2a. Acceptance
Weeks transformed into months, and the months progressed until he could no longer stand his clever ploy. His hunger toyed with his sanity, but he had relented thus far. She easily slept at his side dreaming peaceful loving dreams as he counted the minutes until the damning Sun would rise. He had his story down pat, centuries of lies and rehearsal made it practically instinct. It was the emotions that had held him bound in place. Her pulse pounded louder in his ears drowning out her rhythmic breathing as his hunger became nearly unbearable. A rush of cold washed over his body from the inside out and his lips burned when he dared to risk a small kiss on his beloved’s forehead as he untwined himself from her. He’d told her of his unusual ‘working hours’ weeks before and now she stirred but didn’t wake as he rose from their bed. He dressed in silence as his eyes faintly glowed with a hint of crimson as he watched her sleep through the darkness of night. With the final touches of his evening attire in place he left without a sound, but moving swiftly enough to cause a faint breeze as he departed to the streets.
*
He was oblivious to the cold air buffeting against him as it howled between buildings to create invisible vortexes where the wind collided with itself. Street lamps, signs, and garbage danced to the toneless tones of the wind while life went on as it always did in the city. The cars sped past their headlights like angry eyes always staring forward. Clouds of steam parted and swirled as they rose from the City’s lower realms where its inner workings released a low growl like a sleeping dragon. He took it all in, but it of no importance to him. He had to feed, he had gone nearly a week without. His love had consumed his conscience yet addled his mind. The very thought of taking what he needed from an other was nearly repulsive. And such a notion conflicted with his very being. He was only prolonging the inevitable, but he savored each and every moment of it dreading the possibility of losing her. Yet he fixated on the thoughts on the slight possibility she might… He banished his wishful thoughts focusing on the task at hand. People didn’t always get smarter, but they adapted pretty well, and the stubborn ones always died off quickly. It was an age when people were wary of their neighbors, but even more xenophobic of the unknown. At least that much was the same and probably would never change. People hardly braved the night alone specially on the City’s streets, except for those who saw themselves as brave or those whose job it was to be there. To keep the less savory side of society at bay. they were the easiest, always driven by duty and service, out to make a difference. For that he nearly always spared them the world needed more people them. He stalked the streets in a blur as he ran though the shadows until he found his prey. The patrol car was parked, its driver sitting still his eyes darting systematically in random places keeping with the patterns around him. To the officer he appeared to materialize out of the night itself, his eyes widened registering the shock, his fear oozed out of the vehicle like an intoxicating perfume. Before the officer could react any further his hand crashed through the window and caught the officer up by the lapels of his jacket. With a single jerk the man was freed from his seat belts and drawn out of the window into the City’s cold embrace.
*
He had managed to keep his secret as thus for several more moons as he had centuries before. Until the beginning of the end came in the form of a small hand clasped lightly to his forearm as he sat up to leave. “Don’t go… Her voice cut through the darkness, the gentle request ringing like a command in his mind. “If only I could…” He argued yet he hadn’t managed to move from their bed. “Can’t you stay tonight?” She whined her dark eyes only narrow slants weighted by sleep. “I’ll have something to tell you in the afternoon and I can never find you.” He smiled a small smirk hiding his fangs then hushed his love with a small kiss before it would be too late for him to leave. With his hunger under control the warmth of her flesh was a soothing caress.”I’ll be busy today sweetheart. But I’ll see you this evening.” He told his partial lie and she relented giving into the grips of sleep as he left again to avoid the rising of the deadly Sun.
*
His mansion stood as it had for centuries, only the world around it had changed. It had once been in the rural wooded country, then the exurbs, and now the suburbs had grown around it making it an unofficial landmark. The house and land had been in the same family for generations. The last owner, Vincent P. Moore, followed in the family trend of light politics mixed with being a mogul of the entertainment industry. restaurants, clubs, and theatres had been his legacy that he had left his son, as well as the City. Like his ‘father’ the son managed the business affairs masterfully, but he was a recluse refusing to become involved with the City’s politics. He never seemed to be involved with anything or anyone, much to the chagrin of the paparazzi and tabloids. With just a simple relocation of one of his restaurants he could irreparably alter the face of the City. For him it wasn’t hard to avoid the cameras and spies. He only went out in twilight, his limo would draw away the vultures and he’d travel on foot and in plain sight. The limo had a set route to take going to all the family’s establishments keeping up his image of solely being focused on the business. If only they knew! He risked a final longing gaze towards the sunrise after setting the day’s directive for the family’s various interests. He didn’t have to sleep through the day, but it was more favorable for his chosen… diet. The lighter hours always proved more taxing than those of the night, so he chose to sleep. He gazed east towards the City, towards his lover until the brilliance of the Sun became unbearable. His heart was weighted like a hot air balloon perfectly ballast as he retired to his bedroom. Sleep took him in an instant, there were no dreams in this sleep. It was the uninterrupted sleep of the dead. Given his heightened senses he had trained over the scores of years to be able to ignore the evolving noises of the world around him. Except for those extremely close to his domain, of course there were the press and other nuisances but they helped keep his senses acute. He slept until a single waft of perfume, the scent of fresh covered blood, the sweet botanical s of soap and shampoo clenched his unbeating heart and filled him with alarm. The first instinct was to lash out at the offender of his sanctuary or to flee, but his crimson ringed eyes snapped open to see a pair of dark eyes gazing down into his. He came to recognize the warmth over his heart to be her hand resting against his chest. “Shhh…” She silenced him with a sound making him wonder if she truly understood the hold she had over him. “You said it yourself, I’m far from stupid. And I’m not ignorant to today’s unspoken truths.” Her smile brought a curve to her full lips and dimples to her cheeks. “The whole world saw what can happen if you ignore them for too long. That story of the tree in Spain or the one about the werewolves capturing the Pope.” She traced her finger tips over his chest feeling his flesh grow warmer to her touch. He couldn’t help but smile when she mentioned a couple of the Family’s bigger ‘slip-ups’. “But I’ve come to tell you, that I know and I’ll always love you, and there is something else…” His smile faded as her voice trailed away in a slow sigh. She seemed to deflate with the release of air and he couldn’t resist taking in her essence in a deep breath. And suddenly he understood it all. How she had found him and gotten so close without rousting him from sleep. Their mingled scents, but it was something deeper than that. “I know…” He said letting out her breath finally with nothing else that needed to be said. With a quick gentle gesture he snaked his arms around her already feeling the edges of his hunger sharpen, but he had finally had her…
