A Vampire For Christmas - Next Day

Author's Note - If you haven't read my first story, "A Vampire For Christmas", a lot of this might not make sense. I encourage you to take the time to do so. This story picks up, literally, a minute after that one ends. That story took me weeks to write and an agonizing two days to edit and talk myself into posting. Even so, I found a couple of typos. For that, I apologize and commit to doing better. I might even decide to find an editor. Also, I fumbled my attempt to reply to a comment, yielding a total of 3 responses to the same comment. I thought the first two were drafts. Lesson learned.

I am heartened by your responses. To those of you who chose to add it to your favorites list, thank you. To know that some people found it worth holding onto for a reread or to read at a later time, your decision is appreciated To those who chose to rate it, I am pleasantly surprised at the level of acceptance. And, for those who commented, thank you. Constructive criticism, as well as pats on the back, are all welcome feedback. For those who asked for another chapter, here it is. I have ideas for more and will give consideration to reader feedback as potential threads.

I hope you enjoy A Vampire For Christmas - Next Day:

Next Day

"How do you feel?" asked Colleen.

"You mean besides the overwhelming urge to try out my new fangs on your ass?" I responded.

"Yes, besides that, Love."

"All my senses are on overdrive. I can hear and see and smell things I would never have done. Apart from that, I feel like I just finished a marathon. I'm exhausted and weak."

"We need to talk about that, but first you need to hear this. I Love You. I am beyond happy today because you are here," Colleen said, tears in her eyes.

I replied, "I'm not the type of person who, when their partner says, I love you, responds in kind as part of some expected script."

Colleen's smile faded a bit as she nodded and said, "I understand. I was not eliciting a response. I just want you to know my feelings."

"You didn't let me finish. I know I just met you at the party. I don't know much about you other than what you shared with me last night. I heard your concern for me. I heard the extent of your desire for me. I heard your willingness to NOT be with me, if necessary, so that I could be safe. Those things shattered my normal shields."

"Last night, I chose to give you my life. You told me that was a bond stronger than wedding vows. I now know what you meant. Collen, with all that I am and all that I hope, I Love You."

Collen pulled me in tight. We kissed unlike anything the previous night. It was a kiss of passion, surely, but a kiss of commitment, acceptance, a dream of a future."

When we broke the kiss, Colleen wiped away a tear and said, "we should talk about your condition."

We sat up on the bed. I wrapped my arms around my knees. Colleen leaned back on the pillows.

"Call this Vampire 101. I have never changed anyone before so some of this is new to me in practice, though Mother explained the concept. Tell me. What do you know of blood physiology?"

"Very little, actually. I like the taste of yours," I grinned. "I wonder what Michelle tastes like?"

"I've created a monster," laughed Colleen. "But, your question about Michelle is timely for this discussion. She tastes pretty good, if you must know. But, you will not find out for a bit."

I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Very mature," she said and shook her head.

"Anyway," she continued. "Your feeling weak is to be expected. You lost a LOT of blood. A woman our size has roughly 10 to 12, pints, I believe is the American measure. You Yanks need to get with the metric system like the rest of the world. Blood donors typically give a pint, then go back to work, or whatever they do, without much concern. They are cautioned to avoid strenuous activity for a day or two, drink more fluids, but there is no concern for their health. Their bodies begin to produce blood to replace what was lost. Should a person lose 40 to 50 percent of their blood, they die."

"There is a common belief that Vampires have no blood other than what we drink when we feed. That is simply not true. We, in fact, have the same amount of blood as humans. It makes sense. Before we were Vampires, we were human. The exception is Mother, of course. She was never human. She was always as she is now. Still, her physiology is similar, or she would not look like humans and be able to walk among them undetected. It is just that her blood is.............different."

"Vampires can eat and drink whatever humans can. The difference is the nutrients we require are different, thus a human diet cannot sustain us. There is pleasure in the taste of food, so we indulge. When we interact with humans, we want to appear human to them. That can mean sharing food or tea in a social or business setting. I like tea. I'm Irish, after all. Unlike humans we aren't affected by impurities in food or drink. Neither are we affected by impurities in a human's blood. Simply put, we do not get sick, can't be diseased, or poisoned."

"We NEED blood. It, alone, has the nutrients we require. Without it, we die. If needs be, we can subsist on animal blood for a very short period of time. But, without the nutrients our bodies need, we would weaken, waste away and die."

"You drank my Vampire blood. The chemical makeup of my blood immediately reacted with your human blood to begin to change your DNA. When you died, your body stopped all function, including making blood to replace what was lost. My blood continued to cause reactions in your remaining blood and revised its makeup. That affected all your body systems. Hence the term, changed. When the changes were complete, you awoke, no longer human. You are now a Vampire. You need blood."

"We need to feed once a week or so, depending on the Vampire. Weaker ones may need to feed more frequently. Mother can go for at least a month. I have gone two weeks or more on occasion. You noticed the coolness of our skin. That's because as we metabolize our blood for sustenance, eventually, the amount we have as a percentage of our bodies is less. Our 'tanks are low', so to speak. That is when we must feed. Usually, we need, a pint, sometimes more, but less than two, to refill. Two pints of blood loss is not dangerous to humans. Last night, I took close to 6 pints of your blood. As a result, you are low on blood today. You need to feed. How low your 'tank' is accounts for your condition."

"So, I need to bite a human and drink their blood?" I asked. "Where do I find a volunteer? And, if I have to drink 6 pints of blood to 'fill my tank', won't I kill that person? I'm not okay with that."

"If you drank that much you would. Remember me saying sometimes a new Vampire kills a human by mistake during a feeding. Right now, you are dangerous. You need to be trained. But, you don't need to kill anyone. I'm also not okay with that. You don't even need to feed from anyone just yet. In fact, Mother and I agree that we do not want you to."

"So, you what? Plan to rob a blood bank to feed me?"

"Don't laugh. It's been done in the past," said Colleen smiling. "No, in anticipation of today, I have set aside some of my blood for you to drink. Mother has donated a couple of liters of her blood as well. Needless to say, my tank is full, a bit over full to be precise, at the moment. You do not have to drink the equivalent of 6 pints at one time. Over the next few days you can drink some each day and gradually fill. For your first two months, you will only drink my blood or Mother's."

"But, won't that drain some of yours. What will you do?"

"We will do as we always have. We will find a donor. There is an underground of humans who wish to donate in exchange for, money for some, pleasure for others. I will feed from someone, my blood will change theirs to match my properties, and you can feed from me. It is how Mother trained me. Plus, we do have access to blood we keep for emergencies. Don't ask. The answer is too complicated for now."

"I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me. One reason you said the Matriarch fed you was something about her power and yours compared to other Vampires."

"You, Love, are a great student. I wondered in the stress of the telling last night if you would remember such a detail. Mother fed me excusively for the first two months. She calculated that was the amount of time for my human blood to be totally absorbed so all that ran in my veins was her blood. Her PURE blood. Her POWERFUL blood. The reason was to ensure that when she ended, the family would have the necessary leadership. If Mother ended, I would have become First."

"Would have?" I asked.

"That was prior to recent events. Mother has a new partner. By new, I mean they have been together nearly 50 years. Her name is Diana and she is as wonderful as she is beautiful. I love her almost as much as I do Mother. She feeds from Mother regularly. They do feed on humans, most times together, but the bulk of her diet being Mother's blood guarantees she has the same powers as Mother. She is now next in line before me. Honestly, I'm a bit relieved Diana is here. Still, I drink Mother's blood every month to keep mine as pure as possible."

"What I have NOT told you is where you fit in the family. Mother insisted that should I create a partner, that partner must be equal in power to me so they could be an aid to me in fulfilling my duties. Also, should I become incapacitated, or worse, there would always be a Second. That is why you will only feed from me, Mother or Diana for two months. We need to ensure that your blood matches mine so that when you are called upon to act as Second, the family will know and respect your authority."

"Holy shit Colleen. You want ME to help lead a family of Vampires who have been around for, what, centuries? How the hell am I supposed to do that? I can barely pay my rent. I've been nowhere. I know nothing compared to you and your family. What about Michelle? How will she feel about me just waltzing in here and being.......What?............Royalty?"

"First of all, it is OUR family now, Love. And, there is not one member with whom I am close who was not aware of my hope of being with you. Second, you can buy the damn building if you want. You're rich. Third, in the Vampire world, you ARE royalty."

"Uggggh", I groaned and flopped down on the bed.

"I know, Love. It's a lot. I feared telling you too much last night. I did say 'think Princess'."

"Yeah! I thought, Princess Diana. Parties. Cool trips. Maybe some charitable shit. I didn't realize this kind of responsibility came with it. Christ, I feel like I just started running a 5 mile race and everyone else can see the finish line from where they are. But, when I cross it, they'll give me the fucking medal."

Colleen was laughing now and fell back on the bed beside me. We lay there looking at the ceiling. After a few moments, Collen said, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you all this last night. I trust you will be up to the task. I do understand your concerns, though. The good news is you don't need to learn it all today....................Tomorrow will be soon enough."

"Bitch, I said as I playfully smacked Collen's stomach with my arm. "It is a damn good thing I'm in love with you. I really DO want to bite your ass now."

We were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," shouted Colleen.

"What? We're naked." I screamed, reaching for the covers. Colleen blocked me.

The door opened and in walked Michelle.

"Hey Kath," she said. "It's good to see you. I mean really good to SEE you." She walked over to the bed, leaned down and kissed Colleen, then leaned over and kissed me. She tried to push her tongue into my mouth as she fondled my breast, tweaking the nipple.

"Slow down, hot stuff," Colleen said to Michelle, smiling. "She's off limits to you the next two months. Remind me. How long did Francois keep you under wraps?"

"Yuck, three months. I'm glad he turned me loose to you. Else, we would not have become friends and occasional lovers and 'Curly' there wouldn't be here. To me, she said, "we need to make up for a ton of lost time. I have wanted you for, let's see, 15 years? You are fucking hot, by the way. Nice tits."

"Ok, Michelle," Colleen laughed. "She's too weak to resist you. But, our day will come. The three of us. What brings you here?"

"Oh, protective already. I know she's yours. I'm happy for you both. I just wanted to say hello to Katherine and welcome her. Francois and I are off to Switzerland. We need to open Katherine's account and get her signed on to the necessary family accounts and financial documents. Do you want us to follow the protocols you used with me or is there something you wish done differently?"

"Yes, do that. I do have one change though. Of course, put the normal 5 million euros in her private account, and be sure it's free from scrutiny. Pay the appropriate taxes from the family account. Katherine, we can't use your last name. How do you feel about using my last name on your account?"

"Wait. You just said 5 MILLION euros. In MY name. You're just giving me 5 million euros?"

"Yes, Love. It's how much we gave Michelle. Why? Do you think it not enough?" Colleen grinned.

"I hate you. Just for that, I'm tempted to use whatever name Michelle goes by these days.

I thought for a moment, then said, "I never imagined any of this. I don't know what to say. Of course, I'll use your last name. I can't think of anything I would love more. There's just one tiny problem with that."

"O'Shea," said Colleen and Michelle together.

"In that case, Colleen O'Shea, Katherine O'Shea loves you very much," I said and pulled Colleen into my arms and kissed her deeply. "She really does."

"Love it," said Michelle.

"I think I'm starting to see many things in a different light," I winked at Michelle. "I love you more than ever, Michelle. Want to stay and help me ravish her?" I nodded toward Colleen.

"I would, but Colleen is being selfish and says I can't," she laughed. "But, I'll take a rain check. You two will have to settle for ravishing each other today."

"One last thing, Michelle," said Colleen. "She needs to be added to all accounts that bear my name."

"Michelle raised an eyebrow and looked at Colleen, "Second authority?"

Colleen smiled and nodded.

"Done," said Michelle. "I imagine Kath will be at our monthly financial meeting? What if Francois and I come to your place? Kath and I can spend some time catching up after. Where do you want to meet?"

"I plan for us to travel the next couple of weeks. Why don't we meet in the Paris apartment?"

"Francois and I will see you two then. Have a lovely trip. Kath, I'm glad you said yes so we didn't have to lose each other. Can't wait for 2 months. You two have fun."

When Michelle left, Colleen said, "Francois is in charge of family financial matters. As I mentioned, we are delighted that Michelle had shown the interest and aptitude for such things. We try, as much as possible, to have backup for important family dealings. Just good sense."

"Now, my weakened lover, we need to get you fed. Wait here. I'll get you a drink of, as you call it, 'Colleen special wine'. Let's see what a half liter will do to get you on your feet. Then we'll shower. How do you feel about tea?"

"I love tea. Are there scones? I don't know what scones are, but, on BBC shows, people seem to want them."

Colleen walked off laughing. "Yes, I'll tell staff that scones are on the menu. They tend to be a bit dry, so you'll want some butter and jam, I expect. Apricot?"

"Sounds great."

I lay there looking about the room, taking in its beauty. "Shit, I did not expect this," I thought. "I'm not stupid. I've seen rich. But, rich and powerful? Translation, responsible. I am so in over my head."

When Michelle returned, she handed me a goblet. Like the night before, I drank it down, a bit more greedily this time. "It's best warmed up," said Michelle. "We want it close to body temperature more for the taste, but, it also aids absorption."

"I like the taste. I guess each person tastes different?"

"Yes. Different diets, mostly. Some people have more iron, for example. Some eat more fruit. Vegans are my least favorite. I like meat. Do you think you could manage a second cup?"

"I was going to ask, but I didn't know how much to drink or how soon. God, I know nothing. Are you sure I can do all this Second stuff? I feel so out of my element."

"Did I not say you're a good student earlier? I learned. You can. And, you have the second best teacher you could imagine, Mother being best. Don't tell her I said this, but I might be a better teacher about specifics of being Second since, well, I am," she laughed.

Colleen left and quickly returned having refilled the goblet. I took a drink and stopped mid swallow. "This tastes different. Is it from a different day?"

"You're good," Colleen responded. "That is Mother's."

"The difference is subtle."

I finished the goblet, even licked around the rim not to miss any. "I feel a bit stronger. I think standing and walking around might not be risky."

"In that case, let's get your gorgeous ass in the shower. You only have your clothes from last night, I'm afraid. You can see what I brought with me. Something should fit. I'll have the designer bring some items tomorrow for you."

"During the day? Aren't we unconcious then?"

"Ah, yes, movies and books. We didn't sleep in a coffin last night, did we? We are light senitive so we prefer to sleep in darkened rooms during daylight hours. However, we are not incapacitated during the day. We can be awake if need demands."

"Ok, so is it true or not the Sun will kill us?" I asked.

"There is a big difference between diffused sunlight and direct rays of the Sun. Both can be harmful. The difference is intensity. Direct exposure is potentially the most lethal. Too much exposure will kill a Vampire. The less powerful the Vampire, the sooner that would happen."

"The Sun's rays affect our bodies. They break down the blood and destroy the nutrients. I don't understand the science, but I DO understand the consequences. Absent the nutrients, the body shuts down and the Vampire dies. Movies show the Vampire turning to dust. That's an exaggeration, mostly."

"The older the Vampire, the more extreme the reaction. You would simply look like a fresh corpse. I would instantly change into what you would expect a corpse that had been dead for 80 years to look like. A 200 hundred year old Vampire, like Francois, or an older Vampire than him, would instantly look like a corpse that had been around the number of years since their change. Their death would look more like the movie version of a Vampire being killed by the Sun's rays."

"Michelle was created by Francois. He was created by another Vampire. That line goes up the family tree to Mother. Everyone in the family has a portion of Mother's blood, or else they would not be Vampires. The amount of Mother's blood is the limiting factor for many attributes. A Vampire who only drinks from humans would see the power of Mother's blood diluted."

"Mother can walk in direct sunlight for a time. She would not fare well sitting on the beach for an afternoon. Due to the pureness of our blood, Diana and I are pretty close in protection to Mother, as you will be in two months."

"Vampires in authority positions in the family, such as Francois and Michelle, are sometimes required to meet with humans. They receive pure blood from Mother, Diana or me on a schedule. Once your blood is pure, you will also donate. That infusion grants them temporary powers, protection against sunlight being one. Our family wealth gives us some ability to control where and when those meetings occur. But, to avoid questions, those meetings, at times, occur during the day. If they could not tolerate the Sun, it would risk exposing our difference. That would alert Hunters.