The Christmas Vampire Page 2

  He had moved away a little, holding her at bay in his arms, gazing into her face with a blend of disappointment and sadness.

  “I had…” He paused. “I had really placed my trust on feeding tonight.”

  “Well, there’s still sex, Stewart. We can still be close.”

  “Sure, but it’s not the same.” He appeared more despondent than she might have predicted. To be honest, she was disappointed too, if not as dramatically.

  “I know,” she said. “Let’s try anyway.” She went back to nuzzling his neck. “Mmmmm, you do taste good.”

  He lowered his face to her neck and kissed her there, without breaking skin.

  Erika sensed this was unusual for him. He must have been one of those who cherished the old ways, the chase and the conquest, the taste of human blood flowing down their throats as quickly as they could swallow. She’d been one like that herself, until Justin, and then she’d stopped killing, taking only what she needed from her willing partner. Justin hadn’t wanted to be turned, however, so he’d died after contracting one of those cancers humans were getting so often these days.

  She felt a pang of… something. Not sure what.

  Yes, she’d given it up, all of it, but holding Stewart close like this, feeling his body respond to hers, she thought it might be time to revisit the old ways after all.

  “Stewart,” she whispered into his neck. “What if we…” She whispered the rest into his ear.

  She felt his muscles ripple under her embrace. She felt him respond in another way, a stiffening down below that she found particularly attractive. She reached down between them and showed him she was appreciative. Very appreciative.

  “Mmm, Erika, you are a bad one.”

  “Oh yes, you can’t imagine.”

  Their lips met. Fangs gone now, they tasted each other as humans. There was something to be said for this, too, she thought.

  And she continued thinking it as they tore each other’s clothes off and made love by the muted moonbeams from the skylight. Outside, puffy flakes glittered as they caught the same light before thickening the white blanket.

  * *

  They were back in the main lodge, where the bar was hopping even more as the snow drove even the hardiest off the runs. The crowd had swelled while they’d gone missing, hunting each other, and now the sound of laughter pealed across the room and competed with the two snapping fireplaces and the sound system, which was playing solely jazz piano arrangements of Christmas favorites.

  “I have this CD,” Erika whispered to Stewart. She was still tingling.

  He laughed. “I do too. It was all the rage a couple-three years ago. Maybe more. You had to have it prominently in your collection.”

  They squeezed past groups and couples, their eyes lingering over the displays of Christmas cheer enhanced by distilled spirits.

  Erika felt less alone, if not less nostalgic. The music reminded her of Justin. He’d bought that CD, she was certain. Jazz was his thing.

  Stewart smiled at people as he pulled her gently toward the bar, where he ordered classic martinis – “To go with the music,” he explained directly into her ear – and then he licked her lobe, his breath warming her neck.

  She tingled again.

  But another hunger was making itself known and the heady scent of blood began intruding into her senses. Having been thwarted earlier was causing a steadily increasing feeling of need.

  They clinked glasses and she tasted the perfect dry martini Stewart had ordered.

  With the delicate glass in her hand and more Sinatra on the sound system, she felt almost at home.

  Now if only…

  “Wait here,” Stewart whispered, lingering to noisily inhale the scent of her lush hair. “Fantastic!” he added, before moving off through the crowd.

  Erika watched him work his way toward the wall of windows, where a dozen small groups had staked out armchairs and loveseats as they watched the snow fall and groped each other in the near-darkness. Mistletoe was strung across the front of the windows, she noted.

  She turned away and faced the mirror behind the bar, glanced at herself over the glass rim. She could see her renewed glow from here, even in the muted lighting. Maybe Stewart was what she needed, more than just a one-night stand…

  She gave a little wave. It was Justin she was letting go.

  She turned when there was a light tap on her shoulder. Frank was singing about how they were “still good-byein’ ” so it could snow, snow, snow.

  She remembered the couple from earlier. They’d eyed her for a while, but her glance had slid over them. Now Stewart was introducing Jimbo and Marla, a little loudly to compete with the music and crowd.

  Jimbo was a fake lumberjack type wearing a sheepskin-lined leather coat and a new blonde Stetson. “See, I told you, Marla!” he nearly shouted. “They looked familiar! They’re on our Buddy list from AdultSwing-dot-com!” He made a cooling-off motion with one large hand. “Really hot pics, remember I showed you?”

  Marla clearly didn’t, but she was game and nodded her doll-like features, which she’d enhanced with elaborate model’s make-up, framed by a head of lion-like honey-gold hair She was wearing a white parka with some sort of shooting patch on the breast, which was pleasantly inflated behind the form-fitting quilted material. Her form was quite shapely, long legs tucked into fashionable thousand-dollar boots. A thin handbag’s strap crossed her ample breast, a brand label that would cost twice as much as the boots.

  Erika shook their hands and felt what Stewart clearly had. She smiled and tried to make chit-chat around the background noise and music. In barely minutes they were old friends.

  Stewart called out: “Bartender!”

  * *

  Later, in her freshly snow-covered condo, Erika slow-danced with a randy Jimbo while Stewart took Marla to stand in front of the two-story picture window. Another Sinatra piece was on, in which he gloated about his love keeping him warm.

  Erika embraced the ruddy cowboy type and licked his neck. “Hey, darlin’, that feels nice,” he said boozily. They’d been drinking steadily since walking through the new snow to get here. Now they were nicely isolated from the main lodge.

  “I know,” she mumbled.

  She could wait no longer.

  Her fangs found his artery and pierced the rough flesh, and she savored the gush of blood straight down her throat. Jimbo struggled some, but he was weakened by the drinks, and anyway Erika was many times stronger, so she held him in an iron grip as she sucked out his life, swallowing greedily, the earlier sex with Stewart echoing in her genitals.

  At the window, Stewart had spectacular, naked Marla laid out on the thick carpeting, huddling over her neck as she breathed her last and gave him every last drop of her blood like a cooperative soft-drink glass through a straw.

  “Ahhhhh,” he said, refreshed, and smacked his reddened lips.

  He had pointed out the deep ravine that plunged into darkness and trees right off the edge of the deck that surrounded her condo. In mere moments they would be able to tip the once-happy couple over, where they would be covered in an hour. Spring was a long time away.

  Erika kissed Stewart and tasted Marla. Really, their rich-folk outdoorsy lifestyle had made their blood full-bodied, if a little gamy.

  “This might be the best Christmas ever,” she mumbled as they nuzzled to another slow Rat Pack crooner.

  “My thought exactly,” said Stewart. “Happy holidays, my dear Erika.”

  She loved the feel of the smile on her lips. It was the first in a long while.

  New beginnings…

  “Merry Christmas, darling.”

  * * The End * *

  ☮

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  “The Christmas Vampire” is dedicated to Bram Stoker, Stephen King,

  George R.R. Martin, Richard Laymon, and Elaine Bergstrom…

  my five favorite authors of vampire fiction.

  Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

&nbs
p; ☣

  Other works by W.D. Gagliani:

  Wolf’s Trap – Nick Lupo Series, 1 (Samhain Publishing reissue)

  Wolf’s Gambit – Nick Lupo Series, 2 (47North)

  Wolf’s Bluff – Nick Lupo Series, 3 (47North)

  Wolf’s Edge – Nick Lupo Series, 4 (Samhain Publishing)

  Wolf’s Cut – Nick Lupo Series, 5 (Samhain Publishing)

  Savage Nights (Hard-noir Thriller)

  Shadowplays (Fiction Collection)

  The Great Belzoni and the Gait of Anubis (Novella)

  Starbird (Amazon Story Front, Short Story)

  Mysteries & Mayhem (with David Benton, Fiction Collection)

  Mood Elevator (with David Benton, Short Story)

  The Vampire DiariesÒ: Voracious in Vegas (with David Benton, Short Story)

  Love at First Sting – A Splatterpunk Story (with David Benton, Short Story)

  www.wdgagliani.com

  www.williamdgagliani.com

  www.facebook.com/wdgagliani

  @WDGagliani

  Copyright © 2014 W.D. Gagliani