not look away. Slowly, deliberately, I strode toward him. Wordlessly I took his hand and led him out of the club… repeating my Julians' performance from the night before yet again. I could see my mentor watching from the door with a gleeful look on his face. I knew that he was proud. Flashing him my sexiest smile I led my victim to the hotel room Julian had put me in before. The minute we entered the door my companion began to remove his shirt. I laughed throatily at his haste. He looked at me.
"In a bit of a hurry, love?" I asked, chuckling.
"Well, you insisted on getting out of there so quick I thought you didn't want to talk at all…" He trailed off apprehensively. I only smiled in response. Moving towards him I caressed his face with my hand and kissed his cheek softly. Next I kissed him full on the lips before moving my lips to his throat. Here I hesitated, unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, I felt a presence next to us-- it was Julian, guiding me, teaching me.. I heard his voice in my mind, position you teeth against his neck… that's it. You will know where to put them. Now bite down; gently! He is innocent and undeserving of pain. Very good ma cheri; now drink. I obeyed his commands carefully, earnestly. As my teeth pierced the skin I felt a rush of sweetness fill my mouth. The warmth and… taste fascinated me. In an instant I was swept away with it, caught in the moment.
What was the most wonderful about the experience was the bond that I suddenly shared with my victim. Suddenly I knew everything about this man; his name was Lance, he was in his mid-twenties, a sucessful actor, and he was engaged to be married. This last bit of information gave me comfort and encouragement. He had been about to cheat on her; this alleviated a portion of my guilt… Random information started to come next: when he was six he had broken his arm on the playground, he got so drunk at his senior prom that he was taken to the hospital, he lost his virginity the first week of college… I felt strong arms take a hold of me and lift me off of Lance.
"That's enough, sweetheart," Julian told me gently. Lovingly he wiped away the blood that had trickled down my chin. "It is not safe to drink dead blood, love." I nodded my understanding. I looked towards Lance and a chill ran through me as I realize: I killed this man. He is dead and I killed him.
"Death is a way of life, sweetheart. For us it is very intricately woven into our being… but if you think about it, we are no more closely connected to death as that man right there was. You'll get used to it, darling." He smiled and stroked my cheek tenderly. "I have watched you for years, you know."
My head jerked up slightly. "Wh-what?" I stammered. "What are you saying, Julian?"
"I have watched you since you were a child. The first time I saw you, you were walking with your mother down the street…" his eyes took on a dreamy look, "you looked so beautiful but so unhappy. I watched you that night as you slept, I observed your dreams carefully. I knew what you wanted, I knew your desire. And so when the time came I offered it to you." Stunned, I could only stare wide-eyed at him. "Claudia, I have been lonely my entire immortal life. Then finally I found someone who understood, who would gladly stay with me-- you."
I look at him, amazed. "Why me? Of everyone on this earth why me?"
"I just told you." And then he kissed me. He was ever so tender and extremely soft with me, his lips pressing lightly and affectionately against mine, but I could tell that he was holding back his passion in fear of hurting me. Gently, I urged him to release all of his feelings, comforting him that he could not hurt me. I felt him increase the pressure and before I knew it we were kissing passionately, heatedly. Supporting me with his strong arms he laid me back upon the bed and smoothed my hair with his hands. I wound my arms around his neck and scratched lightly at the base of his hair with my nails. He wrapped his arms tight around me.
We were locked in that passionate embrace for an eternity. When he pulled away he smiled. "The passion of a vampire is like no other," he told me. I had to agree.
We slept like that through the day, wrapped around each other contentedly, hidden from the garish sun. When I woke the next night Julian was still beside me, stroking my hair softly with his strong hands.
"I decided not to frighten you tonight," he said and smiled. I grinned back at him and kissed his lips sweetly. "So, my lady, what's your fancy?"
I thought about it for a few moments. "I want to know all about us," I said.
"About us?"
"Yes. First I want to know the basics of being a vampire; what can I do? What can't I do? After that… well, I want to know about you."
"You do, eh?" He chuckled. Drawing me close he brushed his lips across my forehead. "Well, let's start with the basics, then, as you said.
"Hm… Common misconceptions-- coffins are not required as long as you can sucessfully avoid the sunlight. Crosses are a lot of fun to wear and not harmful in the least, love. The only thing that can kill us is the sunlight… Sad, but true. Blood is as necessary as the darkness, but lack of it won't kill you only make you weak and vulnerable. You grow more powerful with time and obviously more wise with experience.
"Everyone wants to know of other vampires, and I can tell you now that they exist. Lots of them, cities of them. In fact, I can take you to places where there are almost no mortals and only vampires. Few are powerful vampires, however, and rarely will you encounter one actually interested in learning and growth over time. Sadly, most live only on their feeling of bloodlust. "There are… rulers of sorts, vampires that are strong and more dominating than the others. Few ever see such creatures as they prefer to seclude themselves from the masses with their texts and studies. They are called "The Darkest Ones" and if they die so do the rest of us."
I looked at him and gave a little nod. It was a lot to absorb but I was listening and I was trying. These Darkest Ones intrigued me and I felt the urge to speak with at least one of them.
"You are speaking to one," Julian said. "I am a Dark One. I left our haven in search of a companion thirty years ago and I found you ten years ago. I thought that after a few years of travel and study I thought that perhaps we could return to the haven to visit if not to stay."
I thought of this quietly. I looked up at him, "Now tell me about you, Julian." He nodded and began.
