***Prologue***
Late 1800s
Danielle had always been a happy girl. She was shy, sure, but would offer a good conversation when spoken to. As she grew into her twenties she became more reserved and contemplative. She could often be found sitting in a far corner at a party merely watching the guests.
Her older sister, Katherine, was the epitome of a good child. Always doing as she was told, never stepping even a toe out of line. Even though she was quiet and submissive, she felt more comfortable than Danielle in the midst of company.
It was late one night after a large gathering when Danielle and Katherine were walking home. They knew they should have had an escort after hearing about the latest murders, but neither wanted to bother the party-goers.
That was the night they were taken. The sisters were separated and by the time they saw each other again, the only thing they knew was that they were related. Their memories were gone and they had been changed. Katherine became wild and erratic, killing just for the fun of the chase. Danielle, however, only became more serious. She desperately wanted to know of her former life as a human and with the help of her mentor, Mina, she began to piece it all together.
When Mina was killed, Danielle set out to find a new companion and happened upon her old friend Anika. The years had been kind to the girl and even at twenty-six, she was still as pretty as she'd always been. But Danielle was saddened to find that her friend had never married. When Anika had found that Danielle had gone missing, she feared the worse and never recovered.
*** ***
When I had made Anika, I'd had no idea that she would be so sensual, so lustful. As my human friend, she was a sweet, shy girl. Her voice remained somewhat high as she went through puberty, always reminding me of a child.
As a vampire, her sweetness carried over but her shyness was completely gone. Often I would catch her wandering around our apartment without a stitch of clothing.
"Don't walk around here naked, Anika," I would scold her. She would look at me with one raised eyebrow and laugh.
"It's just the apartment, what harm can it cause? Maybe if I just open up the window?" She would then leap to the nearest window and throw open the curtains. I'd race to it and shut them again, scowling at her, to which she would laugh again.
I always wondered if she was secretly like this as a human. Did she wish to be seen by strangers as she undressed? Maybe she pretended she forgot her robe when she opened the door to a delivery person. Had she ever slept with anyone?
I'd asked her about her virginity a few times but she would never answer me. Somehow she always managed to change the subject. She was annoying that way.
It was another calm night when things began to change. I was sitting on the edge of the bed, a book in my hand. Anika was still sleeping, her nude body entangled in all the sheets and blankets the bed held. It was why I was up. We had only one bed in the entire apartment so we had to share. She was always claiming the covers.
Despite the decades that had passed, I still couldn't sleep well without them. It's not as if they kept me warm now. No, blood was the only thing that could warm me.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear Anika stirring. A little moan escaped her lips and the sheets rustled as she turned over. Her toes poked into my back, nudging me further off the bed. I growled low in my throat, annoyed with her stretching, but didn't turn around.
"What book are you reading?" she asked groggily, her voice low and thick with sleep. I could feel the bed bending under her weight as she crawled up to me. A white arm snaked around my shoulder and she absently grabbed one of my breasts.
With a frustrated sigh, I put the book on my knee and turned my torso so I could see Anika better. "Do you want me to move to the chair?" I asked her sternly. "You know I only sit here to read because you can't possibly sleep well without me."
"I was just asking a simple question," she pouted.
I cleared my throat and looked down at her hand, which was still on my breast. She smiled impishly and pulled it away. "Thank you. I'm reading The Diary of Anne Frank, if you must know."
"Ugh, why do you read all those boring biographies and stuff?" Her lip curled slightly and she laid back against the pillows, sighing with pleasure at their softness and pulling one close.
