Love Bites

Jack's face lit up as they strolled into a bar for the first time in what seemed like centuries. Since he had been turned, he felt as though he'd barely seen the inside of a busy place, let alone other people. Which wasn't a bad thing - Alex was all he needed. But since they'd been on the run from authorities, Alex had taken careful measures to ensure their safety. Now, since a considerable amount of time had passed since their exodus from America, things had cooled down, and the two felt comfortable showing their faces in this little Canadian town, they'd decided to take their neighbors up on their offer to go out for drinks.
Alex had left Jack alone momentarily and was standing at the crowded bar ordering them drinks, and Vic and Jaime had slipped off toward the back to say hello to some friends. Jack sat down at a table and was beginning to pull out his phone to pass the time when he heard an unfamiliar voice that made him jump and have to fight the urge to bare his teeth. He glanced up to see who the voice was coming from, only to find a short, slim, strikingly gorgeous woman standing across from him at the table. He had never seen her before, and was taken aback by how quickly she seemed to appear from out of nowhere.
"New in town, eh?" she asked, pulling a chair out and taking a seat.
"I'm gay," Jack bluntly retorted.
He did not have the patience to deflect the advances of strange women. Jack was aware of how attractive he appeared to the average human - it was a perk and curse of being a vampire. Sweet scent, alluring looks, something to draw you in...
"From what I saw, you're Alex's," she shot back, with a sly smile growing on her face. "And look at you. He found himself one good looking bloodsucker."
Jack paused, looking at her with inquisitive eyes. How could she possibly know who Alex was, and more importantly, how the hell did she know about what they were?
He was about to open his mouth to speak when Alex appeared at the table, back with their drinks.
"Well I'll be damned. Anna?" he questioned, visibly surprised.
"I'll bet you never thought you'd see me again," she laughed, standing and opening her arms for a hug.
They embraced, and Alex noticed the look of bewilderment that Jack was sporting.
"Anna is over five hundred years old," Alex explained, assuming Jack would get the message.
"So you're..." Jack trailed off.
She smiled. "Yes."
He swallowed and looked toward Alex, praying that she wasn't some sort of old flame from back in the 1800's.
Alex seemed to pick up on this. "Anna's companion is almost as ancient as she is. They're some of my oldest friends. Remember how I told you there were others?"
Jack was relieved. "Yes, I just never expected to run into others, let alone in a bar. So you were born in-"
"The late 1400's," Anna interjected. "Was a peasant girl. I was changed by a vagrant vamp at the ripe young age of 24. Sad story, found myself, killed some people, and 5 centuries later here I am."
"Wow," Jack mused. "What are you doing here?"
"I like to do my fair share of traveling. I can never stay in one place for too long, and my companion feels the same as I do. So here we are," she explained.
Anna turned toward the elder vampire. "So, Alexander, the last I saw of you, you were still traveling alone and basking in self loathing. How long have you and your companion been together?"
"It happened recently," he murmured. "Jack is a newborn. We ran into some trouble back in America."
She nodded. "Ah, I sensed he was young. How do you always manage to get yourself into trouble, Alexander?" she chuckled.
Before Alex could answer, their two neighbors returned to the table where they were seated.
"Hey guys, sorry we took so long over there," Vic said apologetically.
As he said this, he could not help but notice the beautiful dark-haired woman in front of him. His eyes widened as he took in her beauty and grace, and from an outside view, the feeling was mutual. Vic noticed the interest spread across Anna's face and took it as her being into him, but Jack knew better. He saw her eyes grow darker and her tongue run over her lips like a human sizing up a freshly served ribeye. He knew that she could smell his sweet blood and was turning over the idea of seducing and killing him in her mind, and while he didn't blame her - Vic did smell
very good - they were also friends of Jack and Alex, and he needed to let Anna know that they weren't on the menu.
Alex beat him to the punch. "Anna..." he trailed off, giving her a stern look and a slight shake of his head.
She caught on, realizing that these were not strangers to the vampire boys and stood from her seat.
"Well," she said, grabbing her car keys, "this has been fun, but I should really head back to the hotel. Alex, Jack, let's catch up once more before my departure, yes?"
The boys agreed and said their goodbyes. As she walked out of the bar, hips swaying and long, dark hair cascading from her shoulders, Vic and Jaime couldn't help but stare.
"Close your mouths, guys, you'll swallow a bug," Alex joked. "Besides that, she's been in a, erm, serious relationship for a very long time."
Jack stifled a laugh and Vic pouted.
"No fair," the shorter man whined. "Do you know how tough it is to meet girls around here? You and Jack have it so easy."
All four boys laughed.
"Here's to new friendships," Jaime proclaimed, changing the subject and holding up his glass. "Alex and Jack, you guys are some cool dudes. Thank god I'm not stuck with just Vic anymore."
"Hey!" Vic protested, while the rest of the table erupted into laughter once more and touched their glasses.

Alex and Jack stumbled back into their home later that night, both very intoxicated from the evening's festivities. They stripped down to their boxers and settled into the couch, turning on the television, when Jack couldn't help but ignore a sensation he felt in the back of his throat.
"Alex, I'm thirsty."
"Go check what's in the fridge," the elder replied, flipping through channels.
Jack huffed and strode over to the fridge, only to be met with empty bags of B negative. "Aleeeeeex," he whined.
The elder was suddenly in the kitchen, rummaging through the empty bags and grimacing. "Hm. We'll need to get more."
"But I'm thirsty now."
Alex chuckled and fixed a stray hair on the younger boy's head. "Well, what do we do about that?"
He barely had time to finish his sentence before Jack was out the front door. Alex stood by the empty fridge, smiling to himself and shaking his head before bolting to catch up to the newborn. The two raced through the forest, searching for stray travelers or any unfortunate human who happened to be alone and vulnerable on the chilly night. They had run about 8 miles when they finally caught the scent of three humans. Upon arrival, they discovered that they were camping, much like Jack's first kill.
This time was different, however. It was a family. A mother, a father and their young daughter sat huddled close to each other by a fire, wrapped in blankets and roasting marshmallows. Jack froze, and Alex understood his hesitation.
"We can keep looking, baby," he murmured. "I avoid families, too."
Jack looked on, continuing to watch the family smile and laugh and share stories. He gently smiled, remembering his own family and the adventures they would have together. He missed them, truthfully. Since he and Alex had to suddenly disappear, there was never a formal wedding, and he had to break communication with his mother and siblings. It mostly hurt him to cease communication with his sister, May. They all must be so worried about him.
The young vampire was about to turn around and tell Alex he wished to keep looking when both the boys heard something in the woods that made Jack stand up straight and Alex hiss and move in front of Jack.
"Someone else is here," he growled.
Jack understood what Alex had meant by that, and immediately turned to look at the family when it happened.
Faster than the human eye could capture, a blur tore through the campsite and slit not one, not two, but all three of the innocent family's throats, the bodies crumpling and falling to the ground. Jack staggered back in horror, swallowing a lump in his throat and crying out in horror, while Alex tensed and stood to acknowledge the hunter.
"Merry Christmas, boys, drink up," the familiar voice purred.
Anna stepped out of the darkness, blood on the corners of her mouth, eyes dark and pulsating.
Alex sucked in a breath and looked toward Jack, who was gazing at the female vampire like she had lost her mind.
"Do you just not have a conscience? Is that it? Has being a vampire for over 500 years just numbed you? Is this what I'm going to end up like - resorting to killing little children?" Jack's head spun in circles as he rapidly fired questions at the eldest vampire, who frowned.
"I was hunting in the area and heard you two prowl toward this campsite. I thought you all were going in for the kill and I would take care of it for you."
Alex sighed. "We were going to keep hunting. Neither one of us felt comfortable with...this." He gestured toward the slumped over bodies.
Jack wanted to throw up. "I mean jesus, I didn't want this. They were a fucking family! This is a dead child, and all I can smell is the blood, and all I can think about is the blood," he trailed off.
He gazed at the red liquid pooling on the ground and felt his eyes grow black. His face contorted the more he stared, and after a moment, Jack couldn't stop himself. He rushed over and began to feed, losing control and sucking the child's body dry.
He felt Alex's hand on his shoulder.
"Jack," Alex murmured. "Don't feel guilty about this. It's in our nature. This comes with being a vampire - we become inhuman, physically and mentally."
Jack gently laid the child's body onto the ground and buried his face in his hands. Once the frenzy had ceased and his thirst was quenched, he mourned the loss of the family and grew angry with himself for drinking the blood of the little girl. While he sat in silence, Alex quietly made his way to the body of the mother and begin to feed himself. The mood was somber, and Anna stood behind them, unsure of what to do with herself.
"I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't realize you were against this. I feel as if I've created a moral dichotomy in you, Jack, and I apologize for acting impulsively."
Jack sighed. "I asked for this. This is a part of it. Though the family wasn't my choice, I can't help what's already done."
She smiled with a sadness in her eyes. "You know, when you've been at this as long as I have, the feelings of guilt just...dwindle away. I almost envy you for your humanity. It's refreshing, to tell you the truth. Sometimes I feel that I'm a monster and nothing more."
"One of the many reasons I love him," Alex murmured.
Jack smiled. "Can we go home, Alex?"
The elder nodded in agreement. "Anna, I'm sure we'll be seeing you."
"I sure hope so, Alexander," she replied.
With that, the female vampire spun on a heel and disappeared into the night, leaving the two boys alone.
"Lex?"
"Yes, baby?"
"This is going to take some getting used to."