“Wheat porridge is pretty sad for a last meal, isn't it?”

	Even as he said it, Jame's brain was trying desperately to stop his mouth.  The awkward air between them had forced him to go off half-cocked in an attempt to dispel the silence.  Well, he technically did succeed in that, though at the cost of appearing to be the most insensitive person in the world.

“Oh God, I'm sorry.  I was just trying to make conversation.  I didn't mean-”

“It's fine, I understand.  It's not like holding a grudge against you is going to help, anyway.  If you want to apologize, you can keep me company for a while.”

	Perfect, now he felt like an even bigger ass.  James sat on the stone floor, thick iron bars separating him from his new-found conversational partner.  He hugged his legs close, making himself as small as possible while avoiding eye contact.  He felt so terrible that he could barely look at her, and not just because of his little faux pas earlier.  At dusk, her blood would be on his hands, as well as those of everyone else in the village.  
	He tried to justify her sacrifice, claiming that the lives of many justified the death of one, but he knew the truth.  He was afraid to die.  They all were.  Most people would probably sacrifice another to extend their own lives, the weight of numbers only helped them justify their selfishness.  Perhaps they did not even realize what they were doing.  To be so ignorant would certainly be a blessing.

“Don't be like that, you're making me nervous.  Everyone here refuses to look at me.”

	There he went again, upsetting the only guiltless person in this godforsaken town.  He took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax before finally meeting her gaze.  He had avoided looking at her much until now, but he was dimly aware that she was beautiful from the first time he saw her.  Looking at her up-close, he had never imagined how much he had missed the mark.  
	She was beyond beautiful, almost unnatural.  Long, immaculate crimson hair ran down her back, straight and smooth despite the days spent on nothing but a pile of hay.  Her pale skin too showed no sign of her distress, a light dusting of freckles the only visible imperfections on an otherwise flawless expanse of creamy white, her tattered robes preserving her modesty and little else.  It was perhaps fortunate that she had little to protect, her bust barely large-enough to visibly distend the loose cloth covering her.  What she lacked on top was repaid and more by the curve of her hips, her thighs set wide-enough to instantly draw the eyes of any man, regardless of the depths of his self-pity.  
	James caught himself staring and lifted his eyes to meet hers, hoping that she did not notice.  His breathing stopped when they met, breath stolen by the seemingly bottomless depth of the emerald pair staring back at him.  Beauty, wisdom, nobility, maybe even perfection lay deep inside them, just beyond the surface.  So much more laid inside, beckoning him further with promises he could not even begin to understand.  He drew himself forward, his vision dimming around their vibrant glow.  Then, nothing.  Or rather, everything.  
	It took a moment for the young man to regain his senses, noticing too late that the girl before him was blushing something fierce, eyes cast down at the bowl in her hands.  He hadn't been staring at her, had he?  He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously, unsure whether he had caused her sudden discomfort.  He grasped for words to fill the silence, still wary of his idle mind after his earlier blunder.  

“Uhh, so where are you from?  I don't remember seeing you around her before the other day.”

	It was true.  Though the village was rather large, it was odd that such a woman could have avoided his notice, particularly when his brain simmered in hormones at the end of adolescence.  Truth be told, when he looked at her, it was more of a rolling boil.  She seemed about his age, so it would stand to reason that they would have met as children at some point, though he could not remember anyone quite like her.  Such a woman would certainly stand out, even as a child.

“Oh, I only got here a few months ago.  My family couldn't afford to support an adult, so I left.  I guess I guess you could say I came to look for a husband.  Ironic, isn't it?”

	She was speaking, of course, of her misfortune.  She was either a little too early or a bit too late.  The sacrifice needed to be a virgin, a notable sticking point that would have saved her, had her search been just a bit faster or her arrival a bit later.  More than her tragic virginity, James was struck by unfairness of her situation.  She had no responsibility in this matter, yet she was going to have to die for their sins.  She probably did not know about the town's patron before she was chosen to die for him.  Few spoke about him even among family, much less to an outsider or new resident.  
	Even he knew relatively little.  Despite being an adult in the eyes of the law, most of his kin considered him too young to bear the full weight of their responsibility.  What little he knew could be summarized quite easily: by ancient contract, his town was was permanently indebted to some kind of demon or spirit for some long-gone favor.  From his understanding, their benefactor had made relatively few demands during that time, so no one was ready for what had happened.  They were hard-working, God-fearing men.  The idea that they would be made to sacrifice a human had never even crossed their minds.  Still, they could not really refuse.  James himself did not know exactly what happened if they did, but the sense of desperation that permeated the town was a pretty good hint.

“You know, you never did tell me your name.”

“James.  I never got yours, either.”

“Anna.  Pleased to meet you.”

	Her hand slipped through the bars, grabbing his and initiating a weak shake.  It was so small, so delicate in his.  He could feel her heart beat, fast and hard with fear.  She was trembling.  He bit back the lump that grew in his throat.  This was wrong.  Everything about it was wrong.  It wasn't just because she was so beautiful or that she did not even understand what was going on.  Sacrificing someone in order to fulfill a contract made by one's ancestors was absolute insanity.  How could anyone sign such an agreement, knowing what may happen to their descendants?  Why were they held accountable?  Regardless of what happened to the town, wouldn't giving her over be the same as murder?  The whole thing was so fucked that he did not even notice his steadily tightening grip on Anna's hand until she squeaked, cringing in pain yet otherwise silent.
	He let go of her hand and moved, his body acting before his brain caught up and stopped him.  He knew what he was doing was stupid, but he also knew that he could not live with himself if he did nothing.  More than that, he refused to acknowledge a world that would allow such a thing to happen.  He would accept whatever happened from here on out, no matter the cost.  Such a cruel world was not worth living in, anyway.  With a loud clack, the door swung open, his key clattering inside the lock edifice.  How about that, he was shaking.

“Get out.  Run.  I don't know how long my resolve will last.”

	She stood in the doorway, stopped at the threshold of her prison.  Her hand found his, halting his shaking.  She pulled on his softly, closing the door slowly.  Before he knew it, his foot was in the door, his grip and will hardening against her gentle insistence.  No fucking way, this was not happening.  If he had to knock her out and drag her to safety, he would.  From the moment he unlocked the door, he sealed his fate.  He would be a traitor no matter what happened next, but he would be damned if he became a traitor and a murderer.

“I won't let you die.”

“Why are you doing this?  You don't even know me.  Go and live, there's no reason for all of you to die.”  She was crying now.  Distantly, he wondered if he was as well.

“This can't happen.  Don't you see how wrong this is?  Anyone who would ask that we sacrifice another human doesn't deserve our loyalty.  I'll die if I have to, but I won't let them kill you.”

“So what?  If you walk away now, you'll forget all about this in a few years.  Death is forever, James.  You can't just throw your life away like that.  You're too young to-”

“Don't you think I know that?  I'm scared to death, but I've made up my mind.  If I'll ever think that letting you die is fine, I don't want to live that long.  Come on, we're getting out of here.”

	There he went again, speaking and acting without thinking.  His hand held tightly around hers, whether from fear or a desire to prevent her from escaping he would never know.  What he did know is that he needed to run.  She dragged behind him, likely far less fit than he.  He could not sneak past the outside guards, so he would need to catch them by surprise and escape before they knew what was going on.  The forest was only a few hundred feet away.  Once inside, they could likely escape.  It was already dark and the wolves were on the prowl.  Few would pursue them for long.  Once he got there, he would figure things out.  He had to.

“Stop, dammit, listen to me.  We don't need to run, you'll get us both killed.”

“I already told you, I'm not going to watch you die.  If you stay here-”

“No.  There is a way.  Think about it.  They need to sacrifice a virgin tonight, right?  What if I'm not one and they don't find out until right before it's time?  They can't kill me and they won't have time to find someone else.”

“That's ridiculous!  What if it doesn't work?  You'll die.”

“Maybe, but it's better than both of us being eaten by wolves or starving to death.  You don't even have a weapon with you, what the hell are you thinking?  This is the only way.”

	She did have a point.  There would be no point in killing her if she wasn't a virgin.  If they just waited to say anything until the ritual, no one would die, at least not due to the sacrifice.  Could he even do that, though?  They had just met moments ago.  He was willing to die to save her, but that was something else entirely.  That was a moral decision, it didn't matter who she was.  This was so much more personal.  

“Are you sure you want to do this?  I mean, we can always still run.  I can get a sword and some food or something.”

“What, are you really that averse to the idea?  Do you not like me?  Or maybe, you're a-”

“No, fine.  I don't have a problem with it.  I just thought you might.”

	Despite their brief exchange, neither moved an inch.  It was amazing how fear and urgency could make even sex seem so unappealing.  With each passing moment, the wolves were starting to seem like a better choice.  James stared at the ground and scratched his neck.  The situation had turned so quickly his head was still reeling and he knew she had to be even worse-off.  His inaction was unfair to her and he knew it.  Time to man-up.
	He stepped forward, grasping her wrists, pulling her against him.  Her face was rapidly approaching the hue of her hair as she closed her eyes and leaned against him.  Petite breasts pushed against his chest, the barest hint of her nipples poking against him.  His racing heart found a partner in hers, her anxiety and excitement palpable through their intimate embrace.  She looked up at him with closed eyes, her face blank with forced relaxation.  An open invitation.
	Their lips met, the lightest touch to test the waters.  She jumped at the contact, her body tensing against his.  She pressed her body harder against his, putting some force into their first kiss.  Her lips lay still against his, barely moving.  He could feel the tension in her jaw, her mouth clamped firmly shut but not retreating.  If they were ever going to rescue her from her virginity, he would have to take the lead.
	His hand found the side of her head, stroking her soft hair and gathering it at the back, where he held her tight.  His other arm wrapped about her waist, pulling her body against his.  He broke their kiss, burying his face in her neck.  Beneath the sweat and dirt and fear, she smelled of woman.  It was sweet and intimate, a gentle tickling in his brain that tightened his grip and a firm insistence that he continue.  His lips graze her neck, parting slightly to allow him the taste of her skin.  With each light peck, he wanted him, more of her.  His mouth trailed down her neck to her bare shoulder, savoring every inch of her freckled skin.  
	He felt her hot breath against his own neck, quick and shallow.  Her forehead nudged his chin away from her, inviting him back in for another kiss.  This time, she kissed him back in earnest, lips and teeth pulling at his own, though never opening enough to allow him passage.  A hand lay on his shoulder, rubbing and gently caressing the light but prominent muscles of his chest.  At the same time, he felt her soft touch on his stomach, her fingers running slowly down to the waist of his pants and slipping underneath.
	Thin fingers wrapped around his semi-flaccid shaft, stroking slowly.  Her thumb rubbed in slow circles at the base of his head, scraping along with minimal pressure.  His own hand migrated under the tattered cloth on her chest to her breasts.  They were quite petite engulfed entirely by his squeezing hand.  He groped without focus, palm rubbing the underside of her breast and rapidly hardening nipple as his fingers dug into her soft flesh.  Her weight increased when she leaned into his touch, thrusting her slim chest into his probing hand.
	Despite her soft touch and incredible charm, she failed to provoke a strong reaction in him.  His length stood half-erect in her hand, obviously interested but unwilling to commit.  He dove deeper into her innocent sensuality, hoping to take his mind off the circumstances and place it where it belonged, between her legs.  With his free hand, he played with the neat patch of public hair just above her hidden lips.  Inch-by-inch, he slipped lower until he found the peak of her slit and dove in.
	To Jame's surprise, she was incredibly wet.  Soaking, even.  After only a few delicate strokes of her inner lips, his palm was already slick with her arousal.  Taken aback, he broke off their kiss too take a look for himself.  Long tracks of wetness ran halfway down her thighs and a small puddle formed between her legs as it dripped from his fingers.  He knew that some women would get really wet, but this was ridiculous.  She must have read his thought off his face, as she quickly spoke to answer.

“Sorry, I can't help it.  I guess I really like you.  Let me help you get ready, too.”

	She stepped back and removed the pin holding her robe, allowing it to drop to the floor in a crumpled pile.  She was practically naked earlier, but seeing her exposed in all her nude glory was something else entirely.  James stared unreservedly at her tight stomach and incredible hips, eyes trailing down to her fiery pubic hair and the long trails of lust that ran down her porcelain legs.  That no man had yet claimed her seemed some form of blasphemy, looking at her now.
	He would have continued to stand and stare if she had not acted first, lowering herself to a kneel atop the relative comfort of her robes.  Despite her relaxed movement, it was clear that she had no patience for his indecisiveness, her hands finding both her stiff nipple and dripping sex as she waited for him, mouth open and eyes closed.  Hesitant though he was, no man could refuse such an invitation.  He stepped forward and presented himself to her, thrusting his slightly harder member to within an inch of her waiting mouth.  
	Her tongue pressed against the underside of his head for just a moment before it moved, licking gently against the bottom of his shaft in a single, long stroke from tip to tail before stopping.  His length jumped slightly as it pressed against her face, her tongue going further still to explore his scrotum.  She sucked gently, nipping at the thick skin and probing for the treasure hidden inside before taking one into her mouth.  
	The mild suction on his testicle was nice, but nothing in comparison with the feast his eyes were getting.  Her eyes were cracked barely open as her mouth wrapped around him with a look of pure lasciviousness.  He never expected a virgin could be so incredibly sensual.  She continued to play with herself as she sucked and licked, her hips rotating against her own touch and chest arcing in pleasure.  Her paleness made her arousal immediately evident with her crimson blush.  
	She moaned softly as she worked, long moans of approval and short gasps of self-pleasure alternating as she inspected every inch of him.  Even the smell of the room changed, the irresistible scent of female arousal easily overpowering the subtle smell of hay and sweat.  Her mouth returned to his shaft, running her lips and tongue down the side in quick, short strokes near the base and slowly moving towards the head.  In no time at all, he was hard-enough to break down the cell walls with his erection, yet she did not relent, lapping quickly and lightly at the crown of his head before re-positioning her head under him and teasing just his head with slow, heavy licks.  A small drop grew at his tip before she finally stopped, resting on her haunches and staring at the ground.

“Sorry, I got a little carried away.  Let's do it now.  If you don't want me, you can just put it in.  I guess that would be enough.”

	What the hell was with this girl?  It was obvious she had no intention of stopping now and honestly, neither did he.  He was trying to figure out if she was an innocent girl playing lewd or an incredibly excited virgin playing meek when he remembered that she was awaiting his response.  She lay upon the pile of hay that served as her bed, legs spread and welcoming, the straw below her already discolored from her dripping.  Well, that made his decision easy.
	In a flash, he was naked and atop her, his hands just above her shoulders and knees between her legs.  She lay still and tense beneath him, eyes tightly shut and jaw clenched.  Had he not been so aroused, he may have asked her if she would reconsider.  At this point, he likely could not stop if he wanted to.  He grabbed his member with a hand and lined it up with her entrance, preparing to slide into her.

“Please be gentle.  It's my first time, you know.”

	Well, that did it.  He thought he saw a small smirk on her lips as he increased the pressure at her opening, though he cared little as he slipped into her warm embrace.  It was everything he hoped for and more, exquisitely slick and warm, yet fitted so snugly as to feel as if it were made for him and him alone.  Each inch brought ever more pleasure.  Her face, meanwhile, contorted with alternating pleasure and pain as he parted her yet-unused passage until his passage was stopped by an obstruction.  The mark of a virgin.
	He pierced her quickly to ease her discomfort, the telltale warmth of her maiden blood trickling down his length.  Sympathetic though he may be, he stopped for nothing until his groin was flush with hers.  She held her body close to his, her face tucked invisibly into his chest and arms wrapped around his back.  He pulled out, his head alone still wrapped in her hot folds before he pushed back in.  Quicker this time, the sensation was incredible.  Her walls tugged against him, pulling in every inch of his length until he had no more to give and demanding still more.  She gasped as he rolled his hips forward, grinding against the sensitive pearl at the top of her sex.  
	He built a steady rhythm inside her, struggling to pull out against her straining walls before being pulled back inside with unintended speed.  She was clearly enjoying this just as much as he, her alluring hips rolling against his to hold him against all of her favorite places.  As his pace grew, he felt her breath quicken against her chest, synchronized with his deep strokes.  His arm cradled her head and pulled her close, an action borne of both desire and protectiveness.  Her head pressed against his chin, the soft scent of her hair easing his overwhelming lust and helping retrain the pace.
	Despite his best efforts, he knew he could not last that long.  He had already forgotten the reason for their current actions, lost in the sensation and the moment.  He struggled to hold on, trying his best to ignore the snug grip of her pulsing passage and the scent of sex permeating the room.  He thought about farming, the smell of tanning leather, and even the time he saw his parents make love when he was a boy, but nothing could stay his passions for long.  His pace quickened and so did her moaning, her sharp breaths and grunts as irregular as his unpracticed thrusts.  
	She fought to maintain a rhythm with her hips, but it was gone as he lost himself.  He could hold back no longer and did not have the skill to maintain a steady pace.  If anything, his inexperienced thrusts stimulated her even more, the unpredictable sensations overwhelming her senses.  He felt himself teeter on the edge, a powerful warmth and tightness building at the base of his shaft.  She came first, a thin gasp the only audible sign as she clung even tighter against him and squeezed his rod for all she was worth.  With a sudden realization, he pulled back in a panic, knowing full-well the risks of letting it out inside her.  
	Right as he reached her entrance, he was stopped by the iron grip of her legs pulling him in.  Her ankles crossed behind his back, trapping him inside her and pulling him ever deeper.  His cock jumped inside her, torn between his conscious decision to hold back and her sudden insistence.  Her sex squeezed and stroked his length, holding him at the edge as he wavered with indecision.  Then, but with a single word, she tore down his wall.

“Inside.”

	Nothing more need be said.  That instant, he erupted inside her, spraying thick ropes, one after another, into her quivering passage.  They shook and cried out together, her orgasm drawn out to new heights by his as he filled her with his need.  Even as his climax had come and gone, he could still feel a slow trickle flood her as her walls coaxed out ever drop of his seed.  He fell atop her, exhausted and panting from exertion, not to mention the suddenly remembered urgency of the situation.

“Is that it?  They can't take you now, right?”

“I'm not sure I like how you put that, but there is nothing to worry about.”
	The consequences of his actions hit him like a rock.  Even if the villagers did not kill him for betraying them, that demon probably would.  Then there was Anna.  She was certainly no longer worth sacrificing, but it did not guarantee her safety.  Perhaps worse, she could be pregnant.  His last action in this world may well have been to leave behind an orphan.
	James' post-orgasmic high did not last long, the calming relaxation swept away by half-forgotten fears.  He stood and dressed in a hurry, eyes wide.  They would still need to run.  Why did he ever think that this plan made sense?  He should have just picked her up and fled earlier.  At least he had more stamina then.  Maybe he could ambush the guards when they came in to retrieve her and take their weapons.  They probably would not expect that.  He was mumbling to himself when her voice distracted him from his frenetic planning.

“James, calm down.  There's no need to run, no one is going to hurt us.”

“How can you say that?  We just damned the whole town!  Even if the demon doesn't kill us, the others will.  We need to get out of her, now.”

“No demon is going to kill us, James.  Neither will the villagers.  Just settle down and-”

	Her flippant attitude was grating.  How could she believe they were going to be fine?  How could she possibly know what the demon was going to do?  He knew the villagers here.  If they thought that he broke their contract, they would definitely kill him and probably her as well.  These thoughts and more poured from his mouth in a hysterical monologue as he threw her tattered clothing over her head and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her to her feet.

“James.”

They were out of the cell now.  She was dragging behind him, but she was nowhere near strong-enough to resist.

“James.”

Halfway down the hallway now, mere feet separating him from the outside world.  He reached for the handle when she grasped his hand, turning him towards her.

“James, look at me.”

	Ah.  He knew he had been forgetting something.  It was her eyes.  He had no idea how he had forgotten something so striking, but he did not much care either.  All he felt was an irrepressible urge to stare deeper, falling into her fixed gaze.  Everything else left his vision, all but her shining green eyes fading to black.  He thought he heard her speak, but he could not make out the words.  
	His body fell limp against hers, his limbs now far too exhausted to move.  Wasn't he just running or something?  It was getting harder to remember and harder still to stay awake.  It had been a stressful day, it probably would not hurt to rest here.  The last thing he saw as he drifted off to unconsciousness was the beckoning stare of her beautiful eyes.



	James awoke slowly, his mind not entirely willing to relinquish the last vestiges of sleep.  The bed was extremely comfortable and warm, far nicer than anything he had ever slept on before.  He stretched slightly as his consciousness returned piece-by-piece.  Slowly, inconvenient thoughts started to intrude.  His bed was not this nice.  He was on duty before he fell asleep.  No, that was not quite right.  Then he remembered.
	He shot upright in an instant and surveyed his surroundings.  The room was dark, his vision failing just beyond the edge of the massive poster bed he now sat on.  It was as quiet as it was dark, the only sound coming from the hammering in his chest.  Where was Anna?  Better yet, where was he?  He wracked his brain to remember what happened, yet nothing came to mind after they... well, you know.  At least that explained why he was naked.  Now he had to find his clothes and some kind of light source and-

“Will you ever settle down?  Your continual panic is starting to get annoying.”

He pounced on the voice, finally noticing the lone figure in the dark and grabbing on tightly.

“Thank God you're fine.  I don't know where we are, but I think we were abducted by the demon and thrown into darkness.”

“Well, you're about half-right.  For now, just sit down.  I'll explain everything in time.”

“But what if he comes to kill us?  We have to get out of here.”

“First of all, 'she', not 'he'.  Second of all, I can pretty much guarantee that she's not going to kill either of us.”

	She shrugged him off gently and sat next to him on the bed.  Looking at her up-close, her appearance was immediately very different than it had been when he last saw her.  For the first time, she was well-groomed and clean, her long red hair tied in a braid down her back.  More striking was the change in dress.  Gone were the tattered rags, replaced with a shimmering black, deeply slit gown and a golden necklace bejeweled with a large sapphire.  James felt like he was missing a huge section of the picture and couldn't quite seem to put it together.  He felt that even she held him at a distinct disadvantage.

“I still don't understand how you can be so calm.  Won't she kill us for stealing her sacrifice?”

“You seem to still be quite mistaken.  It was never I that was the sacrifice, but you.  Well, your virginity at least.”

He wanted to deny her accusation but stopped as soon as he understood the rest of what she said, his indigence at being discovered as a (now ex) virgin drowned by confusion.  How could that be possible?  Hadn't she been the one locked in the cage?

“I'm sorry for what I put you through, but I had to test your character.  For what it's worth, you passed quite handily.”

Now he was totally lost.  He tried repeating back to her what she was saying, convinced that he had misheard something.

“So you were just a lure placed by the demon to take my virginity?”

“Vampire, first of all.  Second of all, I resent that.  Taking your virginity myself was only a necessary interim step to taking you.”

“Wait, what do you want of me?”

“I spoke honestly of my intentions when we first spoke, though I may have omitted a number of important details.  Centuries of solitude did not suit me.  I came to look for a partner and found you.”

“Hold on.  So you are-”

“A vampire?  Yes, and so shall you be before the night is through.  But first, I need your consent.  I know that we just met, but I have judged you to be a man of exceptional character.  I will not force this on you, so I must ask: will you take my blood and join me in the night, by my side, forever?”

	He had his suspicions earlier, but this all-but confirmed his theory.  He had been drugged.  Perhaps he had just eaten bad food, but he was almost certainly hallucinating.  He vaguely recalled the danger of eating moldy rye bread and figured that must have been it.  But what if it wasn't?  What if this was really happening?
	James stared at the self-proclaimed vampire that sat at the edge of the bed.  She almost glowed in the darkness, her intoxicating beauty evident despite the poor visibility.  She was looking away from him, a faint blush written over her pale skin.  She had certainly put him through hell, but he did understand her intentions.  Nothing bad actually happened, so he could probably forgive her in time.  The only thing that disturbed him was a final question he could not answer.

“Why me?  Certainly you could have your pick of men.”

She answered surprisingly quickly and firmly.  She had probably practiced her answer.

“How many men do you think would do what you did?  I have been doing this same act every few years for nearly a century all around the world.  You are the first to ever think of anyone but himself.  It is a rare brand of courage and an unmistakable mark of character to act with such conviction.  You ask why I would choose you, but I ask myself why I would choose another.”

“How could you have done this before?  There has never been a sacrifice here before.”

“I told you I had just arrived in your town.  Most old villages have some old myth about a demonic pact, but that's all it ever is.  A myth.  It is quite convenient for me, however.  Enough of that.  I would understand if you rejected me.  I will not force you, but I do demand an answer.”

	He would have to be insane to accept her proposal.  They had just met, she had put him through hell, and then pretty much told him that she was going to kill him so that he could keep her company for eternity.  Everything about this was a horrible idea, but why did he not answer her immediately?  With one look at the ancient vampire, now reduced to a nervous, blushing maiden, he understood.  She was honest.  
	She could have simply turned him while he slept and scrambled his brains with that bizarre eye trick he only suddenly remembered now.  She may have tricked him earlier, but she had been completely honest about it.  Assuming everything else she said was true, he did feel for her.  He sometimes felt pangs of loneliness even at his meager age; the weight of centuries was unimaginable to him.  If nothing else, he owed her seriously consideration.
	What would his family think if he disappeared forever?  He had more than a few siblings, so it was not like his line would die with him.  He held no important role in town and his duties as a guard would be easily filled by pretty much anyone else.  He really had nothing to lose.  There was no guarantee that accepting her offer would turn out well, but he did have some feelings for the girl.  

“Alright.  I'll do it.”

“Eh?  Seriously?  Do you really mean it?”

	It wasn't quite the reaction he was expecting, but it was clear that she could say the same to him.  He knew he had to be as clear as possible, lest she misunderstand his intentions.  He sat up and placed his hand over hers, leaning closer and closer until their noses touched.  An instant later their lips met.  It was brief and chaste but unmistakable.  Even when words failed, his mouth was still useful.

“Lay back.  This is going to be something else.”

	Right.  Dying probably hurt.  When he thought about it that way, this whole thing seemed like a really bad idea.  Then again, he had already made a promise.  He had always been a man of his word, much more so than any of the other men in town.  Perhaps he was just naive.  Either way, he had already made up his mind.  He would see this through, with her, until the end.  She smiled gently at him before meeting his eyes.  Once again, he felt his mind slip out and into the glimmering depths of her eyes.  This time, however, he still heard her voice.

“I'm just shuffling some things about to help mitigate the pain.  Being exsanguinated is not exactly comfortable normally.  However, if I did this correctly, it should be an extremely enjoyable experience.”

	He was incredibly hot and sensitive, suddenly aware of every minute detail of the pressure of the sheets against his skin and the light tickle of her breath against his neck.  He could feel and hear his heart beat in his chest, calm despite his excitement.  Most of all, he felt aroused.  He did not even notice anything was different until he realized that he was already as stiff as a board.  His erection jumped slightly with each slow thump of his heart, it's motions tied to the flow of blood.  
	He wanted desperately to reach out to his shaft and stroke it, yet he found that he could not move.  There was no turning back now, even if he wanted to.  Her breath grew hotter against his neck as she drew closer.  It was hot, heavy, and fast, her arousal likely not too much removed from his own.  It felt odd to be so relaxed when he was this hard, but it was not exactly an unpleasant feeling.  He trusted her to do what she needed with his body.  Her tongue pressed against his neck, licking in short, quick strokes.  He felt every bump, every ridge of her tongue as she tasted him.
	Her lips joined her tongue, pulling and rubbing against him.  Her overtly sexual touch only deepened his arousal, his groin tightening despite the relaxation flooding the rest of his body.  He melted into her touch even as his member grew harder than ever before.  It felt as though he could cum at any moment, yet he had no way to stimulate himself, helpless as he was.  His frustration came to a crescendo as her lips left his neck, the cool air becoming cold against her saliva.
	A moment later, her mouth returned.  A pair of points pressed against his throat, the slow pulse of blood inside him palpable against their pressure.  Over agonizing seconds, he felt her bite tighten.  He felt no pain, only a curious pressure as his skin sunk in around her fangs.  Her tongue played against his skin, saliva pooling in the furrows.  A moment later, his skin broke.
	Her fangs sunk deep into his flesh in an instant.  Instead of being painful, the sensation was exquisite.  A jolt of pleasure ran through his body, straight to his throbbing length.  The pressure of the bite alone was enough to set him on edge.  He could feel a trickle of precum roll down his shaft as it twitched helplessly in the air.  His mouth gaped open, all strength in his body swept away by intense pleasure.  Then she began to drink.
	Her mouth moved slowly, massaging his neck and drawing her fangs in and out like a pump.  Slow spurts of blood gathered on his bare skin, trapped by her sucking lips as her tongue scraped and lapped up every spilled drop.  What should have been pain was unbelievable pleasure, flowing from his neck to his cock.  It leaked steadily, a thin fall of clear liquid pouring out of his tip and gathering in a pool on his waist.  It jumped and leaked in time with his heart beat, which was already starting to slow as he lost blood.  
	His fingers and toes tingled and grew cold as his arteries dilated, inadvertently only accelerating the process by feeding her even faster.  His senses grew hazy, save the feeling over pleasure growing in his groin.  He had never felt so aroused before, not even in the instant before orgasm.  He should have been gasping and moaning, yet his breath stayed steady, easily controlled by her power.  He struggled to thrust his hips or stroke himself, yet he could not move so much as a finger.  It was infuriating and wonderful at the same time, this sensation of incredible pleasure and the inability to affect it.
	Despite the faint ringing in his ears, he could hear her moaning as she drank of him.  She shook slightly each time he filled her mouth, the ritual no less wonderful for her than it was for him.  The heat and pressure continued to build at the base of his shaft, the sensation building as the flow of blood slowed.  His arms and legs grew cold and numb, their heat and sensation retreating to fill the demands placed by his aching member and the woman that drank out his life.  
	She had lied.  It hurt.  A lot.  But the pleasure was so much greater.  His hardness had become painful, as though every drop of blood he had left was in his length.  His mind turned slowly, deprived of blood and only capable of receiving pleasure as all other functions ceased to be.  Each slow pulse yielded only a few drops of blood but also near-limitless pleasure and an impossible amount of precum.  It ran down his hips, soaking the sheets as he leaked helplessly.  
	He knew he would only last another moment.  The indescribable pleasure completely overwhelmed his senses as the last few drops of blood pooled on his neck.  Right as he ran dry, her bite deepened, fangs plunging to the hilt into his throat.  A final breath escaped his mouth, a rattling gasp as his body thrust weakly, the first voluntary action he had taken since he came under her spell.  Then he came.  His body lay dead as orgasm wracked his mind.  Cum poured lazily from his cock, his muscles too weak to do anything but ooze out his climax.  All the heat and pleasure that built in his groin poured into his cock, pushing out a slow tide of white as he came.  He felt nothing but the relentless flow of pleasure as his consciousness dimmed, fading as the last drops of seed spilled onto his skin.



	Warmth filled his mouth, along with a somehow pleasant metallic taste.  The warmth spread slowly from his mouth to his head and throat, slowly bringing life back to his body.  His mouth moved under his direction, sucking and drinking of the strange liquid that filled him.  James' understanding returned slowly as he remembered his recent death and began to put the pieces together.  This taste was like blood, yet lacked the astringent unpleasantness it held before.  Perhaps is was just her blood that tasted so wonderful, though he had a feeling that it was his taste that was changing.
	As life spread through the rest of his body, he became more and more aware of his surroundings.  He was laying in her lap, cradled in her arms as he drank of her life.  His cock was as hard as it had ever been, yet the burning urge to cum had receded, replaced by a pleasurable longing.  His tongue moved in his mouth, lapping at her blood-soaked skin.  It was surprisingly hard and bumpy, with a short but deep lateral cut leaking a steady trickle of blood.  He sucked enthusiastically at her offering, her blood flowing faster as he sucked.  As his tongue explored her skin, he finally realized what he was sucking.

“Welcome back, dear.  I trust that my taste is to your liking.  You will be drinking it a lot more in the future.”

	He had little interest in what she had to say at this point, distracted with the taste and the gentle tingling in his extremities as blood flowed back into them.  Talking could come later.  For now, he sucked greedily at the puncture while rubbing her nipple with his tongue and lips. His hand moved to her other breast, groping it awkwardly as he only slowly regained his touch.

“So that's how it's going to be, huh.  I suppose it is a fitting reunion for us.  Let me make it an event worth remembering.”

	Her fingers wrapped loosely around the base of his member, lightly stroking his bottom inch with only one finger.  He fought down the urge to thrust against her, enjoying the slow passage of her fingers and the intimacy of the moment.  One-by-one her other fingers joined the first, her hand reaching nearly all the way to his head before returning to the base.  He felt so at ease, cradled in her soft, yet strong arms and stroked to gentle pleasure while drinking from her life.  He had put her trust in her and was rewarded appropriately.  That was not to say that he was not going to take what he wanted from her later.  But for now, he was content to revel in her delicate touch as his body filled with its prior vigor and beyond.
	Her thumb slipped slowly over his crown, its passage eased by the thick coat of mixed fluids from before.  It pressed against the sensitive fold at the underside of his head, rubbing in slow circles and drawing out a gasp of pleasure.  He began sucking in earnest, increasingly less interested in her blood as he enjoyed prodding and teasing her hard nipple.  Her taste was as exquisite as before, yet he felt as though he were nearing his fill.  Moreover, he did not want to accidentally hurt her, so he was careful to not take too much.
	She pressed firmly against his frenulum as her strokes quickened, her grip tightening.  He panted and groaned into her breast, his hand joining his mouth in massaging her without pause.  Her stroke was firm, with no sign of her previous teasing lightness.  She twisted her wrist at the top of each stroke, rubbing his head in her hand.  Once in a while, she would release him completely to roll her palm over his head, gathering the clear lubricant he so willingly gave out, before sliding back down his shaft with a twist.  
	Her other hand began to play with his own nipple as her arm held his head to her chest.  She rubbed it in slow circles, occasionally pinching it between two fingers.  He didn't want it to end, yet there was no denying the weight that built at his root.  His hips rocked gently to the rhythm of her touch, rising up to meet her hand and driving down to stroke his head against her hand.  All the while, he maintained suction on her breast, loving the way her warmth continued to flow into him and the sounds she made as his tongue assaulted her nipple.  He sucked with even more greed as his climax approached, his face buried in her bust as she pleasured him with a hand.

“Cum for me, my dear.  Now.”

	James was not the kind of man to refuse a lady.  His hips jerked up, driving his cock into her tight embrace.  He continued to rock and groan as the first stream of seed shot out, flying a good few feet into the air before splattering his body.  Her hand never stopped as he twitched in her grasp, emptying his balls into the air while she milked him for all he had.  When at last he stopped ejaculating, she gave him a final, gentle twist before releasing him and licking her hand of his seed.

“You made such a mess of yourself.  Let's get you cleaned up, then we can see how you feel for round two.”

	As nice as round two sounded, James figured that he could probably use a bath more.  Except she apparently did not mean bath.  She lay atop his spread legs, face level with his rapidly shrinking member.  She gave him a quick glance before diving in tongue-first, savoring every drop of his spilled seed.  When she finished with his penis, she moved up to lick away the pool of drying semen left behind from when he was sucked dry.  
	Her tongue left long lines of shining flesh in its wake as she meticulously cleaned the stains from his body.  He could already feel himself harden as she licked up his toned stomach to clean the few splatters that made it to his chest.  She paused periodically to brush the hair from her eyes and look up at him, her eyes meeting his for the first time since his transformation.  They were just as striking as they were before, but he felt immediately that he could resist their charm if he chose to – just another one of the benefits of being immortal.
	He was still recovering when she finished licking him clean, so she lay down beside him, wrapping an arm around his chest.  Their gazes met for only a moment before they both broke out in laughter.  It had been one hell of a day, to the point where he seriously thought that he had been hallucinating.  A part of him still feared the possibility, but if it were the case, he may as well get as much out of the experience as possible.  He found her hand with his, twisting and gently playing with her delicate fingers as his mind raced from thought to thought, still struggling to catch up with the day's events when something struck him.

“Hey, Anna.  Can you do transformation magic?  Like, change your body?”

“No, why?  Don't tell me that you already tire of me.”

“Hardly.  You said that I was the sacrifice, but I could have sworn that I felt your maidenhead earlier.”

She buried her face under his arm, hiding herself as she spoke.

“No, you did.  I mean, I've been with men before, just... not like that.  I've had plenty of thralls, but nothing more than that.  Drinking their blood and playing with them was usually enough, at least for the first few centuries.  I did some pretty strange things, but never let them in there.  It didn't seem right.”

“Wait, seriously?  After all these years?”

“Give me a break.  I was waiting for someone I felt I could trust.  Creating a full vampire is a serious thing.  I was saving myself for that.”

The moment she finished her sentence, he flipped atop her, surprised at his newly augmented speed.  He drew a wet line of kisses down from her navel, biting gently as he went.

“Wait, what are you doing?  You're not ready yet.”

“You have a few hundred years of frustration to work through.  If I don't get started now, we're never going to finish.”

	It was cheesy but had the desired effect, distracting her for long-enough for him to get his head between her legs.  He had not noticed until her thighs gripped the side of his head in a panic exactly how we she was.  Like last time, she was completely soaked inside and out and smelling of sex.  He wrote off her incredible wetness as being a symptom of her abstinence and moved on, pressing his mouth against her sex before she could muster the strength to push him off.
	His tongue sank deep inside her open sex, much deeper than he had expected.  His tongue felt not only longer but stronger than before, a rather convenient, if underwhelming, side-effect of his new life.  He squirmed and rippled inside her, any semblance of rhythm abandoned for making the most of his new “power”.  At the same time, his lips softly caressed hers from end-to-end, brushing occasionally against the exposed nub of her clitoris.  She gasped a little harder each time, her breathing growing more shallow as he worked.
	He pulled her legs up with his arms, lifting them above his head and resting his hands on her taught stomach.  He caressed her slowly, loving the feel of her firm abdominal muscles beneath his fingers, padded with just-enough fat to hold her feminine form.  He could feel her stomach tighten with each lick, the delicate sensation of his penetrating tongue working wonders on her soaring libido.  
	It was about when he realized that he could roll back his tongue while still inside her that she finally stopped resisting.  Her hips lifted off the bed as she moaned in pleasure.  Clenching hands gripped his head, pulling him deeper into her dripping folds and rotating his head in circles against her parted lips.  Well, if that's what she wanted, he was more than happy to oblige.
	James redoubled his efforts, throwing away any pretext of technique in favor of an overwhelming assault.  He brought his lips over her pearl, running the full length of his tongue over the swollen nub while sucking gently.  She cried out in passion as he exaggeratedly ate her out while moaning into her sodden cunt.  Her nails scratched the back of his head as her fingers scrambled through his hair, begging him to give her the push she needed.  Unfortunately for her, he had better ideas.
	He stopped dead, releasing his mouth and turning his head up to face her.  She barely noticed his smirk as she moaned in frustration.  He licked straight up her body in a long line from her slit to her neck, barely stopping before pressing his lips against hers.  His tongue sought hers energetically, tasting and exploring every corner of her mouth.  She tasted mostly of blood.  His, he realized instinctually.  He had to admit, hers tasted much better.  
	While she struggled for breath as his tongue violated her mouth, he lifted her legs to give himself more room to work with.  He was met with no resistance, her legs traveling freely until her ankles rested up near her ears.  This was unexpected.  He slid his hips forward, bringing his tip up to touch her outer lips, pausing for the briefest time to enjoy the intimacy and the sight of his beautiful lover with her feet beside her head.  She could barely keep her face straight as her arms wrapped around his back, pulling him flat against her, her mouth a fraction of an inch from his ear.  Her warm breath filled his ear as she spoke, little more than a whisper but with enough lust to knock out a nun.

“Take me.”

	Her sex welcomed him greedily, squeezing so tightly that he could barely pull out.  He had to settle for half-strokes as he plunged inside her without delay.  He fell into her again and again, their position uniquely suited to filling her deepest reaches while still rubbing her clit with every thrust.  Her body rocked with every deep thrust, her wet tunnel twisting and contorting to keep him inside as she writhed in ecstasy.  
	As James lost himself in her tight folds, the desire to drink grew within him.  It was not until his mouth lay open against her collar bone, extended fangs pressing lightly against her skin that he discovered his new temptation.  He fought to resist the urge, afraid to take too much after so long a feeding session before.  His resistance broke when she pulled his head back down, pressing his open mouth against the same spot while she gasped for breath, struggling to enunciate the one word she wanted to say more than anything else.  
	Before she managed to express her consent, his fangs sunk deep into her skin, barely nicking the thick artery just beneath the skin.  He understood without knowing how to open her without damage, releasing just a trickle of trickle of blood from the throbbing artery.  A tiny hole was all it took, and his mouth was quickly filled with the sweet tang of her blood.  
	Her body shook with orgasm as he licked the wound.  She squeezed down on him, wringing his cock with all her might while she came.  Her moans poured directly into his ear as she held him close, her body gripping his tightly and trembling.  He plowed into her without pause, the exquisite tightness of her contracting walls doing little to sap his supernatural endurance.  Oh, how the tables had turned.  James did not know if vampires could really fly, but he was damn sure that she was not going to be walking anywhere tomorrow.
	The moment her orgasm subsided, he stopped thrusting.  Without pulling out, he let down her legs and lifted her into the air.  He sat on his legs, holding her in his lap while taking the brief respite to take in the sight of her.  Her face was still contorted in orgasm as she twitched slightly with the aftershocks while her hair hung messily, the intricate braid undone by the vigor of their lovemaking.  What excited him most of all was the rivulet of deep red that ran down her breast from her shoulder.  He dove in immediately, licking from her nipple to the hole in her shoulder before wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her in tight.
	They worked together to establish a pounding rhythm, her legs and his arms lifting and dropping her upon his engorged shaft with steady desperation.  Her rich blood egged him on, begged for him to make it pump faster, to fill and swell her walls and squeeze him to release.  She spoke to him through her blood, her lust and desire for him as much a part of her as life itself.  Her hands explored his back, nails digging in gently to take and mark him as her own.
	His hands spread her cheeks, gripping and fondling her fine ass as it bounced and rippled on his lap.  He felt deeper and deeper into her valley, curious if she would stop him before he reached his target.  When his middle finger prodded her tight ring, she merely gasped and impaled herself deeper on him, answering his question without the need for words.
	Her copious lubrication had soaked all the way to her back entrance, easing the slow passage of his finger.  She barely fought his intrusion, her body preoccupied with swallowing his dick.  Her movements became unsteady as the first knuckle breached her inner ring and almost stopped completely as the second slid in.  Her moaning ceased as well, reduced to pained gasping as she succumbed to the pleasure.  
	Again she came, harder than before.  James nearly had to stop before she wrung him dry, yet he found the strength to hold on in the promise of further abusing her steaming sex.  Her ring squeezed his finger so hard he feared she may have cut off circulation.  For a moment, he wondered what that incredible tightness would feel like wrapped around a different part of his body.  He banished the thought quickly and contended himself with the opportunity to fill her proper hole with all he had to offer.  
	Throughout her orgasm, she hung limply against him, her body little more than a plaything to be used for his pleasure.  Her only reaction to his relentless pounding was the involuntary contractions of her cunt around him, her insistent squeezing ignored in favor of bringing her to ecstasy one more time before he filled her with his seed.  He let her fall from his arms while she was still convulsing, clearly not caring what he did with her so long as he continued.  To his dismay, he bid the small hole in her shoulder farewell as he turned her on her stomach and spread her legs; if he kept drinking, he may go on forever.  Anna barely managed to raise her head, supporting her neck and shoulders with her elbows as he took up one final position.  Without wasting a breath, he plunged into her once more.
	Anna did little bit gasp under his relentless pounding, too exhausted to contribute more than a hole to fill and a voice to encourage him.  Whispered pleas interrupted her unsteady breathing, cries for more barely audible above the sound of sex.  As worn-down as she was, she still held him tightly, her almost-raw walls desperate to bring the intruder to a swift end.  As if in agreement, James quickened his pace, sawing in and out of his limp lover with unchecked speed.  It was a far cry from their first time in the hay, his relative inexperience washed away by supernatural ability.  He could no more control his oncoming release than he could his speed, however, and found himself at the edge of climax once again.
	His final thrusts hit hot and deep, overwhelming some unknown treasure inside her milking walls, setting off yet another series of squeezing convulsions.  This time would prove too much for the new vampire's endurance, her not-so-gentle push guiding him over the edge.  A moment later, he exploded into her, a torrent of white coating her pulsing walls.  He bottomed out inside her, cock throbbing to his unrestrained grunts as load after load spilled out with decreasing vigor until barely a trickle remained.  
	Determination now spent, James fell off of his lover, landing by her side as she panted, cradling her sweat-soaked head in her arms.  She turned to face him, smiling in spite of her exhaustion, her message clear on her face.  They shared a brief, remarkably chaste kiss even while his cum still seeped out of her stretched hole.  He lay an arm around her back, drawing her close as sleep claimed them both.

In the final moments of half-though before sleep, he heard her voice against his ear.

“I think I can love you.”

“Me, too.”