He slipped behind her from the shadows and wrapped his arms around her waist. She was startled at the cool touch of his hands on her bare mid-rift. Even his lips were chilled as they pressed soft kisses repeatedly on her neck and caressed her earlobes. She stood still letting him have his pleasures of the flesh. Writing had never came so easily before Caspian stepped out of the deepest shadows that Honey had ever seen. They had met when Honey was doing research about the Goth underground for a book she’d been meaning to write for years. Caspian was the borderline where Goth met normal. He was tall, around six feet four inches with black hair. He was built like a warrior, broad shoulders, muscular arms, torso, legs and broad muscular hands that touched Honey like they were never going to let go.

Caspian’s leather duster brushed the back of Honey’s almost bare back He was trying to untie the knot around Honey’s neck to get her halter top off with one hand and to unfasten the gold-colored clasps that kept the triangular halter from completely baring all. The patio’s cement was beginning to be cold under Honey’s feet. Caspian was kissing her neck nuzzling into her dark brown hair that tickled the nape of her neck because he was pressing it against her skin. Honey let out a soft groan of pleasure. Tingles made way up her spine. She wanted to melt into his hands forever. Caspian was hungry, Honey could tell that he hadn’t fed yet. He wanted blood and he wanted her. She let his hands roam a little before asking what she didn’t want to know the answer to.

“Have you fed yet tonight?” Honey hated it when he let go of her. It was like having the floor drop from beneath her feet.

“No, I haven’t, Honey, the streets were empty tonight. None of the beggars were interested in being generous tonight.” Caspian’s voice was deep and he sounded a little put out.

“I’m sure you can find one to get you through the night, Caspian.” Honey tried to sound seductive. She was never sure if it sounded right. With one caress Caspian was gone as quickly as he’d came. Honey was left feeling colder than before.

Inside Honey’s appartment she sat on her queen size bed wearing Caspian’s favorite, a white, cotton gown with small, pink roses. Staring into the dark the memories of the night that Caspian’s true identity came out began to replay. It was about a year after Honey and Caspian began seeing each other and Honey’s research was finished. The book was being published so she and Caspian went out to celebrate. A fancy diner and an opera were what he wanted to treat her to. Caspian came to get her around eight, just as the summer sky began to darken. Honey wore the crimson evening gown that he had given her as a present. It wasn’t what Honey was used to wearing. It was off the shoulder and cut deep into her clevage. She had found a large white rose to hide some clevage. After all day of getting ready and putting up the perfect up do Honey was ready to go when Caspian came in a black Ford Mustang classic with chrome.

On the drive back to her appartment Honey asked what had been wrong with Caspian all night. He hadn’t made conversation as he usually did and seemed a little sad.

“May I come into your appartment tonight? Then I’ll answer all of your questions.” The request sounded a bit strange but Honey agreed to it. They sat down on the couch in the dark appartment. Two lamps barely lit the open floor space around them.

“I’m going to show you something now and you may not like what you see.” Caspian sighed heavily. Honey watched as Caspian’s dark brown eyes took on a red-green glow, his eyebrows disappeared and were replaced by a set of small horns. The most notieable change was the two caninies that sprouted out from behind his well shaped and talented lips. Honey choked down a scream but still released a gasp.

“I’m a four hundred and ten year old vampire, I’ve been on every continent, lived through everything imaginable and have somehow managed to retain my integrity.” Honey had so many questions that her brain halted for a moment.

“What happens now, Caspian?” Of all the questions to ask, that was the last one he expected.

Hours of talking later Caspian and Honey spent their first night together. Near midnight Honey put on her night gown and did something else that Caspian wasn’t expecting, she pulled him close and asked him to join her in her bed, just not for sex, was all she stipulated.

“I’ve been busy writing and researching since college that it’s been too long since I was held.” Honey pulled off Caspian’s dress jacket as he kicked off his shoes. His tie, belt and socks followed, but that was all.

The hours ticked by until it was two in the morning. Honey sat in bed waiting for Caspian to come back. Silently as a thought he appeared in the bedroom.

“Did you have any problems tonight?” Caspian heard the concern in Honey’s voice. Sometimes he would trade being a vampire for humanity, real humanity, in a heartbeat. He knew she was warm and alive, pulsing with blood and aging every moment while he never would. Knowing she would grow old and he wouldn’t pulled and tore at him every day.

“No, Honey, no problems.” She didn’t ask why he was so late, but he could sense the question was there anyway. Caspian undressed until he was down to boxers and got into bed beside Honey. His arms around her were the most real and important thing to Honey. It felt good to know he would protect her no matter what. His vampire side was a little scary to her so he kept it undercontrol. They each wanted to consumate their relationship but Honey was seriously afraid that in the throes of passion the dominate demon within Caspian might surface and cause him to kill. Caspian couldn’t guarantee that it wouldn’t happen and he wasn’t about to let anything happen to Honey. She was his soul.

Benecio sat in the little Ford Tempo waiting. The sun was setting but it was still hot as could be. His hat sat low over his dark, beady eyes. Benecio mopped the sweat off of his neck. It was dripping down into the collar of his silk shirt. The nice things in life were what Benecio was all about. How he had ever gotten into the occult world was beyond him.

“When was this guy ever going to get to the meeting spot so far out of the city?” was all that Benecio had on his mind. He was used to dealing with “customers” who wouldn’t have their appointments until well after the sun was set. It had turned Benecio into a night person from habit. Out beyond the city were the mountains. The dirt and destructive side of the city couldn’t be seen when viewed from a thousand feet above. The city had it’s draw and temptation for Benecio. The next thing he knew the car door slamed and a tall, ominous-looking guy was sitting in the passenger seat.

“What the…!!” Benecio nearly jumped out the open car window. The guy just smiled, even more ominously.

“Hi.”

Honey took a deep breath and opened the glass door. The publishing company office always made her nervous. It turned her stomach queasy when they sent her a proper, white enveloped letter saying they wanted to see her about royalties. It didn’t make sense to Honey, but she was just the writer and they were the numbers crunchers.

At the front desk sat a friendly, lazy eyed guard. Honey got that dirty old man feeling when she saw him. She knew he was sizing her up in her slim, pin striped, dark grey slacks and violet button down shirt that hung open to reveal a white tank top and about two inches of clevage. Honey cursed under her breath when she realized that she would have to sign in at the counter top where the guard sat.

“Hi, I’m expected in Mr. Frasier’s office.” Honey tried her hardest to sound business-like.

“Alright then, just sign in here and we’ll get you all squared away.” Honey scratched her name across the last line on a three ring binder. The guard slid a badge across the counter at her when he saw that she wasn’t going to give an inch. Honey took it and began walking to the elevators at a good pace. In the elevator she stood at the back of ten people. A sigh escaped her. Three years of coming to Frasier-Wilson Printing and it hadn’t gotten any less difficult. Honey nearly floated to Mr. Jacob Frasier’s office on the tenth floor. Then Jacob Frasier had been a freshly promoted editor and Honey had been a wanna-be novelist. Now Honey was a real novelist and Jacob Frasier was a new partner. Honey’s books about the underground Goth lifestyle had caught on and sold well. Under a pseudonym Honey had also written a popular series about an acid scarred girl who lived vicariously through her alter ego, a super-model type beautiful girl devoid of a soul that she took over to be out in the world. It was a multi-interest group pleaser.

Honey had spent a lot of time “becoming” her characters. “Becoming” was what Honey termed her research because she adapted her life at the time to be as much like her new characters as possible. It let Honey write from a first-hand perspective. Writing from a guy’s perspective was the only hard part of the job, but she had Caspian to help.

The elevator stopped nine times before reaching the tenth floor. It was slow progress. Honey was anxious to get there. Mr. Frasier’s office took up almost a quarter of the floor. He had an inner office and two secretaries before you got to that. A young man wearing black pants a white dress shirt and no tie brushed by Honey as she walked from the elevator to Mr. Frasier’s office directly across. Honey turned around to look at him because he looked out of place. He had dark hair and a palor that was not human. The ugly little fellow turned to look at Honey also. His face was the last thing that she saw. Just like the acid scarred girl Honey had written about she was blind. She heard the man shouting obsenities and saying that she could never know his sister’s pain and that he hoped she rotted in Hell forever.

The cell phone rang and vibrated from Caspian’s duster pocket. The thing was annoying but Honey had insisted that he carry it. She was worried that the scarier creatures of the night would be hunting her honest vampire who was just looking for his next feeding. Benecio rolled his eyes at the cell phone. An old vampire and new technology, it was ridiculous.

“What, where is she now? Great thanks for letting me know, Paunch, Yeah, bye.” Benecio saw him snap the little, silver flip phone closed and grip it so tightly that he heard a sickening crunch. He knew it was plastic but it sounded like bone.

“I’ll deal with you later, Trader, now I’ve got other matters to occupy me.”

Honey has a stalker, Caspian is contemplating going after true humanity so that he can spend the rest of a natural life with Honey. Humanity might make Cas forget everything and his love for Honey or it might be the happy ending that he had always wanted.