"Where's your RV?" I asked as we walked away from the coaster.
"In the parking lot." Dwayne gestured behind us.
"Park it behind Edgar's store for now, if you want," I offered. "You'll get towed if you stay in the lot too long."
David grinned. "Is that what happened to you?"
"No, I moved behind the store after a couple of days."
We parted company then, with David and Dwayne going to fetch their temporary home while I went to the apartment. The store was in darkness and locked up, and I guessed Edgar had gone to bed. The apartment door was secured, too, but he had left the bedroom window open a crack. I rose quickly to the sill, pulled the window wider, and climbed through. Zeus and Mars sprawled on the bed, one either side of Edgar. He wasn't asleep.
"Boys, go to your bed," I instructed. The dogs grumbled but took themselves off to the kitchen.
"Did you find him?" Edgar asked.
"Yeah. He's dead, along with his two new half-vamp henchmen."
"Did you kill him?"
"No, Dwayne and I dealt with the thugs. David finished Redhead." I stripped off my clothes and went to put them in the washing machine. They were soaked with partially dried blood. I took a quick shower, then dived into the bed and tugged Edgar into my arms. His warm naked body pressed against mine and I groaned at the feel of him. He quickly grew hard, his blood racing, spiking both my arousal and my hunger. I tucked my face into his neck and breathed in the scent of him. "You smell so good." I licked his neck. "Taste good too."
Edgar laughed. "Stop sniffing me and kiss me."
I pulled my head back and covered his mouth with mine, kissing him heatedly until my fangs began to emerge, forcing me to stop. I reached for the lube, squeezed some into my hand, and wrapped it around both our erections to rub them against each other. Edgar wouldn't be up to fucking again quite so soon, but even this was enough to make us both come in minutes. Afterwards, we snuggled together, my face in Edgar's neck, continuing to breathe in the scent of him. If I'd been alive, my heart would have been pounding so hard I wouldn't have been able to distinguish one beat from the next, the way Edgar's was at that moment. His blood thrummed through his veins, his pulse not slowing.
"You okay?" I whispered.
"Yeah. I just… I was gonna tell you something. I don't know if I should."
"Now you have to tell me." I kissed his ear. "You can't say something like that and then not tell me."
Edgar's skin heated as he flushed. He pulled away from me and rolled onto his back. I followed, sliding across him so I rested on top of him, my weight supported by my knees and elbows. I nudged his nose with mine, forcing him to look up at me.
"What are you doing?" He turned his face away.
"Tell me."
"Are you staying?" he asked quickly.
"Staying? Of course I'm staying."
"I mean, now Redhead's gone and—"
"I came here before I knew about him, remember? I'm here because of you. Do you really think I'd leave you now?"
"Um, I don't know. That's why I'm asking." He closed his eyes.
"Edgar, will you look at me?" I pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes again. "I'm not going anywhere," I said. "Maybe if you still hated me and didn't want me around, I would. But that's not the case, is it? I don't think you'd be doing this with someone you hate."
"Huh, no," he grunted.
"I love you, Edgar," I said clearly. "You're stuck with me."
His anxious look vanished and his eyes shone. "Love you too." He growled the words as if he was cursing me, and I chuckled. He'd never said that to anyone. It was probably awkward to say. Then again, I'd never said it myself and I couldn't stop the words spilling out of me. I hugged him tighter, squeezing him until he gasped.
"Sorry. Don't know my own strength." I relaxed and lay thinking sappy thoughts about lucky I was until Edgar fell asleep. Then I simply lay there, listening to him breathe.
Hours later, the sleep of the dead pulled me under, just minutes after Edgar gave me a kiss and slid away from me. I dimly heard him showering and setting off to take the dogs for a run on the beach. Then I slept.
We fell into a new routine with me living at the apartment with Edgar. David and Dwayne stayed for a while, deciding they'd had enough of peace and quiet. In Texas, there were no ready human meals on the doorstep, and none of the excitement that came with other vampires. Santa Carla was alive with both.
David and Dwayne moved back into our old home in the cavern, leaving the RV behind Edgar's store for whenever it was needed.
Although the killing of Redhead cleared the area of vampires momentarily, others soon came as they always had. They were no match for the four of us. Although David, Dwayne and I disposed of most of them, Edgar did his fair share during the daylight hours when wandering bloodsuckers found a place to nest, not realising the town was inhabited by a quartet of killers.
Sometimes, living with Edgar was difficult. I loved him, and I never would have hurt a hair on his head, but occasionally when I couldn't stop myself tasting his blood, stopping at one sip was a struggle. A few times I had to leave him right after fucking him, too scared to stay in case I bit too hard or drank too much. Most of the time I could control it, but not always. He understood and he wasn't scared, but I scared myself when I visualised biting a little harder, drinking a little more, or doing what Dwayne told me I could do only if I wanted—changing him. He was twenty now and I wondered if we really could last. In ten years when he was thirty, would he still want me? When he was forty or fifty and I was still stuck at twenty-two, would I want an old man?
I tortured myself over it, never telling him about the thoughts in my head. I didn't want to make him miserable or fearful, but I confided in Dwayne. I trusted him and I knew he wouldn't tell David unless I did. David wasn't the most tactful creature and the first words out of his mouth would be "I told you so."
The only problem we had was when Edgar's friend Sam visited. He was living in LA working as a gofer on a film set, hoping he'd eventually get a part in a movie. Ironically, the one he was working on was about vampires, and he was less than pleased to find out David, Dwayne and I were back in Santa Carla. When Edgar told him about us, and that we were all friends, Sam almost gave up on his friend, but eventually, warily, he got over it although he wouldn't have anything to do with the rest of us. We'd killed his brother and he would never forget it. He left after only three days and kept in touch with Edgar by phone in the future.
When Edgar turned twenty-one, Sam came back to see him and bring a gift. By then he was married and had a baby on the way. David and Dwayne took the RV and left town for a while. I offered to go with them, but Edgar wouldn't hear of it. So I stayed, and tried not to think about how tasty Sam and his wife smelled while I counted off the hours until they went back to LA.
A couple of months later, what we had came under threat. A pack of new, young vampires came to town, following the rumours and looking for fresh blood. "Missing" posters appeared everywhere, almost like the time when David made me, Dwayne, and Marko, and we went on a rampage around Santa Carla.
We hunted them and despatched two, but Dwayne was injured in the fight. He recovered quickly after David fed him, but we realised we'd met our match. There were still three of them, and Edgar stayed out of it. He hadn't seemed well for the past couple of weeks and I'd been bugging him to go to the doctor.
"It's nothing," he said after he woke with yet another excruciating headache and buried his head under the pillow. "It's just a migraine."
"Edgar, if you don't get this checked out, I'll take you to the hospital myself," I growled. "And you know how hard that will be for me."
"I'm fine," he insisted.
"You're not fine. It's been nearly three weeks. You have headaches all the time. You won't let me near you. You're always tired. Something's wrong!"
"Typical of you to turn it into sex or lack thereof," Edgar grumbled. "You got a right hand, don't you?"
"That's not what I meant, and you know it. You're usually as horny as me. And you hardly ever get sick. I'm worried about you. I don't give a shit about fucking!"
"Don't shout. My head hurts." He gave in, which was totally unlike him, and went back to sleep.
Two days later, he collapsed in the store, his limbs twitching like he was having some kind of fit. Luckily, it happened in the evening and I was there. I closed the store and called the paramedics, then accompanied him in the ambulance to the hospital where I waited, paced, and fought my hunger every time I smelled blood, which was a lot.
Eventually, I had to leave before dawn came. Terrified, I went back to the apartment and did the only thing I could think of that could help Edgar. I called Sam.
"Some lover you are," he snapped. "Can't even stay with him when he needs you. You see how bad you are for him?"
There was nothing I could say. He was right, and for the first time since I'd fallen for Edgar, I wondered if he would be better off without me. What use was I to him when he was sick and needed someone? I couldn't be at his side.
The next day, Sam brought Edgar back to the apartment. I didn't even know about it until dusk when I woke. They were in the lounge room, talking loudly and angrily.
"You're crazy!" Sam shouted. "I won't let you do this!"
"It's not your decision," Edgar growled. "It's my life and it's the only way."
"But you'll be dead!"
"Exactly! But at least I'll still be living in a way!"
I dragged on a pair of jeans and burst into the room. Edgar paced the room, his pulse rapid, the scent of blood and sweat strong. He was angry and scared, and Sam, who stood by the window, was in the same mood.
"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.
"This is nothing to do with you!" Sam yelled. "Fucking bloodsucker."
"It has everything to do with him." Edgar lowered his voice and took a deep breath. "Paul, I want you to change me."