I sighed deeply as I stretched my stiff limbs. Finally I could breathe in the fresh air of the night. With a smile, I turned my eyes to face the moon and gave her an honorary nod for good luck. Even after a life as long as mine, she had been my constant companion and protector.
I felt giddy being outside. My longtime friend Nasir and I had to lay low for an infuriating amount of time. Me, being the younger one, had started growing agitated and quite unpleasant to be around. Luckily, my Arabian friend was even older than I and could muster a lot more patience. Now that the wait was finally over, every inch in my body was out for blood. Nasir was standing beside me, a similar expression on his lovely face. Giggling, I pulled Nasir with me by his arm. Together we sped through the nearly empty streets at the speed of light, throwing our heads back and filling the silence with bewitching wails. Like two little boys we pushed each other around while soaring at our deadly speed. It was simply wonderful.
When we felt like it, we lazily dropped to the ground.
"What do you fancy tonight, Phillip? Something sturdy? Or perhaps some fiery blood from Andalusia?" Nasir stuck his nose in the air and slowly stroked his chin, a dreamy look in his eyes.
"It is hardly possible that wild Andalusian blood is anywhere near this dull place," I answered before spitting on the ground.
"Oh but you would be mistaken my friend, I can smell her right now. Black hair and pink lips, a true beauty."
I looked at my crooning friend. From experience I knew he had already made up his mind. The Spanish woman would no longer be alive tomorrow. With a low voice I started fantasizing thusly:
"You will likely show up in her bedroom like a demon from her most wondrous dreams. Then, you'll intoxicate her with your charm and infinite wisdom about the world. She will fawn over your exquisite mind that you've acquired over centuries of pain and pleasure. Knowing you, you'll tell her about your life and she will ask questions. Maybe you'll sprinkle in some old-fashioned Spanish love spells, whispered into her ear. You'll train your patience, so much so that the wait will become too much for the both of you. She'll beg you to bite her and only then will you take her life. You're truly a piece of work, my dear."
"And you've always had a way with words. I love the way they roll off your tongue," Nasir added. As a goodbye he tucked a blond curl behind my ear and jumped silently into the safe darkness of the night. He moved smooth and sure, the deadliness oozing.
Beautiful.
When my companion had disappeared completely, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. It was time. I waited for something to call me to it. A particular scent, a subtle invitation from an unexpected place. Slowly a tingle rose from my abdomen, my thirst slowly crawling out of the cage it had been jostled in. A sigh escaped me when I sensed all the delicious sustenance around me, the many options that lay before me. I grinned and started my hunt.
Normally I liked watching humans sleep in their beds. Their faces completely relaxed, with not a trace of embarrassment or judgement to be detected in their demeanor. People reverted to their pure selves when they were not awake, a state reminiscent of infancy. It pleased me to observe them. It was almost as if I borrowed their peace for a moment, joined them in their repose. Tonight, however, I was very eager to be looked in the eye with the unbridled admiration vampires tended to evoke from humans. I craved someone young, but not too young to be considered a child still. Walking as silently as only a perished person could, I walked along the houses of the city. I intently listened to the breathing patterns I heard around me and waited for the perfect one to come along.
It was at an old colonial house that I paused. In an instant I was sitting on the windowsill of the second floor, looking through the thin curtains into the room of a boy. His body was lazily splayed over his bed. His bedspread had partially fallen off, revealing two of his muscular yet slender limbs. For a moment I admired him, watching his bare chest slowly rise and fall. He reminded me of the ballet performers that were once prominent for royal entertainment. Their strong yet limber bodies were enough to make anyone mad with yearning, and I was no exception. Without tearing away my eyes from the delectable sight before me, I made my way through the window, crouching in the shadows of the bedroom. My back was arched and my mouth was slightly opened, like an animal ready to attack. Slowly I crawled to the foot of his bed, making sure not to wake him. His scent was simply paradisaical, it took me by surprise and I stood transfixed to recollect myself.
