Chapter Three

Immediately following the story is a little Halloween treat.  I hope all your little ghosts and vampires have a safe and happy Halloween!

Dawn was breaking in the east when Dorothy’s eyes fluttered open. She wasn’t usually up this early, not since she had retired from the school district but she hadn’t really rested well. That was to be expected she thought but she still felt tired. She looked over and saw that Clark’s place was empty and she rolled over and pulled his pillow to her, inhaling his scent. His place was still warm which meant he had only been up for a few minutes. She sat up in the bed and stretched before reaching for her robe. As she slipped it on Clark came quietly into the room and frowned as he saw her standing up with her robe on.

She looked beautiful, even though she was tired. He looked at her blossoming belly that was growing daily with the twins and knew that there had never been a luckier man on this earth. She was his world and always had been, ever since they were kids. When she was 6 and he was 8 he had told her that he was going to marry her someday and always believed it would happen. All those years when she was afraid of getting too close he had still believed in her and the fact that they were meant to be together. He had been determined to love her and Beth the best he could and he did that, each and every day. He felt as much pride in Beth as a natural father ever could. He didn’t know who that was but whoever the bastard was he hoped that he had had a miserable life.

“Honey, what are you doing up? You should be resting.” He came to her and kissed her softly and felt her arms go around his waist. He hugged her back, loving the warm, sleepy smell she had.

“I can’t. My back is hurting and I just need to be up.”

“Would you like some tea and toast?”

“Um, that sounds wonderful. Thank you Clark.” She slipped her feet into some slippers and headed into the bathroom. It felt like all she did was pee and she was only in her fifth month. She could only imagine how it would be later on.

Clark watched her walk slowly into the bathroom with a smile on his face. Yep, the most beautiful girl in the world.

When she came into the kitchen a little while later, her face washed and hair combed she felt a bit better. Clark was just setting a pot of tea on the table and buttering the toast. “Would you like some fruit too? We’ve got melon or strawberries that I can get,” he told her as she sat down.

She shook her head no and said, “No, this will be fine. You take such good care of me Clark. Thank you.”

He smiled as he took his seat and watched as she poured them both some tea. Clark and Dorothy were both coffee fans but it was better for her to drink herbal tea during the pregnancy so in an effort to show solidarity he drank tea as well to show her he was with her, most of the time anyway. If she suspected that he indulged in a cup or two of coffee at work they both just ignored it.

Dorothy was pensive as she sipped her tea and Clark knew what was on her mind; she wanted to talk to Beth and he said as much to her.

“Yes, I do. I know she’s okay, but I still really need to hear her voice, you know? This isn’t what I would have wanted for her; she’ll never have a child of her own but they love each other so much and I can’t fault that. They’ll have so many lifetimes together, time for that love to deepen and grow and I feel happy for them about that.”

Clark listened to her words and they made him think about the discussions they had had about being turned someday. He wanted it, she was scared and wasn’t sure that she was meant for it. He knew that he would never be turned unless she agreed to it as well. He wanted it to be her decision but there was a part of him he acknowledged that hoped that this might change her mind.

“I know they’ll call as soon as they can honey. We just have to be patient.”

She nodded and took a bite of toast. The older she got the less patience she seemed to have. Not a good thing.



OOOOOOOOOOOOO



Logan’s eyes popped open when the bed shifted as the two cats, Plato and Travis jumped on it, most likely wanting breakfast if their rumbling tummies were anything to go by. Both of them sat placidly at the foot of the bed, surveying Logan and Audrey. Logan felt a momentary rush of embarrassment as Plato looked at his mommy, naked and only partially covered up.

Travis lifted his nose in the air, as if to scent what went on and looked pointedly from Audrey to Logan and then back again.

“I didn’t hurt her!” the guilty vampire said. He stared at the two small puncture marks on her neck, remembering how he had put them there.

Both of them quickly decided that since their first time went so well they were up for another tumble and it didn’t take them long to make it happen. This time it was slow and lingering lovemaking and Logan had never felt so connected with another person in his whole life. It was nothing like his sire/fledgling connection he had shared with Mick; that was intense but this blew that away.

As the peak of love arose Logan gently bit her and both of them crashed together with the emotion and power of the bite. It was incredible, a whole new plateau of connection and pleasure that before had been unimagined.

Yeah, they both liked it, a lot. So much that they had tried it again. He figured he needed to get up and make her some breakfast because she was going to need it. Good thing it was Saturday and she didn’t have to rush off to work. He’d also need to get himself something to eat as well.

He sat up in bed trying hard not to disturb Audrey, who was still sleeping soundly. He listened to her heartbeat but it was beating steadily and her breathing was normal. Every now and again she let out soft little sighs that made him smile.

Travis raised a paw into the air as if asking for attention. Logan leaned forward and said, “I’ll bet you boys are hungry, huh? Probably had a big night, stalking small furry creatures in the night, didn’t you?” He watched their faces as he spoke, sure that they understood every word he said.

Travis stepped forward, making his way up Logan’s leg and he pulled back a bit, concerned what the cat wanted. He didn’t trust him a bit and he didn’t care if everyone thought it was all in his head; he knew that cat was a vampire now. When Travis got to Logan’s lap he had an instinct to cover himself in case sharp claws or fangs were preparing to attack but Travis just sat there staring at him, blinking his amber kitty eyes at him. Finally he raised a paw at Logan again and softly meowed.

“What?” Logan asked softly, intrigued by this new behavior. Travis took another step forward and then rubbed his cheek against Logan’s chest.

At the first contact Logan almost levitated off the bed but then he caught the distinct sounds of a purr. Logan stared at Travis and reached out and scratched him behind his ears and the purrs deepened and grew louder. Logan smiled then and stroked down Travis’ back and watched as the cat arched his back in bliss.

“I’ll be darned. Maybe you do like me,” he said, moving his fingers to scratch under Travis’ chin. Before he knew it Plato had moved forward and demanded to be scratched as well.

When Audrey opened her eyes she found both cats on Logan’s lap as he leaned back against the pillow. He was scratching both of them under the chin and they were both purring loudly.

She and Logan and the two cats. Maybe family had just been redefined.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Mick watched Beth’s eyes silver over again as she stared at his body – at one particular part of his body. She licked her lips and gave a low, sexy growl as she crawled down the bed. Mick watched her movements, slow and sensual, almost like a jungle cat on the prowl. When she reached her destination she turned to him and gave him a sultry grin, her fangs just peeking out between her lush lips. It was the sexiest thing Mick had ever seen, watching Beth like this.

She grasped him with her hand and moved up and down his turgid length a few times, eyeing her prize speculatively. It was almost as if she had never seen him before she decided as she saw the veins standing out prominently against his velvety skin. A bead of his liquid desire leaked out and she bent forward, her tongue capturing it quickly. It didn’t taste any different than it ever had she decided and then bent to her task, swirling her tongue over the swollen tip and then smiling as it elicited a groan from him. Her mouth sank farther down and she could feel the blood pulsing through the shaft in a way she never had before and the thought that it was his blood excited her even more.

Her mouth worked him until he couldn’t stand it any longer and he pulled her up to him and kissed her, delving his tongue into her mouth and stroking the warm depths until they were both crazy with passion. Beth sank down on him, sliding onto his heated length with practiced ease. The wet petals of her flower pulled him into her body, gripping him tightly. She sat up and leaned back, and he watched her firm breasts rise and fall as she drew in sharp breaths with her labor.

She rode him wildly, aware that her senses were alive as they never had been before. Mick’s hands roamed over her lush body, strumming her like a fine instrument and she whimpered softly at the beauty of it. Mick’s hands cupped her breasts, thumbs roving over her puckered nipples and then swept down her body to the curves of her hips, guiding her thrusts as he pushed upwards to meet them.

When he couldn’t handle it any longer her pulled her down and rolled over so he could ride her for the final strokes. He tilted his head to the side so she could see the veins in his neck and she needed no further invitation; baby fangs hit their mark gently and as soon as the blood started to flow she came undone. Mick found the vein on her neck and bit her as well. Their arms tightened around each other and Beth’s eyes were squeezed tightly shut as she felt her release storm through her body, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. It took a full minute to subside and they both felt how her body continued to rhythmically contracted around him. Finally she pulled her mouth free and lapped at the blood on his neck and she shivered as he did the same thing.

She clung to him tightly still, arms and legs around him and they both caught their breath, even though neither needed to. He kissed her, every bit of love he had for her in the kiss and she understood so much now. She had tasted his love in his blood and so much more. She knew what the vampire had known all along – they were mates, for life.



OOOOOOOOOOOO


When Lani and Josef got to his house Franklin opened the door and stood aside as they entered. Lani noted that Franklin was the epitome of an English butler, reserved and polite to the nth degree. He showed her up the stairs and down one of the halls before he stopped at the second door and opened it so that she could enter.

The room was exquisite, done all in shades of bright yellows. Creamy lemon yellow mixed with daffodil and even a light butterscotch present in the room accents. The carpet was cream and yellow with a topaz color here and there and the silk duvet and upholstery on the chaise were a delicate shade of buttercup. It was soothing and she sighed with pleasure.

“Will the room be adequate Ms. Parker?” Franklin asked as he watched the young lady look around the room.

“Adequate?” she asked with a laugh, feeling a hysterical bubble rise up in her throat. “I think that yes, it is more than adequate. Thank you very much.”

He left and Lani explored the room, stopping here and there to touch a knick-knack. There was a cream colored mantle piece over a huge fireplace, as if anyone would need such a thing here. Over it hung a lovely painting of daffodils in a field. It was delicate and she could almost feel the movement of a soft breeze moving through it. She found a closet, an armoire that contained a television and stereo and finally the bathroom, done in the same shades of yellow with brass fixtures. Suddenly she couldn’t wait to crawl into that shower and she grabbed her toiletries and headed in, dropping her clothes as she went.

Josef listened outside the door, holding a small tray that contained a bottle of Macallen and a cut crystal highball glass. When he heard her enter the bathroom he waited for a moment until the shower came on and then quietly opened the door and set the tray on the table beside the bed, and left the room. Out in the hall he sat down on the floor; he told himself he was being a fool but he wanted to make sure she got to bed and to sleep okay.

The room she was in was his mothers’ room; or rather the room he would give to her if it was possible. She had loved yellow and her sitting room in his family home had been filled with yellow furnishings. She loved the spring time when the first daffodils popped up and as a small child he could remember picking them for her and she would scatter them in vases around the room. He didn’t really remember that much of that life, but he remembered that.

He’d seen so many people die in his extended lifetime and had almost watched another dear person leave this earth tonight. All because of his stupid mistake, his incompetency and his belief in someone not worthy of that belief.

It would never happen again.

Before too long he heard her go back into the bedroom and he closed his eyes as he leaned his head back along the wall, waiting for her to sleep.

In the room Lani pulled on a nightshirt and sat on the bed only then spotting the Macallen. She sighed, smiling as she told herself to remember to thank Franklin in the morning. She poured two fingers worth and sipped, leaning back in the bed against some pillows. She was so tired but her mind refused to turn off. She tipped the glass back and finished the fine scotch in one drink and then grabbed the remote for the television and flipped it on, searching for something boring. When she ran across C-span she knew she had hit the jackpot. She poured one more finger of scotch and drank it down before setting the glass on the table. She found the remote timer on the tv and set it for an hour. If an hour of C-span didn’t put her to sleep nothing would. She crawled into the bed and pulled the covers up and tried to focus on the tv set but before long she was sleeping soundly.

Outside, Josef heard her soft sighs as sleep welcomed her with open arms. Her breathing became deep and even, her heart beating steadily and he rose to his feet, knowing she would be okay before heading down to his quarters to feed and make some calls. She was okay; he repeated it over and over until he believed it.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



Beth hadn’t noticed when Mick had lowered the door on the freezer, but she realized that the top was really high. The door also opened like a DeLorean, rising up leaving the sides flat with the bed of the freezer. No climbing over the side; that was cool she thought.

They held one another tightly after they had made love, each of them unwilling to let the other go. Beth snuggled against him, running her fingers lightly over his chest while he stroked her back. It was wonderful, perfect she thought.

“Beth, we both need to go and feed in a bit but before we do I need to talk to you about some things, okay?” His words were almost hesitant and she sensed his discomfort over whatever he had to say.

Beth looked up at him and smiled and moved her hand to stroke his cheek. “Okay, what do you need to tell me?” She wondered if there really was some super-secret vampire thing that she hadn’t known about and for some reason the thought thrilled her.

He kissed her forehead and cleared his throat; he felt so nervous but he had to establish their sire/fledgling relationship and he knew that she wouldn’t necessarily like it. Beth was strong and very much her own person and obeying rules wasn’t really her strongest gift.

“Beth, now that you are a vampire, you need to know some things, follow some rules even.” He watched as her eyes narrowed as he spoke. She was listening, but the chances of pissing her off were good. “As your sire, you will need to listen to me and do what I tell you to do, without question which will be hard sometimes I know.”

She started to open her mouth to protest he knew and he laid a finger gently over her lips and continued. “It’s for your safety baby, things are different now and I have to know that you will do as you’re asked without 20 questions, okay? There could be times Beth when your life or mine could depend on it.”

“O-kay; I’m listening,” she said and he could tell that it irritated her to speak the words.

“You’re stronger now, faster, you are going to be more in tune with your senses but it takes a bit of getting used to. Things are going to seem louder, brighter and more in focus for you. Your skin is going to be very sensitive, not only to sunlight but to any bright light for awhile. People will seem like they are yelling when they aren’t, their heartbeats, the sound of their blood rushing though their veins will be enthralling to you. That’s why we’re here, so you can get used to everything gradually.”

The thought occurred to her to wonder where they were. She had assumed at the loft but she hadn’t been out of the freezer so she didn’t know. “So just where are we?”

“In Seattle, at our house. It’s secluded, quiet and exactly what you will need for a bit. Your body will move differently now Beth; more gracefully but usually before that happens it takes some control because your movements will almost seem exaggerated until you are fully in control. It takes some practice baby.”

She loved how he moved; it was beautiful to watch, an economy of motion that was more than sexy – it was sensual and dangerous. Maybe even predatory she suddenly realized. Ooh, she thought, I’m going to move like that too and so fast to boot!

“You’re afraid if I were home I’d want to see everyone and I could be a threat to them huh?” she said and watched as he nodded.

“You wouldn’t be able to control yourself for awhile baby. If you went after someone you love you’d never forget it or forgive yourself Beth.”

She nodded solemnly and said, “That’s why vampires usually walk away from their families isn’t it?”

“How do you explain yourself if you don’t? You don’t eat food anymore and it’s hard to trust yourself around them. Vampires are dangerous, you know that Beth. The fact that you will still see your family and friends will be very unusual and its – well it is complicated for some of them.”

She suddenly thought of Carl and Robbi and Ben; she couldn’t imagine what to say. “I’m going to have to quit work, I know.”

“Yes and you should probably call him today Beth; just get it over with. And what do you want to do about Robbi and Carl? You can’t just walk away from them when you are still around Lani and your folks and others.”

“I don’t know Mick. You know, I believe Carl already knows about you. I think so anyway.”

Mick looked down at her, a small frown on his face. He had suspected that as well but he wondered if Beth knew something else and so he asked her.

“No, it’s just a gut feeling I have. I think he’s tried to protect you Mick; look at the lineup thing. He and I have never talked about it, but I’m pretty sure. But Robbi? It breaks my heart because I don’t know what to do about her. I can’t walk away from her Mick; she’s like a sister, just like Lani but I have no idea if she could handle it.”

“Well just play it by ear with her, okay? For a little bit and see what we need to do. Now, it’s time to go down and feed; you have to be getting hungry and I know I am. I have some really dark sunglasses in the bedroom for you to put on, they sort of wrap around and trust me, you will need them. I think I heard Tim bring our bags in earlier so I’ll go down and grab them and bring them back up and then we can take a cool shower and get dressed, okay?”

“Okay, sounds good.” She watched him press a button and the lid lifted with a hushed ‘swoosh’ sound. “That is so cool!” she laughed.

“Um hm, nothing but the best from Josef Kostan. Seriously though, I gotta get us one of these for the loft.” The both stepped out into the room and Beth stretched, feeling marvelous.

Mick left the room and came back in carrying the sunglasses. She took them and commented, “Really, I don’t need them Mick.”

“Beth, its pitch black in this room. No lights are on.”

Her mouth formed an ‘O’ and she shrugged. “So, better vision huh?”

He nodded and pulled on his jeans in order to head downstairs. Beth wandered into the bedroom and she was glad she had the shades on but even with them the room was very bright. She wandered into the hall to the top of the stairs and looked down into the hallway. Suddenly an impulse took over and she couldn’t control it. She jumped from the top of the stairs to the bottom, landing on the runner at the bottom. She slid 5 feet and then fell on her behind, laughing like a kid.

Mick was not amused. He dropped the bags he had in his hand and yelled, “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” and watched as she paled and put her hands over her ears from the pain of the volume of the words. He rushed to her saying “I’m sorry baby, I didn’t mean to yell.”

She looked up at him, wincing because her ears were still ringing. They felt almost numb from the pain and then tears started flowing down her face and she jumped into his arms scared to death.

Mick sank to the floor and held her, cuddling her and trying to wipe away the tears that streaked down her beautiful face. “Beth, you could have hurt yourself. You aren’t ready to do those kinds of things.”

“I can’t die; it was just a jump M- Mick,” she said with a hiccup.

“You could have broken your leg or something Beth,” he said, an exasperated tone to his voice.

“Well, it’ll heal you know!” she told him defiantly.

“It will still hurt like hell while it heals Beth. Please don’t do things like that again without asking. I’ll teach you to jump and stuff, I promise. We have other things to work on first.”

She nodded and snuffled loudly. She guessed even vampires needed tissues sometimes. She stood up and headed back to the stairs to find a tissue upstairs. As she got to the bottom step she heard Mick say, “One at a time Beth.”



OOOOOOOOOOOO



The ride out the beach house was pretty quiet for Lani and Josef but it wasn’t really uncomfortable which gave Lani pause to think about him, about what they were embroiled in together. Keeping the secret; Beth had told her that it was the number one priority. How could she tell this secret to anyone? Especially now that she was complicit in all of it and more importantly, it would mean the death of her best friend, and others too she guessed. Surprisingly, she didn’t want that for any of these people.

She was a realist – she knew that there were vampires out that that were evil, horrible creatures and she’d met them up close and personal. But then there were people like Mick and Cami and Heroku who were anything but evil. She cast a sideways glance at Josef, trying to debate which side he was on. A couple of months ago she would have put him in the former category, but now?

Now?
He wasn’t evil and she knew it. But that didn’t make him okay either. Not quite. Sure, he was thoughtful and helpful in a crisis, that much was true but he could order someone’s death without blinking.

So what her head screamed – you killed someone. What does that make you?

Josef saw Lani squirming in her seat and wondered what was going on. There was too much wind to catch her scent since the top was down on the Ferrari but she was sure mulling over something and judging by the look on her face it wasn’t good. He tried to keep an eye on her as he dealt with all the traffic on a Saturday afternoon; people were heading to the various beaches in droves and were anxious to get there. Far be it from him to get in their way he decided as he watched a small convertible fly past, surfboards fastened to the back of the car. He had often thought that surfing looked exciting; maybe someday he’d learn. He wondered if Lani surfed.

Soon he was turning off onto the side road that led to the beach house. When he pulled the car to a stop she was very quiet and her heart was pounding in her chest. He watched as she gulped in several deep breaths and noticed that she was clenching her hands tightly together.

“Lani, you don’t have to do this today, okay? We can come back another time or I can send someone out to get your car for you.”

She licked her lips for a moment and then shook her head. He knew that she would do it now, to prove something to herself, if not him. He admired her for that but she was so busy showing that she was strong and okay that it tore his heart out.

“No, I’m fine, I can do this,” she told him, opening her door and stepping out of the car. She walked around the side of the house and stood looking at the beach for a moment, her eyes sweeping the beach as if looking for traces of what had happened the night before. Finally she nodded and punched in a manual code to open the garage door. She turned and looked at Josef and said, “Oh, I didn’t get a chance to thank Franklin for the scotch last night. I really appreciated it.”

He nodded, dipping his face a bit so that she couldn’t read it. He knew it was best if that was what she thought but a part of him wanted her to know the truth. Instead he said, “I’ll be sure and do that. Be careful going home, the traffic was crazy out there.” He hopped back into the Ferrari and started the engine, listening to the smooth purr with satisfaction. He watched her get into the Maserati and start the engine. She backed out next to him and pushed a button, closing the garage door and then gave him a brief wave and headed off, back to LA and back to where life was so much more complicated than it had been yesterday at this time.



To be continued…

Just a little fun for Halloween. No intent to steal any characters, only make fun of them! If you are a Twilight fan, I apologize...



No Such Thing as Sparkly Vampires


It was late October and Mick sat on the porch of the Seattle house, staring up at the full moon. His mom would have called it a harvest moon, but he thought of it as a blood moon, tinged red and huge, it hung like an omen in the inky black sky.

A few gray white clouds sketched across the night sky as if to tease the moon with their translucent presence. The air was still with a hint of salt in the air from the sound, crisp and moist, perfect for a vampire.

Beth was resting deeply in their freezer upstairs; fledglings need lots of rest and lots of other things too and Beth was a demanding fledgling. Mick was a lucky man and he knew it.

Suddenly he caught a movement out in the densest part of the trees, due west. He stood up and saw something glow red and the sound of something large scurrying off, away from the house.

What kind of animal has red eyes? Wolves maybe?

Mick decided to go and check it out; the indigenous wildlife normally didn’t present a problem for them but since whatever this was appeared to be watching the house he wasn’t prepared to just let it go.

He stood up and jumped off the porch and was startled to see Tim come around the corner of the house, in what could only be described as war paint.

“Tim, what the hell?” Mick said as he took in Tim in a leather breechclout and moccasins. Red and black paint streaked his face making him look quite savage. In his hand he carried a silver tipped war lance that was very lethal looking.

“Damn Cullen’s! Never know when to stay the hell away. Come on, we gotta catch ‘em.” He tossed another war lance to Mick and took off at a fast trot, leaving Mick to catch up with him.

As they ran through the forest Mick asked, “What is a cullen? Are they a type of wolf?”

Tim stopped for a moment and stared at Mick as if he were crazy. “You don’t know what a Cullen is? They sparkle, I’ll tell you that much. Wolves? They hang around with ‘em sometimes it’s said.” Tim lifted his head and scented the air and remarked, “He’s close. Been hunting around here. You hear me Cullen! I’m gonna get you this time!” He raised a hatchet in the air and Mick wondered where that came from.

In the distance they heard a laugh that seemed to float through the air. It was an eerie laugh, more like a small girls Mick thought and he said, “This cullen isn’t human is it?”

“Hell no! They’re vampires!”

“Vampires? What are they hunting for out here?” Mick was clearly puzzled because there weren’t any humans around for miles.

“Who knows? Deer, bear maybe, they’ll eat anything. Come on, we gotta catch ‘em.” He took off running again at a fast clip, Mick following closely behind.

Suddenly Tim stopped again and looked up, pointing at the tree canopy. “He’s taken to the trees. That’s okay because if he falls he’ll shatter into a million pieces, then we just have to dispose of them. You take that tree and I’ll take this one. Stay alert, he’s close by,” Tim warned.

Shatter? What kind of a vampire shattered? He was beginning to think that Tim had been smoking something other than tobacco in his peace pipe. “Tim, vampires don’t shatter!” Mick said, concerned for his friend.

“These here ones do,” Tim said, jumping straight up into the upper branches of the tree.

Mick shrugged, deciding to just go along with it for now. He jumped up into his tree and scented the air; there was a very different scent up here, but definitely not vamp; there was no smell of decay. He turned around and came face to face with a person with glowing red eyes and skin that…sparkled? Sparkled, really?

He couldn’t help it – he laughed out loud. And then laughed some more. The intensity of the red eyes grew more furious as Mick continued to laugh. “Stop laughing!” Edward said.

“Dude, you SPARKLE!! I can’t help it. You think you’re a vamp? Tim, this guy isn’t a vampire!” Mick said, jumping back down to the ground. Tim joined him, quickly followed by Edward.

“Okay Cullen, I’ve had enough of you poaching off the preserve. You’ve stolen your last bear from us!” Tim raised the hatchet, ready to strike.

Mick stepped between them and raised a hand to prevent Tim was lopping this guy’s head off. “Look um, Cullen, you’re NOT a vampire, okay? Now, go on home and play nice with someone else, okay?”

“I most certainly am a vampire,” Edward asserted. He drew himself up to appear intimidating.

“You don’t even have any fangs,” Mick said, displaying his own. “Now, you really think you want to get an attitude with me? Go on home!” He stepped away, laughing at the silly young man.

“We don’t bite to get our blood. We’re superior vampires, highly evolved.” Edward raised his head a notch, pride ringing in his statement.

“Um hm.” Mick turned around, preparing to walk away when Edward grabbed him, tightening his grip around Mick’s neck to inhuman pressure. Mick elbowed him only to be met by something that felt like solid granite. “Ow! What the hell?” he asked, breaking away and holding his elbow.

“Told you Mick, they’re vamps. Stand aside!” He raised the hatchet and swung wide, carving into the side of Edwards’s neck, lopping the head off. It hit the ground with a thud and rolled several feet away. His body was still trying to fight. “Get rid of that head Mick,” Tim said, still fighting the body of the vamp. He was losing Mick saw and decided to make a grab for the head but the body was quicker than both of them, breaking away from Tim’s grasp and lunging for its head and sitting it back on top of his body.

Edward growled at them and both Mick and Tim returned the sound, filling the forest with the unearthly howls. The moon was straight overhead and Edward sparkled brighter than ever and Mick felt a chill creep up his spine.

“Cullen, get the hell off of my land! Next time you come around you won’t make it out alive; that’s not a threat, it’s a promise,” Mick told the other vamp.

“Look, I’ll leave but I made a mistake okay? I didn’t mean to come onto your land. I’ll be more careful in the future.” He suddenly disappeared, leaving Mick and Tim staring at one another.

The next thing the two men knew they were suddenly surrounded by glowing amber eyes. Mick and Tim looked around themselves and saw a half dozen wolves, razor sharp teeth bared and snapping at the two vamps.

“Damn werewolves! Get outta here,” Tim said, throwing the hatchet at the one nearest him.

“Werewolves?” Mick said, fainting dead away.



<><><><><><><><><><><><><>



Mick sat up with a start, knocking the book he had been reading off of his lap. It thumped to the floor loudly, making him jump. He picked it up off the floor, trying to smooth out the pages that had gotten bent when the book hit the floor. It was Beth’s book and she had dared him to read it, so of course he had.

The dream came back to him in a rush and he shivered. Sparkly vampires? Werewolves? How ridiculous.

The only thing more upsetting than those things was the fact that vampires don’t dream. He looked around the house, at the quiet and stillness within and stood up. It was time to hit the freezer.

Vampires don’t dream, vampires don’t dream…



The end.