Megami's Vampire Story!

[Koichi]

All who would like to read my story (which, unfortunately is untitled at the moment *sweatdrop*), please come here and read. I will update as often as possible, which might not be as often as I hope.

Anyway. This is MY story, so of course, if you steal any of the characters, I will be foreced to hunt you down and dismember you with a blunt object...... Kidding.

Here's the disclaimer!

THIS STORY IS COPYRIGHTED BY MEGAMI TEN'NO AND ANY CHARACTER RESEMBLANCE TO AN ACTUAL PERSON IS COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Okay, there's the disclamier. Any reviews, please PM me.

[Koichi]

Prologue: Caine�s Misfortune

Caine was a normal twenty-two year old college student. He was always working to keep up with his studies. Girls loved him; guys envied him. He was smart, hot, and�the target of various stalkers.

One such stalker was Antonio Miazza, an Italian exchange student, who preferred to take night courses. He was twenty-five years old, had long, silky black hair that reached past his shoulders. His intense grey eyes brought a sense of fear into whoever looked into them

Antonio and Caine had a night Biology class together Monday through Thursday. The two of them were partners on the semester project. The night Caine had invited Antonio to his apartment was the night that Caine would regret for his entire life.

* * *

�Hey, Toni,� Caine said, after opening the door.

�Ready?� Antonio asked, smiling and stepping into Caine�s apartment.

Caine noticed that Antonio seemed different from before. His grey eyes looked different, hungry. And Antonio seemed to have a fascination with studying Caine�s every move.

�Um, Toni?� Caine asked, feeling a bit awkward. �Do you want something to drink?�

Antonio shook his head and sat down.

�Oh, well, if you need anything, feel free to ask.�

Caine went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out a Pepsi and went back to where Antonio sat, absorbed in going through his Biology notes. Caine sat down.

�So,� Caine said. �Any ideas for the semester-SHIIIT!!�

Caine had opened the Pepsi, only to get the carbonated beverage spewed over his shirt. With a groan, he pulled his sopping wet shirt off. He stood as Antonio looked up at him.

Antonio�s eyes widened at the sight of Caine�s finely-toned chest. A small perverted grin crawled across his lips. He stood and silently followed Caine as the younger students went to get a clean shirt.

�How the hell did that ****ing Pepsi get shaken up?� Caine muttered.

Caine thought about this as he went into his room. As he thought about it, he realized that he himself had shaken it up. He had the Pepsi in his hand earlier when he was dancing absentmindedly to the radio.

Caine stepped into his room, throwing his Pepsi-soaked shirt carelessly onto a chair. He walked over to his bed. Antonio snuck up behind Caine without a sound. As Caine stood up straight from picking a shirt from his bed, Antonio forcefully turned him around, so that they were face-to-face.

�Toni?!� Caine exclaimed. �What the ****?!�

Antonio smiled, revealing a set of fangs. Caine realized something. Antonio was a vampire, probably the one responsible for the disappearance of a few of the other students.

�Toni, get away from me,� Caine said, firmly.

He tried to back away from Antonio�s grasp. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that they were standing in front of his bed. Caine gasped as he tripped and fell back, onto the bed. And because of his instinct to grab something whenever he fell, Antonio came down with him.

* * *

Antonio was enjoying this. He loved to be like this: on top. He licked his lips at the sight of fear in Caine�s eyes. He smirked at the younger student.

�Don�t worry, Caine,� Antonio said. �I won�t bite you. Yet.�

Caine opened his mouth to scream. Hopefully, he would be heard by his neighbor. Caine�s neighbor was extremely paranoid, and always kept a baseball bat handy.

Suddenly, Caine felt Antonio slide his tongue down his throat. Caine�s scream was muffled. The frightened college student felt Antonio�s cold fingers ghost up his bare chest until they reached his collar bone. A wave of pain shot through him as Antonio�s black painted nails cut down his chest. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

Antonio released Caine from his kiss and moved his head slowly down to the fresh wound. He licked Caine�s blood from the gash, savoring the taste of his victim. The sound of Caine�s pained moans made him smile.

Antonio continued to administer this torture to Caine�s body for the next two hours. By the time he was done, Caine was in too much pain to move. As Antonio finished with his fun, he took Caine and pulled the young man up.

�You�re a human of exceptional beauty, Caine,� Antonio whispered into Caine�s ear. �But human beauty eventually fades. I want to preserve you.�

His fangs extended to their full length. He placed his mouth just above his target.

�Please�� Caine begged. �I�don�t want to�die��

Antonio chuckled. �Don�t think of it as death.�

With that, Antonio penetrated Caine�s skin, drawing blood. He swallowed the blood as it flowed into his mouth. He heard sharp gasps coming from Caine as he tried to scream.

Moments later, a satisfied Antonio removed his mouth from the bite wound he had administered. Caine�s eyes were half-lidded, as he was losing consciousness. Smiling, Antonio cut his thumb with one of his fangs. His own blood began to flow from the wound. He placed his thumb in Caine�s mouth.

�If you don�t want to die,� he said, still smiling. �Drink.�



Eight years have passed since that night. Caine is a vampire. He hated life as an undead, and he�d almost prefer to be dead. His life was full of death, as he had to kill to live.

At least he wasn�t alone in his suffering. Antonio had two other servants, Zack Taylor and Kari Anderson. Caine and Zack stuck together most of the time. The two of them were there for each other.

Until the day that Antonio had gotten to him, Zack had been a practicing Catholic, with hopes of becoming a priest. Now he had no chance. Antonio had taken away that dream when he forced Zack to become a vampire.

There was nothing really special about Kari. She served Antonio, and that was all. Neither Caine nor Zack knew anything about her. Not that they really cared.

Antonio was on the move. The four of them were heading to Arizona. It was time for a change.

[brit]

nice..
since i'm only reading the dictionary..
this is a very good departure for me..
the only thing i can say is that the admins probably won't enjoy you posting the entire story like this..
but if you can please continue..

[Koichi]

Chapter One: The First Attack

�Brianna!� a voice called. �Wait up!�

Brianna O�Connell turned around. She saw her friend, Celes Johnson, wheeling up to her. Brianna smiled at her friend.

�God!� Celes sighed. �I miss being able to walk! Being in a wheelchair is no fun at all.�

Celes had been in an accident recently. She was paralyzed from the waist down, never to walk correctly again. Brianna had done her best to help her friend in anyway possible.

�Hey,� Brianna said. �Are you going to the Disturbed concert with me and Kasey tonight? We have a spare ticket.�

�I thought you two broke up.�

�We�re still friends,� Brianna shrugged. �So, you coming?�

Celes shook her head. �I can�t. I have plans.�

�Oh.�

�Maybe some other time?�

�Sure,� Brianna said.

The two of them continued until they reached Celes� dorm room. Celes opened the door and wheeled in.

�I�ll see you later, Brianna.�

�Bye.�

As Brianna turned to head out of the dormitory building, she bumped into Tina Williams, Celes� roommate. Tina was a snob, always insulting people and acting as though she was superior. Brianna despised her.

�Watch where you�re going, O�Connell,� Tina sneered.

�Shut it, Tina,� Brianna snapped.

�You still mad that Kasey asked me to the Distained concert?�

�Disturbed,� Brianna muttered.

�Yes, you are disturbed.�

<i>Why would Kasey ask this b*tch to the concert?</i> Brianna wondered.

Tina chuckled. �See you at the concert!�

With that, Tina opened the door and stepped into the dorm. Brianna sighed as Tina shut the door. She stood there for a second, then turned to head out.

<i>Kasey knows I hate that b*tch,</i> Brianna thought as she headed to her car. <i>So why ask her?</i>

Pulling out her keys, Brianna unlocked her car and got in. She started it and headed off campus, towards her apartment. On her way, she stopped at the local grocery store to pick up a few things.

�Saw your name in the newspaper today, lass,� Jacques, the kindly Scottish cashier, said. �It says you won another competition.�

�Aye,� Brianna replied. �True, I did.�

�Proud of ya.�

Brianna pulled out a checkbook. �What�s my total, Jacques?�

�$27.75.�

Brianna wrote out the check. Minutes later, she had her purchases in her care and she was on her way home.

* * *

Antonio pulled out a map of Arizona. He opened it and spread it on the floor of the U-Haul. Caine, Zack, and Kari gathered around him.

�We�re going to attack these two cities,� Antonio said. �Phoenix and Tucson.�

�Four vampires and only two cities?� Kari asked. �Why are we doing this instead of our usual one city per vampire?�

�I think it�s because Zack was almost caught last time,� Caine said.

�Precisely, my pet,� Antonio smiled, petting Caine�s head.

Caine tensed. He hated it when Antonio did that. It always made him feel uncomfortable.

�Zack�s carelessness almost got him killed,� Antonio said. �I can�t afford to lose any of you. To keep it so that you three remain safe, I�m pairing us up.�

Zack, Caine, and Kari looked at each other.

�Zack.�

�Yes?�

�You and Kari are going to Phoenix,� Antonio told him. �Keep low profiles. Attack seldomly.�

�Yes, Master,� Zack and Kari said together.

�Caine,� Antonio said. �You and I are taking Tucson.�

�Yes, Master.�

�Good. Now everyone get some sleep,� Antonio ordered. �This truck will arrive in Phoenix in a couple of hours, at 6:15. Caine, you and I will get to Tucson at 6:45.�

* * *

Brianna stood in front of her stove, a phone in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other, She stirred the ramen that was boiling as she spoke on the phone.

�I know the concert starts at seven, Kasey,� she said. �But what time do you want me to meet you?.............6:45?.................yeah, I can be there by then��..No, I�m already working on my dinner, so�.yeah. I�ll see you then. Bye.�

Brianna hung up. She set the phone down and finished cooking. It was 6:25 when she left her apartment to head to the concert.

* * *

�Hey, Caine,� Antonio said, shaking the young vampire awake. �We�re there.�

�Huh?� Caine asked, opening his eyes. �Already?�

�Earlier than expected, but yes,� Antonio replied. �Let�s go.�

With that, Antonio opened the door to the U-Haul, and the two of them jumped out. There was no one else on the road at that moment, but they couldn�t stay in the middle of the road. They ran to the sidewalk and began walking.

Caine noticed a poster in the window of a shop that they were passing. He stopped walking and read it.

�Hey, Toni!� he exclaimed. �There�s going to be a concert tonight!�

Antonio turned and went over to Caine. He took a look at the poster.

�Pah!� he spat. �I can�t stand that kind of music, Caine! You know that!�

�It doesn�t start for another half an hour, but no doubt people are already in line for it.�

Antonio thought about this. The large crowd would make it easier to grab a couple of victims, and yet go unnoticed. But there was always a risk.

�Let�s go,� Antonio said at last.

<i>Yes!</i> Caine cheered mentally.

* * *

Brianna and Kasey stood toward the end of the line. Both of them held a ticket in their hands. Kasey wore a dark t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. Brianna wore dark denim jeans and a black tank top.

Kasey glanced at his watch. �Tina�s late.�

�I�m not surprised,� Brianna muttered. �She�s always late for something.�

�Jeez, Brianna!� Kasey exclaimed. �What�s so bad about Tina?�

Brianna crossed her arms and turned away. Kasey tried to take her in his arms, but she moved away. Kasey sighed.

�Bri,� he said. �Talk to me. Please.�

�You want to know why I hate Tina?� Brianna sighed. �I�ll give you the reasons. 1. She�s a b*tch, 2. She always gets away with treating Celes badly, 3. She�s a snob, 4. She�s always acting superior to everyone, oh, and did I mention she�s an obnoxious b*tch?�

�Okay, okay. I understand.�

Brianna sighed. �I�m sorry, Kasey. I shouldn�t criticize your decision to as Tina out. I�m sorry.�

�It�s okay, Bri,� Kasey replied. �In all honesty, I saw Tina for who she was on our first date. I know it sounds stupid, but I want to try to change her.�

�Fat chance, Kasey.�

Kasey sighed at looked at his watch again.

�Jesus,� he said. �Where is she?�

* * *

Tina fell to the ground, her wavy blonde hair falling in her face. Her blue eyes shone in fright. She tried to scream, but no sound came from her.

The black haired vampire looked at her hungrily. His gray eyes studied Tina�s neck. A second vampire grabbed Tina�s arm, pulling her up. He pushed the girl, sending her straight to his partner.

�Get away from me!� Tina cried, finding her voice at last. �Don�t touch m�Aaaaahhhh!!!�

The gray-eyed vampire drank the girl�s blood as it spilled into his mouth. His partner watched, waiting. He noticed a scrap of paper hanging from the girl�s pocket. Words were semi-visible in the dim light.

�Disturbed�� he said, softly.

�Hmmm? The other asked. He wiped some blood from his lips onto his hand, letting Tina�s limp body drop. �Did you say something, Caine?�

�It�s nothing, really,� Caine replied. �I just saw that ticket in the girl�s pocket.�

�And now,� Antonio said, pulling the ticket from the girl�s pocket. �Since she won�t be using it, you will.�

�What?� Caine asked. �You�re letting me��

�You know I despise waste, my pet,� Antonio said, placing the ticket into Caine�s hand. �Besides, I think you should have some fun.�

�Thank you, Master.�

Antonio smiled at Caine. He placed a hand on the younger vampire�s shoulder. Moving closer to his accomplice, he whispered into Caine�s ear:

�Just come back to me by morning. You�ll know where to find me.�

* * *

Seven o�clock. The concert was about to begin. Kasey and Brianna sat on either side of the empty seat where Tina was supposed to be. Kasey had gotten a refund for the fourth ticket and someone else had managed to get that seat.

�I guess Tina isn�t coming,� Kasey sighed.

Brianna looked at her friend. Kasey looked hurt. She reached to place her hand on his shoulder, but before she could, she heard a voice behind her.

�Excuse me, miss,� the voice said.

Brianna turned to see a handsome young man with short black hair. He stood at least six feet tall. The feature that caught Brianna�s attention the most was his eyes. They were blood red.

�Is this seat EB-4?� the young man asked, pointing to the seat between Kasey and Brianna.

�Um�yeah�� Brianna said, a tad bit confused.

�Oh,� the stranger smiled. �Then it�s the seat I�m in.�

Kasey stood. �No. It�s not. The coordinating ticket to this seat is held by my girlfriend. It�s her seat.�

The stranger looked at Kasey. �You must mean that blonde girl. She told me she didn�t want to come anf gave me her ticket.�

�She wouldn�t do that,� Kasey began.

�Kasey, trust me,� Brianna cut in. �She would.�

Kasey turned back to the black haired stranger. He stood a few inches shorter that the newcomer. Kasey looked at him.

�Show me proof.�

The newcomer showed Kasey his ticket stub. Kasey grew red and sat down in a huff. The stranger looked down at Brianna and smiled.

�Hello,� he said, sitting down.

�Hi,� Brianna replied.

A stage helper announced that there would be a short delay. A majority of the crowd groaned. The stranger just continued to look at Brianna.

�Um�� Brianna said, feeling uncomfortable.

�Oh,� the stranger said, turning away. �I�m sorry.�

* * *

Caine felt himself blush as he turned away. He hadn�t meant to stare at the girl, but she was just so�well, something about her attracted him to her. He just didn�t know what is was.

<i>Forget it, Caine,</i> he told himself. <i>She will never like you. She�s a human. You�re a vampire. Besides, Antonio�</i>

Caine felt a hand being place on his arm. He looked and saw that the girl was looking at him worriedly.

�Are you okay?� she asked him. �You were shaking.�

Caine was surprised. He knew that he often shook when thinking. That wasn�t what he was surprised about. He was surprised that the girl was asking to see if he was alright.

�I�m fine.�

The band still hadn�t made their appearance. People in the crowd were getting annoyed. Kasey included. Many were threatening to leave. Again, Kasey included.

�I�m Brianna, by the way,� the girl said. �Brianna O�Connell.�

Caine looked at the girl. She was holding her hand out to him. Caine figured there was nothing wrong with introducing himself.

�My name is Caine Wynter.�

He reached for Brianna�s hand. As their hands touched, Brianna�s eyes widened in surprise. Caine realized what he had just done. He took his hand from Brianna. The girl said nothing about what happened.

<i>Shit! I forgot about that�</i>

* * *

Brianna blinked, trying to clear her mind. Had what just happened been real? There was no way�

When their hands touched, Caine�s voice had filled her head. His thoughts still echo though her mind.

~She�s beautiful�~ Caine�s thoughts ran through her head. ~I�m scared�She�s human�She�d hate me if she knew�Oh, God�I think she�What if Toni finds out?~

<i>There�s no way!</i> Brianna thought. <i>I couldn�t have heard his thoughts! There�s just no way!</i>

* * *

Caine didn�t dare look at Brianna. He had let her hear his thoughts. He was glad when the concert finally started. It took his thoughts off her.

When the concert was over three and a half hours later, Caine left before Brianna could. As he walked out of the auditorium, he heard his name being called. He turned.

�Brianna?� he asked.

�Hey,� the brown haired girl girl smiled. �I wanted to talk to you, but you left in such a hurry.�

Caine nervously shifted his glance off to the side. Brianna noticed and her smiled got wider. She giggled.

�If you�re worried about what happened earlier, don�t be.�

�Huh?� Caine asked. �You mean, you don�t��

Brianna shook her head. �Thanks for the compliment, by the way.�

Caine looked at her. Was she seriously okay with having heard his thoughts?

�Just how much did you hear?� he asked her.

�Just a bit, honestly.�

Caine relaxed a bit. He gave Brianna small smiled. The two of them stood there for a bit.

�I have to get going,� Caine said, after a while. �It�s quite a walk to where I�m staying.�

�Oh,� Brianna said, sounding a bit disappointed. �Hey, um�do you want a ride?�

Caine stared at her for a moment. A slight breeze picked up, making his coat flap against his legs. The street light above the two of them flickered momentarily.

�We just met,� Caine said.

�So?� Brianna replied. �It�ll save you some time.�

Caine walked over to her. He looked into her leaf green eyes. There was something in the way her eyes looked that told him that everything was okay.

�Alright.�

Brianna smiled and led Caine to her car.

[Koichi]

So anyway. Yeah. I'll post the next chapter when I can. Until then, laters!

[LostAgain]

I'm no great writer, but I have to say that your story feels kind of shallow. It feels like there's nothing to the story other than the words. I suggest more experimentation and discription. Don't write something just because it'll get you somewhere, make it interesting so that people will want to go there with you.

With that out of the way, I have to compliment you on just taking on something like this, staying with it, and actually putting it out there for people to see. Those are all tough things to go through.

Again, I may not know what I'm talking about, so do with this what you will. Hope to see the rest of your story soon.

[Norgus]

this is great, please keep updating it, if you stop now it will really bug me! lol

[Koichi]

Okay, people. Sorry to say this, but you'll have a pretty long wait before the next chapter is up. I've got a ton of other work to do, so...yeah. Please be patient. AND PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!

But yeah. After chapter two is posted, you'll have to be <b> extremely</b> patient with me, cause I haven't finished writing chapter three. *sweatdrops*

[Roux!]

Ack!! Too much text!!

Anyway, yeah, I think it's pretty nice, but it needs more pacing... It feels a bit rushed and, as mentioned, shallow... There's not much of a psychological background to your characters, which makes the story somewhat unbearable and...

Too many cliches...? The "drink the blood of a vampire" bit has been done to death and the sexual implications that come with it too... Be creative! Have the vampire absorb the soul of his victims to do his bidding, or something...

Heh, heh... Anyway, maybe we're all being a bit too rough on you, everyone has to start somewhere and I think you're doing well for now... Keep it up and you'll be a pro writer in a few years...

[ozone]

Cool meg!!Keep it going!!

[Clive]

I wrote a story once. It was ****ing bollocks, it really was.

[Norgus]

I have a really twisted storey I did years ago that Im gonna try and re-type and then maybe I could post it here.
Or even more efficient, attach it as a file.

[Toto]

Originally posted by Viktor
I wrote a story once. It was ****ing bollocks, it really was.

Are you implying that said story has something in relation with story written here?
If so, then I wrote a bollocks story to.

[Cyberxion]

Not bad at all Megumi! I like it.

[Koichi]

Chapter Two: Betrayal

�So, where do you live?� Brianna asked.

�Just drop me off at the university,� Caine replied. �I should find my way from there.�

�Wow, you <i>do</i> live far from the auditorium!�

Caine didn�t say anything. He looked out the window. Tucson was a pretty big town. It hadn�t been before. In fact, Tucson University was a fairly new addition to the town. As was the auditorium.

As Caine looked out the window, he saw a house. It looked so much like the one he and his family had lived in before the fire. Seeing this house suddenly triggered one of Caine�s memories.

Fire...It had surrounded Caine and his parents. Caine had been the only one to survive the incident. His parents and newborn baby sister had all perished.

Caine groaned. This memory always affected him in a strange way. He felt his body temperature rise. His vision blurred.

Brianna had stopped for a red light. She heard Caine moan. She turned to him and saw him doubled over.

�Oh, God!� Brianna exclaimed. �Caine?! Are you alright?�

Caine never answered. He had blacked out.

�Forget the damn university,� Brianna said. �I�m taking you to my place.�

The light turned green. Brianna headed straight for her apartment. It was only a few blocks away and a lot closer than the university.

Brianna turned into the parking lot and drove to her space, in front of her ground-level apartment. She parked, hopped out of the car and carefully got Caine out of her car. Walking carefully, she led the unconscious young man to her apartment door.

Struggling to unlock the door without dropping Caine, Brianna fumbled with her key. She eventually got the door opened and took Caine over to her couch to lay him down. After she laid him down, she felt his forehead.

�Fever...� she whispered.

Caine moaned, which was a good sign. He was regaining consciousness. Brianna went into her kitchen, grabbed a washrag and soaked it with cold water.

Sitting on the coffee table that sat in front of the couch, Brianna placed the cold rag on Caine�s forehead. As she did, Caine�s eyes opened slightly. His red eyes looked at her.

�What� happened?� Caine mumbled. �Where am I?�

Brianna flipped the rag over. �This is my apartment. You passed out in my car and you�re running a fever.�

Caine took a hold of Brianna�s wrist. Once more, his thoughts filled her head.

~She�s so kind...~ they said. ~She�s putting herself in danger by helping me...I�m scared...~

Brianna took Caine�s hand in hers, ignoring his thoughts. She leaned closer to him.

�Don�t be scared, Caine,� she told him.

Caine didn�t have to say anything, but he chose to voice his next question, rather than think it.

�Why are you so kind to me?�

�I help those in need,� Brianna told him. She dabbed Caine�s forehead with the washrag.

�Thank you,� Caine said softly.

Brianna smiled at Caine. She let go of his hand as he closed his eyes. Dabbing his forehead, she watched him as he fell asleep.

For a while, Brianna just watched Caine sleep. Every so often, she would resoak the rag so she could bring down his fever. It was after midnight when Caine�s fever suddenly broke.

Brianna stood up and started toward the kitchen, but there was a knock at the door before she got there. Brianna raised an eyebrow as she turned tot he door. It was 12:15 in the morning. Who would be knocking at such an hour?

�Hey!� a familiar voice called. �Bri, let us in!�

�Rion?�

Sure enough, when Brianna opened the door, there stood her older brother, Rion O�Connell. With him was his girlfriend, Aliza Gomez. Brianna smiled at the two of the,

�Hey,� she said. �I didn�t know you guys were in town. Come on in.�

Rion and Aliza stepped into the apartment. Brianna closed the door.

�Please try not to wake Caine up,� Brianna said. �He just got over a fever.�

Rion turned to the sleeping young man on the couch. A smile formed on his lips.

�New boyfriend, already?� he asked. �You only just broke up with Kasey.�

Brianna looked at her brother. She rolled her eyes.

�I just met him, Rion.�

�You let a stranger into your apartment?�

Brianna sighed. There was that look again. Rion always gave her that look when his protectiveness kicked in. She hated that look.

�I met him at the Disturbed concert. Afterwards, I offered him a ride home-�

�You offered a stranger a ride?� Rion asked.

Brianna ignored her brother and continued.

�He fell unconscious in the car and we were close to here,� she said. �So I brought him here, and he�s been asleep since.�

�Not anymore,� Aliza smiled.

Brianna turned. Caine was sitting up and had his right hand over his forehead. Brianna went over to him.

�Feeling better?� she asked.

Caine nodded. He did feel better. The fever was gone and he was back to normal. Well, as normal as he could be.

Brianna smiled at him. �Come on, you should introduce yourself.�

Caine paled slightly. He hesitated to shake hands with another person after what happened with Brianna.

�You don�t have to shake their hands,� Brianna said. �Just tell them your name.�

�Si!� Aliza smiled. �I don�t mind not shaking hands.�


Rion didn�t say anything. He was obviously irritated at Caine�s presence.

�I�m Caine Wynter.�

Aliza smiled at him. �Buenos noches, Caine. I�m Aliza Gomez.�

Caine was puzzled. He didn�t understand Spanish. He had taken German in school.

�I�m sorry,� Aliza laughed. ��Buenos noches� means �good evening�.�

�Oh,� Caine said.

Rion didn�t say a word to Caine. Aliza elbowed him in the side. He muttered something and went to sit down. Aliza and Brianna both sighed.

�That�s my brother, Rion O�Connell,� Brianna told Caine. �Don�t be offended, Caine. My brother is just a bit...�

�Protective?� Aliza suggesting.

�For a good reason, damn it!� Rion exclaimed.

The two girls were silent for a few seconds, then started laughing. Caine smiled a bit. Rion huffed as Aliza walked over and sat down to him. She was still giggling, but Rion smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on her tanned cheek.

�So,� Brianna said, sitting down next to Caine. �What brings you to Tucson?�

�Well,� Rion said. �We�re heading to Mom�s place in Colorado. We decided to stop here tell you something important.�

�Oh?� Brianna asked.

�Aliza and I are going to get married.�

Brianna smiled. �That�s great! When�s the wedding?�

�December seventeenth,� Rion and Aliza said in unison.

�And you�re invited to be the bridesmaid,� Aliza smiled, giving Brianna the peace sign.

�I�d be honored.�

�Bring a date!� Aliza added. �Caine seems like a nice guy.�

At that, both Brianna and Caine began blushing bright red. Rion looked at Aliza, his mouth gaping in surprise. Aliza just giggled.

Rion stood up and went into the kitchen, muttering something. Caine sat blushing like crazy. Brianna and Aliza were laughing at Rion. After a couple of moments, they calmed down.

Aliza stood. �Well, we should get going. Sorry to keep you up so late.�

�Nah, it�s okay,� Brianna replied. �It�s good to see you two again.�

Rion appeared out of the kitchen, a Pepsi in his hand. He placed a second in Aliza�s hand. He smiled.

�See ya around, sis,� he said. �And I hope you don�t mind about the Pepsi.�

�Not at all,� Brianna said. �Stop by again, sometime.�

Aliza and Rion waved one last good-bye and left the apartment. Brianna sighed and sat down on the sofa next to Caine.

�Hey,� she said. �Get some sleep. I�ll take you home in the morning.�

Caine looked at her. His mind was racing. How was he going to tell Brianna that he was a vampire? Especially without scaring her?

Brianna tilted her head just a bit.

�What�s wrong?� she asked.

�Nothing...� Caine lied. �Um...not to change the subject, but what�s you opinion of vampires?�

Brianna was silent for a few minutes. Then she spoke up, rather softly.

�Personally,� she said. �I think that vampires are misunderstood by most people.�

Caine looked up at Brianna, a sparkle of surprise in those blood-colored eyes of his. He could hardly believe this. She thought that vampires were misunderstood?

�Sure,� Brianna continued. �Vampires kill. But that�s so that they can survive. Humans kill to survive all the time. I know it�s not the same, but...�

Caine looked into Brianna� bright green eyes. He glimpsed a small smile on the young woman�s lips. Brianna took Caine�s hand.

�You�re not very good at hiding what you are,� she smiled.

Caine was taken aback slightly. �You could tell?�

�I saw your fangs after the concert. And my demon mythology teacher says that when a vampire touched you, you can hear their thoughts.�

�Yet you let min in your car and into your apartment?� Caine asked. �Isn�t that a little too trusting?�

�So I�m overly trusting...� Brianna shrugged.

There was a silence after that. Caine and Brianna didn�t look at each other for a moment. It was a bit awkward for them. Finally, Brianna decided to face Caine.

�Caine, I---�

She didn�t get to finish. Caine had his lips on hers before she could say anymore. Brianna could taste the blood on his lips, yet she didn�t push him away. She felt Caine reach up a place his hand on her cheek. Like before, Caine�s thoughts flowed into her mind.

~God, I love you, Brianna...Stay like this...just like this.~

Caine broke the kiss, since they both were in need of air. They just looked at each other for a while, forehead against forehead.

* * *

Celes looked at the clock next to her bed. It was past 1:00 in the morning. The concert was definitely over. So, why wasn�t Tina back yet?

With a sigh, Celes rolled onto her back. Smiling, she placed a hand on her stomach. She giggled softly.

�Why should I worry about Tina?� Celes asked herself. �I have other things to think about.�

* * *

Antonio stopped walking. He stood in front of an apartment complex. He could tell that Caine was here. Now, he only had to find him.

A breeze picked up, blowing Antonio�s long black hair behind him as he walked up to the apartment complex. Antonio�s icy gray eyes searched the grounds for any sign for Caine. He spotted a black wristband in front of a ground-level apartment.

�That�s Caine�s wristband...� Antonio said.

He walked up to the window of the apartment. Peering inside, he saw Caine sitting on a couch, talking to a brown-haired young woman. Caine�s hand was resting on the girl�s cheek.

�How...DARE he?� Antonio snarled, his voice dripping with anger. �You betray me, Caine.�

* * *

Caine kissed Brianna again. He didn�t know why he was so drawn to the girl. Was it because she was so kind? Or was it something else? Whatever the reason, he didn�t care. Brianna didn�t care that he was a vampire.

<i>I will never hurt her</i>, Caine told himself.


Two months passed. Caine and Brianna were a couple. Every night, Caine would spend time with Brianna. They went to late night movies, took walks, anything they felt like doing.

Antonio never said anything to Cain about Brianna. Yet Caine felt that Antonio suspected something. There was just something about Antonio�s behavior...

Tina was dead by the time she was found. Caine denied killing her, and Brianna trusted him. Caine only lied to Brianna once.

That lie would lead to more pain than ever expected.