“Goodnight, Charlie.”

Half-lidded eyes followed the girl’s slender frame until she disappeared into hall, closing the bedroom door behind her. After a moment, Mila strolled into the half bath and turned on the sink, to give the impression she preparing for bed. One of the greatest perks about her condition was being in a state of immaculate personal hygiene with minimal effort. No matter how long she neglected to groom herself, her hair was always perfect, her breath sweet, teeth white and her skin soft and clean. As she waited, she glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. Three hundred years and the same beautiful face still stared back at her – all to lure pure, unsuspecting souls into her embrace. She studied her own features with an impassive, almost sorrowful expression… Then she flashed herself a toothy grin and ran a tongue over the incisors that were already showing. 

[i]‘Not too much longer.’[/i]

Flooded with anticipation, she paced the room, her ears perked to catch the noises from the rooms down the hall. She could hear a faucet running, then the squeak of a door and footsteps on the carpet. After a few more minutes of agitated listening she finally lay down on her bed to wait out the last few agonizing hours.

_________________________________________________________________________

The digital clock on her nightstand read 3:29 am.

With stealthy, inhuman speed, Mila crossed the short distance that separated her from the other bedroom. The door gave just the barest creak as she pushed it carefully open and stole through the darkness of the room, easily navigating around any obstacles in her way. In a second, she was at the young woman’s side, her frame bent as she placed one knee and then the other on the mattress to lean over the sleeping form nestled peacefully between so many pillows. 

Moonlight shown through the bedroom window. It fell over Charlie’s face and neck, making her skin seem to glow faintly in the darkness. As impatient as she’d felt before, Mila took her time to admire her prize. A loose strand of hair had fallen across Charlie’s cheek as she slept and Mila pushed it back into place with a slow caress. Her cool, slender fingers trailed down along the edge of the girl’s jawline, pausing to gently tilt her chin up to expose more of her neck. 

How wonderfully easy it had been to manipulate her way into this girl’s life. The vampire brought her lips to the skin and pressed them lightly, just beneath her jawline. She inhaled. “It would be a shame,” Mila breathed, voice low and husky, cool breath tickling just below the girl’s ear, “to devour you all in one sitting.” It took control to be poised like this, her body hovering only inches away from Char’s. Mila touched the skin with the tip of her tongue and began to suckle at the tender spot. Usually she had to be a little more gentle when she didn’t want to wake her prey, but she could tell that this one was out like a light. The thought made her smirk wickedly against her neck as she continued to suck and nip. She took no pains to muffle the soft moans of delight as she worked the skin. The pulse of blood suddenly felt loud and close. Alcohol had no effect on her any more, but the rush she felt now was akin to being drunk. Mila scraped her teeth against soft flesh and exhaled a shuddering sigh of desire, eyes closed, prolonging the bite for just a second more. The more time she took to savor this, the sweeter the taste.

At last she pierced the skin. Warmth gushed into her mouth and she snarled with delight. For a split second, her only thought was to suck every drop the girl had. But instead she wrenched back after a few glorious minutes, a single line of blood running from the corner of her mouth and over her chin. She was skilled at this. She knew just when to stop so that tomorrow, Charlie might feel a little weak, but it would be nothing serious. Mila licked her lips to catch the last few drops. Then she bent to clean the bite with long slow laps of her tongue. When she was finally satisfied, she rolled lazily off to one side of the mattress, propping her head up with her hand so she could study her prey for a bit longer. The girl was so beautiful. And yet she seemed to have no idea just how enchanting her looks and her personality could be. Mila smoothed some of the blonde locks away from her face, moving them cover the bite. It would be difficult but not impossible to notice the two small incisions on the side of her neck. They were faint and they’d heal quickly. Mila continued to pull her fingers idly through her hair, like a pet owner caressing a cat. She still had some time before the sun would be up. Possibly enough time for another round…

The next morning, Mila stood over the stove in the kitchen, busy cooking breakfast. The smell of sizzling bacon, eggs and fresh coffee filled the tiny apartment. She was dressed and looking a little more robust than she had last night. There was a glow about her that hadn’t been there before. 

She looked absolutely radiant.