I’m not really sure on what to write today. So here, take the first chapter of a book I was writing years ago. Its based of one of my gaming characters, Zara. She was a vampire and one of my favorites to play. Enjoy

I opened my apartment door and saw my best friend and cohort, and secretly the man of my dreams standing in the hallway. His copper hair was pulled back into a ponytail; his straight bangs falling short and hanging around his face. His silver eyes twinkled with trouble mixed with being just dead sexy. His thin lips were set in a devilish smirk, which could only promise me trouble. He stood there in a set of jeans and black combat boots which I rarely saw him out of, and a black T-shirt with the Boondock Saints prayer on it. I know he looked at good out of that shirt as he did in it. We’d been a couple for a while. More than a while. More like seventy-five years of passion, shoot outs, and near death experiences.

“What do you want?” I said as I leaned in the entire door frame using my 6’3” frame to my advantage. “Its my night off, Jason. And you interrupted a very good fight scene whilst listing to Disturbed.”

“Aw… Poor baby.” He said in a mocking tone as he looked down at me from his 6’6” height. “You own all the Disturbed CD’s and you can get back into reading the fight scene. Plus, I have a job you might want to get in on.”

“Oh really?” I replied arching my eyebrows and un-braiding my hair. “You’ve got to be a wee bit desperate if you’re coming to me.”

“No.” He said coldly. “I want one of the best to work with me Zara, that is why I’m coming to you.”

“One of the best?”

“Like I’m going to admit that you’re better than Me.” He said as he pushed into me. “Plus, its not like that’s a blow to your resume or anything.”

“It is if the neighbors hear you.” I replied as I dragged him through the doorway and into my apartment, closing the door behind him.

I walked back to my love seat and curled back up with my book, my feet hanging over the arm just like your parents told you not to do. I acted like I was reading my book, but I was actually watching Jason walk around, taking everything in. He stopped in my kitchen and opened the fridge, coming out with two bottles of blood, one for each of us. The glass immediately frosted around the edge as he walked towards me.

“Put the book down, Z. We both know that you aren’t reading it.” He said as he handed me a frosted bottle.

“You saying you’d pass up the chance to stare at me while I was walking around?” I said as I lifted the bottle to my lips, the cool blood sliding down my throat.

“No.” he chuckled as he sat down on the matching leather sofa. “I’d be mad if I did. I still don’t understand why…”

“What’s this job, Jason?” I cut him off, not wanting to go there.

“A hit.” He said as he placed his bottle down on the table.

“No shit.” I mocked. “Who?”

“Some big shot. A guy named Hawkeye…”

“Loves the M*A*S*H series a little to much.”

“We think that he is the force behind the Sylvania virus…” he trailed off, making my interest perk despite orders.

Sylvania had been a virus floating around the vampire community for about a year, killing them off within weeks of the infection. No one really knew how it spread, but it had killed 100 vampires in a year, that’s scary for any virus. It took about three weeks from infection to death. Yes, it is hard to kill a vampire, but some sick dick had managed to do it. It had struck unusually close to home, hitting Jason’s rebound girlfriend, Sara. She’d siphoned off a willing donator and was sick within hours, the donator long gone. That’s what brought Jason and I back together after a yearlong break up after the break up. He couldn’t handle her without some support, and I turned out to be that support. Stayed with them both night and day, watching her get worse and worse, and tearing Jason apart.

“The creator or the spreader?” I asked as I took another swig of blood, and snagging my K9’s on the mouth of the bottle. So much for being cool in front of your ex.

“No idea, he’s just connected with it.” He said as he leaned back. “This guy named Nick called me up the other day and tipped me off.”

“Nick who?”

“Nick Crest.”

I heard the name and it immediately clicked. I chocked on my swallow of blood as I tried to sit up, ignore the lack of grace and subtlety that I was trying to pull off. “Nick Crest? The Nick Crest?”

“Who?” Jason said, playing dumb.

“Nick Crest!” I shouted as I got to my feet. “The founder and creator of S.E.B.A.P. The man who made it possible for vampires to get blood other ways than from eating from humans for every meal!”

“Oh yeah, that guy.” He smiled at me, and I kicked the sofa over.

Jason’s hands fell behind his head, bottle still upright, as he pushed himself into a handstand, his shirt falling to his face and showing off his fine torso, and back down to his feet. As he stood he took another swig of blood and looked at me, his K9’s glistening.

“Watch it, Z. You almost lost a liter of AB-, you know how hard that is to find?”

“All I have to do is pump your stomach and I’d get it all back.” I smiled at him as I righted the couch with my foot. “My fridge is filled with them, and what would you know about what is good?”

“I dated you for seventy five years, Z. I better know.”

I stopped and stared at him, and honestly wondered why we broke up. We worked so good on so many levels that it wasn’t even funny, but I don’t think that it was enough. I imagined what would happen right now if we were still together. How’d he come up to me and hold me, bringing me into him, his teeth grazing along my shoulder making me shiver. Opening my jaws and sinking my teeth into the nape of his neck, and having him practically purr and beg for me never to stop.

“Those days are gone, Jason.” I said as I walked past him and into the bathroom, knowing he’d follow me unless I closed the door. And I did. I placed my hands on both sides of my marble sink and stared at the drain, trying to refocus myself. “The hit, Jason.”

“Tomorrow night.” He said casually, right outside the door.

“What?” I said in disbelief as I stared at myself in the mirror. My blue-gray eyes were red around the edges, my straight dark hair falling down over my right shoulder. “You’re shitting me, right?”

“Would I do something like that?” he continued, and I could picture him taking another sip of blood as he leaned against the door.

“How long have you known?”

“Twelve hours.” He said simply.

“And why didn’t you contact me twelve hours ago?” I snapped as I sat down on the toilet, holding my head in my hands. This was crazy, fucking crazy.

“Because, honestly, you weren’t my fist choice.” He said, like he was almost embarrassed about it.

“That’s fine.” I said, running my hands through my hair. “We going in as a couple or something?”

“Yes.” He said, and it explained why he didn’t come to me twelve hours ago. “Well, no. More like honeymooners.”

I got up from the toilet and crossed the room in two strides, flinging open the door and standing in front of Jason. He held up two fake passports in front of me, our pictures in it and our last names matching.

“It was the only way I could get into the hotel that night.” He said in self-defense as he started backing up. “We have other names to get into the party, but these to be in the hotel.”

“Don’t you think the staff would notice if we showed up at a very important party as two different people than who we checked in as!” I snapped as I rounded on him.

“Not if we dye your hair…”

“Dye my hair!” I snapped. “You’re crazy, Jason.”

“Or get a wig!” he said, trying to cover his ass. “Contacts, lipstick, something besides a sports bra…”

“You’re pushing the limits, Jas.” I growled.

He grabbed a hold of me and pulled me into him, slamming into his chest. I felt alive when he touched me, no pun intended. I struggled as he raised my hand against his.

“And a ring.” He said softly as he slid a ring around my ring finger, and I tried hard not to gasp.

It was a gold ring with a single blood red ruby inside of a diamond, with diamonds and ruby’s inlaid in the gold band. I knew that this was the ring that would have been mine if I ever said “yes” to him at any point. He had picked it up on our 60^th anniversary and had carried it around ever since. For most people, it would have been a wedding ring, but for him it was an engagement. I’d found it in his trousers a few months before we broke up. It fit now just like it had then.

“Its yours after the hit too.” He said softly, and I managed to tear my eyes away from the ring to him. “No one else will fit it.” He continued with a sad smile.

“Jason…” I stammered.

“What?” he asked.

I wanted to say yes to him. I wanted him to hear the words that I had kept from him for months. And I was so disappointed with myself when I said “Nothing.”

I watched his body sag as he forced himself to smile at me. “So, I take it that you’re going to do the hit?”

“Yes.” I said with a smile. “I’ll need some money for a dress and stuff…”

“What?” he said in outrage. “I’m not buying you clothes, Zara. I never have and never will.”

“You’re the one who wants the illusion we’re mar…”

“It doesn’t have to be an illusion, Zara.” He whispered. “Look, if it’s going to be this difficult, forget it. I’ll find someone else.”

“I’m not trying to make it difficult!” I said as he started to walk away.

“Bull shit.” He said as he lifted up his bottle and took a sip. “You don’t know how to make things easy, Zara. The word is not in your vocabulary nor work ethic.”

I stood and rolled my lips back and forth over my K9’s, a habit that I formed when I was very young and was incapable of breaking. Well, I lied. Not incapable, unwilling to break. I folded my arms over my chest and felt the ring brush against my palm.

“Damn it, Zara. Why can’t you let go of the past?” he said as he slammed the glass back down on the counter, the bottle shattering everywhere.

“Doesn’t look like you can’t get over it either.” I said as I leaned against the wall. “Look, we were both happier before we got back into each others lives…”

“Oh yeah. It was real fun seeing you on the cover of Arms and Armor last spring.” He said with a bitter grin, and I pushed down the blush I was feeling in my cheeks. “I never thought you would sell out that bad, Z.”

“You talking about the cover or the inside?” I snapped, not being able to hold back anymore. “Yeah, so what if I posed in some camo underwear holding my sword and sheathes wrapped around my leg? Did you look inside?” I smirked.

His jaw locked, and his silver eyes landed on me, and I repressed a shudder. “Yeah I did. Loved the picture where you were draped over some Military man holding your ass as you leg rested against his hip. I was amazed when I saw you were wearing underwear.”

“What about the picture where I held the glasses between my teeth as I lied naked on the bed in a generals hat, surrounded by pistols?” I smiled.

“No, no, no.” he said as he walked towards me. “I really loved the one where you were all beaten up and covered in blood, your hair falling down your back as you pulled off the gas mask with your sword in your left hand. The white t-shirt clinging to you as your jeans fell off your hips and revealed your thong panties…”

“It wasn’t a thong. It was a string bikini.” I smirked. “And those weren’t my jeans. They were Mike’s. You know, the military man holding my ass?”

Jason pinned me to the wall, his face inches from mine. “You trying to drive me nuts and push me over the edge? Because you’re doing a great job.” he growled.

“You want an autographed copy? I have extra’s.” I smiled.

Jason’s jaws opened up and he snapped his jaws shut centimeters away from my neck. I rocked my head back and closed my eyes, daring for him to take a bite. I repressed a shudder when he licked the nape of my neck and heard him chuckle softly. He slowly worked his way up my neck, licking it and then biting, making it more sensitive. I tried not to melt into his grasp as he nipped my ear.

“Good to know my tricks still work.” He whispered in my ear.

“Jason, give me your credit card or get the hell out of here.” I said in a whisper, not trusting myself to speak any louder.

He kissed my neck and I felt cold plastic working its way between my underwear and my skin on my hip, his fingers holding it in place. I was about to give in when he pulled away, letting go of his credit card that was still sitting against my hip. I’m sure that if I could breathe I would have been panting, and he would have been, too. He gave me a smirk as he walked away towards the door.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at dusk.” He smiled.

“Hey,” I said as I pushed myself off the wall and towards the kitchen.

“What?”

I opened the fridge and pulled out two more bottles of blood. “Want another hit?” I smirked.

 

****

 

We went to bed late that night, or early that morning, how ever you want to look at it. The

blood got to our heads, and it lead to many things that night. Making out on the sofa, then in the bedroom, where other things happened. His t-shirt was on the loveseat in the living room, his jeans in the doorway, his boots at the edge of the bed. My tank top was on top of his jeans, my jeans nowhere to be seen, and I didn’t care. This defiantly was not one of the reasons why we broke up.

His left arm was draped over my stomach as my head used his right arm as a makeshift pillow. My right hand was entangled with his left, the ring sticking out against my pale skin. His head was in the back of my neck, and I could feel him place gentle kisses on my skin, thinking I was asleep. It had been so long since we had been like this, and it felt so good. It felt like part of me that had been missing had come back, and with that statement I knew I was in big trouble. Why is it that we never appreciate what we have until it is gone, or has come back and fills that empty hole in you?

A rumble of thunder roared outside of my bedroom window and rain pounded against it, trying to break in. I’m sure that the sound of rain sounded like a heartbeat of someone you held dear, because it was so calming. The sun was slowly rising in the distance, I could feel it tugging at me, telling me to retreat into darkness or turn into ash. Too bad for the sun that I wasn’t that kind of vampire. I could walk in its ray’s and not suffer from spontaneous vampire combustion, a problem that plagues so many of us. I didn’t have a heartbeat and I didn’t really breath, but I could walk in the sun and the only side effect I’d suffer from was being tired and getting hungry more quickly. Jason was the same as I, being able to walk around in light. Only a handful of us could do it, and lucky for us it was a common gene in our families ancient makeup.

A bolt of lightning filled the black sky and my black room, making Jason sit up in bed, taking my pillow away. I moaned at the discomfort and was shaken when I felt him get out of the bed, making me sit up. He walked towards the door way and started working his jeans on.

“Where are you going?” I asked, sounding more tired than I’d like to admit.

“I’ve got to go and get things ready.” He said as he zipped his jeans and turned back around. “Remember, we have a hit tonight.”

“How could I forget?” I smiled as I lifted the credit card off the nightstand and held it in my fingers. “You’re letting me go shopping.”

“Don’t remind me.” He replied with a smile and a roll of his eyes. “Please spend kindly.”

“I’ll go to Dazzlers, how’s that for kind?” I said as I wrapped the sheet around myself as I stood up.

“Not kind. Because I know he won’t let you leave without matching underwear to whatever you get.”

I chuckled as he walked outside and got back into his t-shirt, hiding his abs from me. “Shoes.” He mumbled as he walked past me and into the bedroom, returning moments later with his boots. “Remember, tonight at dusk.” He said as he kissed my cheek and left.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Just keep swimming!