Part VIII

Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, to get as far away from Godric as she possibly could, but there was a strong part of her keeping her still, it was like she had no control over her body or what was going on around her. She could smell the horrible scent of her burnt flesh lingering, but the ebbing pain had subsided. She glanced at her hand and gasped.

"That's not possible!" She cried out in shock. The burn was completely gone; it was as if nothing had ever occurred. "That's not...What the hell just happened...?" Not a second passes and the pain subsides and she is completely healed. What should have taken weeks took only a minute."

"It is possible," He neared her keeping his voice barely above a whisper, "Many things are possible, now that you are a vampire; silver burns our flesh and prolonged contact weakens us. As you have witnessed with your own eyes you heal rapidly. These are the many lessons you must learn."

"Would if I don't want to learn your lessons," Tara spat insolently, not taken kindly to the lesson she just learned, "I didn't ask for this!"

"If I release you now, you will surely die," The thought of Tara leaving him, meeting the true-death and having to feel every moment of it dominated his soul with a profound sadness he reached overtaking her by the hand. "Please stay with me tonight; after your lesson, I promise to released you." He declared.

His somber tone and the warmth in his voice filled the space left within her. "Why would I die if I left you tonight?" She asked, wondering if what he says is true or just another attempt to keep her.

"Allow me to teach you and I promise to let you go."

"Fine," Tara relented, mostly out of curiosity, mainly because she had a feeling Godric would not let her pass on this.

With his hand firmly clasped with hers, he leads her out of his house and into the night. Without warning, he swept her off her feet, lifting her up, cradling her in his arms. Tara heard a whooshing noise and struggled to register what was happening. Her body was sending her brain weird signals. The balance of her inner ear had gone. Either she was moving very fast or she wasn't moving at all. She stretched out her arms and discovered the feeling of weightlessness.

"You are flying Tara, focus your gaze." She heard his voice say and it was as if his words changed her reality, she blinked her eyes and everything came into focus, Godric was no longer a blur, she could see him. She could also see the moonlight splashing down its watery white-silver glow onto the city, bathing them, illuminating them. Stars filled the sky like pale corn into the freshly turned ground, and in the distance, the trees were silhouetted against the deep velvety sky. She had always found the night to be a comforting presence.

To the ancient vampire, it was the promise of life in the darkness, a sense of warmth springing from the cold. No matter the years that passed, he saw each night sky as a fresh gift given anew. To him, the night was when the curtain was pulled back and all beings are closer to the truth of who they are.

They land in a dimly lit alley voided by anyone. Rats scurried from their path as they walked towards a back door to a nightclub. Tara could hear the building pulsated with the musical beat and the smell of something appetizing as they walked down a dimly lit hall.

Inside the club it was like dancing on the Northern Lights; beneath the dry-ice smoke swirled an array of icy blues, acid greens, hot pinks, and vibrant gold. The music played on the dance floor as if it had fused with the bodies.

"Can you dance Tara?" Godric asked, giving the lovely onyx haired woman a flirtatious smile.

"A little," Tara smiled humbly back at him, his smile caused something pleasantly unexplainable inside her, she relished in knowing that her dancing skills were by far superior to the average person. And she was curious, Godric did not strike her as the type that could dance. She sparked at the thought of him proving her wrong.

The older vampire leads the younger one to the dance floor. Tara immediately took notice, his movements are graceful and fluid, every movement was full of poetry. In tandem, they pirouetted, their arms waving from side to side above their heads as if they could anticipate each other's every movement. Little did Tara know, he could anticipate her movements, she was a part of him and he of her.

He was hypnotized by the way her lovely figured swayed with the music. The attractive couple caught the attention of the ones dancing around them, earning them a few curious stares. Godric had been to the club many times before, but had never attracted this kind of attention; it was further confirmation of the highly anticipated excitement to come.

"Are you hungry yet?" He whispered, smiling at her knowingly. And Tara was momentarily taken aback by the fact that she could hear him over the blaring music. She stopped dancing and wondered if he could read her mind. She indeed felt very famished since the moment they landed in the alley. At the time Tara ignored it; but now, as they walked through the club, Tara recalled that the rats in the alley strangely smelled good to her. Oddly, the rats' scent reminded her of the gram crackers her Aunt Ruby Jean used to give her when she went to visit some days after school. She shuddered the bizarre notion out of her mind.

"Does someone in here smell appetizing to you." He asked.

"What do mean- someone," Tara gasped, peering around, worried that someone nearby had heard them.

"No one can hear us when we whisper, except for the wolves, and there are none in here tonight."

Tara let out a sigh, her dark eyes rolled in utter disbelief. "Werewolves exist too?"

Godric nodded and let out a tickled chuckle," Wolves are among many other two-natured creatures that exist. They stay out of our way and we extend the same courtesy."

They found two empty seats in the far corner of the club, Godric pulled a chair out and Tara took a seat.

Godric took his seat, "Now, I shall ask you again…Does someone smell pleasing to you?"

There was no denying it, something smelled fantastic. But Tara knew the nightclub had no kitchen, there wasn't even a hotdog or gyro stand nearby. Yet, the aroma of freshly baked bread, grilled meats, and decadent desserts whiffed in the air, prickling at her nose, making her increasingly confused.

"Does a smell perhaps an aura pique your interest?" he implored and with each word the scent of something appetizing filtered through the air.

"What's an aura?" Tara asked, trying to take her mind off the current conundrum.

"A light or vibration a human or supernatural emits," he smiled and glanced over her shoulder, Tara did not dare turn to look at who he was gazing at, she did not want to see what he was seeing. "The light is like a laser to a kitten, a whistle to a pup, we are drawn to it," he gave her hand a firm squeeze, "to others our prey simply smells divine, like our favorite memory. That is what drives us to feed."

A man walked past them, he was tall and attractive, but that's not what caught her attention, it was the way he smelled. His fragrance was like no other, warm, sweet, hearty, it reminded her of her first Thanksgiving dinner. Something unexplainable raises within her, something bigger than her, ballooning from within; and she moaned, a noise so unlike her usual tenor. Immediately, she could hear sounds, whispering in her frontal lobe - faint voices in another language. The muffled whispers were from her Sire.

You must feed my child or you will go mad.

The noise crowded her hearing, it hurt her ears. The rising feeling continued, it was like she was expanding within herself like her chest would burst as her brain would explode. There was so much inside of her all at once. She had to let it out or she was going to burst.

She let out a hiss and her impressive fangs emerged causing Godric to smile.

They are beautiful you are beautiful my child.

"I won't bite anyone; I am not an animal." She pursed her lips, trying her best to hide her fangs.

"We are all animals, some more intelligent than others." He hissed, his fangs emerged and he spoke in a voice that was barely audible "You must not fight your nature."

She turns suddenly silent, pouting inside, knowing from the growl from her digestive canal that the hunger was winning. Her stomach snarled and howled from it came the not-so-subtle undertone of pain. It came in waves and it seemed as though her stomach was slowly digesting itself.

Godric made haste and followed the man Tara smelled into the men's restroom. Tara listened raptly; she knew at any moment she would hear the man scream in horror. She imagined Godric tearing into his neck and devouring him with unruly savagery. She waited on the edge of her seat and after the longest moment, the door finally swung open, the man and Godric walked out hand in hand.

Tara was stunned.

"Beautiful one, Hoyt has a private booth, please come and join us." Godric beamed, his fangs no longer present.

With fresh curiosity, Tara sprung from her chair to investigate, following Godric and their newly acquainted human to a booth just a few feet away from the small table they were sitting at. She watched as Hoyt slid into the booth and sat next to Godric, noticing the blank gaze in his eyes and the small oozing bite wound on his neck.

"You have excellent taste, now feed my child," He motioned towards Hoyt, his heavenly scent grabs her nose right away and she slid into the seat next to him. "he smells like cypress, my favorite." He smiled, "and you smell like honey, two of my favorite things, tonight must be my lucky night."

"Why does he look so spaced out?" she asked.

"We call it glamor. We capture the human in our gaze, their feeble mind becomes ensnared and we speak our command."

"We are going to burn in hell." Tara clutched at her tummy. The hunger pulling this way and that. It was a slow pain, eating away at her stomach and leaving her feeling weak and hollow.

"Hell is empty and all the devils are here," he quoted.

"Will I hurt him if I bite him?"

With a whisper of a hiss, his fangs clicked "Watch me." Tara observed intensely as he gently placed his lips on his flesh. The man was lax in his seat, neck tilted, a small trickle of blood escaped from the corner of the vampire's mouth. After a moment Godric drew back, "Your turn," He smiled licking his lips, a wisp of the sweet smell drifted into her nostrils. She couldn't believe his blood smelled like dinner and her gut and fangs ached for it.

She turned her head slightly, "Hoyt, do you mind if I taste you?" Her seductive tone lulled the glamored man even more.

"I don't mind at all." The man tilted his neck inviting her in and Tara could no longer hold back, she peered at his neck for a brief moment, then at Godric and then she bit into him.

She let out an unrestrained moan, the air around her became electric and her mind buzzed with an intoxicated feeling of pure euphoria. She was instantly addicted. Godric watched his precious baby girl gently feed and was in awe of how much control Tara had. Most baby vampires do not display this sort of will over their natural instincts, but Tara, she was a natural. Still feeding, she peered at him with fluttering eyes ensnaring him with her gaze Godric became instantly enchanted, highly aroused.

"Tara, you must release him or he will die, we've taken plenty of blood."

The progeny was greeted by a cherry-red light and a pleasant wave of coolness. Now, Godric's voice is clear in her mind. she understands what she is feeling is the command, the beckoning of her Sire.

"Can we take him home with us?" She asked licking her lips, causing her Sire to emit a muted groan of arousal.

"No one can ever come to our layer at night, for that would mean certain death for them. I will heal his lesions and feed him my blood; he will recover fully." Godric reached over and placed his fingertip to Tara's fang, he pressed upward and her sharp dagger punctured his flesh. He quickly began placing his healing elixir on the weakened man's wounded flesh. Godric bit into his wrist, drawing blood and placed his wrist to Hoyt's lips, "Drink, go home, and rest," he instructed the man. They watched Hoyt get into his truck and turn on his radio, snapping him out of his spell. They took to the sky, following him until he closed the door at his duplex.

"Okay, what's next?" Tara asked entering the layer. The newly made vampire was accepting of what was happening, she was full of curiosity and anticipation of what lies ahead.

"If you want to awaken each night at your very best, you must sleep in a coffin."

"Show me to my coffin." She hooked her hand in his.

"This coffin belonged to my child Nora, as a matter of fact, the clothes, you are wearing belonged to her too." He opened a closet door and effortlessly pulled out a shiny golden coffin that weighed at least 200 pounds. He lifted the top of the casket to reveal a plush crimson redlining.

"Fancy that," Tara smiled. "What happened to Nora?" Tara asked as she climbs into her coffin and felt her body pleasantly sink into the velvety material.

"She met the true-death a few decades ago," He answered somberly, "I shall tell you more about her during our next lesson." He didn't want to think of her tonight, he wanted to remain in joyous spirits with his newborn.

"What is my next lesson?" she inquired like a young child learning the new world around her.

"I will teach you why you should never live in a nest of vampires, and how to avoid all personal involvement with humans, as both are a liability."

Tara pondered what he said for a moment, shocked was the look on her pretty face as she came to the startling realization.

"Can I ever see my family and friends again?" she despite herself.

"Only from a distance." Godric leaned to her, pressing a kiss on her forehead, "Your loved ones must never know you exist, they must believe you to be missing or deceased."

"Why?" Tara asked as the feeling of complete regret washed over her like the long slow waves on a shallow beach. Each wave was icy cold and sent shivers down her spine. How she longed to go back and take a different path, but now that was impossible. There was no way back. There was no way to make it right. The remorse would eat at her every day of her vampire -life.

"I shall make that another lesson for tomorrow." He replied climbing into his silvery-white coffin adjacent to hers. "Good night beautiful child."

"Good night Godric." She said before closing the lid to her coffin.

I can deal with life, it's not like my life before was anything great. Yes, I can leave my life behind, all of it, except for Eric.