She stopped chewing, "I don't eat veal."

"You just said it was fabulous."

"Do you know what they do to those pour little calves? I saw this doc.u.mentary... I'll just

eat the rice."

The meat had been cooked to perfection. It was so tender it was falling right off the bone. I lifted a forkful to my mouth... "What now?"

Violet was staring.

"Look, I promise you, Daisy Mae here had a perfectly wonderful life. All my meat comes

from a ranch on the mainland. I own it. There are no crates."

"It still seems cruel. Taking a baby from its mother..."

I stood up, grabbed both of our plates, walked back into the kitchen and tossed them into the sink. Then I grabbed a frozen pizza out of the sub-zero, tossed it onto the rack of my Viking oven, turned the temperature up to 425 degrees and slammed the door shut.

I grabbed the bottle of cabernet off of the counter and headed back into the dining room, bottle in hand. "Pizza will be ready in twenty minutes."

"I've driven you to drink and I've ruined dinner," she said, sounding regretful.

I looked down at the bottle in my hand and set it on the table.

"You haven't ruined dinner."

"I'm a guest and I was rude. I'm trying to apologize," she said, reaching for my hand.

I pulled Violet up out of her chair, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her flush to me. I was aroused again, h.e.l.l, maybe still. I made no attempt to hide it. To the contrary, I pressed my hardness into her while crushing my lips to hers in a smoldering kiss. I felt confused and angry and sad and...oh-so-glad to have her here...in my arms...at this moment.

Violet gasped. The intensity of my a.s.sault might have surprised her, but she recovered quickly. She snaked her arms around my neck. I could taste the wine on her lips as I slid my tongue inside of her mouth, eager to drink in more of her. She released a moan, making me realize that my hand had found its way to her breast, soft and firm. The weight of it filled my palm perfectly. I swept the table clear and laid Violet upon it, she was all I wanted, all I needed to feast on. Her hair splayed out across the polished wood, creating a halo around her pa.s.sion-filled face.

I hooked my hands under her knees and lifted her legs, parting them, opening her up...

"Earth to Byron," said Violet, snapping her fingers in front of my face and effectively erasing the last remnants of my fantasy. "I said I'm trying to apologize."

"Apology accepted," I said leaning over and quickly blowing out the candles on the table and plunging the room into darkness "How about we eat in front of the fireplace in the living room?"

"Sounds great, Ren. And, you don't need to carry me. I can hobble."

"I like carrying you. It makes me feel manly.... You're rolling your eyes, aren't you?"

"Yes. Come on, Tarzan."

"You've...um...got a little sauce..."

"Where?" I asked her.

"Right..." Violet leaned across the sofa and swiped the corner of my mouth with the pad

of her thumb.

"There," she said as she began to pull back. I reached for her wrist and then brought her

hand back towards my mouth, taking her thumb inside and circling it with my tongue.

"Mmm," I moaned, then releasing her thumb added, "really good sauce."

"It's frozen pizza, it can't be that good."

"You're right. That last nibble seemed to have a bit something extra."

Violet laughed and then drank down the last of the wine. "I've enjoyed visiting about

Fred and Grace, sharing memories. I wish I'd known them as well as you did."

"I've enjoyed it, too. It helps, talking about it."

Violet yawned.

"It's late; I should get you up to the guestroom and let you get some sleep. I'll come

back down and clean up."

"I'm not quite ready to surrender to sleep," she said, laying down and lifting her feet up into my lap. "Tell me, what was it like growing up here?"

I wrapped my hands around her feet to warm them. "You're freezing. You should have

said something. Shall I put more wood on the fire? Violet?"

I looked up. In the s.p.a.ce of a moment Violet had fallen fast asleep. I lifted her into my arms, carried her up the stairs, then laid her down onto the bed and arranged the down

comforter over her. The room was pitch black, but I could still see the outline of her body under the covers and the soft features of her face.

I sat down on the bed alongside her. "I'm a vampire, Violet," I whispered.

"I thought you were Pierre," she murmured, sleepily, turning onto her side. "How about

we throw away the metaphors. Tell me why you're about to walk out of this room instead of sliding into this bed?"

My heart was beating so loud I feared it was going to break my chest. Here it was, the moment of truth. Did I whisper my confession into the darkness knowing she would hear me? Perhaps.

"Don't be afraid. Talk to me, Byron," she begged, her voice laced with desire.

I felt as if I had taken a punch to the stomach. My heart clenched, my gut twisted and I was suddenly nauseous.

"I... I can't. Good night, Violet," I said, my voice sounding hollow to my own ears.

10:04:59 PM brenfield: Are you there?

1:01:03 AM iamrita: Just got in. How's it going? Did you kill her?

1:01:43 AM brenfield: No. I need help.

1:02:17 AM iamrita: You want me to kill her?

1:02:22 AM brenfield: No!

1:02:25 AM brenfield: I kissed her. I want to kiss her again. I want to kiss her forever.

1:03:22 AM brenfield: Are you there?

1:04:04 AM iamrita: It would be insensitive of me to make fun of you now, right?

1:04:26 AM brenfield: Yes. Although I'm not sure I could feel worse.

1:05:15 AM iamrita: You're acting like a fledgling. You know what this would cost you. Control yourself. What's the human doing now?

1:05:31 AM brenfield: Sleeping.

1:05:42 AM iamrita: Pretty?

1:05:58 AM brenfield: Breathtaking. What if I can't?

1:07:19 AM iamrita: Byron, you're not going to lose control.

1:08:37 AM brenfield: I stayed up all day watching the storm. I'm tired. I'm drawn to her. The pull is very powerful. What if I go to her in my sleep?

1:08:46 AM iamrita: Do you still have the handcuffs?

1:08:59 AM brenfield: I think so. Yeah. Why?

1:09:21 AM iamrita: Use the handcuffs; get a couple hours of sleep. I'll be there as soon as I can tomorrow to help you get rid of her.

1:08:33 AM brenfield: I'm not sure I want to get rid of her. I kind of want to keep her. That's what I want to talk about. I'm conflicted.

1:08:47 AM iamrita: She's not a cat, Byron.

1:09:13 AM brenfield: I know. It's just...do you ever wonder what's so wrong about it? Fred and Grace, they seemed happy, didn't they?

1:09:36 AM iamrita: You mate with her you'll die.

1:10:21 AM brenfield: I know. To Fred it was worth it.

1:10:38 AM iamrita: It's forbidden 1:10:51 AM brenfield: I know.

1:11:17 AM iamrita: Get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow. Night.

1:11:42 AM brenfield: Night.

I stood under the spray of the shower and let the endless supply of hot water sluice over my shoulders and down my back, rinsing off the last of the soap. I then switched the jet to the ma.s.sage option, turned towards the tile wall, and leaned against it, letting the water pound against the tightness in my mid-back. Forbidden. The word rang in my ears, taking me back in time.

"Father? Is everything all right?"

"No," replied Astor Renfield, hastily wiping his eyes.

"Come, Byron," interjected Fred. "Let's leave Father alone."

I could hear my mother's heart-wrenching sobs coming from inside their bedroom.

"It was human?" I asked.

All he could do was nod.