Just After Dusk
by Eric J. Krause
Jean Luc stretched his limbs, willing what little blood he had left to course through his veins. Even after all these years, he still couldn't get used to the rigor mortis that set in each day as he slept. A meal would improve everything.
A knock. "Master? May I?"
He nodded, but said nothing. Renaldo, his latest minion, read the intention and pushed the door open.
"I have someone for you to, eh, meet, Master."
Perfect. Their code for food. He enjoyed the hunt, but having it delivered was so much easier.
Renaldo led a young girl, she couldn't be more than 18 years old, into his room. She wore a skimpy black dress with fishnet stockings, displayed a dozen or more silver trinkets around her wrists and neck, had black lipstick smeared on her lips, and sported a jet-black bob haircut. He could smell the dye from across the room. Wouldn't do to be a blonde-haired goth girl.
He suppressed a grin. "Good evening. I am Jean Luc. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
She stared back at him, her eyes intense. Shock waves pulsed through his withered insides. Could she be the one, the bride he'd been searching for? Though he couldn't fathom sex with a mortal, he could see lusting after the undead version of her.
The girl rolled her eyes and turned to Renaldo. "I thought you were going to bring me to a real vampire. He looks so ordinary and . . . dull."
Ah well, at least he could still feed. He stepped forward and covered the length of the room in a heartbeat. His fangs sunk into her throat before she could scream, and he lapped up her bloody life force. When she gasped her final breath, he let her fall.
He wiped his chin with a burgundy handkerchief and looked at Renaldo, who shrugged.
"At least they're easy to catch, Master. They all want to meet a real vampire."
"Too bad they expect a teen-age fashion model. Maybe I should wear glitter."
