“Annie, you’re talking crazy.”

I huffed in exasperation as Tina went back to her graphics tablet, carefully adding some shading to the promotional art we were assigned to draw. Her long bob swayed as she shook her head with a sardonic smirk, but I couldn’t really blame her. What was she supposed to think?

“Tina, I’m serious,” I said with determination.

“You’re reading too much before bed,” she tutted. “Hey, I like a nice trash romance as much as the next girl, but you don’t need to lie and–”

“I’m not lying!” I stage whispered, pulling out my phone and showing her Christian’s dating profile. She turned to look with patronizing eyes before doing a double take, jaw dropping. “He’s real, and he’s–”

“This was your date last night?!” she almost squawked, snatching the phone from me and going through his pictures, making several enthusiastic nonverbal exclamations as she did so. “There’s no way you rizzed up someone this hot, girl. Like seriously, no offense, but how even?” She paused on a shot of him shirtless and stepping out of a pool, biting her lip ardently. “God, can we share him?”

“Absolutely not,” I said quickly, trying to take back my phone, but she held it away and grinned impishly.

“Oh, Goodie Two Shoes Annie wants Hottie McThottie all to herself?” she teased.

“That’s totally not it. He’s dangerous!” I insisted.

“I know, right? Why do all the hot ones look like walking red flags?” she lamented, then mused, “Or is it that the red flags are always hot?”

“Tina, you’re not listening to me. He’s dangerous because he’s–”

“Annie,” she interrupted, unable to hide her annoyed expression when she fixed her gaze on me. “There’s no such thing as vampires.” As I huffed and racked my brain for a way to show her the truth, a look of dread dawned on her. “Wait, is this a coping mechanism? Did he hurt you?”

“Of course he did! I already told you: he ripped my throat open and–”

“Just drop the vampire shit for a moment.” She set my phone down and took my hands in hers, her voice quiet. “Did he… Did he force himself on you, Annie?”

That was a tricky question to answer. It was rare to see Tina this serious, but the situation called for it. I was glad that it was possible for her to let go of the party girl lifestyle for a moment. “I… Well, no,” I stammered. “And he made me cum like two or three times…” At this, Tina rolled her eyes and wheeled her chair back over to her desk, already done with the solemn moment. “…but then he bit me!”

“Alright, I don’t need to hear about your biting fetishes at work,” she chuckled. She took another glance at a picture of him and nibbled on her lip. “Though I wouldn’t mind him having a bite of me… and I might have a couple of vampire fantasies of my own… You sure we can’t share him?” I groaned and dropped my head into my hands, giving up on trying to convince her. “But his face isn’t in any of these pictures. Is he an uggo or something?”

I snapped to attention and snatched the phone back from her, checking through his pictures again. I hadn’t even noticed he never showed his face. That’s right, vampires didn’t show up in photos. So this person in the pictures… Not only had he almost killed me, he’d even catfished me too. I mean, he was a hot catfish, but that still wasn’t him in the photos.

“I’ll take that as a yes. It’s alright; they can’t all be winners,” Tina giggled, before muttering to herself, “Made you cum two or three times though, that’s pretty nice. Maybe… hm.”

No doubt fantasizing about Christian going a round or five with her. With a sigh of resignation, I turned back to my work, finishing up a character portrait. Vampires were flighty creatures, right? Got bored easily, moved on to other prey quickly? I could only hope.

—

I had spaghetti marinara with extra garlic for dinner, then made sure all my doors and windows were locked for the night before huddling in bed watching TV shows on my laptop, trying not to think of my bloodstained bedsheets in the laundry. The color of my meal wasn’t ideal, but I really wasn’t in the mood for making anything with meat, and I didn’t have Alfredo sauce or any salad ingredients. Every now and then I’d catch myself glancing at the curtains, acutely aware of the darkness outside. Now I knew there were more than just raccoons and gangsters prowling around at night.

Exasperated at not being able to focus on my shows, I grabbed my mug and walked out my bedroom to get some water. It was getting late; I had to get to bed soon. Couldn’t very well stay up all night in fear, I still had a life to live. And, I reasoned, he hadn’t killed me the first time. Besides, he was probably out hunting for a fresh virgin tonight. I clenched my jaw. I’d given him my virginity. They said you never forget your first time, and boy were they right about that. Lost in my thoughts, I almost overfilled my mug, and I sipped a bit to avoid spilling before turning to head back to bed.

The doorbell rang, and every hair on my body stood on end. I stared at the front door, heart pounding as I processed everything. If Christian was a creature of the night, surely he wouldn’t just ring the doorbell. Was I really going crazy? I had the bloody bedsheets as proof, but with how much blood there was, I should’ve been dead. Vampires… weren’t real.

Collecting myself, I went to check through the peephole. There he was. Not some bloodthirsty monster baring his fangs and waiting to drain me. Just handsome and charming Christian, casually waiting for me to open the door, fixing himself up a bit in anticipation, even taking a deep breath as if preparing himself to pick up his date. Could he really act so unassuming?

Against my better judgement, I opened up, and he gave me the bright smile of an innocent boy next door. “Hello, Anna. You ready to go?” he asked expectantly.

“Excuse me?” I stammered.

He checked his watch, an old-school metal band watch that adultier adults wore. “We… had a date. Did you already eat?” His eyes quickly scanned me in my cardigan, oversized t-shirt, and sweatpants, obviously noticing I wasn’t dressed to go anywhere. He didn’t look angry, just playfully dismayed as a wry smirk tugged at his lips.

“I… Uh, yeah. Yeah, I did.” I frowned as I cast my memory back, sure we hadn’t had correspondence since before meeting up last night. It was so late at night, how could he possibly think we had a date now? But his earnest expression was throwing me for a loop. He was just acting so normal. I was so confused. “I’m sorry. I can… cook you something, if you like.”

His eyes crinkled with his smile. “Sounds great.” I almost invited him in, but instead opted to leave the door open, walking to the kitchen and waiting to see if he entered on his own. He stepped over the threshold very routinely, locking the door behind him and following me while taking off his jacket, revealing his argyle button-down underneath. “I, uh, didn’t have much of a chance to really look at your place last time,” he chuckled conversationally.

I opened the fridge to retrieve the marinara sauce, and the red of the tomatoes cast flashbacks of last night into my mind. The bloodstained sheets. Was he gaslighting me? He’d managed to talk his way into my home again. After everything that had happened… I’d just let him in. Just how dumb could I be? If he really was a vampire, I’d just made the same stupid mistake twice.

Deciding to ask him to leave, I turned around, and Christian was standing right behind me, his eyes glimmering gold.

“Don’t scream,” he murmured, and I froze. Oh God, I was such an idiot. If I scream, the neighbors would hear, and if they or the cops came to investigate, people would get hurt. I have to protect them from him. However, I had no plan for what to do. Seeing my helplessness, he grinned and took my mug from me for a sip of water, closing the fridge door as he went. I noticed his eyes had returned to their dark color after speaking. The friendly playful date act was gone, replaced by the domineering playboy from last night. He was as dashing as I remembered, so effortless in his presence and being. Like he belonged in my apartment.

“How did you walk in?” was all I could muster. It was taking everything I had not to wet myself. I hadn’t invited him in this time.

He took a moment to answer, like he was savoring my plain water before setting the mug down on the counter. “You only need to invite a vampire in once,” he explained as if reading my mind, as casually as discussing the weather. “After that, we can come and go as we please.”

Meaning I was at his mercy. What was I supposed to do? Wait… I had something that might help. As fast as I could, I opened my cutlery drawer and grabbed my only chance to make it out in one piece, brandishing it in front of me with the point aimed at his face. He calmly studied my weapon of choice before smirking and shaking his head.

“Silver steak knife, huh?” he chuckled. “Didn’t know people still had those. It’s all stainless steel nowadays, so color me impressed.” He took a half step forward, and I stepped back, hands trembling as my grip on the knife tightened. “So whatcha gonna do now, pet? You gonna use it? You think you can bring yourself to do it?”

He took another step and I backed into the wall, my breaths short and quick. C’mon Anna, one moment of bravery and you’re out of this mess. He’s a freaking vampire, he deserves it. “I can do this,” I whispered to myself, and Christian gave me an arrogant sneer.

I closed my eyes and reversed my grip on the knife before stabbing forward, feeling the gruesome resistance of meat and bone. Christian grunted and I opened my eyes again, the two of us staring at the knife in his chest, right where his heart would be. He looked even more shocked than I felt, his hand hovering under the grip of the knife before meeting my eyes.

“You…” he gasped, then toppled to the floor unceremoniously.

There was an impossibly long moment of stillness, with me frozen in disbelief and him lying inert and staring emptily into death. He was… dead. My hands were clapped over my mouth, and finally I knelt down hesitantly, reaching out to check on him. No pulse, no breathing, but then again he was a vampire. But what if he wasn’t? What if I was slowly going insane and I’d just murdered a living, breathing person?

“Oh my God,” I breathed as dread seeped into my bones. “You… You were a vampire, right? Please, you can’t be human.” He wasn’t crumbling into dust, or desiccating into a shriveled mummy, or whatever vampires did when you killed them. “Please, you can’t be dead. It can’t be that easy, right?”

“You’re right, it’s never that easy.” Christian blinked and I choked on my tongue trying to scream. Cackling to himself, he sat up and pulled the knife out of his chest as I scrambled away from him. “Lesson number one, pet: there are only three ways to slay a vampire. First, wooden stake to the heart. Classic. Iconic. I’m sure you know that one.” Languidly getting to his feet, he waved the bloody knife around as he gesticulated. “Second, decapitation with silver. Silver’s the only metal that can harm us, but a knife to the heart isn’t gonna cut it. Fortunately for me, nobody’s packing silver swords anymore. Third – and you should know this one too – is the good ol’ sun itself. Ra, Helios, Amaterasu, all that shit.” He had me cornered again, and he squatted in front of me, the knife still in his hand. “You wouldn’t happen to have one of those on you right now, would you?

“But I must say, I’m impressed. Really didn’t think you’d do it,” he continued, then shot me a devious look. “But then now, I believe… it’s my turn, right?” I quivered as he touched the tip of the blade to my chest, my breath catching in my throat. His expression flickered for a moment, something almost imperceptible, before widening into sadistic glee. He was enjoying seeing me scared. Don’t let him win, Anna.

“You’re not gonna kill me,” I forced out, and his brows raised in mild surprise. “You would’ve killed me last night if you wanted, and you can’t milk me of fear if you kill me now.”

Famous last words, I thought to myself. However, judging by his amused smirk, it seemed I’d called his bluff. Taking another risk, I reached up and took the knife from him. Or rather, he let me take the knife from him. There was no doubt in my mind that he was simply entertained by my fleeting courage and was curious to see where I took this, given I was incapable of hurting him. I raised the knife and made a small cut on my neck, causing him to grunt in genuine surprise. The serrated edge hurt like hell, and I doubted I was ever gonna do that again. I felt a bit of scarlet life trickle down my neck, and I grit my teeth to ignore the pain.

“Drink,” I rasped.

“Excuse me?” Seemed like I’d really thrown him for a loop, which was a good thing. He was less likely to kill me if I entertained him, right? Fantastic plan, Anna.

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? So drink.”

With a sardonic chuckle and a shake of his head, he took the knife from me and tossed it aside. “Inelegant. Messy.” Leaning forward, he passed his tongue over the dripping blood and my open wound, then sat back and perched an arm on his knee as he lounged on his side. “And nobody tells me what to do.”

I was panting, staring at him in defeat. The wound had closed up, and the pain was gone. Seemed like he enjoyed playing with his food instead. I was all out of bravery, and I swallowed hard before resting my head against the wall. “Why am I alive?” I mumbled.

“Because I saved you last night. You’re welcome.” It was infuriating that even after seeing what he was like, what he was, the cocky smirk he gave me was still so charming. Curse vampires to hell and back.

“I mean why aren’t you killing me? Do you just like tormenting your victims? Or are you keeping me around because you like how I taste?”

“Flattering yourself is not a good look. You’re just a mortal, after all,” he chuckled.

“And why am I not a vampire after you bit me?”

At this, he rolled his eyes and stood so that he could look down at me. “Lesson number two: the only way to create a vampire is to kill a mortal who has a significant amount of vampire blood flowing through them. As if I’m going to waste a single drop of my blood on you, or give you the power to resist me. Had to slip into a blood bank to get some bags to infuse you with. Like I said, you’re welcome.” His eyes turned gold again, and his command was rumbled in a deep and dominant voice. “Now stand up.”

I found myself complying. No sense in sitting on the kitchen floor quivering like a leaf. Then his eyes turned dark again, and I realized they weren’t brown like I’d thought, but blood red. A rich scarlet that spoke to his unnatural existence. “Compulsion,” I stated, and he simply smiled, walking over to the little spit of space I called a living room. “It’s like some kind of oppressive suggestion. You make your commands my idea.”

“It’s a delightful little trick,” he agreed casually, taking a seat on my futon. “But I even more so enjoy not using it, yet still making women submit to me willingly.”

“I’m sure that’s easy when you can snap their neck at a moment’s notice,” I replied spitefully. His eyes brightened with excitement, a vicious smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

“Bet you I can do it without threatening to hurt you,” he bragged.

“Making a bet with a vampire? What a wonderful idea.” After some hesitation, I walked after him, folding my arms as I watched him make himself at home. As foolish as it was, I refused to let him push me around.

“So you don’t think my compulsion is a crutch? Think you won’t fold like the others? Little ‘I’m not like other girls’ Anna, hm?” He was goading me into making this stupid bet and I knew it, but pride be damned, it looked like I was ready to stake my life on it. And speaking of…

“So what are the stakes?” I muttered.

“I’m a vampire. Not a fan of stakes, remember?” He grinned at his own little joke, and I rolled my eyes.

“What kind of a bet is it without stakes?”

“Fine,” he conceded with a nod. “If you win and I can’t make you give yourself to me without using compulsion or force within three days, you’re free.” At these words, hope fluttered in my heart. A foolish hope, but it couldn’t be helped. “I will leave you alone and you will never see me again.”

Could I take him at his word? He couldn’t exactly swear to God, could he? Not sure how that worked. But now was too early to get excited. “And if you win?”

“What could you possibly give me that I couldn’t already take myself?” he remarked sardonically. “See? You have everything to gain.”

He wanted me to take the bet. He was sure he was going to win, but he wanted to spice things up by proving me wrong. Not only did he want to win, he wanted to see me lose as well. “If you win,” I uttered, playing through the logic, “I’ll already have submitted to you.”

His brow bounced in agreement. “Victory is its own reward.”

It wasn’t much, but it was my only chance to be rid of him. I doubted I was going to get a real chance to kill him. If he held up his end of the deal… No compulsion, no use of force, all I had to do was resist his charms. Most likely easier said than done, if he was this confident.

“Deal,” I sighed, clenching my jaw.

“Deal,” he echoed with a satisfied smile. “Don’t worry, I’m a man of my word. Besides, half the time, I won’t even be here. So you don’t even need to hold out three full days.” That’s right, he was limited to only seeing me at night.

Silence settled between us, with him casually studying me like an art piece that had caught his attention. His gaze whittled down my defiance, and my fingers picked at each other nervously. After a while – could have been hours, could’ve been seconds – I couldn’t take it anymore. “So what now?”

“Nothing,” he said easily. “Were you waiting for something to happen?”

“I thought you would start… on the bet,” I stammered. Damnit, now it sounded like I was asking for it. He apparently thought so too, because he broke into a grin.

“There’s no rush. I have three days, remember?” he pointed out. He’d only just made it sound like three days was nothing, and now I couldn’t even see the third day on the horizon anymore. A little part of me began panicking. It should have been no surprise that he was good at toying with emotions. “Although I suppose I should take advantage of your current mindset while I still have the chance.”

He stood, and I shirked back a bit when he approached. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, my voice coming out a lot weaker than I would’ve liked.

Christian stopped in front of me, his finger hooking under my chin to make me meet his eyes. I kept waiting for his irises to change color, to turn that telltale gold of hypnotic dominance. But it never came. He was displaying how much control he already had over me. “It means that until I make you submit, you’ll still try to deny how much you enjoy this,” he whispered, and his hushed words electrified me all the more because of the nefarious intent that they masked.

I managed a quick “No…” before he silenced me with his lips, pressing me up against the wall. His hands quickly found my wrists and pinned them behind me, effectively pushing my hips forward into him. He seized the back of my neck for better control while he kissed me. Because that’s what it was all about: control. I tried to knee him in the groin, but he deftly deflected with his own leg, using the opportunity to spread mine. Trust a guy like him to know how to counter a woman fighting back.

Though, to my frustration, the fight was leaving me bit by bit. His lips made promises against mine of untold pleasures, and flashes of how he’d taken me last night crept back into my mind, an insidious corruption that spoke to the baser part of me. As terrible as it was, I couldn’t deny what a thrill this was. I couldn’t stop him, but he wasn’t going to kill me, and he really did make me feel incredible. Was it better to just learn how to enjoy my helplessness? It was a dangerous thought, but I was entertaining it anyway.

Guiding us into my bedroom, he pushed me onto the bed much like he did yesterday, bringing back nasty memories. Now viewed in a new light, I knew now to be terrified of him. Unfortunately, the danger named Christian seemed to etch some kind of craving into my bones. Heart pounding, I couldn’t bring myself to try to escape or resist as he shed his clothes and climbed into bed with me.

“Stop. I don’t want this,” I said weakly.

He smirked at me condescendingly. “You will. They all do, in the end.” His words would have disgusted me were it not for his lips on mine. He didn’t kiss like some creep indulging in his drugged-up date. He kissed me like he needed me, like he loved me, like I was his. Jesus Christ, Anna. Remember what he is. Remember what he’s doing to you. I decided to have memory problems, just for tonight.

He eased me out of my clothes with loving tenderness, tossing them aside one garment at a time as if these meager layers of protection stood any chance against his assault. When his hand cupped my bare mound, a mourning sadness settled in my heart. As if sensing it, he stopped and glanced up at me.

“You were my first,” I said bitterly. “And then you killed me. I’ve spent all day freaking out about the fact that you were a damn vampire, instead of experiencing all the emotions that come with a girl’s first time. You stole that from me.”

To my surprise, he actually seemed to reflect on that notion, though all the while his hand worked on me, fingertips teasing me until they glistened with my lust. With a bit of scorn, he scoffed and shook his head. “But you still derived enjoyment in the moment. I know of girls who got a lot less. You should be grateful.”

“‘Grateful,’” I spat. “You’re despicable. I hate you.”

“Good.” His smirk returned, laced with contempt. He looked down at his sticky fingers, studying the strings of my nectar before chuckling. “I love it when their bodies betray them,” he murmured to himself before turning back to me. “Well, an ingrate like you doesn’t deserve this, but I’m feeling generous tonight. You get to relive your first time, you lucky girl. So make sure to make it count, and feel all those feelings you wanted to feel.”

He dipped his fingers into my mouth, making me lick myself off him. My eyelids fluttered as I sucked on his digits, and he purred with approval. Flipping me over, he pulled my hips up until I was on my knees, pushing my head down to the mattress. I could feel him lining himself up with me, unable to suppress the impatience I felt as he teased me. When he pushed into me, I felt something tear, bringing back the unique pain I’d felt the night before.

“What… was… that…?” I gasped as he began fucking me. God, his cock was amazing. Why did it have to be attached to this monster?

“That was your hymen,” he replied, a hint of glee in his voice. “You regenerated it when I healed you with my blood last night. So make sure you enjoy your second first time, pet.”

Despite it being against my will, this time actually felt better than yesterday. Was I developing some kind of kink? Was I getting used to his cock? The thought of him shaping me into his woman sent shivers down my spine, both good and bad, both pushing me closer to the edge.

“You said… you wouldn’t give me… a single drop…” I panted.

Grabbing a fistful of my hair, he yanked me upright while his other hand supported my weight by reaching across my chest to grab my breast. His breath hissed next to my face, and I felt the sharp point of one of his fangs trace the rim of my ear from shell to lobe. “I lied,” he whispered, and his voice turned me on even more. His hand moved from my hair to over my mouth, and he pulled my head back further until I was looking at the ceiling, exposing my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his glittering gold in the darkness. “Now cum for me, pet.”

His cock and his voice had me enthralled, and I succumbed. I’m right there anyway. Just enjoy the orgasms. I clenched down on him, shuddering in his grip as I screamed my ecstasy into his palm. Tears trickled from my eyes down to my ears as, true to his word, I felt a swathe of emotions flood my mind. They were the simple and primitive feelings I’d had yesterday, not the more complex and nuanced feelings that came afterwards.

His fangs sank into my flesh, the sharp pain lancing through my mind before dissolving into a heady bliss. I let out a dull gasp before holding his head to me, letting him drink his fill. He wanted me, he needed me, and I had to oblige. He’d die without me. Who was I to forsake him when he gave me such pleasure?

Holding me in his jaws like a snake, his hips continued thrusting into me, undisturbed by his feeding. Another orgasm swept through me, and as I spasmed in his clutches, he shot a thick load of his unholy seed into the depths of my being. Between his fangs in my neck and how well fucked I was, I was incapable of forming coherent words, mumbling unintelligible gibberish in the throes of my climax.

He released his bite on me and I collapsed into a heap on the bed, crudely sliding off his cock and twitching every so often with aftershocks. He settled beside me, delicately running his tongue over the bite marks before kissing me passionately. I didn’t have the strength to kiss him back, letting him have his way with my mouth. He drew back and flicked his thumb across one of his lower fangs, then put it to my parted lips.

“Open up,” he commanded, his eyes gilded even in the darkness.

I let him slip the digit in, obediently sucking on his thumb as I gazed at him drunkenly. Sensuality after the sex, how nice. I tasted something metallic and sweet, and all too soon he pulled his hand away. There was an itch in my loins, not one of need but of… I didn’t know. Something unnatural. Did he just heal my hymen again?

“Now sleep,” he murmured, stroking my face with the back of his fingers. Even without being compelled, I was fading fast. I caught one last glimpse of his sinister smirk before my eyes closed, but was still awake long enough to hear his whispered words. “Three more days, pet.”