She held my heart in her hands, yet I didn’t even know her name. Her beauty was beyond physical. It was a magical melding of angels, demons and emotional baggage that seemed so appealing. I watched as she floated across the room, lighting here and there talking to all those blank faces. They hadn’t realized what had landed in their midst, what grand gift they were given that night. I watched and I waited, waited for her to sense my heart and float to me. I knew it was only a matter of time.
Every moment dripped like congealed blood from an open wound. I could feel the seconds float across my skin, could sense time like I never had before. Yet, still I waited. I couldn’t give up hope that somewhere in this night fate and destiny would collide, and one lonely ember would fall on her heart making her love me.
The chiming of the clock shook me from her spell. As I was about to give up hope that I would ever touch her life, she turned and looked at me. Her eyes seemed to blaze the deepest emerald green I had ever seen. Her cinnamon hair fell in rich thick curls over her alabaster skin. The corners of her mouth turned up into the most captivating smile. It was as if I was witnessing God’s greatest creation.
It appeared as if her feet barely grazed the carpets as she made her way to my part of the world. The dimness of that space became alive with her beauty. I knew I would never look at anything the same again.
“Hello, I don’t think we’ve met,” she said, the words streaming from her lips and dancing over my ears. “My name is…”
“No, please don’t say your name,” I said, placing a finger over her lips. “The mystery can only add magic to this night.”
She looked at me puzzled for a moment then let out a small laugh.
“Okay, I’ll play your little game,” she said, her head tilting to the side allowing her eyes catch the light from the candelabra on the table near us.
“No game,” I said, smiling back and her. “We can exchange names in due time. For now, let’s just see where the night leads us.”
I gently took her hand and led her out the open doors to the balcony. It was completely deserted. I selected two seats in the corner for us to sit in. She followed me gracefully.
The warm summer breeze tenderly danced through her hair as she pushed it back from her face revealing the delicate curve of her neck. My pulse began to quicken.
“Don’t succumb so quickly,” I whispered, trying to calm myself.
“I’m sorry, did you say something?” she asked. She was so attentive.
“No,” I said, shaking my head and letting my eyes lock with hers.
“Oh, okay,” she muttered, quickly looking down and her hands.
“So, what brought you here tonight?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Ah, well Daniel is my brother. He’s always having one party or another. I come and make small talk, try to act interested but usually his guests aren’t very … exciting,” she said, a sly smile spreading across her face.
“I hope you don’t think that of me,” I said, letting my eyes brighten just enough to catch her attention but not enough to scare her. It was one of my many talents, my little tricks that always seemed to work. I hoped tonight wouldn’t be any different.
“Not at all. In fact, you are the most intriguing person I’ve ever met at one of Daniel’s events,” she said, staring at my eyes. The trick worked.
I held her gaze and let a small smile spread across my lips. She took out a cigarette, and I quickly pulled out my antique silver lighter to light it for her.
“Thank you,” she said. “That’s a very beautiful lighter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it before.”
“I’d imagine you haven’t. It was a gift from my grandfather,” I said, gazing into her eyes and hoping she didn’t realize I was lying.
Although the lighter was in fact antique, I had bought it brand new over 80 years ago. Granted, I in no way looked my true age.
She leaned back taking a small puff of her cigarette, her eyes drifted to the skies above us.
“The stars are so beautiful tonight. I’m happy to be out of that stuffy party. Besides, I was in desperate need of a cigarette,” she said, a small blush filling her cheeks.
“Well it’s a good thing I was able to rescue you then,” I said, letting my hand find its way to her knee. She didn’t move it away. A very good sign indeed.
We continued talking for over an hour, more then small talk but nothing too serious. All I wanted to do was win her trust. I needed to make her mine. I craved her more then anyone who had ever had the fortune, or sometimes misfortune, of crossing my path. She didn’t know it yet, but she was destined to be my queen. As the moments ticked by, my hunger began to swell.
“It looks like the party is coming to an end. Would you like me to walk you home?” I asked, gauging her reaction to my words.
“That would be wonderful,” she said, a flirtatious sparkle in her eyes.
We stood and entered the apartment. I waited patiently for her to say her goodbyes to her brother, and then we walked to the elevator.
The ride down to the lobby of the building was spent in silence, a smile here, a small glance there. Her mind was racing with thoughts. Most were centered around trying to find something to talk about. Reading minds was another of my little tricks.
The elevator doors finally opened as we reached the lobby. I took her hand and quickly headed for the safe cloak of the summer night. It had been a while since I last fed. I was sure my complexion was taking on its natural white sheen that gave my skin and almost marble appearance. I didn’t want to arouse suspicion.
When we were comfortably away from the hotel, I decided to break the tension with more small talk and perhaps a bit of flirting. Boosting a woman’s ego is the best way to make her trust you.
“I love this time of year,” I said, trying to look genuinely interested in having this conversation.
“I don’t think summers are the same anywhere else. The city feels more electric, more alive this time of year,” she said, smiling at me and grasping my hand tighter.
That one small gesture let me know I had won her trust. She wanted to be with me. She didn’t love me yet, but that would happen soon enough.
As we approached her building, I waited for an invitation into her apartment for drinks, or some other excuse she had come up with.
“I hate to cut this evening so short and I’m really enjoying spending time with you. Would you like to join me for a nightcap?” she said, as if she had read my mind. Of course I knew she hadn’t.
“I would like that very much,” I said, releasing her hand and opening the front door of her apartment building.
After another awkward elevator ride, we entered her apartment. It was decorated in a contemporary modern style. Vastly different than the house I inhabited in the Garden District, but still tasteful. It helped reinforce the draw that had formed the need to make her my queen.
Still reading her mind, I knew she was yet again searching for something to say, some small sentence to break the ice. I smiled realizing I was doing the same thing. I was not one to falter with small talk. I could usually spin words into eloquent phrases bending hearts to my whim, but tonight was different. I supposed she was different too. This wasn’t just another conquest. She would be with me forever, and that made this the most important night of my life.
“I’m not one to invite someone who’s practically a stranger into my home, but there’s just something about you.” she said, searching my face, as if trying to place what it was that had attracted her to me.
“I do pride myself at being unique. ‘A simple soul with a touch of flair,’ is what my mother use to call me,” I said, letting the memory take me back to my childhood.
“Yes! That’s it exactly,” she said, her eyes glittering with excitement. “It’s very… appealing.”
She got up and went into the kitchen, returning moments later with a bottle of wine and two glasses. She walked a few feet past me before turning around and giving me a look that let me know I should follow her. The night was going exactly as I had hoped it would.
We sat together on the leather sofa facing the balcony windows. The floor to ceiling glass gave us breathtaking views of the city below, and the moon dancing on the water of the Mississippi River. One could not ask for a more romantic setting.
She poured us both a glass of wine, than sat the bottle on the coffee table. Her thoughts were filled with questions about me and questions of herself. I watched her intently, looking for any sign that would let me know what my next move could be.
“Maybe it’s time we made our formal introductions,” she said, flashing me a nervous smile.
“I think you might be right,” I said, hoping to ease the doubts that were flooding her mind. “My name is Lucien Belleau.”
“It’s nice to officially meet you Lucien. I’m Carmen D’Alimonte,” she said, her voice painted with excitement and relief.
“D’Alimonte…that’s Italian yes?” I said, slowly inching across the sofa.
“Yes it is,” she said, her voice more animated. “My great grandfather came to America from a small village outside of Tuscany. He ended up here in New Orleans, married my great grandmother and our family has been here ever since.”
Talking about her family seemed to make Carmen feel at ease. It also gave me the chance to use a few more of my tricks on her. With her guard down, bending her will to mine wouldn’t be as hard.
“Have you ever been to the village in Italy that your family came from?” I asked, pouring her more wine. She didn’t seem to notice that I hadn’t touched mine.
“Yes, I have. My father took Daniel and myself there a few years ago. We were able to meet some distant cousins and tour the small house my great grandfather was born in. It was a fabulous trip,” she said, happily taking the glass from me.
As Carmen began sipping the wine, I tried to plant a thought in her mind to see how open it would be to me.
“The village was so beautiful, and everyone was so nice. There were vineyards as far as the eye could see,” she said, her voice far away in memory.
As Carmen finished her last sentence, she reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse. She didn’t even seem to notice she was doing it. Ah, good, I thought. She had received my message. It was a nice way to make sure the connection I had felt with her was real, and now her neck was even more exposed. I could see the vein behind her beautiful pale skin pulsing with each contraction of her heart. Seeing that made my own pulse quicken. It was almost more then I could bear.
“We had dinner outside around this really long table. Everyone was there, and the food…the food was to die for!” she said. “They don’t make Italian food like that here in New Orleans.”
“That must have been one of your happiest times. Your eyes are still sparkling from the memories,” I said, giving her my most charming smile. Something I had learned from my father long ago.
“It was, it really was,” Carmen said, a faint blush filling her cheeks. The hint of color made her even more radiant.
“Shall I pour you some more wine?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.
“Yes please,” Carmen said, placing her hand on my thigh. She seemed much more relaxed now, even a bit flirty.
“Here I was, rambling away about my family and my trip and I’ve yet to ask anything about you. I think all this wine is starting to go to my head” she said, while putting down her glass. “Where does your family come from, Lucien?”
“My family is originally from the French countryside near Orléans. They came to America in the early 1800’s,” I said, my mind overflowing with memories of my mortal life.
“From Orléans to New Orleans, how fantastic!” Carmen said, giggling and rubbing my leg. I now knew the wine had in fact gone to her head, which was good. It should make my plans a bit easier now.
I smiled and waited for her eyes to meet mine. When she finally looked at me, I forced her to not look away. Bending her to my will was becoming easier as the night progressed.
I let my eyes take in every part of her face. The way her nose dipped a little at the end, the faint splash of freckles across her cheeks, the small laugh lines at the corners of her mouth; she was the most beautiful creature my eyes had ever perceived.
I wanted her, this is true, but more then that I needed her. This need filled me completely. I had to taste her in some way. I wasn’t ready for the fatal bite, not yet. I just needed a taste.
Looking into her eyes once more, I leaned in closer until our lips touched. I could feel her body shiver beneath my hand, as I caressed the small of her back.
Gently I parted her lips with the tip of my tongue. As our bodies drew closer, I could feel how much she wanted me. I wanted her too, just not in that way.
I began sucking on her bottom lip. She moaned with pleasure as I let my fangs sink in just enough to get the blood flowing. My first taste of Carmen was succulent. I didn’t take very much of her blood but I could feel it forcing every cell in me to attention. It was now my body that shivered. I had to compel myself to stop drinking. With one more gentle kiss, I pulled away.
Slowly Carmen opened her eyes. The wound from her lip was dripping crimson quite steadily down her chin. Apparently in my fever to taste her, I had bit down harder then I realized. She reached up and let a finger glide through the pouring blood. I watched her closely, hoping to catch her when the panic struck. She looked down to her hand and screamed.
Carmen leapt from the sofa and started running towards the front of the apartment.
“Wait! I can explain,” I pleaded, effortlessly catching up with her.
She looked at me with wild eyes that overflowed with tears. To her mortal senses, it seemed I had just appeared out of no where. Again she screamed before running out of the front door.
Everything was falling apart. I had let myself become overwhelmed with the need to have her. If I didn’t make the transformation soon, I was going to lose her forever. I couldn’t let that happen.
I knew I couldn’t risk being seen sprinting down the hallway after a bleeding woman. I went out onto the balcony and spotted her running down rue Royal towards Jackson Square. She had to be looking for the police. I had to catch her before she reached one.
It was late enough that the shops and museums on Royal were closed. The street was almost deserted. I jumped over the balcony railing and landed gracefully on the cobblestones below. No one noticed, but I still felt the need to dash to the alley beside the apartment building.
Once there, I connected to her mind and could see through her eyes to find out where she had ran. She was almost to the square but thankfully had stopped screaming. I whirled past a couple on a late night stroll. I was nothing more then a breeze to them. Their mortal eyes could not see my form as I passed by.
Within seconds I had caught up to Carmen. She was franticly searching for a police officer. I came up behind her, wrapped one arm around her waist and put a hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream. She reached up and clawed at my hand trying to break free. Holding her securely, I flew into the air landing on the roof of the Le Petit Theatre. The shock of the flight caused her to stop fighting me.
I needed to take her somewhere more private. I had some rented rooms in a building on rue Orleans, which was only a few blocks away. Bounding from one roof to another, I made my way to the private courtyard of my flat. I went through the back entrance of my apartment, making sure to secure the door after we entered.
The rooms were simple enough but still had bits of my personal flare here and there. I used this apartment on nights that I had stayed out a bit too late searching the underbelly of New Orleans for the blood that I so desired. I had never transformed anyone here before though.
I took her to the back parlor and secured the door. She would have no where to run when I let her go. Almost hysterical by now, her eyes darted all over the room trying in vain to find her way out. I released the grip I had on her waist first. She immediately tried to run, but I held her easily enough with the hand I had over her mouth.
“I’m going to let go of you now Carmen, but if you scream I will be forced to quiet you again,” I whispered into her ear.
I could smell the blood pumping through the artery in her neck. Everyone’s blood scent was different. Some sweet and inviting, others rotten from the poisons they ingested. She was different though, her blood scent was unique. It was part of the reason I was drawn to her so many months ago.
When I first saw her leisurely walking down St. Charles Ave., I knew she was different. It started out simple enough; a beautiful woman strolling in front of my Garden District home wasn’t a rare sight. So what made Carmen different? Had she not turned her head and gazed at me, I never would have known. It was the intensity and deep emotions that penetrated me when she looked over and flashed me a quick polite smile. I wondered if she felt her destiny change in that moment.
I had to get closer. I needed to smell her blood scent. I needed to know if what I was feeling was true. I eased down off my porch and into the shadow of the large oak near the fence. I was only a few feet away from her now, yet she had no idea I was there. I could easily mask my presence whenever I wanted. It was a skill I had learned from the one who changed me. I had used it many times when stalking my victims.
I stood there, watching her carry on a meaningless conversation with some older woman about the shopping trip they had just finished. Her scent enveloped me. Like I’ve said, it was different … unique. I was caught up in it, making plans to find out everything I could about her. At that moment, I knew she would become my queen.
This, of course, wasn’t how I had planned for everything to turn out. Carmen had settled down after I had promised to release her from my grip. Slowly I removed my hand that was covering her mouth. She darted towards the door, but I blurred past her, blocking it. I was ready to grab her once more if she started screaming. Instead, she fell to the floor, covered her face with her hands and started sobbing.
I dropped to my knees in front of Carmen. Her weeping was more then I could bear. It felt like someone was reaching in and trying to physically tear my heart from my chest. I was mystified by this feeling, this rush of emotion that I had not felt in over a century.
I knew I loved her, that I had loved her from the moment she walked past my Garden District home. I knew I wanted her to be by my side forever, but I didn’t know just how deep those feelings had gone.
I couldn’t help but let my mind drift back to the memory of the only other one who held my heart the way Carmen did now. Andreus had not walked through my memories for over five decades. He was a part of my life I had long ago buried.
I couldn’t let myself fall deeper into those hurtful memories. I had to release Carmen from this fear and pain that was overtaking her. Gently I gathered her into my arms. She didn’t resist me at all. Her head fell back against my shoulder exposing her neck as if she knew what her destiny would be. I again saw the large artery pulsing with every heartbeat. I could resist no longer, and Carmen needed to know the truth. It was finally time.
Letting my lips gently graze the skin on her neck, I took time to take in her blood scent once more. It was as intoxicating as the first time I breathed it in. Letting my fangs drop; I leisurely sank them into the vein that would produce the most blood. Her body went rigid in my arms as she moaned in weak resistance. As the first drops of her blood touched my tongue, I felt myself glide into the air. We hovered near the ceiling slowly spinning as her blood flowed down my throat, warming my body and making my soul soar.
With the blood came the first flashbacks of the life Carmen had lived until this moment in time. This was my last chance to learn her secrets. Once the transformation was complete, I wouldn’t be able to read her thoughts anymore.
It started out with her most recent feelings and thoughts. She had felt fear, which wasn’t surprising since I had gotten away with myself when I bit her lip. She had been chastising herself for falling for me in the first place but she couldn’t help but have deep feelings for me. My lips spread into a smile knowing how close she was to loving me. Just a bit longer now and the love I craved so much from her would become a reality.
The next memory I was given was from her childhood. Her long hair in braids, a smile planted firmly on her face; her mother dressed her as if she were a doll. I couldn’t blame her; she was a doll as beautiful then as she was now. She happily moved through her younger years, each memory sweeter then the next. I opened my eyes and saw a smile cross her lips. These were her happiest times. I wish I could have been there to see her live them.
She blurred past her teenage years almost blocking them from me. She let the memory of her father giving her the VP position at the family business on the day she graduated from college unfold. This was a mixed memory for her, both happy and unsettling. I couldn’t figure out why and she wasn’t releasing the reason to me. This was most puzzling to me. I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t want to remember any memories from her teenage years or why something as life changing as becoming VP of one of the largest corporations in the southern United States would give her such mixed feelings.
In the midst of my confusion, she sent me a mirage of the many parties and gala events she had attended. She seemed to really enjoy them at first but soon they turned to something she had to do, a chore almost. She became robotic, doing what was expected of her but not having any emotion during these events. Seemingly happy on the outside but inside she was closed off and unyielding.
A face appeared to me of an older man with strong features and full salt and pepper beard that was neatly groomed. I plucked from her mind that this was her grandfather, the one who had taught her so much in the short amount of time she had spent with him. He held a great part of her heart, and I imagined he still would even after her mortal life was no more.
Her mother’s face then appeared to me. The feeling of grief that bombarded me forced my eyes open. A single tear ran down Carmen’s cheek. She loved her mother more then she would ever be able to express to me.
I couldn’t help but think back to my own mother and how she cried such broken tears when I told her I had to leave and wouldn’t be able to see her again. I did see her again though, the night of her wake. It broke my heart to see a woman who had been so strong lying in a coffin looking so frail.
Flashes of faces pouring from Carmen’s mind woke me from the trance the memory of my mother had produced. Her father, close friends, other men she had loved filled my mind. I almost laughed the pang of jealousy I had felt when seeing the other men that had dotted her life. Jealousy was such a mortal emotion but one I had still not shaken even after over 200 years.
As another memory came into view, I couldn’t help but wonder why Carmen had no memories of her brother Daniel. At the party that night they had seemed so close, yet as I thought back on it, I could remember feeling the uneasiness she had felt whenever he had touched her.
The last memory Carmen had was one she was trying to keep me from seeing. She had been laundering money from her father’s company but was doing it in a way that if the money had ever been found missing it would be her brother who would be blamed.
She started into another memory but quickly closed her mind to me. A large portion of her mind was not sealed tight. I knew it had to do with Daniel but I wasn’t sure how she was able to block me so well. I guessed she was stronger then I had first suspected. I felt the need to find out what was in this blocked part of her mind but that would take time. Right now there were more important matters to attend to.
I had almost completely drained Carmen of the blood that had once flowed through her veins. She laid limp in my arms, barely clinging to life. Removing my fangs from her neck, I bit down on my own tongue and kissed the two wounds to make them heal. I descended back to the floor of my flat and laid her gently on the Persian carpet.
Biting my wrist, I placed it upon her lips. As the drops filled her mouth she reluctantly swallowed. This one taste of blood brought her back around. She grabbed my arm with both her hands and greedily began to suck the blood from my body. Feeling my body weaken, I pried myself from her grasp. I sat back and watched the wound close on its own.
I looked over at Carmen; she was now sitting up, her legs tucked by her side. She looked at me with wanting eyes and uttered one single word.
“More.”
Gold trophy winner
Silver trophy winner
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