Dead Girl Talking Part 2

"Do you do this with everyone you sleep with? Or was I just lucky the other night?" My voice dripped with sarcasm.

"No, I don't change everyone I sleep with. I changed one other person a very long time ago, but we were in love. I haven't changed anyone since then."

"Well here's a tip for you. Before you take someone and turn them into a vampire, you might want to discuss it with the person first." I knew I sounded like a b.i.t.c.h but at this point, I felt I was ent.i.tled.

We both sat on my bed in silence each lost in their own private thoughts. Finally Jake spoke.

"Look, I can't change you back. The only thing I can do is teach you everything you need to know about being a vampire. There's things you'll need to know in order to survive. There's the basics like you won't be able to go outside during the day ever again, but that's when you'll be sleeping anyways."

"Do you sleep in a coffin? Will I have to?"

"Nope, I sleep on my bed. Just no sunlight can come into the room, or you'll be a pile of dust like in the movies. Let's see...you can eat food, but you don't need to for survival. Now you only need blood. I still like to eat regular food. It helps me feel more human. Plus you can eat whatever you want and you won't gain weight. You'll stay the same looking as when you changed."

"So I won't gain weight, but I can't lose any either?" I questioned him.

"No, you'll stay exactly the way you are now for as long as you exist."

d.a.m.n, I thought, I knew I should have gotten around to losing those fifteen pounds when I had the chance. I always hated going down to the gym but I guess I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

"One of the most important things you need to know is how to stay away from slayers." When he mentioned slayers, his tone changed and his facial expressions became very serious.

"Slayers? Like vampire slayers? You mean they're really real? I thought they were something made up for the movies." It made me nervous thinking slayers were real now that I was a vampire. In movies, they seemed pretty bada.s.s.

"I wish they were made up. Vampire slayers are real and they are deadly to us. And it doesn't help that the most dangerous slayers alive happen to live here in Chicago. Their family has been slayers for centuries, even before I was changed. Their family name is Raintree and they're legendary to vampires. The only good thing is that they usually focus more on the big groups of vampires, they really don't go after individuals too much," he explained. "They're a group of brothers, and a few months ago one of them was killed when he was out slaying. Since then they've all be coming down on all of us kind of hard. I've been trying to lay low... One of them spotted me not too long ago at a nightclub, but I was able to get away before he got too close. I was lucky too, because it was the oldest brother, kind of like the leader right now. Rumor has it he took his brother's death the hardest."

"Well, can you tell someone is a slayer by looking at them?" The idea of people out on the streets looking to kill me wasn't a happy thought.

"No, slayers are regular people, so there's no way to tell just by looking at them."

"That's just great," I muttered sarcastically. I wondered what other surprises were waiting for me.

"You'll be fine. The good thing about being a newly turned vampire is it's harder for the slayers to tell you're a vampire. The longer you're around the easier it is for them to identify you. It has something to do with your blood, I don't know, I never understood it. But look, I've been around a long time and I haven't gotten killed yet."

"How long have you been a vampire?" He looked to be in his mid thirties to me.

"I was turned the year I came to Chicago back in 1835."

"So you've been a vampire over a hundred and ..." I trailed off. I was never any good at math. Clearly becoming a vampire hadn't improved my math skills.

"Over a hundred and seventy three years."

"Besides slayers what else do I need to know? And am I supposed to go around killing people and drinking their blood? I don't think I can do that."

Jake stopped as if to think. "You don't have to worry about finding people to feed from. I'll let you drink from me until you're ready to go out on your own. And before you say no I understand we're not talking about a major commitment here. This will be a temporary arrangement until you figure something else out."

"Is feeding from the neck always so...s.e.xual? That was pretty intense what just happened." It was true. I had gone from wanting to kill him to wanting to f.u.c.k him in a matter of seconds.

"Feeding that way can be s.e.xual. You have to get close to them and if you allow the s.e.xual feelings loose, they will overcome you. And the o.r.g.a.s.ms during feeding are incredible too. But if that makes you uneasy, you can feed from my wrist as we did the first time. We don't have to have s.e.x. I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice, but we don't have to if you don't want to."

I sat and considered what he offered me. The idea of finding people and drinking their blood made me sick and I'd already done it two times with him. "How often do I have to feed?"

"Once every couple days. If you had to you could go a little over a week, but I wouldn't advise it. When you wait too long you'll feel sick and the thirst is almost uncontrollable."

"And you were serious about the no s.e.x and no commitments? This would be only temporary like you said." It would be convenient to feed from him until I figured out what the h.e.l.l I was going to do.

Jake sat up smiling. "Absolutely. I'd feel better after everything I did to be able to help you."

"You don't have any more weird surprises, do you? You're not going to sprout fur and turn into a werewolf at the next full moon or anything, are you?" I knew I didn't have it in me for any more surprises. Becoming a vampire was my limit.

Jake laughed at my questions to him. "No, no other surprises, I promise."

"Ok, I'm going to go take a quick shower and then we'll talk some more, ok?"

"Sure, of course. I actually took a shower while you were out of it. I hope you don't mind."

"Hey, use my shower, drink my blood... no biggie," I quipped as I stood up and walked into the bathroom. I went to the sink and turned on the water so I could splash some water on my face. While looking at myself in the mirror I determined I looked exactly the same as I had a few nights ago on the outside. But on the inside, I knew I was very different. How did I get myself into this situation, I thought. All I wanted was a simple one-night stand and some awesome s.e.x. Instead, I found myself turned into a vampire. I had gotten the fantastic s.e.x I'd wanted but I had also gotten much, much more than I intended.

Chapter Four

"So this is where you live?" I was standing in Jake's dimly lit living room. He had an incredible condo right on the lakefront. It was decorated very modern, not what you'd expect from someone who lived in the eighteen hundreds.

I was there because I needed to feed again. A few days had pa.s.sed since Jake changed me and I could tell my body wanted blood again. There was a craving deep in my gut that I couldn't satisfy. I had eaten food as he told me I could; it just didn't do anything for the hunger deep inside me. I needed Jake and I needed his blood.

"Yep this is my place. I bought the entire floor so I have awesome views of the city."

We stood next to each other looking out towards Lake Michigan. There were lights twinkling on the water, boats out for a last sail before the end of summer. Looking down we could see the cars below us snaking down Lake Sh.o.r.e Drive , an endless display of headlights. .

"So how have you been doing?" Jake asked me.

Since the night he'd bitten me last weekend he'd pretty much left me alone. He called once to see if I needed anything, but for the most part, he had backed off and given me my s.p.a.ce. I appreciated his leaving me alone while I adjusted to my new life, or death, or whatever it was I had now.

"I'm okay I guess. It's strange knowing I'll never stand in the suns.h.i.+ne again, but I never tanned anyhow. It's the Irish in me. There are still a couple things I'm trying to figure out, but for the most part I'm okay," I explained to him.

"Janice I know I apologized last week, but I am sorry I did this to you. I screwed up your life and I had no right to. I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me for what I did to you."

"Jake, you don't have to keep apologizing. I shouldn't have brought home a total stranger to my place. When you came over I didn't even know your last name." I knew his last name now though, Manahan.

'Well, I still feel terrible so I have something I want to give you. Just to show you I'm sorry."

Jake went across the room to his desk then came back with a piece of folded white paper. He offered it to me so I took it from him.

"What is this?" I asked as I unfolded it and saw the name of a bank on the letterhead.

"I know this doesn't change what I did, but I wanted to do something to help you."

"It's from a bank," I commented as I scanned the page in my hand. Even though I scanned the letter, I had no idea what it meant. It was all official and legal looking.

"It's the information you need to access the accounts I set up for you. You'll start getting statements in a few weeks."

I read the bottom of the paper and my eyes widened when I saw the account balance.

"You gave me fifty million dollars?" It was strange even saying the dollar amount aloud.

"I know it won't give you your old life back, but I wanted to make sure you were set for a long time. I actually set up a trust so constant deposits would go into that account. You never have to worry about money again. I thought it was the least I could do for you."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this at all. Thank you Jake." I leaned over to give him a hug squeezing him tight. Actually, money was one of those "things" I'd mentioned a few minutes ago that I was still trying to figure out. I was considering getting a new job working a nights.h.i.+ft somewhere. I ended up having to quit my day job because I couldn't go in to work anymore during the day. His giving me money solved that problem quite nicely and now I didn't have to worry anymore.

"I'm glad to be able to help. I can't stop feeling terrible about what I did to you. And I promise I'll stop apologizing to you right now this minute."

"Good. Thank you for this. This will help me out a lot." There was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders now that I didn't have to worry about next months rent.

"Come on, let's sit down." He took my hand and led me over to the sofa.

We sat down next to each other and I put the bank paper in my purse that was on the floor. I was a little nervous about drinking from him again, because last time had been so s.e.xual. I was glad we agreed I'd drink from his wrist from now on because I didn't want it to be awkward between us.

"I feel weird," I finally confessed to him. "Last time we were together it was so s.e.xual, and we agreed this time it wasn't going to be like that. I'm really nervous I guess."

"Just relax Janice. I know you don't want anything s.e.xual from me and that's fine. We're friends now so don't feel weird." He unb.u.t.toned the wrist b.u.t.tons on the sleeve of his s.h.i.+rt and rolled it up a few times. "I think drinking from my wrist will be fine."

He extended his arm out to me and I took it in both my hands. "I don't want this to hurt you," I told him.

"No, don't worry about it. You're not going to hurt me, trust me. Go ahead and drink."

"Ok." I put my mouth on his wrist and closed my eyes. I could literally feel my incisors extend in my mouth, as if my body knew food was on the way. I opened my mouth and bit down slowly with my eyes tightly squeezed shut. The sound of my teeth breaking through his skin made me wince, but he didn't pull back or make a sound the entire time.

Jake's blood started flowing into my mouth as I started to suck on his wrist. After a few minutes of drinking from him pa.s.sed, I removed my mouth from his wrist and opened my eyes. He looked fine to me, not at all like someone who had their blood drained from them for the past few minutes.

"Are you alright?" I asked him even though he appeared to be okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He inspected the two small marks on his wrist. "Look, they've already stopped bleeding." He rolled his sleeve back down and b.u.t.toned it up at the wrist. "How do you feel? Are you feeling pukey?" he joked.

"No, I don't feel sick at all." The hunger feelings were gone. I was also relieved I didn't have those s.e.xual urges for Jake as I had last time I drank from him. Drinking from the wrist was not as s.e.xual as drinking from someone's neck.

"Well, it's still early, want to go to dinner? I don't have any other plans for tonight."

"Yeah, we can do that. I don't have any other plans either," I admitted. I gathered up my purse and jacket and followed him to the elevator to leave his condo. He was turning out to be a good friend, which surprised me almost as much as when I found out he was a vampire.

Chapter Five

It was late at night and I was walking through the park that is close to my apartment. I'd gone out to dinner with some old friends that night and I didn't feel like going home yet. I wanted to be out in the night air to try to clear my head. I was still slowly coming to terms with my new life, and some parts were easier than others.

It was nice that Jake set me up financially so I didn't have to work. Not having to worry about money was a huge relief. When I knew I didn't have to work anymore I thought it would be great not having to deal with the nine to five grind. After a few weeks, I learned it wasn't actually all that fantastic. I was bored. I read a lot of books, hit all the nightclubs, and went shopping whenever I wanted but it all got old fast. That's why I agreed to go out to dinner with some old friends of mine that night, out of boredom. Our lives were so different I didn't have much to add to their conversations. We simply didn't have anything in common anymore.

I also had to deal with the fact that I would never have any children. Even though I'd never had the burning desire to have a baby, coming to terms with the fact it would be impossible bothered me a little. Not having one had always been my choice, and now that choice had been taken away from me. On the plus side I didn't have to worry about my period anymore, which was nice. No more suffering through cramps and headaches that used to come every month.

My mother was another problem I had yet to deal with. We always met once a month for Sunday morning breakfast at the Golden Nugget restaurant. I hadn't found the right way to tell her that if I tried to meet her there next month I'd be a pile of ash at my front door. I didn't want to lie to her and tell her I was sick because that would cause her to visit and check up on me in person. The last thing I needed was for her to get so worried about me that she stop by my apartment during the day. If she found me while I was in my death like sleep there would be no explaining that to her.

I reached a part of the park where the path was exceptionally dark. The tree branches above blocked the lamp light and there were shadows everywhere. I never noticed the man who came out from behind a tree and s.n.a.t.c.hed my purse as he continued running down the path.

"Hey!" I yelled weakly after him, as if that was going to stop him. I immediately considered my bag gone. The guy was running fast and I knew there no way in h.e.l.l I could ever catch him. Just because I was immortal didn't mean I could run any faster now than before I was changed.

"Stay here, I'll get your bag," another man yelled to me as he ran by following my purse thief down the path.

I had no idea where either of these men had come from; it was as if they had just appeared out of the shadows. I didn't get a good look at my would-be hero; he was off chasing my purse at full speed ahead. The only thing I knew for certain was he was big and wore a backpack on his back. I watched him disappear into the underground tunnel that connected the two halves of the park that was divided by a street above.

I started to run after the men, curious to see what was going to happen. As I exited the other side of the tunnel, my legs went from a run to a dead halt. Up ahead of me I could see the man who had stolen my purse lying on his back on the path. My purse lie next to him, its contents scattered on the ground around him. The man who chased him knelt over him straddling the thief. I could see them clearly, since they had stopped right next to one of the park lamps that lined the path. My hero reached back into his backpack and pulled out a long, thin object that he held firmly in one hand over the thief's chest.

"No, no," the thief pleaded as he shook his head violently from side to side and tried to frantically get out from under the man, clawing at the ground.

Taking a step back into the shadows I watched with horrified curiosity. It felt surreal to me, as if I was watching a movie and not real life unfolding in front of me.

"May G.o.d have mercy on your d.a.m.ned soul," the man grimaced to the thief before plunging the object he held directly into the thief's chest. There was a noise like I never heard before, and then the thief was gone, instantly disintegrated to dust. I realized the object the man was holding was a wooden stake. I watched him reach back and shove the stake back into his backpack. He turned and started picking up my loose items that were still on the ground and putting them back into my purse.

I felt sick, as if I might vomit from what I just witnessed. My hero was no hero: he was a vampire slayer. I must have made some kind of noise without realizing it, because he quickly looked up at me while I was still in the shadows. He crouched as if he was ready to attack, and I stepped forward so he could see that it was me. I silently prayed that he wouldn't be able to tell what I was simply from looking at me.

"I'm sorry, that guy who stole your bag is... gone," the man told me as he stood up with my purse.

"Yeah he is," I replied. I didn't let on I'd seen what had just happened. Better to let him think I thought the man had escaped. I stepped closer to get my purse with caution. Once I was up close, I was able to get a better look at the slayer.

He was tall, at least six foot two, and built like a stone wall. His shoulders were wide his thighs were thick. He had on a pair of camouflage pants and a dark olive green sweater and combat boots. His hair was short and dark, cut close to his head, military style. He had very distinctive eyebrows and eyes that were dark. I thought maybe they were brown. His nose was a little crooked as if it had been broken at least once in his life. When he reached to hand me my purse, I noticed his hands were large too. This guy was manly with a capitol M. I took my bag from him and slung it over my shoulder.

"Thank you so much for getting this back for me. I thought it was gone for good." I was nervous talking with him because I'd never seen a slayer before in person, much less spoken to one. I wasn't sure how I should act around him. Back when Jake first changed me he'd said that slayers couldn't recognize a vampire if they were newly changed. Standing there, I hoped Jake knew what he was talking about because I didn't want to meet the same fate as my purse thief.

"You know someone like you shouldn't be walking alone in the park this late."

"Someone like me?" I instantly thought I was a goner and I watched him to see if he was going to reach into his bag to get his stake for me.

"You know, a woman by herself... a beautiful woman by herself." He was trying to look me in the eye and I wasn't making it easy for him.

"Oh..." Relief washed over me because he wasn't about to kill me in the park after all. It took a few seconds for it to sink in that he had called me beautiful and I felt my cheeks get hot. I don't think I'll ever be able to take compliments well, no matter how long I exist. They always make me feel uneasy and like I'm undeserving.

"Well, where are you headed now? I could walk with you to wherever it is you're going. No sense in tempting fate twice in one night. You never know who you'll find wandering around MarquettePark this late."

How right you are, I thought. It was sweet that he was trying to keep me safe from whatever was lurking out in the dark night. The ironic thing was he was the most dangerous thing alive to me. Under any other circ.u.mstances, I would have taken him up on his offer without the slightest hesitation, but I knew I was going to have to refuse him. I wasn't sure if he would eventually be able to tell what I was and I wasn't in the mood to die... again.

"Listen, ummm... I'm sorry, what's your name?" I asked him.