A yawn built in my jaw as the bottom edge of the sun sank below the horizon.  Its descent was always speedy as far as clocks go, but when your lying paralysed until it makes its nightly retreat, it can’t come quickly enough.  Especially when your jaw is aching like this.  Like it always does.  And it always grates me, that tiny part of the life that I would never, ever get used to.

The edge of the earth finally consumed the sun.  My muscles relaxed, my lungs filled with a rush of fresh earth-scented air, and my jaws found sweet release in the song of a sighing yawn.  I pulled myself out of the loose, shallow grave, stretched my arms above me, and settled back again, scratching my chest.  “Good morning, Starshine,” I spoke into the emptiness of the cave.

Starshine bounded down from her perch and rushed to my side, rubbing back and forth against my ribs with a low purr.  A dot of pink shone through her soft white fur next to the corner of her mouth.  She was clean as a whistle, but blood was a tricky thing to get out when you only had a tongue to work with.  I smiled down at her and scratched behind her ears.  “Already ate?  Guess there’s no need for me to bring something back to you?”  She mewled in protest, and I chuckled.  “Ah, you know I can’t deny your sweet face.  Alright, I’ll be back in a bit, puss.”  I lifted myself up from the ground, shook my form into a pair of trousers, and plodded out the cave’s entrance.

Time for a spot of brekkie.

My naked feet carried me to the nearest mountain village with preternatural speed — one of the perks of being vampire.  Food was fast, but I was much faster, stronger, and had twice the endurance of any encountered prey.  Not that prey had the time to even think of running — all I had to do was shoot them a smile, and they were mesmerised, perfectly willing to do my bidding.

I slowed to a walk just outside the village gate, listening.  Oh, no… children.  Laughing, merry children.  Must be a festival night, I thought, cursing.  Sure enough, as I crept nearer to the town centre, keeping close to buildings for the cover of shadow, I saw a large bonfire with dancers twirling around it, tiny stations of carnival games, and a row of cut barrels filled with water and apples.  Jacks were perched on poles at seven different points around the centre, their grotesque faces flickering in a blaze superstition.  Hallowe’en, already?

I looked to the bonfire dancers with a bit of a shudder.  Fire was not my thing.  Even though it stayed tucked safely beneath my ribcage, the only way to truly kill my kind was to incinerate the heart.  It would take a while — a painful while — but if anyone sensed my presence and the nature of my being, a town this size could easy toss me in and keep me there.  But I wasn’t too focused on the flame, because I had no intent on being found.  If I couldn’t round up a straggler before long, I would borrow a drink from the forest fauna.  Unpleasant, but sufficient.

But no, the flames weren’t my focus.  The dancers were.  One in particular, dressed in ivory and plum, with hair the colour of fresh, fertile earth.  The light of the fire caught on her smile, shining bright white like the milky quartz crystals embedded in my cave’s walls.  Her heart… I focused, finding her heartbeat in the midst of all the commotion, and listened to the strong but feminine thump and the swishing in her veins.  And as I listened, I noticed the beat of mine own heart coming to pace hers in perfect unison.

I must have her, I thought with strong resolve.  This one belongs to me.

She slowed her step and smiled to someone in the crowd, nodding twice.  Her lips, pink and dry from the heat of the fire and her dance, formed beautiful, soundless words.  With another nod, she started to the outer reaches of the town centre… headed right toward the building that leant me shadow.  I whipped around quickly and pressed myself to the side of the wall, holding my breath in waiting.

She took a ladle to a bucket at the wall, and drank, breathing fast and heavy between each healthy gulp, heart beating madly in her chest.  Mine paced hers for no obvious reason.  I heard her yawn, thump up against the wall, and slide down to the ground.  I slid with her on my own side, sighing.  Her presence filled the air with the scent of jasmine.  It filled my nostrils, drifting up to my brain, shutting off all reason.

I reached my hand around the corner of the building and, finding hers, laid it down gently.  Come, I commanded silently.  Walk with me.  As if the message travelled through the nerves of my hand and into her own thoughts, she stood and walked to my side.  I stood with a smile, pulling her into the shadows, then buried my face in her neck, breathing her in.  She gasped softly, dropping the ladle to the ground before catching her balance around my waist.  “Sir,” she whispered with a mix of panic and excitement.

“Come,” I commanded.  She took my hand and we walked slowly to the edge of town, far from the fire’s light, when I took her up in my arms and made fast time back to the cave, eager for a drink of her fresh, virgin blood.  Eager to make for certain that I would be the last to claim her virgin blood.  The anticipation was almost too much to bear.

We reached the cave’s entrance in a few short minutes, hours for most, and with her still trapped and helpless in her enthrallment, I loosened the plum sash around her waist as I carried her through the open arch of rock.  Starshine jumped down and ran against my angles, flicking her tail expectantly.  “Sorry, sweetheart… this one’s mine.”  Star sat on the spot, sulking.

At the wall of milky quartz, I set the plum dancer to her feet, and brushed her hair from her neck.  “Yes,” I chuckled, fangs lengthening.  Her body jerked as I sank my teeth in deep, clinging tightly to my waist as her knees threatened to give out.  Mine…