Naked Came the Vampire (Hypernaturals 1)

Stay in Your Place, Male

Jessica is taking my delving into the male Vampire situation personally. I did not want to make her feel miserable. "I am not talking about you, my sweet and generous lover. You can't absorb switching species and not have questions. I am trying to figure out the male Vampire situation. You tell me. How does a two-thousand-year-old woman feel about an ephemeral human man? What is he to her? Other than a snack? A sex object? You said you can have any human man on demand. The straight ones anyway. How does that not become picking a man out of the store window based upon whatever desire you have a hankering for that day?"

Jessica paused. "I don't think you are wrong, Adrian."

I pressed on. "Next logical thought: If human men are regarded as fast food and the occasional sexual dalliance by those so inclined, does that attitude extend to male Vampires? Are we diminished by being male and only really useful for the same things a human male is?"

Jessica frowned. "Probably. I never really thought about it. You think you are a dalliance?"

I shook no. "Jessica: I am not trying to make this about you and I. I hope I am not, but you said yourself that had I not turned you would not have looked for me. It was once and over."

Jessica carefully answered, "I said that, yes." The way she answered made me feel perhaps she would have looked for me after all, though that may also be wishful thinking.

I needed to let her off any hooks she may feel are being inserted. "Look, I am not trying to piss you off, or try and get you to pinky swear that you and I will last forever. I promise."

Jessica replied with a pained expression. "I know. It is hitting a little close to home. I am not proud of how the males of our species are treated."

I smiled. "I am deeply glad to hear that. I hate to sound like a male libber here, but I have been giving this a lot of thought. Here is another angle that occurred to me: You have pheromones and hypnotics. You can make most any human male your puppet. Men think about sex all the time and are easy to manipulate with sex even without the chemical assist. I think how easy we are is something women look down on men about. I think. Seems like it to me anyway. I am not saying that women are not as interested in nookie as men...  Not looking for an answer about any of that." I held up my hands to forestall any response because that is not my main point. "It's the other way when it's a Vampire woman. Maybe anyway? You mate with males that cannot keep up with you. You pheromonally inspire a human man to their best efforts. I assume you can Juice a man to rise again as well. You are a female Vampire, in complete control of the human male. How is that applied in your head to a male Vampire? Your hypnotics and pheromones suddenly not as effective."

Jessica smiled "I used neither on you when you were a human."

"I don't count. You are designed by nature for me. How do female Vampires in general feel about a male you cannot as easily control? Is it in any way off-putting? Scary? Worrisome?"

She gave a bare lift of the shoulders "Honestly, yes. One gets used to being in control."

"Let me ask a slightly different question. Your and my sexual orientations are not in question I think..."

"I have not told you everything about my long and evil sex life." Jessica interrupted "It is varied. There is little I have not at least tried."

"Fair enough. My question, however, is this: is sexual orientation affected by being a Vampire?"

Jessica scratched her eyebrow. "Yes. Also no. First Nature: Sexual orientation is not binary. It's a continuum between hetero and homo with infinite stops. Wherever you are on the chart before you are in the same spot after. Nurture is a much different thing: Being a Vampire changes the environment. If, for example, a human woman is near the middle of that hetero / homo scale, and is raped, or otherwise has bad experiences with men and good experiences with women, she might in practice be leaning more one way than the other. Gain the safety and strength of what you become once you are a Vampire, and a woman might swing back the other way over time. Especially since men are supposed to be the exclusive diet."

She raised her index finger, a 'but wait' gesture. "It can go the other way too. Not even counting the hot tub parties at a Conclave, you are surrounded by other women all your Vampire existence, and you all have the same problems. Instead of one hundred years of sex, we now have thousands. Even if not inclined to prefer a woman, one might take advantage of a kindred spirit every now and then. Sex as a vampire has no costs. No entanglements. You can walk both sides of the street, as the mood and the situation dictates. Sometimes that leads to women biting women and sometimes that leads to conversions. Just like with humans... it is complicated."

"Uncontrolled Male Vampires would create an out-of-proportion number of female Vampires. We are severely controlled though, and still Vampires are created." I pointed out.

Jessica's eyes met mine as she confessed "I was converted by a woman, not an out of control male Vamp and there was no negative consequence. She is very well respected. A woman creating a Vampire is rare, but it happens. A male Vampire creating a female Vampire is common, and a sign they are unstable. It's a double standard, like a 'family values' politician being all about the sanctity of marriage, but don't talk to them about their serial cheating on their trophy wives."

It is not logical. It is not rational. It is just the way it is. "Lovely: In summary, in the feminine hierarchy that is Vampirism, a male Vampire has no place in terms of hunting or gathering or defending house and home. Female Vampires can get whatever they need, blood and sex, from humans. Male Vampires are the runts of the litter."

"Yes. With one exception that may be mythical and that we'll get to, women are always much stronger than men. Some theorize that the males are genetic mistakes. Never meant to be. Like a human born with an extra chromosome or a male calico cat. They are rare, rarely survive, and are weaker when they do survive. Some think they should not survive. They won't if they prove that they cannot be trusted with their new power."

I sensed Jessica is done with this for now. It is a downer subject for me too. I said cheerfully "When we boys do survive we do have our uses."

Brown eyes met mine and sent the same message a pheromone could. "You do when you are not asking hard questions."

"Alright. Enough hard questions for now." I needed nonverbal reassurance. Jessica was ready to reassure me. Maybe us.

Jessica teased: "You have kept me waiting, male."

I gave her a small shrug "Sorry mi'lady. Here?" I waved at the couch.

"Yep. Don't have time to get to anywhere else before I jump your annoying ass."

I guess she had been kept waiting because Jessica became a blur of speed. It was not angry sex, but it was slightly desperate, for both of us.