The Devil That You Know

She had pulled back but she was still straddled over him. Naturally he had lost his erection and a cold sheen of sweat slicked his flesh. Partly due to his fear and also partly to his bodies rebellion at losing so much blood. He managed to scuttle back but only because she had let him. Like a crab he crawled up onto his bed and felt for his neck. His hand was damp but it was difficult to discern much with the odd colors that the room was bathed in. He wiped his face with his hand and hadn’t realized that he had smeared his own blood all over his face.

He fell off the side of the bed but popped up again wide-eyed and disbelieving in what had just happened. To her the whole thing might actually look comical. Sebastian pointed his arm and finger at her in near shock, “You’re...you’re…” he couldn’t even say the word that was on the tip of his tongue. For a man that seemed content at allowing her to end him he certainly seemed alive now. His blood smeared upon the white bedsheets and on the gray comforter as well. As he scrambled back toward the living room area he still had a hand to his neck. By now the holes she made there had clotted sufficiently but he didn’t know that. Still half dazed he fell back as he tried to stand up and landed in his easy chair where he decided to remain. If she was what...if she was...one of those...things she could kill him still so what good would running do he decided. He just sat there and looked at her.

“H-h-how?” He managed but articulating anything right then was very difficult.

Rowena just stared at Seth in shock. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do. Should she kill him? Was he a threat to her? Could she just let him go? Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Since her transformation almost 370 years ago she had killed every man she had ever put her fangs into. She was now exposed and vulnerable. Her instincts told her to kill him, but she resisted. She stayed back away from him...but watched him closely.

"Why did you draw me as a vampire? How did you know?"

“I draw you how you see yourself,” he said quickly though she would be certain he had no idea what he even said. He was frightened half out of his mind and yet he just sat there, watching her and responded by wrote. He swallowed hard, his throat was severely parched and he felt weak and lightheaded from the blood loss. Like her he was completely nude. He had several tattoos all over his body. “Am I dying?” he asked and his tone was actually level. “Will I...uh, turn into...a ...a..one of,,uh, you?” He asked in a far more concerned voice. Naturally he was more concerned about himself than anything else but his mind did fill with questions...about..her...it...her.

Rowena's eyes were still glowing from her meal. Seth would have noticed that her skin was far pinker than it had been only a few minutes before. She stayed where she was on the bed, her chin still red with his blood.

"No, you're not dying," she replied. 'I didn't take that much from you. And no, you won't turn into a vampire. There's another step to that process, which I have never done before. This has actually never happened to me before...so I'm not sure what to do honestly."

Finally Sebastian stopped holding his neck, the bleeding had stopped. He sniffed, feeling a bit congested by everything that had happened. “No one would believe me anyway..” he said as he laid his head back. He couldn’t help but feel like a dozen kinds of stupid right then. She had played him like a fiddle and like a lamb to the slaughter he had been used. No, not just used, trussed up like a goose for Thanksgiving dinner. He sighed. Out of the surface of his mind, it was now much easier to read him now that she had tasted his blood, she heard, ‘And I was really beginning to like her,’ he had said almost mournfully. A thought that she’d know was true. He had really liked her and not just because of what he was going to receive. Her playing the piano had really drawn him to her. Very few women he had met had ever done anything like that. And as she picked up more of the drawings she’d see her face. Every line of her eyebrows, every shadow of her cheeks and jawline were there. He also thought her very beautiful and his body had certainly reacted to her and hers to his.

“Do you...how many people?” he had begun to say but couldn’t get through his complete sentence. Not that he needed to, she knew what he meant. How many people had she killed and how often does she kill?

Looking at Seth, Rowena knew she wouldn't be able to kill him. Despite herself she was actually becoming fond of him, a feeling that was quite foreign to her. How could this have happened in such a short period of time? She picked up a few of his other drawings of her and was surprised by the detail and by the care that had gone into such quick renderings. She heard his question, but before answering she got up and, still naked, walked into his bathroom. He would hear the sink running and a few moments later she returned with the blood cleaned from her face and neck.

"To be perfectly honest I don't know how many men I've killed since my transformation. I have been like this for close to 370 years. I only feed when I need to. I can go up to a couple of weeks without feeding if need be, but would be quite weakened by the end."

Suddenly his face went pale and with his hand covering his mouth he lurched up and ran, unsteadily to the kitchen sink. He had barely made it before his stomach proceeded to empty itself of its contents. The thought of all those people dying like that was more than he could stomach...literally. He turned on the faucet and rinsed his mouth. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and paused to decide if he had more or if he felt better. He felt better now so he decided to watch her from where he was. There were kitchen knives nearby but even as he thought of them as protection he had to laugh. It would be like taking a toy from a child in all likelihood so he abandoned that chain of thought quickly.

“So...uh, can you eat anything else? I mean...foodwise?” He asked but thought it was a stupid question now that he took a moment to think of it. He slid around to the front of the sink, thankful that she had cleaned herself up. “Do all...uh, Vampires...look so...uh...beautiful?” He asked but it sounded awkward in his ears. She was nearly perfect though so he decided the question was valid.

Rowena watched as Seth suddenly looked sick and rushed over to the kitchen sink. She wouldn't have expected anything less to be honest. For her it was now the only life she knew. She still felt some guilt for killing, which is why she only killed those she felt deserved it for their deeds in life. As he got sick she began to redress. She doubted he would want her here much longer.

"My body cannot process food anymore," she replied, "nor does it actually crave it." At his next question she paused a moment and looked over at him. She now had her bra and panties on and was now putting on her stockings and garter belt. "To be perfectly honest I have not met very many other vampires. I know that they are out there, but we tend to be pretty solitary creatures. The ones I have encountered have all had at least a quality to them that makes people drawn to them. The transformation seems to enhance you...not change exactly, but take what's there and draw it out more."

He was both afraid and awed by her. He began to see her less as a creature and more as some exotic humanoid like Starfire in the Teen Titan Comics he used to read. Somehow her getting dressed disappointed him but how could that be? The sooner she left...but she could always just come back he knew. His face still dripped of water. In washing his mouth and splashing water on his face he managed to get most of the blood off though he didn’t know he had any on his face in the first place.

“Did you..uh, really like my...music?” he asked. “And the..drawings?” He added belatedly. Why her opinion matter he could not say he only knew that it did.

Rowena stood to attach the garter straps to her stockings. She stopped at his questions and looked at him.

"Yes," she replied. "You are a very talented musician and a beautiful artist," she added as she picked up one of the drawings he had done of her. "I've had men draw me before...but never with this amount of detail and care. May I have one of them?"

He nodded his assent and then suddenly felt cold and exposed in his nakedness now that she was getting dressed. He tried to look casual but it was difficult when she had almost sucked the life out of him...literally, was the most beautiful...vampire he had ever seen, had let him...do things to her and liked his music and art to boot. Things..crazy things began to pop into his head. Would he see her again? Would she try to kill him again if he did see her?

“Will...will I ever see you again,uh, Rowena?” he asked. Oddly he felt strongly that he hoped he would.

Rowena considered Seth's question for a long moment as she slipped on her skirt. Having never been in a situation like this before she wasn't entirely sure how to respond. He would be of no danger to her. She could kill him in a heartbeat if need be. And there was something fascinating about him. Something she did not yet understand, but she knew he wasn't like any other man she had ever encountered before.

"Would you like to see me again?"

Say no...say no..say no, he thought to himself but what came out was, “Yes...yes I would.” Seth...you’re an idiot, what am i doing! He honestly had no idea but something important was happening to him and for good or ill he would follow Alice down this particular rabbit hole. Unconsciously he felt the bite marks again but caught himself and lowered his hands. And then a thought came over him...did Vampire's dream? He seriously hoped that they did.

Rowena looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "Then perhaps you will see me again. You do not have to fear Seth...at this point I do not plan on killing you. However, I trust that you will keep my secret. I have never trusted anyone before, but I am trusting you now. Do I have that trust?"

As secrets went, this one would not be difficult to keep. One one hand...no one and he meant NO ONE would ever believe him and on the second if he violated that trust he felt the punishment would be death. “Yes...I promise or you have my..uh, oath on it...or whatever they used to say back..uh, then,” he stammered. “So I guess...well, I guess then mi casa su casa,” he added though he can’t for the life of him know why. The thought actually excited him to a degree and he turned to hide that from her knowing eyes and moved back around the other side of the sink island. He couldn’t help but still be wary of her. Fear was still there in the back of his mind. He had a hundred more questions but he felt that perhaps...she had places to go, people to eat...other people, and the thought made him swallow. He managed a smile as he forced himself to step up to her. “Take all you want,” he said as he looked down at all the drawings. “When you come again...I can just draw you again...if you wanted,” he made sure to add.

Rowena knew she could trust Seth. She had scared him pretty good tonight and he was probably right in that no one would believe him. However, it would just take one person who did believe to possibly hurt her. She actually smiled when he said 'mi casa su casa'. She felt quite comfortable in his place. The thought of coming back actually appealed to her. She slipped on her sweater and then her Christian Louboutin high heels. Seth might notice the brand's distinctive red bottom. She causally picked up her leather jacket and slipped it on, pulling her red hair out from beneath it and fluffing it out with her fingers.

"I'll just take this one," she replied with a little smile. The drawing in her hand was one of just her face. She was looking back over her shoulder at him. Her eyes seemed to pierce the soul. She headed towards the door and then stopped and looked over at him.

"Rowena MacLathagain is my name since I know you are curious about me. Feel free to look me up on the internet."

She then turned and walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind her.

ooc;new thread