Chapter 11
"We love because it's the only true adventure."
She entered the hallway tentatively. He couldn't see much detail since the light from the candles was inadequate for him. But he could see her outline and shape. She was as nicely proportioned as he expected her to be. Moving closer still, he saw her eyes begin to glow. There was no evil source of light emanating from them. They simply reflected the available light in the room, appearing eerie as they did so. And there was something else about them; they were the same eyes he saw in the alley, a soft bluish-white.
In candlelight she saw his room as if it was daylight and in typical female fashion, she saw the collection of dust on his dresser. Her eyesight was a gift of evolution. On a moonless night she saw a meadow as if it were daytime. A vampire's aversion to light has nothing to do with them being cursed as we may think. The light will blind them when they're rendered vulnerable and like any intelligent creature, they'll avoid it. Their skin lacks melanin and pigmentation to protect them from the sun. Though exposure to the sun will cause rapid sunburn, their healing properties counteract it, assuming they're well fed and healthy.
As she moved closer he heard the sound of her toenails making contact with the floor. Though he couldn't see them, they were longer and thicker than her fingernails. Her feet and ankles were strong, thick and powerfully built. Obviously they were a powerful springboard from which leaping, kicking and jumping was made easy.
Softly she slid into bed beside him without speaking, allowing him to do what he may. Instead of saying anything he moved a hand over her silky skin. Her hair was like a lion's mane smelling clean and wild. The overall scent from her was earthy, like a meadow on a sunny day. When he asked what soap she used she said,
"None, we don't sweat through our pores like humans. As you probably know, sweat cools the body as it evaporates which allowed early man to hunt during the heat of the day. But since we are active at night, we evolved without the ability."
She kept her eyes closed. Aside from her fangs they were perhaps her most distinguishable feature, often perceived as evil. But who couldn't appreciate a feline's eye. When she felt his finger beneath her eye she opened it slowly. He saw the vertical iris closing until it was a narrow band of blackness. Her cornea was a light blue-green with yellow specks, surrounded by a circle of yellow and brown at the perimeter. Suddenly she closed her eyes tightly. When he tried to open them again she threw them wide open, staring at him wildly...
"BOO!" she said unexpectedly, startling him until he heard those endearing and delightful sounds within her throat.
"Behave, how can I examine you if you're scaring me," he said still shaken.
He saw her smiling with her eyes for the first time. Somehow she made them appear soft and in so doing he discovered their ability in expressing sentiment. They were incredible; even if they weren't human they were outstanding all the same.
He moved his hand to her chin, gently prying her mouth open. Her teeth were astonishing, much bigger than he thought they'd be. They were like ivory, mostly white with traces of amber at her gums. They were formidable, as frightening as any dog or wild animal yet not as thick as the big cats. They were almost two inches long in their current state. The bottom fangs were not as long but they too looked strong and sharp as nails. Though he was no expert in such matters, he thought she'd have no problem ripping a human to shreds with her teeth alone. In addition to her teeth she had the ability to heal quickly. Surely there were no earthly animals that could escape with their lives in a melee with one of her kind. The thought of what four or five of them could do as a team boggled his mind. It's safe to say, he knew she was not to be trifled with, not ever! He learned through observation and would certainly have to treat her with respect, as a matter of course.
"My mother said you have the ability to inject a substance into humans when you'd turn someone into a vampire. How do you do that?"
"There's a second set of small teeth behind the upper fangs. You can feel them with your finger, if you're careful. We have to bite down hard, sinking them all the way in. We draw up a substance from our nasal cavity. We do it the same way you do when you try to clear your sinuses. It's like swallowing or inhaling with your nostrils."
He touched her tongue feeling the catlike bristles on it, not knowing how long it was until she uncoiled it, rolling it out of her mouth when he saw it had a split end, like a reptiles. At its base it was as wide as ours but it tapered to a narrow band before splitting at the tip.
