Vampiric Visits

A disturbed feeling boiled in the pit of my stomach as I left May's house. I could feel his eyes on me, yet I had no idea how I could tell that they were his. I walked on in silence for a few more moments before I turned around to face him.

"Why are you following me?" I asked in an extremely demanding tone.

We both stood our ground. He was a few meters in front of me, his being slightly covered by the shade of an oak tree.

"Oh, are we going to play twenty questions?" Taking a step closer, moving out into the light of the moon and street lamp, he raised an eyebrow. "Very well; I'll answer this question, and ask you one of my own."

"That's fine by me," I mumbled under my breath.

"I'm following you because I've grown quite interested in you, little Nagostien."

"Nagostien...?" My eyebrows furrowed in thought. "You called me that last night! Why, what is a Nagostien?"

"Ah-ah; it's my turn to ask a question now." He moved even closer, somewhat closing the gap between us and clucking his tongue in disapproval at me. "What is a girl like you doing wandering around alone on a night such as this one?" His eyes held a strange gleam to them then.

"I'm just walking home from my friend's house," I muttered in reply, backing away from him. HIs eyes held my gaze, swaying from side to side every so slightly.

"Alright; now it's your turn."

"What's your name?" The question slipped out before I could think or remember my previous curiosity. Rumbling from deep within his chest, a short laugh filled my ears.

"My name is Gastov, dear," the wicked smile on his face sent fearful chills down my spine. "I've already gathered that your name is Anna. Now, it is my turn... Tell me: of what age are you?"

"I'm nearly eighteen," I whispered, continuing to step away from him slowly as he followed me.

"Nearly eighteen years, are you? I am over two hundred, but age no longer holds meaning to me. I stopped aging at twenty-six. I only know that I've been around for over two hundred years because my... friends have been keeping track of the years we've been together."

As my back thudded lightly against the trunk of a tree, Gastov's hand came to lightly press into my shoulder.

He whispered to me, "It's your turn."

"I..." I trailed off, confused about what to ask next, and fearing what he might do next. My voice came out shaky and frightened, "Are you going to bite me again?"

He leaned back, examining me and holding me in place with his burning gaze. I could feel when his eyes fell to my neck, and my fingers shot up to quickly cover it.

"Now, don't do that," he pleaded. The fingers of his free hand danced lightly over mine, prying them from my throat.

"You are going to, then."

"I am afraid that I must," his face leaned closer to me. "You didn't seem to mind it so much last time. Why are you so nervous about it now?"

"I- it hurt last time! Well, it did at first, but..." His fingers found their way to gently cover my lips.

"Don't worry about it so much," and then his lips- for the second time- found their way to my neck. A small gasp pushed past my lips. While his arms wound around me, I found myself struggling against him.

"Stop, stop; don't do it!" I yelled, pushing my fingers between my neck and his mouth. "Don't..." I could feel him frown against my fingers.

"This is not going to help your case; I could make the bite hurt," irritation was evident in his voice as he spoke. "And I mean intense pain that will not cease as I drink."

"Well, I..." I yelped as I felt his teeth grasp my fingers and push them out of his way.

"I can make it hurt, and I will if I have to... Do you want me to...?" The feel of his warm breath on my neck sent disgusted shivers through me.

"I... don't want it to hurt," I answered him, placing my hands on his shoulders. His hold on me became gentler.

"Be quiet then, please..."

I bit down on my lip as his teeth sunk into my neck, trying to fight back any noise. The pain was intense, but it was short-lived. A sigh of relief, from the fact that the pain was now gone, pushed past my lips.

Gastov did not drink along with each beat of my heart this time, and I found myself feeling even more relieved by this fact. A racing heart would not help my situation.

I relaxed in his hold, allowing my arms to fall back to my sides.

Has the pain faded, then? Hearing his voice among my thoughts startled me.

"What- how-"

"Calm down," he muttered against my neck.

When I am feeding on a person, I can place my thoughts- my words- into their heads. I can also read your thoughts.

"Ah, don't read those!" I exclaimed, smacking his shoulder with my hand. A new pain erupted from my back as he dug his claws into my skin through my shirt. "Ouch!"

Do not do that again, Nagostien.

A sudden jolt ran through me as I remembered that question from earlier.

"You keep calling me that, and I don't even know what it means. What is a..." I paused to see how I could get the word to roll off my tongue. "What is a Nagostien...?"

Gastov's tongue quickly ran over the bite on my neck, a burning substance rubbed into it before he pulled away.

"What...?" My hand flew up to my neck.

"That was my venom, which sometimes acts as a healing agent..." he muttered, and I nodded as I raised my eyebrows in disbelief.

"Now, in answer to your other question: a Nagostien is a very magical creature. In their language, it translates to sun faerie. The Nagostien are strictly female, and mate with Agorastien who are strictly male."

"So... I'm a faerie of the sun?" I stepped away from the tree, as I was suddenly allowed more freedom.

"You are of and for the light of the sun. When the sun first rises, and before the sun sets, the realm of day is your kingdom. Squirming in the darkness, never feeling comforted by it, should an Agorastien- a faerie of the moon- accompany you (as is their duty): you will feel at peace."

"You know so much about them..."

"They have been going extinct; we have been learning all that we can about them," Gastov began to step back into the shadows. "Tell me: are you not bothered by the absence of light here?"

Glancing about, taking everything in, I noted all the immediate sources of light. A small smile found its way to my lips.

"We are not completely without light here." I turned back to face him, but he was no longer there. I looked about my surroundings once more, and finally released a sigh. "Good night, Gastov."