It's happening. Tonight's the night. Nikolai's been dropping hints for weeks:

"Oh, Emma, you've never looked more ravishing than you do in the moonlight."

"I could lie here with you forever, my love."

"That neckline is sexy as fuck."

Alright, so he isn't always one for poetry, but still, he could tell me I tasted like rotten garbage in that silky voice and my knees would go weak. I confessed that to him once. He laughed so hard blood came out his nose.

"Where're you right now?"

"Hmm?"

Cool fingers slide beneath the cup of my bra, "You're grinning. What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just . . . thinking."

"About?"

Us. Forever. Waking up early tomorrow to find him risking the sunrise through open curtains just to cook me eggs. Except I won't get that forever. When a single ray of sunlight is enough to burn me alive (un-alive?), I'll sleep all day too. No reason to keep the curtains open in daylight then. He only does it for me now because I like mornings, and keep plants, which I forget to water more often than he does, so he leaves me notes on the fridge: "Miss Succulent has gone NINETEEN DAYS without water, I could smell her leaves decaying from my tomb, SHAME ON YOU. Succul-ater. XO."

"Be here with me, only me," his voice reverberates down my spine and these little sparks in my brain fizzle my thoughts, whatever they were. I sigh, a little surprised by how heavy the longing feels on my tongue.

"That's right. Relax."

I shudder and lift my hips off the bed. His hand curves around my waist, trailing tingles across my skin. He squeezes my butt and shifts till he hovers above me, and I don't know when I lost my panties, or spread my legs.

"Good girl."

He presses against my thigh and I'm made aware of a pleasant warmth radiating all through my bloodstream. Oh God, I'm horny. I've never been so horny. I know, logically, he's done this to me hundreds of times before, but no, this one is different, stronger.

"You say that every time," he chuckles.

Balls. Had I said that aloud?

He kisses my collarbone, sucking lightly on my clavicle. I'm panting; quick breaths laced with need. A pleasant warmth radiates through my bloodstream.

I latch onto him, digging my nails into his back, trying with all my might to pull him closer. I need him. Knowing my mere mortal strength is utterly useless against him, he teases: "What's the magic word?"

"Please."

"Oh?" he plants a trail of wet kisses along the hollow of my throat, "Please what?"

"Please, you, I need — " I sputter, head whirling, I don't, I mean, what are words?

Licking my earlobe, he says "it's please, take me," I'm so wet, he slips inside me with such ease, we both gasp, "I'm yours. I have always been yours," he punctuates each world with another, deeper thrust, "You. Will. Always. Be. Mine."

Always. I'm ready. I'm a mewling, helpless mess, but I'm ready. I think. I lift my hips to meet each of his thrusts. I'm so lost and dizzy in the sensations he's bubbled in me I can't concentrate on even commanding my limbs anymore. They seem to react on their own, synced to his rhythm. His mouth continues its journey down my jaw, to my neck.

"I love you," he says.

"I love you."

He kisses my jugular. My pulse pounds firmly against his lips.

Yes. This is what I'm supposed to want.

I mean, this is what I want.

A sharp tooth grazes my skin, tickling, not yet biting down enough to draw blood.

Here it comes. He's going to drink my blood and drain the feeble life from this body, and when he offers me immortally with the taste of his own blood I will totally, un-hesitantly, accept. I swear. I love him. Nothing but wonderful, dark, pulse-less, eternal bliss ahead of us.

I stretch my neck, offering myself.

He veers away. Instead of biting me, he plants a rather chaste kiss on my cheek. Our tempo falters. The spell breaks.

For fuck's sake. I'd been so sure this time!

"Goddamn it, Nick!" I shove him. Hard. Not that it makes a difference, with my toothpick arms. Still, he complies, rolling off me and looking puzzled. "Why haven't you killed me already!"

*

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An edited version of this piece was published by Alban Lake Publishing in 2018.

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