Obfuscate (22 page)

A
shuffle
beside Khaldon brought me back to the present moment while my mouth salivated with anticipation. Their scents cloyed on my taste buds like fresh baked bread in the oven.

He spoke to the couple in a melodic voice. “You are here to have a romantic romp under the trees and are open to our every suggestion.”

My hand held Pony tail’s chin and I moved her head from side to side studying her neck. “Okay—so this is going to sound dumb, but I’ve never in my life seen anyone walking around with two fang marks on their neck. If there’re so many vampires in the world, why don’t we see neck bites more often than with Halloween costume makeup?”

“Great question, Cheyenne, and that leads me back to the
L’Art de la Piquant
. In the movies, vampires are always portrayed as biting with both fangs, then sucking out the blood.”

Not wanting to stop watching the couple, I eyed him with a questioning glance. “Are you telling me that isn’t how you do it?”

“Have you ever tried to drink from two straws at the same time from opposite sides of your mouth?” He held the girl’s neck for me to view.

I furrowed my brow and shook my head.

“Just for grins and giggles, try it sometime. Once the blood is flowing, it’s difficult to suck from the two holes from opposite sides of your mouth.” He pointed down mimicking the straws. “I’ll bet you can’t do it without spilling. If you think about it, a vampire doesn’t need two punctures to eat.”

I considered this new information, and it actually made sense.

“Now, answer me this: How many times have you seen people walking around with just one mark on their neck, their arm, or maybe on their leg? That doesn’t seem out of place, now does it?”

“So you’re saying that the
piquant
is only one puncture and you drink from one opening?”

His eyes brightened. “You see, with two punctures, it’s difficult to control the flow. You end up wasting more than you consume. Any conservative vampire will want to keep from splattering their meal because: One, they don’t want to waste the time hunting down another person, and two, blood stains can be a real bitch to remove from your clothes. Who do you think invented the original stain stick?”

“Khaldon, that makes total sense.” I swallowed hard to gain enough nerve to ask my next question. “But do you ever get so hungry that you just want to rip out their throats and bathe in their blood?” I stood aghast at myself. I slapped my hands up to my mouth and shuddered. “Oh no! I’m becoming that monster who attacked me in the haunted house. How could I say such a horrific thing? What if I become like that hideous beast that attacked me and left me for dead?” I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him tight to me. “I would rather die than do that to someone.”

“Blimey, Cheyenne, not at all. Don’t be so bent.” He grabbed my hands and eased them down to my sides. “You’ll need to come to grips with this. These emotions are perfectly normal.”

I grimaced at the thought and tried to remember my promise to myself to make this work.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the old horror stories of Elizabeth Bathory bathing in virginal blood to keep her beauty? She was acting out on her vampyric hormones. They’re natural instincts.”

Heat flushed my face. “I must be sick. A blood bath sounds sensual and arousing to me.”

“Bathing in vats of blood isn’t something we do as much now, but there are niche spas where you can immerse yourself in human blood. I think Torchy has one of those spas at The Super Market in Orlando.”

I reached for Khaldon’s cheek and noticed the snow falling once again. Shrouded under the trees, the blanket of snow veiled us further, offering complete privacy.

“That’s good to admit your instincts. It’s okay—you haven’t exactly had the opportunity to explore and get to know your new self. You’ve been surviving on the bloodwines, which is fine, but doesn’t quite satisfy. There’s nothing comparable to hunting your own prey and feeling their adrenaline surge, evoking your primal forces. Their emotions fuse the blood and the taste is simply intoxicating.”

“Wait—what? You mean I can taste their emotions too?”

His eyes danced with electricity. “Oh yes, that’s the best part. You’ll begin to gain a specific taste after you hunt for awhile. Some vamps like the gamey, adrenaline rush a human will dump into their bloodstream after being chased and run down. Others prefer the heightened emotions of foreplay during sex. Whereas, others prefer their meals spiced with a heated argument or bellowing with laughter. Each emotion dumps a different brain chemical into the bloodstream and it changes the taste.”

“Wow, I never thought of anything like that before. So it’s not just the blood itself, it’s the desired flavor. Man, if Briggs were a vampire, he would totally groove at making emotion flavored recipes for cocktails.”

We both laughed at the possibility of seeing Briggs tending an emotion blood bar.

Fever spiraled up my legs and rollicked at my core. Realizing this was getting ready to go do, I flushed feeling an awakening within me. Khaldon’s strong hands guided mine to the girl’s neck. I placed one hand on her cheek and one hand on her shoulder, stretching her throat on display.

“Now, embrace her and allow your fangs to slowly descend. Control the break through and relish in the sensations. Breathe her essence and then puncture her. Drink and ingurgitate her life force deep within your very core.” His words were mere whispers. “There’s nothing equivalent to fresh, sumptuous human blood coursing through you. Feel the electrifying animation absorbing into your cells and let it spark new life through your veins.”

Khaldon stepped behind me, his body pressing tight up against mine as I inhaled her fragrance. Even though this girl had been enthralled, she must have been sexually stimulated because she gushed in the scent of sex. It drove me into a frenzy. Licking her neck, my tongue vibrated against the pulsating, rhythmic beat.
Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump.

My fangs dripped with anticipation. I turned my head and punctured through to the breaking point. Her skin melted under my bite as though it were butter softened by the stove.

“Drink her in, m’lady—imbibe in her spirits. Intoxicate in her crimson liquors.”

I removed my fang and her arterial fountain flowed. Her heartbeat grew louder, surging through my ears while I drank her deep into my soul. My eyes kaleidoscoped around and round as my thoughts filled with sex, pleasure, comfort, warmth, and peace. Her blood tasted of mother’s milk, manna from heaven. I never wanted to stop bathing in this euphoric moment. No wonder rogues lived the way they did. How could I ever go back to bottled bloodwines after tasting this magnificent bounty?

More … I want more!

Khaldon gently nudged my mouth away with his tongue. I moved over and allowed him a morsel of my delicious feast. But instead, he licked my puncture mark and lowered the girl to the ground.

Khaldon raised Ponytail’s neck and pointed to where I bit her. “Now, Cheyenne, what do you see?”

I studied the mark and turned her chin back and forth to get a better view in the light. “It looks like any old red mark, or a mosquito bite. Maybe she scratched herself with a fingernail?” I mused.

“Righto! You were able to feed discreetly, and now she’s left with a bite that looks like nothing. She’ll either get drunk or high tonight, or sleep it off over the next couple of days. I usually offer a suggestion to take their vitamins and get a good night’s sleep.”

I stood up and gestured to the girl. “So by using the one prick method, vampires have flown under the radar for centuries?”

He gave me a sheepish grin.

Hmm … I wonder if I had ever been bitten and not known it.

“Are you ready for dessert, my love?” Khaldon offered me Beer Guy’s limp wrist. A wrist at odds with his upright posture and his full-on erection.

I pointed to Beer Guy’s pants. “Is that normal?”

Khaldon’s eyebrows shot up with an evil enticement. “Just as you can sense the arousal from her, he too has the same reaction. So yes, quite often, men will reward you with an erection. What you choose to do with it, of course, is your choice. Many vampires will take full advantage of a human’s sexual arousal. Not that I want you to, my dear—just saying.”

I winked at him.

Again, I performed the
piquant
controlling the blood flow and giving me time to suck down mouthfuls of deliciousness without causing a mess. Tonight, I was the apex predator. I could have easily ripped out this guy’s throat, but for the first time, I was empowered to do what I wanted. Just knowing I could destroy this man’s life sent heady, intoxicating passion shooting through my neural pathways leaving me panting for more.

I’m going to be all right. I can hunt and still be the same me.

Khaldon whispered in my ear as I continued to fill my belly with live human red blood cells. “Move to his neck just as you did with the woman.” Khaldon pushed the man up against the tree, and I sank my controlled fang into his throbbing artery. Revitalizing fresh, carotid pulses gushed straight from his heart. The vital dynamics of the exchange ignited the kindling desires deep within me.

Khaldon consumed a small amount from the comatose woman and brought his attention back to me. His smile revealed a mouth stained with the beautiful elixir. “Had your fill, m’love?”

One seductive leer from Khaldon, and I knew what I wanted. I craved him. I hungered for all of him. Inside me, filling me to the brink of this eternal ecstasy.

“Are you ready to let our prey go on their way?”

I nodded several times in enthusiastic accession.

“Then release their enthrall and give them the mind messaging you desire, be it what may.”

I gave him a devious, wicked grin. “Could I tell them to rob a bank or something insane crazy like that?”

“You could, but I always live under the laws of three. What you do will come back to you thrice. So unless you want someone to steal from you three times, I’d reconsider your temptation.” He cocked an eyebrow at me seemingly to say,
it’s your choice, but I wouldn’t.

I couldn’t absorb enough of how Khaldon’s verdant green eyes shone with the reflections of the soft snow light.

“Harm none, but take no shite—that’s my motto. Or at least that’s how I try to live my life now, anyway. There was another time when I wasn’t as kind as I am now—but that was centuries ago.”

I elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m sure Vhalencia and Chuck have a few sordid tales about you. It would be nice to get to know them one day.”

“Indeed, not sure when, but as soon as we can, I’d love to have you visit my home in Dubai. Let’s plan a vacation over there as soon we can. Would you like that?”

“Indeed, I would, Mr. Seters.” I grinned ear to ear and I could feel my eyes sparkle with excitement for traveling abroad for a real vacation.

I turned to Beer Guy and Pony Tail and considered what I would want a vampire to say to me if the situation were reversed. I didn’t want to disappoint Khaldon and awaken these people to have them run screaming out from under the tree, so I did what seemed natural.

I pulled the couple close to me and wrapped my arms around them whispering, “Thank you for a lovely chat. Tonight, you will remember having a wild tryst under the pine tree together. You will walk away feeling satisfied, happy, alive, and very thirsty. You’ll walk to the first drug store and purchase water and vitamins. You will have no detailed memory of us. You will always look upon this tree and smile to yourself. Now, go.”

As though someone turned on a light, the couple awakened from their trance. They exchanged slightly embarrassed glances with us. The guy slapped Khaldon on the back and the lady kissed my cheek. Ponytail interlaced her hand with her boyfriend’s and they scampered out from underneath the boughs of the trees. I heard Ponytail giggle while they headed toward the dime store across the street.

Khaldon put his arm around my shoulder as we watched the couple meander away. “Well done, m’lady. Well done!”

I kissed him on the cheek, allowing my lips to linger.

He turned his face to me and whispered into my mouth. “Did you enjoy the celebration of your vampyric virginity? The first step of your training is complete now. Now you’ll need to do it on your own and alone to fully master the technique. Each hunt is different and challenging within it’s own right.”

Why do his eyes always seem so hauntingly familiar—like I’ve known him, loved him, all my life?

I listened to his words and realized I still had a lot of training before me. But tonight, Khaldon had taught me not only how to hunt humans, but he gave me style and panache with which to do it well. As we kissed for a few minutes longer under the tree, I realized the town had grown dark all around us. I broke our kiss and pointed toward the store. “Look, the lights. They’ve gone out. The music stopped too. I think we’re in a blackout.”

“Then this is a perfect time.” He broke our embrace and reached into his jacket pocket.

“Time for what?”

Khaldon handed me a velvety crimson box about the size of my palm.

“What’s this? A little something before the world ends tonight?” I shouldn’t have laughed at the world’s dire issues, but right at this perfect moment, under this romantic moon, it was my turn to finally find a slice of paradise.

For the first time in a long time, I didn’t care what was going on anywhere else. My sights were laser-focused on Khaldon, and nothing would deter me from having the best sex of my life with the man I loved.

Khaldon gestured with his head toward the gift box. “I hope my gift isn’t pretentious.” He pulled me in closer and lifted my chin. His eyes bored deep into me. “But I wouldn’t have this night commence any other way.”

P
uzzled
at Khaldon’s gift and not quite sure what to say, I decided to answer him with another kiss. I seductively slipped my arms around his shoulders and clasped them behind his neck.

My nervous laugh betrayed me again as I could sense the jittery anticipation of our coupling. Neither able to—nor wanting to—control my vampyric pheromones, I sensed our eager potency as our collected scents perfumed the hot, moist air between us. I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him and he lowered his mouth to meet my hunger.