normal vampire couple. The pain would be that much more excruciating after spending centuries together. Is it better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all?
***
Something sharp stabbed at my neck, making me nearly scream out of my slumber before it got caught in my throat. My fangs salivated, ready to latch onto whatever was attacking, but what I found immediately softened me and quashed my hunger. Louie was perched atop my chest, padding his little heart out as he purred loudly.
“Hey, fat boy.” I scratched his chin. “You scared the heck out of me.”
He closed his eyes, ignoring my comment, and lifted his chin to give me a better angle from which to scratch him. He was such a spoiled kitty, but he definitely deserved it. I stayed in bed with him a while, letting him get his fill of affection while I tried to avoid the night that lay before me. Tonight would be much more difficult than the one before. Although it was hard to control the anger that the funeral pyre ignited, there was a place deep inside me that enjoyed watching them burn.
Tonight there would be no retribution; there would only be goodbye.
The night was chillier than usual and the cold air seeped into my skin all the way to my bones as soon as I left the comfort and warmth of my bed. I’d always enjoyed summer more than winter, but now as a vampire, I hated winter even more. With my sharper senses I could feel the frosty air with much more intensity than ever before. Sure, my body temperature ran much colder than when I was human, but that didn’t mean I liked it. I was probably the only vampire in the entire realm that preferred to be warm.
A robe was draped at the edge of my bed, so I slipped it on before heading out to my sitting room. The silky fabric didn’t do much to ward off the cold. I found the room empty, with nothing but an abandoned blanket and throw pillow on the small sofa. Guilt twisted my stomach, and I regretted even more that I didn’t invite Arrick into my bed. At least we both would have been warmer.
I knew he wouldn’t have left me alone, so I headed to the one place I knew he’d be. The curtains of my balcony flapped fiercely in the cool night wind. It released an earthy smell into the air letting all know that fall was coming.
Arrick sat on the edge of the stone railing, his feet dangling over the side as the moon glowed on his skin. I stood in the shadows a moment, taking in his presence. He seemed more handsome to me every time I saw him. Without even realizing it I was weaving a ribbon of emotion and sending it out on the wind to him. It carried the one thought that was lacing its way through my entire being and binding itself to my heart. He was mine.
He turned almost lazily around and set his eyes upon me. His lids were heavy with emotion; and despite the cool night, the warmth of his body penetrated the air and I longed to feel it against my cold skin. I stepped confidently out of the shadows, allowing the wind to blow the robe from my body and dance with my hair, whipping it about as my long curls churned in the moonlight. He opened his mouth to speak, but my lips sought his before he could utter a single word. There was no hesitation. His tongue mingled with mine as we gave way to the connection between us. Warmth spread throughout my body, nourishing every inch of my being. I was no longer thirsting for blood; no longer afraid for the souls of my loved ones or myself, and no longer filled with a chained rage that begged to be released. There was only my lust, an ache building inside, a storm of desire. In seconds, his arms were around me and he twirled me around, leaning me up against the ledge of the balcony. His hands clasped my neck before traveling through my hair. I wanted to drown in the passion, allow it to swallow me and take me to another world of love and endless joy.
Our lips parted briefly as Arrick gasped for breath. He lifted me up, sitting me atop the ledge where he had once sat. I looked into