Olivia's Fall: Love and Vampires, #1

One

Olivia

Nims is bouncing with eagerness for our evening walk. It is the last walk of the day for us and our favorite. We go out right as it is getting dark and meander through the park down the road. She gets to sniff all the things that have been through the area and I get to trail after her. 

Her short, dark coat of fur makes her hard to see in the evening, which has made her presence a surprise to some men that wanted to bother me. But those interruptions to our walk have been few. Mostly we just enjoy the night walk and being together. My Nims has been my best friend since the day I got her three years ago. My parents were horrified when they saw her. They said her sweet hound face looked like a demon and I needed to get rid of her. I told them no, flat out. 

They found every reason to say I should get rid of her. From the demon eyes to the black coat, they just knew Nims was evil. I knew differently, and I kept her. I am so glad I did. 

Tonight the moon is just a sliver and I have to step carefully as Nims leads me through the park. The air is still warm from the heat of the day but smells of the coolness of night. She has finished her business and we are on our way home when I hear someone shout, Hey bitch! Don’t you hear us talking to you?

The woman talking is walking toward me with some of her friends. I look around to see if there is anyone else around, but it’s just Nims and me. Nims is growling low in her throat as I ask, Are you talking to me?

The group of women striding toward me looks mean in the dim light of the park. One of them says, Bitch, yes, we are talking to you! You fuckin’ know we are Stephanie!

Stephanie? My name is Olivia. I think you have the wrong person. I start to back away as the group gets closer. Tugging the leash so Nims steps back with me.

The one at the front of the group says, Now you’re just making me mad, Stephanie. I ain’t got no wrong person. I know you are the one that has been messing around with my man. And tonight was the last time you got to see him.

I want to run, but I don’t think I can outrun them. My heart is pounding in my chest as I say, I promise it wasn’t me. I don’t know you or your man. I wouldn’t do that. And my name is Olivia, not Stephanie. You’ve got the wrong girl!

The women are spreading out around us, I don’t know what to do. How am I going to protect Nims when I don’t think I can protect myself? The leader of the group gets right in my face, saying, You gonna learn tonight, bitch! We don’t tolerate stupid, man-stealing bitches around here! 

The first punch comes out of nowhere. It knocks me back into one of the other women. Everything is a blur from there until they leave us laying on the ground, spitting on me as they walk away. I can hardly move, everything hurts so much. I hear Nims whimper and I look toward the sound. She seems as bad off as I am. I don’t think we are going to live through this. I can feel the life leeching out of me. My Nims is just a few feet away. If I am going to die tonight, I am going to be by her side.

Moving my arms hurts, but I drag myself over to her. She lifts her big head and lays it on my chest as I curl up around her. My eyelids are so heavy, closing as I use the last of my strength to put my arm around her.

Callum

The party I am steadily walking toward isn’t even the last place I want to be tonight. Being the ambassador for our family sucks. I could be at home with someone warm and willing. Or reading. Or doing damn near anything but going to this stupid party with a bunch of stuck up vampires that want me around for the clout. 

The park is really nice tonight at least, but I’ll be glad to go home. I will conclude the business I am handling for the family tonight. If everything goes according to plan. One contract to sign at this party and tomorrow I can go home.

A deep hunger hits me out of nowhere, causing me to stop where I am. I see nothing, but I sniff the air. Oh, that smells good. The scent of blood in the air must have been what caused it. I should continue on to the party but… I think I need to find the source of the blood. 

Following the scent, I find a woman curled up around a dog. They are both bleeding. It looks like they were attacked and left to die just off the path. The scent of her blood is divine. Once she is cleaned up and put in something better than cutoffs and a tank top, she looks like she would be a hell of a prize. I love a prize. My mind made up, I unbutton my shirt cuff and roll up the sleeve as I kneel next to her. One slip of a nail down the length of my wrist has it open and dripping the dark, viscous blood of a vampire that hasn’t had fresh blood in entirely too long. Stretching my wrist to hover over her mouth, I let the blood do its work. It is only a minute or two before she begins to actively swallow the blood. Some of it is splashing on the dog, but that dog is surely already gone. 

Her eyes open, the most hypnotic green eyes I have seen in many years. The blood from my wrist has stopped falling. I didn’t pay enough attention to keep it open. She looks so adorably dirty and confused. I offer her my hand, saying, Come, sit up. You’ll feel better soon.

She asks, Who are you? 

I don’t answer as I help her stand. Instead I say, Do you live nearby?

She nods, saying, Yes, but I thought for sure I was dying. What happened? She turns to look at her dog, Is my Nims going to be okay?

Her voice breaks a little. Poor thing. The party should be plenty distracting for her. I think the dog is done for. But you are alive and ready to start a whole new life. I have an appointment that I really must keep. So we’ll have to do that first. After I finish, though, you will be the perfect reason I need to leave early. We’ll get you fed while we are there, though. 

Tugging her along as I talk, she is stumbling and keeps looking back at the damn dog. We only get a few steps away when she plants her feet, saying, No. I won’t leave her.

As she tries to yank her hand away, I grip it tighter, saying, The dog is dead or will be dead soon. You have a whole new life to get to living… sort of. Anyway, we need to go.

I know she is going to cause a scene as soon as her eyes narrow at my hand gripping hers. She snatches her hand out of mine, snarling, I am not leaving my Nims. That is my best friend and you are just a fucking stranger. Fuck the fuck off, I am taking her home and if she is still alive, to a vet.

Sighing heavily, I say, Fine. You live nearby, right?

She nods as she walks back to the dog, saying, Yes, why?

Because you are still new and you are going to need guidance for the next few years. Look, I will come find you later tonight. If you aren’t home, then I will be back tomorrow night. Make sure you are inside before the sun comes up, I walk over to grab her chin and make her look at me, before the sun comes up. Do you understand?

She glares at me, saying, If you don’t get your hands off of me, I am going to scream my head off. Who do you think you are, anyway?

Removing my hand from her incredibly soft skin, I say, I am your sire. You are going to have a lot of questions and you will understand everything once they get answered. For now, I will leave you to tend your dog while I handle my business. I will see you soon, agreed?

She stands with the dog in her arms, Fine, I am guessing then you will explain how I am not dead and don’t even really feel injured?

Yes, I will. Until then, my little one. I leave her there, using my speed to make up for the time that I spent arguing with her.

Olivia

The strange man that never told me his name while he was saying all that cryptic shit disappears into the night and I hug my Nims close. I can feel her breathing, shallow as it is. She licks my face and neck as I carry her home. I can’t help being grateful for it because it lets me know she is still alive. It takes me little time to make it back to the apartment and I’m not even tired carrying Nims. It must be the adrenaline. Getting her inside, I lay her on my bed. She seems to be breathing a little easier as I pick up my phone from next to the bed and start searching for emergency vets. 

An hour later, I just want to cry. Every one of them wants the money right now and I just don’t have that kind of cash. Thank God that Nims is still breathing. She looks to be sleeping peacefully. I am so tired. The sun is lighting the sky through the sheer curtains as I lay down next to Nims. I don’t know what to do, Nims. Hopefully, whatever miracle fixed me is working on you. I will be lost without you. Please, please live. I need you.

Nims licks my face a little more and I just let her, even though I usually would not. I am so tired. I feel myself slipping off to sleep even as she slows down with the licking of my face.

Two

Olivia

Why is my face so wet? What is that — Nims! Stop licking me! Ugh! Pushing her back and wiping my face, I sit up. Everything that happened last night rushes into my mind and I look at Nims, terrified that she is going to fall over or something. She is happily sitting on the edge of the bed, tail thumping as she grins at me. 

I reach over to run my hands over her, just to reassure myself that she really is ok. She sits patiently through my checking, leaning her bulk against me in her sort of hug. I swear she knows what I am doing and why. 

As I run my hands over her, I realize I am starving. How long were we asleep?

A glance at the window tells me it is still night, so it can’t have been that long. Grabbing my phone, I head into the kitchen, telling Nims, Come on, let’s get you and me fed.

Checking the notifications on my phone, I see that I have a voicemail from work. Odd, I am not due in for hours yet. My jaw drops as I listen to the message asking why I am not at work today and who do I think I am not calling them to let them know I wouldn’t be coming in. Oh fuck, tell me I didn’t sleep for the whole day. The date on my phone is definitely reading as Monday night.

Nims, we might be screwed. I don’t know if they are going to be all right with this. I might lose my job. She whimpers up at me, her tail thumping the floor a couple of times. The people in the apartment under ours hit the ceiling of their apartment. I hear them shouting, Keep it quiet up there!

I feel a sharp desire to go down there and do some shouting of my own. Instead, I take a deep breath and try to remember that I want to keep living here. The rent is a price I can afford, and it is close to work. I get some food down for Nims and realize that I am still filthy from last night. I don’t even want to see what I look like. A hot shower does have me feeling a little more human. I am still a little shocked at how much blood washed off of me. The mirror is foggy and easy to ignore while I brush my teeth. After that is finished, I really have no choice but to wipe away the moisture on the mirror and have a look at the damage. 

Oh my god. There is nothing. How is that even possible? I know we were beaten and left for dead. How is it that there are no marks? Nims is feeling fine, but I thought it was because she is a dog. How is this possible? What the hell is wrong with me? And how am I going to tell my boss that I wasn’t at work because I