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 3. GRAS

Aidan opened the blood bag. April 2019, Chicago, IL. It reeked of nicotine, malt liquor, and refried beans. “This one lived under an overpass,” Aidan said.

Sydney opened another blood bag and winced. October 2018, Columbus, OH. “This one tastes like corn syrup.”

August 2019, Miami, FL. “This one is addicted to pills.”

December 2019, Jackson, MI. “This one is pre-diabetic.”

January 2020, Los Angeles, CA. “This one just tastes like celery and soda water.”

May 2020, Omaha, NE. “This one is definitely a raccoon.”

“Are you guys seriously going to drink that shit?” Beau leaned against the doorway sneering at Sydney and Aidan. He lived in the house with the twins and two other vampires, Max and Ruby. He was three years younger than the twin sisters in vampire years, but he acted as if he was their cooler older brother and they were his embarrassing younger sisters. “You know they send us the shitty blood supplies and save the good ones for The Seven, right?”

“What else are we going to feed on?” Aidan said. “There’s a moratorium on hunting and a curfew. We’re not allowed to go out at night.” The killings in Portland and the mysterious vampire that Sydney and Aidan encountered on their last hunt alerted The Seven. Celine passed down a decree that they were not to hunt or go out at night other than to work and maintain their human appearances. The killings in the city were the work of other vampires, but Celine didn’t know who they were or how many. The Seven were still gathering the numbers. It was only a matter of time before vampire hunters arrived in the city, and in the meantime, everyone had to survive on emergency blood supplies.

“It’s too dangerous,” Sydney said.

“You won’t get caught. I can show you how to be careful. Besides, it’s not like Celine will find out.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Aidan said. “Celine has never liked us and is looking for a reason to kick us out of the nest.”

“I’ll cover for you,” Beau said with a grin that was more friendly this time.

“It’s not just Celine we’re worried about,” Sydney said. “It’s the vampire hunters.”

Beau rolled his eyes. “Suit yourself,” he said. “You want to feed on that garbage, be my guest.” He turned and sauntered away.

“Can you believe that guy?” Sydney said after he was gone. “‘I can show you how to be careful.’ We were hunting when that little shit popped his first pimple. Where the hell does he get off?”

Aidan didn’t answer. The conversation stuck with her. Later that night when Sydney was on her computer, absorbed in articles about the killing spree, Aidan went down the hall to Beau’s room. “Did you mean what you said about helping us?”

He grinned. “That’s what nestmates are for, right?”

Aidan leaned on the door frame, crossing her arms. “Funny coming from you is all.” She left out that he had been haughty and standoffish ever since he moved in and that he only ever looked out for himself. Was his sudden interest in the twins genuine, or was there something else in it for him?

Beau joined their nest several months earlier, Before he arrived it was just Sydney and Aidan and the married couple, Max and Ruby. Beau came from a nest in San Francisco after his four-vampire nest dissolved under mysterious circumstances. One vampire was dead and two were missing. Beau was discovered badly beaten by the corpse of his nestmate with no memory of what had happened. He spent some time recuperating in Vancouver, British Columbia and living in Celine’s private nest, but he didn’t share any details other than that. Sydney was put off by Beau, but Aidan figured this was just his personality made more aggressive on account of his experiences in San Francisco. 

“You spend too much time around your sister. She doesn’t like me very much, does she?”

“She’s just mistrustful, like all of us.”

“That’s a nice way of putting it.”

“We’ve been through a lot.”

“Who hasn’t?”

They stayed up the rest of the night talking and sharing hunting stories. Beau had a scent for older men traveling from out of town, away from their families, and seeking discreet entertainment. These men were drawn to him like children to an ice cream cone.

“That must make it easier to kill them,” Aidan said.

“What do you mean?”

“Married men cheating on their spouses? They sound like real dirtbags.”

“They’re easy targets. I don’t find them; they find me. When I get them alone and they take their clothes off, they just melt. I have to say, Aidan, sex really brings out the flavor. After that, nothing ever tastes the same.”

“I’ve never tried it.”

“Yeah, because your sister has you feeding on sad loners.”

“She sure has a scent for them.” Aidan was used to her sister living inside her own head. She learned to accept her twin sister’s long periods of silence followed by candid conversations. Sydney had always been reserved, but she hadn’t been the same since the previous winter.

Sydney didn’t tell anyone where she was going, only left a note that she would be gone for a few days. A few days turned into a few weeks. It was the first time they had been separated since their birth. Aidan, who’s hunting instincts were never sharp and who was helpless without her sister’s guidance, depended on Max and Ruby for help. A month passed, and then one day Celine, annoyed as ever, brought Sydney home. Since then, Sydney had been sullen and irritable, and she did not open up to Aidan about why she left, where she had been, and what she had seen. Aidan waited patiently for the day that Sydney would open up, but it hadn’t come.

“Watching you eat those blood bags makes me sad. Come hunting with me tomorrow night. I have a spot. We won’t get caught, I promise.”

The club was called Gras, and it was located on the ninth floor of a historic building that had been renovated into a high-end hotel. A dimly lit restaurant on the ground floor glittered with candlelight. Aidan followed Beau through the gilded lobby. At a bank of elevators a man sat on a stool, working on a crossword puzzle and chewing on a toothpick. He wore a black suit with a black shirt and necktie. He sat with his back straight. His face was clean-shaven and his hair was coiffed and gelled. Aidan felt inadequate dressed in jeans, a black racerback tank top, combat boots, and a bomber jacket. “What kind of club is this?” she whispered to Beau, but he had approached the man in the suit and said to him, “Tell me of the man of many ways.” The man pressed a keycard to a keypad next to the elevator, and the doors slid open. Beau stepped inside, but Aidan hesitated. He gave her a warm and friendly smile. “You’ll love it, I promise.” She stepped inside, and the doors shut behind her.

There were only directions to go, top floor and ground level, no floors in between. Beau pressed the button to go up. The walls were white and seamless and the floor was a foggy gray. As the elevator glided upwards, Aidan felt as if she were moving through a limitless space. The elevator stopped and the door opened on the other side of the elevator car. 

Until that moment, the clubs that Aidan had been to were dark, dank basements with cheap whiskey and a DJ who played the dance favorites. These were decent places to hook up with a cute girl, but Aidan never went home with them, and she certainly didn’t feed on them. The farthest she ever went was a wild romp in the back seat of Max’s Mercedes and driving them home afterwards. Their blood was bland and not worth the risk of feeding on. They smelled like soybeans and brown rice, and their skin tasted like hemp and patchouli. She sniffed around these clubs and often wondered what it would be like to follow these girls home but never risked it. Their slaughter would somehow get traced back to the club and to Aidan and eventually the Underground. She kept her vampire nature a secret from these girls and her human nature a secret from her fellow vampires. Hiding was survival.

The elevator opened up into a vast atrium. The hall was packed with dancers. On one side a bar stretched along the wall and on the other a row of booths. Figures lined the railings on the upper floor, sipping on drinks and swaying to the beat of the music. Blue light flooded the place and shifted to indigo, violent, and magenta. The most thrilling part of all was the blood, steaming, sultry, and succulent blood. The throbbing sea of humanity aroused Aidan’s hunger, and she felt as if she had been invited to dine with gods. She smelled cinnamon and cloves; green grass drenched in sunshine; cardamom and curry; ginger, lemon, and basil; garlic and rosemary. There were so many delectable bodies within her reach that she could have feasted for days. Leaning into her ear, Beau said, “Wait until you taste them.”

A girl in a red tube dress, six inch heels, wavy raven hair, bronze skin, and blood like strawberries and cream squeezed past them. Beau handed Aidan a metallic room key with the number 803 etched into it. “You can only take one, so choose wisely.”

“How do I - ?” Aidan gestured in confusion. “You know, dispose of  the - ?”

“Housekeeping will take care of it. We have friends here.”

Aidan started to ask, “What kind of friends?” But Beau had already disappeared into the crowd.

It was all too much for Aidan to take in at once, the high heels, slinky dresses, and button-down collared shirts. Meaty calves and thighs rocked and swayed to the music. Bright lights bobbed around the dim space, illuminating the heads of the revelers. Hands that were delicate and strong alike gripped hips both wide and narrow. The air crackled like meat roasting on a spit.

A hand brushed against Aidan’s elbow. She looked over and saw the girl in the red tube dress. Her raven hair cascaded down her shoulders and over her breasts. Vibrant red eyeshadow and lipstick adorned her wide and angular face. She held Aidan’s gaze and turned away as soon as she disappeared into the crowd.

Aidan followed her sweet and creamy scent. She lost it a few times until she found the girl in the thick herd of dancers. Aidan snaked through the crowd, made her way towards the girl, and slid her arms around the girl’s waist. Even though Aidan was tall, the girl’s heels made her tower over Aidan until the girl’s neck, chest, and torso eclipsed her vision. She could have devoured her right then and there, sucked her dry and left her in the middle of the dance floor, but Aidan controlled herself. It had been so long since she had a good feeding. She had a key to a hotel room and all the time she needed to get the girl there. She would savor it.

They danced until Aidan lost all sense of time. The air was hot and humid with pulsing bodies. When the girl’s makeup was smudged and sweat glistened on her collarbones, Aidan decided that this was the time. She took the girl’s hand and led her through the crowd to the elevator. The girl followed, straying first to the bar and then to the stairs leading to the balcony, thinking they were seeking a more private part of the club. She stopped when Aidan hit the button for the elevator. Aidan slipped the room key out of her pocket and held it up for the girl to see. She gave Aidan a sly smile. The doors to the elevator slid open, and they stepped into the boundless space. Aidan tapped the keycard on the keypad and hit the button. They went directly to the eighth floor. When they stepped into the lobby, the girl slipped off her heels, and just like that she was Aidan’s height. “You don’t even know my name,” the girl said.

“Doesn’t matter.” Aidan took the girl’s head in both hands and kissed her, nipping at her lips. She took the girl by the elbow and scanned up and down the hallway. There were four rooms on the eighth floor, each occupying its own corner. She led the girl down to room 803, tapped the key on the keypad, and opened the door.

For most of Aidan’s life, human and vampire alike, she was on the outside; a daughter outside of her mother’s blessing and her father’s affection; a newborn vampire on the outside of the clan. Her heart longed for a place to belong. When she entered the impressive suite of #803 she believed that she had that place at last. It opened up into a bright sitting room decorated in dark gray modern furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed a breathtaking view of the glittering city. A pristine kitchenette and bar was off to one side, and a big-screen TV and speakers almost as tall as Aidan stood on each side. Beau had brought her to the hotel. He had said the magic words to the man in the suit, and they were allowed into the club. He gave her the key to this spectacular suite, and now, she was about to feed on this heavenly girl all for herself.

Aidan took her by the wrist and led her to the sitting room. She turned on the TV and opened a music app, found a playlist with electronic music, and cranked up the volume. The girl dropped her heels to the floor and reached behind her to unzip her dress. It fell to the floor, revealing nothing but a black lace thong underneath. Freed from the constraints of her garment, she gave a heavy sigh. Aidan inhaled the great current of blood that rushed through her body. She pulled off her boots and stripped off her clothes, and then they were tangled up in each other’s bodies. Aidan licked the beads of sweat from the girl’s skin, along her sternum, around the curves of her breasts, and down her stomach. She tugged the lace thong down her legs and buried her face in the moist folds in between the girl’s thighs. The girl rocked and moaned and pulled at Aidan’s hair until her body burst and she cried out in ecstasy. Blood gushed through her veins, and Aidan could no longer control herself. She sank her teeth into the girl’s thighs and drank greedily.

At first the girl gasped, and then she screamed. In her terror her blood pumped rapidly, and Aidan guzzled every drop. The girl fell backwards on the floor and scrambled to get away. Mouth dripping with blood, Aidan caught her foot and yanked her forwards, twisting her ankle. The girl screamed and screamed, but the booming music drowned out her cries. Aidan sat on top of her, bent down, and clamped her teeth into the girl’s neck. She fed and fed until the girl’s body turned cold.

She woke up naked on the couch to the sound of frantic knocks on the door. The electronic music screeched at such a pitch that Aidan thought perhaps the girl might still be alive. Daylight flooded in from the windows, causing Aidan to tumble to the floor and cover herself with her arms. The knocking on the door was relentless. Aidan caught a glimpse of the pale blue soles of the girl’s feet and the disheveled heap of clothes. Recalling the night before, she panicked. She was frozen, unable to retrieve her clothes, powerless to block the wretched daylight, and terrified of whoever might be on the other side of that door.

Finally, the keypad clicked and swung open. A short, heavyset Latina woman marched around the room, speaking a tirade of angry Spanish. She punched some buttons on the wall, and metal shutters slid down from the ceiling. The suite descended into blissful darkness. Switching of the music on the TV, she turned on a table side lamp and proceeded to rant and gesture furiously at Aidan, the dead girl lying at her feet. She picked up Aidan’s clothes and threw them at her. The woman crossed her arms and waited. Aidan stood, and turning her back to the woman, she got dressed just as Beau sauntered into the room. “Who’s this?” Aidan asked.

“Rosa.”

“Who’s Rosa?” Aidan waved her hands in the air.

“I told you. We have friends here.”

Rosa muttered something to Beau.

“She said the downstairs guests were complaining about the music.”

“Sorry. I passed out.”

Rosa continued. “She said they heard other noises but thought you guys were just drunk.”

Aidan rubbed her eyes. “You could say that.”

“Rosa says next time you need to use the bed. Easier to clean up.”

“She’s going to clean this mess up?”

“Have you listened to anything I’ve said? Aidan, we have friends here.”

“Right.”

The three of them stood in a triangle and stared at the girl’s naked, frigid body lying on the floor between them. Rosa crossed herself. “Dios mio.”

 download the pdf here. or download the ebook here.