Adam smiled and sat next to her.  "You are quite handy with that knife," he said, taking the brandy from her and taking a long pull.  "That is good.  For all his many faults, Vlad did know good brandy.  But, you are quite a mystery."  He grinned.  He handed her the bottle and stroked her hair and cheek.  Eliza turned her face into his hand, and briefly, enjoyed the sensation, but unable to resist, she nipped his forearm. 

Surprisingly, he did not recoil, and the sensation of her tiny fangs, she did have some control, entering his flesh, and the slight flow of blood into her mouth, was pure ecstacy and release after the previous events.  She was wound tight and a little blood was just what she needed.  She closed her eyes and shuddered.  Opening her eyes, she cast her eyes upwards, gazing into his, and smiled.  She licked his arm and smiled.  He returned the smile and shook his head.  "My, my, but you are a strange one." 

Eliza licked her lips and felt the thrill of feeding tingle through her body.  She felt like her body was on fire.  Gazing into Adam's eyes, she wondered what he knew or what he could sense.  She reached forward with both hands and felt his cheeks and ran her hands down to his neck, allowing her finger tips to rest on the pulsing arteries in his neck.  She shuddered and felt her fangs quiver to respond. 

He leaned forward and put his two hands at her waist, almost as if measuring her.  He had large hands she'd noticed, and her waist was tiny.  She wanted to feel his hands on her bare flesh and he seemed to perceive this.  He carefully unbuttoned her silk blouse, almost not touching her.  She watched his face as he slowly opened her blouse to reveal her breasts.  She knew her nipples were erect and sensitive.  He leaned forward and gently kissed then licked each nipple.  Eliza laid back and pulled him to her.  He willingly followed.

Eliza looked at his well-formed body and marveled.  While they were making love, she been lost in passion.  It was as if she was the one enthralled, not he, and she could dimly remember her long fangs piercing his body and flow of hot blood in her mouth.  She remembered tearing at his body with long claws, and yet, there was no sign of damage on his body.  She ran her hands down her body and she felt wonderful. 

"You do that again and you're volunteering for seconds," Adam hissed lowly.  She grinned and slowly spread her legs and smiled wildy at the reaction she could see in him.  She dimly realized that her fangs were clearly visible and he didn't seem to care as he walked toward her.

Eliza shuddered as he entered her, shuddered as her fangs pierced his neck, shuddered as she drank of his life, slowly, lovingly this time, not rushed, relaxed, gentle and easy.  A slow wonderful mutual joining. 

"And you are one cute vampire," he rejoined.  He sat up and gazed at her.  Her fangs were fully visible and her jet black hair framed her pale face and accented her petite form.  He slowly shook his head.  "Live and learn.  Live and learn.  Just when you think you've seen it all, something new and wonderful smacks you right in the face."  He reached forward and grasped her fangs between his thumb and forefinger.  "Amazing," he muttered.  "Absolutely amazing."

She took the scotch bottle from him and took a nice hard pull.  She laid back and put her legs across his bare legs.  He stroked her body in a relaxed and contented manner and she luxuriated in the sensations, but her curiosity struggle to the surface.  She sighed and began, "Adam, you have got to tell me, what the heck are you?"  He smiled and did something that made her squeak and gasped.  She giggled.  "Stop that!" 

He smiled. 

"Aw, come on, be nice.  I'm dying to know.  Look, you know that I'm a fully accredited fang carrying vampire and, honestly, I think what we just did would kill ordinary men."  She grinned widely.  "You! Are not an ordinary man."  She sighed and got a dreamy look on her face as she shivered because of what he was doing.  She smacked his hand.  "Stop that!  Now you talk to me, dammit," she pouted. 

He gave a very uncharacteristic giggle and shook his head.  "I'm a sucker for a pout!  Especially when it's a cute, sexy vampire in my lap, that's pouting."  He sighed.  "Ok, how old are you?"

"I'm 33," she answered.  "I've only been this way for a short time."

"Do you have any idea how long you can live?" he asked.

She wrinkled her brow and though of Codrin.  "If we aren't killed, a very long time," she answered.  "I'm really not sure how long."

Adam nodded.  "I'm sort of the same way.  I've lived a long time and I've seen a lot."  He smiled.  "But I've never seen anything like you!" 

"I know you're not a vampire," Eliza said. "I don't have any sense of you.  You're not hostile to me, because I have no sense of danger and I don't think I can enthrall you, so . . . "

"Is that what the feeling was?" he interrupted.  "That was nice! You can do that anytime you want to!"

Eliza smiled at him and looked deeply into his eyes.  For a brief moment his eyes glazed and then he grinned.  "Oh!" he said.  "I'll give you all day to stop that."  He squirmed a little and Eliza could feel his reaction pressing against her thighs. 

"Well, even if I can't enthrall you, I can get a reaction," she said giggling again.  "Now, you keep talking, Mister,  I think you have a lot to say."

Adam proceeded to tell her of a group of beings, which like vampires, seemed to live until killed by beheading.  They called themselves immortals, even thought they could be killed, and when they killed each other there was a transfer of energy and skills.  Some immortals hunted others for this transfer and there was a legend that they would fight until only one remained.  The legend was not clear what would happen at that point, but Adam made it clear that he took little stock in the legends. 

He paused and Eliza laid there lost in thought.  "The guy, the one that attacked us, he was after your energy?" she asked. 

He nodded.  "I'd say you and your little knife ruined his whole day."  Adam laughed.  "Kristo has never been so cleanly gutted by a girl, and no matter how long he lives, he'll never live that down."  He looked at Eliza.  "You have made a very dangerous enemy.  What happens if your head gets cut off?"

She shook her head.  "I have no idea and I don't think I want to find out!"  She sighed.  "There's so much that I don't know."  She then explained how she came to be and why.  She gave him a run down of her life from that point until now.  When she got to her experience with Jerry, she began to cry, and for the first time since it happened, she wept and was comforted.  He held her close and stroked her hair as she sobbed and soaked his chest.  She sniffed, hiccoughed and drifted into a comfortable sleep. Adam held her close and stroked her like one would stroke a sleeping kitten.

Awaking, Eliza looked around.  She was back in her own bedroom.  “Damnation, that’s twice now.  Either I’m having the weirdest dreams or I’m going mad,” Eliza whispered.  Toby, hearing Eliza’s whisper, pounced on her lap.  Sitting there, unknowingly stroking the cat, Eliza thought back to what she remembered. 

She remembered opening the door to find Adam standing right outside, the walk to the car.  Also, she remembered going to the club.  But that hadn’t been there the day before when she had gone.  The fight with that weirdo, laughing she thought “he learned something didn’t he?”  She remembered the night with Adam.  Oh, what a night it was.  She remembered what Adam had said about immortals, she wasn’t sure she believed that though.  The last she remembered was telling Adam about Jerry, then it all got a little hazy.  She thought she remembered crying, but she hadn’t cried since Jerry had died.  She did feel better though.  That hard little knot inside her wasn’t there any longer.  She still missed him, always would, but it wasn’t so unbearable now.  She’d had some kind of release.

“Now, I wonder how I can go about finding out if this story is true.  Who can I ask?” she wondered.  “I can always go to Codrin, I haven’t been to The House of Magura for quite some time now.  Maybe he’ll have an explanation for what I’ve been going through.  If not him, maybe Jesse will know.  I hate to ask Jesse, he never seems to have any time for me anymore.  Stamping her foot, she thought first John and now Jesse.  Something must be wrong with her, she couldn’t keep a guy interested without enthralling them.  Pouting now, she thought, “I want to be wanted for me, not because I enthralled them.”

“Oh pull yourself together Eliza, this sniveling has to stop.  You are strong, vibrant, as only a vampire can be,” she laughed at herself.

She knew the split with Jesse was partially her fault.  Oh they still saw each other from time to time, although the time between each meeting seemed to be getting longer.  It was hard to be close to someone when you knew they didn’t believe things you told them.  The split started right after she’d tried to tell him about the were-cats and he hadn’t believed a word.  He and Christa hadn’t met yet with her in her were-cat transformation.  Wherever she’d gone, it seemed she’d taken the were-dogs or wolves with her.  There had been no attacks in the city for some time now.  Maybe she was right, in that they’d followed her to the city.  It sure seemed they knew where she was. 

With a shudder, she knew she’d be just as happy not seeming or having anything to do with those characters again.  The last time was enough.  She didn’t think she would have lived after that attack.  She knew now, just how much Christa had held back when they had practiced.  It in no way prepared her for the strength and tenacity of those things.

All this reminiscing had brought her to Vicki.  She knew Jimmy and Vicki were still together.  Vicki sinking deeper and deeper into the drug scene.  Still vowing “she could quit anytime she wanted, she wasn’t hooked.”  “Yeah right,” Eliza thought.  She was skinny to the point of emaciation, the constant sniffling, not eating, all signs of a serious user.  Jimmy, she knew, was still trying to take care of Vicki.  First thing he had to realize, was that Vicki needed to want to be taken care of.  She hadn’t reached that point yet.  Eliza was afraid she never would.  She was sort of just waiting for the call to come.  That call would mean her friend Vicki was dead in all ways, not just dead to her, like now.

This all seemed to start after the encounter with the were-dog.  Vicki hadn’t seemed to understand what had attacked her. She still thought it was a mugger and that Eliza had managed to get her away from him.  She did think that didn’t she?  Maybe that would explain the falling into the drugs.  Maybe she was trying to forget.  If she wasn’t careful, she’d forget permanently.

She realized that she missed Christa.  They had been able to talk about things and she was the only one who understood what Eliza was going through.  The only female, that understood.  She hoped Christa would come back soon, although she knew that was selfish on her part.  But damn, she needed someone to talk to, that she could hash this over with.

Feeling restless, she figured she’d take a walk.  Going to the kitchen to put coffee on, she went back to her room to decide what to wear.  Finished dressing, she went out and grabbed a cup of coffee and stood by the table lost in thought.

Shaking her head, as if to banish the troublesome thoughts, Eliza finished her coffee and grabbed her heavy cloak.  Wrapping it around her, she made her way out the door.  Opening the outer door, she saw that it had snowed during the day and was still snowing now.

Glad she’d put her boots on, she started walking, deep in thought.  Since she had no specific destination, it didn’t pay to blink herself anywhere.  Laughing at herself, she realized she had become quite proficient at the blink. 

With a start, she realized she was bored.  “Gods, am I bored, the only excitement lately has been Adam and I’m not sure if he’s even real,” she moaned under her breath.  Remembering the way he’d made her feel, she thought, “if he’s not, I’m in big trouble.  Really cracking up.”

She glanced up and realized she was outside the park entrance.  Her favorite place for walking and thinking.  Also the perfect place for her to get into trouble.  “It always seemed to strike her here,” she grimaced at the thought.

Suddenly all her senses went on alert.  She was being followed.  She had no sense of danger, although she knew someone was there.  Stopping, seeming to adjust her cape more comfortably, she looked around.  There, by the tree, she saw the outline of someone standing there.

Turning to walk on, she called back over her shoulder,  “Alright Adam, you can come out now.  I know you’re there.”  Breathing a sigh of relief, she thought, “well at least he isn’t a figment of my overactive imagination.”

With a quirky smile, Adam walked into the light given off by the street lamp.  “Sorry Eliza, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said contritely.

“Oh, believe me I’m not frightened Adam,” she replied with a twinkle.  “If I were, you wouldn’t be here now.  I knew it was you, the moment I was aware of being followed,” she stated with emphasis on followed.

Laughing, he looked at her and said, “Oh you’re so sure of that are you? Yes, you probably are, but I didn’t come here to get into a match to see who could do what to whom, although that might be fun,” he said with a lecherous grin.

With a light smack to his shoulder, Eliza asked what he had come here for then.  He replied that he’d wanted to see her, of course.

“Honestly Eliza, you looked so deep in thought, I didn’t want to bother you.  I would like to walk along with you though, if that’s alright,” he quietly asked.

“Of course it is Adam.  I was just reminiscing about people I’ve known since becoming a vampire.  Oh my that does sound weird, doesn’t it?” she questioned.

“In a sense, yes, it does but in another sense it doesn’t.  I mean its usual to relate things to before and after a momentous event.  I think your transformation to a vampire was just that momentous an event.  So it would be normal to relate things to before and after,” he said.  “Did that make sense?” he asked.

Smiling, Eliza said, “yes, she knew what he meant and that’s what she’d meant too.”

Reaching out and taking his hand, she turned and started walking on.  The walked silently, hand in hand, for a while.  He let go of her hand and slowly placed his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into and under his arm. 

He stopped suddenly and drew her into an embrace, leaned down and kissed her softly, gently.
Breaking the kiss, he looked at her and said, “I’ve wanted to do that since I met up with you.”

Suddenly, Eliza’s senses were all on alert.  DANGER!!!!!  But where, close by, surely.  She wondered if Adam sensed it too and realized he’d moved away from her and was fully alert and looking all around.

There, Adam, there.  Eliza pointed to the trees.  Barely seen was a shadow, a malevolent shadow.  Waves of hate directed at them.

With a quick thought, Eliza wondered why the park always seemed to mean danger to her.  She moved closer to Adam and they waited.

As suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared.  Looking at Adam, she raised an eyebrow.  “No attack, that’s interesting.  Just who or what, is that? One of your enemies or one of mine?” she asked.

With a shrug, Adam replied that he didn’t know.  Taking her back under his arm, he resumed walking.

Eliza could still feel that presence, at a distance, yet still there.  Stalking her, him or them?  With a feeling of unease she kept her senses alert.  Feeling it close the distance, yet again, between them, she knew Adam was aware too.  She could feel the slight stiffening of his arm around her and the taut awareness in his walk.

Suddenly the thing appeared again.  “No, wait that can’t be,” Eliza called out. 

“What can’t be Eliza? What can you see,” Adam whispered.

“I....I thought I’d killed him,” Eliza muttered. “I thought it was a dream, oh damn, I don’t know what I thought.”

“He’s gone again, Adam,” Eliza stated the obvious.  “I thought it looked like the guy that attacked us last night.  I must have been wrong though.

“No, Eliza, you weren’t wrong.  I told you Kristo is also an immortal, this is his way of trying to unnerve you.  I warned you you’d made a bad enemy.  He won’t be happy until either you are dead or he is.”

“Well then its going to be him, Adam,” Eliza said adamantly.  “I have no intention of dying yet. You’ll have to tell me all about him, so I can be prepared.  I know I can’t fight him as I do a mortal, but there has to be a way to kill him.  I am not proficient in swordplay, although I can learn.”

“Now, tell me about him Adam,” she demanded.