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  Cravings

  First published 2011 by sci-fi-cafe.com.

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  Copyright © sci-fi-cafe.com 2011

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  CRAVINGS

  WILLIAM L. K.

  Cravings

  “Please look at me, my love,” Elise said as she walked from the bed and moved to the open window. “You never need to doubt my loyalty.”

  He stood motionless at the giant window, shielding his dark eyes from the midday sun, the brisk wind of winter shifting his neatly combed jet black hair out of place. The landscape before him was breathtaking, rows and rows of thin pine trees, icicles hanging from skeletal branches, an unmarked coat of new-fallen snow blanketed the swooping hills in the distance.

  Liam was tall, well over six feet and far more handsome than any suitor she had ever been acquainted. His ruffled white wing-tip shirt was open down to mid-chest exposing his muscular upper body.

  Elise accepted the chill in the room, letting the sheet draped on her body to fall to the floor. The hotel room they rented for the night was dim, several ornate sconces casting ominous light upon the ceiling, a single flickering candle sat on a small credenza next to the rustic colonial bed.

  She moved with caution behind him, trepidation in her careful approach. Gently pressing her cold, naked flesh against his back, she reached her hands around to rest on the front pockets of his tuxedo pants. Burying her face into the space between his shoulder blades, she slid her hands up to his chest. Before she could touch his skin, he grabbed her hands in his, “Enough of this,” he said; his tone distinctively English and proper. “I have made love to you. What more do you want?”

  “I do not care for the selfish physical love of mortals,” Elise said. “I want you completely. I want what was promised to me. I want eternity with you.” He turned swiftly, pushed her away and stared at her luscious ivory body. Every curve on her was perfection, smoldering with a womanly eagerness to please. Suddenly ashamed by her nakedness, she retreated to the bed, picked up a sheet and wrapped herself in it.

  “You have taken a lover against my wishes,” Liam said. “This man is but a mortal. I have made my decision. I will not take you from him.”

  “I did no such thing. He took me! It was his choice. I should not be punished for his misfortune. And I was lonely. You left me a century ago. How was I to know you’d ever return?”

  “I told you I’d be back someday. It was your duty to wait for me. I will not forgive you for succumbing to the warmth of a human. Our previous arrangement is void.”

  “You promised me your blood when you returned. You promised me eternal life.”

  “And you would have received it… If you were faithful to me.”

  “In all these years I have had but one lover. How many have you had?”

  “That is not your business.”

  “I did not seduce this man as you seem to be accusing me. Now you are going to reprimand me for feeling pity toward him?”

  “Regardless of how it occurred, you knew the risk involved. It is too late for redemption. I cannot give you any more of me. Such an act would be far too cruel… even for someone with a history such as mine. If I were to take you as my eternal love, I would have no choice but to kill him. I have not killed a human in over a thousand years. It has taken me many lifetimes to relinquish my lust for their blood. I have proven that our kind can live on the blood of animals alone. It is a covenant I hold dear. I will not break it simply to please your irrational desires.”

  Elise sat on the edge of the silk sheeted bed, her face trembling as she struggled to keep warm. “Why are you doing this to me?” she said, tears beginning to form in her almond blue eyes, her shoulder length chestnut hair falling to one side. “You made me one of your minions but now you deny me eternity? I have willingly tasted your blood. Please, allow me to pierce your throat again. I have forgotten the sweet taste of you after all this time. I fear I will die this very day if I cannot have you.”

  He turned away from her and set his gaze back to the window. “You will not die today, but if I give into your longing, many men will perish at your hands. You may think you can control your need for the blood of man, but if I let you drink from me again, it will be impossible to satisfy your yearning any other way. Do not blame me. I have done nothing to you. I gave you the gift of one hundred years free from mortal pain. For you to achieve immortality beyond that, you would need to drink from me once more. I will never let that happen. The price is too high.” He held his hand out and almost immediately a plump white moth landed in his palm. He watched it with curiosity as it moved up his palm and came to rest inside the exquisitely long fingernail on his index finger. “Our lovemaking kept me from my hunt last night… I am very hungry.” In an eyeblink, he thrust his finger into his mouth. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he sucked down the moth. It was the smallest appetizer, but it would have to do for now.

  “I wish to sleep,” he said. “You must leave my bed.”

  “Liam… I love you,” She pleaded. “Please let me stay. Let me pleasure you with my body. Lust over me as you did last night. Make love to me with savage disregard. I will not ask for your blood, but please, at the very least, run your lips over my body once more.”

  Liam knew he would have to wait until nightfall before he could feast. It was far too difficult to hunt suitable prey in daylight hours. The thought of having Elise to himself for the rest of the day intrigued him. He couldn’t deny the intense attraction he felt toward her. However, he also knew that making love to her again could be disastrous. He would need to repress his lust for her blood once more, and he was starving. Even last night, as their bodies intertwined in the heat of passion, he had to suppress the urge to drive his teeth into her sumptuous neck. “It is too dangerous for you to stay,” he said finally. “I wish to keep you close to me… but not that close.”

  She smiled, “I thought you were cured?”

  “You wish to test me?” Liam snapped.

  Elise kneeled up on the corner of the bed. Slowly, she removed the sheet to expose her firm breasts, her nipples were pink, hard and erect from the cold. Liam looked at her, his emotions torn between disdain and adornment. He made it through the long night without incident. There was no reason to believe he couldn’t do it again. “If I let you stay, you must promise me… No tricks!”

  “I swear to you,” she said, pouting “I will not mention it again.”

  “If you tempt me, it will be your undoing.”

  “Place yourself inside me, Liam. If I cannot have eternity with you, allow me the pleasure of your body once more.”

  “I will allow it,” Liam said, “But this will be the last time. However, before I lose myself in your beauty, cover yourself as not to entice me. I wish to tell you now why I have returned after such an extended absence. You may change your mind for the better after you hear my words.”

  Elise pulled the sheet back up over her breasts. Liam sat down next to her. “I did not tell you all there is to know about the sect of vampire I belong to.”

  “There is nothing you can say that will alarm me. I knew the path I had chosen when I drank from you.”

  “No,” Liam said with a fiery harshness, “You do not know what awaits you today. I have come to warn you of the hours ahead.”

  E
lise met eyes with him; seriousness filled the dreadfully icy room. “Tell me what I need to know, I am listening.”

  “When you drank my blood you received the reward of a vampire’s life. That first taste of blood entitled you to a century of youth and abandon. I did it out of my love for you…but it was a grave mistake. When the century passes, as it does today, you will be devoured and consumed by cravings for several hours.”

  “What cravings?”

  “The cravings I have successfully banished from my existence. Starting very soon, you will begin to yearn for human blood. It will be an insatiable thirst that will be difficult to defeat. You will need me by your side if you are to overcome the temptations.”

  “Fine, I knew this day would come,” Elise said. “Let me gorge on the blood of man. I will do it without regret. Finally, I will have the chance to prove my devotion to you. I am ready, let me do it now!”

  “I will not allow it!” Liam barked. “If you kill a man it will be on my conscience until the end of time. I have achieved something no other vampire has done. I have conquered the need for human blood. I thought I’d return one day and teach you how to relinquish the hunger. I’ve come to realize that this is not something that can be taught. I will not worsen my mistake by allowing you to kill a man because of me.”

  “And if I do anyway?”

  Liam flung the back of his hand at her face. He smacked her with such force that Elise tumbled backward, falling from the bed and slamming onto the hardwood floor. He regretted the outburst immediately. He motioned to pull his hand back as if he could somehow erase the deed.

  “I am so sorry,” Liam said, “But I was right to come back. For your own protection, you need to be guarded until these cravings pass. If I need to, I will lock you away until you are free from the affliction I have unjustly cast upon you. Please know that I do this out of love alone.”

  “What will become of me?” Elise cried, clutching her cheekbone. A smear of crimson blood staining her pale skin. Liam’s eyes locked onto the mark as a lion’s stare fixes a wounded deer.

  “By nightfall, you will be free of the poisonous lust which I have infected you with.”

  “And then?”

  “Then you will be free from the gift I gave you.”

  “Then I will be human again? Is that what you’re saying? I do not wish for that at all! I cannot go back to that despicable race.”

  “You have no choice in this matter.”

  Elise sat upon the floor, crawled to Liam and placed her hand on his knee. “I need to know. What will happen if I should become human again?”

  Liam placed his hand upon her bloodied cheek, “Something that should have happened many years ago… You will find the peace I can never have… You will die…”. Liam withdrew his hand and examined the blood on his finger, his eyes cold as ice.

  Elise looked up at Liam “Go on, taste it. It’s what you want.”, she purred seductively.

  “Never!” Liam wiped his hand on his pants “This is behind me, forever.”

  Elise fell forward, her face resting on Liam’s knee as she sobbed. “Why do you hate me so?”

  Liam’s heart melted. He hated the fact that he had changed so drastically from the way he used to be, the way she remembered him. Never would he think of striking a woman in years past, it was a barbaric act for lesser species. He wondered if he was losing his grip. “Please forgive me,” he said, gently brushing her hair with his thick fingernails. “All this time apart has taken its toll on me. I am not the vampire you fell in love with so long ago. I have gained moral courage in my attempt to remain abstinent from the blood of man. However, in my haste to see that to fruition, I have spurned those that I love the most. I do not expect your forgiveness for the vile act of striking you. I only hope that in time you will come to see that I do love you more than any words could ever say.”

  Elise grasped onto his hips, her tears falling freely onto the leg of his pants. “I have already forgiven you. And I do understand… for I too have betrayed a man. I gave this mortal my love and then left him selfishly to be with you. You are not the only one who has forsaken another.”

  “It is not too late,” Liam said. “Tonight, you must go to him.”

  “Should I return, there will be nothing left of me. Only a shell of what I used to be. He will not even recognize me after I lose my youth. Regardless, I will perish soon thereafter.”

  “If this man loves you as you say, then no demise can keep you apart. Even I cannot stop the path of absolute love.”

  Liam eased himself down to join her on the floor. He picked her head up to face him, holding her face still with his hand under her chin. “You think I have eternity to enjoy love… you are greatly mistaken. My existence is one of dread and misery. Loneliness is my only friend. I love you too much to place such doom upon your splendor.”

  “How much time do we have?” Elise asked, resigned to the die that had been cast.

  “Just a few hours. I will stay with you until the sun leaves the sky. Then I will be gone. Before I leave, I will see you safely back to this man you have chosen in my absence. Neither of you need fear me. I swear to you, I will not let harm come to you again.”

  The ammonia from the freshly scrubbed marble floors wafted through the sanctuary. Dim rays of multi-colored light rocketed through stained-glass windows and splashed onto the oaken pews. The church was small and simple. Its most appealing feature was the oversized golden tabernacle positioned dead-center just above the barren altar.

  Father Olsen sat in the front row facing the altar. He was alone, head down and hands folded.

  Then, the doors at the rear of the church slammed open. The heavy thud of the doors smashing into the cement walls echoed throughout the church jarring Father Olsen from his prayer. He stood quickly and turned to see a disheveled man in a torn suit moving quickly toward him.

  “You a priest? I need a priest!” The man shouted; his white hair tied up into a tight ponytail. His face was filthy, sunken and thin.

  “I am a priest,” Father Olsen said calmly. He was not in his usual priestly attire this morning. He wore a checkered button-down shirt neatly tucked into his blue jeans. His driver’s license said he was in his thirties but could have easily passed for a teenager.

  “I imagine you haven’t been a priest very long,” The man said, clutching a dirty brown briefcase. “I want asylum,” The man continued, his squinty blue eyes darting back and forth. “Can you do that? Can you grant me asylum?”

  “I can talk to you,” Father Olsen said, “But if you’ve committed a crime, I cannot stop the police from arresting you.”

  “I’ve committed no crime,” The man said defiantly.

  “Then why do you seek asylum?”

  The man thought for a moment, his eyes flicking around the church as if he were following the path of a mosquito. “I just want to talk... The apocalypse has come. No one can stop what is going to happen. I just want you to pray for someone. I don’t believe in God… I don’t believe in anything anymore… But I want you to pray for the only woman I’ve ever loved. Can you do that?”

  “Of course I can.”

  “I’m so afraid…”

  “I understand,” Father Olsen said, though he did not fully comprehend what he was dealing with here. “Please try to calm down. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “No… I’m fine. I just wanna talk.”

  “I’m here to help you. Please, sit with me.”

  The man sat down at the end of the pew, Father Olsen kept some distance but sat down also. “Can you tell me your name?” he asked respectfully.

  “Martin,” the man said, still clutching the briefcase tight. His knuckles were bare-white as he held onto it for dear life. “Tell me, Father, do you believe in evil?”

  Father Olsen sighed, “Unfortunately, I do…”

  “You’ve seen it?”

  “Yes, I suppose you can say that. I’ve witnessed the wickedness of this world.”

>   Martin turned to face the young priest. “And what of other worlds? Have you seen that kind of evil also?”

  “Other worlds?” Father Olsen asked, trying his best to remain alert and sympathetic. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “If I need to explain it to you, then you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

  “Perhaps… but how will I know unless you explain. The power of God is great but I cannot read your mind.”

  Martin whipped his head around to check the rear door. He shot his head from side to side, checking to see that no one else was in the church.

  “I assure you,” Father Olsen said, “We are quite alone. This church is not like the mall, its rare people just pop in.”

  “I am in love…” Martin said, his voice trailing off.

  “I would presume that would be a good thing.”

  “Not when you can’t have the one you love. I can’t have her… Not without consequences… Dire consequences.”

  “I’m not sure I follow. Can you describe these consequences?”

  “I want you to see something,” Martin said. Reaching inside his jacket, he produced a black leather wallet. “Here, take it… look inside.”

  Father Olsen reluctantly accepted the wallet. Flipping it open, he immediately saw the angelic face of a beautiful woman in a small photo. “This is the woman you love?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Martin said. “That’s her.”

  “If you don’t mind me saying, she’s very pretty.”

  Martin reached into his jacket and produced another photo. “This is her also. I took this last week.”

  Father Olsen looked at the photo, it was the same woman, she appeared no different than the photo in the wallet.

  “Take a good look,” Martin demanded. “I took this picture last week. You heard me right?”

  “Yes, I heard you. You took this picture last week.”

  “Now look at the picture in my wallet again.”

  Father Olsen peered down at the wallet, failing to see the point. “Ok… she is still very pretty.”