Nightwatch Ch. 01: A New Home

My eyes flew over the pages of the book. As an immortal, one's speed-reading was also affected. I consumed books voraciously. My leather armchair hugged me warmly, and the fireplace danced light over the pages of the book. I touched the rough grain of the paper as I read, giving in to the pleasure. Paper was fucking sexy. And these humans were so tender! They had developed such a nuanced language with a turn of phrase for everything. Whoever said there was nothing new under the sun -- hiss -- had clearly never read lesbian fantasy novels. These were lovely. I was on my fourth book in two weeks. This one was about a girl knight that falls in love with the princess she's protecting. I truly hoped the princess would rise up to the challenge of loving her, despite the obstacles.

"Darling? Would you like a drink?" Suzie asked softly as she strode into the parlor.

"Yes, please." I held my palm up absentmindedly, then she slipped a wine glass between my fingers. I took a sip as I turned the page with my thumb. I made a face as I tasted it. "Eugh! This is disgusting!"

She took a sip, too, across from me in her armchair. "Ugh! You're right!"

"When did we get this batch?"

"Uh... two years ago? What year is it again?"

"I don't know!" I speeded up to our bedroom then back down with my phone in my hand in two seconds. "2024."

"Oh! Then three years then!"

"Disgusting! And I'm thirsty!"

"Me too." She set her glass down, disappointed.

I thought for a moment, pursing my lips. I hated drinking animals, it would sustain us but we vomited the blood up for the first day, then had an ongoing queasiness for as long as we drank it. Raiding a hospital in the area was always unwise, though, especially if we wanted to stay unnoticed for the next few decades... "Want to go clubbing?" I asked her finally.

She raised a delicate eyebrow in response. "Really?"

"Well, yeah! At least to tide us over until we can go relieve a blood bank of their stores." I scratched at the nape of my neck. "I'm really thirsty..."

She ran her pink tongue over a slowly growing fang, then pierced her own tongue. I was on her in a nanosecond, digging in my tongue to lick at the blood. I moaned at the taste, and she grew both fangs to bite into my neck, twisting around me to latch on like the strike of a cobra. She drained me a bit until I pushed her off, painfully aroused.

"Stop! I'm already thirsty as it is!"

"Sorry."

She didn't look sorry as she scooped up the blood around her mouth, and licked her fingers.

"Hm. Let's go. We'll hit up a few clubs with semi-drains then go stock up this weekend."

"Yay! We haven't gone dancing in forever!" She clapped.

"I wanna take the Ferrari." I said excitedly.

"Mor, that's too flashy! We'll end up on the news."

"Ugh, fine. The Honda then..." I said sadly. "But promise we'll go out one of these days so I can speed."

"Sure, darling. If you want."

"Excellent!"

----

The first club we found was something called Plush. It was as odious as the name suggested. The booths were a sticky, rigid sort of vinyl, the booze was low shelf (not that we drank), the people were dressed poorly with ill-fitting polyester clothes. We danced together as drunken strangers bounced into us, slurring their apologies.

Despite the setting, I relished the feel of her body against mine. The rustle of her dress as it grazed her skin thundered in my ears and made my groin throb.

We spoke quietly, able to hear each other perfectly over the din of the lousy speakers.

"I almost wish we still had one of those malodorous playhouses at this point. At least the gendarmes didn't care about a few murders here and there." I said after a while.

She hummed in assent as her back brushed against my front, up and down. I held the bend of her hips warmly as I followed her movements.

"But everyone had an STD or consumption back then. It made the blood taste funny," she replied.

"True."

"Oh! Did you hear that?" She turned around to grip my wrists and cocked an ear.

I strained to hear what she was hearing. There it was, a sobbing cry.

"Oh, yeah." We speeded out to the alley, and sure enough there was a man pushing a woman against the dirty cement wall. She was struggling to get out of his grip and her top was already dragging low over her chest with his meaty paws.

Suzie was a blur as she ran to grip him by the back of his neck and pull him back.

"What the fuck?" he shouted in confusion.

I neared the woman cautiously. "Who is this man?"

"I -- don't know!" She looked at me then back to the man struggling against Suzie's grip with wide eyes. "He found me out here while I was smoking and tried to --"

Her face screwed up.

"It's all right. You're all right now. Do you need a ride home?"

"No, my friends are inside."

"Okay, go get your friends. Tell them what happened, and go home." My ringing voice intoned with our predatory tool of hypnosis to compel her.

She fought against the compulsion, probably wanting to ask more questions, but after swaying back and forth, she eventually moved towards the door as in a daze. I sighed as I saw her go through the door, knowing what she'd have gone through if we weren't there.

I gritted my teeth against the impulse I had to play savior, all the time.

The man shouted obscenities at us until Suzie commanded him to shut up. His brain was soft and mushy, easily accepting the hypnosis.

I kept an ear on the woman while Suzie manhandled the evil specimen we'd caught, easily evading his swinging arms and wild kicks. We could both feel the putridness ooze off his soul, like honey that was contaminated by bacteria and had a film of white fungus right on the top. It was disgusting to be around. The decay of him couldn't help but contaminate one's own soul, seeping into you.

"They're in the car now." I told her, finally, when I heard their doors slam shut.

"Okay. Let's go." She dragged him to our car, and stuffed him in the trunk, zip-tying him so he wouldn't damage anything.

We buckled ourselves in so we wouldn't get pulled over for a stupid reason.

"Looks like we chose our first club well." I said darkly as I eased our unremarkable sedan out into the dimly-lit street.

She tutted in response.

Countless years of murder that were fueled by thirst rushed through my mind's eye. It was a primal drive for both Suzie and I for our continued survival -- but also, as a sentient being, there had to be another cause you clung to; some principled drive that you turned over in your mind to assuage your conscience.

It didn't matter. It was murder. It was yet another black mark on your mind.

We drained the man, like one would do to a pig, then refrigerated his blood, tossing the empty shell in the incinerator.

We hated drinking the blood of someone when we knew where it came from -- the tones were of evil thoughts that were in every dark corner of the night were unsettling. I'd started my evening praising humans for their capacity to love, and now I was drinking the blood of the dregs of humanity.

"I hate this." I whispered as I sipped.

"I know, darling. We'll put a reminder this time to stock up every year."

I hummed in agreement. Though we could potentially do this every few nights, it tore at my soul. We'd learned centuries ago that meddling in human affairs made things worse.

We'd kill the bad men and women, then everyone's conduct would become more blatantly unsafe, putting them in even more vulnerable situations. Better to allow these humans to sharpen their own conscience. It produced more favorable results than babysitting them.

Still though, that woman's face was imprinted behind my eyelids. I prayed to the god that didn't listen to us that she would be more safe from now on.

"Come on, Mor." Suzie pulled me by the hand to our bedroom. The heavy night fluttered off my tense shoulders with the firm grip of her hand and her smile.

I spun her around in our grand master bedroom, making her giggle. I waltzed with her over the hard wood of our bedroom, then pressed my foot into thin air to produce an imaginary incline as I went until we were waltzing in the air. The music started on the speakers at my quick command. I was a sucker for Beethoven's Sixth's Symphony. I'd begged Suzie to come with me to Vienna to see it live. Honestly, the only thing that made it better was to see Ludwig and his passion. Otherwise, the Vienna Philharmonic made the symphony so much better when they recorded it years later. We'd sat there in the gloom, watching history be made, yet again, as tears ran down my face.

But it was always so hopeful -- a bittersweet wish for the day to go well. For me in particular, a depressing reminder I could not enjoy the sun.

All the animals I loved hated me, and only frolicked in the safety of the warm sunlight.

Back then, I'd sat in rapture as Ludwig explained to me what sun was since I hadn't basked in it for hundreds of years.

Even now, it still held the love of sunlight warmly in its old age, just as I did. Suzie danced with me. Instead of acknowledging the bitter feelings of coveting the day, or even mourning Ludwig's death, she instead grinned at my initiative to dance.

It was our balm. What broke up infinity to spit in its face, and say we latched on to the ephemeral and were damn proud of it. The symphony was a little over an hour, and the first movement about nine minutes. From when I first started to hum, to when our excellent surround system quieted, it jeered at infinity in its simplicity. Joy cut through the eternity of our lives to break it up into beautiful pieces.

I nipped at her neck playfully as we danced, and she pushed me away sharply every time, grinning as she did so. Her hand gripped my shoulder as we glided with practiced ease.

Our castle was on a hill, and the giant gothic windows of our bedroom overlooked the city we lived near, the golden lights sparkled down in the valley.

If anyone had been outside looking in, they would have seen a red-haired woman with a long blood-red dress dancing with another woman with short slicked-back hair in all-black trousers and shirt; they would be gliding back and forth in the middle of the windows while the light from the flickering fire and candles cast moving shadows over them.

----

Earlier that day, in the sun that the vampire lovers could not enjoy, a boy ran through the tall grass of the northern field, panting as his heart was clutched in fear.

"Where'd the feckin' 'ell dee go?" The tinny voice of Declan rang out behind him. The boy dropped to the ground, then put his hand over his mouth from his crouched run. They'd apparently lost sight of him so it would probably be smarter to hide in this wide open field.

"I'onno do I? Yer de one tat t'was be'ind 'im!" Pincher replied angrily.

"Boss'll be pissed gnarly tif we's don't find 'im."

"Aye."

The boy's heart rattled in his chest painfully. As he heard them draw closer, a hare jumped right in front of him, making him jump. Their dark eyes stared at each other for a second, then the hare's nose twitched and he sprang off.

"Oi! D'you 'ear 'at?"

"O'er 'ehre!"

The lumbering workers sped off in the direction the hare rustled through.

As their steps grew fainter, Luca, the boy, started to breathe easier. He curled up in a ball and thought of the terrified eyes of the hare. He most probably looked the same as he'd stared back at it. He was as helpless as that tiny creature -- easily killed, skinned, cut up, and cooked just the same. He let silent tears drop to the hard, dry ground over his fear and loneliness.

After some time of twisting a blade of tall grass between his fingers, the sun disappeared completely and it was dark in that now-foreboding place. He decided he could risk looking over the line of grass. The two men chasing after him were long gone and he needed to keep moving.

He peeked over the fluffy grass and rotated to look all directions. The closest cover was a hill further along, there was a spike on top he couldn't quite make out.

Crouching again, he made a careful way towards the hill, listening for any sounds. The blades of grass stuck burs to his clothes and itched his skin where it touched.

He refused to cry any more, his steps were pumping more and more courage into him as he drew farther from the godawful carnival he'd been a slave to for years. No more beatings, no more backbreaking work, no more humiliation. No more seeing the horrible evil of using people and animals for money. His mouth dried as he remembered Him as he lost control and killed a worker. He grimaced as he fought bile down and tears away.

The grass started to shorten so he broke into a run to hide behind the first tree he saw. He panted as he tried to take stock of his surroundings again.

The air was fresh and it was so quiet and peaceful. He'd be shoveling shit at this time if he was back there. He grinned sardonically and walked forward, deeper around the hill. Following the dirt road in an adjacent line behind the tree line, he was able to see what the spike at the top of the hill was now. It was a castle, the turrets poking at the moon.

He looked at the town further down the valley then back up to the castle. It looked awesome, huge and imposing. He wondered if the people who lived there were mean or nice. They were probably rich and probably mean. He was so curious to see it up close though, never having seen something so cool.

He didn't have to speak to the people who lived there. Maybe he could sneak into a shed or a barn and sleep there for the night. He resolutely walked up the hill towards the old building. It was closer than the town anyway.

By the time he got to the top of the hill, it was a few hours into the night and while the lights were off for most of the way, they sparked to life along the length of the building as he neared it. There was no one on the grounds, so he rounded the tall castle and looked at it from the front. The huge windows lit up the left and right wings as well as the top room. The candles flickered as the night became even darker.

He made a complete circuit around the castle but there was no shed or barn. He looked up to the top room again and wondered if it might be safe to knock on the front door. No... He thought. Better to be safe, at least for tonight. He swayed with his fatigue and looked up to see two pretty women dancing in midair together. It was tender and he could hear a faint orchestral melody.

The words from Mama Bones rang through his stoppered ears, "monsters always come out at night. That's why little boys shouldn't be out when the sun goes down or they will eat the meat off your bones."

At the time, it seemed terrifying. But now, away from her grasp, it seemed to be yet another lie she'd told. These 'monsters' seemed sweet...

Maybe, just maybe... (yawn)... they aren't so bad...

Luca, the boy, found a soft bit of dry ground around the corner of the cold castle, in the garden, then curled up to finally close his eyes. His weary body felt like he had gone through the trial of a thousand knives.

----

The pads of my fingers felt the ridges of the palm of her hand. Every warm brush of her dainty hand was a reminder of the blood coursing fresh through her body.

"I feel as if I've died, carus amor." I spoke in my lowest voice.

"You have, deliciae." She followed me into Latin.

"Many ages ago, and yet, now again. Blood courses afresh, yet you stop my unmovable heart after resurrecting it, over and over."

"You stole that from Copernicus," she accused.

"Did I?" I grinned as I twirled her away from me, her hand left mine as she spun in midair, her hair moved in tandem with her silk dress. "I remember him being a stuffy little nerd, more concerned with the stars than women."

"Regardless, you forget I was there."

"Hm... well, you may very well be gracious enough to 'forget' now and again. It's difficult to find new expressions of love after a millennia."

She grinned widely as she twirled back into my arms. Her back pressed into my front, and her neck stretched to hover her face near mine. Her hand traced my stone jaw as her other hand clutched my hand firmly below her breasts.

My other palm slipped from her side to rest over her firm belly, right above her pelvis, squeezing her into me.

She finally spoke, "You'll need to try harder then, carus." A finger tapped my cheek, then she glided away.

I growled, and overtook her. She giggled as I held her firmly from behind, and nuzzled into her neck.

"Try harder? Try harder? I'll show you 'try harder.'"

She shrieked out a laugh as I grew a fang as long as possible, and ripped her dress cleanly down the back. The space between my fang and her soft skin was a hair's breadth away as I followed the curves of her body from sheer memory -- her shoulder blade, the jut of her bottom, and the muscles of her leg. I did not make one mark nor draw one drop of blood.

"Mor! I liked that dress!"

"I'll take you to Italy later this year." I grinned as my fangs scratched over my bottom lip.

"Okay! I love Milan!" She said with a little tilt of her head. She pecked my lips desperately.

I threw her dress away from us, then ripped my clothes off too. Her legs wrapped around my hips as I held her by her ass cheeks, clutching firmly. Her hands held my back, pulling me closer. We kissed, running lips across each other. A million kisses could not be enough. I wanted her. I was hers, and she was mine. It was so lovely, touching her; a particular privilege. She could have chosen to not live with me for eternity. Yet, she did choose me. I had never met someone as lovely as her. Eternity seemed too little of a span when it was as joyful as this.

I led her own hand to touch herself, then speeded down to get the glass phallus she enjoyed, close the metal shutters of our windows, and then rejoined her in the air. Everything took less than two seconds. My poisonous glands shot a stream of liquid down to splatter against the transparent phallus.

She wrapped herself around my hips again as I entered her, gasping softly as I did so.

"Yes. Fuck." She moaned.

I took her hips and lifted her up and down on the dildo. The edges of her lips slid around the cock. It took no effort at all, but her legs were squeezing me to a second death.

We moved against each other, kissing, sucking on each other's breasts, and squeezing pliable flesh until light started to seep over the horizon. It was a haze of pleasure that knew no time limit. The graze of our fingers was the equivalent of reading a book. Learning, gaining, and moving forward towards the climax, slowly. She said throughout she didn't want to come just yet, just to 'keep going.' Her lovely center was wet and engorged, taking the thrusts.

"Shit!" She exclaimed as she craned her head to see the dawn make our giant moon roof lighten, slowly. "Make me come."

I pistoned my hips even harder, then vibrated her clit at an inhuman speed until her arousal dropped down to the ground in long sticky strands. Her shoulders rested against the stone wall as she struggled to catch her breath. We could run for miles with no problem, but intercourse was as heart-rending as always. I realized I had flown us into the top corner of the room, and looked up to see a black widow spider comfortably making its nest in our bedroom.

She followed my gaze to spot her, too. "She's beautiful," she murmured as she stretched her hand out, and let her walk onto her pale skin.

The spider crawled over her fingers deftly and swung here and there from a strand of webbing, playfully. She held the creature between our connected bodies. I admired the red spot on her abdomen, comparing it to the blood red polish on my beloved's nails.