off to take a mortal life. Hadn’t he balked, screaming in terror and disgust on his first night, clawing at his new father as the grinning demon forced the human upon him?

But that was so long ago, so far away. Lisette’s screams seemed so much closer.

Two’s newly enhanced senses were better able to cope with the speed of the Ferrari, but still the world was a blur. The car glided along the dark roads, top down, the sound of the wind like the crashing of a waterfall. Two’s hair streamed out behind her. She felt the big, stupid grin back on her face despite the evening’s forthcoming events. The car was simply too amazing not to appreciate.

Behind them, now and then, there was a flash of lights. Melissa’s roadster could not hope to compete with Theroen’s, but it was by no means a slow car either, and she drove it with an abandon that concerned even Theroen. At one point he slowed somewhat, and she caught up with them immediately, pulling alongside, grinning wildly, barely watching the road. Theroen stomped on the gas pedal, flying ahead of her, and slowed again. Melissa pulled back to their side, middle finger extended, laughing.

His words, made audible by the force of his thought, cut through the wind. “Please do not feel we’re making light of this, Two. It is just that we are both excited nearly beyond containment. We cannot help being joyful. We know very well what you are soon to experience.”

Two, who felt that the closest Theroen might approach to “excitement beyond containment” was mild enthusiasm, remained skeptical. She was not offended, though. Quite the contrary, Theroen’s games with Melissa helped to ease her mood. These beings had been doing this thing for hundreds of years. If they could take it so lightly, perhaps their words about the effect of the blood was true.

* * *

They covered the fifty miles to the small town in less than half an hour, came to a stop in the parking lot of a small park just outside of its boundaries, shut off their engines, got out of the cars. Melissa was giggling like a little girl, perched on the hood of her BMW, looking at the two of them.

“I love this century! We don’t do that nearly enough, Theroen.”

For his part, Theroen was smiling broadly. He nodded.

“I don’t know how the hell you guys do it.” Two was also smiling. She felt out of breath. “I couldn’t see a thing.”

“You will continue to change as the blood works on you body, Two. In a few decades, you may be able to drive like Melissa.”

“No one drives like me!” Melissa laughed, leapt to her feet, twirled circles on the road in the moonlight, staring upward at the stars.

“Well, perhaps not exactly like Melissa,” Theroen conceded.

“I’m thirsty. Who’s going first, here? Two? Theroen?”

“What about you, Melissa?” Two questioned.

“Nah. I’ll wait and go into Manhattan. I might take an appetizer up here, but what I really want is to find some cute little sixteen year old thing with big boobs and too much makeup. I’m going to get her all drunk and seduce her.” Melissa’s smile had a wicked edge to it. Two looked at her, eyebrows raised. Melissa laughed at the expression.

“What? All vampires have to be like mister ‘no, heterosexual food only, please’ over there? I’m equal opportunity, bed and blood. Whatever strikes my fancy.”

Theroen put a hand to his brow and shook his head, but Two could see humor warring with, and eventually winning out over, the look of disapproval he was attempting

“I guess I’ll go first.” Two sighed. Theroen touched her cheek lightly, smiled, turned and began to walk down the road. Two fell in next to him, Melissa next to her. They moved toward the town, and the unsuspecting humans who slept there.

* * *

“This reminds me of my first time,” said Melissa as they walked. “I mean... not with a guy but, you know, like drinking blood and everything. After Abraham made me, he sent me out with Theroen, and said he could teach me everything I needed to know.”

“I am more your patron, in most ways, than that ancient...” Theroen began. Melissa interrupted him.

“We know how you feel about Abraham, Theroen. Shut up and let me tell my story!”

Two laughed. The expression on Theroen’s face was typical of an older brother. Exasperated, and yet she saw a great deal of love there as well.

“As I was saying before I was