Night Lips

"For half a millennia, I've been walking the streets of this beautiful city. I've gotten to see the death of Leonardo da Vinci reported from these streets, I've seen a many a different movements take place from these very sidewalks. However, I've done my best to avoid humans. Now don't get me wrong, they smell absolutely incredible; for the most part, but for the last 400 years, I've been on an animal-based diet. Then, there he was, Naomi Hardwick, a tall, striking, male with mahogany-chestnut brown skin, and hazel eyes," says the stranger in the shadows.

Across the street, Naomi argues with a beautiful Caucasian male, "Just go! I don't want to hear your voice anymore."

The guy walks away, kicking up water from a murky puddle onto Naomi.

"You slept with my best friend, and you think you reserve the right to disrespect me once again by kicking water in my face," Naomi screams, throwing his cellphone toward the back of the Caucasian male. In an instance, a stranger grabs the phone mid-air.

An Asian male holds Naomi's phone in the air. Naomi looks on shocked that he was able to catch the telephone so effortlessly. The Caucasian male turns and walks away. The Asian male walks up to Naomi with his phone and a handkerchief.

"Don't give him the power," he says, looking at Naomi. "Nicholas Bristol," he continues.

Naomi shyly takes the handkerchief and wipes the water from his face and shirt and gives it back to Nicholas, "Thank you." In that instance, Nicholas can't hear a sound over his insatiable thirst for blood. Naomi's blood.

His lips, and the way they move cause Nicholas to have to look away, as his eyes begin to turn a shade of grey, and the veins around his eyes and forehead protrude. Thinking that Naomi has offended him, he touches his shoulder, "I apologize if I have offended you in some way."

He clutches Naomi's hand without turning back, attempting to subdue his carnal blood lust. He takes a deep breath and turns back around appearing normal, "Nothing you said offended me. I haven't been taken with someone like you in a very long time. I would like to know if you wouldn't mind me escorting you home."

Naomi, surprised by the request pauses, "May I ask if this is an attempt to get in my pants, or are you just a man attempting to bring back chivalry in an era where cell phones and social dating have made it irrelevant to be kind?"

Nicholas walks up to Naomi and places his hand on the small of his back, "Sex comes a dime a dozen, but only true intimacy is born out of someone taking their time with another. I want to walk you home to make sure that you are okay. You seemed to have broken up with this guy, and one thing I can say about men, who look like him. Cocky, arrogant, and unwilling to lose, is that they either come back for revenge or they come back trying to win a lost prize. So, to avoid that. I would like to escort you home to make sure that you are okay."

Naomi smiles, "This way then," he says, grabbing Nicholas by the bicep leading him down the street.

"So, Nicholas, tell me something about you. We only have about a block when we take the alley," replies Naomi.

"I was the only child born to my parents, they died a couple of years ago," he says, looking down.

"I'm sorry to hear that," replies Naomi, placing his head on Nicholas' shoulder as they walk into the alley.

"Enough about me, tell me about you," asks Nicholas trying to hide his glowing grey eyes in the dark alleyway.

"My parents have both left this earth also. I don't have any siblings either. I'm currently a creative writing professor at NYU, and as of today, I am single," Naomi says, smiling.

Nicholas glances at his lips again, and his body gets warm. His blood lust takes over, and he slams Naomi against the brick wall. His thick curly hair shields his head from the impact. "I'm sorry, I was attempting to be romantic," Nicholas says as he looks to the side, shielding his face from Naomi.

Naomi takes his hand and places it on Nicholas's face. He turns his head toward him, revealing deep silver eyes, bulging veins, and sharp rabid canine fangs. Naomi's body tenses up, and his heart begins to race. Nicholas is still holding him against the wall, and his grip is getting tighter and tighter.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asks.

"I don't want too, but I want your lips. I want your blood in my mouth, but it's been so long I don't know if I will be able to stop myself," Nicholas replies, placing his forehead upon Naomi's.

Tears stream down Naomi's face. "Okay," Naomi replies, kissing him. He can feel Nicholas biting into his lips. The taste of his own blood mixed with Nicholas's saliva. Nicholas then releases his lips and licks the side of his neck like a doctor preparing human flesh for a shot.

"Wait!" asks Naomi as Nicholas's breathing becomes heavy. He touches Nicholas's chin and brings his face back up, staring intensely into his eyes. "Take what you need, but know that I am needed; please don't kill me."

Nicholas ashamed bows his head in agreement and moves slowly and sensually to Naomi's neck. As he pierces him, Naomi gasps and bites down on Nicholas' camel leather jacket wrapping his leg around his body. He can feel the essence of his life leaving his body, the alley begins to spin, and all goes black.

When Naomi awakens, he finds himself in a strange place. The apartment is cold, he has a B positive blood bag hanging from his arm, and a doctor walks out to him.

"Mr. Bristol is out, but he has made arrangements for you," says the stranger as he removes the IV from his arm.

"Thank you, but you can tell Mr. Bristol, because he fulfilled his part of the bargain there is no need to bother," Naomi replies standing from the bed slightly dizzy, but able to move.

He walks to the elevator, gets in, and takes it to the ground floor. As the door opens, he is greeted by Nicholas.

"Naomi."

"Nicholas," Naomi replies, walking past him.

Nicholas grabs his arm, "Naomi, you don't have to leave."

"Nicholas, you are going to always want me in a way that will be dangerous to not only me but to you also."

"Naomi, don't do this. I really want to see where this can go," replies Nicholas.

"Nicholas, the only way this can go is me going this way and you going that way," replies Naomi pointing toward the door, and Nicholas getting on the elevator.

Nicholas looks at his lips, his eyes once again turn grey, and his veins protrude around his eyes and forehead. Nicholas turns to fix his face, but when he turns back to Naomi, he is gone. Nicholas runs to the street, and can't find Naomi anywhere.

"That one night, I will never forget. I've been searching for Naomi ever since; he's moved out of his apartment, left his job, and has completely disappeared. It was never my intent to scare him, but his lips were my weakness, and his blood was my elixir."

Nicholas walks past the New York State University Campus, and a picture of Naomi surrounded by flowers adorns one of the gates.

"I'm the narrator, so this story, and of course I wanted to make you think that it all ended like a beautiful fairytale, but it didn't. See this is what actually happened that night," says Nicholas flashing back to the night.

After he licks Naomi's neck, he pierces the skin and begins to drain him of his life essence. Naomi can feel himself becoming faint and begins to tap on Nicholas's shoulder. He doesn't stop as he would have liked the reader to think. Naomi pounds his fist on Nicholas's collar bone to no avail. Crimson blood rolls from Naomi's eyes as he diverts his gaze towards the heavens. As he reaches for the light, Nicholas twists his neck, cracking it. Naomi's limp body bounces off the ground, almost in slow motion.

Nicholas covers his mouth, still partially filled with blood. Blood filled tears leave his eyes as he stares at the lifeless body, of a man he could have loved.

"I wanted you all to think that I was a nice guy, but I did a horrible thing. This will be my cross to bear," he says as the apparition of Naomi appears scarred and mangled in the reflection of the mirror.