#22: Slipping

Desmond messes up. Big time.

            …a vinyl Beatles record.  “I Saw Her Standing There”.  I thought it fit the mood.

            “Oh, gosh…” my Angie-Bee sighed.  “Dessy… Oh, Des, I love it!”

            I smirked at her, glad that she enjoyed my meager offering.  I could hardly understand how something so simple made her face light up that way.  And I’m not kidding about her face lighting up either; I thought I was going to melt.  She put it on top of her dresser then rushed back to me to resume kissing.

            My mouth dropped open to greet her lips as she wound her arms around my neck.  As her thin fingers worked into my dark hair, I wrapped my own arms around Angie-Bee, lifting her gently off of the ground and pulling her close.  Bad idea.

            The smell of her hair, the same vanilla and lavender scent that had saved her earlier threatened to kill her now.  I felt the hunger as Angie-Bee continued to cover me in kisses.  She moved from my lips to my neck eagerly, exposing a side of her throat.  My fangs began to dig into my lower lip again.  It was hard to resist after a week and a half of donated blood.  But, somehow, I did.  I leaned into Angie’s neck and kissed her.  She leaned back in my arms with a sigh.  I dug my fingers into her back as I tried to keep her from noticing me drool on her.  I could not believe how well I was doing; I was holding back.

            Then I wasn’t.

            Angie gasped as my bite punctured her fragile skin.  I felt her grip tighten on my hair, but I was otherwise oblivious to sights, sounds - I didn’t notice anything that was not feeding me.

            Sweet warmth flooded my mouth as I sucked hard on my prey.  The drum-beat of her heart pounded in my ears, a steady, fast rhythm that pulled at my gut as I drank.  A red glaze clouded my mind.  A kind of routine numbness came over me, one that I was probably too used to.  With a low grumble, I dug deeper into her neck, craving the heat, the flavor, the power.

            The pressure that had been building in the back of my head vanished.  I blinked, and, as though waking up after a black out, I pulled away from Angie.

            She was breathing heavily, her arms and head falling limply in my arms.  Blood coated her neck and shoulder, and a spot of it dribbled out of her mouth at one corner.  Her heart was slower as well.

            I hesitated, stunned by what I had done.  Then a sudden feeling of doom came over me, and I ripped off my shirt, tearing several buttons off in the process.  Balling it up, I pushed it onto the wound I had created.  With my thumb, I wiped the trickle of blood from her face as well while she watched me with soft, glassy blue eyes.

            “I’m sorry, Angie,” I whispered.  “I am so, so sorry.”

            Angie’s eyes drooped.  She muttered softly; I would not have heard it if I were mortal.

            “M-my fault.  Nnn, it hurts now…”

            “It hurts ‘now’?” I asked.

            With a deep breath, Angie replied, “At first… it felt so good.”

            “Shh, shh… It, uh, it’ll stop.  I think.”

            “I bit my tongue.”

            I snickered weakly at that one.  I pulled back my dripping shirt to look at the bite.  The wound had clotted partially, but still beaded up on her skin.  As I pushed the cloth back against her neck, I leaned towards her and pushed her blonde hair from her face with one hand.  I lightly brushed my lips over her eyelids and heard Angie make a strange noise like a sigh and a chuckle.  I moved my head so that my nose brushed hers.

            “I’ll talk to Al,” I breathed.  “I’ll make sure that nothing happens.”

            Angie-Bee shook her head.

            “I want this.  I don’t know.  I don’t… don’t see myself anywhere else.”

            I blinked.  It was stupid, it was suicide.  It could work.  I pulled back the shirt again and saw that the bleeding had all but stopped.  I didn’t know what would happen, if she would stay human or turn.  But I did know that she was right.  It was the best way to protect her.

            “Are you okay?  Woozy?” I asked.

            “A little…”

            I dropped the shirt and picked up the light girl.  Angie reached up with one hand to grab my shoulder.  I carried her over to her plush bed and eased her into a soft spot.  I pulled the covers up to her chin as usual and climbed in after her.  As I wrapped my arms around her once more, I heard her giggle.

            “Christmas is coming,” she whispered.

            “Yeah.”

            I stayed awake a long time after that.  Angie fell asleep around nine.  At ten, I left.  In two hours, December seventh would arrive.

            In two hours, I would be 100 years old.

Author's Note

Tell me if anything seems off. Love you guys!