I had been living at the manor since I could remember. Its brownstone towers and enormous doorways were as familiar as the darkness inside. The heavy curtains usually drawn in most of the house caused only slivers of light to occasionally filter in. The lonely hallways and the strange creaking noises were my home. I had always known that I was different. Different from my family, different from most girls. They were chatting and gossiping about boyfriends and hair whilst I was spending hours in the vast library of the manor. If I thought about boys, it was only ever about Raphael. If I thought about hair, it was only to imagine his dark locks brushing my face.
On this evening, I went down to the kitchen to fix myself some crackers and seltzer water once the slivers of light had died, and found Raphael sitting by the fire, reading. His pale skin was illuminated by the flames, but his dark hair soaked in the light. He looked ill, dark circles beneath his beautiful eyes. I blushed at the thought. Raphael was someone I had grown up with, but he was older than I was by about 10 years. I suppose it didn't really matter, I was 20 now. High school had passed, and now I spent my days writing in the library. I had even had a few things published this year- some poetry and a few short stories.
Raphael turned at the sound of my footsteps. I sat beside him on the couch and pulled the blanket around his shoulders. I looked at his lovely face, now darkened by shadows, and touched his cheek gently. He closed his eyes and smiled gently.
"You shouldn't worry, Lainey. I just need to eat something." I tilted my head and looked into his vast green eyes, now open.
"Then eat something." I smiled, "and don't call me Lainey."
"Oh, right. Well, you're a woman now, I suppose I should give up on thinking of you as a little girl, Laine."
"That's better." I smiled and curled up next to him. He gently stroked my long hair.
"Waves of dark beauty. Flowing like a river of silk down your milky white skin," he spoke softly, and then kissed my head. I was still almost like a sister to him, even though I knew that we weren't actually related. He had just always lived here, adopted by my aunt and uncle. He fit, though, having dark hair and pale skin like the rest of us. I nestled closer, warmed by the fire.
"Go eat something," I said softly. He looked at me, a sadness in his eyes.
"Are you sure you want to watch?" I hesitated but then nodded.
"Please." He sighed and picked up the phone. I could hear a young man pick up on the other line. He talked to him for a bit and then hung up.
"He'll be over in a few minutes. I'm going to go get the door. You can watch from behind the secret screen." He smiled a little. I used to hide in there all the time when I was little. There was a secret passageway in the hall that led to a small crawl space behind a picture on the wall near the fireplace. You could see through the picture into the room. From there I watched Raphael bring the young man into the room, where they nuzzled and talked for a few moments. The young man brought Raphael's mouth to his neck and sighed with pleasure. Raphael paused to kiss his neck and then bit down into the flesh of his neck with his sharp, hollow fangs. The young man went stiff and then grabbed Raphael, writhing in ecstasy. Raphael ran his nails across the young man's back which seemed to intensify his full-body orgasm. They fell onto the couch and Raphael held him firmly as he fed on the young man. I watched in fascination and horror. Slowly, though, the color returned to his face. After about 5 minutes he let go of the young man and licked the wound on his neck several times until it closed over, resembling a faint hickey. Raphael kissed the young man on the mouth and bid him goodbye. He led him out the door as I climbed out of the secret crawl space. When Raphael returned to the fireplace room I was there waiting already.
"Are you happy?" He asked, sadly.
"I didn't know that it was so passionate." I blushed.
"It's not. It's animalistic, violent. Some people just get off on it." He shrugged. That's why I choose them. It's like giving blood, though. I can only feed on them every two months or so or they get sick from the blood loss."
"Oh." I stated. I threw my arms around him and kissed his cheek, now slightly warmer. He held me gently, and I knew that he could feel my heart pounding. It was in his nature to feel it.
"Go to sleep, Laine." He whispered.
"Raphael, I..."
"Shhhh...my sweet. Shhhhh. Go to sleep."
"Raphael, what does it feel like for you?" He took a step back and held my arms, looking into my dark eyes.
"When you're thirsty, and then you drink down a nice, big glass of cold water. When you're ravishingly hungry, and then you bite into a a tender, rare steak and let the juices run down your chin. Like that."
"But is it sexual?" I blushed.
"It can be. It depends on the person, but yes, I do tend to choose people with whom it is sexual. After all, what greater arousal is there than knowing that another person is what keeps you alive? That his or her blood is flowing through you, nourishing you as you feed?"
"But do you ever have sex?"
"Oh, Laine..." He stared into my face as his eyes pierced my soul straight through.
"Sometimes, yes." He looked at my wistful expression.
"But you can never see the sun again, and never see the brilliant colors of day. The waking world becomes a distant dream. And whatever you might read, night magic is not all it's cracked up to be." He looked at me again, staring into my eyes, pleading with me not to continue. I didn't, and slipped off to bed, crying. I felt him come into my room several minutes later, even though he was as quiet as the breeze. He sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked my hair. He then did something that he had not done since I was little- he climbed in with me and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the back of my head. Later, when I awoke to the sun streaming in through my windows, he was gone.
The next night at dinner, my aunt told me that Raphael had told her about the night before.
"It's natural for you to be curious. We've kept many things from you over the years, but at least you've always known what we are. It is difficult to be a little girl growing up in household full of vampires. I must tell you something, though. You know that Raphael was not always as he is. He used to be just like you. But, against our will, he went out one night and found an unsavory specimen to turn him. I still don't understand why. It is a very lonely existence." She sat sipping her goblet full of blood as I ate a rare steak, letting the juices drip down my chin. Aunt Melantha frowned.
"Child, you are old enough to make your own decisions. However, bear in mind that there are dire consequences."
"I know, Aunt Melantha."
