Free Endless Days (The Firsts) by C.L. Quinn

would be an interesting month.
    A black cat crawled into her lap and she cradled it in.  “Just a few moments, bête .  Maman has to go save a vampire.  You know, one with teeth like you.”   She paused, and sighed.  “And the most amazing derriere.   No, no, ma petite chat , not as good as yours, of course.  But magnifique aussi .  I wish it were not so, but…oh, it is.”  She realized her English was suffering more since he came to town, even though he had almost no accent himself and rarely used French words.  He was undoing her hard won, peaceful life, one day at a time.
    So.   It was dark now and he would be up.  It was time to go.  She gently sat the cat on the ground and unfurled her legs, slowly making her way back to the cabin.    Dressing quickly, snagging her loose curls into a clip, she drove out to the mansion.  
    The moon was beginning to wane now, still nearly full, still bri ght, and cast long complicated shadows on the lawn and house.  No lights were on, that she could see, and when she knocked on the door, no one answered.  She lowered her head and closed her eyes, concentrated.  Yes, he was there.   Basement, probably.  When she tried the door, it wasn’t locked, so she went into the darkened interior.  Enough moonlight slipped through the large windows and showed her a monochrome path to a door that obviously led down.  It was open and she heard some rustling down there, so she quietly stepped to the point where she could see around the stairwell.  A weak light illuminated him, his back to her as she came on down to the basement floor.  He didn’t turn around and it was a good thing.  He was naked, wet, his hair dripping.   Must have just come from the shower.  He knew she was there.
    “What are you doing here?”  he asked, continuing what he was doing, hidden behind his large body.
    “I…”  Cherise shook her head.  God, was she distracted.  “Um…we need to talk.”
    “We’ve said everything, “ he told her.  And then turned around.
    Yeah, he was as magnificent as she knew he would be.  Perfect.  Except for some severe scarring on his chest and legs that begged for explanation.   Vampires healed from wounds like that.  His chest was wide, and every inch of him muscled and beautifully defined.   He’d been thin when he first came to her, but her blood had brought him back to health quickly.  The mass quantities of calories had done the rest.
    He was stunning.  Cherise could only stare and let her mind wander, unbidden, to what it would feel like to have that body covering hers.  She had no idea how long she stood there mesmerized when he spoke again, more forcefully.
    “ Mademoiselle , there is nothing to say.  You are right.  I’ve interfered in your life and that is not right.  I’ll be gone tonight.  So, thank you for everything.  You may go home.”
    “I cannot let you leave, Kav.  You must get well again, and that cannot happen without my help.  So, leaving is not an option.”
    “Oh, it is, my little blood donor.  Anyway, I’ll be fine.  I’m sure I’ve been alive a long time, so I doubt I’ll die any time soon.”
    Against her better judgment, Cherise stepped closer.  Her temperature went up twenty degrees, but she had to make him understand.
    “That isn’t true.  I see your spirit, your soul.  There is something you do not know.  You are not just a vampire.  You are a first.”
    She watched him to see if that meant anything to him.  It didn’t.  He just stood there in all his natural glory and looked at her expectedly.
    “You are…”  Cherise looked away and sighed.  “Could you put some clothes on?  Pants, at least?”
    “Why?”
    She looked back at him, directly in the eyes.  “Alright.  I’ll take all of my clothes off, too, and we’ll see how long we can carry on a conversation then.”
    Her eyes dropped to what had already been a partial erection and saw him harden further at the image of