Benjamin

He invoked the elements: air, fire, water, earth. Especially water, he thought. Come to me, my love. Tell me what to do.

And he watched as she began to form in the water.

Then he felt the other energy, already formed, malignant and evil.

Jack Sutherland parked his car, and looked at the cafe. Why was he here? He liked coffeehouses, but why this one, in a non-descript strip mall on the east side of town. He looked to the left at the Christian bookstore to the left of it and chuckled to himself. Cafe Cafe had the reputation as a gay-friendly place.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the full moon hanging high in the night sky. He remembered when the moon was a mystical place of adventure, and he remembered when it was just an astronomical object. With Charlotte's help the moon was becoming a mystical thing again.

He smiled to himself, and opened the back door to his car. Well he thought, at least I can get some work done while I'm here. He took his notebook computer out of his car, and headed into the cafe.

He glanced around the cafe. The front section had small tables, only big enough for a couple of people to sit around, with tall, wireframe chairs. In the back were couches and recliners, arranged around a small stage. There was someone on it, reciting poetry.

At least they weren't using a microphone, he thought, then it would be too loud in here. The poet had quite an audience of 10 or 15 people all jammed into the back on couches and the tall wireframe chairs, which they'd pulled close to the stage.

On the right was a bar, with more of the wireframe chairs. Jack walked over and glanced over the menu. They had the teas he liked, so he ordered one. As the bartender prepared his drink, he caught Jack's eye and smiled. He is cute, Jack thought.

The bartender handed Jack the French press, took his money, and turned to the next customer. Jack smiled to himself, and settled at one of the tables. As he had feared, the chairs were things of torture, designed to look good, but not to be sat upon. He sighed, and booted his computer as he waited for his tea to steep.

Jack brushed his long brown hair back, and fixed the ponytail. Why had she sent him here? He didn't know. Maybe she hadn't known either. But it was his job now.

Jack thought back to when he had bought the house. His Cherokee grandmother had admonished him, "You can't own land. All you can do is take care of it for a while."

But he'd wanted to escape the wastefulness of renting, and had succumbed to the urge to purchase. That's when things had gotten complicated. He'd rediscovered his connection to the Earth, he'd rediscovered magic, and he'd found a wonderful lover in Charlotte. She was enigmatic, certainly, but his life had taken on an enigmatic quality every since he'd bought that house.

The one thing that was certain was, that if she sent him here, there was a reason. His computer chimed — it was ready to go, and he turned his attention to it.

Jack called up the spreadsheet he'd been working on. He had been keeping track of the "events" that had been happening in the city. That is, the supernatural, mystical, or weird ones. He entered a few more from his notes, and then began to work on some graphs.

He was looking for anything: trends, locations, something. But it looked like it was pretty random. Well, except that there seemed to be more and more as time goes on. But then he was noticing them more now. There was no way to tell.

Charlotte was certain that there was something going on. Their ritual on Saturday, during the height of the full moon, confirmed it. But what? He shook his head. "What is going on?"

"The city wakens," a soft melodic voice whispered from behind Jack's right ear. He started, and turned — he hadn't heard or sensed anyone coming.

A short, quick gasp passed Jack's lips as he took in the stranger. Not tall — just average height — but with a sense of presence that towered over him. How did I miss sensing this His skin was pale, his clothes black. His blond hair long, soft, and wavy. His eyes. His eyes His eyes were a cool glassy blue that were so intense they seemed to glow from an internal light.

Jack felt himself fall into those wonderful eyes. There was just something so erotic about him. He even smelled hot.

"Your eyes are beautiful, too," the stranger whispered with that quiet, soothing voice. "I've never seen anyone with eyes as blue as yours, and with your skin color."

Jack felt the heat rise up in his cheeks. "M-my grandfather had blue eyes, and both of my Dad's parents." Jack shook his head, Why does he affect me so?

The stranger slipped to one side, gracefully and effortlessly gliding into the chair opposite Jack. "I've never seen you here before," he said.

"This is my first time here."

The stranger nodded. "That makes sense. I've been looking for you."

"For me?"

"Or someone like you." He stuck his hand out. Jack shook it, his hand was smooth and soft. "I'm Benjamin," he said.

"Jack. Why were you looking for me?"

Benjamin smiled. It was a small smile. Closed mouthed, with upturned ends, but it traveled up his face to his eyes. They flashed with cool white-blue light. "Well, that's a long story. You see, I'm a vampire."

Jack sat back in his chair, and drank from his tea. He rubbed his chin, and looked at Benjamin. Is the fascination with him because he's a vampire? Can he read minds? What can vampires do anyway?

Jack opened himself to his sixth sense and looked at Benjamin. What he saw was strange, indeed. Most people had an aura or energy field around them, and it fluxed and changed as they interacted with people, and their moods changed. It kept them connected with their environment.

Benjamin's aura was static. It never changed, and it wasn't much larger than Benjamin himself. And it's not connected to the Earth, Jack noticed. Goddess!

Jack blinked his eyes, clearing away the vision, and looked at Benjamin. "Well, you are something all right."

"I told you, I'm a vampire. I'm guessing you just saw my aura. Celeste can see them, I can not. I wasn't in touch with many things during my life. Now. Well, now I'm not in touch at all."

"And Celeste is..."

"The one who made me. Almost as old as this city. My lover. In very real pain."

Warily, Jack said, "You still haven't told me why you wanted to talk to me."

"It's because of your aura. You have the energy to help me."

"I thought you couldn't see auras."

"I can't. I can smell them. I can taste them. Yours has a strong smell, like a well cooked steak, sizzling on the grill."

Jack jerked back. He felt his pulse quicken, sweat on his brow.

"Relax, Jack. We don't kill our food." His voice then became more excited, and melodramatic, "We don't even drink the blood of our helpless victims."

"Not that we don't drink blood, at the right time." Benjamin laughed at the expression of Jack's face. "As I said, it's a long story."

Jack calmed himself, and held his mug of tea up to his nose, smelling the gentle vanilla flavor. He'd seen some weird things, certainly, but had thought that vampires were a myth. Immortal blood drinkers just seemed a bit out there, even to him. But then he says they don't drink blood. Or they do, but not of their victims.

Jack looked at Benjamin over the rim of his drink, still wondering. What he knew of vampires was not good. They were the enemy: the thing which hurts and harms. But they were also part of what he was supposed to be guarding. Ultimately, Charlotte wouldn't have sent him here if he wasn't supposed to do something. Benjamin didn't seem to be causing any harm right now.

He came to a decision. More information was always good. "I can't say that I'll help you. But I will listen. And then I'll decide."

The vampire grinned all out, baring his fangs. "Good. For this city...

For this city is indeed awakening, and it has garnered the attention of those who notice such things. Creatures which feast on the energy of life, for they can not gather it for their own. Powerful and old creatures.

I can see you don't understand. Being a vampire is a tradeoff, Jack. Some can do magic, some can shapechange. We are faster and stronger, have heightened senses, and more stamina than you. No disease or disfigurement. No aging, Eternal life.

But there is also a price: no longer can we die, but we are also not alive. We can't grow or create, the fundamental connection we have to the earth is gone. I can no longer go under the sun. That, the legends have as true. We do not change: neither growth nor decay.

But no system — not even a vampire's — can survive without some sort of energy. So we go for what we lack. Those wonderful, chaotic, tasty auras of yours.

But I can see you still don't understand. Let me tell you my tale, then, and you will.

Where did I first meet Celeste? Oh, yes, The Mint museum. I was there for some elective — I came here to go to school, and I was forced to take an art class. So there I was, in the Mint Museum, on the free night, and there was this stunning woman there. Long black hair, she was tall — a little taller than I am.

She was staring intently into an exhibit — you know the first mint in the US was here? It was that exhibit — early pictures of Charlotte, things like that. I walked over to her, intrigued, and saw a tear on her face.

"Are you OK?" I asked her. She turned to me, and then I saw her eyes: hazel with a glow like red gold.

"Yes," she sniffled. "Just memories." She smiled at me, and I felt a warmth pass through me. I smiled back at her, like an idiot.

"I guess they weren't bad ones," I said.

"No, just remembering another place and time."

"I see," I said. I was wondering, she didn't look that much older than 20. How different a time could she remember?

She laughed. "You're cute."

"I'm Benjamin." I said, offering her my arm.

"And I'm Celeste," she said, taking it. "You are quite the gentleman."

I told her that it was just the way I was raised.

"Well," she said, affecting a deep Southern accent, "you were brung up right."

I blushed, and she looked into my eyes, "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.'

I stood there then, looking into her fiery eyes, and I knew I was falling in love.

We walked through the whole museum then, the two of us. We discussed the art, the pottery, and the shoes. Let me tell you, Jack, she was charming and intelligent, beautiful and intriguing. I fell fully under her spell, if spell it was.

In the basement there was a Mayan exhibit, but there was also a section that was closed off, marked "For Employees only" She led me back into that section, and I followed, transfixed.

We came to an old stair, blocked by a barricade. She hiked up her skirt, swishing it at me teasingly, and stepped over. I followed as she went down the stairs, to a closed door. She pulled a key out from around her neck — it had been hidden under her blouse, and unlocked the door.

"Do you work here?" I asked. She shook her head, and motioned for me to be silent.

She opened the door, and ducked under it — it was a very short door. I followed, and she closed the door behind me. We were in a small apartment. Well, there was an ancient basin, and a twin bed with a decent, if not wonderful, mattress on it.

"The janitor used to live in this apartment, twenty-thirty years ago," she explained. "I found the key one day, when I was exploring."

I was about to ask her how she knew, when she closed the distance between us, and put her arms around me. She kissed me tenderly on the neck, and squeezed me to her. "Do you know how long it has been since I've had a man like you?" she whispered in my ear.

"Surely not that long," I said.

"Longer than you can imagine," she said. "Longer than I realized."

She stepped back, and began rubbing my chest, undoing the buttons as she went. She reached down and pulled my shirt out of my pants, and caressed the erection that was growing there.

"Celeste, are you sure..."

She smiled up at me, "Gentlemen don't do this?"

I blushed again. We didn't, and I knew it, but right then I wanted nothing else. Instead I pushed my cock against her hand. She smiled and sat down on the bed, pulling her skirt up, and pulling off her panties. I watched her as I pulled off my unbuttoned shirt, and undid my belt and pants.

She sat on the edge of the bed, skirt pulled up around her waist, legs open. I caught the whiff of her arousal. I knelt on the floor, pants around my ankles, and looked at her pussy, red and welcoming against her alabaster skin.

I leaned forward, and pulled her pussy lips apart, and began to lick. She let out a hissing "Yessss," as I found her spot, and I began to slowly lick. I teased it with my tongue, while she writhed in ecstasy.

"Harder," she said, "Lick it harder." I stiffened my tongue and began to press harder. She shifted her legs to my back, and began to pull me towards her. I sucked her nubbin into my mouth and she moaned.

Again, she commanded me, panting, "Put...Put your fingers in...in me." So I shifted, holding her lips open with one hand, and two fingers from my right hand inside her wet pussy. She moaned as I slid my fingers in and out, and tongued her clit. I started off slowly again, and worked my tempo up faster and faster, as she moaned and sighed to my ministrations. Finally, her legs tightened around me, and I felt her pussy contract around my fingers as she came.

"You do that well, for a gentleman," she said.

"I was brought up right," I returned.

"Well, I think you need to bring something up here, and put it in me."

I climbed up on the bed then. She had pulled her blouse and bra up and over her breasts. They were hard, and as red as her pussy lips. I licked my lips as I climbed on her, and put one of them in my mouth. Her hands were working on me now, guiding my cock into her warm, wet pussy.

I slid into her, and she arched her back. "Come into me, my wonderful Benjamin."

I sighed, feeling her warm wetness squeeze down on me, caressing my cock. The lust took me over then, and I began to pound into her. She wrapped her legs around me, her heels digging into my asscheeks, urging me on. I looked deep into her eyes, and the fire there was powerful, and glowing. "Come for me, Benjamin," she urged.

I pounded into her feeling myself go in deeply, my crotch pressed against hers. I was so close. I pulled out and thrust into her again; her legs pulling me even deeper inside; her pussy clamping down on my cock; I exploded into her coming again and again.

She breathed in deeply and shouted "YES!". Her entire body took on a reddish cast, and I felt her spasm around my cock, coming harder than before, pulling my come out of my cock and deep into her body.

I pulled out and lay R뢕 beside her; she turned to me and kissed me tenderly on the lips. "Thank you," she said. "It has been so long since I've met someone like you. Someone I've liked."

"No, thank you." I stared into her eyes, which had gone back to their normal hue. "Will I see you again?"

"I think so," she said. "You need to leave now, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"I can't stay?"

"Not here."

"Can we go somewhere?"

"Not tonight. Tomorrow."

"When?"

She paused for a second, "6:48 — no, make it 7 at night, where we met tonight."

"I'll be there," I said.

She smiled, and shooed me on, "Hurry before someone finds us."

I stood up, and pulled up my pants, and put my shirt back on.

I slipped out the door, and out of the Mint, and went home.

I know what you are thinking, "Why not go back to her place," or "6:48? What kind of time is that?" Well, those thoughts went through my mind too, but I had never met anyone like her before. I was just thrilled to have the chance to see her again.

When I crawled into my dorm bed that evening, I was fast asleep. My dreams were of that raven-haired beauty with fire in her eyes.

The next morning I was barely able to drag myself out of bed, I was so tired. Still I managed to get up and get something to eat. By the time six o'clock came around, I was excited, energetic and ready to go.

I left campus just as the sun was beginning to set. By the time I made it back to the Mint Museum, only a tiny sliver of the sun could be seen above the horizon.

I was early, it was about 6:40 when I got there. Can you blame me? I was excited, and ready to go, and I had been taught to always be just a little early.

As I'm sure you are aware, she wasn't there. I stood in front of the case she had been looking into the previous day. I had never really looked at it, she had distracted me. I had plenty of time now, and I looked it over carefully.

It had some of the coins that had been minted there, as well as some photographs of people that moved here for the gold and the mint itself. One of the pictures had a lovely raven-haired beauty in it who was a duplicate of Celeste!

It was hard to tell, at first, since it was an ancient, sepia-toned photograph, and the styles had changed so much. But there was no doubt, she was the spitting image of Celeste. Perhaps an ancestor, I remember thinking.

As I stared at it, amazed at the similarity, I heard her walk up behind me. "I see you've found it," she said.

"Yes, it's amazing."

"I hated that dress."

"Well it is somewhat old-fashioned."

"And really uncomfortable, too."

"It must be really sturdy," I said, glancing at it again, "To have lasted so long for you to try it on. Who is the picture of, by the way?"

"It's me," she said. "The dress didn't survive my change, I bought it new in Wilmington."

I turned to look at her for the first time, staring into those remarkable eyes. "You can't be serious..."

"I am." For the first time she smiled with her full mouth. I saw the fangs. "I'm a vampire."

"But, but..."

"I was born in 1820, followed my husband here in 1838. That's him, on my right."

I glanced at the middle-aged man next to her. "What happened to him?"

"He died. Old age, some time in the 1850's. We kind of lost touch after the change."

"So why are you telling me this?" I still wasn't sure, but it made sense in a way. The eyes, the teeth.

"Two reasons. I wanted to apologize to you."

"For what? You didn't drink my blood or anything."

"We don't do that. Not with strangers anyway."

"Then what?"

"For feeding off of you last night, while we..."

"While we made love?"

"Yes. You were really tired today, weren't you?"

"Ye-es. And that's because of you?"

She nodded. "We need your energy; we can't renew our own. You are fine now, I can tell. But I can't sleep and eat and refresh it. It doesn't work."

"But why the sex?"

"It's how we connect, so that we can join our auras."

I looked at her, trying to decide if she was nuts, or not.

She laughed. "You look so funny like that, so incredulous."

I laughed. "I seem none the worse for wear, I accept the apology. I'm even up to feeding you again." I took her hand in mine, and kissed her.

"It's not that simple."

"What?"

"Well, I can't just drain you every night. Eventually you'd get to a point where you'd never recover."

"Then I'd be like you?"

"No. Then you'd be dead."

I felt it then, she looked away from my eyes. She was going to leave me. Don't ask me how I fell so fast and hard for her. She has this mystique, this thing about her that is fascinating to me now. Maybe I sensed it then. I said, "So this is it?"

"Well. There's another option. It's the second thing I wanted to tell you."

"Oh?" I said.

"Come with me."

She took my by the hand and let me out to my car. She told me to drive downtown, and I did, parking in the Adam's Mark Hotel parking lot.

"I have a suite here," she said. "Let's go downstairs."

She took me in the hotel, and we got in the elevator, and went to the sub-basement. It opened into a full suite of rooms.

"My private suite," she said.

"How?"

"Well, I was here before they built the hotel. Live long enough and the possessions build up, and you get rich. Of course, it's important to be underground."

"Then that part is true."

"Yes."

"But we don't sleep either. If we haven't...fed...in a while we can go dormant. But no coffins—dirt or sleep in the day."

"Crosses? StakesZ

She laughed. We can be killed through violence, true. Any way a normal man can be killed, but it's unlikely since we're stronger than they are."

"They?"

"It's why I brought you here, to show you what it's like. We can be together, but only if. Only if you become a vampire."

"Celeste..."

"Shhh," she said, putting her finger on my lips. "You don't have to decide today. Just soon."

She made love to me again, and fed me. Then she showed me the sights of the city from the eyes of a native, from the perspective of an immortal.

It only took me a few days to decide. In those days I fell deeper and deeper in love with her, as she showed me her city, her life, her ways. I admit there were other attractions: other women, no disease, no aging. It sounded like a life of debauchery and lust with no end. How could I say no?

I came to her on the third night of my time with her, and told her my decision. She led me into her bedroom, and had me undress. She undressed, too.

I lay on my back in her bed. She curled up next to me, her hand playing with my cock. As I grew hard in her talented hands, she whispered, "I am going to have to cut you. You know that."

I nodded, and took a deep breath. She mounted me, taking me into herself with ease. I sighed, filling her warmth engulf my cock. I looked up at her. She was a portrait of contrasts: pale skin and black hair offset by those red nipples, lips, and eyes of fire. I was in awe of this creature naked and astride my cock. At that moment, I felt my love for her with an overwhelming intensity.

I was ready.

She moved up and down my shaft slowly, gripping my cock with her tight muscles. She took a deep breath and leaned down and kissed me. She reached down next to the bed picking something up.

She sat up again, and I saw the knife in her hand. Throughout this she kept riding me, moving slowly up and down my cock. She looked into my eyes and abruptly cut her neck, making a quick cross. I felt her shudder as she did it, her body anticipating what was to come.

She leaned down, offering her neck to my lips, positioning her lips over my neck. "Drink," she said. "Drink."

I put my lips to the wound — I had kissed her neck there a dozen times — and tasted her blood. Then her blood fresh on my lips, Her teeth sank into my neck. I cried out in a moment of pain, then swallowed her blood, and the pain was gone.

I felt her heartbeat, and mine; her pelvis rising up and down, meeting mine; her pussy lips caressing my rigid cock; her tongue on my neck licking the blood from my wound; my mouth on her neck swallowing.

Our blood was intermingling. I felt our hearts, once out of sync, begin to beat together. I felt her pussy grip my cock, her rhythm matching our hearts: *lub* *dub* *thrust* *lub* *dub* *withdraw* *lub* *dub* *thrust* *lub* *dub* *withdraw*. At that moment we were closer than any two other lovers ever were.

I felt her hands around my head, encompassing me; I squeezed her to me in turn, my hands caressing her ass, her back, her hair. I felt our hearts beat faster *lub dub* *lub dub* *lub dub* Her thrusts, faster, keeping with the beat, my hips rising to meet her as she rode me. Our lips drinking the other's lifeblood, a nectar sweeter than any other.

Then faster still, caught in an ever increasing acceleration. *lubdub* *lubdub* *lubdub* She was riding me furiously now, pistoning in time with our hearts. My hands were wild on her back scratching, pulling, grabbing. Hers were pulling my head ever tighter to her neck. We were beyond anything we done before or ever had. We weren't two people any more, we were one. One vampire.

I came in a blast of heat inside her, then she came too. Then I felt it: the energy passed from her back to me. The hair on my arms and legs stood on end, pushing me over again into orgasm after orgasm, as the energy and blood passed back and forth between us.

We stayed like that for hours, before we collapsed on the bed, exhausted. I fell asleep for the last time in my life.

When I awoke, I was a vampire.

Benjamin looked up and into Jack's eyes. "I've never looked back."

"Life as a vampire was exciting, surprising, and well costly. I'm not upset with the choice I made. My life with Celeste these past few years has been amazing."

"And I've had more sex than you can imagine, with more people than I know. After all, do you keep track of how many meals you eat?"

"Once a week or so, Celeste and I would return to our suite below the Adam's Mark hotel and become one again. That joining is to our sex with others, as sex was to food for me when I was alive. Some food was very good, but never as good as sex."

"It sounds amazing," Jack said. "But I still don't know why you need my help."

The vampire sighed, and took a deep breath. "As vampires we feed on humans, it's true. But we don't harm them. Some vampires trap and kill their victims, slowly over days and weeks. But understand, the energy comes from their orgasms. Not ours. We have no desire to kill."

"We are leeches, yes, that's true. But not harmful ones. I think we are benign. But there are other things that aren't so benign."

"The 'powerful and old creatures' you mentioned?"

"Yes. This city is awakening, Jack. We vampires used to be alone here, but now, now there is something else going on. Creatures we had only heard about have started appearing. We knew they existed — vampires from other cities had told us of them."

Jack nodded, "Yes, I've been tracking the occurrences. I wasn't sure if they were increasing, or if I was only noticing now."

"Oh, it is increasing. And with the new creatures, come the things that feed on them. Powerful and old things. Things that are a lot like vampires, except they kill."

"And they don't feed on humans. They feed on us."

"Vampires?"

"All mystic creatures. The city itself, Jack. They are coming for the city itself."

Charlotte! he thought. Oh no, they are coming for Charlotte!

He wanted to shout it out, but instead said "But how can I help you? How does this energy I have help?"

"Because there is already one here, Jack. He came to the city last night. He...he came into our lair. He raped Celeste." The vampire hid his hands in his eyes, crying.

Jack's eyes went wide, and his hand covered his O of surprise. That's what happened in the ritual. That was the influx of power that they sensed. This was very bad.

"She's going to die, Benjamin. He sucked the life out of her. He came into our lair, raped her and left. I'm sure he's hiding now, but we have to save her."

The vampire took a deep breath, "I've gathered together the conclave of vampires. We think we can defeat him, with Celeste's help. Since I am bonded to her, I can save her, but I don't have enough energy. You do."

Jack looked into the icy glow of Benjamin's eyes, and weighed his options. He and Charlotte could try and stop this creature, but that would put her at risk. This was his charge, after all, to protect this city, and the creatures in it. And Benjamin was attractive.

"OK," Jack said. "I will help."

Benjamin visibly relaxed. "Thank you. I am lucky that I found you, that you believed me. Thank you so much." He was weeping.

"OK," Jack said, "What do we do now?"

"Oh," said the vampire, "that's the fun part. Let me take you to my lair..."

Jack rose, and Benjamin followed behind him. The dark-haired red-skinned man leading the blond pale-skinned man to his car.

They got into the car, and Benjamin turned to Jack, "Take us downtown, to the Adam's Mark hotel."

"To your lair."

"Yes," Benjamin said. Jack could hear the smile in his voice.

Jack shook his head, and thought What am I doing? He was worried, was he betraying Charlotte? No, it seemed like he was saving her. And certainly this man — this vampire — was attractive. And in need. And probably, very good in bed. Practice makes perfect, after all.

He drove them downtown, and into the parking garage next to the hotel. They took the elevator down into the sub-basement. "My room is this way, Jack," Benjamin said as he led Jack through the suite.

At the threshold, Benjamin stopped, and turned. Jack stepped close to him. "Are you sure?" Benjamin asked.

Jack looked down at the shorter man. He looked into the vampire's eyes, and felt his heart go out to him. Jack reached for him, running his hands over Benjamin's shoulders, up to his neck. Benjamin sighed then, as Jack caressed the wound which was still there.

Then Jack moved his hands up to the long blonde locks that graced the vampire's head. They were silky smooth and soft. Benjamin sighed, and reached out to Jack, caressing his chest. Jack felt his cock twitch at the touch.

"Are you sure?" the vampire repeated.

"Just take it easy." Jack said, barely getting the words out. He was sure, but not quite ready. "We need to go slow."

"We have time," the vampire said, taking Jack's hand, leading him to the bed.

Jack sat on the bed, and pulled off his shirt. He took off his shoes and looked up. Benjamin was already naked, his clothes piled on the floor: shoes kicked off, sweater on top of that, followed by pants, underwear, socks.

Benjamin smiled down at him, Jack felt his eyes peering deep into his soul. "Did I mention that you have beautiful eyes?" Benjamin said. "You know I have a weakness for people with beautiful eyes."

"My eyes are flat and boring next to yours, Benjamin."

"No, never boring," Benjamin said, sitting next to Jack on the bed. "It's the contrast — blue eyes, dark skin." He felt Benjamin touching him on the shoulders, caressing, working out the knots of stress. "I only have vampire eyes. I'm all washed out otherwise, pale hair, pale eyes, pale skin."

"Paleface," Jack said, laughing.

Benjamin laughed. Jack felt his hands on his head, turning it so that they faced each other. "Never boring," Benjamin whispered, and kissed him gently on the lips.

Jack felt the tension flow out of him then, and he relaxed and smiled at the other man. Benjamin gave him a look of quiet and amused caring. "Let's get you out of those pants, then," the blond vampire said.

Jack grinned, and unbuttoned his pants. He lifted up, and pushed them off, and onto the floor. "There," he said, "is that better?"

"Much." Benjamin slid into the center of the king-sized bed. He patted the bed next to him, indicating Jack should come over there.

Jack crawled to the center of the bed, and lay down next to the vampire. He smiled at the vampire, looking into the other man's face. He put his arms around Benjamin, and caressed his back.

Benjamin moved closer, and he felt the pale-skinned man's body press against his. "Your skin is so soft," Jack said, still caressing his back.

"Thank you," Benjamin said. Jack felt the other man's hands clasp his cock, bringing it to hardness. "Yours is hard."

Jack closed his eyes, and sighed as the other man slowly jerked him off. He felt the other hand cradle his balls, gently squeezing. He sighed, pulling Benjamin tightly to him.

Benjamin pushed at him gently, separating from his embrace. He turned then, moving his head down to Jack's crotch. Moving his crotch up to Jack's mouth.

Jack reached out to the other man's cock, first caressing it with his hands, then sliding his mouth over and around it. He felt Benjamin doing the same things to him.

When Benjamin's mouth slid over his cock, Jack sighed deeply. He could feel the fangs on either side of his cock! Lips, fangs, tongue all driving him wild. He attacked Benjamin's cock with renewed vigor as the vampire also began to speed up.

He heard and felt Benjamin moan around his cock, and then the vampire squeezed his balls, just a little. Then he felt the vampire's tongue licking the underside of the cock, and he exploded, crying out and coming deep in the other man's throat.

Then he felt it, their auras joining for just a moment and the energy flowing into Benjamin, like his come going from deep within him into the vampire's mouth.

It was one of the most awesome things he'd ever felt. He lay there, shuddering as the energy flowed, his trance broken only by the taste of Benjamin's own come. And the sound of the vampire's own cries of orgasm.

Benjamin turned around again, going back to his original position. "Don't fall asleep on me, Jack. I know you are tired, but there is more that I need from you."

Jack felt the intensity of the other man's words. His lust, desire and need. Something in it made him want to reach out and connect with the vampire. To fuck him again. "I think I want more, too."

Benjamin lay next to Jack, and kissed him. Jack moaned into the kiss as he felt the vampire's hands on his chest, caressing, touching, him. Jack ran his own hands over the vampire, running them down his back, feeling his ass and legs. Pulling them back close together.

Benjamin kissed him even more deeply then, their bodies moving together, rubbing. Their hips moving back and forth together. Jack felt the vampire's cock harden again, and press against his crotch. Jack felt his own cock harden as he lost himself in the passion of the moment.

Benjamin broke the kiss. He leaned over Jack, and reached into his night stand. He pulled out some massage oil, and began rubbing it into Jack's chest, stomach and crotch. Jack sighed as the slippery fluid spread across his skin, his balls, his cock.

Benjamin handed the oil to Jack, and rolled over on his front. "Now you do me," he said.

Jack climbed between the vampire's legs, his cock nestled in between the other man's asscheeks. He couldn't resist the urge to slide between them, bucking his hips. It was so smooth and oily from the massage oil.

He sprinkled some of the oil on his hands, and began working it into the vampire's shoulders and back. As he did it, he visualized the other man's aura. As he worked out the tension in the vampire's back, he worked on connecting to that aura.

He worked his way slowly down the other man's back, extending his aura, reaching out for the other man's spirit. When he finally made it to Benjamin's ass, their auras were touching, but not quite mingling.

He took a little more massage oil, and rubbed Benjamin's ass. Then he lifted up a bit, and found the vampire's asshole. He slid his oily fingers inside, eliciting a sigh from the other man.

When it was fully lubricated, he moved back up, and positioned his cock at the nether entrance. He closed his eyes, and focused. As he slid into the other man, their auras merged, becoming one.

"OH My God!" Benjamin cried out. "I can feel it! I can see it! Fuck me, fuck me hard!"

Jack began moving then, in and out. Benjamin's ass was warm and tight, its walls caressing his cock as he plunged deeply in. Jack closed his eyes, and used his inner sight to see their auras — now one, the energy swirling and flowing as Jack's cock continued to slide in and out, in and out.

The feeling everywhere they touched was electric. Jack could feel the vampire's greedy energy, pulling at him, drawing his energy out through his cock, his hands, his lips as he kissed the vampire on the back.

Pulling the energy from him. Heating his passion and driving him wild. He sped up, going still faster. In and out, he slid, the massage oil warming as he pounded Benjamin's ass.

The vampire was pushing back now, returning Jack's thrusts with movements of his own. Benjamin was driving him over the edge, pulling his orgasm out of him, much as he felt his energy being pulled into the other man. Pulling and pushing him to the brink.

He pounded into the vampire's ass, again and again. Finally he thrust deeply into the other man and came into Benjamin. He let out a loud cry as he felt the orgasm and energy pass from him.

He was dimly aware of the vampire's own cries of orgasm as he passed out, exhausted and drained.

He told her what happened.

"After that, he healed Celeste and the vampires took care of the demon. I woke up a few days later, after it was all over."

She nodded, water droplets falling into the pool. "There will be more," she said.

"I know. At least we know about it."

"Yes. But not soon. There is still time." She sank back into the pool, leaving him alone again.

He closed the circle; it was time to prepare.

This story is for Marti, for inspiration, and for love.

Thanks also to Anne Rice, for bringing the Vampire to my attention in a way I'd never thought of it before, to Denny for proofing this, and to my wife, for her patience while I wrote it.

The Mint Museum is a real place: For those of you in Charlotte, it's free on Tuesday Nights. GJ:Now Thursdays, I think

Cafe Cafe is a nice coffeshop, even if the chairs are a little uncomfortable. GJ:Now gone, I think

I doubt Adam's Mark hotel has a sub-basement, but if it does, I hope Celeste and Benjamin are happy there.