Blood Lust

CHAPTER TEN


Waking by degrees following a night of marathon sex, Isaac sighed.

Not just intercourse. Oral and long kissing sessions. Rubbing their erections against each other as they moaned into each others’ mouths. Twice, Seth had taken his communion.

It had proven a delicious experience.

Now, Seth slumbered in his vampiric day rest. Naked and more beautiful than any dark prince of a fantastical underworld, he lay stretched upon his front, head turned so his left cheek rested upon the bed. His glossy hair fanned over his shoulder and the mattress. The dramatic taper from wide shoulders to round, smooth narrow ass made Isaac’s mouth water.

He slowly left the bed, expecting a pretty serious case of soreness. Evidently the skill and consideration of one’s lover could mitigate that. The electric brazier warmed his bare body as he pulled on his single garment. Once again the horrible trek in the snow loomed. As he approached the stairs, he found one of his duffels, packed it seemed, along with a note taped on the handrail.

You stop the loneliness.

Cared for your house, horse, and brought your computer into the Devil’s ‘lair’. Please stay.

Isaac glanced around, locating a table and chair presumably moved from another room with his setup on it. He paused and then returned to the bed. Seth?

Yes, boy?

I’ll write here today. Then, we talk.

Seth’s eyelashes stirred over his savage arch of cheekbone. Very well.

After he’d showered in an upstairs bathroom that held little more personal items than unscented soap and shampoo and towels, Isaac dressed. Seth had packed his hikers. To give the vampire credit, he’d thoughtfully placed them in a small trash bag to protect Isaac’s clothing.

Unable to help himself, he nosed around. The bedrooms served as mini museums, holding antiques, art and even some clothing dating back to the mid eighteen-nineties. Yet, the aside from Seth’s ‘den’, the place felt unlived in. He carried his bag back downstairs with him, dropped it where he’d found it and went to fire up the computer.

Since he had no internet here, he did some chapter sketching and looked at his notes on the book he planned to propose next.

Near noon, his stomach growled, prompting him to look for the kitchen. While it contained the appropriate appliances, the refrigerator remained running and empty. A search of the cabinets and pantry yielded nothing except empty space.

“Damn it.”

Isaac put on socks and his hikers. He didn’t have a coat. However, the sun shone and he could make the run in the melting snow with considerable swiftness and ease. Opening the front door, he bounced down the wet steps and struck out at a brisk clip. He reached his place in about three minutes, let himself in and sighed. A little exercise had put him from hungry to starved.

A fridge raid yielded an apple, which he ate while he heated a gourmet chicken pot pie in the microwave. He hardly waited for it to cool before dumping it onto a plate and digging in with a fork. Standing mid-kitchen, he practically swallowed it, almost unable to appreciate the rosemary-infused crust. Several glasses of water from the chilled filter pitcher followed. If he indulged Seth often, he might need supplements.

A moment of clarity struck him.

Vampire.

Receiver.

Isaac sat down his glass shakily. It rattled on the butcher block countertop. Force of habit made him wash his dishes and place them neatly in the drain. After drying his hands and returning the dishtowel to its rack, he ran his hand through his hair. Idly, he thought it needed a trim.

Maybe he should give himself some time. His relationship experience had always remained spotty and, for his part, inconsistent. Although he accepted what he now knew, that didn’t make it easy.

Or simple.

Isaac decided to just go about his business in his own house for a bit and try to see how he felt about it. For about an hour, he actually relaxed into a kind of domestic trance. The basement pipe that leaked, he fixed. In his spice cabinet, the reluctant turntable became free after he cleaned the wheels.

It made him think about his life.

He’d wanted something more, although he had never actively sought the meaning of life or a soul mate. The concept of either had caused him to balk.

As he went on to clean his oven, Isaac wondered what he believed.

Did people – or vampires – enter the world with a pre-ordained path? If so, did it change when a human changed to vampire? Or did the reigning powers account for that?

Isaac finished his chore and decided to use his laptop to check email.

His editor had sent back his chapters with glowing praise and a personal note to please continue. He blinked. She always busted his balls with edit requests and criticism. Moving forward, he shook his head and began sketching over what he had before. It made for a web of an outline. Such went the business.

In the back of his mind, he wondered how Seth had known he preferred to use his other machine.

Time passed.

Isaac stood and stretched. The light had dimmed. He could load his flash drive, take it to Seth’s. Doing it, he stood and walked to the front door of his house. Drawing on a warm London Fog coat, he then placed the drive in the inner pocket of the coat, booted up and stepped out onto the porch.

The bright blue sky and clear air looked like art. Isaac breathed deeply of it and walked to the stable. Poppy vocalized heavily, shifting from side to side in her box.

“Just me, girly.” He approached. Her eyes showed white sclera. Isaac’s heart thumped irregularly. He had thought Seth’s scent upset her. Yet, Seth had cared for her.

Had another vampire come again already?

“Yes, one has.”

Isaac pivoted. The female owning the husky contralto voice, wore a sharp suit with a super short skirt, opaque black hose and high boots. “It’s a real inconvenience traveling to this backwater locale.”

He backed away. “Then go back where you came from.”

She smiled. “I prefer seeing how tasting you makes me feel.”

Isaac fled into the house. Seeking shelter in his bedroom, he closed the door and sighed. The female vampire struck the door like tank. Driving it open, she slid Isaac across the wood floor. He hit the foot of his bed, the back of his head striking it.

His vision tunneled and he saw her beautiful face contort into a perverse rendition of humor.