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Theroen touched her cheek, tilted her head, moved the hair from her neck, she sighed.
Her nipples grew hard under the cotton of the nightgown.
Two watched, fascinated. Theroen could kill this woman, if he wanted to, and she
would go to her death happily; might even go in the throes of ecstasy, under the right
conditions. It was amazing.
It happened so quickly that Two almost missed it. One moment, Theroen was
lightly caressing her cheek. The next, he had latched on to her neck. The woman gave a
slight cry, her hips bucked once, and then she slumped. Theroen held her, drained her,
and was done. He took a deep breath.
Is she dead? Two asked. He shook his head, and indeed, the girl s eyelids were
fluttering now as she fought her way back to consciousness. Theroen waited until she
could stand, then looked into her eyes.
Go back to your bed and sleep, my dear. This was a dream, and when the sun
rises you ll realize that.
The girl turned and made her way unsteadily back to the house. The door clicked
shut behind her.
Quick, clean... not a drop spilled, and you made her want it in like three seconds.
Like I said: the Master at work. Melissa was smiling in approval.
Thank you for your warm appraisal of my work, Melissa. There was the
slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice as Theroen turned to face them.
Welcome! Shall we go? I m going to skip the appetizer and head for the city.
Find me an all-night rave, go rolling, and have dinner.
Will you be able to get back to the mansion in time? Two asked.
I ll find some place to crash in the city. No big deal. Worst case scenario, New
York s full of little graveyards. Melissa shrugged, stretched, began walking up the
street. Theroen followed and, after a moment of considering how she might feel about
sleeping in a graveyard, Two did as well.
* * *
A brief moment by the cars where Two thanked Melissa for coming with them,
and being there for her. Melissa smiled, leaned in low, whispered, I can see why he
loves you. Two was surprised to feel her heart well up at this. She d known Melissa for
so short a time, known Theroen, the man she felt she loved, for no longer. Was such
depth of emotion and attachment really possible?
Theroen, who could pluck these questions from her mind if he felt inclined, said
nothing. He left it up to Two to find her answers, and Two loved him all the more for it.
The ride back was uneventful, if careening through the back roads of southern
New York at speeds over double the posted limit could be considered as such. Two felt
warm and pleasant, satiated, but without feeling full. She seemed caught in a sort of
afterglow, so like the affects of the heroin, but clearheaded and awake. Better in every
way.
They reached the mansion well before sunrise. Theroen returned the Ferrari to the
garage, and Two left the vehicle with regret. She stood on the driveway, an asphalt circle
surrounding a topiary display.
I can see my breath.
Theroen walked up beside her, nodded. It s November, Two.
So why am I not cold? She glanced down at herself. A pair of thin jeans, white
midriff, leather jacket; it was not enough to keep a human warm.
You won t feel the elements as much, particularly after you ve fed. I barely feel
them at all anymore.
So I suppose the old I m cold, let s go inside and get warm line would be pretty
transparent then, right?
Theroen s ever-present smile widened to a grin.
* * *
He bit her as they joined, tiny pinpricks of pain high up on the neck, away from
the main vein, followed by a surge of overwhelming pleasure. It was electric, reaching
out from below her waist to touch every extremity of her body. Two moaned, arched her
hips, thrust forward. Theroen moved, changed angle, allowing her teeth access to his own
neck. Two touched her tongue to the skin, tasted the hint of the blood in his sweat, and bit
down. The blood began to flow, and she felt the throb within redouble in intensity.
Death, life, time. They lay for millennia, for seconds. Two didn t know, only that
she felt herself building and building, always a steady ascent toward some unknown
peak. Theroen s blood was fire in her mouth, waves of power and ecstasy roaring through
her in a torrent.
Her orgasm, when it finally came, was like nothing she had experienced as a
human being. Unending, it left her without control of her limbs, powerless and lost
against the force of it. Black spots danced before her eyes, and she struggled not to lose
consciousness. Theroen seemed gripped by a similar power, body straining against hers
for an interminable moment. The pleasure faded slowly, echoed by small jolts that Two
thought of as aftershocks.
She pulled her teeth from Theroen s neck and fell backwards, gasping for breath.
The muscles of her inner thighs were trembling. Her arms felt weak. Theroen lay down
beside her, equally exhausted. Two flicked a lock of hair from her eyes and glanced over
at him. He was gazing calmly at her, but still panting from exertion. Two smiled.
Was it good for you? she asked, no malice in her sarcasm. Theroen laughed,
leaned in, licked the last of the blood from her lips with the tip of his tongue. Two moved
closer to him, let that brief touch turn into a longer kiss. She sighed as his hand caressed
the swell of her breast.
If humans knew it could be like that, Theroen, they d be lining up in the street to
make the change, she said after the broke apart.
You may well be right.
Two felt a sudden heaviness in her eyelids and glanced at the window. The sky
had begun to show the slightest sign of light.
Draw the curtains, Theroen? I won t be able to keep awake much longer. Will
you stay with me?
Of course.
Her room, like all of the rooms in the mansion, was equipped with a dual layer of
heavy blackout curtains. There was no need for coffins, here. Theroen stood, unashamed
of his body, and pulled the cords. The room went immediately to a level of darkness no
human eye could have penetrated. Even Two was only able to discern vague shapes, dark
forms on a black backdrop, outlined only by the slightest hint of light filtering in from the
crack under the door. She felt Theroen return to the bed with her. Another kiss, the
aftertaste of blood on his tongue. She lay with her head on his chest.
Will I need to feed again tomorrow?
I ve little doubt. Melissa still feeds daily, and it is relatively rare that I skip an
evening.
I want to do it early, then. Get it out of the way.
All right.
Can I get pregnant?
No.
You re sure? No baby vampire Theroens and Twos crawling around?
Theroen yawned, played with a lock of her hair absently. Yes, quite sure. It s
been tried, by others of our kind and by myself. Mortal women, half-vampire women,
vampire women. None ever conceive. Vampire men, even those still blessed with this
ability, don t create seed. We don t make children with our bodies, Two. We make them
with our blood.
So you re saying that we re participating in incest, then? Willing participants, at
that?
I try not to think of it like that. Theroen s voice was dry, but Two could hear the
smile there. She laughed.
Quiet, for a moment. Two felt sleep nearing; a rolling blackness on the horizon
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