Free Nevermore, the Complete Series by K. A. Poe

impressed,” he smirked. “You must be very observant.”
    “Not usually,” I confessed. “What else can you tell me about vampires?  I want to know everything.” I was surprised by my own question, but I had grown genuinely interested in the topic.
    “While some of what you have heard or read or seen are definite myths, there are some attributes we definitely do obtain - such as speed. We can run quicker than any human, and drinking the blood of humans makes us exceptionally strong,” he looked disgusted for a mere moment, “powerful vampires can possess the ability to share visions and memories with others by the mere touch of their hand. I spent many years experimenting with what I could and could not do after I left Raziel. It truly was amazing to me that daylight did not kill me, and I wondered what else was and was not true.
    “I knew that sleeping was no longer necessary, but I attempted to sleep nevertheless – simply because Raziel claimed it was impossible, and I was stubborn enough to put it to the test. Unfortunately, he had been correct. I cannot even imagine what dreaming is like anymore,” he sighed and looked at me, “that's enough vampire talk for now though, I think.”
    The room fell silent for a moment, and then Salem glanced up at the clock. It was nearing 10pm. “Do you need to go somewhere?” I asked.
    “No,” he replied, “I was just noticing your birthday is coming to an end.”
    “I don't mind,” I laughed. “Not this year.”
    “There was one last gift I wanted to give you, but I wasn't sure how you would react,” he looked uneasy.
    “What is it?” I asked anxiously.
    “It would be easier for me to show you, than to tell you.”
    I eyed him suspiciously. “Are you going to summon something out of thin air again or something?”
    “No, not exactly,” he chuckled. “Alexis, I know it is hard for you to fathom right now, but you do mean a lot to me.”
    “Yeah, you keep saying that. Are you ever going to explain what you’re talking about?”
    “In due time,” he smiled lightly. “Close your eyes.”
    I hesitated a moment before letting my eyelids fall shut. My heart was thumping wildly in my chest as I waited intently for whatever was coming. Maybe he had lied about not being enticed by human blood and was about to bite into my throat, oddly part of me didn’t care. My eyes almost flew open as I felt Salem's cool breath against the side of my face. Tenderly, he brushed his cold lips against my cheek.
    “Happy birthday, Alexis,” he whispered into my ear.
    I was speechless, breathless...breathless. “Salem...” I became more focused, “you can breathe?”
    “Not quite as literally as you can,” he replied, obviously stunned by my unexpected response to his action.
    “Oh,” my expression was blank momentarily, and then I grinned at him. “I was wrong earlier when I thought to myself nothing could compare to the laptop Jason gave me.”
    His lips twisted into a magnificent smile before he stood up. I was uncertain what he was doing at first, until he pried me off of the sofa and effortlessly cradled me in his arms as he made his way up the stairs. I grasped his arms tightly, afraid with every step that he would drop me. Somewhere deep inside I also still feared for my blood. What if he couldn’t control his hunger around me?
    We approached my bedroom door, which was wide open and inviting. He laid me gracefully across my soft mattress and pulled the covers up over me. I nearly objected before he put a cold finger to my lips.
    “It's late, and you have had a long, tiresome day,” he whispered. “Get some sleep.”
    “But I haven’t even got to enjoy my presents yet!” I playfully whined.
    “Not even the last one?” he asked with an innocent grin.
    “Well, when you put it that way...I enjoyed one of my gifts,” I yawned. I was more tired than I had realized.
    “Goodnight,” he whispered sweetly and I drifted away into a deep slumber, thinking how