The Veil was initially constructed by the Witches of Mesopotamia during the early days of humanity. It shielded mundane humans fromseeingwhattheycould notunderstand - a paranormal world ofshifters, vampires, witches, and fae Ashumanitybegantospreadandgrow,sotoodidthosewholivedontheothersideoftheVeil.
There were times whenthe Veil thinned, and someone would thinktheysaw a ghost Or find evidence of magic Some humanswalkedbothworlds,buttothoseintheknow,thewatchwordwasalwayssilence.
Irollmyeyes.Onequietnightistoomuchtoaskforataplacelikethis.Thisbarisnotsocleanthatpeoplefeel the need to be ontheir bestbehavior butnotso roughand tumble thatthey’re afraid to raise their voices. We’re rightinthe sweetspottoattractidiotslookingforafight
IfinishdryingofftheglassIjustcleaned.I’llstepineventually,butIhavelargerprioritiesthanwhateverthisisaboutto be Nopointinsteppinginiftheyjustplanonyellingateachother
I just roll my eyes and step back inside, making sure the door slams behind me. I’mnot really concerned about what happens to Lennyand Normafter theyleave mybar. Igetdozens ofshifters and regular humans justlike thema week. I’ve neveroncecarediftheymadeithomesafe
I spot one of our waitresses, Claire, in a bad spot. Agroup of boys fromthe local college are drunkenly hooting and holleringather. “Hey, baby!” “Come on, don’tignore us.” “I’ll give youa tip-” are justa few ofthe phrases Ihear inthe chorusofgrossdebauchery
Usually, there is a moment of peace between incidents here. Did these assholes not see me swiftly take care of two shifters?Me,aregularhumanwithnomagicoranything?I’lltakecareoftheseboysaseasilyasIbrushmyteeth
“MiddleburyCollege,right?Ibetyourparentsare so proud.”
All their smiles drop. Middlebury, Vermontis notknownfor a lotofthings, and its college certainlyisn’tone ofthem. Thosewordscutdeep NotthatI’mreallyonetotalk Idroppedoutmyfirstsemesterbuttheydon’tneedtoknowthat “Letmeguess,”Icontinue.“Businessmajor,businessmajor,businessmajor,business-” “Hey, lady” One of them stands up Let’s call him Chad, he seems like a Chad “You have to be nice to us We’re customers.”
Iremember one time inhighschool,mymother,who atbesttolerated myexistence, was offona week-longbender. So, naturally,Ithrewahugepartyatmyhouseandinvitedthewholeschool Twofootballplayerswerebeingcreepstosomegirls Nooneelsewassteppingin,soIbroketheirnosesmyself.
Turns out I’mreallygood at fighting Standingat 5 foot 7 inches witha small frame, people quicklyunderestimate me Makesitaloteasiertokicktheirass.
The whole world sucks. It’s full ofterrible people. ButIcanenacta little bitofcontrol over itwhenI’monshifthere. WhatelsewouldIbedoingwithmytime?
EventhoughIhave to breakup so manyfights, a lotofour regular patrons know bynow notto mess around whenI’m working Theyjustcomein,drinktheirdrinks,socialize,andtaketheirfightsoutside
uck.It’sjustliketheothers.”Ilookupatmypartner,Ren.“It’sgoingtobeanotherlongnight.” “Whenisitnot?”hegrowlsback Crouching, I lookcloser at the poor dead bastard infront of me. I hesitate to askRenwhat this brings the total numberofvictimsupto,butIalreadyknow.Toomany.
Everyvictimis the same Completelydrained ofblood Leftlyinginanalleylike this guy Or ona parkbenchlike that joggeronTuesday.
We vampires live bya code We aren’tthe scarycreatures fromthose black-and-white horror movies We don’tjustkill indiscriminately like this when we feed. Even if we did accidentally kill someone we’re feeding from, even the dumbest vampiresknowhowtohideabody.
“Iassume youcould smell whatIcould.” Renis quickto change the subject, buthe’s right. We have aninvestigationto continue
“Yeah.” Nothing beats the heightened senses of a werewolf but don’t count out a vampire’s when the chips are down. “Beer Lotsofit He’dbeendrinkingtonight Probablyspilledsomeofitonhimself”
“That’swhatIgot,too.Wejusthavetofindwhatbar.”
RenandIbothlookupanddownthestreet.Icanseeaboutfivedifferentbarsineachdirection.NotashelpfulasIhoped. Now, we could go into eachone and askif they’ve seenthe victimtonight. But this is a roughpart of town, the seedy underbellyofMiddlebury.WalkingintothesebarsonofficialPEACEbusinesswillnotbesmart.We’llbetargetsthemoment westepin
Rensniffstheairandnods.Perfect.Findingwheresomeone was byscentcanbealotharderthanfindingwheretheyare. Luckyforme,Ihavethebestwerewolfaroundasapartner
HeleadsmethroughthedarkestandsketchiestpartsofMiddlebury.Drugdealersandgangmembersscatterwhentheysee ourPEACEbadgesshineintheoccasionallightofstreetlights Thevictimtraveledalongwayjusttogetkilled “There.” Renpoints atanunassumingbar justdownthe road. Outside, two groups seemto be holdingbacka couple of
drunkguystryingtofight.Whataclassyplace.
Renand Isneakpastthe drunks and slip throughthe frontdoor. Inside, the bar isn’tpacked buthas a decentnumber of people Surelyoneofthemwillrememberseeingthevictim
“Hello, gentleman. CanIaskyoua few questions?” Renbegins. Istand behind himas he approaches a few patrons ata tablenearthedoor
Early in our partnership, we learned that Ren opens the line of questioning with a friendly face. If any intimidation is needed,Istepin Myvampiricpaleskinandangularfacetendtomakethecommonpersonuneasy,especiallylateatnight ItrytolistentoRenandanynewinformationwemightget,butIquicklygetdistracted.Acrossthebar,agroupofcollege boysisgettingrowdy,shoutingatawaitress.Atleast,untilthiswomanstepsin.
I’dplaceher ataboutfiveandahalffeettall Young Her wavy,darkbrownhair falls toher mid-back FromhereIcan onlyseeherfrombehind,andIhavetosay,shealsohasagreatass.
“Lookman, youaren’t the first and certainlywon’t be the last guyto flirt withme tonight. If youaren’t goingto order something,I’mgoingtohavetoaskyoutoleavemealone Ihaveajobtodo”
This wouldn’t be the first time someone has tried to follow me home from the bar. I tend to make some enemies, consideringhowmanypeopleIembarrassbyeasilytossingthemout Butthoseguysarealwaysdrunkofftheirass Itypically hearthemstumblingbehindmeablockaway.Butnottonight.
All myself-preservationinstincts are onfire. It’s like this threatis inmyperiphery, always justoutofsight. Anunseen enemyiscomingforme,anditcouldsoonendinafight
The rest of my walk home happens without incident. There are no more loud noises or phantomfootsteps behind me. ThoughthefeelingthatI’mbeingstalkeddoesn’tfadeforevenamoment
Iclencha crisp, goldenamulet inmyhands, created sevencenturies ago and purified against anyill intent and those that wouldclaimwhatbelongstome Imarvelatthecraftsmanship-thehistoryofthisrelic-asIlayitonherdoorstep,skirting fromher discoverybyblendingwiththe shadows.Intruth,Ialmosthate topartwithit,as it’s beeninmypossessionfor manymoons,butnothingistoogoodformythrall.
Myheartis still,butinmycenturies oflife,I’venever feltitstir insuchamanner Thegracebywhichshemoved- the strengthshecommanded.Itallservedtorilemefrommyseclusion.
Themortals whoinhabitthis earthtell manystories ofus - ofhow webecomebats,flutteringthroughthenight andof how we slumber inwoodencoffins, as thoughpermanentlyacknowledgingthe deaths that made us what we are, traumatic markersofatransitionetchedinblood.
Butpartofme relates to their fables and folktales, and itstill resonates withme For centuries, Ihave beenlivingina coffinofmyownmaking,beholdingthesplendorsofthisworldwithstoicindifference.Ihavenotfeltaliveinwhatfeelslike aneternity.
The moisture in the air of this store irritates my skin, and I feel itchy fromthe sunlight pouring onto my skin, brightly illuminatingtheairoverthehorizon.Iwillneedtofeedsoon,ifIplantomakemyapproachinthedaylight.
Shelooksuponmeoddly,standingbeforeherinahoodieandclearlyhidingfromtheeyesofonlookers,butIcorrectit.I havelearnedtoblendinseamlessly,butwherethatfails,alittlehypnosishelps “Hereyougo!”Shesaysjoyfully,asthoughsheneversuspectedmeofbeingavampire. Therearethoseamongthehumanpopulationwhoclingtooldbiases,andwouldgladlyseemedeadforwhatIam Their willfulignoranceiswhyIjoinedPEACE.
apartment. Even through the window, I can still sense the pulse of her heart, her blood flowing through her like nectar. It enrapturesme,taintingmymindawayfromreason.
Her apartment door opens, and rain trickles down fromthe alleyway gutter beside me I can watch her fromfar away withoutherknowledge.ShewillneverknowI’mhere,butshewillalwayssenseme.
Icanmakesureofit
The door disrupts the amulet, and she looks downward at the clatter of metal against wood. Her eyes dawn with recognition, and she falls captive to myspell, no hint of resistance. She picks the amulet up and turns it over inher hand, studyingit,butthereisnoconfusiononherface,asIfeelmymessageechoinhermind
Icanfeel the monstrous presences withinme stir, myshadow extendingfurther onto the pavement. Darkthoughts fill my mindaboutallthingsI’dliketodotoher-howI’dliketoclaimherformyown tasteherandneverletgo
AndIcansensefrommyplaceinhermind-thewayIhangaroundherneck,anddangleandbouncewithhereverystepthateventhoughshe fears me, she is far too enticed byme to turnaway Iclaimed her as soonas Ilaid eyes onher - that pendantaroundherneckismerelyaphysicalsymbolofwhatwealreadyknowtobetrue.
AsIwringmywashragovermybarebreasts,Ilookaround,tryingtomakesenseofthisfeeling Lookingthroughthesteam and atmyreflectioninthe fog-clouded mirror, itbecomes evenmore obvious thatthere’s nobodyhere. So whydo Ifeel so vulnerable?
Ithrow onmyworkclothes, rushingto notbe late for work, almoststumblingover the laundrypile inthe middle ofthe livingroom.AsIopenthedoor,itcollideswithsomethingwitha thud
Myinitialreactionistopanic,asIlookatthenecklacesettidilyonmywelcomemat,nowdislodgedslightlybythedoor It looksveryold.
Butsomethingelsepokesatmymind.Ilookatthisjewelry,andIcan’thelpbutfeel seen somehow.Perhapswhoeverleftit here whoever’s watching me now isn’t evil, and doesn’t meanto make me feel uncomfortable Mythirst for answers deepens.
Ten years ago, these ideas would have been sheer lunacy But I’ve heard weird stories of the creatures that started appearing‘whentheveilfell’-theshiftersinthebarwhereIworkareproofofthat.
I’mtempted to runtowards it, to tell himthatI’mnotinterested. That’s the sane partofmymind - the partofme that’s dishonestwithmyself It’sthevoiceofthepeoplewhocareaboutme,whodon’twanttoseemehurt,andknowthatwhatI’m dealingwithisdangerous.
But if you run toward him,Irationalize, then he’ll know that he’s having an impact on you He might even think you ’ re scared to face him And doesn’t that just make you more vulnerable?
AsIdebatewithmyselfaboutwhethertoapproach,thepartofmehellbentonuncoveringthismystery,andplayingthelong game,winsout Theshadowrecedesintothealleyway,andIamleftalone- as alone as I might have always been Iwonderhowdeepthismysterywillgo,andwherethesequestionswillleadme.
You’re just curious,Itellmyself. As soon as you find out what’s going on, that’s your chance to step away.
I cannot show fear, under any circumstances. I try to slow my breathing, and take stock of myself, still torn apart by contradictoryemotionsoffearandlove…safetyanddanger…excitementandterror.
Soas Ienter the bar,the firsttaskonmymind,tothe abjectcuriosityofmycoworkers,is togetthese flowers inwater. Someoftheseflowersseemincrediblyrare,andthatjustmakesthemysteryofmysuitorallthemoreinteresting
Acreature suchas myself should not feel suchjoyonthe prowl of a mere mortal like Quinn, but her everyreactionis intoxicatingtome Shecontinuestoweartheamuletdespiteanobviousobliviousnesstoitsimportance,whichfillsme withimmensepride.
I know what mybetters would say, dull as theyare. There are plentyinmylife who thinkthis game we’re playingis unnatural Theywouldtellmethatthischaseisfrivolousanddangerous,andthatIjeopardizerelationsbetweenourkindand humansbycontinuingtoenticemypreywithlavishgifts.
I need only be strong enough to resist the call of my kind. As long as I can contain my wild urges with promises and eventualities reassuringmyselfthatthetasteofherbloodwillcomeintime IknowthatIneedn’tpullaway
“Okay!”Sheshouts.“We’vedonethisdancelongenough.Nowshowyourself!” PerhapsherworkfriendRorysaidsomethingtosetheroff-she’snotusuallythishostile I clenchmyfists at the thought. Rorywill not get inthe wayof myconquest. Quinnis mine to claim, and nobodycan interferewiththat,lesttheyfacethefullextentofmywrath
But as far as I’m concerned, I’m her imaginary friend. ItellmyselfthatasIstandinthealleyway,nowfullyconcealedbythenight. Therealitymaybemorecomplicated.
She stands expectantlyalone, resolute inspite ofthe passingtrucks kickingwater up fromthe streets. Everythinginme compelsmeforward-togreether,totasteher,tolosemyselfinthesplendorofherblood Stop being wretched,Itellmyself. Come closer to her… a little greeting cannot hurt.
But I wait inthe darkness of the night To me, ignoringthis call is like refusingto eat or drinkas a humaninspite of starvation.Iknowmyselfwellenoughtoknowthatapproachingisneveragoodidea.
Ineed to be more careful. WhenIfollow, Ishadow her everymovement, and never letthe distractingcacophonyinmy mindtakehold.Iamarushoffoulthoughtsandurges,andthebeastsinsidemewishtoperformeveryfoulthoughtandurgeon Quinn
She will be yours,Isaytomyself. She’s yours to claim alone. Butnowisnotthetimeortheplace Fornow,thischasemustcontinue
I invited Roryto come hangout, and I immediatelyregretted it. It wasn’t because her first reactionwas to start cleaningthe place and doinglaundry, all while critiquingmylivinghabits… wasn’tevenbecause she insisted thatIhave a betterfuturethantoilingawayatthebarwithher,inspiteofthefactthatshecanliterallybendtheuniversetoherwill It’sbecauseassoonasshesawtheelaborateflowerbouquets,thetrinkets,andallofthebaublesthatmysuitorleftforme, shebecameimmenselyconcerned It’slikeIbroughtmymombackintomylife,beforesheturnedmean
Survival Islandwas the latestnetworkhit,builtaroundthe premise ofa realityTVshow where the competitors actually killeachother EversincetheFCCdissolved,theregulationsaroundtelevisionhadgottenlessandlessstringent Thiswasjust everythingpeoplealreadylikedaboutrealityTVturneduptoeleven.
Buttherewerestill plentyofreasons tothinktheshow was onlyscripted Actors werestill seeminglyspottedoutinthe real world, despite havingdied episodes earlier. And other governmental organizations still weren’tcrashingdownonitto stopproduction.
Maybeit’sstupid,andwhateverisaftermeisdangerouslikeRorysays.Idon’tknow. She gets to be special, with her natural skill at magic. She gets to be a witch. The secrets of the universe are at her fingertips,ifshejusthasthepatiencetounravelthem.
“Ifyouwanttotalktothepoliceaboutallthis,I’dgladlygowithyou,youknow?”Shereiterates.“Iwouldn’tevenaskfor anythinginreturn… wouldn’tgive youa hard time aboutit. Wouldn’tevencharge youfor the spell ingredients. Ifyouneed help,I’mthere”
“Areyouevergoingtodropthis?”Iaskseriously.I’mgoingtohavetoputmyfootdownifIwanthertostopaskingabout it
Ibitemylip,lookingdownatthecarpet Idon’tunderstandwhyI’msoupset “Youthinkyouknow better because you’re a witch,” Isay. “All Iwantis to hangoutwithmyfriend. Idon’tneed you throwingyourmagicinmyfaceallthetime”
There are stories of unnatural alliances between werewolves and vampires, where vampires and werewolves have children,oringestbloodfromoneanother Itneverendswell
Inodinsurrender,eventhoughIdon’tplantoabidebythat “Second ofall, what?” He asks. “Your reports have all said youwere outpursuingthe case. Whathave youbeendoing thesepastseveraldays?”
“Youarecertainlynot,”Ireply “Youcanjoinmeforanydirectinfiltrationmissions ButtailingQuinn-” “Tailing ‘Quinn,’” he replies simply, before folding his arms in disapproval. “Sounds to me like you have a personal connectiontoapersonofinterestnow”
“Tailingher requires stealth,” Isaysimply. “And onthe lastoccasionIchecked, stealthis nota strongcharacteristic of werewolves.That’sthewaywe’vealwaysdonethings.”
Helooksatmeseriouslynow
“Iknow how itis withyouvampires,” he says. “Mylastpartner was a vampire too. There’s a reasonfor that. We keep eachotherincheck,balanceouteachothers’weaknesses” “Iloveyoutoo,Ren,”Isaysardonically.
“Butifyouever suspectthatyour relationship withthis girl is gettingpersonal, Ineed youto stand aside, for your own good,”hesays.“Ican’tloseanotherpartnertovampiricurges.Can’thavemoredeadpeopleonmyconscience.”
Shifter law frowns on these games of pursuit - in some cases, even criminalizes them They would have humans and vampires meet in cafes and talk over coffee, or through online chat rooms. They expect our courtships to be safe and impersonal.
Butnone ofthatworks for us. Whatmotivates us is a rushofblood throughour fangs, a series ofcalculated risks, and chasingoureternalmatesthroughthecity,evenoverdecades.It’showmysiremethismate,hersiremethers,andsoon.
Butmostly, Ithinkofthe lookofcompliance inher eyes whenIhave her under mythumb - how her intoxicatingblood pulsesthroughher,invitingmejusttocomealittlecloser
Oncloser inspection, they’re the deed and title to the land, somehow inmyname. Iquestionthe resources ofsomebody abletodothiswithoutmepresent,sinceI’mprettysurethatlegally,hewouldhavehadtotransferownershipovertome.ButI don’tletitbothermetoomuch.
Therearesomebaskets near theorchard,soItaketimetoharvestseveral apples,tomatoes,potatoes,andcarrots before marvelingat the varietyofspecimens Ican’t identifyhere. Someday, I’mgoingto take the time to identifyall these plants, becausemanylookincrediblyexotic
Uponarriving,Isetthekeys onthekitchencounter nexttomyother flowers andimmediatelywashoffthecrops,putting whatIneedinthesmallpantryandfridgeprovidedbytheapartment.Iplopdownonthecouch,lookingoverthepaperwork. Itseems like the land deed goes well beyond the bounds ofthe greenhouse, so there’s no reasonsomebodycouldn’tput otherpropertyonitaswell.IfIhadanywherenearenoughmoney,Icouldprobablyputahouseorsomeotherstructureonit, andjustlivethere
“Whatthehellisthis?”Sheasks,muchmorehostilethanusual.“Thisisthekeytoagreenhouse.” Ican’tthinkofanyresponsesinthemoment,butIkeepanervoussmileonmyfacejustincaseit’sappropriate “Isthatwhyyourbackiswet?Isthatwhyyou’remissingplants?”Sheasks. “Is that movie still off the table?” I ask “I know you said, maybe a later showing but I really wanted to catch the matinee…”
“Idon’tknow how youcando this to me,” she says. “Youknow whatmymomwentthrough. Guycomes into your life, promisestogiveyoueverything,thentakescontrolandabusesyou?Andthat’sassuminghe’sevenhuman.”
Itdoesn’ttakemelongtoshimmytheslidingglass door intoher bedroom.Thecool air insidetheroomcannotmaskthe smellofher–ifIhadbeenamileaway,Icouldstillbreatheinherscentandrecallallmydeepestdesiresforherflesh
Iturnup mynose and sniffthe subtle muskofher sweat, the skinthickand acrid inthe mostintoxicatingwayI’ve ever known.IclosethewindowassilentlyasIcamein,makingsureshedoesn’tstir.
Sheonlybreathes shallowly,untouchedbyher surroundings,her breasts heavingupanddownandher chesttakes inand releases air. I walk to her bed and lean over her as if examining a corpse. She has a look on her face of tranquility, an unknowingthatcomesfromnotseeingthedangersrightinfrontofher Likethenecklacearoundherneck Withthisgiftboundtoher,shewillbemineforever.
Itake mycold hand and runitover her bare arms;theyare cold, almostlifeless, butunderneaththe fleshIcanfeel her bloodflowwithahumanrhythmthatmakesmecraveherevenmore.Ismellherhair.Itouchthoseringsonherdaintyfingers, whereherskinmeetsgoldandformssomethinganew.
I put mynose to the sole, inhalingsoftly, but the cool fleshthere leaves no trace of scent; theyare the embodiment of everythingsensualyetinnocentabouther.
Iopenmyclosetofknives,immediatelyreachingfortheka-bar.Itakeoffmyshirt,pantsandunderwear,andsitdownhard onthebed Thepassionrisingupandwarmingmychestthreatenstomakemeclimax,soIwastenotimeslicingacrossmyright breast withthe ka-bar knife. As the darkcrimsonslice gives wayto a larger pool, I pump mycocktwice and cum, blood drippingdownintomygroin.
Itake myfingers and lap up myownblood Isuckonmyfingers, savoringeverylastdrop Mylustis insatiable – and nothingcanquenchitsaveforQuinn,thatlusciousbodyfilledwithsweetnectar.
I should have taken as much care of the roses as I did of the other flowers, which are now safely in the greenhouse, fruitfullyproducingmore crops and flowers LastIchecked though, the roses were doingfine I’mnotsure whathappened betweennowandthenthatcouldhavekilledit,buttheyseemtobewilting.
“There’s a matinee showingofDonkeycop ina few hours, and Iwas wonderingifyouwanted to go see it,” she states There’sacoldnesstherethatmakesmeuncomfortable.
“Ofcourse I’mupset,” Rorysays. “ButI’mslowlyrealizingthatIcan’tcontrol you, so I’mnotgoingto worryas much aboutyourbaddecisions.”Shepausesthoughtfully.“Aslongasyoudon’tbringmeintothem?”
Wegotothemovie,andit’saboutasbadasthereviewsaresaying Itwasfilmedduringawriter’sstrike,soalotofthe dialogue seems contrived and phoned inbyexecutives. WhenDonkeycop loses his wife toward the end ofthe movie, there
