"Rise," I command, planting my foot firmly on the ground.

Solara crawls away from Andrea, and the charmed woman lifts herself without once breaking her gaze. She places one foot in front of her and copies my every movement. I take a step forward, as does she. We repeat this mimicry until we are standing toe-to-toe.

Instead of attempting a headbutt to knock her out, I decide to be a little more proactive. "Andrea, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything." Her eyes are dreamy and half closed. She speaks as though sugar is dripping from her mouth. It is a refreshing change from the venom she was spewing out earlier. For a moment, I fixate on her pink, shimmering lips. They part ever so slightly, as if inviting a kiss.

It almost breaks my concentration.

Guilt shakes my focus further, but why? It's not because I want to make out with her. No, I would never do that to Wilma. It is something else drawing me in. Something else entirely. Again, I hear her heart beat, but the thud of my own drowns hers out. My eyes drift from her vibrant lips to the veins in her neck. If I didn't have a pair of handcuffs on, I'd struggle to stop myself from lashing out and sinking my fangs into her flesh.

Fangs?

First, a sharp pain erupts from my gums. Then, I taste blood. My tongue flicks over my teeth to lap up the sweet nectar. What once tasted like metallic liquid is now more delicious than fine wine. If my own blood is this appetizing, then I can only imagine what Andrea's would taste like...

But I don't want to find out. My human side is repulsed. Frightened even. The unfamiliar needle point of my elongated canine startles me even more, and I stop sliding my tongue around so I don't accidentally puncture it.

Sucking a breath of air through my teeth and newly-grown fangs, I focus my efforts on keeping Andrea charmed. She is also staring at my lips, and with every second that passes, hers get closer. "Wait!" I lean backwards out of her reach. "That's not what I was asking for."

"Oh," she says, disappointed. "Then what?"

"Earth is in danger," I reply, "and it isn't because of this man." I nod at Mort, and Andrea looks at him cautiously. "That on the other hand," I turn towards the Repkonian, "is a threat to us all. More are coming, and if we have a prayer at surviving their invasion, then we need to act fast. This is what you have to do..."

"Yes?"

"Evacuate Penumbra before it's too late."

"O-oh," Andrea says, scrunching her eyebrows. "But what about my mission?" She now speaks in a confused, almost child-like, manner. Her brain must be trying to reason with itself. I hope she doesn't come to her senses and break out of the hypnotic state.

Instead of pushing too hard, I speak plainly and try to work with her logic rather than against it. "Leave the alien hunting to us for now and request reinforcements for later. We'll need a lot of guns and a lot of tanks."

"That can be arranged," she replies, crossing her arms. The softness in her voice is gone. A sense of clarity must have returned to her, but she still seems willing to cooperate. "My bosses will have a lot of questions about this."

"That doesn't matter. Tell them everything. Alert them. They need to know what we're up against."

Satisfied with this, she says, "Got it." Andrea picks up her pistol from the ground and replaces it in her holster. "So... no hard feelings, right?" A nervous laugh almost escapes from her mouth.

With a slight smile, I answer, "Maybe none if you let me go."

She nods appreciatively and walks over to unlock the handcuffs. While I rub my wrists, she proceeds to release Mortecus as well. "Sorry about the pepper spray," she tells him.

"Not to worry," he sighs and brushes himself off. "I've been through worse."

Andrea turns to Solara. "You have one hell of an arm."

"I guess I'm not just a pretty face after all," she replies. "There's a titanium skeleton underneath this synthetic skin."

"My face has the bruises to prove it." After peace offerings are exchanged, Andrea turns to me one last time. "I'll be heading back to town. We'll clear out the locals and set up a barracks."

"Sounds like a plan. Best one we have at the moment," I say honestly.

"If possible, try to slow those scaly bastards down and buy me some time."

"Will do."

Uggh.

Agent Brax groans back into consciousness.

"All right!" Andrea calls to the two soldiers struggling to drag the Repkonian's body. "Leave the lizard where he is and load up this big guy." She gives two firm pats to Brax's chest on her way to the Humvee, and he groans a second time.

The soldiers are probably annoyed, but they follow her orders without question. I hope that military training is enough to prepare these guys for what's coming. Aside from Mort, they are likely our best line of defense.

While they toss Brax into the back of Humvee, Andrea climbs up to open the passenger door. She leans through the window and says, "Good luck out there."

"Same to you."

With a wave, they drive back to the town.

"I can't believe that worked," I mutter to myself. Mort hears me.

"Amazing, isn't it?" He slaps me on the back. "It took me centuries to perfect my little tricks, but if you can learn this quickly, then you will develop yours in no time."

Pondering this, I gently poke the sharp daggers that have sprouted from my gums. They are awfully uncomfortable.

Solara presses a palm against her cheek. "Aww, Drakey got his fangs!"

"So he did."

"Looks like you're a certified vampire now," Jeremy adds. "You've got the signature chompers and everything."

Yeah, including a thirst for blood.

"Better late than never," Mort remarks.

"Is it normal for them to be this annoying?" I ask, trying not to bite my own lip as I'm speaking.

"In the beginning, yes. Fangs come in all shapes and sizes. Your body will go through lots of other changes. It may take some time to get used to it."

This is starting to sound like the time my mom tried giving me "the Talk."

"Noted," I say, trying to move onto a new topic. "Jeremy, does your mom have a spare tire in the minivan?" My words sound clumsy. Some letters are more difficult to pronounce than others.

"Yeah, I'll just pop the..." he points to the smashed bumper, "trunk?"

"We'll climb over the backseats."

The spare is conveniently stored in a container along with some tools. We lift the plastic box and slide it over the seats. After setting it on the ground, we pop off the lid and roll the tire next to the flat.

"Can you pass me the jack?" Before Jeremy hands it to me, Mortecus lifts the minivan's rear completely off the ground.

"Well, then," he grunts, "I haven't got all night."

Speed. Charm. Thirst.

I think of the three vampiric trademarks I've exhibited already, and I realize that I've yet to experience the fourth: strength. Above all others, it seems like the most critical, at least when it comes to taking on a Repkonian.

Tumbling this thought around my mind, I help Jeremy remove the popped wheel and screw on the other.

Mort lets out a relieved sigh as he places the rear back down. "We should be..." Trailing off mid-sentence, he winces and rests a hand on his forehead. "We should be on our way." But he doesn't move. He leans back onto the quarter panel. Without the minivan behind him, he'd fall down flat.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I'm just a bit drained." Still wincing, he massages his temples and then pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Captain, when I launched your escape pod out of the ship, did you have any blood rations on you?" Solara inquires.

"None, unfortunately," he answers with a strained voice.

Alarmed, Solara places a hand over her heart. "You need to feed right away, or you'll collapse!"

Mort shakes his head. "I'll be fine." His willpower isn't enough to keep him standing. As soon as he takes a step forward, his knees buckle.

Before I can offer help, Jeremy holds out his arm in front of Mort. "I hope you like O-positive."

"I couldn't possibly," Mort says weakly.

"I don't mind, Spaceman."

"I don't think we have any other options, Captain," Solara presses. "Vampires do not feed from their own kind, especially not family members--and I'm not killing any cute little animals. That wouldn't be enough anyway. Not when you've been dry for this long."

Jeremy makes a fist, causing his veins to bulge more than they normally do out of his skinny arms.

"If you insist." Mort grabs his wrist, hesitating momentarily before piercing Jeremy's skin.

The intoxicating smell of exposed plasma and hemoglobin instantly provokes a gnawing hunger within me. It is twice as fierce as the sensation I felt with Andrea. I have no idea why. What makes a vampire a vampire? Why is blood such a delicacy?

Jeremy only flinches for half a second as Mort's fangs make contact, but then he watches curiously as he feeds on his body fluid. "It tickles."

Mort lifts his head and lets out a sigh of satisfaction. "I've not tasted fresh virgin blood in ages."

"Well, shit," Jeremy murmurs. "If I had known it hits that hard, I would've told you to take a pint from Randy earlier."

Mort flashes his eyes towards me. They glow brighter than before. He wipes a drop from the corner of his mouth and licks the rest from his fangs. "You feel it, don't you?"

"Feel what?" I ask dumbly.

"The thirst," he replies. "Once it takes hold of you, it never lets go."

Cradling his arm, Jeremy turns to me. "Do you need a pick-me-up, too?"

"No," I answer. "I'm fine. I'm not..." I think carefully for a moment, remembering once again that I am still half human. As quickly as the craving arrived, it flees. "I'm not ready."

Mort nods. "You may stave off the need for a little while, but it will catch up to you. Take my word for it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Solara takes Jeremy by the hand gently and examines the bite marks. "Does your mom have a first-aid kit in her vehicle?"

"Probably. She's packs everything."

"Come with me, and we'll take a look." She leads him into the minivan and tends to his wounds.

"Well, I suppose we should hit the road again." Mort makes his way to the driver's side.

"Hey, wait a minute." I catch his shoulder. "There's something I need to know."

"Hm?"

"You said that there are disadvantages to being a vampire. I know the pain of a bad sunburn all too well. It sounds like blood withdrawals are no joke, either. If vampires possess all of this power but have to deal with the vulnerabilities that come with it, then what about Repkonians? Aside from a shotgun to the face, do they have any weaknesses?"

"Do you want me to be completely honest?"

"Yes."

"No."