Love Bites

They walked down the stairs hand-in-hand and Lily led Cory out the back door to the alley behind the house. A blue and silver BMW sat in the alley behind his house. It looked new and like something out of a sci-fi movie. Lily held out a remote and pushed a button and the car’s lights flashed twice.

Cory looked at Lily and raised an eyebrow. She shrugged and said, “It’s the new electric hybrid BMW. I earned a little bit of money in 300 years, and I spend some every now and then. You’d have seen it if you ever went out to my garage.”

“What else don’t I know about?” he asked.

She pointed to the door and said, “Get in and we’ll talk more on the way.”

They both got in the car and Lily started it up. Cory thought it sounded more like a purr than the growl of an engine as she accelerated away from his house.

“What the hell is this? It looks like it belongs in a movie,” Cory said.

“Actually, it was in a movie. One of the Mission Impossible movies, I think it was,” she said. “It’s a BMW i8. It’s a little over $130,000. It’s nice, no?”

“Parents?” he said, asking if they bought it.

She shook her head. “I’ve been lying to you sweety. My parents are dead. A while now. Three hundred sixty years old, remember? That’s why they are always gone. All the pictures are fake. Well, real people I hired to take pictures with, but they are no relation. I own the house, along with others, a mustang and, well, enough not to have to worry about much.”

“Can you be hurt? Or die?’ he asked.

She turned her head towards him and pointed at her face and said, “Does it look like I can get hurt? I told you your father found me beat up and almost dead. Yes, I can die. It’s a bit harder to kill me than killing a human, but it’s not impossible. Are you asking me how? Already trying to get rid of me?”

Cory quickly shook his head no, embarrassed. She laughed at him. He quietly asked her, “Are you dead? Or undead or whatever?”

Lily took his left hand and placed it on her chest just above her left breast and said, “Now isn’t the time for a quick feel young man, but what do you feel?” She was wearing a spaghetti strap top and his had was on her lightly browned, soft skin.

“You’re cold,” he replied.

“Yes, my body runs on the cold side, but that’s a side effect of my lower metabolism and heart rate. What I mean was really feel. Not just what’s on the surface.” She pressed his hand against her body a little harder.

He closed his eyes and used his sense of touch. Lily let off the pressure of her hand on his. He raised his palm, pressing his fingertips into her cold, but soft skin, using his tactile sense and felt what she wanted him to.

A light thub-thub deep in her chest, followed by another a few seconds later. After a few more she said, “Enough for now, unless you plan to take that grope… or I might just do it for you.”

He let his hand flatten back out so his whole hand rested on her chest again. Drawing his hand back towards him, he let his fingers skim across the top of her left breast, down her cleavage, but instead of back up the top of the right side, he ran his fingers under the material of her top, across her right breast. It wasn’t very far down, but it had its intended effect.

Lily shivered and almost swerved the car towards her right, but stopped herself at the last second and said, “Now that was unexpected and naughty. But feel free to do it whenever you want. I’m assuming you had your questions answered however?”

“Kinda. You’re alive… I guess.”

“So, we cleared up that I’m alive, just differently, and I can be hurt and killed. Next?”

“You say you love me, but how can we be together? I’ll grow old and die and you’ll be seventeen forever. I don’t want to be the 90-year-old guy dating or marrying the 17-year-old girl. Not that you’d want to be with an old guy.”

“See, now you’re asking better, more intelligent questions. First, yes, I do love you. I won’t tell you it was love at first sight, but you’re very easy to love. As for growing older together, there are two options. The first is I can grow older with you. Aging is my choice. I chose to stay 17 because I found no reason to grow older. The age suited me find for centuries. But if you wanted me to, we could be 90 together. I’ll still outlive you, but I’d be older.”

She paused and glanced at him to judge his reaction. He seemed to accept that. She took that as a good sign and continued. “I did mention a second option. It’s one I hope you consider. I could… could turn you and you’d be like me.” She watched him apprehensively.

His eyes widened at that. “I don’t know about that. To live forever. And watch everyone around me die. My sister? No, I don’t think I could.”

“Actually, I figured that would be your answer and my offer applies to your sister as well. She’s almost as much of a sister to me as she is to you. At least, that’s the way I feel. I don’t know about her, but…”

“Can I think about it? This is a lot to take in,” he told her.

“Of course. There’s no rush obviously. I’ve actually continued my aging since I started dating you.”

Cory noticed that she blushed as she said this. He wasn’t sure what to make of that statement. “Why would you do that?” he asked her.

“Because I want to grow old with you. Whether to age by your side or not age with you if you decide to turn, I want to do it with you,” she said honestly. “And your sister, hopefully.” She added.

“You care that much?”

Watching the road, she just nodded.

“I have to think about this. All of this. Have you given any thought to what would happen if we broke up?”

She shook her head quickly, then added quietly, “It was meant to be, you and I.”

“But nothing seems to last forever anymore,” he told her.

Lily bit her bottom lip at that. After a few seconds, she opened her mouth, letting her lip loose and said, “I don’t believe that. Not anymore. Not after you. I’ve seen too much. Too much death and destruction. Too much lost love. Too much wasted life.

“There has to be a reason for living, and I’ve found mine. After almost 348 years of searching, I found it. You.”

Cory saw a single tear roll down her cheek and leaned over and used his index finger to wipe it away. “Please don’t cry,” he told her. “One way or another, it will work out.”

They had been driving for a few minutes and Cory finally looked around and asked, “Where are we going, anyways?”

“A place I own downtown. Both your house and mine aren’t safe right now. I’ve got to figure this out and make sure you’re all safe at the same time.”

Driving up a street, Lily pulled into an alley and drove a little way before stopping. She asked Cory, “Open the glove box and there’s something like a garage door opener in there. Get it and press the button, will you?”

He did as he was asked, and a covered gate slid open. Lily drove through into a small, enclosed parking lot behind a two-story restaurant. Parking, she asked him to press the button again, which he did, and the gate slide closed.

They got out of the car and Lilt led Cory to a door in the back of the building. She pressed the bottom on her car remote and the BMW locked itself.

Opening the back door, they went inside and once in, the smell of Chinese food filled the hall and Lily asked, “Hungry? The food here is divine. Mrs. Kim cooks some awesome food.”

Cory stated to say no, but after no breakfast or lunch, his stomach protested at the thought. “Sure, why not,” he said.

She led him up the hall into a dining room decorated in a red and black Chinese theme. A small Asian woman saw them and came over right away. “Miss Lily, so glad to see you,” Mrs. Kim said. “What happened to your pretty face?” she asked, concerned.

Lily replied, “Car accident,” and shrugged.

“Not your pretty BMW I hope?”

“No, not my car. A friend’s car. But I’m okay, just a few scrapes and a nasty bruise as you can see.”

Mrs. Kim looked up at Lily and took her chin in one small hand, tilting Lily’s head into a better light. “Won’t leave any permanent marks on your pretty face,” she decreed with authority. “I’ll send up some special lotion for you. No scars using it. You staying for a while?”

“I’m not sure how long Mrs. Kim, but I’m staying long enough for some of your delicious food if it’s okay.”

The Asian woman brightened and said, “Absolutely.” Turning to Cory, she said, “And this much by the lucky Mr. Cory. Am I feeling you as well?”

This greeting unexpected, all he could do was nod. She asked him, “Anything you don’t like? Allergies?”

“Mushrooms,” he said lamely.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll make you lunch for two and send it up with Lee when it’s done. That work?”

“That sounds great Mrs. Kim,” Lily said. “Thank you so much.” Lily took Cory’s hand and pulled him back into the hall. About halfway down, she stopped and opened a door that blended into the décor, almost unnoticeable. It opened to a stairway.

“Up we go,” she said to him. Pulling the door closed behind them, they walked up the flight of stairs that opened into a small landing with one large door set into the wall. Lily pulled out her keys and opened the door, saying, “After you.”

Cory stepped through the door into what could only be described as an open-air loft. The ceiling was twelve feet high and painted a sky blue with small white clouds here and there.

To the right was a large open kitchen with an island in the middle, which was separated by a mid-height breakfast bar and four stools and a small four place dining table.

To the left of that was the living room section with a couch and loveseat, a pair of stylish chairs, a modern coffee table and a large screen QLED TV.

What could only be described as the bedroom was to the far left. It was another four-poster bed that was adorned with pale yellow curtains and canopy. An eight-drawer dresser, a full-length mirror and a TV stand with another smaller flat screen TV finished off the bedroom. There were no walls in the place, only some load bearing pillars spread out.

Lily pointed to the only other door, saying, “Bathroom is in there, if you need it.”

Cory was stunned. The place was so open and modern. Finding his voice, he said, “This is yours?”

“Actually, the whole building is,” she said. “This is just a local getaway if I need it.”

“When do you come here?”

“Lately, never. Since you that is. I haven’t had the time or inclination,” Lily said, flushing.

“It’s no neat and clean,” Cory noted.

“Ah, Mrs. Kim keeps it tidy for me when I’m not here.”

There was a light tap on the door behind then that made Cory jump. Lily put a hand on his arm and said, “That’s just Lee, Mrs. Kim’s son, with our food. Relax.”

Cory looked at her questioningly. She raised a finger that said, Hold on. Opening the door, Lily greeted a young man who came in carrying two plastic bags of food. “Smells great Lee. Set it on the table would you please?”

“Sure thing Miss Lily,” he replied. He set the two bags down and took the contents out, setting the containers on the table. Finished, he turned around and pulled out a little jar from his pocket. “From Mother. She said to use it. The bruise will go away quickly.”

She took it from saying, “Tell her thank you for me.”

He nodded and turned around and then walked out saying, “Enjoy,” over his shoulder, closing the door behind him.

“I should wash up first,” Cory said. “The closet was dirty.”

Lily pointed to the bathroom and said, “All yours. Unless you want to wait on lunch, and I’ll join you?” A large mischievous grin appeared on her face.

Cory once again got that deer in the headlights look and Lily added, “Gee, it’s so much fun to tease you. One of these days you’ll take me up on an offer and I’ll be the one speechless. Go, food’s getting cold.”

She made a shooing gesture and he walked through the living room and her bedroom to the bathroom, noting that it was a mix of modern and vintage tastes.

Stepping into the bathroom, he flipped on the light and stood in awe yet again. The bathroom ran the entire width of the loft. A counter ran about a third of the room, with two sinks, plenty of drawers and both open and enclosed cabinets under the drawers. The mirrors were in three foot sections and it looked like the first and third ones pulled out from the wall so you could see almost all the way around yourself.

Just after the sinks was a floor to ceiling glass block wall that allowed a person privacy on the toilet behind it, while still being bright and having an open feeling.

Walking further in, just past the second frosted glass block wall on the other side of the toilet was a small three-inch tiled lip on the floor that went all the way across the room. Beyond the lip was one large shower area, but he didn’t see a shower head. He walked in and noticed the missing shower head was actually several spaced around the walls and ceiling.

The far corner held what looked to be a large corner jacuzzi style tub that could told at least two.

This was someone’s dream bathroom, Cory thought. Going back to the sink, he washed up, avoiding looking in the mirror to see how bad he looked. He returned to the main room and the table.

Lily had gotten out plates and sodas for them. “Find everything okay?” she asked him.

“It’s… wow,” he said.

“That’s what I said when I first saw it too. Give you any fun ideas?” There was that mischievous grin again.

“Any other day but today,” he replied.

She stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “Fine. I’ll hold you to that. Now, food. I wasn’t sure what you might want, so I didn’t dish anything up. Mrs. Kim made tons of food. We said two, not two dozen. She says I don’t eat enough, like she’s trying to fatten me up. Good luck with that.” She pointed to foam trays saying, “Chicken, beef, shrimp, veggies without shrooms, white rice, fried rice, wontons and eggrolls, you name it. Round containers are soup. Eggdrop, wonton, hot and sour, take your pick.”

They both filled plates, finding themselves ravenous. While they were eating, Cory looked at Lily and said, “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did,” she reported with a smile.

“Ha. Ha. Seriously.”

She nodded. “Anything. If I can answer it, I will.”

He looked at her for a second, then asked, “Can you read minds?”

She giggled and said, “You want to touch me where?” His eyes widened. She laughed this time and said, “No hon, I can’t. If I could, I might have avoided this mess with Dallas.”

“But last night, I heard… in my head, you told me to go. And you seem to know things. Questions unasked. Who’s at the door…” he trailed off.

She smiled at him and said, “Think about it. I’ve had 360 years of practice with body language. I can judge looks and posture and come to reasonable conclusions. As far as doors, we were expecting Lee and no one else but Mrs. Kim knows we are here. So, it was just logical. But to your real question, I can’t read minds, but from a limited distance I can push or send messages or thoughts like I did last night. I could have yelled but I didn’t want Dallas to attack you.”

Looking into his eyes, she said, “It works…” and in his mind he heard, “… like this.”

He nodded solemnly. Suddenly he asked, “Can you have kids?”

Lily nearly choked on the food in her mouth. After swallowing, she sputtered, “Wh…where did that come from?”

Shrugging he said, “You don’t have to answer that,” and looked down at his food embarrassed.

“Cory my love, look at me,” he heard in his mind and looked back up at her. Out loud she continued, “I told you I’d answer any question you had, and I’ll answer that one. It just took me by surprise… coming from someone who I almost have to force to touch me.”

Cory looked back down at his food.

“Un-uh, you asked, now look at me,” she admonished him. He looked back up abashed. “The answer is yes, I can. And so you don’t have to wonder or ask, no I haven’t… yet. Maybe one day I can talk you into it.”

He thought, ’In for a penny, in for a pound’, so he asked, “Would it be… normal?”

“Normal? Um, define normal. Making babies isn’t exactly a perfect science still. But I think you’re asking something else. It depends. If the father, you possibly, is human, there’s a chance. Slim, but a possibility of it being human. If you turn, then no, the child would be a vamp. At least technically at first.

“The child will grow like normal until puberty, at which point the vampire traits start taking over.” She looked at him expectantly.

“What?” he asked.

“No more, um, interesting questions?”

Cory blushed and nodded his head. “I do have one more question. What’s in your basement? You wouldn’t let me go down there.”

This time she blushed. “Oh, um… It’s not what you think. Well, it is sort of. I have a coffin down there. But it’s not to sleep in. It’s sort of a memento. It was built for me back in the late 1700’s. It’s beautifully done for that time period. I just… never wanted to get rid of it. I didn’t want you to see it and creep you out.”

“Oh.”

“So, any other questions? Any more sex questions? Favorite position or something like that?”

Cory just shook his head again.

Lily smirked and said, “Disappointing.”

He stuck his tongue out at her and said, “Just eat.”

“Careful, you stick it out and I’ll make you use it.”

He just looked at her, they went back to eating. Once they finished, Lily got up and went behind Cory. She leaned over him, putting her head by his. He turned and without thinking, kissed her cheek, right on the bruise.

She winced slightly and he realized what he did and said, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I should stop hurting soon. But I smell good now.”

Cory raised an eyebrow. She pointed at her cheek and said, “Smell.”

He smelled it and it smelled like lemongrass. He said, “Ah, that’s what I taste too, then.”

She grinned and said, “Really?” She turned his head and kissed him. “Yep, lemongrass,” she said, licking her lips.

Cory looked at his watch. It seemed like he had left his sister days ago, but it had been just about an hour. “Gotta call Kayla,” he said fishing out his phone. He dialed a number and paused while the phone rang, then said into it, “Why aren’t you answering your phone? Where are you?” He hung up.

Lily raised an eyebrow in question. Cory ignored her and dialed again. He waited, then hung up without saying anything. Once again, he dialed a number and hung up after two rings, it was picked up.

“Hello?” the voice on the other end said.

“Abigail, why isn’t Kayla answering her phone?”

“What do you mean, Cory? Isn’t she with you?” Abby asked.

“No, why would she be?”

“You called about 20 minutes after we dropped you off and told her to meet you at home. That everything was okay. Isn’t it?”

“Shit! I gotta go,” Cory said, while hanging up.

“What’s wrong?” Lily asked.

“Abby said I called Kayla and said it was okay to come home about 40 minutes ago. Just after we left apparently.”

He dialed another number while Lily said, “But you didn’t call obviously. Dallas?”

“That’s my guess.” After three rings the phone picked up and Cory said, “Kayla, are you okay?”

A different voice than his sisters answered. “How nice of you to call, Cory. Your sister can’t come to the phone right now. She’s indisposed, shall we say.”

“You better not do anything to her, you son-of-a-bitch.”

“Now, now. Name calling isn’t nice and can only cause, well, bad things to happen. You don’t want bad things to happen to your baby sister, do you?”

“Leave her alone you animal. What is it you want?”

“Watch your tone, young man, if you want your sister back whole. You help me, you get her back. More-or-less unharmed. If not, well… I have several options. Something as simple as her virginity? Wouldn’t be very fun in her current state of unconsciousness, however. But it’s an option. I could drain most of her blood and give her back barely alive if you’d like. She wouldn’t be very lively after that, however, trust me. You make me mad, and you will get her back piece-by-piece, over, say, a month?”

“Like I said, what do you want?” Cory asked again, sounding defeated.

“Simply. I want your girlfriend dead. But all you have to do is deliver her to me.”

“I haven’t seen her since last night,” Cory lied.

“Well, that’s got to be a letdown. Losing both your girlfriend and sister in the same 24 hours. Maybe I’ll give you another 12 hours for your mom. Then 12 for yourself. After that, well, I guess I’ll have to start all over again.”

“Wait,” Cory blurted.

“You remember something suddenly? You get a vision? Talk to me Cory,” Dallas taunted.

“Give me time. Let me try to find her.”

“Ah, I like a man willing to beg. You have exactly an hour. In one hour, I’ll call you and tell you where to deliver her. You’ll have ten minutes after that to arrive. A minute after that, well, I’ll pick a random fancy for your sister. At the fifteen-minute mark, that’s five minutes late, you’ll be able to find her body here… or maybe just a part of it. We’ll play it by ear,” Dallas laughed and added, “Maybe I’ll leave her ear. I like that. Happy hunting Cory,” then hung up.

Cory sighed.

“Well?” Lile asked impatiently.

“That was Dallas. He wants me to deliver you within the hour.” He told her everything Dallas told him, then added, “He’ll obviously be waiting for you – or us. What do we do?”

Lily looked at him and simply said, “I do what he wants, to save your sister.”

“But what about after? He won’t just let us go.”

“He wants me, not you guys. You guys are just a means to the end. He won’t care about your after he has me.”

“But…” Cory started, “… but he’ll kill you.”

“He’ll try. Probably succeed. But it’s what it is.”

“I don’t accept that,” Cory said and more quietly added, “I can’t.”

She grabbed him in a hug. He stood motionless for a second before returning it. They swayed back and forth for a few seconds before she leaned back and then kissed him. As she leaned back, he was able to see a lone tear making its way down her cheek. She kissed him with such a passion that it scared him. It told him she was scared. She finally let us and laid her head on his shoulder, while still embracing each other.

Cory whispered into her hair, “I won’t give you up without a fight.”

“Then we only have a short time to come up with something,” Lily told him.

“What do you suggest?”

“You stay here, safe?”

Shaking his head, he said, “Tell me how to kill him.”

“Honey, if it that was that easy, he’d be dead already. I hate to say it, but if I couldn’t kill him last night, you’re not going to be able to kill him.”

“Maybe not, but maybe we can do it together.”

“There’s really nothing special to kill us. Inflict enough damage and we’ll die. It’s just harder to inflict enough damage all at once. At least, if you’re a human. Our increased strength makes it easier for one of us.”

“Okay, so how can I, as a mere human, do it?”

“Oh, the easiest way is a bullet to the head or one to the heart. A much slower way is to keep denying us sex.”

Cory groaned but Lily grinned. What?” she asked innocently.

“What happened to being worried?”

“It’s no fun. I’d rather think about sex.”

“I’d rather you live, yes?”

She sighed and said, “Yes. But I don’t really have any other ideas. I don’t have a gun and probably can’t get one in…” she checked her watch, “… 45 minutes.”

“Could you, um, turn me?”

“I could start the process, but you wouldn’t be in any shape to, well, do anything… at all. Sit up, stand, think straight… you get the idea.”

“I meant to ask earlier, can you like teleport or turn invisible, or into a bat? Or gas?”

“Huh?”

“How did you always pop up out of nowhere on me?”

“Oh, that’s more of a parlor trick. Becoming dim. I’m not invisible, but it’s hard to see unless you are really looking, or I move fast or become undim. It won’t help with Dallas. His eyesight and senses would see right through it. And no, I can’t turn into a bat or gas. Although I can get gas,” she quipped.

He groaned at the last part and said, “So I bring you, distract him so you can attach and take him down. We play it by ear.”

“How about I use the next half hour to take your virginity and wear you out, so you fall asleep, and you stay safe?” she asked grinning again.

“Will you please be serious?”

She pushed away from him and took his face in both of her hands, looking into his eyes and said, “Cory, I am being dead serious. This is going to end badly, and I don’t want you hurt. If I had to choose how to spend my last half hour on Earth, it would be with you trying to please you. Not trying to find all the different ways we could die. Simple.”

Mirroring her hold on him, looking into her eyes still, he replied, “And I told you, I’m not letting you go in there alone to die.” More quietly he added, “But your final half hour is sounding nicer by the minute.”

“You know, I could simply knock you out and go alone,” she said with a smile.

“No, you couldn’t. You wouldn’t hurt me.”

“To save you? Are you so sure?” she asked.

He simply nodded and pulled her into another kiss. After a long kiss, they broke apart and she told him, “If you die on me without making love to me, I’ll revive you and then kill you myself… so I guess we go in with no plan and figure it out as we go.”

She turned around to get her drink and yelped.

Cory had grabbed a handful of her behind and squeezed.

Without turning she said, “Hurray, you’re finally coming around. Next thing you know you’ll be trying to feel me up and try to get me naked.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” he told her.

“I’ll hold you to it,” she said totally serious. She sat back down at the dining room table.

Cory moved behind her and said, “We need to get you ready to kick some ass. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” He walked to the bathroom and returned in a couple of minutes. “Sit still,” he told her.

He used the brush he retrieved from the bathroom to brush out her long black hair. After getting the tangles out, he parted her hair into three sections and quickly braided it. At the end, he twisted a black elastic band around it and laid the braid over her shoulder. “There. All you need now is a superhero costume and you’ll be all set.”

Lily looked at the braid and asked, “Where did you learn that?”

“I do have a sister, remember? Her hair wasn’t always short. She cut it when we started swapping classes in Junior High. Until then, she never had cut her hair, only had it trimmed. When she got upset or stressed out, I made her feel better by brushing and braiding her hair. She always glowed afterwards.”

Lily asked, “She would braid her hair a lot?”

“Actually no. Normally it was loose, and she wouldn’t let anyone else braid it, not even our mom. Only me.”

“Well, I’ll let you braid my hair too then. It does feel good when you do it. Calming. I feel better. Ready for a quicky?”

He chuckled. “Well, that was totally non-sequitur. Are you ready for this?”

She nodded, still looking at her braided hair. “Are you?” she asked.

“Ready as I can be, I guess.”