Bitter Sweet (22 page)

              "Have you seen Alik by any chance?"

              "He’s with June now. They are practicing hand to hand combat over there."

              "Thank you..." I started to say and he was back to where he was when I first walked into the garden, still and silent again. I slowly walked past to where he pointed and as I got closer, I began to hear movement. It sounded like quick footsteps, but there was no rhyme or rhythm to them. It was just swish, swish, silence, swish, and then more silence. When I made it through the hall that led to the back, it was the weirdest thing I’ve ever witnessed. I’d see small puffs of dust appear in the dirt, and then they would disappear, like micro dust storms. I focused on the puffs and then saw faint shadows appear around them, all timed to the strange swishing sound.

              "Can you see them?" Lilith called from the roof.

             
"See who?" I shouted back.

             
"Alik and June. Or are they moving too fast?" I looked back over to where the puffs of dust were forming and the more I focused, the more defined those shadows would become. Then Lilith was next to me.

              "Come join us on the roof; it is much easier to see from there." She took my hand and the next thing I knew, I was on the roof. "So can you see them?" she asked again.

              "Flashes of it, but only their footsteps. I can hear it though."

              "Even that is impressive; so attuned and still human. You would make a great vampire," said a calculating female voice I hadn’t heard before.

              "Vanessa, this is my sister Ayara," Introduced Lilith.

              "Nice to meet you," I greeted.

              "You say you can see their footsteps; were you able to see them as soon as you stepped out here, or did you have to focus to see?" she asked analysing my every action.

              "I had to focus for a bit."

              "Well, try to focus a bit more. I would be surprised if you couldn’t follow their full movements. How those two fight is really something special." I looked back over at the puffs of dust and again, I saw the faint flashes of footsteps in the dust. " Close your eyes and try to listen before you see." I did as she instructed. Then I heard faint pats in the dust and then pats from the contact of skin on skin. When I opened my eyes again and followed the sounds this time, my eyes kept up with their movements on their own. Ayara was right; this was something special to see. Every attack and maneuver was countered and immediately followed by another attack or maneuver; there was no wasted energy and the next strike was never the same as the last. "I take it by your stunned silence that you can follow them now."

              "Wow… but won’t this go on forever? They look so even."                           

              "Do they really?" As Ayara said that, June reached out to grab Alik by the neck and he shifted his weight to his left foot and sidestepped the grab; it allowed him to grab her arm and swing her around. She flew through the air and managed to recover in a spin and placed her feet on the ground in a skid to stop herself, but Alik was already behind her. He tripped her and as she tumbled across the ground, he pinned her down. Ayara sighed, "I wish she would beat him someday; I’d feel better as her teacher that way."

              "Ah well, Alik's special. The fact that she can even keep up with him for three hours is amazing,” Lilith commented.

              "Three hours? You mean to tell me that they have been moving like that for three straight hours?" I gasped.

              "Yes, you should really not limit us to human expectations of strengths and weaknesses."

              "I’m slowly learning not to, but it’s hard when I’m caught off guard like that."

              Lilith laughed at that. I was then back on the ground with Alik and June next to me.

              "Sorry about your clothes," Alik said to June.

              "It’s my fault; I thought I had you there and got sloppy. I’m sorry Ayara, I lost again,” June said.

              "It’s against Alik. You lasting this long is a testament to how much you have grown," sighed Ayara. "A few more centuries and you can wipe that smile off his face."

              "Good luck with that," Alik patronized with a smile firmly planted on his face.

              "Come on June, we will go drill for a little." And then Ayara and June were gone

              "I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up; I didn’t expect that to take so long."             

             
"You baby me enough as it is; you don’t have to follow me everywhere."             

              I spent another relaxing day by the pool and in the spa, which was like the pool, but less plant life than the rest of the place. Lilith told me to go as often as I liked; the staff needed the practice for when she opened this place to other humans. While watching a movie in Alik’s arms that night, a strange question occurred to me.

              “Why haven’t you ever asked to have my blood?" I asked Alik, and I think I caught him off guard with that one.

              "You want me to bite you?" he asked very slowly and obviously puzzled.

              "It’s not that; it’s just that I’ve seen you with glasses of it, and you’ve talked about biting others once or twice, but you’ve never asked if you could have my blood, that’s all. I mean, I’ve had yours before. Isn’t it only fair?"

              "It has crossed my mind, I will admit that. You just seemed so against my drinking of blood the one time you actually knew what I was drinking. Your reaction to the Night Children wasn’t favoring either, so I assumed..."

              "But you’ve never asked."

              “I sort of have.”

              “When.”

              “When I left your house that first morning, when I kissed you on the cheek.”

             
“Well, after that.”

              "Well, it was complicated enough for you to have me around when you were with Phil and then that blood kiss made it worse, I didn’t think you needed anything else on your plate."

             
"Are you hungry now? Would hungry be the right word? I'm sorry if that sounded stupid."

              He chuckled. "It’s not exactly the same hunger that I remember while I was living, but it’s as close as you could get."

              “Well, are you hungry?”

              “A little.”

              "Try it then."

              "Are you sure?"

              "Yes, I want to know how it feels."

              He leaned down toward me and kissed me, laying my body out on the bed with his hands around my wrist. My heartbeat began to increase as he drew closer to my neck as if it wanted to give him my blood more with each kiss or caress. I felt his teeth rest against my skin before they sunk in and I gasped as I felt the flow of blood cross my skin. The sensation wasn’t one of pain or pleasure; I couldn’t explain it in words. It’s an experience that has to be felt. When he finished, I was breathing fast and my heart was beating like I just ran a marathon. I felt his tongue roll over the place where his teeth sunk into my skin and the bleeding stopped. He then looked into my eyes and his seemed to be a brighter shade of gold.

              "How was it?" I asked him as I panted.

              "I couldn’t describe it if I tried,” he said softly.

              "Same here."

              "Now your turn." he said, biting his lip and kissing me for much longer than he had by the lake, and the rush of flavor his blood sent shock waves across my tongue as the indescribable flavor hit me for the third time, this time being more wonderful than the last. When he broke off the kiss, I was stuck in a state of euphoria "That was only fair," he said with a smirk.

              "I agree," I said, my breathing finally slowing.

              "You should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.

              "You think I could sleep after that?"

              "Well, what do you want to do now?"

             
"Well..." I said rolling him over so I was on top with my hands on his chest. " Let’s see where this goes." I leaned down to kiss him, my hands making it down to his belt buckle the same time he got to the last button on my shirt.

Vanessa Stanton

Chapter 31.0

              A ray of orange sunlight made its way across the room slowly as the sun rose until it found its way to my eyes. I awoke with the memories of last night fresh on my mind. I couldn’t help thinking I was living in a book world. Finally, I made it to the chapter where my mysterious lover takes me away in the night. His soft smooth hands caress my body in ways I couldn’t have imagined if I never experienced it. However, there was a frown on my face. Those hands that so tenderly touched me the night before were not here now. I sighed and fell back into the soft sheets trying to fight off thoughts that this was all a dream. When I managed to finally roll over still drowning in my bliss, I caught sight of a small note that blocked the clock.

              -Thought I’d leave a note this time. I had to help set up, will be back soon. Alik-

              I sat up and blew my hair out of my face and decided to walk to the bathroom and take a shower. The hot water felt nice on my skin; I could vividly feel every drop of water on my back relaxing me. I would have spent more time under the water, but I felt that I’d better get out before my skin wrinkled. I left the bathroom wrapped in a towel trying

to fill my head with the memories of last night to combat my nerves about the night ahead of me when I heard footsteps in the hall. I expected them to keep going, but they stopped outside the door and someone knocked.

              “Hello? It’s Alisa. Are you awake?” I heard the young-old vampire call out.

              “Oh, yes. One second,” I called back, walking over and unlocking the door. Alisa stood framed in the doorway, her child’s smile in place on her face surrounded by her red curls.

              “May I come in?” she asked very politely.

              “Sure,” I said a little confused. She was carrying a box over half her height. “How can I help you?” I asked, sitting on the bed still drying my hair.

              “It’s more that I came to help you,” she smiled. “Alik, in all his fighting prowess, is seriously lacking in the social aspects of our... unique condition. So I am assuming that he hasn’t told you anything about the gathering tonight.”

              “He told me a little.” The more I explained, the more I felt as if I was missing so much just by the expressions on her face.

              “No mention of colors, blood, or... the ‘leap’?” she asked, placing a emphasis on the last word.

              “No, nothing.”

              Her smile shifted into a smirk. “I knew Alik wouldn’t have told you about any of this. Well, lucky I came by for a little girl time.” She set the box she was carrying on the bed and pulled out a long flowing cloak of pure white; it was more than beautiful in the light of the sun. “100% pure Egyptian cotton of the highest thread count possible: there is nothing finer on the planet,” she boasted, handing me the cloak. I ran my fingers across the surface.

              “What’s this for.”

             
“Well... Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s for humans. White signifies the realm of God, the one who created you in his image. All those in black are vampire, black signifies the realm of Lucifer, the one who gave his life blood to Aaliyah, creating the vampire. Lastly, red signifies the blood of the old, only Aaliyah and her three direct descendants, the three Elders, are allowed to wear the color red because Aaliyah made them in her image. Aaliyah has never been found and her cloak is always laid out as a sign of respect and inclusion, even after all this time. All cloaks are of the same design, but the color defines you, concealing anything else you may or may not be wearing underneath, completely breaking the social ladder down to only the three categories united under the same veil.”

              “Why didn’t Alik give me this?” I was still taking in the sensation of touching the smooth cotton.

              “Lilith asked me to bring it as she would need him up until right before the others arrive. So, girl time.” Alisa put the box down and moved behind me up onto the bed. She swept my hair back, brushing my face with her hand. I had to fight not to shiver at her touch. “This is the leap, which is a more unofficial name adopted over the years by the vampire in attendance.” Around my neck was a small and thin glass vial. She fastened the clasp on the silver chain and as the vial settled between my breasts, I could almost feel a buzz of power.

              “What is this?” I gasped, fighting the urge to open the vial as I knew, or more like felt, what was in it.

              “This...” she allowed the word to hang on her lips as I struggled physically to not rip the seal off the vial and drink, “Is a leap vial.”

              “What leap?” I was breathing in long deep breaths.

              “Honestly, it is a way for us as vampire to impose our will over the humans who want to be one of us. While you might have become use to the act of drinking blood, it is far harder of a commitment than

you might believe for your average human to just drink a vial of blood. So, we give them the choice: stay human or take the leap. The odds vary every year, but generally there is a one in one hundred chance to get the vial, a single vial that contains the blood of an elder and a taste of true power.”

              “Oh,” was all I could say.

              “Maybe this will be the first year Lilith’s vial is drunk.” She flicked the vial and it made a ringing that reverberated for a moment through my whole body.

              “Lilith?” I asked her.

              “She is the donor for this year, it rotates every year between the three.” I didn’t respond; I was too focused on the vial around my neck. “I still have one last gift,” she slid the box into my lap and it broke the spell the vial of blood held over me. In the box was a black silk gown, when the light hit it right, it rippled like the surface of a pool of blood. “She couldn’t allow you to wear a black cloak, as you are still human. So I assume this is her way to include you as vampire as she already considers you one of us.” I was speechless for a moment. “This is an honor... A great honor,” she stressed the honor part.

              “Thank you for bringing me this, I will have to thank Lilith in person as well.” I was still looking at the gown in the box.

              “No problem,” she said as she headed towards the door; her hand was on the doorknob when she turned. “You have Lilith’s affection and Alik’s love... I don’t know what it is about you, but many female vampire would love to be in your shoes. Lilith can only protect you from the jealously for so long. So I will warn you, be careful and tread lightly, you are not even vampire yet and yet you have many vampire enemies. If I were you, I would have Lilith and not Alik change me as soon as possible.” Her eyes dropped to the vial between my breasts and I touched it without thinking.

              “Would that make you an enemy or friend?”             

             
“What do I know? I’m just a child," she said as she opened the door. "I wish I knew what it was that they love about you; it infuriates me like you couldn’t even imagine.” Then she slipped out of the room, closing the door.

              I spent the morning on the couch, staring at the vial of blood and rotating it in the light to cast red shadows on my face. I brought the vial to my lips several times, imagining how it would taste to open and drink deeply from the tiny vial. An hour before the celebration was going to start I managed to take my mind off the blood and pull out the dress and slide it on. It felt like it was made for me as the silk filled out along my curves. I pulled the cloak on and it fell to just an inch above the ground, and I pulled the hood over my head, looking at myself in the mirror. Alik then walked into the room with the black cloak over an Armani suit. He stood behind me, placing his arms around me and I smiled until his fingers hit the vial of warm blood around my neck.

              "Hey, I can see you in the mirror," I joked.

              “Very funny." He gave me a quick kiss. "Did my mother bring you this,” he asked; I could see his eyes on the vial.

              “In a way. Alisa did the actual delivery.”

              “So that’s why she was here," he said, sniffing the air. "Did she say anything to you about it”

              “Just explained the cloaks and vials, which you forgot to tell me about,” my voice turned accusatory.

              “I hadn’t forgotten. They just arrived today; custom Egyptian cotton isn’t easy to get a hold of, especially for one hundred plus. As for the vial, I was going to leave you out of that.”

              “Why?” I asked, a little to loudly. He thought about it for a moment.

              “Trying to keep you from under my mother’s influence.”

              “You could have still explained it all..." I said, smoothing

wrinkles in the cotton clock, "Are you sure that story doesn’t have any truth to it?”

              “I can’t be certain, I'm not going to bluntly say my mother is lying to me. I just gave you my take on things. There are many horrors and wonders , truths and lies in the world that aren’t known by human or vampire. Still, the rules apply for us, too; all myths have a base in reality.”

              He took my hand and we walked from the room and headed towards the lobby. The ballroom had still been under light construction when we arrived, its doors hidden behind a curtain of black velvet. Now there was a set of beautiful glossy black glass doors nearly invisible in the wall. Alik walked to one and gave it the lightest of pushes and the door chimed almost inaudibly and opened. Once through the doors, I could hear soft footsteps all around me, but the sight before me was what stole my attention. The floor was a glossy red with gold sparkles that was lit by pure white light from three grand chandeliers. Large floor to ceiling windows covered in red silk drapes glowed dimly as the light of the sun shone through them, casting a red glow on the white walls laced in a tapestry of black vines showcasing budding red roses. In the center of the room was an onyx black fountain; I admit that made me double take as I thought it was blood but realized it was just thick red water trickling from its top all the way down into a pool at its base. Directly behind that were three chairs made of a flat ebony wood, although throne was probably a better word for what they were. The fountain and thrones seemed to be the focus of the scattered tables that surrounded a grand dance floor; it was like a ballroom in some modern dark fairytale. Once I got over the majesty of it all, I focused and was able to see that there were vampire moving around the room, finishing off the decorations by placing white, black, and red roses on the tables and around the room.

              “Do you like it?” asked Alison, appearing behind me.

              “It’s amazing,” I said, not able to keep the awe out of my voice.

              “I hope the Elders like it as well,”  she sighed. “Lilith put me in charge of decorations this year.”

              “Explore for a moment”, said Alik. “I have a few more things to

finish.”

              Alison took me around the room, pointing out the different decorations and small touches she hoped would please the Elders and their guests. I could see the change in Alison, remembering what she used to look like when she was human. Not that she didn't look like herself, but she looked just that much better now. Her face and skin glowed and her voice that was attractive before was laced with seduction in every word. Alison was the youngest vampire I knew, and unlike our last meeting, she was much kinder. There was a question I had wanted to ask Alik, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it and maybe Alik wasn’t the right vampire to ask. Alison might be the better choice.

              “Over here are the…” Alison started, but I cut her off.

              “Alison, can I ask you a question,” I asked nervously, hoping I wasn’t about to offend her.

              “Did I go too fast?”