The Vampire and the Orphan

Chapter One

Oct, 21st, 2010.

Billowing Brook, Colorado

Nathanial Hart was not the same man driving back towards Solitude Peaks as he left it. He had perfected the art of simply existing. He spent his days sleeping and his nights sitting in quiet reflection. Occasionally he would travel to a bar and find someone to feed on. Then he would return home and sit until it was time to sleep.

On this night, he was driving back to that house in Solitude and keeping his promise to Greta. Dead or alive, you never break a promise to a witch.

At least he liked that house and the quiet town it sat in. He'd enjoy settling into it again for a few years.

He stopped off at a bar about an hour away from the town. He would never feed in the town he resided in. He had been alive for as long as he had for a reason. He didn't make mistakes.

He stepped inside a small rundown little hole in the wall of a bar. There were only a few people inside. A few guys were talking at a table, and a redhead was sitting at the bar. She had already noticed him and was pretending she didn't.

He was lucky to get turned at age twenty-four. It was a good age, and he was a good-looking guy. He was tall and fit with an olive-hued complexion. His thick black hair framed a chiseled face with high cheekbones, full lips, and piercing green eyes.

His good looks made it easy to attract people. Once he drew them in, it was easy to lure them away and take what he wanted. The age-old methods worked best, so why reinvent the wheel?

He slid into the booth next to the redhead, and she turned to give him a sly grin.

"Can I buy you a drink?" She asked.

"I'd love a drink." He glanced at her neck and enjoyed the innuendo with a quiet smirk.

She waved over to the bartender.

"Bourbon neat." He said and then turned his attention to her.

She was probably in her early thirties. Freckled fair skin and rosy lips. She wore a tight black top with her cleavage spilling out of it. With it, she wore a pair of skintight blue jeans.

"Mandy." She introduced herself casually, her eyes lustfully looking over him.

"Thank you for the drink, Mandy." He gave her a suggestive smile. She blushed furiously under his gaze.

"You're welcome. You didn't tell me your name." She giggled a bit nervously.

"I know." He whispered in a dangerous tone.

She started to tell some story about her job or something or other. He didn't care. When her drink ran dry, he bought her one more. She droned on and on. It was as if time was moving backward; he was growing so bored.

Finally, she got up to have a smoke and asked him to join her. He followed her casually. Once they got outside, she was chilly, and it was windy.

"Let's go over to the side of the building; it'll block the wind." He suggested as she lit the cancer stick.

They ducked around the corner to a little alley. She started to hand him the cigarette.

"I'd rather have something else." Her eyes lit up at the suggestive tone in his voice. She threw her cigarette down and attacked his lips with her own.

It was nasty. He didn't like kissing as it was, but rotten breath made it all the worse. He indulged her for a little while and then pushed her up against the side of the building. She groaned eagerly and pushed her hips against his. She was searching for a hardness she wouldn't find. He didn't see much, if any, desire for human interaction anymore. He couldn't recall the last time he desired sex. As a young vampire, he was insatiable for it. However, as the years went on, it faded like most humanity-related needs.