Bliss and Bloodlust

I laid on my bed thinking about what he said. It really wasn't a surprise now that I had time to absorb it all. I guess I had been trying to hold on to the idea that Jayson had still loved me. People did crazy unthinkable things in the name of love. But they also did them in the name of hate.

“Are you okay?” Daniel asked.

I nearly jumped out of bed. “Would you stop doing that.” I snarled through my teeth.

“Sorry” he said in an indifferent voice. “I thought you might like some tea.” He was holding a huge mug from the kitchen. He sat it down on the nightstand.

“I thought you'd left.” he shook his head.

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and picked up the mug, smelling the liquid. “It's not poisoned.”

“Didn't think it was.” I said but it was exactly I had been thinking. I took a sip and felt warm all over. I downed half the mug. “What else did you say to Jayson?” My curiosity had gotten the better of me.

“Let's just say I scared him shitless.” A wicked grin spread across his face as he knelled in front of me. That was not comforting.

“Does he know I'm alive?”

“Not anymore, he still believes you're lying lifeless in the woods. He won't remember my having told him.”

“What do mean he won't remember?”

“A little vampire mind persuasion. I wiped the memory of my telling him about you from his weak little mind.”

“You didn't do that to me, did you? You won't do that to me, I mean?” I was growing fearful.

“No, darling.” Just then he put a hand on my cheek. “Calm down, your hearts racing a mile a minute. Like I said before if I wanted you dead you would be.”

“You can hear my heart beat?” I definitely wasn't calm now.

“Yes.” He said in a low voice. His blue eyes looked down at my chest and smiled.

“Would you not look at my breast, please.” I felt uncomfortable.

“I wasn't, although they are lovely.” he smiled slyly. “It was your heart I was looking at, darling.”

Yeah right.

His hand was softy caressing my skin. I leaned my cheek into it before I came to my senses and moved away from him. “Did you hurt him?”

“Yes.”

“Badly?”

“Bad enough.”

“Good.”

“I thought an eye for an eye didn't suit you? Did you have a change of heart because you found out your lover's true heart?”

“Something like that. I mean no. I don't know, it's complicated.” The more I thought it through the more confusing my feelings got. “I don't want him dead, but-”

“But the idea of him suffering just a bit makes you a little happy.” He sat down next to me.

“Not happy. No. Just satisfied a bit. This feels wrong.”

“Revenge sometimes does.” Revenge? I never thought of it as such.”But in the end you'll thank me.”

“Why didn't you wipe out the memory of him shooting me?”

“What, and risk the chance of him doing it again? No, he'll just wake up bloody and bruised with only a vague idea of what happened.”

“Will he remember you?”

“Yes. I want him to remember me.” he said in a chilling tone, it felt like ice water being poured down my back. This wasn't good.

“Why?” He wouldn't answer so I asked again but he remained silent. “How did you get him to talk?”

“Vampire persuasion, remember.”

“Why didn't you erase yourself?”

“I want him to remember me,” he repeated. “One way or another.”

“Meaning?”

“He won't remember I was the one who beat the shit out of him, but he'll know me.”

“You know I'm going to have to come face to face with him right. I'll have to confront him.”

“And I'll be there when you do.”

“Why do you care? I mean you have no ties to me, you don't even know me.”

“Damsel in distress.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“I saved your life. I intend to keep you alive. Is that a good enough reason for you?”

“No there's something you're not telling me.”

He leaned back and closed his eyes. “You should sleep, he's too incapacitated to do anything for a good long while.”

“I'm not tired.”

“Well I'm going to get some rest if you don't mind.“

“In my- my bed?” he was taking off his shoes and climbing in bed.

“It's as good as any. Don't worry I don't bite... much” He winked

“Don't you have a coffin or tomb or grave or whatever it is your people sleep in?”

“I have a house and I sleep in a bed. Not a crypt or tomb or any other stereotypical vampire thing you can think up.”

“Well I'm sorry if I'm not up on my vampire facts.” I said anger and sarcasm heavy in my voice.

He chuckled and said, “Relax.”

Then pulled me into bed next to him with his arm draping over my stomach. He was a bit cool It was weird, yes, yet comfortable.

He was pulling the covers up when I asked the question that had been nagging my brain. “Daniel, did he say anything else? Anything about Stephanie? Does he love her?”

He opened his eyes a fraction. “He said she gives great head. Good night.”

And with that he pulled me closer to his cool body and drifted to sleep.



Suddenly I woke up screaming from a night terror I had about dying. I felt arms slip around me in the dark, pulling me to something cool. I relaxed after a minute, and realized who was holding me.

Daniel was singing softly in my ear. Sweet, cooing words that drained the fear out of my body. The song was in Latin, I think. I shut my eyes again and let the words lull me back to sleep.



It was late evening Sunday and the house was empty. When I woke up this morning Daniel was gone. After falling asleep again I had slept like a baby with his body keeping me nice and cool.

Was it wrong that I didn't protest to him sleeping in my bed, him holding me like I was his? I mean, we've only known each other for two days. Maybe it was because he had saved my life that I felt safe having him around, like we had known each other for years, not days.

I tried not to think too much about it as I stared out the kitchen window. I hadn't got many phone calls today but I text my aunt to tell her I was okay. She said she'd be back on Thursday. I don't think my voice would have been steady enough to have a conversation with her. Luckily for me my aunt wasn't much of a phone person, like me.

It was a growing dark, storm clouds looming overhead but the woods were as lush as ever. Our house was surrounded by trees and our neighbors were spaced out. I suppose that's why no one heard the gunshot the other night. Most of the time I love the privacy, but at other times it's a bit scary to think about the isolation. But I loved this house all the same, I always had.

My mind was occupied so I didn't have any warning when I heard the knock on the front door. I froze, not knowing what to do. What if it was Jayson or Stephanie?

I kept having fantasies about what I'd do when I finally saw either of them. None of them were pleasant.

It could be one of the few friends I still had. My aunts boyfriend and a few of her friends come by but all in all we don't get many visitors.

They knocked again. In a minute they might come around to the back. So I crept to the living room which is down the hall and to the right of the kitchen. The curtains were all drawn there as well, so there was no chance of anyone seeing me.

I went to the window and risked a peek out. It was my best friend Cassie.

She and I have pretty much inseparable since kindergarten and is one of the reasons I never wanted to move away. Her thick brown hair flowed pass her shoulders, her eyes were the colour of rich chocolate. She was slightly taller than me with a slim athletic body. We always joke about how if we could trade bodies we would.

She had been calling me as well and I felt bad for not calling back. I was thinking over the pros and cons of letting her in. I quickly ran to the door and yanked her in before she could say a word.

She looked startled. “Tourie? What's going on?” she asked as I shut and locked the door.

“Did anyone know you were coming over? Did anyone see you coming?”

“Why are you being so paranoid?”

I repeated the questions.

“No. No one saw me and no one knows I'm here.” she answered. “What is going on? You look... different. Why didn't you answer the door? I've been worried sick, we all have. Jayson and Trey said they came over,” that must have been while I was asleep yesterday. “and you weren't here but your truck was and no ones seen or heard from you. What's going on?”

At the mention of Jayson's name I laughed.

“Oh yes. Jayson's been very concerned, so concerned he tried to kill me?”

“He did what?” Cassie exclaimed in a shocked voice. I was heading upstairs and she followed me into my room. “Tourie what's been going on? You're looking around like you were a fugitive on the run. What do you mean he tried to kill you?”

I hadn't realized I had been pacing and peeking out the window.

I thought for a moment and then I told her an edited version of the events of the other night. Minus the vampire and minus actually being shot. When I was done she was staring at me in disbelief. “Are you sure you're feeling alright.? Did you hit your head?”

“Better than ever, things are clear since I came out from under the wrong impression.”

She looked at me strangely, thought that over for a moment, then asked, “Tourie, if he tried to kill you then how are you alive? What stopped him?”

I took a deep breath. “See this is where things get complicated. You won't believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.” She said and looked me in the eye.

Cassie wasn't the type of person who would dismiss the existence of things that may be other worldly. In fact she would find it fascinating.

But she'd also want proof, and I didn't have any. I wish Daniel was here. No, wait, I didn't knows what he'd do or say.

“Come on Tor, tell me the rest.” Cass said after I went silent. “There is something you're not saying.”

“I don't think it'll be safe for you to know.”

”Why not?” I didn't answer.

“Listen,” I said a moment or two later. “I know none of this is making much sense, but I'm telling the truth and it's for your own good for you not to know the rest. Look you also need to say you haven't seen or heard from me. Don't tell anyone what I've told you, okay?”

She was looking worried now. I wanted so bad to tell her but I couldn't. I just couldn't. I sat down then stood up again, and began pacing. She stood up too and hugged me. I hugged her back and we stood in silence for a while. I would have cried but I was all cried out.

“Whatever is going on I'm here for you. And I won't tell a soul about this.”

“Thank you.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Listen. Could you do me a favour?”

“Anything.” she said once we pulled apart.

“Have you talked to Stephanie lately?”

“No.”

“When you see her, and I've got a feeling you will soon, ask her if she's seen or heard from me.”

“Oh, I get it you want me to see what her reaction might be.” She caught on fast.

“Yeah. Tell her that you know.”

“What about keeping a low profile? Wouldn't that give you away?”

“Maybe, but I'm hoping that it'll scare her a bit if she knows you're on to her. And you don't have to tell her what you know, and how you came to know it, just that you do.”

She grinned a little. “I hope you know what you're doing.”

“Nope, but what choice do I have?”

She and I went downstairs. It was getting darker outside and I wanted her to go before it got too late. Or before someone else showed up. Someone like Daniel.

“I still can't believe either of them. How could he do that to you? How could she?”

I shrugged, I really didn't want to think about it.

“Will you be okay?” she asked softly.

“I suppose.”

After a minute she said, “Be safe.”

“I will.” she and I hugged again.

“When are you going to come out of hiding? I mean you do have to work Tuesday.” We both worked in housekeeping at a hotel downtown.

“I'll be there. I'll figure something out.”

She left after that and I watched her drive away. Then without a thought I ran from the house into the wood to the very spot where I laid dying nearly forty eight hours previously.

It was like being in a dream, I went to the willow and sat down. I leaned against the tree and touched the blood stained dirt. Just yards away is where I had buried my beloved collie Stella when I was fourteen. I let the tears roll down my cheek and onto my drawn up knees.

So much for being all cried out. The past couple of days have been overwhelming.

It had began raining lightly and if it picked up it would come down through the treetops and wash away the blood that was, beside the tiny scar, the only physical evidence of that night.

I closed my eyes took comfort in listening to the sounds of the rain and the oncoming night.