Trepidation | Trepidation Trilogy | The Empty World Sequence

Thirty-Seven

Claudia looked up at the sky, in yielding to her husband, who kissed her throat. Halloween and a full moon, she wondered how often that happened. Wolves howled in the not all that far distance. John whispered something approving at Claudia's touch. Another moment and obscene phrases reached her ear, well, obscene after a fashion. Claudia laughed aloud only because she was full of glee.

      Her head level Claudia found John staring at her, seated facing her with his legs tangled in hers. He didn't seem to notice the cold at all. Claudia could see his hand move as if in slow motion. She was getting better at tracking things that moved more quickly than human eyes could follow and as result human movement seemed so languid. The hand reached toward her, two fingers touched her lower lip.

      Smallest manageable prick of the left fang and then Claudia lapped the bead of fresh blood into her mouth. She swallowed the fingers, wanted to actually, but settled for holding them in her mouth. John whispered something to her again, "I know a secret," he said. The ball of his thumb rubbed at the root of her left fang where it grew from the gum and Claudia shivered. Wicked pleasure...every time John touched her fang that way.

      Claudia drew her head back sharply.

      She stared toward John. He frowned. "Was sure I had it right."

      Claudia drew her hand from his pants, covered her own mouth. "How'd you do that?"

      The frown turned up into a smile, "Seems to be wired in when the fangs grow, triggers pleasure when the fangs cut deep into skin, helps fledgelings want to draw blood. It's not always felt in kissing, pressure's not right or something." He stopped without really answering. Claudia could figure all that out, she wanted to know how John knew. She reached down, again, and teased him with her hand. He sighed beautiful. "Joy taught me," John whispered quickly.

      So dear how he hesitated to mention her here. A kiss and then another whispered request. Claudia knew he was happy she'd gone this far, she had missed him just as much, but admittedly she was the one who had changed in nature, not John, he couldn't help his desires. "Aren't you afraid it will hurt?"

      "Yeah."

      "You still want me to try it?"

      "Yeah."

      Claudia forced a reassuring smile, at least she meant it that way, but John tensed when he looked at her. She bowed her head. It seemed immediately it would be so easy to become enthralled by the variations of color beneath the thin covering of skin and Claudia shut her eyes tight to be rid of the sight. Tongue, she thought, can't hurt him with that. Claudia cursed her fangs, almost cursed David. But angry as she was with David she knew David's intentions had never been evil, and his own anger with her had convinced her to retest her theory, only it had to be John, not David.

      The pulsing of blood was so strong. I want him, Claudia thought to herself, his smell, his taste, his blood. She tried to force that thought down, swallow it, swallow everything. Claudia sat up quickly and gasped as if she needed air. She shook her head, expecting John to look upset. But he only drew her close and kissed her. She spoke to his mind, "It's too strong, the urge to cut and bleed...stronger than my will."

      He did not think it consciously but without having to read thought Claudia somehow knew Joy could have done it for him. Somehow she and so many others mastered this very human act. Claudia just couldn't think how.

      "Then cut," John said to her between kisses. He put his fingers in the hollow beneath her jaw which made Claudia feel rather vulnerable, and drew her face into the crook of his neck. "You just cut."