Sylvie

“Go right ahead.”  Sylvie offered and grabbed a small brush from her dresser. “Want me to?”  She questioned softly. “I did promise to make sure you were patched up.”  With a quick sniff of the air, Sylvie smiled. “You took care of it yourself.”

Climbing onto Sylvie’s queen-sized bed, Casey playfully bounced with a smile on her face. “Memory foam.  I love this stuff.”  Casey laid flat and let herself partly sink into the bed and closed her eyes, “Yeah, uh…I didn’t want to have you get hungry or anything”  She paused, “I mean make you suffer..”  She sighed and turned to face Sylvie, “I was trying to consider what you might be going through.”

When Casey flopped on the bed, Sylvie laughed and tossed the brush back where it was. “We won’t need that.” Lightly waving her hand, Sylvie sat on the edge of her bed and grinned. “You were fine before.  I should be alright for a couple days, to be honest.”  She watched Casey turn on her side and look at her questioningly. “Oh, She must not have told you.”  Sylvie swung her legs onto her bed and leaned against one of her pillows. “Vampire blood is more filling.  Though obtaining it is frowned upon and can get you hunted by a troupe.”

“Makes sense, I suppose.”  Casey added, “I guess the troupe thing doesn’t apply to Viv, huh?”

Shaking her head slowly, Sylvie caught herself staring at Casey’s exposed thighs. “I-um, No, not really.  When you have that kind of power, you make the rules.”  Her eyes shifted to full moons, “You don’t obey them.” Sylvie poked Casey on the shoulder, “You really want to talk about her?”

“No, not really.  Just making a connection is all.”  Casey playfully batted at Sylvie’s finger. “You know, I felt pretty useless this evening.  It was sheer luck that the one made me mad enough to do something.”  Casey stared into the dual crescent moons before her, “That was the first time I had felt anything beyond being sad in a few days.”

“Thrall withdrawal.”  Sylvie countered. “The others in the manor went through it as well.  Cut off from their masters, they were desperate to find another vampire to serve.”  She shrugged, “Some even got turned into vampires to get rid of the feeling.” Leaning over to pick up her phone, Sylvie tapped on the screen and then set it down when music started playing. “I usually listen to music to concentrate when I meditate, I hope you don’t mind.”

Rolling on her back once more, Casey rubbed her face and thought about what her friend had just explained. “Did any of them get over the withdrawal?  I’m telling you now that it’s fucking terrible.  I can’t seem to get the worst things I have done out of my head.”  Clutching around her tummy, Casey dug her nails into her tanned flesh. “It’s like fighting a demon every minute of every day.”

Scooting a little closer to Casey, Sylvie ran her hand slowly through the auburn curls. “Sounds like our darkness.”  Watching as Casey suddenly focused on her eyes again, Sylvie resumed. “Yep, being a vampire isn’t always immortal blood fun.  We all have a darkness that can take us over if we aren’t careful.”  She sighed, “It’s a constant battle.  Mine doesn’t speak, but fucks with my visions.  It took me years to determine the truth from its fiction.”  Angling herself so that her rose tattoo was visible, Sylvie confided in her friend, “I get an eclipse to tell me when something is true.”  Enjoying that Casey had settled down and had a light smile on her face, Sylvie kept stroking Casey’s hair. “The confusing part is when there are multiple parts to one and I don’t get the eclipse until way…later.”  She hesitated as the vision of the lake blinked in her memory.

“Mmm, I..”  Casey paused almost in a dream state, “..I never knew.”

“It isn’t something that most of us like to discuss, that darkness is very personal and knows us almost better than we know ourselves.”  When a quick shiver went down her spine, Sylvie gasped. “So..so I know the feeling of battling a demon.”  Clearing the uncertainty from her mind, Sylvie added, “No, I didn’t see one of them recover.”  Sylvie’s eyes shifted to blank new moons, “I wish I had better news.”

Exhaustion combined with Sylvie’s fingers, Casey felt the world slip away.  Initially satisfied with the idea of falling quietly through a quiet darkness, the pleasant feeling disappeared when Brian’s face materialized and started mocking her. ‘Peach tea, drink with me and we can be together, you belong with meeee…’  Almost as though chains were pulling her into Brian’s visage, Casey thought only to fight back the best she could.  Screaming and bouncing on the bed, Casey shook herself awake and rolled against Sylvie hugging her friend tightly. “Help me, please..”

 “Shhh, Casey.”  Sylvie felt a cool streak of blood careen down her cheek, “I’m here, though I wish I could do more.”  

Savoring the feelings of both being held by another person and a vampire, Casey squished herself tighter into Sylvie’s grip and took a shaky and slow breath. “Why, why can’t you help?”  When the warm scent of baked apples permeated her senses, Casey felt as though nothing else mattered. “Are you..you…ch-charming me?”  Casey worriedly asked.

“Casey, you are swapping emotions so fast, I can barely keep up.”  Sylvie wiped the blood tear from her cheek and kissed the top of Casey’s head. “First, I wouldn’t charm you.  Couldn’t is the more appropriate word.”  Sylvie added, “I think you are like the other bloody bunnies.”

Mildly insulted, Casey sniffled once and stayed as close to Sylvie as she could. “Thanks.”  She muttered sarcastically.

“Let me finish.”  Sylvie pulled Casey up without any effort and looked into her brown eyes. “I don’t believe that you can be charmed.  They can’t.  They’ve been around vampires so much, they have, I think, adapted.”  Watching as Casey’s eyes filled with tears, Sylvie tenderly brushed the drops from her friend’s face as they streamed out. “Yes, the apples are me.”  She chuckled, “I somehow emanate the feeling and scent.  Pheromones I guess.  I can’t control it and it isn’t me trying to enthrall you.”

Given that Casey was used to how she got information from Vivienne in the past, She was content to sit there and listen to Sylvie as she went through and addressed the few things that had been said in desperation.  When Sylvie’s hand relaxed, Casey plunged herself into Sylvie’s fairly large chest and once more gripped the vampire. “Wh-Why can’t you help me?”  Casey found that she was strangely comfortable and happy to be nestled between Sylvie’s breasts. “All you have to do is..”  She closed her eyes and saw the flash dream, “..kiss me. I’ll be healed, I don’t mind serving you.”  She paused for another deep breath, “You are making me lose focus with the apples, it smells so wonderful.”

Aware that her body was about to betray her, Sylvie closed her eyes and felt her nipples stiffen in her creamy nightgown.

-Damn it.  Which is it?  Is this just attention, the need or really me? Does it matter? Ached for this night and it’s here, what do I do?-

Clearing her throat, Sylvie pushed the emotional questions aside and focused on the real issue. “Casey.”  Her tone shifted to almost sorrow. “I want to help you, but I physically can’t.  You see, I am the only vampire I know that fails in making other vampires or thralls..excuse me wards.”  

-Please just one hand under my breast. Touch me.  I’ll crumble for you.-

Arching her back slightly to allow Casey the ability to hug her tighter, Sylvie took a deep breath. “I have tried many times.  Failure means death.”