Eighteen Summers (12 page)

I arise slowly with hunger. I need a feed. I look at my iPad.

Damn... it's only 5.30 am.

I wander into the bathroom and stare at my perfect face. There is never any trace of tiredness, dark circles under my eyes, or pale tinge to my skin. I look the same all the time now. It's nice to know I always will.

I have noticed a lot of subtle changes emerging since I burned with the immortal fire. My nails are longer and very hard. Naturally more pointed. For gripping and climbing vertical surfaces perhaps? My teeth have all straightened and are icy white and healthy. I have tiny red flecks in my irises. I haven't seen these in either Nico's or Sofia's eyes. I like this touch of individuality. My muscles are rock hard in tone. I can squeeze everything really tightly in my pubic area and it feels so good. I've been practising that a lot. In addition my whole body feels more alive, tingling alive. I'm not sure what this state of being is. You could say it's a state of perfect preservation and I suppose I am just as alive as I was before, but in a different way. I still breathe. My heart beats my vampire blood around my veins. I sleep. I feed, and I have feelings, very deep physical feelings and strong emotions. A hot temper too.

I have an urgent need to seek out my own food. I dress and ascend to the ground level, leaving the house quickly. I walk the streets for a while searching for a lone person to approach.

What the hell am I doing? I haven't got the first idea about how to strike...

I am just about to turn and make my way back, when a finger taps me on the shoulder. I don't have to look to know who it is.

“If you ever wish to go out, please knock as you pass my room, wherever we are.”

“
I was going to feed alone? Is that not allowed either?”

“
No. Certainly not now, nor here, and for the first time.”

“
Well a vampire's gotta start somewhere.”

“
Then I shall instruct you. Now let me see..." His eyes scan the street scene before us. “That young man over there, delivering the goods to the shop. He is healthy in appearance. He is a good choice.”

“
What do I do, walk up and say let me bite you?” Nico chuckles at my touch of humour.

“
No Calista. You spring and bite. Extremely fast. The bite will desensitise him to the pain and temporarily stun him into submission. You have two minutes to feed before he recovers.”

“
Right. Here I go then.”

I watch him removing boxes from the back of his van and taking them inside the store. He seems to be in a hurry, kinda like the beating of my heart at the moment. I want to taste him so badly, to drink his hot red fluid. Yet I have been raised to be a good girl. This doesn't seem right to me, just sneaking up on some unsuspecting guy and using him as my personal drinking fountain. But my new vampire urges are impossible to ignore. I must fulfill my desires because they are who I am now. Soon he appears empty handed outside the store again and I follow Nico's instructions to a T.  I run up behind him, spring onto his back with a sudden burst of superhuman speed. I can sense his momentary bewilderment and I can smell his luscious blood scent as I bite him cleanly on the neck, all in a split second. His body relaxes against mine and he feels light as a feather in my strong arms. I suck him hard for a good minute, savoring every drop, then I release him gently on the floor, against the wheel of his van and he slumps in a blissful slumber. I look down at my prey, my feed, with satisfaction and then sprint back to rejoin Nico. 

Mmmmm, so, so good...

My head buzzes with the excitement of my first wild feed. It is truly thrilling.

“Very neatly executed. I see you are a natural. I've no need to worry about that. But a word of advice... Always pick up the prey after you immobilize them and take your feed somewhere more private than outside a shop.” He laughs at my glaring error. And I can't help but to laugh too.

“
Do you like to do this, feed outside?”

“
All the time. I like our donors, but I prefer to graze, out here. It hurts no one and I am not greedy. I like to do it often.” I stare at him lustfully. Feeding gives me a really sexual kind of a buzz. Or maybe it's just him giving me the buzz. His eyes look beautiful when he is aroused by something. I want to experience all of him so badly I feel weak with desire. I can imagine he is so very passionate in that way. I lick my lips and look at his. My breathing picks up in response and a rush of heat kicks in.

“
Calista, please stop looking at me like that. It's so very distracting.”

“
What? Oh sorry. I was just daydreaming.”

“
Yes, and I can see what you are daydreaming about. When we arrive in Italy, I will find a male partner for you to enjoy. You are obviously craving physical intimacy badly. I have someone in mind.” 

So have I... And I need him so much it's like a pain stabbing in my heart.

“I don't want you to 'find' me a male partner. I can do it on my own.”

“
I don't think so. How can you?”

“
Just take me to a hot vamp hangout and I'll do my best.” He bursts into loud laughter. I love the wild sound of it. It really hits my hot spot. 

My God, I want to kiss his face all over. Actually, not just his face.

I am having such strong erotic thoughts about him.

“Sometimes you are quite hilarious Cali. Hot vamp hangout indeed! We are all 'hot' in terms of appearance... and there is no 'hangout'. No vampire 'club' or 'party' scene. We all live in households, privately. I do know of several such houses near our destination.”

“
Well take me to one of those then. Let's see if I can find a vamp boyfriend I fancy like mad.” I'm trying to make him jealous but there's no sign of it at all.

“
That was my intention. Teo will appeal to your baser instincts I am sure. He was turned less than twenty years ago. He is young and modern, like you, and I think you will find him very 'hot',” He explains in a matter of fact tone, as if we were discussing which bottle of wine to choose.

“
What does he look like?”

“
My mistress will have to wait and see. I do know he is very popular with the females in his household.”

I suddenly see Teo as a real opportunity to make Nico jealous. Maybe he needs to see me with someone else physically to achieve that. Because in truth, I don't want anyone but him. Nico is fast becoming an obsession, one that I can't have, and that makes me want him so much more.

We sit on the train hurtling through the countryside towards Paris on the Eurostar. It is a fascinating journey and I am happier than I have felt for a very long time. Leaving the house in Kensington has lifted the doom and gloom and I am now in holiday mode. My new vampire senses take it all in and I revel in the sights and sounds. I can hear and see so well and my sense of smell is rapidly catching up.  I had a last donor feed before I left London and I am due another 'in the wilds' when we arrive in Paris. We will stay for the remainder of the day to take in some sights before continuing to Rome tomorrow where we will purchase a car for the final leg of our journey.

We finally arrive in Paris and rest in a two bedroom suite in the most wonderful, luxuriously appointed, hotel I could imagine. I am given my own bank cards and purse full of euro which makes me feel very contented and pleased. It is the first sign of my 'independence' in the world. I am a very privileged vampire and I am starting to realise this now.

I insist on going out shopping with my new found wealth and drag Sofia around the designer stores on the Champs Elysée for an hour. I buy some expensive clothes which are more my style than the dress I am currently wearing. I return in my new low cut, black designer skinny jeans and Miss Dior T-Shirt proudly.

Gabriel is very complimentary about my latest purchases.

“Calista my darling, what a simply delightful look. You have such style.” He seems to be very informal and free with his endearments. I am never 'My Lady' with him, just my darling and my love... It's quite refreshing. I notice Nico looking at him sometimes as if he wants to say something about his over friendliness. I feel a touch of jealousy going on.

“
So you like it do you? This is the real me, although I love the dresses I've worn too,” I announce to my three companions. I am careful not to upset Sofia. God knows how long she spent choosing all of those dresses. Hopefully I will be able to wear it all some day, when we go back to London.

“
It is very practical, I suppose,” Nico replies raking me up and down with his eyes. “But too masculine for my liking. Why women wish to wear trousers is a mystery to me. They have such wonderful legs to display.” I suddenly wish I had my dress on again, and that I was displaying my legs for him. Sometimes Nico is very conservative in his views, but I assume that's due to the time of his upbringing and experience of life. I'm pretty sure things were a lot different in his day.

“
So friends, shall we take a tour?” Gabriel asks with a smile. I look at his face intently. He is a very lively and interesting person, for a lawyer and historian. I can imagine he set Oxford University on fire. He has a beautiful deep auburn hair colour, like burnished copper. His eyes are golden brown and flecked with blue. He is very sexy and I can understand Sofia's fascination with him. Not that I have such intense feelings myself, but I can see the attraction.

We discuss the three sights Gabriel has decided I should see. The Eiffel tower is out, because of the tedious queues. Although we could have leapt up the legs and climbed it quickly, being who we are. But Nico does not want to attract any undue attention to ourselves. One vampire could ascend unseen, but four might be easily spotted by all the gawking tourists. So, we are visiting the Louvre, and Les Catacombs, and tonight the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur which apparently offers glorious panoramic views of the city's lights. I also have to find time to squeeze in my feed. And I hope it is pretty soon because I feel the hunger beginning to rise within me. So far I haven't felt what real blood lust is. Just that one occasion when I was really hungry after I had turned. That was bad enough a taster.  I have been shielded and protected from it. I imagine it feels like human starvation. I hope I never have to suffer it fully.

“Nico, I must find food,” I remind him.

It seems everyone needs food, so we all leave to find a likely victim at the same time. Sofia and Gabriel set off together in one direction and Nico and I, the opposite. We turn and walk around the back of the hotel.

“There.” Nico stops me and gestures ahead at a retreating figure.

“
No! Not the boy on the skateboard? He's just a kid.”

“
He will be fine. It's a short feed. Quickly.” I run and pounce from behind, dragging him into the shadows of a nearby building. His body hangs limp in my arms as I suck out his fresh young blood in pure rapture. I take my fill quickly and carefully replace him next to his skateboard on the pavement a minute later. I return to Nico and he grins at me with approval. I bask in his glowing attention.

“
So beautifully done Cali. And now it is my turn. Watch my direct frontal approach. You will need to use it from time to time.”

I have not seen Nico feed and I so want to. He stands in the dark shadows in a casual embrace with me and awaits his opportunity. A blonde woman walks her pretty black poodle towards us and he glances in my direction as confirmation of his impending strike. He speed runs and jumps faster than seems possible, with a leopard-like grace. He sinks his fangs quickly, biting her long pale neck with perfect precision in an instant, whipping her sideways into an alleyway with great strength. I follow swiftly collecting her confused and abandoned dog. I stand very close and watch him feed totally transfixed. He watches me watching him, his eyes glowing brightly with enjoyment. The yellow flaming orbs roll back in his head, and his eyelids flutter and close.

Oh God, how I love this...

It's so arousing I feel breathless and a wall of flame rolls over me. I am almost sick with pure desire. I lick my lips and my tongue wants more. I want to lick him with such intensity. It's all I can do not to. I squeeze my nails tightly into my palms to create pain and dull the rising feelings. Strong sexual images appear before my eyes in a rush, my head tips back and my teeth descend with the intensity of it all. Then I see strange things I have never imagined before. I am lying within a tree as daylight streams through the light canopy of leaves above me. I lie along a broad gnarled old bough. He is there, lying alongside me. His hands are everywhere. It is wild and frantic between us... I can feel it all as if it were real, and my legs feel weak beneath me... My mouth waters heavily...  Am I foreseeing us together or just wanting it so badly I am hallucinating? My heart pounds fiercely. My craving for Nico grows stronger and stronger by the day. I wish I knew what to do to make him lose control. I'll have to hope that Teo can create such a situation for me. As I gaze at him his eyes open and he raises his head, breaking his feed suddenly, and interrupting my thoughts.

“Did you find that entertaining?” He asks with an intense and knowing look as he eases the blonde woman down ever so gently.

“
Very. You must let me watch all your feeds. It'll be the highlight of my day.”

His laughter fills me with warm affection for him as we turn and make our way back to the hotel to join Sofia and Gabriel for our tour.

Later, as we wander around the Louvre, I am stunned at the breadth of Gabriel's knowledge. He knows everything about everything. In fact it seems he has actually met and spent time with some of the artists whose work we are admiring. He is a genius, a wonder, an annoying bloody know-it-all bastard. Whatever he is, I love him already. I hang around at his side more interested in him than the great works of art around me.

I now know that Raphael often painted naked and Michelangelo was addicted to Taleggio cheese.  Not that these facts are important at all, but still, they are entertaining to learn about.

“Gabriel, tell me, how did you become a vampire?” I ask taking his arm as we stroll around one of the long Louvre galleries.

“
It was 1312, at Oxon, or should I say, 'Universitas Oxoniensis'.” He pronounces the words beautifully in Latin.

“
Who turned you?”

“
A nobody, a transient, a vampire from the gutter...” He gestures airily at the ground.

“
You are kidding me, aren't you?” I snigger at his amusing description.

“
There's nothing wrong with sucking in the gutter, is there? But of course, I jest. It was a very cultured vampire of English descent, my Latin tutor in fact.”

“
So how did you become involved with the Gianni household?”

“
I became acquainted with Lord Aule through my travels, to Italy, where I sought to improve my linguistic skills further.”

“
And you stayed with him after that?”

“
Good heavens no love! I am a vagrant, homeless, I travel and seek and learn.” I laugh at the thought of him sleeping rough somewhere covered in newspaper.

“
You're quite a character aren't you, for a lawyer?”

“
I love language and history and the law is simply my way of paying the bills, babe.”

“
Babe?” I snort and giggle at his modern address.

“
I am well versed in modern slang, Wanna hear some more?”

“
Go on then...”

“
Hey honey, you're my type, girl, I wanna give you a real seeing to. But my mate Nico, he'll have the arse ache, so I'll just think-fuck you instead.”

My eyes open wide and I burst into mild hysterics at a 700 year old vampire talking modern and dirty in a broad cockney accent.

“Well... What can I say?” I splutter.

“
I'd better behave. Nico will flay me alive if he hears such talk...” I laugh some more at his comment, but in truth he may be right about that. Although Nico is intent on providing me with male company I don't think he'd be at all pleased if it was his 'friend' Gabriel.

I steer the topic of conversation away from me to him. “You really like Sofia, don't you?” I sense their strong connection.

“Probably too much. She's the reason I hang around London to be honest.”

“
You should get together, properly.”

“
I don't know... Maybe... We're not human, our relationships are different.”

“
To hell with that, do what feels right.”

“
You have a wise head on your beautiful young shoulders Cali.
I
'll discuss things with her, when we get to Italy. Find out what she wants to do. We could spend time together for a while.”

We finally leave the Louvre and move on to Les Catacombs. Nico monopolises me immediately and holds my hand firmly. I sigh with pleasure as we begin our walk around the dimly lit subterranean passages. But it is a most repelling sight flanking our journey. Rows and rows of disembodied skulls glare at us like sick grinning spectators in the walls. It makes me shiver with disgust. But it is interesting and thought provoking nonetheless.

We finish our whirlwind tour of Paris at the Basilique and this is my favourite place of all. I love the view of the city at night. It is cold, and our breath puffs out in wispy white clouds, but it is such a sensual feast of an experience.

We arrive back at the hotel and rest a while, sipping some wine and then go off to take a short nap in our rooms. Nico lounges on my large sofa. It seems I am not allowed to be on my own for a second. He stares at me silently for a long while, his eyes sparking with gold.

“What?” I ask with a small smile.

“
I am admiring your appearance. You are a very beautiful vampire Calista. Show me your pretty teeth.”

I raise my bite and flash it proudly.

“Mmmm, quite perfect.” He murmurs appreciatively and his eyes warm up instantly.

“
Now show me yours.”

He obliges very briefly.

“Was it a pleasant day for you?”

“
I loved it.”

“
Are you becoming more comfortable with us?”

“
I am, although my parents' situation really upsets me a lot, but when I'm not thinking about that, I'm happy enough.”

“
That is good to hear... Your parents are an unavoidable heartache, I am so sorry for that.”

“
It's okay, I understand, really I do.”

He takes off his shirt, gets comfortable and closes his eyes. I lay quietly staring at his tempting naked chest, imaging my hands and mouth running all over his silky skin. His all over me. I close my eyes too, shutting out the source of my mental torture.

* * *

It is a long journey to Rome, but an spectacular one. The scenery is incredibly beautiful. Breathtakingly so. Gabriel keeps us entertained in between the visual delights with his somewhat peculiar brand of humour. After a quick feed in Rome, we collect our car and set off for the lengthy evening drive north to the Etrusca region. It is late at night when we finally near our destination. We stop at the preceding village for a last feed before continuing to the estate of Villa Aldo just outside the town of Castellana.

We are greeted by our very welcoming, and friendly, vampire hosts, Savio and Messia. They both have amazingly long and rich dark hair. They are two vampires who choose to live alone, as a couple. Nico has obviously known them for many years, and they greet each other like the old friends they are, hugging enthusiastically. Nico takes some time introducing us all to each other and we finally go inside the villa for a glass of the estate's finest sparkling wine.