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Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 02

By: Dreamweaver594



Jacob awoke to find Alicia still sound asleep and curled up against his side. Her auburn hair shrouded her face like a golden veil. He glanced over to the window. Outside the rain that started an hour earlier began to taper off to a misty drizzle and the sun, just rising above the trees was beginning to peek through the clouds.

"Hmm, maybe it will be a good day to go to the lake after all," he thought idly.

Jacob returned his attention to the beautiful woman curled up against his side.

"She looks so vulnerable now, just like a little girl. Perhaps this is what she meant when she said that she wanted me to look after her as she sleeps," he thought. "How can a woman so vibrant and powerful look so innocent in slumber? Vampires are quite a paradox apparently. Crap, for that matter all women are a paradox!"

Jacob paused for a moment and, squinting his eyes, he began to study her aura. Seeing auras was one of his gifts from early childhood. He always saw colors radiating from people, and until he spoke with his grandmother he just thought everyone saw people that way. He remembered mentioning it to his mother once after that and she immediately told him to never mention it to anyone ever again.

"I'm not having some freak as the first born son of my family," she hissed vehemently. "Never speak of this again."

Of course he was only five, and five-year olds have an open heart. Fortunately, Jacobs's paternal grandmother Anna was more understanding and supportive. A spiritual person herself, she encouraged Jacob to study and refine his gift. Over the years he was able to tell at a glance how a person was feeling emotionally and physically.

When Jacob first noticed Alicia he glanced at her aura. That was the day he pulled her away from what could have been a tragic accident. Her aura was very dark and nearly non-existent. Now it radiates a lot more color and intensity, almost as if she is recovering from a serious disease that nearly drained her energy.

He continued to gaze at her as she slept next to him. Jacob reached over and brushed a lock of her hair away from her eyes. She wiggled her nose and snuggled closer against him.

He decided to look at her other probabilities. Jacob's other childhood gift was clairvoyance. He knew that looking at her this way was fraught with misinterpretation. Any thoughts or visions of one so strongly connected to him could be easily influenced by his own desires. But he decided to look beyond this moment and see if he could see anything that might be in her path that could cause her harm.

Sometimes symbols or images would float around a person and could, perhaps, give a hint as to what lie ahead for them. It was all probabilities, of course, but often his insights proved very accurate. He learned a long time ago not to share his visions with anyone because most of the time it led to mistrust. People just don't like things they don't understand. A vision of the future filled with possibilities, that may or may not come to fruition, was something most people found disturbing.

Jacob closed his eyes and began to focus his attention inwardly on Alicia. In his mind he could see her smiling face looking up at him with such excitement. He continued to concentrate on her then he slowly opened his eyes. There, floating around her head were several images. They were like symbols, hieroglyphic in nature, which seemed to have a connection to Alicia. One was of water floating placidly in a lake or river. Another image was of a flame burning like a candle. And a third image that hovered the furthest from her was of a panther, moving slowly, lurking in the darkness.

The first two symbols seemed to suggest tranquility and good luck or hope, or even spiritual enlightenment. For the third symbol, the one furthest from Alicia's aura, Jacob sensed something sinister and dangerous. It troubled him to see it but at the same time, because it was the furthest from her, he felt that there was at least some time to prepare. For what though, he couldn't imagine, at least not yet.

Alicia stretched across him and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Good morning," she murmured softly.

"Good morning, sleepy head," he replied in a whisper then he leaned over and kissed her on top of her head.

Alicia sat up and looked out of the window at the drizzle.

"Aw, the beach is no fun in the rain," she grumbled.

"It's letting up and I saw the sun peek through a moment ago," he replied. "You're not off the hook yet," he grinned sheepishly. "Still, it might be a bit chilly."

Alicia smiled sweetly then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She yawned and turned towards the window. She stretched her arms wide and yawned again. As she opened her mouth her fangs extended fully. They gave her a wild, ferocious looking, and very feline appearance that fascinated Jacob.

"Holy shit kitten," whispered Jacob his eyes open wide. "Those fangs are scary."

Alicia looked over her shoulder at Jacob with a wicked grin, her fangs continued to peek out from beneath her lip. She turned around then leaned towards him and looked into his eyes.

"Do they frighten you sweetie?" Her words drifted gently into Jacob's mind.

Her eyes began to glow brilliantly as she slowly retracted her fangs.

"Well, yes, wouldn't they scare you if you were in my place?" He whispered his reply.

"I suppose," she purred.

She brushed against his lips with hers as gently as a feather would touch a hand as it fell from the sky.

"I will never intentionally hurt you Jacob, I promise you that with all my heart," she said softly as she snuggled down against his chest.

"Thank you," he replied. Jacob wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again.

"You are so amazing, Alicia," he murmured. "So absolutely amazing."

"I'm glad you think so, sweetie," she replied softly and cuddled closer.

"I want to share something with you," Jacob started haltingly. "It's not something that I have ever told anyone outside of my grandmother Anna before she died."

"A secret?" she asked. "I love secrets," she said with a grin still snuggled against him.

"I can see auras," he said softly.

"You can?" Alicia popped up with an excited look on her face. "That is so cool. Can you see mine?"

"Of course."

"What do you see?"

"Well, when I first met you it was black or a deep dark indigo. I couldn't be sure because I only glanced at it. And, it was barely there at all. It was as if your life energy was nearly drained from you."

"And now?" She asked watching his face intently. Jacob's smile broadened.

"It's beautiful, it's so full of color and intensity. It seems as if it grew overnight," he replied with a look of wonder.

Alicia smiled sweetly and threw her arms around his neck to draw him into a big hug.

"That's all because of you, sweetheart," she replied softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Is that all you can see?" she asked.

"Well, there is more. I can see things that look like symbols floating around you. They fade in and out but they're still there."

"Are you clairvoyant?" she asked.

"I guess, that's what my grandmother told me anyway."

She peppered him with questions. "What do think they mean? Are they connected to me emotionally or physically? Can you see my future?"

"I don't know for sure right now. I mean some of the symbols are obvious. There's a sense of tranquility and peace, and there's a feeling of enlightenment that's strong right now but there are other symbols that are further away and harder to interpret that I need time to consider before I tell you," he said hoping that she would not try to press him for more details.

She turned and snuggled against his chest while she considered all that he told her. Her face was filled with an intensity that Jacob had not seen before. Then her expression soften and she pulled his arms around her.

"You have beautiful gifts, Jacob," she murmured. "They are very special, just like you are to me. I'll wait until you're ready to tell me what you see. I knew you were the right person to keep me safe."

"Where did you come from, I mean, where's home for you?" he asked.

"Someplace far away," she replied then she sat up with a serious expression. "Jacob, if I tell you things about me can you promise me that you will never reveal them to anyone? Ever?"

"If you ask me I'll keep your secrets forever," he said reaching out for her hands.

"No matter what I tell you?"

"No matter what you tell me. Wait, should I be worried that the police are going to break down the door at any minute?" he asked with a smirk.

"No silly, but there are people who would like to see me dead. You can't live as a vampire for sixty years and not make a few enemies."

Jacob nearly choked. "Eighty years! I thought you said you weren't immortal?"

"I'm not. I just age slower and heal faster."

"My head is spinning. This is almost too much to believe."

"I'm here aren't I," Alicia purred. She pulled Jacob's arms around her again and held him close. "Okay, I know you have questions and I have some too. Your turn first."

"Where's home?" Jacob asked.

"I was born on the 2nd of August in 1950 in Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada. My dad was a nurse in the hospital and my mom was a secretary for a construction company. Only my mom was a vampire, actually I come from a long lineage of vampires going back for centuries through her side of the family."

"You said 'was'," Jacob whispered, "are they no longer alive?"

"My folks died when I was almost 20. It was a car accident on a country road outside of Winnipeg. It was raining and there was a drunk driver. There was an accident and somebody's car slid off the road into a ditch. My mom was driving at the time and she stopped to see if they needed help. My dad, ever the nurse, got out to check on everybody. Suddenly, this drunk driver careened into their car driving it into my dad. Mom's car crushed him against the other vehicle in the ditch. My dad died instantly but my mom lingered for several hours. She called my cousin and me to come and get them. Obviously, we couldn't let the paramedics find them."

"Fuck, that's terrible."

"When we got there mom was almost gone. She told us what happened then she passed in my cousin's arms. My cousin was a basket case after that. It was all she could do to help me put them into their car and torch it. We had to destroy everything and fire is the only way. Secrecy and safety, Jacob, it's paramount for us."

"Damn, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I think it really messed up my cousin as much as it did me. We cried for weeks and weeks after that."

Jacob kissed the top of Alicia's head and held her close.

"After my parents died my cousin and I sort of disappeared. I started drifting around Canada for a while, doing one odd job after another. I never felt like settling anywhere so I just wandered. Eventually, I came to the States."

"Your cousin, is she like you?"

"You mean physically?"

"Yeah."

"She's a dhampir like me but as far as my extra equipment, I'm one in a million."

"Yes you are," he murmured softly. He felt her cock harden against his leg and as she snuggled against him. He could feel her nipples and her breasts press against his skin. She curled around to kiss Jacob on the lips then she sat up to look out the window.

"Her name is Naomi. She came to live with us after her parents died when she was fifteen and I was nearly eighteen. She's like a younger sister to me. I guess the death of my parents hit her extra hard because she lost her mom and dad as well. She drifted like I did for a while. I think she went back to Europe too. Eventually, she settled on the east coast, in a city called Northport. She's married with three kids now. They have a beautiful home on a bluff overlooking the city."

"All vampires?

"Yup," she replied as she leaned back to fall in his lap. "Well, they will be once they come of age."

"When's that?" he asked idly stroking her hair.

"When they're sixteen. The oldest, Maria, will be sixteen next year. She's gorgeous, a real heart breaker. She has every boy in her school wrapped around her little finger."

"And your brother? What's he like?"

"He's nice. I only met him once when I went to visit them last year. He was a human before she turned him."

"What? She turned him?"

"Yeah, after the youngest child was born. Naomi didn't want to be tied to his lifespan so they both decided to look for an alternative. She did tons of research and found this ancient book that showed her how it could be done. It was difficult but they managed to make it happen. I envy her, she has such a beautiful family."

"What does he do?"

"He's a writer and he owns a bookstore."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

"Wait, what do you mean tied to his lifespan?"

"If a vampire bites a human three times they become linked, physically as well as emotionally. If the human dies so does the vampire."

"Really? Why?" he asked looking a bit nervous.

"Because we can no longer bite anyone else, we're linked to one person, for life."

"Wait a minute. How many times have you bitten me?"

"Only once so far," she grinned sheepishly.

"That means you can't bite me anymore."

Alicia's fangs began to peek beneath her lip again.

"Too late," Jacob heard her thoughts inside of his mind. "I've already decided that you are the one for me."

Alicia turned around and wrapped her arms around Jacob and kissed him deeply. She leaned back and looked at him serenely, her glowing eyes twinkled in the morning sunlight.

"From now on, if I bite anyone else, it will only be to protect you or myself. You are the only one I can bite; the only one I want to bite."

Jacob gazed into her brilliant blue eyes and smiled.

"How can this girl have enemies?" he thought privately.

"What did you mean when you said you needed me to protect you?" Jacob asked as nonchalantly as possible.

Alicia paused for a moment and then looked at Jacob and smiled sweetly.

"If you don't want to tell me that's okay. I was just curious."

"No, no, I want to tell you. Actually, you need to know what you're getting into," she said honestly then she paused a moment to collect her thoughts while Jacob waited.

"In my world, I'm what you might call a ghost vampire, a dhampir."

"Huh?"

"Just like there are many permutations of what it is to be human there are several permutations of what it is to be a vampire. What it all boils down to is that there are two types of vampires in the world. Those who take blood to ingest it like food and those who take blood to restore what we've lost through the 'cleanse'. I'm in the latter category."

Jacob looked at her in awe.

"Those who take blood to ingest it, take it as food like you do to keep your body functioning; only they can't ingest human food, only blood. They exist to prey on humans. They can take blood from other blood animals but they prefer humans. And because they ingest blood as food they need larger quantities of it and more often. This often leads to death for their prey."

"For my kind, on the other hand, we need only small amounts of blood periodically to restore what we've lost when our bodies purge old blood out of our system. And, I can eat normal human food. To be a dhampir is to be a half-breed. I was born of mixed parentage. One was a human and the other was a vampire. My mother was a dhampir actually."

"Why do you call yourselves 'ghost vampires'?"

"Because we are more hidden in your world. We leave no trace of ourselves wherever we go."

"That's right, the bite wound, it disappeared so quickly," Jacob replied touching the place on his neck where she bit him.

"Yes, exactly. Because we need so little blood, and we easily heal the wounds on the bodies of our prey, it's like we were never there. We just take what we need and nothing more."

"So, how does this relate to enemies?"

"Most vampires hate dhampirs, not all, but most of them do. They want to eradicate us. To the purists we are half-breeds, sub-vampires, impure. To the rest of them we are interlopers. When they discover us they try to kill us. Things can get ugly quickly if they were to discover me. That's why I wanted you to know what you're getting into. If this is too much for you we can part company right now, I completely understand."

"But it would break my heart," she whispered almost too soft for Jacob to hear.

"But how can I protect you," asked Jacob? "I mean, come on, against you I'm next to nothing."

"It's not about the physical, sweetheart, although I suspect that you're stronger than you appear," she purred. "There are times when I am very vulnerable, like when I'm sleeping or when I'm dealing with the 'cleanse'. And you can see things that I can't. For me that's huge! We also have this mental link between us. It's beyond me how it works but so cool that it does." She paused a moment and looked at his adoring smile.

"I want you by my side for those reasons and more," Jacob heard her thought flow through his mind.

Jacob considered her request privately for a moment. "I doubt that I can be of much use to her but I can't imagine not having her in my life. She's just amazing and best of all she likes me!"

Doubt and worry began to cloud Alicia's expression as she watched Jacob wrestle with what she told him about her life.

Then, as if Jacob finally made a decision, he smiled and kissed her cheek tenderly.

"Come on," Jacob said as he swatted her butt. "Let's go to the beach."

Alicia squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him on the cheek and trailed kisses across to his mouth. Then she leaned back beaming at him.

"Well first," she said with an impish grin, "my boyfriend and I have to go shopping. I simply don't have a thing to wear."

"Ha! That's what every woman says. Where's all your stuff?"

"All that I have in the world is in a locker at the bus station, but I don't have the cash to get it out of hock. But that doesn't matter anyway because I still don't have a swimming suit."

"Okay," Jacob replied, "first we'll get your stuff out of hock and then we'll go shopping."

"And maybe for a few clothes too?"

"No problem," Jacob replied as he pulled open his dresser and rummaged around. "Here's a pair of shorts and a t-shirt you can wear until we find something more suitable."

"Do you have any underwear? Mine are a mess."

"Sure, if you don't mind boys' briefs," he said handing her a pair from his top drawer.

"How can you stand this stuff?" She asked rubbing the cloth between her thumb and forefinger. "It's like wearing sack cloth."

"I know but that's what they sell us."

"Well, if I were you, I'd by girl's stuff, it feels a lot nicer let me tell you."

She pulled on his underwear with a grimace then pulled on his shorts and t-shirt. Her ample breasts, still free from the constraints of a bra, strained against the fabric. Her nipples were erect and nearly pierced the thin cotton. Jacob stood there, his mouth agape, looking at this goddess dressed in his t-shirt and shorts. It was all he could do to keep from stuttering.

"T-That's the best that shirt and shorts have ever looked," he said with a broad grin and she smiled sweetly. She pursed her lips into an air kiss.

He tossed her a light jacket and they walked out the front door of the apartment.

***

Jacob opened the passenger door for Alicia and she slid into the seat as he closed the door. He walked around the car and sat behind the wheel.

"So, first the bus station and then the mall. Fasten your seatbelt."

"Why, are you a lousy driver?" She asked with a silly grin.

"No, but I can't vouch for the other idiots on the road."

"Good point," she replied as she clicked her buckle shut.


Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 02



Jacob pulled out of the parking lot in front of the apartment complex and turned down the street towards downtown and the bus terminal. As he drove Alicia gazed out of the passenger window to watch cars and houses whizzed by in a blur.

"Penny for your thoughts," he quipped.

"I was just thinking about how we first met. I was just off the bus from Springfield. I was walking down the sidewalk and slipped as I stepped into a puddle. I was falling straight into oncoming traffic. There was this big truck and I was nearly underneath it when you reached out of nowhere and pulled me back as if I was as light as a feather."

"I turned to thank you and I found myself looking into a pair of the most beautiful grey eyes I've ever seen."

Jason blushed crimson but kept his eyes on the road. Alicia grinned as she reached across the car and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You glanced at me briefly with that half smile of yours and I just stood there dazed like a schoolgirl," she continued. "Before I could think of anything to say you were down the sidewalk and gone."

She smiled winsomely and glanced across at Jacob.

"I searched all over town for you that day and for three days after. I'd almost given up when I saw you walking past that same bus station. This time I wasn't going to loose you and I followed you here."

"And you found me watching, of all things, a vampire flick on late night TV," he mused.

"Yeah, how ironic."

They stopped at the bus terminal and retrieved her backpack from one of the lockers. There wasn't much in it. She explained that she had to travel light for obvious reasons.

"Most of that stuff is way too worn out," Jacob said shaking his head as she pulled out some of the contents out of her bag. "We'll just replace it when we get to the store."

"I'll pay you back for everything, okay?" she said stuffing her old clothes back into her backpack.

"There's no need. It'll do my family good to use their money on something worth while for a change."

"What do you mean?"

"They're all pretty well off. But because they are so busy with their own self-indulgent lives they don't pay much attention to me or anybody else for that matter. I suppose that's a blessing in disguise," he added with a wry smile. "I'm what you call the first pancake."

"The what?" she asked.

"The first pancake, you know, the one you always throw away."

"Damn, I thought my life was fucked up," she added softly.

Jacob pulled into the parking lot outside of a local department store. He walked around the car and opened the door for Alicia.

Inside the store their first stop was in the women's lingerie department. They picked up a few necessities including some panties for Jacob as well.

"You'll love the feel and so will I," she giggled. "Besides they'll make your butt look so much cuter."

They went on to pick up some tops and pants in assorted colors, a few bras, a couple of dresses and a good winter coat. It wasn't much by anyone else's standards but it was a lot for Alicia and she had a hard time keeping her emotions under control.

"Here, put this in the cart too," he said as he handed her a cute little black dress. "Next we'll find you a couple of pair of shoes. Those sneakers are totally worn out."

"Jacob, this is way too much," she pleaded as she felt the richness of the cloth. She looked at him and her eyes began to tear up.

"Alicia, I want my girl to have beautiful things. I want the world to see what a beautiful woman you are." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Humor me," he whispered with a silly grin.

"Sweetheart, I'm going wander for a bit because I want you to pick out a swimming suit to surprise me with when we get to the beach," he added softly.

"You know it's probably too cold for a swimming suit," she replied. And they're way out of season so they probably won't have much to choose from."

"I know but I want you to get one anyway," he grinned. "Besides how can you go to the lake without a swimming suit? And we can wear our coats over them. Problem solved!"

"Okay," she blushed, "I'll come find you when I'm done."

She turned to walk back to the women's department when Jacob grabbed her wrist.

"Hey kitten, don't go cheap on me okay?" he said kissing her on the cheek. "Get what you want and nothing less."

She smiled and blew him a kiss as she hurried away.

A half hour later she found him looking at computers while he waited. They turned her cart around and headed for the shoe department. Jacob tossed a separate bag into the cart.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Something for later," he replied, "a little present for you."

"Ohh, I love presents!" She purred.

Jacob decided to go to the north end of the beach where it was more secluded. There was a cabana for changing clothes near a picnic table and Jacob waited while Alicia changed.

When she emerged it was all he could do to keep his cock concealed inside his trunks. She was gorgeous. Her full breasts strained against the skimpy material of the bikini, which delightfully enhanced her naturally beautiful curves.

Even though it was the end of the summer season for swimwear she managed to find a stunning outfit. Jacob couldn't help staring at her crotch. Finally, he had to ask, his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"How do you hide it?"

Alicia blushed a bit and giggled then she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"I'll show you later," she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Jacob wrapped her new coat around her shoulders as she curled her arm around his and they strolled casually towards the water's edge. The breezes were light and the sun was warm so everything was as it should be for a late autumn afternoon.

He couldn't help but admire the awesome way her butt wiggled in that suit. Alicia glanced over to catch him admiring her. When she saw him glance at her, he blushed like a schoolboy getting caught peeking and dropped his eyes. She hugged him and giggled as they continued to walk down along the water.

"Have you ever had to fight with a vampire?" He asked as his expression turned more serious.

"Only once. I nearly lost until I understood what was finally happening and my training skills kicked in," she replied as she thought back on the moment many years ago. "My mother trained my cousin and I a lot when we turned sixteen. She drilled us like a crazy. She knew there would be a time when we would come up against a vampire and we had to be ready."

"That's where the martial arts training came from?"

"Yes, although my mother mixed things up from several styles. She used the techniques that fit best with our genetics."

"Would you train me," Jacob asked? "I want to learn so that I can help."

"Of course," she smiled sweetly then her expression turned serious but her eyes continued twinkle. "But I won't go easy on you."

"I know," he replied, "but I want to help."

"Each time you loose to me I will have to punish you, you know," she smiled wickedly.

"I know kitten," he replied kissing her on the cheek. "I might even loose because of that."

"Oh, you're going to loose all right, I'll make sure of it," she replied curling her arm around his.

After a short stroll along the water they settled down with a blanket and towels to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

"Here," he said pulling a package out of the beach bag and handing her what he purchased earlier. "A plastic bag is the best I could do for wrapping. I'll do better next time."

Alicia leaned over and kissed him on the cheek then began to tear open the wrapping like a kid on Christmas morning. Inside was a new cellphone.

"It's not fully charged yet but the first name in your phone book is mine," he said with a broad smile.

"Thank you Jacob, this is...I can't begin to tell you how happy I am right now," she said her eyes glistening. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Then the hug turned into a deep and passionate kiss.

The beach wasn't too crowded, but there were a few people doing the same thing they were in little couples all along the waterfront. Alicia slipped her hand beneath Jacob's swimsuit and began to fondle his cock as he explored her mouth with his tongue. His cock was rigid in seconds, straining against the fabric of his swimsuit. She began to stroke it gently, urging him onwards.

Then, right when things were beginning to really heat up, Jacob's cellphone began to ring. Jacob sighed as he dug beneath the towels in his bag and pulled out his cellphone. He looked at the number and groaned.

"Crap," he muttered as he sat up. "It's Meredith."

"Who is she," asked Alicia? "Not a girlfriend is she?"

"No, definitely not," he said as he looked at her with a hint of sarcasm. "She's a friend of my family, sort of," he explained. "She likes to think she's my girlfriend but actually, I think she's just keeping an eye on me for my parents. She spends most of her time with her boy-toy, Geoffrey, who she keeps on a short leash to do her bidding. I swear I've seen his butt wag when she calls him. It's pathetic but he just laps it up. That's what I call bad karma."

"Her family is old money," he went on to explain. "Just like my parents, and they like to keep everything and everyone neatly under their thumb. For them, I'm the loose cannon."

"What are you going to do?"

Jacob pushed a button to make his phone stop ringing.

"Right now, ignore her. After that I don't know," he replied in a sulking mood. "But I do know this, she's not going to come between us." Jacob sighed. "Though it does look like she managed to dampen the mood."

"That's okay," Alicia said softly. "It looks like the rain is coming back anyway," she said pointing to a dark band of clouds moving in from the west.

The phone began to ring again and this time Jacob decided to answer it.

"Yes Meredith? No, I'm at the beach. Yes, I'm with someone. No, it's none of your business who I'm with. I don't know, maybe later this afternoon, it looks like rain anyway. No, I really don't care. Don't call me again."

Jacob looked totally annoyed as he clipped the phone shut and then turned it off.

"Sorry," he grumbled. "That's how life likes to intrude on a perfect moment."

He turned around and threw the phone back into the beach bag along with the towels.

"We should probably go," he said.

"Don't worry sweetie," she said cupping his face in her hands. "There will be lots of dates where life won't interrupt." Then she kissed him tenderly and brushed back a lock of his hair.

"When we get back she'll probably be waiting for me," he said with a sigh. "Just so you know it will probably get ugly but don't let her get to you."

Alicia smiled and shook her head slightly. "I'll be fine, let's go."

Outside of Jacob's apartment building Meredith Billingsley stood waiting while Jacob parked his car. She stood there tapping her foot with her hands on her hips. Jacob had seen this routine before and he was immune to it. As Jacob and Alicia walked up towards the apartment door Meredith moved to block their way.

"And who is this?" She asked pointed a manicured finger and glared at Alicia.

"Someone who hasn't the time to deal with your stupid petty games, Meredith," growled Jacob. "Why don't you go back to your little boy-toy Geoffrey and stay out of my life."

Meredith turned back to Jacob and slapped him hard across the face. Alicia began to move towards Meredith but Jacob put out his arm to stop her.

"Don't," he projected his thought to Alicia. "Let me handle this my way. The little bitch is only doing this to provoke you. She has no idea who she's dealing with and I want to keep it that way."

"Listen to me Meredith," he said in a low but menacing tone. "Because I'm only going to say this once." He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes.

Jacob watched worry and panic creep into Meredith's eyes as he tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"I know you have been spying on me for my parents. I know you've been doing it for sometime, too. The only reason why you bother to talk to me is because the money my father gives you is too good to pass up. I've tolerated it in the past but that's over now."

"Tell my parents, when you see them, which I know you will right after you leave me, that I'm just fine without them. If they want me in their lives they will have to do it on my terms not theirs." Meredith started to say something but Jacob stopped her.

"Goodbye Meredith," he said as he released her and nudged her gently towards the street.

Meredith turned back and started to slap him again but this time Jacob held her wrist. "We're through, Billingsley, now get out of my sight."

Jacob turned and taking Alicia's hand they walked around an apoplectic Meredith and continued towards his car. Jacob opened the passenger door for her and Alicia sat back in the passenger seat. As he walked away he glanced at Meredith still standing on the sidewalk. She stood there shocked at what had just happened. Jacob glared at her then turned away as he opened the car door and sat behind the wheel. A moment later they both drove off leaving Meredith to stand alone, her mouth still gaping open.

"You took a nasty slap back there," Alicia murmured. "I was about to knock her into next week."

"Don't bother, she's not worth it," Jacob replied. "None of them are. Besides, I don't want you to be mixed up with them anyway. The less they know about you the better. It will make it easier for us to disappear," he ended in a whisper.

Jacob drove a few more blocks in silence while Alicia watched him out of the corner of her eye.

"Up until the moment I met you, all I've been doing in my life is treading water while my family toyed with me like a little puppet," Jacob said softly. He stopped at an intersection and looked at her. "But you've changed everything for me. Alicia, you are the most fascinating, powerful, beautiful, and amazing woman I have ever met. And I can not imagine my life without you," he said looking into her eyes sincerely.

Jacob watched Alicia eyes glistened as she sat quietly listening to Jacob. Finally, the loud blare of a horn from the car behind them brought him back to earth and Jacob turned down the street towards the Chinese take-out place he liked to frequent.

"You're not going away anytime soon are you?"

Alicia looked over at Jacob and smile sweetly.

"There was a time when I first arrived that I thought I might hang out here a few days and then move on. But that all changed when I met you."

"Good answer. In that case I think it's time for me to find a new apartment."

"I think so too," she smiled serenely. "So, where are we going?"

"We're going to get Chinese carryout, if that's okay," he replied and Alicia nodded. "There's a nice little place just up ahead."

Jacob drove a little further down the street.

"By the time we return Meredith will have dutifully reported back to my parents and hopefully they all will be forever out of my hair."

Jacob paused a moment at the traffic light and shook his head.

"I wish it were as easy as that," he muttered. "I'm sure there will be a lot more phone calls and even a visit or two from dear old dad before I'm done with them."

"What about your studies?" Alicia asked. "Aren't they paying for it?"

"Not since my freshman year," he replied as the light turned green. "Grandma Anna died that year and left her grandchildren a nice little trust fund gift. My parents did all they could to control it but thankfully my grandmother had a good lawyer."

"Will you be all right?"

"We'll be fine," he replied. "I've got a little bit salted away and I'll keep my part-time job until I finish school. Then, who knows, maybe you can teach me how to be a ghost and we can both disappear," he said with a wry grin.

"Of course," she replied, her eyes twinkling.

Jacob pulled his car into the parking lot of a local Chinese restaurant. And a half hour later they were back in Jacob's apartment.

"That's was delicious," moaned Alicia. "If I keep eating like this I'm going to get fat."

"Never, but if you want we could go for a walk?" he asked.

"Maybe later," she purred. "How about we get a shower then take a nap. I scrub your back, you scrub mine?"

"Sure. Only this time I'm going to peek."

Alicia lathered up the washcloth and handed it to Jacob.

"Ladies first," she smiled coquettishly as she turned so he could scrub her back.

Jacob slowly moved the washcloth across her shoulders then down her spine until he nestled it between her butt cheeks. She moaned and wiggled as he caressed her. He lathered up the washcloth again and reached around her to wash her breasts and stomach. She twisted around to face him as he caressed her breasts.

"Mmm, you make my body tingle," she said demurely.

Jacob knelt down and began to wash her cock. He let the warm water cascade over it as he wiped away the soap. He watched it rise up against her stomach and stand rigid against the stream of water. He looked up at Alicia and saw the twinkle in her eye as she pushed her cock towards his lips.

He opened his mouth and took her in as far as he could without gagging. She moaned as he closed his lips around her shaft and began to suck. He stroked her several times then pulled his mouth off her cock to trail his tongue beneath her balls to her pussy lips while still rubbing her cock gently with his hand.

His tongue pushed deep between her swollen lips to delve into her vagina, sucking and licking every part of her. Her knees began to buckle under the intensity of his tongue and hand. She slid down the shower wall to collapse to her knees on the tile floor.

He moved his mouth back to her cock as he slipped two fingers into her in search of her g-spot once again.

"Oh my god, Jacob," she moaned, "My body's quivering. I'm going to come my love, oh god," she paused, her breath caught, her body trembling, "I'm coming!" The climax ripped through her body sending streams of liquid squirting from her pussy across the tile floor while she shot ropes of cum from her cock into his mouth and down his throat. The warm water continued to cascade off their bodies as she hugged Jacob tightly.

"Oof, careful my love, super-human strength," he moaned as she squeezed him tightly, "I can hardly breathe." She loosened her grip and he took a big breath.

"Oh god," she murmured, kissing him all over, "You are the best. You make me feel so incredibly wonderful. Make love to me sweetheart," she pleaded as she scooted down and effortlessly lifted him on top of her. Jacob wrapped his arms around her as the water continued to pour down. "I want to feel you inside me," she moaned, "I want to feel you cum deep inside me."

Jacob slipped between her pussy lips and he shoved his cock deep into her in one stroke. She gasped for breath as his balls slapped against her ass. He began to pull out and then he shoved his cock back inside her pulsating body. He paused a moment for her to catch her breath then he began to rhythmically move in and out of her, slowly at first but quickly gaining speed and strength.

She wrapped her legs and round his body and locked her ankles behind him urging him to drive harder and deeper. Suddenly she opened her mouth and extended her fangs. She brought them down to the base of his neck and sunk them deep into the flesh of his shoulder. He continued to pound her body mercilessly.

As her fangs sunk into his shoulder he once again felt the sharp stab of pain as they sliced into his flesh. But, as fast as the pain came, it was quickly replaced by an overwhelming sense of euphoria. He began to float outside of his body. He looked down to find himself thrusting into her savagely as she closed her lips around her fangs sunk deep inside him. It was strangely erotic to watch this scene from above the shower where his spirit floated.




Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 02



Out of body experiences were not uncommon for Jacob but they have never happened in the middle of lovemaking. This was indeed a first. He looked at the serene expression on Alicia's face as she pulled her fangs from his shoulder and began to heal the wound with her tongue. He watched her aura glow brilliantly around her. It was filled with spikes of amber and gold. It sparkled in the mist from the shower.

Suddenly he began to shudder. He snapped back into his body as he his cock began to throb and swell inside her. With one last thrust he came deep inside, shooting rope after rope of his seed into her as they came together.

Finally, against the firmness of the tile floor and under the pouring stream of steamy hot water, their bodies and their souls merged to one. Jacob rested against her chest as his rapid heart slowly returned to normal. He reached up and brushed the wet strands of hair from Alicia's face.

"You are truly amazing," he whispered.

"So are you," she whispered back.

Several hours later Jacob awoke from a drowsy slumber to find Alicia curled up beside him, naked beneath the sheets. He moved his hand across her back to cup her butt affectionately.

"Wow," he thought privately, "that was mind-boggling. I don't know if I can keep up with this girl. She's incredible."

Jacob looked down and saw her watching him, her damp cheeks slick with tears.

"Hey, what's the matter, sweetie? Why are you crying?" Jacob asked.

"I'm okay, these are happy tears, sweetheart," she said looking up at him. Tears continued to flow like little rivers down her cheeks. "I was just thinking that I have searched so long for someone like you, Jacob, someone who I could share my life with. For ages I've been looking for someone who was willing to share their life with me. These last two days have been wonderful. I can't tell you how much they've meant to me. Wherever you go from here, my love, will you take me with you?"

"Always. But can I ask you the same thing, Alicia." Jacob leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips. "Wherever you go from here, will you take me with you?"

"Always." She snuggled against his side as he hugged her tightly. They cuddled a while longer, wrapped beneath the sheets like a white cocoon as the sun continued to dance among the clouds behind the trees. A wry smile crept across her face as she peeked at him through strands of her amber hair.

"Does this mean we're married?" she asked demurely.

"It suppose so, at least in our eyes we are and that's all that really matters."

She smiled blissfully and settled back against his chest.

"Will you let me make love to you?" She murmured, her cock now rock hard and pressed against his thigh.

"Make love to me?" he asked nervously, looking down and searching her face. "You mean?"

"Uh-huh," she purred. "I want to be inside you. I want to make love to you like you did for me."

"I've never done anything like this before, love, I don't know what to do."

"Just relax and let me make love to you. I promise to go slow and be gentle but I so want to be inside you."

"Okay. I'm all yours, sweetheart," he said softly as he opened his arms to let her climb on top of him.

She crawled up between his legs and took his cock into her mouth. She slowly sucked and nibbled on him as she massaged his balls gently. Then, kneeling between his legs she pulled several pillows and placed them beneath his ass tilting it up so that she could push deeper into him.

"I want to watch you as I make love to you, sweetie, you have such a beautiful face. I want to watch you as I bury myself deep inside of you."

She got up from her kneeling position between his legs and began to search the room.

"Do you have any lube?" she asked demurely.

"Uh-huh, in the nightstand drawer on the right," he replied blushing brightly.

She opened the drawer and pulled out a bottle of lubricant and a condom in a wrapper. She opened the condom and slipped it on her cock then she squirted some of the lube on her cock and rubbed it all over. Next she put some on her fingers and slowly slipped them into Jacob one at a time. He moaned as the first finger slipped inside but he clinched as the second went in. She moved them around a bit to open him up and relax his muscle.

"Relax sweetheart, I know it will probably hurt a little the first time so I'm trying to stretch you out so that you can handle me without too much pain. That's it my love, just relax. Do you want me to help you mentally? I can do that, you know."

Jacob began to feel his body drift as if it was being wrapped in a soothing blanket as she began to take control of his senses.

"No kitten, please don't," he pleaded reaching up to caress her face. "I want to feel you inside me, I want to feel your cum."

She smiled sweetly and released him while she continued to massage him.

"Are you ready for me, sweetie?" she asked as she put the head of her cock at his rosebud and began to push slowly inside. He arched his back as she entered him. She pushed slowly past his sphincter and eased part of the way into him. For Jacob the feeling was intense at first but not overwhelming.

She slowly slid further into him until she felt his balls rest against her. Jacob could feel her throbbing inside of him. The feelings were nearly overwhelming. Not the discomfort but the sense of oneness between them. He felt her pause a moment to let him get used to her girth. He settled back against the bed and pulled his knees up towards his chest. She leaned forward to kiss him gently then she slowly began to move back and forth.

"Does it hurt, my love?" she asked softly.

"It did at first but not now," he replied. "I just feel so amazingly full, my body is tingling!"

"It feels so wonderful to be inside of you," she moaned.

Her strokes began to be more powerful as she continued to thrust inside of him, reaching as deep as she could, she wanted this moment to last forever.

Jacob felt her thrusts grow in intensity as she pounded his ass with each powerful stroke. It was a different kind of comfort to be filled with her inside of him like that. He knew he was hers, totally hers. There could never be anyone else but her for him. She was perfection, a goddess, and it was beyond him what she saw in him but he was thrilled that she loved him as much as he loved her.

He felt her begin to swell and throb inside of him as she moved faster and faster. Suddenly, she erupted with ropes and ropes of her seed filling his rectum with a warm and slippery sensation as she collapsed on top of him breathing roughly and holding him tightly.

"My god, that was beautiful," she whispered softly between breaths.

Eventually, she softened. She slid out of him and her cum began to spill out onto the bed. Then they both slipped into a deep and peaceful slumber.

That night Jacob and Alicia woke up to sounds coming from the living room. Alicia, with her vampire hearing, was the first to notice it. A moment later Jacob sat up next to her.

"It sounds like Kurt with some of his drinking buddies," Jacob whispered softly. Then he heard Kurt mention a girl that Jacob knew from one of this literature classes.

"The girl's name is Mary Thomas, I think she's a sophomore," Kurt said. "I met her a couple of weeks ago and I think she is really into me."

"Oh, I know her," another of Kurt's drinking buddies replied. "She's that cute little blonde with the huge tits."

"That's the one," Kurt replied. "I get to go first and you guys can have her as many times as you want after that."

"How are we going to do it without her knowing what's going on?" asked another of Kurt's buddies.

"I got these pills from my uncle," Kurt went on to explain to his friends. "He works in a pharmacy. He told me it would totally do the trick, guaranteed. He said he's used the stuff a couple of times. The girl won't ever know what happened until she wakes up sore the next morning," Kurt snickered.

"How long will she be out of it?" asked one of the men in the room.

"My uncle said at least three hours, maybe more," Kurt replied.

"Cool, that's enough time for sloppy seconds," said the boy with a weasel-like laugh.

"So when does it all go down?"

"Saturday night, if all goes well," replied Kurt. "Mary said she'd go with me to the fraternity party at Sigma. I can slip the stuff in her drink there and she'll never know what hit her. Then we'll meet up somewhere and have fun."

"Will you bring her back here?" the weasel voice asked anxiously. "I don't want to do it in a car, we could be seen."

"That depends on needle-dick," Kurt replied. "He mentioned that he was going to visit his cousins this weekend but it's not confirmed. I'll see what I can do to kick him out."

Kurt began to snort. "If he's gone we can even use his bed."

"Ha, ha," the first voice snickered. "That's even better."

"I think dick-weed even likes the girl so it's perfect!" Kurt added with a snort.

"That son-of-a-bitch," Jacob hissed. He shook his head and looked at Alicia. His eyes were filled with hate and anger.

"I've got to find a way to keep this from happening," Jacob said determinedly. "I'm not going to let him get away with this."

"This is why I love you, Jacob."

"You do?"

"Uh-huh. Very much," whispered Alicia in his ear. "So what are we going to do?"

"We?"

"Absolutely, I can't let you have all the fun," she whispered with a wicked grin.

Jacob looked at her a moment, totally distracted by what she had just said.

"Ah, I don't know," he said snapping back to the moment at hand. "That girl, Mary, she's a real sweet thing and this would simply devastate her. We've got to do something...something that will make Kurt never want to try anything like this again."

"He's a real homophobe isn't he?"

"Yeah, totally."

"I think I have an idea," Alicia purred mischievously.

The next morning Jacob found Kurt in the kitchen drinking his milk out of the carton. He ignored the obvious and told Kurt that he was going off to visit his cousins in Springfield on Saturday and that he wouldn't be back until Sunday late.

"So, here's your mints, now stay the hell out of my room," Jacob growled as he slammed the bag of candy on the counter and walked out of the room. Then he paused a moment in the hallway to listen as Kurt pulled out his cellphone. He quickly dialed one of his buddies.

"We have a go for Saturday night...Yeah, he just told me that he's going to Springfield for the weekend. I don't know, he'll probably be back late Sunday.... Yeah, so call everyone and tell them to meet me here around mid-night tomorrow night."

Jacob heard Kurt's phone snap shut so he quickly ducked back into his bedroom.

"You heard?"

"Of course," she replied.

"What are you planning?"

"You'll see," she said with a devilish grin.

On Saturday, Jacob and Alicia made a big show of dragging bags to his car and driving off. They knew Kurt's beady little eyes were on them constantly. Once they turned the corner, and were out of sight of the apartment, Jacob turned the car and drove towards downtown.

"Where are we going?" asked Alicia with a curious smile.

"Well, we have a few hours to kill so I thought we'd head to the mall," he replied. "There's a vampire flick playing at the cine-plex if you want to catch that," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, please," Alicia replied her fangs beginning to peek beneath her lip, "you can get all the fangs you want right here, sweetie." She leaned in and seductively licked his neck.

"That tickles," he said squirming beneath her velvet tongue. "Stop, sweetie. Wait until we find someplace quiet." Alicia's eyes began to glow.

Later that night, Jacob and Alicia sat outside of his apartment house watching all the boys gather and go inside.

"So, what are you going to do?" Jacob asked.

"Something that vampires do best," she smirked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"What? Are you going to bite them all?"

"Oh god no, that would be nasty. I'd have that foul taste in my mouth for weeks. I'm going to take control of them. With idiots like that bunch it should be easy. If you pool their intelligence you'd still be in single digits."

"That makes a difference?" he asked.

"Yeah. The dumber they are the easier they are to manipulate. Why do you think politicians get away with so much?" Jacob nodded his head with a grimace.

"So then what?" he asked.

"You'll see. By the way, I need your help with a camera."

"You got it." Jacob paused a moment and looked at Alicia.

"What?" she paused, looking back at him with a curious grin.

"I love you," he said softly with a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I love you too," she replied returning his caress.

They waited until they saw Kurt carry Mary's limp body into the apartment then they snuck up to the apartment door. Alicia's eyes began to glow radiantly. She easily took control of them all. Jacob peered through the front window to watch them all collapse immobile on the floor.

"They look like little sacks of shit," Jacob thought as he watched them lay silently.

Jacob and Alicia opened the door and stepped gingerly over the motionless boys. Jacob reached over and gathered up Mary then he carried her to his bedroom. Alicia helped him put her clothes back on and Jacob carried her out the door and down the stairs to his car.

Meanwhile Alicia began stripping all the boys naked. Then she started with Kurt. She placed him in the center of the couch and pulled the second boy behind him. She rubbed the second boy's dick until it was rigid then she pulled him right up behind Kurt and shoved his dick into Kurt's ass. Next, she pulled the third boy over and did the same thing with him then she shoved his dick in Kurt's mouth.

By then Jacob returned from safely placing Mary beneath a blanket in the back seat of his car. Jacob stopped a moment and stood there totally amazed.

"My god Alicia, you are a genius!"

Alicia grinned and continued to adjust the boys into the perfect pose.

Jacob dashed into his bedroom and grabbed his camera. Once Alicia finished arranging the boys he snapped a few shots of each one. When Jacob finished photographing this arrangement, she rearranged the boys into other various poses, each replete with another series of snapshots.

Once she finished, Jacob went back to his room and began to print out the photos while Alicia searched in the kitchen for a roll of adhesive tape. A few moments later he brought them out to Alicia. She taped the images on each of their foreheads then placed them in a circle each with a hand on the other's dick.

Jacob snapped a few more shots. "Just for insurance," he chuckled.

"They look sort of peaceful all snuggled together like that, don't they?" Alicia asked with a smirk on her face.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," replied Jacob.

"Oh, by the way," Alicia said as they closed the apartment door and walked down the steps towards Jacob's car. "I gave them a little mental gift as well."

"What's that?"

"A little post-hypnotic suggestion," she replied with a lilt in her voice. "For the next few months every time they think of doing something nasty to a girl they will piss their pants and sing a silly song about getting fucked in the ass."

"Oh god, that's perfect! How long will it last?"

"Only a couple of months, unfortunately, but maybe they'll learn something from it," she laughed.

"I doubt it."

"Yeah, so do I," she said with a sigh.

"Let's get Mary home to her dorm before the drug wears off," Jacob said as he opened the car door for her.

Sunday evening Jacob and Alicia came back to the apartment and found things surprisingly quiet. Jacob walked back to the bedroom while Alicia walked into the kitchen. She turned and looked at Kurt with a steady stare while she took a mint out of a jar on the counter. She put the mint in her mouth and crushed it between her teeth.

A few minutes later Jacob walked out of the bedroom and stood in front of Kurt. He told him that he and Alicia had found a new apartment and that they were are only back to pack and leave. Kurt sat dumbfounded on the couch but didn't utter a single word of protest.

"We'll pack what we need tonight and I'll be back in a couple of days to pick up the rest," Jacob said firmly. "Don't fuck with my stuff."

Later, after gathering some more of his belongings, Jacob and Alicia walked out of the apartment and down to his car.

"Where are we going, sweetie?"

"I called my cousin yesterday," he replied. "She has an empty duplex on Vine Street on the other side of campus. She said she's been looking for someone to rent the place for months because the last guy in there jumped on his rent. We can stay there until I finish school in May."

"And then?"

"It'll be your turn to pick where we go," he said with a smile as he kissed her on the cheek. 



Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 03



AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm finishing this series where I began, in this section of Literotica.com. This part would probably be more suited for the Erotic Horror or Non-Human sections, but I figured if you've read the first two installments you would have wanted to find the third and final part. If you are new to this series and haven't read the first two parts you may be confused by some of the things that happen here. I suggest you take a peek at them before you continue. Otherwise enjoy... 

=ONE=

The attack came from behind him, lightning fast. Jacob dodged the strike with all the agility he could muster as his attacker flew by him silently, razor sharp claws slicing through the air, narrowly missing his face.

The old gym was dark where Jacob stood waiting for the next assault. The pale glimmer of streetlights filtered down from the clearstory windows in the rafters. The streetlights from outside were no match for the darkness on the gym floor below.

Jacob reset his body to anticipate another attack. His attacker, a vampire, hid in the shadows looking for an opening, any opening they could use to capture him. Jacob was determined to not let that happen. He knew that ultimately he was no match for a vampire physically. Humans were poorly equipped to defend against their superior strength and speed. But Jacob wasn't going to let this fight end without a struggle.

The vampire came at him again, jumping off an old basketball hoop and dropping to the floor only to bounce up again heading straight for him. As the vampire passed through a shaft of light Jacob could see fangs and claws fully extended and razor sharp. If he didn't move quickly those talons would be buried in his chest.

But now, after an evening of training children how to defend themselves, it was Jacob's turn to fight for his life and he was nearly exhausted.

The vampire, whose fangs glistened pearly white in the half-light from the clearstory windows, flew at him from out of the darkness. Their sharp claws savagely slashing at him and narrowly missed him once again. His reflexes were at their sharpest as he managed to deflect the deadly blows. He was using the vampire's own speed and strength against them, a classic Aikido move of self-defense.

He twisted and turned and deflected more strikes. But the vampire was incredibly fast. He was barely able to see the lightning fast moves before another ruthless strike. He managed to keep the vampire at bay, momentarily, deflecting the ferocious claws with as much agility as he could muster. But eventually he grew tired and his pursuer captured him. In a final strike, the vampire swooped in and pinned him to the floor, sharp fangs stopped a hairs breath from his neck.

And then she giggled.

"That's what its like to fight a vampire," she said breathing heavily. Then with a light peck on the cheek she was off of him in a flash. She jumped straight up and sat on the cross beam of a rafter nearly thirty feet above him.

A moment later the back door to the gymnasium opened and Carl the night custodian walked into the room. He flipped on the lights and looked bleary eyed at Jacob lying on the floor breathing heavily.

"Hey Jack," he said in a gravely voice worn out from years of cigarette smoke. "Getting in some late night exercise?"

Jacob sat up quickly and turned his back to Carl. He didn't want Carl to see the blood and the slash marks across his chest that Alicia's claws had made. He dusted off his hakama [pants] and looked over his shoulder at Carl. Jacob pulled his tunic closed to cover his wounds and turned his head to face him.

"Yup, just trying to remember how to keep up with these youngsters," Jacob replied with a chuckle. He stood slowly and turned to wave at him with a meek grin.

"Good luck with that," Carl replied with a chuckle and a cough.

"Thanks Carl," Jacob said as he waved good-bye. "I won't be long."

Carl raised his hand with a thumbs-up and closed the door behind him.

A moment later Alicia jumped off the rafter and landed lightly on the gym floor below.

"You are incredibly fast," Jacob said amazed at her agility. "I could barely keep up with you. There were a couple of times when I felt those claws slice by my face a hair's breadth away."

"I got to admit," she replied opening up his tunic and looking at his wounds. "I was impressed by your skill but I was only going at half speed."

"That's a good way to bruise a boy's ego," he replied looking dejected.

"Sorry sweetheart, but I'm not going to lie to you and give you false hope," she replied kissing his cheek. Then she began to lick his wounds to heal them. "I didn't say this training was going to be easy. You're going to have to learn to anticipate the moves of your opponent if you ever want to stand a chance against a vampire in a fight," she continued. "I'll teach you how to see the move before it happens. Once you begin to see the fight that way you'll be able to improve your chances."

"But I still will never win will I?" he asked as he walked over to a bench to retrieve two towels.

"Not in hand-to-hand," she said shaking her head and taking one of the towels that Jacob offered her. "It's even harder to kill us with a pistol if we are paying attention. Our reflexes are just so much better than a humans."

Alicia check to see if his wounds were healed then she stood up and kissed him on the lips. Jacob could taste his own blood on her lips but that didn't matter. The passion of her kiss melted away all the pain.

"So, he called you Jack, what's up with that?" she asked with a coquettish smile as she picked up the towels off the floor.

"I use a different name because I don't want Meredith or my family knowing anything about this," he said. "My parents wouldn't approve of anyone in the family working such a menial job," he voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You have such tenacity," she replied softly and shaking her head sadly. "I can't imagine the bullshit you've had to put up with over the years."

"It would have been enough to try the patience of Job," he replied with a chuckle. "And I will admit that there have been times when I wanted to punch them all out. But thankfully you came along to teach me how I can disappear instead."

She smiled sweetly and blew him an air kiss.

Earlier that evening he told her about his part-time job and why he wanted to keep it a secret.

"We use the old gymnasium of a recreational center," he said as he packed his uniform in his gym bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"It's rarely used any more. The new gym is cleaner and much nicer but the old gym still had its uses. For one, it 's where we have all the martial arts classes that the rec center offers."

Jacob held the apartment door open for Alicia. He followed her out and locked it as they headed for his car in the parking lot below. It was Friday night and he was on his way to the rec center for his evening martial arts classes.

"You'd be surprised actually by the number of local children who started showing up recently. When I started I could barely hold one class each in Aikido and Judo. Now we've got five full classes each and a waiting list."

"We?"

"Yeah, there are three instructors, including me. Both are third degree black belts."

"What are you?"

"A second degree, but they've been training longer than I have," he added sheepishly.

Learning Aikido and Judo was probably the one thing his parents did for Jacob he truly appreciated growing up. At first, it was to give him discipline, or so his father told him. But it gave him so much more than that. In addition to the muscle toning and strength training, it gave him the confidence to manage his own destiny.

"But it doesn't turn you into a bully like his old roommate Kurt," he told Alicia earlier in the week. He was trying to explain his love of martial arts.

"Sure, I could have easily managed Kurt on my own, but why bother? It was so much easier to let the clown think he was so tough. It keeps him out of my hair."

"Really? He didn't seem to be leaving you alone the night we met," she replied looking skeptical.

"Oh that was just because somebody ate his candy," Jacob said leaning close to her and kissing her on the cheek.

"I was hungry!"

"So I found out," he replied with a laugh.

"Anyway, being quiet means that I am able to maintain a low profile. And with my family, keeping a low profile was the best policy. They don't like scandal of any sort. Getting into fights at school to them was a scandal. Publicity is bad for business apparently. So if I keep quiet and stay out of the limelight then no one expects anything from me. Because to the rest of the world, if you're a 'victim', you're invisible, and that's how I like to be."

She still looked a bit doubtful.

"Think of it this way. It's sort of like the gunslingers in the old west," he said as he drove out of the parking lot heading towards the rec center. "Once a guy proved he was fast with a gun every Tom, Dick, and Harry had to prove him otherwise. It would get rather tedious after a while."

"So you pretend to be passive and everybody leaves you alone," she added shaking her head in disbelief.

"Exactly. But more importantly it keeps my parents off my back. If they get one sniff of any trouble I might be causing, they'll yank me back to the Hamptons in a heartbeat," he added.

"And that's the last thing you'd want to have happen," she added. Jacob nodded and kissed her on the cheek as they waited at a stoplight.

"Now you understand my love," he said with a smile as he pulled his car up into a parking lot adjacent to a large studio building.

"Well, I clearly understand the desire to be invisible," she said with a chuckle.

They walked around the building to the front and Jacob opened the door for her. This was the first time she was going to watch him work as a teacher. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"This ought to be interesting," she murmured with a smirk.

Later that night, after Alicia's initial demonstration of what it was like to battle a vampire, she continued with Jacob's training.

"Use your other senses to feel me," she said in a whisper. "Block me before I touch you."

"Ouch, your nails are really sharp!"

She laughed and spun him around then she covered his eyes with a blindfold.

"I know so you should pay attention," she said poking him once again before he could react fast enough to block her.

"Listen for the movement," she whispered. "Anticipate my attack."

They trained some more that night in a variety of techniques and Alicia easily pinned him several more times. He did manage to keep up with her at first but of course his stamina was no match for hers and he lost to her every time.

"You know," she said breathing heavily, "if you loose one more time you'll have to be my slave and do whatever I say for the rest of the night as your punishment," she couldn't help but say it with a wicked grin.

"In that case I give up, I'm beat," he said pulling the blindfold from his eyes. Alicia was on him in a flash wrapping her arms around him and smothering him with kisses.

"Come slave-boy, take me home and bathe me. You must cater to the whims of your mistress," she said with a gleam in her eye.

"How about I start by scrubbing your back?"

"And every other part of my body, you can start by licking my toes," she added kissing him passionately on the lips.

Jacob gathered up his gear and stuffed it into his gym bag. His tunic was spotted with blood from the cuts and pokes he got from her nails. Fortunately dhampir saliva has such amazing healing properties. As he looked at his chest he couldn't see a single scratch.

"Let's go slave, take me home and worship my body all night long," she purred.

The following week was filled with classes and homework. Alicia found a part-time job working in a coffee house across from the college campus. It was more for her to relieve the boredom of waiting around until Jacob came home from classes each day.

He had helped her put together a resume' over the previous weekend. With a little of his coaching, she was able to convince the store manager that she would make a good coffee barista. That was a word she was still having a difficult time understanding.

"Just go with the flow, sweetheart," he said one day.

=TWO=

Finally, it was Friday, and Jacob's part-time job was waiting for him. Alicia asked if she could go along again to watch.

"I miss you so much during the day, it's hard when I have to share my weekends with all these distractions," she purred tracing the backs of her hand across his chin.

"Damn you make it hard for me to go to work," he groaned passionately.

"Hmm, music to my ears, lover."

She watched him as he worked with the little kids first, training them in Aikido and Judo. They worked on their forms for the better part of the class time while their parents watched along with Alicia through a window from a separate observation room. Later an advanced class arrived and they worked on tactics while sparring.

Towards the end of the evening, while Jacob was still teaching, Alicia pulled out her new cellphone and punched a few buttons to call her cousin Naomi. This was the first time she was going to use it and she was excited about talking to her cousin for the first time in almost a year. She stepped out of the observation room and walked outside of the gym and into the brisk night air.

"Naomi?" Alicia asked uncertain that she had dialed the right number.

"Alicia? Oh my god, how are you? Where are you? Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Alicia had to interrupt her or she would have continued with a dozen more questions. "How are Ian and the kids?"

"They're great, we miss you," Naomi added. "Holy cow, so where, what, who's phone is this?"

"It's mine," Alicia replied barely able to contain her enthusiasm with a grin. "Jacob bought it for me."

"And who is Jacob," Naomi's voice sounded cautious. Alicia could hear the anticipation in her words.

"Just the most wonderful man in the world," she replied and she heard Naomi catch her breath.

"Is he the one?" she whispered back.

"Yes, he's the one," she replied with glee. "I love him so much it hurts. Finally I know how you feel about Ian," she added.

"I'm so happy for you, Alicia, this is wonderful news. You have to come down for Christmas. I insist! We have tons of room. Oh, this is amazing. I can't wait to meet him."

"I'll ask him tonight and call you back tomorrow. I just love my phone! Now we can talk all the time! I've missed you so much, Naomi."

"Me too. Oh damn, sweetie I have to go. Heather just came in the store and I promised her we'd go shopping for a baby shower for one of my friends, also named Alicia by the way," she said in a rush. "I love you, my dear sweet cousin, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

"My god Naomi, I'm so jealous of your family and your life," Alicia replied with a huge grin.

"Call me tomorrow," pleaded Naomi, "I got to go. I love you. Bye."

The connection ended and Alicia slipped her phone back into the pocket of her jacket.

I love you too Naomi, I'm so very happy for you, she thought as she turned and walked back into the recreation center.

She walked back into the observation room and watched as the last of Jacob's class began to pick up their gear and head out the door to meet their parents in the lobby. She sat down and waited until the last of the parents were out the door before she walked into the gym.

"Why don't you let the parents watch from the gallery on the floor?" she asked.

"Because they're a distraction," he replied toweling dry his hair. "Every parent wants their kid to be the best so naturally they try to coach from the sidelines. I put them in the observation room so that their kids won't feel any undue pressure. It allows my students to concentrate more on the process."

After the last family left the lobby Jacob walked around and locked all the doors and turned off the lights. He didn't want anyone to see what was going to happen next. He would be hard pressed to explain Alicia's amazing skills and abilities. He turned to see Alicia standing across the gym with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

Over the coming weeks she began to train him in a variety of skills, borrowing from a wide range of martial arts techniques. On the plus side he was a quick learner and he exceled quickly. He continued to loose and she continued to punish him. But thankfully her idea of punishment was delightful.

"I get the feeling that you loose on purpose just to be punished," she said one night nearly out of breath.

"What gave you that idea?" he asked breathing equally hard with huge grin on his face.

Alicia flew at him and wrapped her arms around him. "If you don't try your hardest, my love, I'm not going to punish you any more," she said hiding a smile and trying her best to look stern and serious.

"Now that would truly be a punishment, sweetheart," he replied with a kiss. "I'll work even harder next time. Come on; let's take a shower. I'm sticky with sweat."

After Jacob gathered up his gear they walked to the shower room. Jacob quietly locked the shower room door to ensure their privacy. He knew what was coming next and he didn't want to be disturbed.

Alicia smiled seductively and began to slowly disrobe.

"Now it's time for your punishment," she said with delight as she wrapped a condom over her hard cock.

She had no sooner wrapped her arms around him and began to lift him up when Carl, the night custodian knocked on the shower room door. Jacob quickly dropped his feet to the tile floor.

"Anybody in there?" Carl shouted as he wiggled the doorknob. Jacob could hear him fussing with his keys.

"It's me Carl, I'll be out in a minute!" he shouted urgently hoping Carl would stop trying to open the door.

"Oh, okay Jack, sorry," he replied. "Let me know when you're done and I finish up in there after you've left."

Alicia giggled softly and Jacob shushed her. She grabbed Jacob again and lifted him up to wrap his legs around her then she lowered him down and entered him in one single thrust.

"My god you make me horny," she moaned in his ear.

"Wait until I get you in bed my love, I'll make you moan all night," he whispered sweetly and she moaned again.

It was after ten o'clock before they got back to the apartment. Jacob dropped the gym bag by the front door and collapsed on the couch while Alicia walked into the kitchen.

The place they rented from Jacob's cousin actually turned out to be larger than the apartment he had shared with Kurt Abbott, his old roommate. It was still a third floor walk-up but it had a nice terrace that overlooked a small park. And, it was in a quieter neighborhood. It didn't take them long to settle in. The move from his old apartment had been fairly painless; Kurt kept his mouth shut the whole time. It was pretty apparent that he was totally intimidated by Alicia. The thought just made Jacob smile.

Five minutes after they arrived Alicia stood at the stove heating a pot of soup for dinner. "Sweetheart, I called my cousin tonight while you were working. She said everything was great with her and her family."

Alicia checked the rolls baking in the oven.

"Hmm, smells good," he said as he walked into the kitchen and sat on a stool nearby.

"She invited us down for Christmas. She really wants to meet you. I think you'd really like her. And Ian and the children are fantastic too," she added barely able to contain her excitement.

"That sounds great, I've wanted to meet them ever since you told me about them," he replied brightly. "We can drive down. It'll probably be easier than trying to fly. Besides, you don't have any ID yet. We should look into finding a way to fix that."




Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 03



"I think Naomi can help me with that. I'll ask her when we get there. How long can we stay?"

"I don't have to be back until the middle of January so I suppose we can stay until they kick us out," he replied with a grin. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed as she pulled out her phone and called Naomi.

"Hi Naomi, we're all set."

"You guys are coming down? Wonderful, when?" Naomi asked anxiously.

"On the 20th?" Alicia looked to Jacob for confirmation. "Yes, the 20th, Jacob is nodding. We'll be driving down so look for us late that night but we'll be there."

"How long is the drive?" Naomi asked.

"Around fourteen hours I think, yes, Jacob is nodding again. Fourteen hours. Oh, I can't wait to see you!" Alicia said with a huge grin.

"I miss you so much I can't wait for you to get here."

"Bye cousin, see you soon," Alicia said then she closed the connection on her phone.

"Thank you Jacob, you have no idea how much this means to me," she said as she wrapped her arms around him again and hugged him close.

"Ooh, super human strength," he groaned, "I can't breathe."

She released him and smothered him in kisses once again.

"What's burning?" he asked as he looked over her shoulder to see the soup bubbling over the sides of he pan and hissing on the burner.

Finally, after weeks of training in hand-to-hand combat, they pick up the sword one Friday night after Jacob finished his Aikido classes.

It was a long Katana, a type of Japanese broadsword. Here, much to Alicia's surprise, he exceeded her quickly in skill and technique. After a few bouts he managed to win even as fast as she was. This impressed her immensely.

"Your sword work is excellent. You're almost as good as Naomi, and she's a master with the Katana," Alicia said smiling broadly. "I can't wait to see you two in action."

"I can barely keep up with you," muttered Jacob under his breath. "I just hope she doesn't kill me."

"She won't if she likes you," she replied with an impish grin.

"Huh?"

=THREE=

The next week Jacob finally heard from his parents. It was nearly a month after he had moved out of his old apartment. He knew that they would be coming down sometime soon, he just didn't know when.

He suspected that they would try to coerce him into some kind of situation where they could continue to control him. Most likely they would use the dismissal of Meredith as a ploy to check up on him.

They surprised him one afternoon by meeting him in the central courtyard at the college. He didn't expect that they would be so bold about it. His mother especially didn't like emotional displays in public. "It's disgraceful," Jacob could still hear her hiss between clenched teeth.

As he watched them walk across the courtyard he closed his laptop and stuffed his notes back into a folder. He had been studying for a final that was coming up in a couple of weeks.

"Hello Mother, Father."

"Jacob," said his father flatly. "We have some things we'd like to discuss with you."

"Well, in that case," said Jacob coldly, "let's go have a cup of coffee. There's a coffeehouse right across the street from the college. It's very comfortable. I'll even buy."

"We're not going to a coffeehouse," his mother replied.

"Then we're not talking," he responded.

They all stood looking at one another for a moment. It was an impasse.

"Fine," his father said finally, "lead the way."

Jacob gathered up his books and papers and stuffed them along with his computer into his backpack. Then he slung his pack over his shoulder and began walking towards the far end of the courtyard. He turned back and saw that both of his parents were locked in an almost silent but animated debate.

"Are you coming?" he asked with a wry smirk on his face.

His parents turned and reluctantly followed him.

As he opened the coffeehouse door Jacob projected a thought to Alicia.

My parents are here sweetie, stay close enough to listen but don't reveal yourself. I'll let you meet them one day when it's on my terms not theirs. Jacob glanced around the store and saw her leaning against the wall near the door that led to the kitchen. She smiled sweetly and nodded then she tilted her head to indicate that someone was standing behind him. Jacob turned and motioned them to sit in a booth near the back of the room.

They're up to something so I wanted you to hear first hand what they might be planning. He projected the thought towards Alicia with a subtle smile.

"What can I get you?" Jacob asked of his parents.

"Nothing for me," said his mother coolly.

"I'll have a small coffee with cream, no sugar," his father replied.

"I'll be right back."

In less than a minute Jacob returned with the coffee and sat down across from them in the booth. His father looked around the room.

Jacob looked at their auras. They both displayed deep rich colors but they seemed muted by the emotions they were struggling to contain. Jacob sensed deception but he wasn't sure yet how it might be played out. He watched his father scan the room nervously and his mother fidget with her watch.

"We're far enough away that no one will be disturbed by our conversation," Jacob said quietly. "What is it that you felt was so urgent that you needed to come all the way from the Hamptons to discuss with me?"

"Your mother and I have decided that we want to bring you into the business once you've finished here in the spring. We understand that graduation ceremonies are in May so we want to make arrangements to move you back home as soon as it's over."

"Really, that comes as a bit of a surprise," Jacob said with a tiny smile. "I thought you made it quite clear last summer that you weren't interested in my help with the family business. Why prompted you to change your mind?"

"Nothing, really," his father replied. "We just decided that it would be better for everyone involved if you were closer to home. You've done well here at Bryson College; we've kept track of your grades. Although you seem to be neglecting your duties to our fraternity..."

"Your fraternity, not mine," Jacob interrupted.

"Yes, whatever. I've made several adjustments at the office and I've created a junior position in our marketing and strategy department for you. It will be a good place to start learning the ropes. It'll be a good career start for you Jacob."

That is probably the first time my father has called me Jacob in over a year, he projected the thought to Alicia. She stood behind a wall nearby listening. She shook her head sadly.

"Thank you for your offer, father," he said politely. "It was very kind of you, but I am going to have to decline."

Jacob's mother flashed him an angry stare and his father looked a bit taken aback.

"Actually, I've been thinking a lot lately about what you told me last summer. If I remember correctly you said, "As a Daniels family member, I need to stand on my own two feet if I'm ever going to make it in this world. "

Jacob smiled as he watched his father's reaction to his own words being thrown back into his face.

"Those words were inspirational, father. I've decided to follow them."

"But,..." his father stuttered.

"What about Meredith?" his mother interrupted curtly.

"What about her? I'm sure you can find a place for her in the firm if you're worried about her. Perhaps you can persuade father to give her the job that he created for me as I won't be needing it."

"What about your engagement," she began to raise her voice.

"We're not engaged, mother, we never were. Perhaps Meredith was engaged to me in your mind, but never in mine. I knew that you sent her to spy on me while I was down here at Bryson. It was blatantly obvious. Meredith is very loyal to you, mother, but she's not very smart."

That last comment solicited a tiny smirk from Jacob's father.

"So where will you go?" she asked with a nervous quaver in her voice.

"I thought I'd try my hand at panhandling for a while in San Francisco, work my way up the corporate ladder, so to speak," he said with a smirk.

"Don't be flippant," snapped his father.

"Yes, you're right. My apologies mother," he responded flatly.

Jacob picked up his coffee and took a slow sip. As he tipped the cup up to his lips he watched his parents intently. Then he sat the cup down on the table gently. Their auras had dramatically changed in color and intensity.

"So, I have a class in a half hour. Is that all you wanted to discuss?" Jacob asked.

"Apparently it is," his father replied. "Will we see you for Christmas? I believe your semester will be over shortly, won't it?"

Jacob could hear Alicia catch her breath.

Don't worry sweetie, he projected his thought to her. A promise is a promise. I'm not going anywhere near the Hamptons ever again. His words had a ring of determination to them.

"Yes, schools out in about a month," Jacob said quietly. "But I've made arrangements to fly to San Francisco for the holidays. I've got several job leads I want to pursue there. Like you said, graduation isn't that far off and I want to hit the ground running when that happens."

"I see," his mother said curtly.

"All right, I think it's time we get to the airport," his father said rising from his seat in the booth.

"Have a safe trip, I'll stay in touch when I can," he said shaking his father's hand. Then Jacob watched as his mother walked stiffly by and out the coffeehouse door.

Once they walked out the door a driver in a limousine pulled up in front of the coffeehouse. A moment later they were gone.

"Whew," Jacob said taking a big breath.

Alicia was at his side quickly. He wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her gently.

"I'm glad that's over," he said.

"Were they planning on staying? I didn't see them carry any bags," Alicia asked earnestly.

"No, they probably took the corporate jet down out of East Hampton. My mother refuses to fly commercial. She thinks it's beneath her. She misses a lot in life by behaving that way," he said sadly.

"Do you think they'll be back?" she asked.

"It's not likely. But you can bet they are going to start scouring San Francisco for all those bogus leads I mentioned."

"I'm sorry Jacob," she said sweetly. "Families shouldn't have to be like this."

"Money corrupts people, especially old money," Jacob muttered under his breath.

"I've got to get to class, sweetie. I'll see you at five, okay?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded as he swung his backpack over his shoulder and headed out the door.

=FOUR=

It was now nearly the end of December. Finals were underway for Jacob, and Alicia spent her days serving coffee and finishing the Christmas decorations in the coffeehouse.

A television was blaring the news one morning as Alicia walked into work. The newscaster mentioned something about missing children. There was an 'Amber Alert' in the region. Apparently several run-away teens seem to have gone missing and authorities were asking anyone who might have seen them to get in touch with the police.

Several images were flashed across the screen. All of the missing children looked to be in their late teens. They appeared to be mostly girls; waifish, fragile looking girls. Alicia began to suspect that a vampire might be at the center of it all.

"And you think it might be a vampire?" asked Jacob as he finished his dinner in their apartment.

"I'm not sure but it has the stench of a vampire," she muttered under her breath. "I'm going out tonight to look around."

"I'm coming too," he said with determination.

"No you're not, sweetheart," she replied kissing the top of his head as she carried the dishes back to the kitchen. "You have a final tomorrow morning that you can't miss. I won't do anything tonight, even if I find something."

"You promise me?" he asked clearly concerned.

"I promise," she replied earnestly. "If I find something I'll wait until we can deal with it as a team, okay?"

"Deal."

Later that night, crouching near the edge of the roof of an abandoned warehouse along the waterfront, Alicia saw the vampire for the first time. He was lanky and tall, almost spidery in his movements.

She watched him enter a building away from the docks. It was abandoned like the one she was on. He was carrying a corpse under one arm and looking about nervously as he pushed the metal door of the warehouse open.

Another victim to be announced in the morning news, she thought privately as she watched the vampire slowly close the warehouse door.

There was an eerie coldness to the waterfront. A silent fog seemed to creep along the ground and hug all the corners as if it was trying to escape the north wind that played with the ends of Alicia's hair as it danced around her.

Tomorrow is Jacob's last final, she thought privately as she watched the warehouse with a cold stare. Tomorrow night we dance with a vampire.

In the stillness of the warehouse Jacob crouched waiting for a vampire to return with his prey. He thought about all the things that Alicia told him last night when she returned.

"He's most likely luring them with food and drugs," she said as she quickly moved to get undressed and into bed. "Even street-smart, they have to eat. And drugs are such an alluring candy, it deadens the pain."

Jacob thought about what she said and shuddered, disgusted by the thought. The warehouse was cold, achingly cold, and that made the wait that much more difficult. He remembered asking her how the vampire disposed of the bodies.

"There's an old incinerator in the building," she replied. "My guess is he's using that. I saw smoke rising from the chimney just before I left to come back home."

"Shit."

"Yeah," she whispered softly.

Suddenly the warehouse door creaked open, rusty hinges squeaked in protest to the movement. A shadow filled the doorframe and the vampire, carrying another body, walked into the room.

"Remember," Alicia said earlier with intensely, "project no thoughts while he's in the warehouse. He'll most likely hear you and attack you instantly. Keep your mind clear and focused," she said, her eyes blazing blue and looking intensely into his.

A soft moan came from the body he was carrying. His victim began to struggle weakly before he dropped her to the ground. It was a young girl; she appeared to be drugged but was fighting against it.

When the vampire pushed the warehouse door closed Alicia flew from the shadows and slashed at the vampire with a knife. The vampire dodged the attack and moved to counter with another blow at Alicia, slashing at her with a knife he drew from a pocket in his boots.

The plan was simple, Alicia told him. While she distracts the vampire Jacob is to jump down and pull his victim out of harm's way. Once the victim is safe, Alicia said she'd kill him.

As Jacob moved quietly towards the girl lying motionless on the floor he stepped awkwardly on a metal bar. The bar clattered and clanked. The vampire turned and flew at Jacob snarling and snapping. Jacob dodged the first strike and narrowly missed the second blow as the vampire dodged his counter-attack. The vampire blocked his sword with a knife blade then slashed at his belly with amazing speed.

All the training Alicia had given him began to pay off as Jacob anticipated the vampire's move. He slipped sideways and pinned the knife blade against a concrete pillar, snapping the blade as he twisted his sword.

The vampire howled in rage and struck at Jacob. The blow sent him flying across the room to crash into a pile of trash bags in the corner. The vampire started to pursue but Alicia, in a blur of motion, sliced across the vampire's face blinding him in a single stroke.

Jacob got up quickly and ran to the old incinerator. He flung open the heavy door and watched the flames lick around the opening hungry for anything to consume.

Alicia saw what Jacob did and grabbed the vampire by his greasy coat. Holding him tightly in her grasp, she spun around the floor. At the right moment she released him and flung him across the room. He flayed in the air blindly grasping but finding nothing. In a moment he plummeted into the waiting flames of the incinerator and Jacob slammed the door shut, locking it against his howls of agony.

Jacob and Alicia turned to see the young girl crouched on the warehouse floor, her face was filled with terror. Jacob could begin to hear Alicia's words in his mind.

Quiet little one, you're in no danger now, Alicia projected her thoughts to the young waif as if in a whisper. Close your eyes and sleep. This was all just a bad dream. When you wake you'll be safe and this dream will never come to you again.

The young girl fell asleep on the concrete floor almost instantly. Jacob sheathed his sword and walked over to her. He knelt down and looked up at Alicia.

"We'll carry her to a shelter I saw in the center of town," she replied still breathing hard. "We can wait across the street until someone from the shelter finds her."

Jacob glanced back at the old incinerator and then up to Alicia. He smiled at her meekly then reached down and picked up the young girl. They walked out of the building and closed the warehouse door. Jacob looked at Alicia then nodded as they walked back to his car. Tonight was a night he would not soon forget. He carries a sword from now on.

=FIVE=

That Christmas, as promised, Jacob drove Alicia down to Northport to see her cousin's family on the coast. It was a long drive but well worth it. Jacob fell even more in love with Alicia and her extended family.

There was a special warmth about Ian and Naomi that he had never experienced with his own family. He finally began to understand what it was like to be loved in a family. He simply adored Naomi and her children and felt a kindred spirit with Ian.

After hugs and kisses, Naomi brought Jacob and Alicia into the living room to rest a moment before they all went off to bed. As they talked about the drive down to Northport, Jacob found a quiet moment when the conversation turned to Alicia. He looked at Naomi, Ian and their children and studied their auras. They were so open and joyful the colors of the rainbow danced and sparkled as they radiated from each of them.

Shortly after that, the children were bustled off to bed. It was a Sunday night and tomorrow was a school day. The oldest, Maria, tried her best to stay with her parents but Ian was having none of it and she eventually followed her younger siblings up the stairs.

"Maria hasn't learned yet that her father is totally immune to a girls pout. I had to learn that the hard way," Naomi said with a big grin.

Jacob waited until there was a lull in the conversation.

"Naomi," he said with a smile, "I hope you understand that I'm asking you this out of concern but, don't let your children go to school next week, please."

Naomi and Ian looked at Jacob alarmed. "Why?"

"There might be an illness that could cripple them if they catch it and it's highly contagious. Besides, I don't think they'd mind staying at home the week before Christmas would they?"

"They'd miss the Christmas play," murmured Ian sounding disappointed.

Naomi and Ian looked at Alicia quizzically.

"He's never wrong, Naomi," she said gently. "It wouldn't hurt to be safe."

"I'll tell them later tonight," said Ian with a worried look.

That night, snuggled up against Alicia, Jacob talked about what he saw in their auras.

He told her that her cousin is incredibly powerful and so is Ian. Then he looked at the children and saw something troubling floating around Maria's head. He studied it a moment and discovered the potential of a virus.




Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 03



"Your gift is so precious, Jacob, thank you," she whispered gently then kissed him on his forehead. "What do you see in mine?"

"I'm blinded by your radiance," he whispered in her ear then kissed her.

She smiled blissfully and they both were asleep in a heartbeat.

By Tuesday the next week, a minor outbreak of meningitis was discovered in the school. It was mostly contained in the high school and it was discovered quickly enough that the clinics were able to quarantine those infected and minimize the effects of the virus.

"They're beautiful children, I didn't want to put them at risk," he explained. "Besides, with a quarantine everybody would have to be examined and I didn't think you wanted that to happen."

Ian and Naomi looked at Jacob with a new sense of wonder. Alicia beamed and Jacob smiled sheepishly.

The rest of the week leading up to Christmas went by in a flash. The children were constantly in motion and the house was a whirlwind of activity.

On Christmas Eve, Naomi decided it was time to test Jacob's skill with a sword. She'd heard Alicia talk about his abilities and she wanted to see for herself.

They went out into her back yard, pulled out their swords and assumed a fighting stance. Suddenly the evening sky was alight in the flashing of steel blades crisscrossing the backyard. It soon became clear that Jacob was good, but Naomi was infinitely better.

Still Jacob learned a few tricks that night. He managed to keep up with Naomi for a little while before she pinned him.

Ian, Alicia, and the children watched from the back porch, delighted by the show that Naomi and Jacob put on. As she held him to the ground, her razor sharp blade a hair's breadth away from this throat, she grinned at him impishly.

"You are pretty good for a human," she said laughing. "I think my cousin has made a good choice," she added standing up and lifting Jacob to his feet effortlessly. "I haven't had a workout like that in years. Thanks."

Jacob stood slowly and sheathed his sword as Alicia ran from the porch to gather him into a hug

"I think I just passed a test," Jacob whispered to Alicia out of breath as they brushed off his clothes.

"Yes you did," Naomi said as she walked up to Jacob and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Welcome to the family."

Ian and the rest of the family crowded around and gave Jacob and Alicia hugs.

"All right you guys, it's time for bed or Santa won't be stopping at our house tonight!" Ian shouted as the children scrambled off inside and up the stairs. Maria, Naomi's eldest daughter, once again paused a moment and looked at her father with a pout.

"Do I have to go to bed now, daddy?" she tried her best to win him over. "I want to stay up and visit some more with Aunt Alicia."

"When your fangs come in you'll be treated like an adult and not until then princess, now scoot," Ian said laughing as he tried to swat her butt. She raced up the stairs giggling with glee as she twisted and turned and managed to keep just out of his reach.

"It's a game they play every time we have company," Naomi said wiping down her sword then handing her towel to Jacob. "Speaking of which, we'll have a whole crowd up here tomorrow evening for Christmas dinner. It's become a family tradition. You'll get to meet the whole gang."

"They're a motely crew but we love them dearly," Ian added. "By the way, only Heather knows about us so we all have to be on our best behavior."

"Sounds like fun," said Alicia as she helped Ian drag out a box full of gifts from 'Santa' to set under the tree.

Christmas morning was filled with wrapping paper and tissue flying about the room as the children tore into their presents under the tree.

Alicia helped Ian with breakfast in the kitchen while Naomi tried her best to keep the excitement in the living room down to a dull roar. Jacob stood near the fireplace in total amazement. The smile he had on his face would take weeks to wear off.

"You seem happy," Naomi said as she caught a flying teddy bear. "That's enough you two, if you want to play rough house do it outside."

"Yeah, I am happy. You're family is totally amazing. It's like night and day compared to mine."

"Alicia mentioned that you and your parents are not very close, but she didn't want to tell me why."

Jacob smiled and projected a thought to Alicia. I love you sweetheart, you can tell them anything you want about me, there's no need for secrets here.

In the kitchen, Alicia blushed and Ian smiled.

Thank you Jacob, you're very kind. He heard Naomi's voice inside his mind. He looked at her shocked.

"I never would have guess that you had the same talent as Ian did when he was still a human," Naomi said with a sweet smile. She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you've feel welcome here."

"Maybe you'll consider settling here when you graduate," Ian shouted from the kitchen.

Alicia glanced quickly at Ian then darted through the kitchen doorway to Jacob. She held both of this hands in hers. She didn't say a word but the expression on her face spoke volumes.

"I told Alicia that she gets to pick the place we go to next," Jacob replied with a huge grin. "My guess would be that she's already decided."

Alicia's eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him then whispered in his ear. "I love you so much Jacob."

After breakfast Ian and Jacob sat around the Christmas tree drinking coffee.

"The twins are twelve this year and Maria is sixteen in two months," Ian said between sips of coffee. "The twins have just started manifesting their dhampir abilities. They're already able to jump and run at incredible speed. Naomi has to constantly remind them to be careful around anyone not in the family," he added. "We've been lucky so far although there was a time when Maria was especially careless..."

"Dad!" bellowed Maria as she appeared in the kitchen doorway in a blur of motion. "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about that ever again," she said with a scowl. Then she stormed off up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door shut.

"Teenage girls are a handful," muttered Ian ruefully.

"They tell me it gets better around thirty," Jacob said with a smirk.

A damp towel flew through the kitchen doorway and smacked Jacob in the back of his head. He laughed and laid it across his lap.

"I hope so," Ian replied. "Naomi said things would begin to improve as soon as her fangs come in."

"Alicia said that happens when she's sixteen. Then what?" Jacob asked.

"Well, from that point we'll have about nine months before she will have her first cleanse. Give or take a month or two, it's never consistent early on. Then she'll have to go on her first hunt. I would imagine that will be a special treat for Naomi. She'll be passing on a family tradition that goes back over ten generations."

"Wow. All dhampir?"

"Uh-huh. Have you been on a hunt with Alicia yet?" Ian asked with a smile.

"Sort of," Jacob replied sheepishly. "I was on the receiving end of that when we first met."

"Really? What happened?"

"I got bit," Jacob said with a laugh. "And I've been in love with her ever since."

Alicia appeared at the doorway in a blur of motion. Her eyes were blazing azure blue. They sparkled like diamonds. She smiled radiantly and blew Jacob a kiss.

"There is something about those two that seems to do that to a person," Ian replied with a hearty laugh. "Come on, help me find some wood for a campfire. Tonight should be a perfect night to stay out late and swap stories. Of course with the crowd of rowdies that will be here soon I imagine most of the stories will be embarrassing and about me," he chuckled.

They walked outside and grabbed a wheelbarrow from behind the tool shed. Then they headed off towards a large grove along the side of the house.

That afternoon, as predicted, a huge crowd of friends filled Naomi and Ian's home with love and laughter. And Ian was correct; most of the stories that were told were about him. But they weren't all that embarrassing.

=EPILOGUE=

Well, that about wraps up my story about Alicia and Jacob.

The following spring Jacob finished his studies and graduated with a degree in accounting from Bryson College.

"I suppose if nothing else, I could always hang out my shingle as a CPA, that is once I pass the test," he said with a chuckle as they packed the apartment before the moving van arrived.

They both decided to move to Northport to be near Alicia's cousin Naomi. Family is nice; it just depends on which family it is that's all.

Jacob and Alicia found jobs teaching at a private school outside of the city. He soon learned that the school had a very special clientele, it became apparent early on that most of the children have some remarkable abilities that began to challenge Jacob in ways he never imagined possible.

Oh, one final thought,

Alicia and Jacob got officially married in the summer after his graduation and now, in the fall, she's pregnant...with twins.

She hasn't turned him yet...but they're thinking about it...

I hope you've enjoyed my story about Jacob and the magical world he discovered when he met Alicia. Of course it's just a story, after all, because vampires don't exist. At least that's what Jacob thought until he met one.

A NOTE TO THE READER:

This story is a work of fiction. All of the characters, their names and the places that they visit, are purely from the imagination of the author. Any resemblance to persons, places, or things is not intentional and purely coincidental.

(If you believe in coincidence I'm happy for you. However, if you read my other works you know that I do not, but the lawyers like to see that word in there anyway).

Thank you for reading my work, I hope you enjoyed it. If this is the first time you've read one of my stories, welcome. I hope you take a look at the rest of my work. If you are a returning reader, welcome back, it's nice to see old friends.

Dreamweaver594



Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 04



As I bend to the will of the reader I have included your request to learn about Alicia and Jacob's third bite in this chapter. For those of you new to this series I would suggest you go back and read the preceding chapters, as it will help you understand some of the things you will encounter in this one. But, as always, it's your choice. I hope you enjoy my world of vampires, dhampirs, and things that go bump in the night. 

***** 

The third bite. 

=ONE= 

Previously in part three: 

Alicia and Jacob arrived at her cousin Naomi's house on the night of the 20th just like she said they would and Christmas morning was filled with wrapping paper and tissue flying about the room as the children tore into their presents under the tree. 

Naomi McIntyre was only a few years younger than Alicia but in many ways she was like her older sister. Alicia always thought Naomi was beautiful and now as she stood hugging her cousin with all her might she could see her radiance. Her hair fell in long golden brown curls and caressed a beautiful face with an inquisitive smile. She was tall, perhaps five foot nine or more not counting her high heels. She had a slender elegance about her without being too thin. She moved in a graceful yet feminine manner that reminded her of someone who seemed very confident without being showy. 

Ian McIntyre was her cousin's husband, which would make him a sort of her brother. Alicia thought he was equally handsome. He stood nearly six foot two with broad shoulders and a lanky frame. He always wore a huge smile, as if the world brightened wherever he stepped. His slender hands were more suited to the keyboard of his word processor than heavy labor. Which, as it happens, worked out for the best because he was a teacher and a writer. 

Alicia helped Ian with breakfast in the kitchen while Naomi tried her best to keep the excitement in the living room down to a dull roar. Jacob stood near the fireplace in total amazement. The smile he had on his face would take weeks to wear off. 

"You seem happy," Naomi said as she caught a flying teddy bear. "That's enough you two, if you want to play rough house do it outside." 

"Yeah, I am happy. You're family is totally amazing. It's like night and day compared to mine." 

"Alicia mentioned that you and your parents are not very close, but she didn't want to tell me why." 

Jacob smiled and projected a thought to Alicia. I love you sweetheart, you can tell them anything you want about me, there's no need for secrets here. 

In the kitchen, Alicia blushed and Ian smiled. 

Thank you Jacob, you're very kind. He heard Naomi's voice inside his mind. He looked at her shocked. 

"I never would have guess that you had the same talent as Ian did when he was still a human," Naomi said with a sweet smile. She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you feel welcome here." 

"Maybe you'll consider settling here when you graduate," Ian shouted from the kitchen. 

Alicia glanced quickly at Ian then darted through the kitchen doorway to run to Jacob in a blur. She held both of his hands in hers. She didn't say a word but the expression on her face spoke volumes. 

"I told Alicia that she gets to pick the place we go to next," Jacob replied with a huge grin. "My guess would be that she's already decided." 

Alicia's eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him then whispered in his ear. "I love you so much Jacob Daniels." 

After breakfast Ian and Jacob sat around the Christmas tree drinking coffee. 

"The twins are twelve this year and Maria is sixteen in two months," Ian said between sips of coffee. "The twins have just started manifesting their dhampir abilities. They're already able to jump and run at incredible speed. Naomi has to constantly remind them to be careful around anyone not in the family," he added. "We've been lucky so far although there was a time when Maria was especially careless with her boyfriend Michael..." 

"Dad!" bellowed Maria as she appeared in the kitchen doorway in a blur of motion. "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about that ever again," she said with a scowl. Then she stormed off up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door shut. 

"Teenage girls are a handful," muttered Ian ruefully. 

"They tell me it gets better around eighty," Jacob said with a smirk. A damp towel flew through the kitchen doorway and smacked him in the back of his head. He laughed and laid it across his lap. 

Jacob's eyes followed Maria up the stairs as she stormed off. There was something peculiar about her aura, something dark and troubling that floated near her head as well. He decided that he needed to talk to her later if given the opportunity. 

"No, more like sixty," Ian replied with a chuckle and another towel flew through the kitchen door. He caught it before it landed on his face. "Ha, missed me!" He ducked knowing his wife, and her aim, as a dishcloth sailed through the air and landed where he sat a moment before. "Naomi said things would begin to improve with Maria as soon as her fangs come in." Ian pulled the dishcloth off the back of the chair and returned to his seat. 

"Alicia said that happens when she's sixteen. Then what?" 

"Well, from that point we'll have about nine months before she will have her first cleanse. Give or take a month or two, it's never consistent early on. Then she'll have to go on her first hunt. I would imagine that will be a special treat for Naomi. She'll be passing on a family tradition that goes back over ten generations." 

"Wow. All dhampir?" 

"Uh-huh. Have you been on a hunt with Alicia yet?" Ian asked with a smile. 

"Sort of," Jacob replied sheepishly. "I was on the receiving end of that when we first met." 

"Really? What happened?" 

"I got bit," Jacob said with a laugh. "And I've been madly in love with her ever since." 

Alicia appeared at the doorway in a blur of motion smiling radiantly. Her eyes were blazing azure blue. They sparkled like diamonds as she blew Jacob a kiss. 

"There is something about those two that seems to do that to a person," Ian replied with a hearty laugh. "Come on, help me find some wood for a campfire. Tonight should be a perfect night to stay out late and swap stories. Of course with the crowd of rowdies that will be here soon I imagine most of the stories retold will be embarrassing and about me," he chuckled. 

They walked outside and grabbed a wheelbarrow from behind the tool shed. Then they headed off towards a large grove along the far side of the house. 

That afternoon, as predicted, a huge crowd of friends and their children piled out of cars and trucks and soon the house had all the makings of an annual family gathering. Everyone crowded around the kitchen door and looked in on Naomi and her cousin as they worked to finish prepping the meat for the barbeque. Meanwhile their children raced across the backyard to play on the swings and dive into the sandbox. 

"Naomi, introduce us!" shouted one of her guests. 

"Alicia, I'd like you to meet Alex, Jeff, Tiffany, Janet, Ben, Heather, Fred, and Alicia," said Naomi pointing to each one of them as she named them off. A moment later Ian and Jacob rounded the corner of the house loaded down with firewood for the bonfire later in the evening. 

Naomi's friend Alicia walked inside during the round of introductions and sat at kitchen table to nurse her newborn. "Hi cousin, cool name," she said with a big grin. 

"Everyone, this is Jacob Daniels, Alicia's boyfriend and a very close friend of the family," Ian said with a smile. Jacob glanced quickly at Ian then grinned sheepishly to a chorus of "hello Jacob." 

"Hey guys, let's get this party going!" Shouted Fred hauling a keg up onto the front porch with Jeff's help. "Hi Jacob, nice to meet you," said Fred as he sat the keg into a bucket of ice. Fred Dixon was the anchor of this community of friends who flocked around Naomi and Ian. He was stout, short, and looked like he lifted weights for a hobby. He made up for his lack of height with a hearty appetite and a robust sense of humor. 

"Me too dude, nice to meet ya," added Jeff as he pulled the tap out of a box and began to add to the keg. Jeff Richards was the opposite of Fred in most ways except for personality. He was tall and lanky, he worked outdoors mostly so his complexion always looked to be two steps away from burnt leather, even in the dead of winter. The premature wrinkles around his eyes always seemed to crinkle when he smiled. And around the others in the group he smiled a lot. 

Jacob just chuckled and waved. It was so different for him to be greeted by people this casually, as if you'd known them since grade school. It was odd, but at the same time, it was something that Jacob knew was missing from his life. And now he knew he had finally found it. 

He looked around and watched Alex and Ben pulled the grill cover off and hook up the propane tank to get the grill started. Then two more kids dashed across the porch and around the house. 

"Hey you kids!" scolded Tiffany, "get off that shed roof right now, you'll break something!" Tiffany and Janet ran around the side of the house and glared at the two older boys standing on the shed roof acting like daredevils. Several dogs followed the women barking and yapping playfully. 

Tiffany and Janet were almost inseparable. They'd been together as friends since grade school. Tiffany, always the take-charge sort of girl was clearly the organizer of the group and Janet was always the one to keep Tiffany grounded when her ideas started to sound more fantastic than they should. 

"Is it always like this?" Alicia asked her cousin. 

"Only when the whole gang arrives and that usually includes about eight kids and a couple of dogs." 

"It's like a huge family gathering!" 

"Still want to settle in Northport? These guys are part of the deal," Naomi said sweeping her hand across the crowd with a huge grin. 

"Now more than ever," Alicia said her eyes sparkling with delight. 

"Okay, but don't forget that I warned you. Can you pull the rest of the veggies from the fridge? I need to speak to Heather for a minute." 

"Okay." 

"Heather, can you come here a sec?" Naomi asked bringing her into the front room. 

"What's up?" asked Heather with a cheerful smile. 

"I wanted to talk to you about my cousin Alicia," whispered Naomi looking over her shoulder to ensure that they were alone. "She's like me." 

"I thought so," Heather replied. "I could sense it about her. Don't worry, I'll help them wherever I can." 

"Thank you." 

Heather was the quiet one of all of Naomi's friends. But beneath that quiet demeanor Alicia discovered a truly remarkable human capable of immense love and devotion to her friends and family. She was a bit shorter than Naomi and she kept her hair short, almost boyish. But her face was cute and her features pixie like. Alicia always smiled warmly when Heather was around. There was something about her that made Alicia feel very safe. 

Naomi told her that Heather was the only woman in the group who knew about her 'uniqueness'. "Heather has a very special gift, she has visions, sort of like clairvoyance." 

"You mean like Jacob's gifts?" Alicia asked while sorting the snap beans and placing them in a bowl. 

"Sort of, but she's more limited than he is. She dreamt a dream of Ian and I when I bit him the second time. She saw everything. I was mortified, I thought we'd have to run away and I was so tired of running." 

Alicia nodded her head. She knew too well the anguish of living on the run, being chased by those who want to kill you just for who you are. 

"But she didn't tell anyone, not even Ben. Instead she gave me a big hug and told me she loved me like her sister. We've been very close ever since." 

The party began to taper off late in the evening until only Ben remained around the campfire with Ian and Jacob. 

"A campfire always makes me reflective," murmured Jacob as he reached forward to warm his hands. 

"How so?" Ian asked. 

"It seems to slow things down for me. It let's me think about where my life is going and where I've been so far." 

"And?" 

"So far it's been pretty amazing," Jacob mused. "And when we move here I imagine that it's really going to take off," he added with a chuckle. 

"You guys thinking about moving here?" Ben asked and Jacob nodded. 

"Those girls do have a way of changing our lives don't they?" asked Ian. 

"I know that Heather sure changed mine," Ben volunteered poking the campfire with a long stick. Ben and Heather married the year following Naomi and Ian's wedding. Ben was what one would call the 'salt of the earth'. He was simple and honest and he loved Heather and his son deeply. He knew that there were things about his wife that she could never reveal to him. But those mysteries never bothered him. He knew she loved him as much as he loved her and that was all that truly mattered. Their son Michael was born a year after Maria and from birth those two seemed to be like soul mates. 

"Where are Maria and Michael?" Ian asked looking around the yard and not seeing them immediately. 

"I think they went inside to help Naomi put the food away." 

Ian nodded and turned his attention back to the fire. 

They sat there silently watching the fire dance among the logs as tiny sparks skipped above the flames and disappeared into the night sky. 

"Heather tells me they're building a new private prep school outside of Northport this summer. I don't know if you're interested in teaching but you might consider it," said Ian. 

"You should apply Jacob," Ben suggested. 

"Teaching is always a challenge, even teaching college," Ian said with a chuckle, "but it has its own rewards." 

Jacob shrugged. "We haven't given much thought to what we want to do when we settle here but I think that Alicia would make a marvelous teacher." 

"I should warn you though, it's not a typical school." Ian glanced over at Jacob and winked. 

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked with a curious smile. 

"Some of the children apparently are really quite remarkable," Ben said, his eyes twinkled in the firelight. 

Ian glanced sideways at him wondering how much Heather had told Ben about the new school. 

"What do you mean?" asked Jacob. 

"Well, Heather hasn't told me much but as far as I can tell, some of the kids enrolled in this school have some really bizarre talents, almost magical." 

"Now that sounds interesting," Jacob replied with a huge grin. "It sure beats doing taxes for a living! Is Heather teaching there?" 

"She's going to be the principal," Ben replied grinning proudly. 

"Cool." 

That night as Jacob crawled into bed and snuggled up to Alicia. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Are you asleep sweetheart, or playing possum?" he whispered softly. 

"Playing possum love," she replied as she turned over and kissed him lightly. "How about you?" She pulled his hand down to rest it on the hard cock pulsing between her thighs. 

"Hmm, shall I kiss it and make it feel better?" He lowered is mouth as she pushed the head of her cock past his lips. 

"God you make me feel so good. Oh, yes, like that, you make me shiver all over." She held his head as he bobbed up and down on her shaft. He reached down and began to rub her clitoris gently. He slid a finger between her pussy lips and rubbed up and down slowly, keeping pressure on her clitoris with the palm of his hand. Then he began to squeeze his fingers together pinching her pussy lips gently. Her eyes opened wide as her passions built fast. Suddenly, she arched her back as she reached the moment of sheer bliss. He continued to suck on her raging cock and pinch her pussy lips. She came fast and strong, as if it was her first time all over again. He struggled briefly trying to swallow all her seed, there was so much. 

Her panting subsided and she slowly came back from orbit. "Oh God," she whispered, "that was amazing." She pulled him up to kiss him passionately, tasting her seed on his tongue. "Where did you learn that trick?" 

"I don't know, it just seemed right so I went with it. Did you like it?" 

"Like it?! I think my cum on your chin is a testament to that," she giggled. She wiped the semen off his chin with her finger and deposited it in his mouth. 

"Hmm, tasty." He said as he leaned forward and kissed her again. Then he nuzzled her breasts and rested his head on her chest. "Did you hear what Ben and Ian were saying about that new school?" 

"Parts of it. Naomi mentioned it to me as well." Alicia began to caress him running her fingers through his hair. "Are you still okay with moving here after you graduate?" 

"Alicia, my love, I'll follow you to the moon." 

Alicia's eyes began to glisten and Jacob heard a sniffle. 

"Hey, what's with the waterworks?" He wiped tears away from her eyes as they began to form. 

"For most of my life I've been living like trash, hiding from everyone and everything. Like some sort of hellish purgatory, it was as if sixty years was one year for all that I lived. I was wasting away my life while I waited for the next cleanse. I wandered from town to town; never wanting to stay longer than a few days for fear that I might be discovered. And then you came into my life." 

"You've changed everything, my love, you've opened up a whole wondrous world for me." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I love you so much, I'm so glad I found you." 

"I love you too but I'm finding it hard to breathe." She let go of him a little and he gasped for air. "I still can't believe how strong you are, sweetie. And I can't believe that a girl as beautiful and powerful as you are would fall in love with a guy like me. You're so incredible. Such a beautiful soul lying here next to me, your eyes, your hair, your sweet lips, everything about you amazes me." 

"Even these?" she said as she opened her mouth and her pearly white fangs dropped into view. 

He reached forward and touched his finger on the tip of her fang. It pricked his skin and a tiny drop of blood emerged. "Yes, my love, even those frightening fangs." She retracted her fangs as he leaned forward to kiss her lightly on the lips. 

"You want me to bite you don't you?" 

"Yes," he whispered. 

"I want to too, but not yet. It's our third bite. I want it to be special." 

"When?" 

"Soon, sweetheart, very soon." She reached down to feel the hardness pressed against her thigh. "Make love to me, slow and sweet. I want to feel every fiber of you inside of me." 

Jacob rose up and moved between her legs. Then an idle thought occurred to him. "Why don't we ever have to use protection?" His hand felt her wetness and he held his cock at her entrance then slowly entered her. 

"Ohhh," she sighed as his cock pushed between her swollen lips. "Because I can control when I ovulate. I can decide when and if I want to get pregnant. And you cannot believe the urges that are flowing through my body right now. Ahh, it feels so good to have you inside me." 

He pushed all the way into her and settled against her, feeling his balls press against her body. He wrapped his arms around her and caressed her face as he slowly pulled out of her and then pressed back in. "Do you want to have kids?" 

"With you I do. Before I met you I never thought I'd find anyone who I would ever want to mate with. You've changed so many things for me, Jacob. Ohhh," she sighed as he plunged into her again. "God you fill me up so wonderfully." 

Their lovemaking continued for a few minutes longer until Jacob once again filled her with his seed. She wrapped her legs around him and held him there until his cock softened and slipped out of her body. "I'm never going to let you go," she said snuggling against his neck. Her tongue slipped out between her lips and tasted him. 




Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 04



"Hey, that tickles." He squirmed inside the cradle of her arms. 

"I just wanted to taste your body again." 

"It's all about control isn't it?" 

"You have no idea. I crave you so much." 

Jacob looked up into her eyes. "I love you Alicia, if it has to be now I'm okay with that." 

"No, I want to wait until New Year's Eve. There's a crescent moon that night too so we can see the stars. It will be perfect. Just stay with me for a while, I'll be better soon." 

They fell blissfully asleep cradled in each other's arms. 

In the next bedroom, Naomi and Ian lay awake listening to the rustle of leaves as the wind softly caressed the trees outside of their bedroom window. They also listened to the soft murmur of love between her cousin and her lover next door. 

"I remember this moment," whispered Ian and grinning sheepishly. 

"Me too. My urges were tearing me apart at the seams. It was all I could do to wait until that moment under the tree and then I wanted to ravish you," she replied tracing a finger across the outline of his chin. 

"What is it about passionate women and your family?" Ian moved his hand down her body and slipped it between her thighs. 

"Maybe it's our gypsy blood," she growled a coarse whisper with a devilish grin. 

"Really?" 

"Of course not silly, but doesn't it sound romantic?" Naomi swung her leg across Ian and moved on top of him. She felt him growing between her thighs. "Hmmm, I guess we can't let them have all the fun." 

 

=TWO= 

Monday morning was the start of another workweek for Naomi and Ian. They left early in the morning and headed to town to open up the bookstore they've owned for seventeen years. But before they left, Naomi handed down strict instructions to Maria and the twins. 

"While we're gone you are to stay by the house and not to go wandering off. I've told Aunt Alicia that she's in charge while we're gone. Got that? What she says goes." 

The twins nodded obediently but Jacob could see that something was brewing in Maria's aura. He shook his head a tiny bit and looked into Maria's lavender eyes to see if she recognized that he was suspicious. She shrugged her shoulders and pouted like teenage girls like to do, then she bounded up the stairs to her bedroom two steps at a time. A moment later Jacob could hear her bedroom door click shut. 

"Okay you two," Naomi said to Alicia and Jacob, "sorry to make babysitters out of you on your holiday but this week the store is terribly busy. I promise to make it up to you by weekend." 

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Alicia assured her with a kiss on her cheek. Naomi dashed out of the door and into the passenger seat of Ian's car. A moment later they were down the driveway, disappearing around the corner and gone. 

"Well, what's next?" asked Jacob. 

"For me it's dishes and picking up, you?" 

"We left quite a mess around that campfire last night so I suppose Ian would appreciate me picking that up. So I'll be outside." 

"Thanks sweetie." 

Jacob found the wheelbarrow on the side of the house and moved it over to the fire ring. He started picking up twigs and branches scattered everywhere and tossed them into a wheelbarrow. Eventually, he hauled them around the back of the house to dump them in a trash pile Ian pointed out to him the other day. While he was back there with his second load, he looked up to see Maria leaning out of her bedroom window watching him with a wry smile. "Bored already?" 

"How do you know?" 

"I can't imagine watching me work is all that interesting. Want to come down and help me?" 

Maria studied him for a moment then smiled. "Okay." A minute later she stood on the back porch with her hands on her hips in the classic teenage girl pose found too often in every teen magazine. 

Jacob tossed her a pair of work gloves and offered her the handles of the wheelbarrow. 

"What? Shouldn't a boy be doing the heavy lifting?" she asked with a smirk on her face. 

"Not when you're ten times stronger than me, or do you want to arm wrestle so that I can prove my point when you crush me in a humiliating defeat." 

That solicited a laugh as she jumped off the porch steps and grabbed hold of the wheelbarrow. 

They worked together for several minutes silently. Jacob stole a couple of glances at Maria's smiling face and felt like he was one step closer to winning a friend. 

"How long have you known Michael," he asked as he lifted another log into the wheelbarrow. 

"Forever. Since our moms are such good friends we've been together since diapers. Why?" 

"It looks like you're very close." 

"Yeah, he's my best friend." 

They were silent for a while longer, dwelling in their own thoughts then Maria turned to Jacob. "My mom told me you could see auras." 

"Uh-huh." 

"Can you see mine?" 

"I can, it's beautiful." Jacob picked up the last of the wood and tossed it into the wheelbarrow. 

Maria picked up the heavily laden wheelbarrow as if it was as light as a feather. She wheeled it around towards the back as Jacob followed her. "I heard that you could see more than auras, that you can see things that predict the future." 

"Kind of, but not exactly. I can see things that give me hints, but not specifics. Why?" 

Maria set the wheelbarrow down and stood silent for a long time. She glanced up at him and sighed. "I don't know why I'm going to tell you this because I hardly know you. But somehow I feel that I can trust you and I need to talk to someone." She paused again as if gathering her courage. "Swear that you'll not tell anyone what I'm about to say." 

Jacob pulled off his work gloves and set them on the wheelbarrow. Then he lifted up his little finger and smiled. "Pinky swear," he said as they interlocked their fingers. "I promise." 

"Michael wants to talk." 

"Okay." 

Maria sat down on the porch steps and tossed her gloves on the woodpile. She looked up at Jacob with sad eyes filling with tears. 

"Why are you crying?" Jacob moved to sit next to her. 

"I think I might have really screwed up." 

"What? You kissed another boy?" 

"No, nothing like that. I love Michael more than anything." She sighed and slumped her shoulders. "He saw me...more than once, I think." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Last week, before you and Aunt Alicia came, I was helping Dad with some chores near the barn. I was hot, tired, and grumpy. Plus, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. There was an old broken wagon that Dad wanted me to pull around to the other side of the barn. We were trying to clean the place up before the party and all the junk, including the wagon, was an eyesore. Anyway, I got impatient. I picked up the wagon and tossed it. It landed across the yard where I pushed it out of sight." She wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands then cradled her chin in them. 

"And Michael saw you." 

"Yup. I didn't see him at first but after I came back around the barn I saw him walking away. I called to him but he ignored me and started moving faster." She started crying again, only harder. "He's never done that before. I felt so terrible." 

"Did you tell your Dad or Mom?" 

"I couldn't, I had to know what he saw." 

"And you think that's what he wants to talk to you about?" 

She nodded her head and wiped her eyes again. 

Jacob studied her aura. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her then opened them slowly and looked at her. "I don't see anything to indicate that you and Michael are in trouble." 

Maria let out a big breath then grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you." 

"But there is something that is bothering me, it's lurking in the shadows. I'm not sure yet what it is but I want you to be careful for the next few days, more careful than you usually are." 

"What is it?" 

"I don't know," he said wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "It's really dark, it wants to stay hidden. I don't like it. But it's not close to you yet so we just need to keep watch, okay?" He hugged her again and then let her go to stand up and dust himself off. 

"Thank you, Jacob. A lot." 

"You're welcome, Maria. Thanks for your help with the cleanup too." About then the twins appeared at the screen door. 

"Aunt Alicia says it's time for lunch," they chimed in unison. 

Jacob shook his head and chuckled. "Let's go see what she made for lunch." They walked into the house and headed for the kitchen. 

That night, around the dinner table, Naomi asked Alicia and Jacob how their day went. Maria shot a quick glance at Jacob and he smiled. "Very peaceful. I see why you love this place Naomi, there's magic in a place like this." 

Alicia nodded then asked about the bookstore. The conversation meandered from work to local politics and back again. A few minutes later, Maria muttered something about homework over break and left to go to her room. Once she made it to the landing at the top of the stairs she glanced back at Jacob and mouthed the words 'thank you' to him then she disappeared down the hallway towards her bedroom. 

Ian and Naomi looked at Jacob quizzically. 

"I'm sworn to secrecy but it's nothing she can't handle," Jacob replied. 

They all glanced at one another then burst out laughing. 

Jacob grinned sheepishly and blushed. 

The next day while Naomi and Ian were at work and the twins are at a friend's house in town, Maria snuck out of the house after getting a text message from Michael. 

'Meet me in the old cabin at the bottom of the hill,' was all it said. 

Maria was nervous, what was she going to say to Michael? She couldn't lie to him, even if she wanted to. She'd been avoiding being alone with him for over a week now. Damn it, she thought, why did I have to be so damn lazy that day? 

Maria walked across her bedroom floor and pressed her ear against the door. Nothing. Where was Jacob? She could hear Aunt Alicia doing the breakfast dishes in the kitchen. Then she heard Jacob come in from the outside. Now was her chance, she just needed to be ultra quiet. 

Alicia's hearing was as good as her mothers, which made it hard to be sneaky. Maria slowly opened her bedroom window and perched on the ledge before leaping to the ground twenty feet beneath her. She landed softly and took off sprinting in a blur of motion towards the driveway and her rendezvous with Michael. 

As Maria disappeared down the driveway the phone rang in the kitchen. 

"McIntyre residence," Alicia chimed sweetly. 

"Hi, Alicia?" asked Heather on the other end of the line. "Is Michael up there?" 

"I haven't seen him, have you?" she asked Jacob. "No, Jacob hasn't seen him either." 

"Can I speak to Maria?" 

"Sure, I'll run up there and get her, hold on." Alicia sprinted up the stairs in a blur and turned the corner at the landing. She walked briskly to Maria's bedroom door and knocked but there was no answer. 

"Maria? Are you in there? Heather wants to talk to you." Hearing no answer, Alicia slowly opened the bedroom door. "I'm coming in sweetie." The room was vacant. Oh, this isn't good." 

"Alicia?" Heather shouted on the phone. 

"Heather, Maria's not in her room. I haven't seen her since breakfast. Do you know something? 

"I had a premonition." 

"Jacob! Run outside and see if you can see Maria, she's not in her room." Alicia ran down the stairs quickly glancing left and right, hoping to see her. She walked out onto the front porch and joined Jacob standing at the top of the steps. He began to step off when he stopped suddenly, staring off into the sky. 

"What is it?" Alicia asked. 

"I see an old deserted cabin. There's a darkness around it and Maria is connected to the image." 

"Heather, do you know if there's a deserted cabin nearby?" 

"Yes, at the bottom of the hill. It's been abandoned for years. Ian told me that it's dangerous to go into." 

"Come on, we have to hurry," Jacob shouted as he grabbed his car keys. "Maria is in danger, I think Michael is down there too." 

"Heather, call Naomi and Ian, then get up here as fast as you can." Alicia slammed the phone down and raced behind Jacob for his car. Jacob gunned the accelerator and the car skidded sideways as it roared down the driveway. 

When they arrived at the turnoff for the cabin Jacob pulled the car into the narrow dirt road that served as access and sped up the little hill until a fallen tree blocked the path. After he got out he reached behind the driver's seat for his sword and pulled it from the sheath. 

Inside the cabin, the spidery form of a vampire pinned Maria to the wall leering savagely at her. 

"I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully half-breed vermin scum, it's going to be a pleasure to watch you die." 

Maria struggled against the spidery monster pinning her against the cabin wall. She glanced across the room to where Michael lay unconscious in a pool of blood by the door. 

The vampire followed her glance. "I'm saving the boy for my snack later," he says sneering at her, his fangs now fully extended. Maria continued to struggle against him as he leaned forward to sink his yellowed jagged fangs into her neck. He was inches away from her when the door flew open and Alicia raced across the room in a blur of motion. 

But the vampire was quicker; he swung at her and caught her on the side of the head as she rushed towards him. She tumbled to the floor stunned, as the vampire stood laughing at her still holding Maria in his spindly arms. A smash of glass and Jacob crashed through a high window on the far wall. The vampire dropped Maria to meet this new challenge with both hands. Jacob tumbled across the floor and swung his sword at the shadowy figure. His sword sliced through the vampire's arm; a wrist and hand slid across the floor spraying blood everywhere. The vampire screamed a raging howl and lunged at Jacob. He dodged the strike, slipping to the right, and sliced across the vampire's belly with a slash of his razor sharp blade. Meanwhile, Alicia recovered from her blow, scooped up Maria and Michael in her arms. She raced for the door attempting to take them out of the cabin but the vampire, bleeding profusely from a slash across his belly and a severed arm, blocked the door. He lunged at her as she carries the two teenagers in her arms. Alicia ducked and slipped beneath the vampire's claws as they slashed through the air, narrowly missing her head. She dodged another lunge as Jacob spun through the air with a high kick and a slash from his sword, driving the vampire back away from Alicia. 

Alicia placed the unconscious Michael in Maria's arms and told her to run for the door. She turned and swung her leg in a blur of motion to catch the vampire square in the back, sending him sprawling across the cabin floor. 

Jacob jumped to his side as the vampire slid to a stop. He raised his sword high and slipped to the left as the vampire counter attacked. Jacob spun and leaped to bring his sword down onto the vampire's head slicing it open like an over-ripe watermelon. 

Now, the room is silent except for the heaving breathing from an exhausted Jacob and Alicia. Jacob looked around. The cabin was a disaster. Windows were smashed, the floorboards were ripped apart, and there was blood everywhere. As the vampire lay dead on the cabin floor Jacob stood up slowly and thrust his sword one more time into the vampire's heart. 

"There is no taking chances with vampires," he muttered. 

Outside, Maria sat cradling Michael in her arms, weeping. Michael, still unconscious, was bleeding from several head wounds. A moment later Naomi, Heather, and Ian arrived in his car. They ran to Maria and began to heal Michael's wounds. 

That night, Maria told her family what had happened. 

"Michael wanted to talk. He'd been trying to get me to talk to him for over a week and I'd been avoiding him, trying to stay where other people would keep us from talking in private." She paused a moment and looked up at Jacob. He smiled at her and nodded encouragement. 

"He saw me do something when we were cleaning up the yard and he wanted me to talk to me about it." 

"What did he see?" 

"I think he saw me toss that old wooden wagon across the yard before I pushed it behind the barn. He told me he was unsure of what he saw because it was so unbelievable. I tried to lie to him but I just couldn't. I just stood there not saying anything. I love him so much, Mom. I couldn't lie to him. I'm sorry. I just couldn't lie. He started yelling at me. He was really angry with me. He kept telling me to talk to him, to tell him the truth. There was this old padlock on a hasp attached to a trap door in the center of the room. I guess it went to a root cellar or something. Anyway, he kicked the padlock; it broke open and tumbled across the floor." 

"Michael stood there a moment glaring at me when I looked down and saw the edges around the trap door glowing red, like there was a fire or something below it. I pushed Michael off the door and scrambled around looking for the padlock but it was too late. Suddenly the trapdoor burst open and this creepy looking man climbed out of the hole in the floor. He picked up Michael and nearly broke his neck tossing him across the room. He fell against the wall and crumpled to the floor unconscious. I looked and saw that his head was bleeding. The vampire spun around and grabbed me by the throat snarling something about half-breed vermin dhampir. He was about to kill me when Alicia smashed through the door. 

"For years the cabin has lingered on the edge of our property," said Ian. "Years ago, it was used as a hunting lodge for a group of businessmen from New York. Then during the prohibition era, bootleggers running illegal booze off the docks in Northport used it as a hideout. I'm not sure who took the place over after the bootleggers were driven off but my grandfather put a fence around it and told everybody to never go near it. I used to see strange lights around the place when I was a little kid but I knew better not to go near it. It was a dangerous place. Tomorrow we'll torch it." 

"Fire cleanses the soul," Jacob said looking at Alicia with a grimace. 

The rest of the week whizzed by much more calmly for everyone and the whole rowdy bunch came back up to celebrate New Years Eve with a poker game around the kitchen table. 

When Heather and Ben arrived, Michael stepped out of the back seat. His head was still bandaged and but otherwise he was on the mend. Maria stood on the porch silently watching him get out of the car. She unconsciously bit her lower lip not knowing what Michael would do or say. 

As Heather and Ben walked towards the house Michael stood by the car and looked at Maria. Across the lawn Jacob watched Maria and Michael closely. Inwardly he wished her luck. Maria stepped off the porch and began to walk towards Michael. Her steps were uncertain. He didn't flinch, Jacob thought. That was a good sign. As Maria neared him he opened his arms and she flew into him, hugging him tightly. 

"I missed you," she whispered softly. 

"I missed you too," he replied. 

She leaned back and looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of worry or doubt. 

"I know you have something you want to tell me and I know that it's something you can't tell me now. But that's okay," he murmured softly. "Take as much time as you need, Maria. I know that when the time is right you'll tell me everything I need to know." 

Her eyes overflowed as she rested her head on his chest. They stood there, holding one another for quite a long time. Jacob smiled and returned to the campfire. It was going to be a special night. 

"Poker? On New Years Eve?" Jacob asked a bit incredulous. 

"Fred and Alex would play poker in their sleep if they could," Ian replied. 

"Any excuse is a good excuse to play poker," Fred chimed in. "Especially when I'm winning." He reached across the center of the table and raked the chips across table and towards the ever-growing pile of chips in front of him. 




Once Upon a Bite So Sweet Ch. 04



Jeff pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit up a cigar. 

"Hey! Stinky-boy! Take that stogie outside on the porch!" Naomi pulled out a dishtowel and started waving it around in the room. 

"Aw man!" Jeff got up and scrambled out the door beneath snaps of a dishtowel aimed just above his head. 

"I guess we deal him out this next hand," Ben chuckled. 

The rest of the girls had moved into the living room guiding Alicia to the seat in the middle. "Okay, cousin with the cute name," said the other Alicia sitting in the room while holding her newborn to her breast. "Tell us how you met Jacob." 

Alicia glanced towards Heather and she shrugged her shoulders and smiled meekly. Heather told her Christmas day that she would help protect her secret if ever she needed her help. Alicia took a big breath and let it out slowly while she tried to think quickly how to tell them without 'telling them'. 

"Well, I met Jacob on a cold rainy night last October. Wait, that's wrong, it was a rainy night when we finally had dinner together. Actually, I met him three days earlier when I stepped into a puddle of water on a sidewalk and slipped. The traffic light at the intersection had just turned green and I was falling into oncoming traffic. Suddenly, out of nowhere, strong arms whisked me out of harms way. I looked up to thank the person who saved me and I gazed into two of the most beautiful grey eyes I had ever seen." 

"Oh, this is wonderful," whispered Janet and the other women agreed. 

"Anyway, I was spellbound. I couldn't say a word, not even a squeaky thank you." He stood me up and was down the sidewalk in a flash. He turned the corner and was gone. When I finally gathered my wits about me I dashed to the corner but he just disappeared." 

"What did you do?" Tiffany asked, leaning forward and sitting on the edge of her seat. 

"I did the only thing I could do, I looked everywhere. I searched for three days until I finally was about to give up. I was heading back to the building I came out of the first day we met and there he was, walking down the sidewalk as briskly as before. I was nearly dumbstruck again but I snapped out of it." 

"What happened then?" Heather asked, caught up with the rest of the women in her story. 

Naomi just stepped into the room and Alicia glanced at her with a twinkle in her eye. "I did what ever self-respecting girl would do, I staged an accident right in front of him. I pretended like I twisted my ankle." 

Janet caught her breath and grinned. "You're naughty, I like it!" 

Alicia blushed a bit and smiled sheepishly. "He helped me get up and put my arm around his shoulder while I hobbled into a corner drug store and bought some elastic bandages. Once I was properly wrapped up I insisted on buying him dinner as a thank you. He tried to beg off but I wasn't going to let him go this time. I knew, the moment I saw him, that there was something special about him. We had a lovely dinner that ended in a special kiss." She looked at Heather and winked. "And the rest, as you can see, is history. What about you girls? How did you meet your husbands? 

The talk drifted from girl to girl as they related their stories of love and laughter. All of them had been together since high school. "Small towns do that you know," said Tiffany. 

"Yeah, and Northport isn't a metropolis, that's for sure," snickered Alicia switching her baby from one breast to another. 

"Oh you love it," Tiffany teased. "You told me yourself you wouldn't live anywhere else." 

Alicia grinned and shrugged her shoulders then looked down at the little bundle of joy that was nursing her left breast. 

"Speaking of which, is it true that your cousin here is moving to Northport this summer?" Heather asked Naomi earnestly. 

"That's what she tells me," Naomi replied. 

"I think we're going to like it here," Alicia replied. "Besides, it comes with a built in family and great friends!" 

Jacob glanced from the poker table and saw the girls laughing and hugging in the next room. It was such a joy to see Alicia so full of life. He knew in his heart that he would do whatever he could to keep her happy. What was that old saw he remembered his uncle say? Uncle Thomas was the only one in his family he liked or even paid any attention to. Oh yes, 'happy wife, happy life'. That's the one. 

"Hey Daniels, you in this hand or not?" growled Fred who was suddenly down fifty bucks and none too happy about it. 

Later in the evening, as the clock neared midnight, Jacob and Alicia snuck out the front door while the party was still in full swing in the house. They closed the door quietly and almost tiptoed off the front porch and out onto the lawn. Jacob wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her as they slowly walked towards the promontory from which the farm got its name, 'Shelby Point'. 

"Did you have fun?" he asked kissing the top of her head and smelling the sweetness of her perfume. 

"Yeah, I did. They're great. I did have to tell a little fib though." 

"Oh really, why was that?" he asked sliding his arm off her shoulder and taking her hand. 

"They asked me how we met," she said with a wry grin. "I had to change a few things." 

"Oh, was I racing around the city in a cape and mask waiting to save fair young maidens from oncoming traffic?" 

"Close, but without the cape." 

"Man, I like capes," he said as he struck a pose. "I mean, come on, how many stories these days let a guy wear a cape?" 

She giggled and hugged him then leaned up and kissed him tenderly on the lips. 

He curled is arms around her and held her tightly as they stood in the center of Naomi's yard. "Are you cold?" 

"Not yet, the night air feels good and gives me another excuse to cuddle." She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. "This gift of yours, the ability to see auras, can you tell if someone is lying?" 

"Eventually, yes. Some people are better at it than others, lying that is. But after a while I can figure it out. I need a baseline first." 

"A baseline?" 

"You know, I need to see how they normally are, before stress and deception is factored in." 

Alicia nodded, understanding. 

"Abnormalities, factoring in the context, tell me if someone is lying to me. You, for instance, have never lied to me. I know because I watch you like a hawk, you're in my every waking thought. You're so amazing." 

Alicia blushed slightly as she smiled shyly. 

"Kurt Abbott, my old roommate, on the other hand, is an open book. He's a textbook of deceit actually, to himself and to everyone around him. It's kind of pathetic actually. He's spent his whole life pumped up with some inflated idea that he's God's gift to the world. When in reality he's far from it. As long as he sees himself in that light he'll never achieve anything." 

I wonder about people who see themselves much grander than they truly are, she said." 

"It's like those who do a past life regression and believe that they were Cleopatra..." 

"Or Napoleon!" She shouted with glee. 

"Exactly," he replied laughing. They turned and began to walk towards an ancient oak tree proudly standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking the city of Northport. 

Back at the house, Heather and Naomi stood at the kitchen window looking out across the front yard. Heather glanced at Naomi and smiled serenely then she glanced back out the window to watch the two lovers stroll away from the house. 

Jacob and Alicia walked across the front yard under a crescent moon and a canopy of stars. As they approached the cliff edge the twinkling lights of Northport spread out before them like a glistening ocean calmly reflecting the sky above. A huge old oak tree stood proudly near the edge of the promontory. 

"This is Shelby's oak," said Alicia. Their arms were wrapped around each other now, her head rested on his shoulder as they stood watching the city lights below. "Legend has it that wishes spoken beneath its boughs will always come true." 

In the distance, fireworks began to explode above the city skyline below them. 

"It's almost midnight," he said gazing into her beautiful green eyes, blazing with emerald intensity. 

"Naomi's friends are a lot to handle aren't they?" Alicia asked. 

"Not really," he replied kissing the top of her head. "I've never had friends like this so it's actually kind of exciting. I'm a little jealous of your cousin." 

"Yeah, me too." Alicia gazed into his eyes and smiled sweetly. "Do you really want to live here?" 

"Yes, now more than anywhere else. And that truly is my wish," he said kissing her passionately. In the house they heard Naomi's friends, who had gathered around the television, counting down the remaining seconds until midnight. 

"I wanted it to happen here my love, under this beautiful ancient oak tree," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 

"What's that?" 

"Our third bite," she whispered. "I wanted to save it until tonight, this special night, with God and the whole world looking on as I pledge myself to you, and you pledge yourself to me." 

"I love you Alicia." 

"I love you too Jacob, with all my heart." She kissed him tenderly then she trailed kisses down his neck. 

She opened her mouth and extended her fangs then she brought them down to the base of his neck and sunk them deep into the flesh of his shoulder. As her fangs sunk in they once again felt the surge of energy that filled their bodies with an overwhelming sense of euphoria. But this time there was something more, something amazing. A glow began to slowly build between them. It grew rapidly into a brilliant white light that streamed from them like a beacon in the night. But its dazzling brilliance could only seen by those with special gifts. 

"They are forever linked," Naomi said watching the night sky burn bright with the light that streamed from Jacob and Alicia. 

"It's beautiful," Heather added, smiling radiantly. 

"You knew they would be coming here didn't you?" asked Naomi. 

"I saw it in a dream several weeks ago," Heather said with a warm smile. "Jacob is a little like me, isn't he?" 

"A little." Naomi glanced down at Heather and smiled then she returned to the window and the two lovers locked in a glowing embrace beneath an ancient oak tree standing on the edge of the world. 

"That is where you pledged yourself to Ian wasn't it?" 

"Yes, under that same tree, seventeen years ago. It was just as magical for us as it is now for Alicia and Jacob." 

Above, in a window that looked out onto the front yard, Maria gazed out and watched Alicia give Jacob her third bite. She watched the night sky fill with brilliant light as they sealed the bond between them. She smiled blissfully and remembered her mother telling her that someday she too would meet someone as wonderful as her father. 

"Someone who would protect you and love you beyond the depths of understanding. But you will have to be patient Maria, you'll know in your heart when you find the right person to love, just like I did with your father and Aunt Alicia did with Jacob." Naomi continued to brush her daughter's hair humming an old Bulgarian melody, the name of which she had long since forgotten. 

Alicia glowed with an inner light that seemed to brighten the night sky around them. Her tongue dabbed away Jacob's blood as she healed the puncture wounds from her fangs. "Happy New Year my love." 

"Happy New Life my love," he replied equally radiant as he embraced her then kissed her passionately. 

"Does this mean I'm going to become a dhampir now?" 

"Of course not silly, Naomi tells me that it's way more complicated than a simple bite, forget the myths, remember? She told me the path to turning a human is very dangerous and delicate. There are steps we need to take before we can even begin the journey." 

"Like what?" 

"She told me that there's a test for one." 

"What kind of test?" 

"To see if your body is compatible." 

"And if it isn't?" 

"You would die if we tried to turn you, my love, so we need to be careful and cautious. We're bonded now, your death would mean that I would die too." Alicia snuggled closer to Jacob. 

"So what happens next? Between you and me, I mean?" He gazed into her beautiful eyes that still glowed brilliantly. The same eyes that, at first, had frightened him. Gazing into their emerald green depths he realized their power and beauty. 

Alicia stepped back and took his hands in hers. "We're linked mentally as well as physically, more than we were before. You are my servant now, if I wanted to I could bend you to my will to do whatever I desired and you could not resist." 

"I do that already, willingly." 

"I know my love, my sweet beautiful Jacob. But the bonding has removed your choice." She looked at him closely, searching his face for any sign of anger or resentment. What appeared was confusion and concern. 

"So I've become your puppet?" 

"No, never, I would never do that to you. I will break the link before I would ever force you to do anything against your will. I promise you that. This link is something that has been part of the dhampir since we first were born seventeen centuries ago. It was born out of necessity for safety and survival. If a human is turned by a dhampir the link is even stronger. But it can be broken, if the dhampir is willing, and I am." 

Jacob looked up into the sky still glowing from the embers of passion that exploded from their bodies with her third bite. He sighed a moment then looked back into her glistening eyes. "No. Don't break the link, my love. It brings me closer to you, which is all I have ever wanted." 

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close to her. Tears streamed from her face as she held him to her. 

He lifted his hands to caress her face, tilting it up to touch his lips. "We should probably go back inside before we're missed." 

"Okay." She whispered. She released him and took his hand as they walked slowly towards the front porch. In the distance, fireworks still exploded over Northport filling the sky with a dazzling display of color and light. 

"Hey you two! You missed the countdown," Ben shouted as Alicia and Jacob walked through the kitchen into the living room. 

"But the fireworks are still going strong," Ian said with a wink at Naomi. 

"Yes, they are," Jacob replied. "We were watching them from your front yard." 

Ian glanced at Naomi who tilted her head and smiled winsomely. "Oh," he said beginning to understand. A bond of love my friend, you are a lucky man. 

Jacob could hear Ian's words drift through his mind. Yes I am. He projected his thought to Ian with a nod knowing that Alicia and Naomi heard him as well. 

The party began to break up shortly after that. Children needed to go to bed and it was still a long drive back to Northport for all of Naomi's friends. Everyone said their goodbyes; there were hugs all around as friends parted and cars drove off into the darkness. 

That night, after the house was dark and quiet, Jacob and Alicia made love again, slowly and passionately. Jacob slipped between her thighs and entered her gently until he rested his body against hers. As he slowly and rhythmically moved inside her he gazed into her glowing emerald eyes filled with such desire for him. 

She spread her nails across his back and curling them, she dug them in as wave after wave of her orgasms rippled from her head to her curling toes. "Oh my God, you make me feel so good. I am so spoiled," she whispered. 

"Too spoiled to make love to me?" 

"Never." 

"I want to feel you inside of me, sweetheart. Make love to me." 

Alicia lifted him off her effortlessly and laid him next to her. He shook his head still amazed at her awesome strength. He heard her open a bottle and he felt the cold chill of lubricant against his anus. She slipped a finger into him and then another, working to prepare him for her. 

A moment later he heard the bottle of lube open again as she spread some on her cock. Then he felt her press against his rosebud and slowly slip past his sphincter. 

"I feel so full with you in me," he murmured as she slowly moved in and out of him. He could feel every muscle and every vein of her throbbing cock as she moved inside of him. 

"Bite me Alicia, possess my body completely." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, drawing her mouth to his neck. 

She sank her fangs into him again, burying them deep into his shoulder as she rammed her rod into his body, filling him with her cum. 

The rest of the world has no idea how wonderful you are! She projected her thoughts to Jacob knowing full well that Naomi and Ian heard her too. But she didn't care; she wanted to shout it to the whole world! 

 

=EPILOGUE= 

That spring, keeping good on his promise, they both moved to Northport after Jacob graduated. Families are nice; Jacob thought with a smile, it was just a matter of which family it is after all. 

Jacob and Alicia found jobs teaching at the private school outside of the city that Ben talked about. It became apparent early on that most of the children had some remarkable abilities, just as Ben had suggested. Abilities that challenged Jacob in ways he never imagined possible. "As they say, there must be something in the water here," he chuckled as he watched a girl levitate water from a bucket and drop it on another boy's head. 

Alicia and Jacob were officially married the summer after his graduation and now, in the fall, she's pregnant...with twins. Perhaps a family tradition, Jacob thought when he heard the news. 

She hasn't turned him yet...but they're thinking about it. Of course, that's a whole different story for another time. 

***** 

A NOTE TO THE READER: 

This story is a work of fiction. All of the characters, their names and the places that they visit, are purely from the imagination of the author. Any resemblance to persons, places, or things is not intentional and purely coincidental. 

(If you believe in coincidence I'm happy for you. However, if you read my other works you know that i do not, but the lawyers like to see that word in there anyway). 

Thank you for reading my work, I hope you enjoyed it. If this is the first time you've read one of my stories, welcome. I hope you take a look at the rest of my work. If you are a returning reader, welcome back, it's nice to see old friends. 

-Dreamweaver594