The sun shone through the church stain glassed windows spilling a spectrum of colours on my white wedding dress.  Smiling I looked across at Micah standing in a black tux with a single white carnation looped through the button hole. An elderly vicar stood in front of us and our family sat behind us watching the proud occasion. Happiness was bubbling inside me as Micah began to read his vows allowed in front of the whole church. Everything was perfect until out the corner of my eye in a dark corner of the church I noticed a man standing there watching me. Heat prickled along my skin and I found it impossible to concentrate on Micah.

“I can be anything you want to be,” the voice echoed, “Your boyfriend, your husband, your best friend. Whatever you want me to be.”

“It’s as easy as that.” I parroted back.

“What do you want Lorna.” Michael asked me.

“Everything.” I whispered.

Micah arched an eyebrow and looked behind him to see who I was talking too but for some reason couldn’t see Michael like I could. Throwing down my bouquet I apoligized to Micah,

“I’m sorry, I can’t be with you. I love him.”

“What are you talking about.” Micah replied angrily grabbing my wrist as I tried to break away.

“Let me go!” I screamed.

There was a sudden blur the sped past in a flash. Micah let go of my hand and groped his neck screaming as blood poured from between his fingers. The smell hit my nostrils and I felt my fangs protract down. I wanted to help Micah but he was screaming in horror as he saw me stumble towards him fangs glinting in the sunlight. Michael then appeared wrapping his arms around me watching Micah bleed slowly to death.

The sun rose and I awoke from the dream feeling very sick. Michael groaned sleepily in my ear, my head was laid on his chest and his arms were wrapped around me. Closing my eyes I savoured the warmth and safety his embrace provided. There was no other place I felt safer in the universe was with him. Opening one eye Michael looked down on me and nuzzled the top of my head,

“I had a wonderful dream,” He smiled. “You were in it.”

“Great.” I replied struggling to wriggle free from his arms. Michael responded by rolling over pinning me beneath him.

“I’ve got the day off and I had this great idea that we could spend the whole day in bed.” He said bending his head down to kiss me. I dodged his head knowing that one kiss was enough to lead me astray.

“We have to find Micah.” I said gently.

Michael groaned and rolled off me muttering under his breathe,

“Great.”

I sat up on the edge of the bed and hurried into the bathroom my heart was thundering in my chest. I had managed to avoid Michael today but it would only be a matter of time before I eventually gave in to temptation. Bending my neck in front of the bathroom mirror I examined the faint mark Michael had left from a few nights ago. I wondered if it would ever fade to nothingness eventually or if it would stay there forever as a declaration of our blood bond. I had a shower and went back into the bedroom where Michael was there still laying on my bed topless looking incredibly gorgeous.

“I thought we could go for a drive tonight.” He said.

Picking out an outfit I replied, “Micah, remember.”

“We’ll swing by Emma’s office on the way back. First I want to take you on a date.”

“A date?”

“It’s my day off and I wanna be with you.” Michael replied.

“Where are we going?”

“East end of London. I know a quiet place there.” Michael replied flipping the bed covers off and pulling himself out of my bed.

“Okay.” I said pulling out an outfit from my wardrobe.

“Stay here, I’m going to get decent clothes. All I got is my shitty combat uniform.” Michael said leaving the room.

A date. He was taking me on a date? Did he really want to or was he just pretending? I couldn’t get Tasha out of my head what she told kept repeating over and over like a broken record. Was this real affection or just a necessity to ensure that I didn’t kick Michael to the curb subsequently killing him? Questions, too many questions.

Michael came back half an hour later after Magda had given me a mug of blood. I sensed him coming down the corridor even before I heard his footsteps. Michael came into the apartment just as I was cleaning out my mug.

“You ready?” He called out to me.

“Yeah.” I replied throwing down the dish cloth and turning around.

Michael was stood there in a business suit. He looked good and different. I guess because he was not in his usual soldier gear or running about my bedroom bare chested Michael suddenly looked maturer.

“What’s with the suit?” I asked.

“Do you like it? Barry gave it to me last night.”

“Barry called you out last night to give you a suit?”

“Well he thought it might come in handy.”

“What for?”

“Our date.”

“Michael we can’t exactly go to a classy restaurant and have dinner. So why did Barry give you the suit?” I said suspiciously.

Michael’s confident smiled cracked and he ran his fingers through his hair letting out a hissing noise of frustration,

“Another mutilated body was found. This time in the docklands. I have to swing by and check it out before the human police authorities start swarming the place and destroying evidence. This,” he said indicating to his suit and then pulling out an identity card, “Is my disguise.”

I took the identity card and read it,

‘Michael Andrew Scott- Intelligence officer

Security Service- MI5’

“You got a fake MI5 ID?”

“It’s not fake if the government gives it to you.” Michael said putting the ID card inside a brown leather wallet.

“So we’re not really going on a date, we’re going to a crime scene.”

“I’ll take you somewhere nice after.” Michael said putting his arm around me.

The rain had set in early tonight but the August heat made it a welcome comfort. The streets were busy and loud, cars honking, sirens, people, the usual urban soundtrack that accompanied city life. I wasn’t allowed out the apartment  without a chaperone so I had never seen really explored London.  Michael had taken an umbrella from the hotel, he held up in one hand while the other was looped around my waist pressing me in against him. I felt the hard edge of his gun under his jacket pressing into my ribs- was the world really that scary that he needed a gun everywhere he went? He didn’t say much as we walked along, he was too busy watching the scene of the street waiting for any potential danger to confront us. Occasionally he would ask me if I was okay and I would nod.

“Barry left the car on one of the docks near the crime scene. That’s why we are walking.”

“Why didn’t he leave it near the hotel?”

“It would take too long to drive across the city this time of night. It’s easier if we caught the tube.”

“The tube?”

“Subway- underground train. There’s a station at the end of this road.” Michael said.

Sure enough there was. A giant illuminated sign glowed about the gapin brick mouth where people poured in and out of the station. A homeless man sat on the corner begging for change while some music students busked on the other side. Everything seemed pretty normal until out of the crowd two drunk men appeared yelling and hollering at each other.

“You knew I loved her!” One man yelled swinging and punching the other man directly in the face. I felt Michael tense as he watched the violence and then I felt his hand slipping under his jacket. The other man rolled on the floor in agony screaming,

“You broke my nose!”

As said it, the smell of blood hit me.  My hands clamped over my mouth and I rushed forward past the men into the tube station slipping out of Michael’s grasp. Oh crap my fangs,  the smell of blood had set my fangs off. Normally an experienced vampire would be able to control the retraction of their fangs but I was not an experienced vampire. What makes matters worst is that having fangs in a human jaw meant that I couldn’t close my mouth properly. Michael caught up with aware of what happened.

“Don’t worry, it’ll pass.” He said grabbing my hand and leading through the barriers and down what I can only describe as a tiled tunnel.  I felt like idiot clamping my hand over my mouth, people walked passed me giving me a wide berth thinking that I might feel sick or something.

“We’re coming up to some escalators.” Michael said.

The escalators were enormous and plunged deep into the ground.  Michael and I shared a step as we travelled down. I buried my face into his chest trying to disguise my fangs. Grinding metal and loud screeching noises of the trains echoed up the tunnel.

“Turn round, we’re near the bottom.” Michael said.

Stepping off the escalator Michael led me to the platform. The smell of blood hadn’t faded, in fact it had changed and it was stronger. Looking across the platform another drunk lay slumped against the wall nursing his bloodied and bruised knuckles. I let out a little whine of despair.

Michael put his arms around me so I could bury my face into his jacket once again and hide my fangs. I found myself taking deep breathes inhaling Michael’s scent imprinting it into my system so if I ever lost him I could find him by scent alone. My hands lay palms down against his  chest and I could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing. I concentrated on that instead of the heavy smell of blood that mixed in with thick mechanical smell of the train engines that wafted through the tunnels. Being amongst humans was difficult.

“The train is almost here.” He said softly in my ear.

The train ground to a slow halt and the doors opened.

“MIND THE GAP!” A loud voice boomed over the tannoy.

We got in to the crowded carriage and stood leaning against the glass of the opposite door. The windows of the carriages were scratched with graffiti. As the trained pulled away into the thick darkness of the tunnels I read the scratched writing on the windows. Little hearts had been etched crudely into the glass like a heart carved on a tree, thousands of names or initials clouded and distorted the train window. I read each one while hiding my mouth with my hand. As we headed out of central London the carriage emptied. I felt my fangs protract back up and I heaved a sigh of relief.

“My teeth are okay now.” I said to Michael who had been standing in front of me shielding me from the rest of the train.

“Let me see.” He said lifting my chin up then abruptly leaning forward and brushing his lips across my mouth. He lifted his head and glanced round, there were only two passengers in the carriage seated at the other end. Licking his lips leaned back down and kissed me again. It wasn’t fleeting like the last kiss, this time he took my mouth possessively kissing me deeply, my hands let go of the rail framing his face as I met his kiss with equal passion. The train jolted slightly knocking me off balance, Michael immediately steadied me.

“Hold on to me or you’re going to fall.” He whispered as the train continued swayed from side to side.

Reaching up I laced my arms around his neck and brought my lips to his. Every kiss was sweet agony that left me unfulfilled because I knew I wanted more but couldn’t have it not while we were on a train. I could feel Michael’s frustration too as he pulled away forcing himself to stop.  He stepped back and leaned against the opposite glass partition his eyes were full of dark seductive hunger dying to break free.  I wanted him so badly but I also didn’t trust him. Turning away I looked back at the window at the graffiti. This was going to kill me one day.

The train stopped and we got off and changed lines. The docklands rail was over ground not underground like the tube so I could watch the cityscape as we passed over bridges out of the window. The rain began suddenly very heavy. Michael peered out the window swearing under his breathe,

“Shit, in this type of heat there is going to be a thunder storm.”

“So? I like thunderstorms.”

“Umbrella’s and thunder not a good idea just like thin flimsy dress and rain. It’ll be like a wet t-shirt contest.” He said.

“I could wait at the station while you brought the car round.”

Michael didn’t like that idea. He rubbed his jawline and shook his head. Rolling my eyes I said,

“Come on, could happen in the space of a few minutes.”

Michael just stared at me rolling the idea around in his head.

“I guess if I ran fast it would take me a few minutes.” He replied.

“Great.”

The train pulled to a stop and we departed into a concrete station that was virtually deserted. We darted from the train across the platform trying to avoid the large rain drops now pouring torrentially from the sky.

“Don’t leave the station,” Michael instructed me as we walked towards the barriers. “I’m going to leave you with this.”

He came in close and kissed me and as he did so pressed a gun into hand.

“Shove it down your bra or something don’t let anyone see it.” He warned quietly.

We got to the exit of the station and Michael said to me,

“I’ll be a couple of minutes don’t go anywhere.” He said.

I nodded and he left me sheltering in the exit. I leaned against the damp wall waiting for Michael  and watching the passing cars and people. Suddenly lighting illuminated the sky followed by a horrific crash of thunder. I loved thunderstorms, I loved the sound of rain. Closing my eyes I listened to the thrum of rain against the rooftop. A warm breezed swirled around me and  then a scream shattered my moment of tranquillity. A scream, a real scream of pain hit my ears and then that smell, the smell of blood. No! Not again. My fangs popped out but before I could even clamp my hand over my mouth there was another scream- but this time the woman screamed- oh god. My diaphragm jerked upwards slamming the air out of my lungs and I felt ill. Something was wrong. Holding the gun I thought to myself what should I do? Wait for Michael or go guns blazing out on to the street and rescue whoever that was. Before I even made that decision there was a heavy thud above me like something had been dropped onto the roof from a great height. I froze, the smell of blood was stronger than ever. There was a horrible dragging noise and I could hear laboured breathing. I held the gun firmly taking a step back. The noise passed over me and was at the edge of the roof, a bloodied hand dropped down and hung over the ledge. I clamped my hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming. The hand moved and in an instant the whole body tumbled over the ledge on to the floor. The woman was bleeding profusely from several large lacerations across her chest. She looked at me for a moment her eyes twisting in pain and her hand reached out and pointed at me. I remained motionless until she mouthed ‘behind you’.

Numbness came over me as the monster’s hot breathe hit the back of my neck. I turned slowly, the monster stood seven to eight feet tall and walked on its hand quarters. Its skin was a smooth gray color peppered with thin blue blood vessels. The limbs were disproportionate and jutted out at peculiar angles like its bony claws. The head was equally hideous deformed with one narrow black eye and one large red eye that rolled around in its socket uncontrollably. The snout was filled with razor like teeth all coated in blood.

I pointed the gun and shot. The bullet went straight through the body and the animal did not even flinch with pain. I stumbled back and shot it again but still it had no effect. The woman behind me lay motionless, was she alive? I hadn’t the super human strength that vampires possessed but I tried to pick her up hoping I could out run the monster. Rain and blood soiled my dress as I tried to pick the woman up. She flopped about like a lifeless doll but still I tried in vain. The monster leapt forward and snatched the woman out of my arms, its thin razor claws slashing one of my arms. For a moment I thought the monster would leap away carrying its prey with him but the monster dropped the woman and stared at me or rather my bleeding arm. Like a cat ready to pounce I watched it’s body coil up with tension as it focused in on me.

Michael hadn’t showed up and I had feeling that if I survived this ordeal he would never let me out of my sight again. Looking around I decided to head away from the urban built area to a fenced off area over the way. Adrenaline hit me and I moved in a blur across the roads into a flattened construction area. Behind me the monster roared and pursued me. Moving through machinery and building materials I saw the river front in the distance and the string of abandoned warehouses. I ran towards there covering the distance quickly, only once to look back at the monster who was clearly struggling to keep up with me. Dumb monster kept tripping over objects that were staring it right in the face. Suddenly I had a crazy idea and I had no idea if it was going to work or not. I got the impression that the monster was not very good at seeing so it must be relying on its sense of smell. So my great idea was to go swimming. I ran to the water front and dived into the Thames- the freezing cold stinking Thames and swam. By the time the monster had arrived at the water front I was quarter of a mile down the river. The Thames was massive and boats floated up and down it so I had no desire to even attempt to cross it. My plan was to float down stream and then get out and find Michael and tell him the great news- I found the monster that has been bumping off all these people and guess what it almost killed me!

I pulled myself out of the water when I saw the monster disappear off into the distance. I had lost my shoes and was completely soaked the red blood stains had faded to pink in the water. Bare foot I walked along an abandon pier to a derelict warehouse and collapsed. Using that burst of speed had made me really sleepy and hungry. What if I fell asleep here and got caught in the sunlight? Panicking I pulled myself up and forced myself to walk on. Blue lights penetrated my vision and for a moment I thought it was because I about to pass out.

“Isn’t that Michael’s chick.” I heard a voice echo.

“What the hell? She’s covered in blood.” A different voice added.

“Gabriel have a care.” This voice came right behind me. Arms clamped around me and swept me off my feet. Hazily I looked up at the man and said,

“A monster it killed her, I tried to save her. I tried-” I said breathlessly feeling my body starting to shut down.

“No I want to stay awake, I need to find Michael.”

My body closed down and I fell asleep.