10 comments/ 32767 views/ 3 favorites Butterfly's Sacrifice By: Penelope Street © 2006 by Penelope Street Out in the sticks there's often not much else to do on a Friday besides drink, dance, and fuck. I guess I've always had a particular fondness for those last two. In hindsight, I'm certain that's why my father would only pay my tuition if I attended Northwest Wisconsin State University. With my grades, I wasn't exactly in line for any scholarships, so I didn't have much choice. Never heard of Northwest Wisconsin State? It's a little teacher's school in one of those towns that doesn't do anything except serve as a suburb for a college. One little sign on route 53 is all we rate, so no surprise if you missed us. Not that I'm even studying to be a teacher- that wasn't what my father had in mind. Teacher's school- know what that means? A nine to one gender inequality among the students, and not in my favor. Not that I'm ugly, but I'm not exactly in the top ten percent either if you know what I mean. Plus teachers-to-be, well, can't say they lit my fire the way I wanted it lit. Have to give my dad credit. I didn't figure out his plan until I was settled into my dorm, but he didn't reckon with my resolve either. Within a month I had two words for his little scheme. Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ok. Maybe that's three words. Or four. Doesn't matter, those words are less than two hours away- that's the two that matters. Borrowing a car proved easier than I thought it'd be- anyplace near our campus was within walking distance and not like most teachers-to-be were going anywhere on Friday night anyway. By early November, I'd learned to spread out my borrowing so that I could be in the clubs surrounding the University of Minnesota every other weekend. ~ ~ ~ "You're the one they call Butterfly, aren't you?" Do they really call me that? I wondered. I'd been called a lot worse. At least it was appropriate since the upper half of the butterfly on my back was visible above my halter top. With a smile spreading across my face, I spun toward the speaker, placing my breasts right where my tattoo had been. Beneath a pair of thick brows, a pair of big dark eyes lingered on my bosom. He was older, mid twenties. Sandy blond hair- uncombed wildfire to perfection. Broad shoulders stretching a puce T-shirt. Perfect bit of scruff along a firm jaw and one of those smiles with the upper lip just peeled away from the teeth. Beefcake du jour. He'd do. After a half-second, he managed to raise his eyes to my face. "Butterfly?" I said, bouncing my eyebrows. "Is that what they call me?" He shrugged. "Should I call you something else?" "Depends." I gave my shoulders a shake. "You like my butterfly?" His eyes dove right to the rest of my wiggle. "Yeah, I like them." "In that case, you can call me Butterfly. What about you- you got a name?" His eyes bounced upward with a smile that now included both lips. "Michael, but my friends call me Mick." "Nice to meet you, Mick." "So." He leaned that inch closer. "Can I buy you a drink, Butterfly?" I winked. "I'd rather dance." Dancing, done right, is some of the best foreplay. Touching. Feeling his hands. Strong. Soft. Getting sweaty. Rubbing. Sliding my body against his. Warm. Hard. And getting harder. Talking. Not that either of us could hear much above Shania Twain's blaring vocals, but we weren't saying anything really- other than "I want to fuck you" with different words. A half-dozen tunes later I pressed my body against his and raised my lips to his ear. "I'm ready to go somewhere else." My favorite somewhere else was a short walk and a shorter drive away, the tree-covered slopes between the river and the campus. I could lean with both hands on a tree and watch the world go by while my beau of the moment took care of me. I'm not sure why I like fucking outdoors, especially doggy-style. Maybe it's the animal nature of it all. Maybe it's that added thrill that we might be seen. The chill in the mid-autumn air only heightened the sensation for me. With the leaves gone and the full moon above, the area was better lit than before and I found a spot near a double-tiered maroon bridge with a good view of the river and downtown. Looking back, I suppose I was foolish much in the way smokers are- lighting up all the time, one can get used to the danger enough to ignore it. Having taken boys to secluded spots for years, I didn't think twice about my safety. After all, I was going to put out- not as if they needed to rape me. "Did you bring a condom?" I asked, looking for a good place to set my purse. "Because I did if you..." "I brought something better than a condom." One of his hands grabbed my hair and yanked my face upward. The other moved toward my throat so fast I caught but a glint from the metal before I felt the edge of the knife against my throat. My purse slipped from my fingers. I swallowed and the whole of my consciousness leapt to where my skin flexed against his blade. My wide eyes darted to his. How did they go from pools to beads so fast? You'd think a mind would race at a time like that, when any word could be your last, but all I could imagine was my father's face when he heard how I'd died. "No," I begged. "I'll do what you want." "Oh," he whispered in a tone cooler than the air. "I know you will. You're gonna start by taking..." "I think she said 'No'." Four eyes cut toward the source of the feminine voice. At first I saw only the glow of a cigarette as someone drew on it. The tiny yellow light moved toward us and a slender silhouette coalesced within the shadows. "Now that I think about it," she said, taking another drag, "I'm sure she said 'No'." The pressure of the blade against my throat was gone. Mick released my hair and took a step backward. "It's not what you think!" A petite blonde in a tweed jacket emerged from the skeletal trees and took another puff. "No," she said, blowing smoke into the night. "It's not what you think." "What..." Mick began. I still don't know what he meant to ask her. The next instant the cigarette hung in the air where she had been. I watched it fall halfway to the ground before a gurgle reached my ear. My attention snapped to my would-be assailant. The little blonde had him by the hair. Her mouth enveloped his neck. I heard a sickening crunch and a spasm rocked Mick's form all the way from his head to the tips of his splayed fingers. She turned her face toward me, revealing a pair of glowing amber eyes that throbbed in unison with each pulse of her throat. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire. "Oh, God," I managed to mutter. I turned and took a single stumbled step amid the leaves before I recalled how fast she'd moved. Trying not to shake, I forced my spine into a line and spun to face her. She stopped suckling and stood erect. With no apparent effort, she snapped her hand outward, holding Mick at arm's length. His left hand twitched three times, then his form went limp. "Was he bothering you?" she asked in a near baby-talk tone. I swallowed and managed a shallow nod. "Well, he won't bother you anymore." Her fingers opened, releasing Mick, but he never hit the ground. He had just moved when a handful of shadows converged from the surrounding darkness. Their mouths clamped onto his neck, shoulders, and arms. More yellow eyes glowed in the night. Before I knew it, she was upon me, her face but inches from mine. Pale, straight bangs hung like a curtain above those eyes, only the rims of which still simmered with the remnants of their amber glow. I caught a sickening whiff of perfume and cigarettes. "Shhhush," she hissed. "You don't need to scream. It really won't do anyone the least bit of good." I know what it's like to be the deer in the headlights. My mouth was wide open, but my throat seemed frozen. I emitted but a squeak no louder than that of a mouse. Her hand came upward to my face. She licked her lips once. Turning her palm from me, she raked the edge of her fingernails along my cheek. My jaw rose just enough for my teeth to clatter. She issued the subtlest giggle, then stretched upward, bringing her cold steady mouth to my trembling warm one. The taste of ash filtered beyond my lips, but it was hardly a kiss. She bit me. I felt only a little sting, then the pressure as she began to suckle. Two quick draws she took before her lips released mine. Streaks of yellow raced through her eyes again. "I know you're scared," she whispered, "but there's one thing you must understand at this moment. The only thing that will ensure you die is for you to scream." My eyes clouded. A shiver ran down my spine- and it had nothing to do with the chill. "I don’t want to die," I whimpered. She shrugged. "Neither did I, but it still happened. Can I trust you not to scream?" With a sniffle, I nodded. "Good." She turned her head over her shoulder. "Bobby!" The other shadows were still huddled about Mick, save one. That one walked toward us, his features fusing in the moonlight until a young man stood before me. He wasn't any taller than I was and, if anything, slighter of build. His face was on the round side with short hair parted on one side. Across his nose sat a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Not beefcake du jour. The blonde shook her head, snatched the spectacles from his face, and threw them down the slope. "This is Bobby," she said, looking back to me. "The newest member of our clan. And you are?" My eyes went to her, to him, and back to her. "Amy," I replied. "Amy Schroeder." "Good. I'm Norma." She cast her eyes to her companion, then back to me. "Bobby's picked you to take part in the ritual welcoming him to our world. It's quite an honor to be selected for a vampire's investiture. You see, we always baptize a new member with a sacrifice." "Sacrifice!" I gasped. My quaking lips flew wide, but before I could utter another sound, she pressed her raised index finger over my open mouth. "Remember," she whispered. "Whatever you do, don't scream or call attention to us. If you do, I have to kill you. That's just the way it is. But I don't want that. No one really does. Bobby would have to pick someone else." Her eyes darted up and down my form. "And he wants you, don't you, Bobby?" The scrawny vampire nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." "Go ahead," Norma said. "Kiss her." I closed my eyes and wondered if it was better to just scream and get it over with. Then I thought of some other girl. I didn't know her name, of course, but if Norma's words were true, she was out there somewhere and she'd take my place if I screamed. I pictured her, whoever she was, sleeping peacefully in her bed, not even knowing I existed. That was the last time I thought about screaming. The sound of leaves crunching reached my ears an instant before Bobby's lips reached mine. His mouth was cool, like Norma's, but still soft. He did kiss me- a clumsy, timid peck. "She's so warm," he whispered as he withdrew. "Was I that warm?" "Of course," Norma said. "Now feed a bit, where I opened her lip- but just a taste." I dared to open my eyes just when his mouth returned to mine. His lips found the sliver where her teeth had cut me. There he suckled but for a split second. At least he didn't taste like ashes. "Oh, God," he gasped, pulling away and looking straight into my eyes. Streaks of amber coursed through his irises like little currents of electricity. His throat flexed. The ends of his eyes seemed to droop. His lips quivered. "She's so good." "I know," Norma whispered. "You're doing fine." She turned, took a half step and picked up my purse. "This is yours?" she asked, looking back to me. I nodded. She opened my purse, then stuck her index finger inside and stirred the contents until the keys jingled. These she retrieved with the end of her finger and turned her eyes back to me. "Where is it?" I licked my lips once and swallowed. "Thirteenth and Fifth." Norma nodded and held the keys up toward the moon. "General Motors. What kind?" "Sunfire," I said, before adding a quick, "it's my friend's." "Nice friend. What color?" "White." Norma flipped her face over her shoulder. "Ron!" One of the vampires surrounding Mick rushed to her side. "White Pontiac Sunfire," Norma said, "in the lot at Thirteenth and Fifth. Go get it." In a flash, Ron and the keys were gone. Norma cut her eyes my direction. "Follow me." Follow her I did. At that point I'd progressed beyond fear into a surreal pseudo-trance. Nothing seemed genuine, especially not the vampires that departed Mick's lifeless form to follow me. One was a short, pudgy female while the remaining quartet looked like refugees from a high school science club. Hardly the handsome hunks or glamorous divas from stories and film. Pocket protector, I thought. Show me one pocket protector and I'll know it's a dream. Norma emerged from the trees and looked both ways before extending her hand toward a powder blue minivan parked beside the road. The vehicle chirped, its lights flashed, and the side door slid open. Leaves rushed along the ground toward it. I looked about me to discover they had all vanished except Norma and Bobby. He walked toward the open door and climbed in. More certain than ever I had been slipped something hallucinogenic, I turned to Norma. "This is your ride?" She laughed. "You were expecting what, the Batmobile?" I shrugged. "I'm not sure what to expect." "Probably a good thing. Get in the middle seat. Beside Bobby." I did. Norma squeezed in beside me and closed the door. Her potent fragrance once again invaded my nostrils. "What's your perfume?" I asked, thinking small talk couldn't hurt my chances. "Lady Stetson," she said. "You like it?" I nodded. "Sure." "You shouldn't lie." She turned and leaned toward the driver as he pulled away from the curb. "Take River Road instead of Hiawatha." With a grin, she returned her attention to me. "It's a much nicer drive. And we'd like to enjoy it, wouldn't we?" With my lips trembling against one another, I nodded. "Don't fret so," she said. "You've already passed the two biggest tests, you didn't scream and Bobby didn't try to eat your lips. You'll probably live." She reached into the inner pocket of her jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "You smoke?" I shook my head. "Mind if I do?" I shook my head again. "What did I tell you about lying?" she asked, lighting up. "You'll have to forgive me. I started before we knew it was so bad for you." She paused to giggle. "Marlboro was a lady's cigarette back then." She took a drag, then turned and pushed the window open before blowing the smoke outside. "Now," she said, looking back to me. "Why don't you tell us about yourself?" My shoulders crept toward my neck. "What do you want to know?" She shrugged in reply. "Whatever you want me to know." "Well," I began. "I'm from..." With the van rolling between tree-cloaked mansions and the river, I told her about my childhood, my parents, where I went to college, what I studied, and how I came to be on that wooded slope with Mick. Norma's eyebrows dropped. "You drove all the way to Dinkytown to get laid?" "I guess," I said with a shrug. "Kinda silly, huh?" She shrugged back and tossed the cigarette butt out the window. "I know you could get action there too, but let me have a guess. After being labeled a tramp in high school, it was kinda nice to have some friends who'd be seen with you- so why not come here and do your sleazing?" "Yeah." The ends of my lips dared creep upward just a bit. "That's nice too." Norma smiled back. "You're the perfect sacrifice. Pretty. Easy. And not too bright. I think you might even enjoy yourself. Some do, you know." My lips formed a pout and I wondered why her calling me stupid pissed me off more than the idea that she was about to kill me and somehow thought I might enjoy it. She reached back into her jacket and brought out a smaller package. Pulling a stick halfway out, she extended it to me. "Big Red. Want some?" What was I supposed to do, decline a vampire's generosity? I extended my unsteady fingers and accepted her offering. Together, we unwrapped our gum, popped it into our mouths, and began to chew. No one said another word before we pulled into a dark and otherwise empty parking lot. Instead of stopping there, the driver piloted the van across the asphalt, over a curb, and onto a wide concrete path. I leaned down to peer out the left side of the vehicle as we passed a pair of monolithic, boarded-up buildings- perfect vampire dens. We continued down a gentle slope and another structure came into view. At first I thought it just a large, round tower, but behind it a long stone wall disappeared into the night. The van traveled past the tower and along the wall until we came to a wide arch sealed by a wooden gate. The wall continued ahead toward some distant trees. I turned to Norma. "You live in a castle?" "It's not a castle," she said with a smile, "though I did live here, once upon a time." The opening of the passenger door grabbed my attention. The pudgy vampire was gone. A heartbeat later, I heard a creak and turned to watch the gates part. The driver pulled the van between the doors and the headlights played across a diamond-shaped courtyard surrounded by a quartet of long, white buildings. We parked at the one point of the diamond. In the distance, at the other point, I could see a narrower, but taller building. "What is this place?" I wondered aloud. Norma's brow dropped over her eyes. "Do you know who was president during the Civil War?" My eyes wandered. My lips twitched. My throat flexed through a dry swallow. I forced my eyes back to hers. "George Washington?" Norma shook her head and opened the sliding door. "You spend too much time in clubs. This is an old fort from the 1800s, one of those living historical sites where the employees play various characters from the period. It's closed for the season- makes a nice cozy place where we can make a little noise and not be disturbed." My head leaned to one side. "And you have the key?" "Some of us work for the historical society. I guess you might call us history buffs." She smiled and nodded toward where the other female vampire closed the gates. "Mathilda plays a cook here all summer. A few of the men portray soldiers." My blinking eyes fell to the ground. "But, you're, uh, vampires, right?" "Hey," she said with a giggle, "for a floozy, you're pretty quick." My lips formed a pout again. "And this place is open during the day, right?" Norma's head began to move in a slow bob and a broad smile spread across her face. "Oh, that," she said. "Another myth. C'mon, I can tell you about that on the way." She started walking across the courtyard and I fell into step beside her. "Back in the day," she began, "we used to avoid the sun- and we still do, to a lesser extent. You think you need UV protection?" She paused to guffaw. "And our eyes! Ouch. Back then we didn't come out except at night- we really couldn't or our skin would've been a cracked mess in no time. Now, with sunscreen, some makeup, sleeves, and shades, we can be out for a little while and do ok." "So the sun doesn't turn you to ashes," I asked, "like in that movie with Brad Pitt?" "No," she replied, "although I did rather like that flick." "So it's realistic other than that part?" She giggled again. "No. I just like Brad Pitt." We walked a few more steps in silence before Norma stopped. The other vampires continued into the building ahead while she turned to me. Butterfly's Sacrifice "I'm happy to see you've relaxed a bit," she began, "but I'm not going to lie to you. We’ll do our best, but I can't promise you that you'll survive- sometimes a new vampire can't control himself. That's a big part of the reason for our ritual- to see if he has what it takes. But really, Bobby's not that fast or strong. He only has his teeth going for him at this point- so even if he fails you'll most likely only end up with a nasty scar." My chest rose and fell with a single large breath. "I heard you say sacrifice earlier. I'm not that stupid." My eyes clouded. "If you're really going to kill me, I'd rather just know." Norma shook her head. "You're not listening. Sacrifice really means giving something valuable. Bobby's sacrifice will be not killing you when his lust is at its peak. And you know how we're going to get his lust to its peak, don't you?" My eyes widened. She nodded. "That's right. Like I said, some of our sacrifices do enjoy themselves." "So he's going to, like, fuck me?" "Yeah," she said. "Exactly like that. You see, the other reason for the ritual is his body needs to be rid of his spermatozoa." She paused to grin. "All of it." My nose wrinkled. "What?" "You heard me," she said. "His temperature has killed all the little swimmers, but his body is still reacting to them, kind of like the body reacts to dead viruses too, only worse. But don’t worry. Vampires don't carry disease and you can't get pregnant. But really, those should be the least of your worries- after all, you could be dead come sunrise. Let's go." She started to turn, but stopped when I put my fingers to her forearm. "Wait," I said with a swallow. "If I do die, can you make it, well, you know, a death that my father won't be ashamed of?" She smiled. "If you die, I'll see that you even get to say goodbye to him- if that's what you want." My brow dropped. My head leaned to one side. "And how will I do that if I'm dead." "Hello?" she sneered with her eyes way wider than they needed to be. "I'm dead. Grow a brain." My lips formed a purse. I took another deep breath and leaned until I was well within her personal space. "Quit inferring I'm stupid," I insisted in a slow whisper. "I may not be old enough to have fucked George Washington, but that doesn't make me an idiot." She looked away and tongued her upper lip. "You're right," she said, turning back to me. "I apologize. And I'm not quite old enough to have known Washington, thank you. Now let's get on with it, shall we?" I followed Norma into the dark structure, across a narrow foyer, and up a steep flight of stairs. With me still on the topmost step, she turned and looked back, her face lit only by the moonlight slicing through a gabled window. She pulled the package of gum from her jacket, extended a stick, and held it my way. "No, thanks," I said with a shake of my head. She nodded, unwrapped the gum, and popped it into her mouth. "Bobby picked you for his last," she said, wadding the wrapping paper. "Out of everyone, he chose you. Isn't that sexy? I mean, first time is kinda special- but last is the berries." I leaned my head to one side. "The berries?" "I guess I'm dating myself." She paused to smile and issue a subtle giggle. "The last time is the bomb, don't you think?" "I guess so," I said with a shrug. She stopped chewing. Her eyes roamed my form. She tossed the tiny ball of paper over her shoulder and leaned my way. I stretched up to meet her. A split second later, her cold lips met my warm ones. This time she tasted of cinnamon candy instead of ash, but I think I'd have kissed her back anyway. She put her hands to my cheeks and urged me up that final step. There she pulled my body to hers and, for the better part of a minute, our lips massaged one another. Her hands roamed my form, first petting, then caressing, and finally groping my flesh. Funny how long a minute can be. And not. "I so want to be you," she whispered the instant our lips parted. She shook her head once, then turned and took two steps away from me. For longer than we had kissed, she looked at the closed door in front of her. When at last she spun back toward me, all trace of a smile was gone. "Take your clothes off," she said between smacks. "Then come inside. We're all going to be there for you, just in case." She disappeared through the door and I turned my eyes downward to where the dark stairwell beckoned. My eyes narrowed. I knew I wasn't going to flee- I just didn't know why. With a swallow, I brought my fingers to the lower edge of my halter top and lifted it over my head. Tossing the flimsy garment aside, I looked down to my erect nipples, wondering if they were hard from the chill, or something more. I didn't have to wonder long- the instant I pushed my jeans down the scent of my arousal wafted upward through the cool air. What kind of deviant are you to want this? I wondered. Thin cotton followed denim to the floor and I stepped out of my panties. It doesn't matter why, I decided. You may as well enjoy it. Pushing the door wide, I strode into the room and looked at each of the vampires in turn. I wondered if they were jealous of me, of my warmth, of my living body. If they were, I could not tell. In the dim light they were just shadows, except where the moon sliced through another gabled window to illuminate the pale, slender, naked vampire standing at the foot of the bed. My eyes dropped to where Bobby's hands shielded his loins. Hoping he thought my smile due to something other than amusement, I sauntered toward him doing my best imitation of a runway model and threw my arms over his bony shoulders. "Are you ready for me?" I asked, blowing my frosty breath across his darkened lips. At once, he cut his eyes to the side. "I don't want to do this." Out of the shadows, Norma took a step forward. "You must." "I don't want to hurt her," he insisted. "It's too late for that." Bobby shook his head. "I can't. I just can't." She shrugged and turned her eyes to me. "Then there won't be a sacrifice. We can just devour her." A gasp rushed from my throat. My eyes bulged. "No," Bobby insisted. "You can't. It's against the ..." Sliding my arms together, I grasped his dark locks and steered his face toward me. "It's ok," I said, trying to sound calm. "I trust you." Not giving him time to respond, I pulled his mouth to mine. He really wasn't that good of a kisser, at least at first. I let go of his hair and brought my hands to his back. His flesh felt like the leather seats of a car on a winter day- soft but oh so cold. I felt a cool tickle at my side, then the pressure of his palms on my hips. He started to kiss me back and I moved my hands to his buttocks, where I gave a good squeeze. Bobby jumped and whimpered. One of the vampires, Mathilda I think, giggled. I wanted to slap her- he deserved better. I slid my hands about his flank and between our forms seeking that which he had hidden from me before. When I grasped him he yelped and pulled away, breaking our kiss- but I did not let go. He was far from huge, but never had I felt anyone so hard- like a stocking wrapped about an iron pipe. I took a half-step back, then pulled him toward me by my makeshift leash. "Is this all for me?" "Oh, God," he gasped with a shiver. "Yes." I kissed him again. His lips seemed warmer this time- and he knew a bit more what to do with them. I squeezed him again and he moaned into my mouth. His hands again found my hips, and then my ass. Are vampires all this hard, I wondered, or does he want me that much? As if to answer my question, Bobby picked me up and hurled me onto the bed. I gasped and rolled to look back at him with my eyes wide. A moment later, I shifted my gaze to Norma. Bobby's not that fast or strong? Again, he answered my silent question, pouncing and pinning me to the mattress. "You're so beautiful," he whispered before kissing me again. His hands found my breasts, but his kneading left much to be desired. I couldn't help but whimper. He pulled back at once. "I'm sorry," he gasped. "Did I hurt you?" I liked him better aggressive, though I had to admit his timid side had a certain charm too. With a smile, I sat up and slid my hand down his body. "Hurt me?" I whispered, once again grasping his masculinity. "Only by keeping this from me for so long." I reclined, pulling him after me. As if choreographed, he slid atop me and I guided his rampant member to my sex. With eyes wide, he waited while I rubbed the cool softness of his head amid the warm moistness of my folds. "There," I whispered when I felt him seated at my entry. "Whenever you're ready." Well, he was ready. Fortunately I was ready too, for the most part- but his first plunge still left both my passage and my eyes wider than they had been before. "Did I hurt you?" he asked again. With a subtle grin seizing my lips, I cut my eyes to Norma. How could anyone believe he would kill me? My grin became a smile and I turned my eyes upward. "Shut up and fuck me!" I whispered. I had so always wanted to say that! Fuck me he did. At first, he felt much like one of my toys. So big. So hard. So cold. Soon I noticed I was warming him, wetting him, loosening for him- just like one of my toys, except I knew he could feel it. I wondered how I felt to him- was I hotter, tighter, sexier, than any woman he'd felt before? I had to be! I glanced at the shadows surrounding us and tried to imagine what our audience might be experiencing. Surely, they wouldn't need me if one of them could inspire Bobby's passion. Were they envious of me, and what I could do that none of them could? Did they want to join us? Were they touching themselves, pretending they were me? If not, they should have been! My next inhale was accompanied by a subtle snarl. I turned my attention upward to Bobby. His eyes were closed and his features taut, except for a nose that wrinkled each time he drove himself into me. My hips began to match his motion. He began rubbing me just right, starting an itching that begged to be scratched. I shifted so he could rub it just that little more and rub it he did. Our friction igniting something I had never felt before, a burning tingle that spread through my loins like fire through kindling. It happened before I really knew it could, let alone would. For an instant, I thought I might weep, but then I wailed instead. My fingernails bit into his back. My spine arched upward. My eyes quivered behind drooping lids. My legs snapped about his ass and I pulled myself onto him, holding him while tremors coursed through my body. Don't you dare ask if that hurts! I thought the instant I could think anything at all. Just in case he might have harbored any such foolish notion, I grabbed his hair and pulled his mouth to mine. But he never asked. And it didn't hurt. Or maybe it did, when he started groping my bosom again. I whimpered again too, but not because I wanted him to stop. Up and down. The rhythm of his body and of my passions. For several minutes we rose and fell together, but it was too good to last. I was ascending again when Bobby did just the opposite, collapsing upon my form. He gasped two times in rapid succession, then emitted a third, longer lament. He buried his cock within me. His lips found my neck. In the same heartbeat, I heard another gasp- not his and not mine. I shot my eyes to the source of the sound and found Norma within arm's reach, her wide eyes locked on where Bobby's lips covered my neck. His lips, not his teeth. I shook my head just enough to get her attention. When her eyes locked on mine, a smile spread across her face. She took a step backward. His lips left my neck and settled near my ear. "You are so beautiful," he whispered just before he groaned. His body shuddered. His fingers dug into the tender flesh of my bosom. His cock burrowed within my depths, seeking that last bit of me it had yet to touch. He began to whimper, like a puppy left alone for the first time. Not knowing what else to do, I held him there while he came. And came. And came. I'd never felt a man spurting inside me before, but Bobby I did. His cool offering set off a tingling higher than the burning I had experienced before. A chill rather than a warmth spread through my form and a subtler seizure rippled through my body after it- like the perfect dessert after the perfect meal. I closed my eyes and savored that moment when Bobby and I were one- a single trembling, moaning, quaking, panting, shuddering, whimpering, loving soul. Funny how long a moment can last. And not. Our passions spent, we lay there with our skins clinging to one another due to a sheen of sweat that I could not recall having produced. I noticed my heart beating and wondered if he could feel it too. My hands slid along his back, up his neck, and into his locks. These I used to pull his face to mine. "See," I whispered, "it's gonna be ok." Bobby's eyes sparkled like a field of fireflies. "Why didn't I know you when I was alive?" Afraid he might ask some other foolish question, I smothered his mouth with mine. Again, he kissed me back. Our mouths meshed. Our lips caressed. Our tongues danced. Closing my eyes, I licked his lips. His tongue. His gums. And his teeth. I'd done the same before dozens of times with more men than I cared to remember, but none of them were vampires. The first hint of my crime was a salty metallic taste. I thought it was his flavor at first, until I noticed the warmth that came with it. My eyes opened and I looked straight into a pair of amber beacons. I tried to pull away, but he sucked my tongue so hard it drew my face against his. Bobby's not that fast or strong? Lying bitch! I squealed my anguish, but his eyes only grew brighter until I was compelled to clamp my own eyes tight. Even then, I could still see his glow through my eyelids. I tried to cry, "You're hurting me!" but I only mumbled into his mouth and prayed that he somehow understood my muffled plea. For a heartbeat, I thought he had. The light faded. He let go of my tongue. With a smile spreading across my face I popped my eyes open, expecting to thank him. My smile faded faster than had the amber glow from his orbs. Before me, Norma held Bobby the vampire by the throat. His dark eyes were wide with the ends dropping to match the curve of his mouth. "I'm so sorry," he squealed before turning his eyes to Norma. "I was going to, wasn't I?" She nodded. "No," Bobby whimpered, reaching toward me. Sitting up, I reached back, but Norma just shook her head and hurled him from the bed, over the footboard, and into the clutch of shadows gathered near the door. With a rush, they were gone, leaving my panties swirling in the air beyond the door. I turned my wide, wet eyes to my sole companion. "Are they going to..." Norma sat beside me on the mattress and pulled my head to her shoulder. "They already have." Tears rolled from both of my eyes. "No," I gasped before a series of sobs rendered speaking impossible. Norma clutched me closer and ran her fingers through my hair. "I wish I could cry," she whispered. My chest shuddered as I tried to regain control of my grief at least enough to speak. "I killed him," I managed to whimper. "No," Norma insisted. "But he was going to kill you." "You don't understand," I insisted. "I cut my tongue on his teeth. He didn't bite me!" "It doesn't matter," Norma said. "A vampire must be in control at all times, and Bobby wasn't. He'd have killed someone not meant to die- but you helped prevent that. Do not doubt we are in your debt." With a pout on my face, I wrenched myself from her grip. "What is wrong with you? He was such a nice boy! Why did you even make him a vampire anyway?" Her lips formed that close-lipped grin I'd already learned to despise. "Because nice boys make the best vampires. What would happen if someone like that guy you were with- what was his name?" "Mick!" "Yes," she said. "Mick. Can you imagine him being a vampire? What about the high school quarterback? Or," she paused to laugh, "a cheerleader? Those people are already used to getting what they want. You saw what power did to Bobby, imagine what it would do to them? Don't you see why we have to have a sacrifice- to be sure?" My eyes narrowed. "And what was your sacrifice? How did you prove yourself?" "Well," she began, "it's a little different for a woman. Men lose all their spermatozoa in one night. We lose all our ova." She shook her head. "Can you say the period from hell? Suffering through that without killing someone is enough of a test. But you're not going to be a vampire, so you don't have to worry about it." I cycled a massive breath and imagined what I did have to worry about. "Are you going to kill me like you said?" "When did I say that?" "You told Bobby if he didn't fuck me, you'd have to devour me." Norma's lips formed that smile again. "Of course I wasn't going to kill you," she replied. "If Bobby didn't go through with it, I was going to kill him, but I knew that didn't really frighten him- but hurting you did. Besides, he did fuck you- and pretty well, I think." I shook my head and looked toward the door. "This makes so little sense." Tears welled in my eyes. "He really was so nice, I think, well, I'm not even sure what I think." She smiled again, a real smile with teeth, and reached with her hand to cover mine. "Yes, Bobby was quite the gentleman. He made his choice and took his chances. But that's the way life is and not every gentleman is cut out to be a vampire. Some are meant to be husbands- you might consider looking for one, maybe in a library instead of a club." I looked up and shared her smile. "Yeah, maybe I will." "Good," she replied. "You should live for something other than quickies on a hillside and you're right- you aren't stupid. Plus, since the brain comes free with the body, you may as well use it, don't you think?" I allowed myself a giggle. "I guess so." "I know so," she said. "Now let's have a look at that tongue." I opened my mouth and stuck out my wounded appendage. She grimaced. "You must have been pretty excited to not feel that. I think we'll need to get you sewn up." So a vampire drove me to the emergency room to get my tongue stitched up. There were so many things I wanted to ask her, but a waiting room didn't seem like the right place for such questions. It was the wee hours before we were done and by then I was yawning every few minutes. "I've forgotten what it's like to be sleepy," she said as we reached the little white car. "I think I better keep the keys." Norma settled into the driver's seat, then reached for her breast pocket and half-pulled the pack of smokes from her jacket. "Do you mind?" "I do!" I said. "It's my friend's car, remember?" She laughed, "Yeah, I remember," and pulled her gum out instead, then held a stick my way. I accepted it. "Thanks." "My pleasure," she replied, unwrapping a stick of her own. "Why don't you tell me about yourself," I suggested. "Like how'd you become a vampire." She glanced my way and smiled. "You really want to know?" "I do." "On one condition." "What?" I asked. "You tell me what it's like to orgasm the way you did." "Deal," I said. "You first." She shrugged and reached for the ignition. "Ok, but it may not be the exciting story you think it will be. Did you notice the church across the river from the fort? I don't expect you saw it in the dark. I was married there, just before the Civil War. Back then..." Butterfly's Sacrifice You'd think listening to a vampire tell her life story would be pretty interesting, but I guess she was right after all- I was asleep before we crossed the St. Croix. ~ ~ ~ When my eyes snapped open the next afternoon, my first thought was that I'd had the wildest dream, but one fingertip to the suture on my tongue convinced me otherwise. I leapt out of bed and rushed to my washroom. Flipping on the light, I looked in the mirror, first at the fine cut on my lip, then to the dozen or so bruises upon my bosom. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember it all, then just as quickly I wished I couldn't. I ran to my window and threw wide the curtains. The sunlight and the world came rushing in. Students walking. Birds picking at the ground. Cars moving along the roads. Dried leaves swirling about the bare trees. My eyes roamed the few shadows I could spy, knowing well there was much to this world that I had not seen before. For the rest of the day, I was looking over my shoulder, expecting to find a petite blonde looking back. Several times I wandered past the library and remembered her advice, but I wasn't quite ready to go inside. I ate out for both lunch and dinner, and then cursed the lengthening shadows of an autumn afternoon. A full hour before the sun had set, I was in my dorm with my doors locked and all the lights on, not that I expected any lock or light to protect me. I stayed on the phone with old friends most of the evening, talking about everything except the one thing I wanted to talk about. Who could I tell? Come midnight, I traded old friends for old movies, but they were no better company. In spite of my fears, nothing went bump that night. Or the next night. Or the one after that. A week passed. When Friday arrived, I realized how much my life had changed- I didn't even think about borrowing a car or driving anywhere. Saturday passed much the same and I had begun to wonder if perhaps one of my dates had slipped me some hallucinogenic drug after all. Real or not, my memory had left me determined to be known for something other than the tattoo men saw when they had me bent over. I awoke Sunday to a knocking at my door. Shaking the cobwebs from my head, I made my way to my peephole. What I saw caused my eyes to widen and my heart to skip a beat. Putting my splayed fingers to my breast, I turned and leaned on the door. The knocking resumed. "Amy Schroeder!" came a call just loud enough that I was sure everyone in the building must have heard it. "Police! We know you're home. Open the door!" With a sigh and a swallow, I turned and did just that. The right-most of the two officers used his index finger to pull the shades down his nose. Looking at me over the darkened lenses, he said, "Good morning, Miss Schroeder. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Michael Stafford." He pushed a photograph toward me and an all-too-familiar face flashed an open-mouthed smile from beneath a pair of bushy brows and uncombed sandy blond hair. "You know him?" I swallowed. "I don't think so." He laughed. "We know you do, Butterfly. Why don't you tell us all about it?" My head began to pivot in a slow shake. "I really don't think you'd believe me. I'm not sure..." From the right, my eyes caught a motion, just a grey flash, and then she was there, right in front of me- a slender blonde in a charcoal suit wearing even darker sunglasses. My nose picked up her not-so-subtle dose of Lady Stetson. She reached for her breast pocket and produced a pack of Marlboros, but then smiled, put them back, and pulled out a package of Big Red instead. "Why don't you tell us, anyway?" she said, "You never know what we might believe." She popped a stick of gum into her mouth and leaned forward before continuing in a whisper, "Plus, you never told me about that orgasm." With a smile spreading across my face, I leaned too, until my nose was but an inch from hers. "Abraham Lincoln," I whispered. "He was president during the Civil War." THE END Butterfly's Sacrifice Copyright 2006 by Penelope Street Posted with permission at Literotica.com All other rights reserved. Special thanks to Helen for her editing expertise. This is a work of fiction. To the best of the author's knowledge, none of the events depicted ever occurred, nor does Northwest Wisconsin State University exist. All characters are the author's creation. Their views, opinions, and experiences are invented as well and are not meant to promote anyone's personal beliefs or agenda.