Human Purity Alliance (Hypernaturals 4)

Even Vampires Need Hugs

"Yeah. Yeah. I know. I have not figured out that relationship. So... Confusing." I admitted.

Morgan nodded. "I can imagine. You have been Vampire for one-thirtieth of your life. Your 'power' weighs on you: You have never been in this position in relation to women and sex. No insult intended. No human man can be in that position. You are required to walk around every day knowing that you can possess any human woman you desire, at the proverbial drop of a hat. Included Angel and I, and I am not even human. At the same time, you found the woman that you always wanted, and she came with a friend in the bargain. You feel immoral for wanting all of that. It is your sexual tension with Helen that makes you pick the fights, and in some cases, lose the bets."

Angel gave me a very knowing look. "I imagine you never do that again. Helen was so not going to back down. It would have been an orgy." Angel looked up and away. "That would have been interesting..."

"No. No. I won't. Jessica forgave me, even though that potentially put her in the position of ending up sleeping with my best friend. God. It all would be so fucked up this morning. I would never do it. Helen knew it." I felt a twinge. "I put Jessica in a bad position. You two as well. If I have not said it enough yet, I am sorry. I hope you know I would never follow through."

Morgan looked over at Angel, her look saying 'You take this one'.

Angel did. She gave me a lackadaisical shrug. "You did not see any of us running from the table, and we are all very aware of what you can do. If I may speak very frankly to you about this?"

"Sure...?" I said cautiously

"You are a human animal as much as you are a Vampire. You may not be exactly human anymore, but everything that you have been your life up to now is human. I have been surprised how stable your odd arrangement is with Helen. Half in and half out. You probably don't mean to treat her like she is any less loved than Jessica... But... How would you feel if Jessica slept with another man? With Danny last night?"

"I. Uh. Never thought about it. That is not the same thing. Jessica and Helen were lovers for decades before I came onto the scene. Jessica is not into women by preference, but she really loves Helen, and Helen her. I'm the 'New Kid on the Block' in that relationship."

"You think nothing of Helen sleeping with other women?" Angel is headed somewhere with this but I am damned if I can figure out where.

"Of course not. I have no claim on her. No exclusive arrangement. Helen is a free agent. She and I are not... Not doing anything. Now. We only did those two times." I scoffed "Besides, I can't see how that would even work. If I were stupid enough to try to tell her that I did not like her sleeping around with others, she'd pin my ears back. I'm a man. Not only a second-class citizen in Vampiredom, but not Helen's primary interest in the sack either. Double besides, I would never give Jessica any reason to worry about other women."

Angel touched the tip of her classic nose with her fingertip. "That is the point. For us humans, relationships are complicated enough when they have two people in them. Add a third, and it's inherently unstable. Polyamory or Polygamy is hard. Ask Bin Laden. His youngest wife was getting all his attention in the sack, so one of his oldest wives sold him down the river. She had him killed."

I got her point but spread my hands "Yet we have these long lives, and all sorts of time to love. Unless we get snuffed."

Angel may be lecturing, but the way she delivered it is so nonjudgmental that it is soothing. "Yes: The Vampire mindset. The longer you live, the more you will adapt to the idea that sex and love have different rules than for humans. Regardless, you were a human twenty-nine years and now a Vampire for one. You don't have that long-term mindset, and Helen, even though she's working on her first millennia is confused by her feelings about you."