Endlessly (3 page)

“Jessica.”

“Yeah?” she called from the
back.

“You can take off, but be in here first
thing tomorrow.”

She came over and searched my eyes. “I
felt a strong pulse,” she said. ”Like a ripple in water…and your
face…”

“We will discuss it
tomorrow.”

She nodded and gathered her coat and
bag. Her perpetual smile returned. She bounced around the store,
checking a few things before she left. Jessica was way too
happy.

Jason’s words echoed in my head.
Dead…cold…two Hollywood vampire myths. My heart still beats and I
still live. And live and live. If I eat and don’t get my head blown
off I might live forever. Maybe it’s my focus on those facts that
keeps me from ending it. That’s what most vampires do.

The only other immortal creatures are
demons and angels—but they were here before man. They started as
soon as there was life on the planet, evolving with it. They are
evolution. We refer to them as demons and angels because they have
the power to influence events for good or for ill. Rather than
changing through shape shift, they can only evolve. Demons have
black smoke auras that flow from their mouths, while angel auras
are gold. Rather than clinging to their skin, these beings’ auras
radiate out with each exhalation.

Many vampires’ minds fall victim to a
hopeless madness. Some discover their consciences and hate killing.
Unable to kill, they starve themselves of humans, attempting to
squeeze nutrition from animal blood. Soon enough they learn that
it’s useless. Only human blood can save us.

Some blow their brains out. Nothing
else works very well. Our bodies heal too fast for other
methods.

I haven’t been able to accept the idea
that not feeding a little when I was having sex would never be a
real option. But it was true. Feeding was drawing all blood from a
human body. Whenever I fed I needed the aura too. I’d never known
why. I’d met many other vampires, but I had yet to hear of another
who could take an aura. Few could even see an aura, much less pull
it from a dying victim. I’d heard rumors of vampires that, on
changing, found themselves with something extra, but these stories
were as distant as myths.

In the end the only sexual
relationships that made sense were with other vampires. They were
safe. Our bites did no harm to each other. Tasting a little blood
felt good, but there wasn’t much nutrition here either. Combining
these bites with sex gave the illusion of feeding. Real feeding was
something else entirely.

I had never taken a mate for long. Two
vampires living in the same place wasn’t a good plan. It would mean
appetites requiring twice as much blood, hunts that don’t end until
we have twice as much prey, and finally twice as many bodies to
clean up. As I’d grown older I’d grown jaded and grumpy. Most
females could only stand me for so long before they moved on. I
can’t say I blame them. I get sick of myself sometimes.

As I daydreamed of old flings I
recalled the girl I’d just met. A being discovering her true
nature…I’d seen a million of them. Why was I so drawn to
her?

We’re not supposed to interfere with
incarnates. Either they found out for themselves, or it didn’t
happen. Some simply couldn’t shape shift into their form. I closed
my eyes, unable to imagine what a disappointment that must
be.

Incarnates are reincarnations of other
non-human figures. They could be anything. Jason was a werewolf,
which was obvious from his red aura. Like other werewolves, he was
in a class by himself—special diet, special teeth, special
features.

I don’t know why they’re called
“werewolves.” Though they have wolf-like heads and teeth, they seem
more like gorillas. The tail and the sudden covering of hair are
mere movie moments. In truth the arms lengthen, the legs grow
stronger, and the werewolf gains the speed of the wild. They gain
strength too, but no more than that of a vampire. Their skin is
bright red-brown, like that of Native Americans. Typically their
eyes are yellow. One last myth is the full moon. They don’t need
it. All it gives them is moonlight.

One thing the movies sometimes get
partially right is mind control; vampires have it. We can use it on
most prey within close proximity. Once we have bitten into them we
can rummage through their thoughts and memories.

Over the centuries I met many
incarnates: fairies, trolls, witches, shamans, aliens and all the
rest. They come from other planets, other realms, and sometimes
they appear to pop up directly from human imagination. They are
reborn into human bodies. Some are born remembering and can shape
shift at will. Others forget. They always have the feeling that
they belong to something bigger. Some figure it out immediately.
Others never do. The latter are reborn again.

As the clock ticked down to closing
time I went through all of this over and over. That aura, that
look, that feeling: I’d never known anything like her
before.

Chapter 3

VAMPIRE NIGHTMARES

Jason and I arrived in Indianapolis
later that night. I was familiar with the area and knew exactly
where to go. We drove down a dark street known for its prostitutes.
There they were: two girls leaning against a graffiti-covered wall.
They wore the usual plain white aura of humans. They both came out
on the sidewalk, chattering to each other as they watched us
approach. They were gearing up to do their jobs. The blonde wore a
smile as real as her bleached hair. The brunette was trying to
care. Both were barely dressed.

I slowed, pulled closer to the curb,
and stopped the car in front of them. They leaned down and peered
in the passenger side. Jason hit the button, and the window slid
down. He leaned back and smiled. The blonde smiled back, resting
her elbows on the base of the car window. She wore a low-cut shirt
and exposed her breasts like the pro that she was. The other girl
stood a few steps back, her hands on her hips. The blonde might
have been in her mid-twenties. The brunette didn’t even look
eighteen.

Jason liked to do most of the talking.
It gave him a sense of stalking his prey. Though we both knew that
a few thoughts from me would have them both paralyzed, I let him
play his game. It reminded me of a cat toying with a mouse, though
in this case the mouse had the misplaced expectation of
profit.

“Well, well ladies. Which one of you
would be willing to come with us for a little ride?” Jason smiled,
and glanced back and forth between the two. He was favoring the
blonde.

When the blonde spoke her breath
smelled strongly of cigarettes. “It depends on what you boys are
looking for.”

“One of you for the both of us,” Jason
said, as he looked down at the window button. He playfully traced
it with his index finger. What a horrible flirt.

“I don’t know about two at once. That
might cost a little extra.” She straightened up and took a step
back. She wasn’t sure about these terms.

“Money is no problem,” Jason said,
smiling. Why worry about the money, when we knew they would never
get paid.

“We’ll both do it for two hundred,” she
said, glancing back. Her girlfriend wasn’t paying much attention.
The brunette was busy, chewing her nails, while trying to get a
look at me.

“Oh no, we only want one of you,” Jason
said softly.

The brunette spoke up, “I’ll do it for
one-fifty.”

The blonde turned to her, and
whispered: “Are you sure? That driver’s albino or
something.”

The brunette came forward and climbed
in the rear door on the passenger side. As she slid onto the seat,
the blonde backed off and walked away. She glanced back once or
twice, then vanished into the shadows. Jason got nervous because
the blonde wasn’t taking the bait, but it was fine with me. I just
hoped our brunette wouldn’t ask about the green army duffle bag
stuffed up under the driver’s seat.

I put the car in drive and we crept
down the street.

“So where are we going?” she asked.
“Not too far, right? I have to be back soon.”

“Just a little way down the street.” As
I said it I felt an evil smile cross my lips. I moved my face into
the shadows. It wasn’t time yet. In a few minutes she would know
the full fear of death, but for now it was just the slight feeling
of trepidation one gets from the unknown. The rich scent of her
blood filled my nostrils. As her heart beat faster the odor became
more enticing.

Saliva pooled in my mouth and I had to
keep swallowing. Otherwise I would’ve looked like a mad dog. I
pulled halfway down the alley, then checked both ends—no traffic. I
put the car in park, got out, and climbed in the back seat and shut
the door. I was too hungry for formalities. The brunette had struck
what she thought was a sexy pose, but the effect was that of a
frightened, awkward girl. What came next was a typical vampire
moment, private and slightly erotic. Jason stared out the front
window. He never cared to watch me feed. I couldn’t blame
him.

I immediately grabbed the brunette
behind the neck, pulling her face close to mine. I’d caught her off
guard. Her arms flayed out, then her hands came down on my legs.
She found herself on all fours on the back seat.

“Hey, now don’t be too rough.” She
crawled across me, coming to rest straddling my lap, facing me. All
the while I kept my palm on the back of her neck.

She kissed me, probably in hopes of
finishing as quickly as possible. That only made me hungrier. I
inhaled deeply, then my breathing quickened. I was getting too
excited. I had to consider Jason, who didn’t appreciate me having
sex with his meals. I gripped the back of her neck, and pulled her
back from me.

“Hey what did I s...”

I pressed down, cutting off her words.
The anger in her eyes suddenly shifted to terror. I loved this
part. “Listen to me,” I hissed. “You are going to die.” I laughed,
mad with hunger. “I am hungry and you will taste so much better
packed with adrenaline and fear.” Her pulse elevated, and her chest
expanded as she gulped air. As she opened her mouth to scream, I
paralyzed her with a thought, then threw her down on the seat. She
laid there in a horrible stillness.

If I’d had fangs I’m sure this would’ve
been when I’d show them. I climbed on top of her and lowered my
head beside her ear. I could hear Jason giggling like a girl in the
front seat. I don’t know who was mentally sicker, him or
me.

As my ears filled with the drumming of
her heart, I whispered in her ear: “I am death and I am here to
take you away from this world. No one will ever care that you are
missing. When you die you will forget all of this and there will be
nothing more for you.” With that I turned and bit deeply into her
neck. As I became fully aroused I drew deeply from her
body.

My days without blood made it orgasmic.
I pulled on the energy from her aura and her body went limp. I knew
of no other vampire who could see auras well enough to capture
them, but I could, and always did. A born knowing once told me I
was stealing their souls, that there would be nothing more for them
after this. Throwing up my mental firewall, I blocked out her
chaotic thoughts, and drank. I drained her. The details of each
human’s last thoughts were different, but they rested on the same
background: terror, regret, and knowledge of impending
death.

Without warning pictures flashed in
front of my eyes. My body jerked. I nearly fell off the girl. In my
head I clearly saw the girl from the store. She was like an erotic
dream catching me unaware. There she was again, but with pitch
black skin and a contorted body. Suddenly my thoughts filled with
images of the Quatre and Sara, the girl who’d been with them. She’d
been no more than a child.

Then I returned to reality. The girl
I’d fed on was dead.

But what had those flashing images
meant? When I tried to get a hold of them it was like grasping
sand. The harder I tried to see them the more they slipped away.
Tomorrow couldn’t get here quick enough. I needed to talk to
Jessica.

I put my hand under the dead girl’s
neck and pulled away. I’d let only a few drops of blood spill. I
wiped my hand across the spot. In my fury to eat I’d inadvertently
taken a full bite out of her neck. There was blood on my palm. I
licked it. It was intoxication like no other.

I sat back feeling full, much like a
normal human might after the gluttony of a Thanksgiving dinner.
Jason turned to me, grinning. I didn’t have time to reflect on
flashes and pictures. We needed to get off the street.

I grabbed the duffle bag from under the
driver’s seat and started stuffing the girl into it.

“Do they really taste better to you if
you scare the shit out of them?” Jason asked, as he gave me a hand
with the bag.

“Yes they do. It’s like a fine wine.
Also, fear loosens their hold on their auras, which makes it easier
for me to take it.”

I zipped up the bag, got out of the
car, and checked both ends of the alley. Jason got out of the
passenger side. When he stood beside me I felt so small. He was not
only taller than me but he was better muscled. My lack of food had
a lot to do with that. I should’ve been eating every day, but doing
this daily would’ve risked my anonymity.