All Rights Reserved

Author's note: This story is one of my original stories that was published in a 1993 gay and lesbian anthology book. I have since taken the story, blown off the dust, removed the cobwebs and revamped it for the year 2002.

Disclaimers: One isn't needed since the characters and story are my creation. The original story was registered and copyrighted under my legal name in 1993, so I am not stepping on anyone's toes by using it.

Rated: NC17

Violence: Yes, you can't have a vampire story without violence.

Sexual Violence: Can you have a vampire initiation without sexual violence??

Subtext: Yes

Sexual Scenes: Oh yes!

At times Anecita Zaragoza felt as if she had outlived her contemporaries by eons. From the darkness of the night she had been a witness to the rise and decline of dynasties. She had taken an active part in the conspiracies of governments. With partisan allies, Anecita used her acquired skills to fight against tyranny. Once the battles were won, she allowed herself to sit back and watch as mortal men were made kings, only to be overthrown years later by those who placed them into power.

In the beginning of her new life, the tall woman felt a surge of exhilaration at a second chance for life. It was a life of no pain. A life that she could lead in her own way and it was to be an everlasting life.

When her second life began, the sights were new and fresh. Anecita remembered the initial excitement she felt as she moved through the shadows of the night. The events of governments were intriguing. The tall woman always felt a deep fascination for the developments of the mortals around her. Every name and place where she traveled was an endless adventure for her.

Despite her great adventures, Anecita had to admit that somewhere along her journey she had grown bored. The dark woman began to notice the changes of the world as merely another phase in the wheel of time. With each new invention of convenience, her interest sparked until a newer, better innovation was created. After a time, the change from candles to light and from horses to cars seemed inevitable to the nightwalker.

By day, Anecita found refuge in the safety of her home. As she had for countless years, she laid in comfort and waited until the setting of the sun. After so many years alive, she did not know if she dreamed or simply had memories of her life replaying in her mind. At dusk, Anecita rose from her resting place in the customary manner. It had been this way for countless years. The only thing that changed was the location of her home.

Like a traveling wanderer, she moved from countryside to mountain regions and onward toward those places she considered exotic and appealing. After a time Anecita learned that every place she lived was all the same, more or less. Each time her wandering feet grew tired, she would search for a home where she would be able to blend into the shadows and be unnoticed.

In the beginning, before she became doomed to live in the darkness of the night, she resided in her family's estate in northern Spain near the river Ebro. Anecita remembered the carefree days spent with her mother and father. As if the future was something distant from her existence, she lived in the splendor of wealth.

The only daughter of a merchant, she had never needed or wanted for anything. Just like everything in the past, all she had to do was ask and her father would provide it. As a child, she was never aware that her actions had a negative impact on others. She only knew that her father loved her and would grant her anything her heart desired.

With an inward smile, Anecita thought back to the beginning of her existence. It never dawned on her that her father had gained his wealth from the backs of the poor. She didn't realize that had it not been for his treachery against the Gypsies, her father would not have been able to own vast amounts of land. If he had not united the villagers into an angry mob to push the "squatters" from the open land, then the Gypsy curse would never have fallen upon her shoulders.

Anecita was young and innocent in all ways. Her lips had never touched the lips of a man, let alone a woman's. Yet on her twentieth birthday, a date, which deemed her beyond that of an old maid, she was initiated into an existence she might not have willingly chosen.

Although her last day as a mortal was permanently etched in Anecita's mind, the actual turning was nothing more than a haze filled dream. The dark one vaguely remembered her family gathered together in the great hall, the villagers voices rose until the shouting began. Like her family, the men had taken the lands from the Gypsies. The fact that the usually nomadic tribe had settled on the land first did not enter into the villagers mind. All they cared about was the acquisition of land, which led them to evict what few Gypsies remained.

Angered that her father would contemplate such acts caused the normally timid woman to speak out, to shout down the men's cruel words. At her action, her father had grown silent, the anger in his eyes never wavered. Anecita knew that there was nothing she could do to stop the atrocities, which her father would take part in.

With one final attempt, she turned to her father, begged him to leave the Gypsy clan alone. But it was to no avail. Like the village people, he did not want to hear anything about fairness or justice. Angry and unable to stop their madness, Anecita ran from her home. Not quiet knowing where she was going, she mounted her mare and rode away from the confines of the people's hatred.

The tall woman tried to rid her mind of the guilt and shame. She attempted to ride until the madness slowly left. After a while, Anecita remembered the exhilaration as her horse carried her over the green hills, her long black hair flowing behind her. She felt the fabric of her tailor-made men's breeches rubbing against her legs. The smell of the changing weather remained etched in her mind as she deeply inhaled the scent of rain. The aroma of fresh rain always took her back to that day long ago.

The young woman had managed to make it to an abandoned hut before the raging storm reached her. If she had listened to the language of her horse she would have heeded her warning and taken shelter elsewhere. But she did not. In her youthful exuberance she entered the dark shelter unaware of the cloaked figure hidden in the shadows.

To this day, Anecita did not know the identity of her first lover. It had happened so long ago that bits and pieces of her memory were mingled into incoherent images. At the time the young woman could not have stated why she trusted the strange Gypsy woman. All she knew was that a beautiful woman was also taking refuge from the storm. In the quiet solitude of the night, as the thunder roared over the land and the lightning scorched the ground, the exotic woman took her to heights of pleasure she had never before experienced.

The merchants daughter vaguely remembered hearing the jingling of golden bracelets as the beautiful Gypsy touched her virginal body. Within the back of her mind Anecita felt that something was wrong. As soon as she felt the dark woman's icy touch against her bare flesh, the mortal woman felt an instinct to run. But instead of listening to her inner fears, she closed her eyes and basked in the sensations of the Gypsy's lips upon her breasts. When the dark lady smiled seductively, Anecita felt her heart skip a beat, and then cried with ecstatic pleasure as she watched the exotic woman's head dip between her quivering legs. Like a maestro controlling her body, the dark Gypsy took away her final innocence and showed her how to love another woman. With each shuddering climax, the merchant's daughter thought she would die, but each time she lived to feel further heights of pleasure.

Only when too exhausted to continue, did the strange Gypsy move over Anecita's form. Panting from her pleasure, the young, blue eyed girl only smiled as her older lover smiled down at her. At the slight flash of lightning, Anecita thought she saw the dark lady cutting open a thin line of flesh on her nipple, but quickly dismissed it as the Gypsy took her breast and held it over Anecita parted lips. Like a suckling babe, she took the woman's fullness into her mouth. The initial taste of copper spurred her thirst as the intoxicating liquid sent a burning red vision through her brain. The sound of her lover's hiss registered in the back of her mind as she drank to fullness.

When she felt a sudden shove, the merchant's daughter pulled away, her eyes glazed as she stared up at her dark lover. Confused, she groaned and begged for more, but rather than sate the young woman's needs, the Gypsy only smiled as she pushed Anecita's head back, then held the young girl firmly as she lowered her head. In a split second, the mortal woman felt the excruciating pain against her neck. She cried out at the sharp sensations that dug into her flesh, and then, like a drug induced dream, she felt her spirit slowly dissolving away. Her heart, her soul began to disappear until she thought her life would end. The moment before she died, her Gypsy lover pulled away, her lips dripped with Anecita's blood as her unearthly smile held the dying woman mesmerized. As the dark Gypsy held her wrist against Anecita's lips, it was then that the young woman knew her life would end. From somewhere in her mind, she heard the strange call beckoning her near. If she had listened to her instincts, she would have pulled away, refused to drink, and allowed herself to die, but she did not. Rather, she wanted to be a part of this Gypsy woman. She longed to be touched by her again. The nearness of her death sent a desire to taste the Gypsy, to drink her, to become one with her in all ways.

Anecita did not realize that this marked the end of her mortality and the beginning of her everlasting life. When she awoke from the haze of nightmare images, she found herself alone. Although weak, she managed to pull her clothing on and make her way home. The fever that later consumed her made her delirious. It caused her to call out for her Gypsy lover, to beg that she be taken again. From somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard her father's deep voice, his words of anger for the Gypsy curse that had been placed upon his house. That night she felt the aching hunger, and the never ending pain dragged her from the mortal life into complete darkness. And then she knew no more.

She woke up in the dark, confining space. The hunger spurred her need for freedom. Using every strength in her body, she clawed her way from the wooden box. She broke free of the dirt and rose into the darkness of the night. The all consuming hunger that was with her in the last hours of her life stayed with her when she awoke to the new life that lay before her. Anecita quickly learned that it was a hunger that demanded more from her than she felt willing to give. Yet is was a hunger she eagerly embraced

From that moment on, Anecita Zaragoza began the greatest adventure of her life. After being chased away by her mortal family, she sought out and stayed with others like her. She never saw her gypsy lover again. Since that time she had been with many women, some mortal, some immortal, yet never once found the one whom she would choose to become her equal - her lover through all eternity.

Anecita hoped that her lonely search would soon end. She prayed to any god who would still hear her plea that her current lover would choose to follow in her path. Although Anecita did not want to admit it, she placed her entire trust in the single form of a woman named Rayna.

Rayna was mortal in every sense of the word. From her Mestizo features that the mortal inherited from her ancestors in Mexico, to her raven hair, brown eyes, and earthen complexion, Anecita found the beauty of this woman captivating. The intensity of her eyes welcomed Anecita home. Each time Rayna's soft smile was cast in her direction, Anecita felt as if her heart skipped a beat. At twenty-eight Rayna had seen many things, but nothing that compared to what the immortal woman had experienced. In her innocence, compassion and beauty Anecita found refuge.

With her mind on Rayna, Anecita woke from her slumber. She rose from the safe comfort of her sleeping chamber. The sound of Bjork filled her studio apartment as she walked to the shower. Even after so many years of immortality, showers were unnecessary. Her scent, she was often told, was constant and unchanging. Like an aphrodisiac, it wafted to the women nearby, calling them like bees to a flower. Despite this, Anecita enjoyed the luxury of showers. Closing her eyes against the warm cascade of droplets, she sighed as she partook of this single act of humanity. When she was done, she toweled herself off, then went to her closet.

Her clothes were always the same. Simple white bra under a white tee shirt. Silky, soft bikini panties under tight blue jeans, white socks and black motorcycle boots, topped off with a black leather jacket was her favorite choice of clothes for this era. As Bjork's voice sang the words to Human Behavior, Anecita hummed softly as she dressed in her familiar clothes. Once dressed, she shook the few droplets of water from her long, black hair, then absently turned off the small cd player. Grabbing her jacket, helmet and keys, she moved to the door of her apartment.

With a casual glance over her shoulder, Anecita looked over her spartan dwelling, then closed the door behind her. As she locked the studio apartment, she lifted the zipper of her leather jacket and pulled the collar securely around her neck. She was thankful that her small apartment was situated in the back of the apartment complex. Although her neighbors were not nosey, she was grateful for her ability to come and go without being noticed.

As Anecita fastened her helmet over her head, she felt the beginning of the nagging pain. It registered deep within her soul first, then migrated to her belly. When she straddled her Harley, the pain increased as a reminder of the hunger that would soon take control. With little else to do, she started her motorcycle and drove into the dark city streets.

Anecita knew how the night would be. First her hunger would have to be sated. Then, as if nothing had happened, she would go to Rayna and spend the night. After making passionate love, they would lay entwined in each others arms. Anecita would hold Rayna close and listen to the softness of her breaths, basking in her lover's mortal warmth. She hoped that tonight would be the night that she would initiate Rayna into her world.

Filled with a purpose, she drove up the boulevard, her Harley Softail purring under her control. Although she convinced herself that she liked the motorcycles performance's, she had to admit that she had a fondness for the name. As her mind began to wander, Anecita found herself reverting into a hunting mode. While riding her bike, she unconsciously searched the faces of those passing on the street. She noticed the homeless stranding idly by the bus stop and watched as an elderly woman pulled her grocery cart through the neighborhood park. Only when she crossed the major thoroughfares did she find the ones who would fill her needs.

She heard their thoughts before she actually saw them. Angry young men intent on damage, they sat frozen in their car at a red light. When she pulled up beside them she heard their mutual thoughts like daggers of hate.

"Hey, look at the dyke!" one shouted from the car.

Without sparing them a word, she turned her helmet-covered face toward them. The first thing Anecita noticed was how young they were. Then she noticed their short, cropped hair and Nazi tattoos. With an inward grimace, she recoiled at the memories that flooded her senses.

The woman of the night remembered the Nazis as if it were yesterday. From the time of their beginning, to the end of the war, Anecita had fought to end the hatred that this group set loose over the land. Despite all that she and the Underground had accomplished, the racist, repressive ideas had managed to escape into the world of mortals to infect weaker, frightened minds.

One was all she needed, but more would be a feast. Despite their young age, Anecita felt their hatred boiling up inside. If given the choice she would not chose ones so young. Yet if she had to decide between ones like these, or older, innocent mortals, she would choose to sate her hunger with these young men.

With purpose in mind she gunned her motorcycle back down the street. She felt them following close behind. Anecita turned onto a smaller street and made her way back toward a deserted road. The screech of their tires and their cat calls and howls of laughter were not far behind her. At the intersection of the quiet road, she pulled her bike under a street lamp and crossed the barren road on foot.

She felt the all too familiar exhilaration of the hunt course through her veins. Like an animal being chased, she felt her adrenaline rise as she made her way over the deserted hill. She heard the boys car screech to a stop on the road. From her vantage point she watched as they huddled together and spoke in hushed tones. Then, when one began to make his way over the hill, the dark hunter smiled in satisfaction.

'So it was to be an initiation,' she thought as she made her way over the familiar dirt trail.

The trials that young men put each other through never ceased to amaze her. The extent that they would go to prove their manhood was always fascinating to Anecita. But like the others, these man-boys would learn what it meant to be mortal. In the past, many had underestimated her. This child would not be the first to think that he could win a match against her. Nor would he be the last, she reasoned as she moved toward the shadows of the underbrush.

In a familiar fashion she removed her black helmet and placed it gently on the dirt path. Off in the distance she heard the current of the river against the wet embankment. As she waited for her prey, she unconsciously unraveled her long black hair. From the depths of her soul she felt the nervous apprehension that always preceded a kill. Before her impatience took control, she smelled the man-child's scent drifting in the wind.

Like a foolish babe striving to be a man, he clumsily bounded over the hill in a running/walking gait. Careful to maintain silence, she blended into the darkness as the sound of the distant crickets echoed in the deep underbrush. With a toothy smile, the dark one listened to her prey's unspoken thoughts of fear and pleasure and she knew what he would do if he was successful.

Spurred by his lustful thoughts she rose to her full height before him. With an awkward smile, she waited and watched as the realization crossed his face. Almost afraid of her presence, he glanced cautiously around the darkness. His youthful optimism faded when he realized that she held no fear.

"Look, dyke-bitch, just do what I say and you won't get hurt. You might even like it," he snickered in an attempt to bolster his courage, then he began to slowly move toward her.

Anecita almost felt pity for this mortal. For only a split second she contemplated finding another who could sate her needs. But then she felt the hunger dominate her being. Like an overwhelming power, it surged through her until it could not be controlled. In the split second of time she felt the dizziness overcome her. Anecita felt herself being pulled back in time to a primordial existence as her body instinctively moved. In the far off distance she heard a sharp scream that was suddenly muffled. Only when the exquisite taste reached her senses did she return to the present.

Anecita felt the initial disgust that always accompanied her kills. But stronger than her disgust was her bitter hunger. With no other thoughts, she growled inwardly, then lowered herself to the barely breathing body. With practiced ease she latched her sharp, canine teeth onto the warm neck. She felt the heat rising from the pumping vein. Like a long cherished wine, she greedily drank until there was nothing left to consume.

Once sated Anecita rose to her full height. The walker of the night felt invigorated, consumed by the fullness of her prey. Half intoxicated by the sensations, she smiled as she held her arms out before her and gave thanks to the supernatural powers that had blessed her with this cursed life. Nothing, not life or death, nor the continual existence of time, came close to the thrill of the hunt. There was nothing quite as satisfying as the taste of the liquid life of her prey. The final devouring of her kill is what made the hunts so exhilarating.

A sudden noise broke her silent reverie. In a defensive manner she gazed into the darkness until she noticed the frightened figure. Dressed in tattered clothing, the old man crouched in fear. At his random thought patterns, Anecita felt nothing but compassion.

As she licked the sickly sour wetness from her lips, she reached down and removed a wallet from the shell of the man-child. Without glancing through its contents, she tossed the wallet at the feet of the homeless man. Unable to do anything, the old man gave a toothless smile, took the wallet, and quickly disappeared down the trail.

Nothing would be said of this night, and if the old man did speak, his words would fall on deaf ears. As in the past, no one would believe that someone like her still existed. She was an enigma, a fairy tale gone awry.

When her task of disposing of the body into the river water was complete, she retrieved her helmet, turned, and made her way back over the hill. She returned on a path that would circle around the waiting men-children. With only a smile she glanced at the scene of the milling boys, then turned and made her way to her bike.

Although patient, Rayna would begin to worry. No longer controlled by the hunger, Anecita started her bike and made her way down the street. The nightwalker now had an appetite of a different type. She felt hungry for the feel of her lover's soft, warm body and the taste of Rayna's pleasure. As she remembered their last night of love, Anecita could almost smell the scent of her lover on her immortal flesh.

As if reading her thoughts, Rayna stood patiently waiting under a bright street lamp. With helmet in hand, the shorter woman glanced down the road and smiled at Anecita's approach. In all of her years alive, the hunter of the night had never met a more captivating woman. At twenty-eight, Rayna had stolen Anecita's heart in a way that no other woman could.

Petite in build and with wavy, shoulder length black hair, Rayna was fond of wearing calf-high leather boots, tight black jeans and white, snug shirts that enhanced her bronze flesh. Only in the winter did Rayna cover her shirt with a black leather jacket. In the summer, when the weather grew hot, and they were behind closed doors, she was prone to wearing little, or nothing at all.

"I was beginning to worry about you," Rayna said as she straddled the bike and donned her helmet. Anecita felt Rayna's arms snake around her waist and smiled at the feel of her smaller lover against her back.

"Don't worry, everything's fine," Anecita commented over her shoulder as she drove away from the curb.

"Of course I worry about you," Rayna replied as she held tightly to Anecita. "Didn't you hear about that bashing that took place last week?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine," the dark one's voice came as a shout. "Besides," she added a bit more softly as they stopped at a red light, "I doubt that the bashers will be around for awhile."

"A premonition?" Rayna chuckled.

"Maybe," the taller woman replied as she made her way past the high-rise buildings and away from the city lights.

With skillful ease, she drove through the winding roads. Each twist and turn brought her lover's body close. Once at Rayna's home, Anecita drove her bike up the narrow dirt path to the one bedroom cottage nestled between tall cypress tress, then parked her bike near the home. Accustomed to the night, Anecita guided her smaller lover over the jagged cement pathway. At the door Rayna smiled up at her as she unlocked the door.

"You know, this place is very lonely when you're not here," the bronze woman commented as she turned on a single lamp. Turning to her, Rayna reached out and removed the jacket that Anecita wore. In a casual manner, she laid it over a chair then reached up and wrapped her arms around Anecita's neck. "I've become used to you being around."

"You have?" Anecita felt a nervous lump gathering within her throat. The taller, dark haired woman reached down around her lover's waist. Gazing down into her brown eyes, Anecita couldn't help but smile at the love within the smaller woman's eyes.

"Yep," Rayna's voice was barely above a whisper. "Oh, you're hurt!" Rayna's attention was suddenly drawn to the specks of dried blood on Anecita's collar.

"No, it's nothing," Anecita stated as she attempted to brush away Rayna's anxiety.

"Are you sure?" the woman's slight Chicano accent was laced with concern.

"I'm positive," the tall, pale woman smiled as she held the small brown beauty in an embrace.

"What happened?" Rayna asked as she lightly inspected Anecita's milky white neck and stained collar. "Don't tell me you cut yourself shaving!"

"All right, I won't," was all Anecita said as she lowered herself to the shorter woman.

With light, almost tentative kisses, she brushed her cold lips against the brown woman's mouth. She felt all thoughts and questions slowly disappear in their warm embrace. In an enticing, almost seductive manner, Rayna pressed herself against Anecita. Pleased by the human warmth, Anecita held tightly to the pliant form. At the instant contact she felt a familiar desire well up inside.

"Back to what I was saying," Rayna's soft whisper rose in the room like the heat of a candle. "I like having you with me." She said as her fingers began to slowly run through Anecita's long, dark locks.

"You do?" the dark woman closed her eyes to the exquisite sensations that her lover's fingers were making. In light, almost methodical strokes, Rayna traced a line from her ear, down her neck, and to her lips.

"There's only one thing I'd like to change," the brown eyed woman whispered as she reached up and kissed Anecita's lips.

"What?" Anecita asked as she instinctively cupped her hands around Rayna's round, fleshy bottom.

"Stay with me through the night," her lovers tone was suddenly serious.

"Of course I will," Anecita assured as she continued to kiss Rayna's soft lips.

"No," her brown goddess gently pushed her away. "Stay with me throughout the night. Be here with me when the sun rises. Let me be the one you greet the morning sun with," came her soft request.

"You don't know what you're asking," the Spanish immortal found it hard to control her rampant emotions.

"I think I do," was her only response.

Anecita glanced down at her lover. She understood what the woman asked, yet knew that the truth would have to be told. In some way she needed to convey the consequences of Rayna's request.

"There is more to me than you know," Anecita's voice came like a whisper as she took a hold of Rayna's soft hands.

"I think I know all that I need to know," Rayna smiled up at her as she lightly traced her brow. "If anything, you might not want to live with me, after all, what will people say?"

"What will they say?"

"That I'm robbing the cradle, taking a twenty year old before she's had time to search for the 'right woman'."

With an amused smile, Anecita pulled Rayna into her arms. As she carried her lover to the back room, Rayna had her arms around Anecita's shoulder. She laid soft kisses on Anecita's lips. When they reached the bed, the tall woman lightly deposited her smaller lover onto the full bed then fell on top of her. In a tender move the Mestizo woman touched the tip of her finger against Anecita's lips.

"If you only knew…" was all Anecita could say as she lowered herself to her lover.

"Then tell me," Rayna's voice was urgent. "Tell me what you've been trying to say these past few weeks."

"I-I …" but Anecita found the truth difficult to voice. She found it hard to speak the words that would reveal her secret nature. Yet she knew that Rayna must willingly choose to follow the dark path.

"Let me take you to a place," Anecita's voice took on a softly melodic tone. "Let me show you what I cannot say," she whispered to her mortal lover.

Like a hypnotic sing-song she spoke softly to the woman. In slow, almost deliberate strokes, she ran her fingers over her lover's form. She noticed Rayna's eyes slowly close as her pupils began to dilate. With eyes closed, Anecita reached out the tendrils of her mind and entered the secret recesses of Rayna's thoughts. The dark one found her lover's frightened form and easily wrapped her in a protective embrace.

Follow me, follow me, Anecita's soft whisper came from nowhere, and everywhere. It was a similar whisper which had beseeched the immortal eons ago and a whisper she had grabbed hold of and tightly embraced. Like her very first lover, Anecita called out softly and beckoned the mortal woman to follow.

In spiraling patterns of ochre red, they moved through the darkness that was Anecita's life. She opened herself as she had never done. The dark immortal reached out and gave more than she ever dreamed she could give. Within the darkness of their journey, Anecita felt the familiar sensations of their merging bodies. She was aware of the soft kisses over naked flesh as she climbed higher through the mountains of pleasure. In the end she lowered herself between eagerly parted legs and drank of Rayna's desire. She stroked her lover until the smaller woman's agonizing cries of release echoed through the caverns of their minds.

Yes, Anecita's thoughts coaxed her lover to greater heights of pleasure.

Yes, Rayna's mind cried out confirmation for Anecita to continue, to progress further, and to bring her to the end of her blessed release. Climbing up her body, the dark one held on to her lover as her senses etched every aspect of their love into her mind.

Instinctively Anecita felt her true nature emerge. In the diffused light of the room she glanced down at her now naked lover. She marveled at Rayna's soft, round breasts and hard brown nipples. Anecita's hand traced the firm outline of her lover's hard abdomen and slender waist. The tall dark haired woman watched in fascination as her body cast a shadow over the dark, curly patch of hair between her lover's legs. Like gentle rain drops, Rayna's body glistened with crystal beads of perspiration. Fascinated, Anecita watched as the beads dripped effortlessly down the smaller woman's abdomen.

As if in a drug induced stupor, Rayna moaned softly as Anecita moved rhythmically between her legs. The taller woman felt her own patch of hair mingling with her lover's and she felt their wet liquid pleasure mixing as one. Only half-aware, Anecita watched the point where their two bodies molded into one, her pale, white flesh a stark contrast to her lover's brown skin. At the mere sight of their bodies movements, she felt her passion rising and was keenly aware of the burning need within. Unable and unwilling to control it, she felt the darkness within rise through her soul.

With eyes closed she tilted her head back. In a low, animal growl she felt the jagged points of her canine teeth brushing against her lower lip. Unaware of the change, Rayna moaned uncontrollably as her legs wrapped instinctively around Anecita's hips. With an almost pleased smile, Anecita lowered herself and tenderly bite the soft, pliant flesh of her lover's neck.

At the instant taste of her lover's blood, Anecita felt themselves thrown into another world. It was a world of shifting patterns and blood-red nights. As she slowly drank the sweetness of the smaller woman's life, she guided the mortal woman through the journeys of her existence. She showed her the images of the young Spanish mortal who was unaware of the dangers of the night. With confident ease, she took her through the pain of death and the rebirth of life.

When it seemed as if the exquisite journey would end, Anecita lead her smaller lover toward the darker path. She allowed the agonizing pain of the hunger to dominate her being. The dark haired woman did not hold back the insatiable needs of her existence. In the end, she allowed herself to be seen in the throes of the hunt and the shame of the kill.

In an almost tender manner, Anecita held tightly to the warm, mortal body. Knowing that she could not go further without Rayna's permission, the immortal woman's jaw grew slack against her lover's neck. As the slight trickle of blood ran onto the sheet, she instinctively lapped out and licked until the red liquid ceased to flow from her lover's wound.

She felt Rayna's post-orgasmic state. With unearthly abilities she heard the rampant thoughts that ran through her lover's mind. Anecita heard the shock and surprise. She sensed the loving tenderness and acceptance. Then, as quickly as the years passed into centuries, she felt the vile revulsion rising through her lover's being.

Shocked by the reaction, Anecita opened her eyes and gazed down at Rayna's features. With eyes closed tightly, the small, brown woman laid still below her naked body. In a futile attempt to make the experience disappear, Rayna's mind fought to hold on to reality.

"Rayna?" Anecita's whisper broke through the spell. Afraid that she had hurt her lover, the dark woman softly stroked her lover's face in an attempt to bring her from the dark dreams.

At the coaxing of her voice, Rayna opened her eyes. As if seeing her for the first time, the Chicana's brown eyes stared intently into Anecita's blue gaze. With a confused expression, the small woman searched Anecita for clues. When none were found she pushed roughly against the taller woman's cold naked form.

"This cannot be happening!" Rayna tried to convince herself as she began to pace the length of the room.

"Rayna?" Anecita moved by her side. "Look at me!" As she took her by the arms, Anecita forced her lover to stillness.

"I had to be truthful with you," the nightwalker whispered as she tenderly ran her palm over her lover's soft cheek. With an expression of sicken horror, Rayna turned away from her touch.

"This can't be happening!" the smaller woman's confused whisper broke through the silence. Filled with disbelief of what she had learned, the brown woman turned and gazed up into Anecita's eyes. "What just happened?"

With a shake of her head, Anecita moved across the room to the bed.

"The truth," was all she said as she sat on the corner of the bed. The dark shadows covered her naked body while the light from the living room shined on Rayna's form.

Confused, the small woman moved before a mirror and gazed at her own reflection. With frighten eyes she examined the two puncture marks on her neck, then gazed in the mirror to where her lover should be, yet Anecita's body could not be seen in the reflection. In shock, Rayna turned and stared at her lover. She noticed the forlorn look of the woman who sat on the edge of the bed.

"You … y-you're a …" her words suddenly disappeared into silence.

"Rayna?" Anecita's questioning voice took on a plea, "Rayna, I love you!"

"NO!" the panic in Rayna's voice rang out, "this cannot be happening!"

"You once loved me!" the dark one cried as she felt the sorrow flood her senses.

"No!" the smaller woman shook her head as she grabbed her discarded clothes and hastily dressed and then backed slowly from the room.

"No! I-I can't!" Rayna's body shivered uncontrollable as the tears welled in her eyes.

"Rayna, please, tell me the truth. Do you love me… did you ever love me or… ever care for me?" the tears of sorrow caught in the tall immortal's throat.

Angered by her question, Rayna turned her back as her body shook uncontrollably. Anecita heard her lover trying to stifle her sobs. What it seemed as if she were under control, her soft voice answered the dark one's question.

"No," Rayna's voice was laced with tears. In a hesitant voice the dark haired, petite woman added softly, "Yes, I loved you, b-but…"

"But not like this?" Anecita finished her lover's unspoken thoughts. After a moment of silence, Rayna lowered her head in defeat and shame.

"I-I… can't live like you," her whisper was barely audible. "I can't kill for the sake of killing!" Rayna's words slapped at Anecita's fragile being. Sensing the pain of her words, the smaller woman moved and knelt before Anecita's slumped form. In a tender manner she lifted the dark one's tear streaked face and held it in the palm of her hands.

"Don't you understand?" her voice was laced with compassion, "I couldn't stand myself if I had to kill to survive. I couldn't take anyone's life even it they didn't deserve to live, I couldn't do it!" Rayna's voice pleaded as she shook her head in defeat.

"Please don't hate me, I do love you…" her tear-filled voice begged for understanding as her fingers lightly brushed against Anecita's cold cheek, "I-I just can't follow the path that you're on."

With a nod of understanding, Anecita lowered her eyes.

"I-I… could never hate you," Anecita fought to control her voice, "and I do understand," she said as she took Rayna's small, tanned hands in her deathly white hands. With a weak smile, Anecita nodded acceptance. She knew that her lover was not like her, that the dark path was not hers to follow. Sensing her new resolve, Rayna leaned forward and lightly kissed Anecita's cheek.

"Take care," was all Rayna said as she walked to the cottage door. As an afterthought, she turned to Anecita's silent form.

"Stay for as long as you need to," Rayna's words held no malice, only pity. With little else to say, she turned away from the sight of Anecita's desolate form. "I won't tell anyone, I promise," she said, then quickly disappeared into the receding night.

Anecita felt the weight of her life bear down on her soul. In anguished pain, she paced the length of the room as she fought to control her turbulent emotions. From somewhere in the night she heard the distant foot falls of Rayna's running feet. The nightwalker felt an impulse to run after her, catch her, stop her, and convince her to join her on this darkened path. But she knew she could not force herself upon her lover.

Instead she imagined what her life would be like without Rayna. The loneliness would return and she would have to move. As in the past, she would have to pack her meager belongings and find another place to hide. A place that would keep her safe through the days harshest rays. Perhaps somewhere in the distant future there was a woman who would captivate her heart as Rayna had done. Perhaps this woman would be able to accept her gift of everlasting life. But as she heard her own thoughts, she laughed away her stupidity.

There would never be another one like Rayna.

At this thought she shook her head in anger. Like a trapped animal she wept as she huddled in the corner of the room. Naked and now suddenly alone, she pulled her slender legs against her chest as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

As the night passed before her, she delved deeply into the sorrows of her endless existence. She knew that she had run for too long. Anecita had been alone longer than she could remember and had gone through many journeys until everything seemed to blend into one. Without Rayna there seemed little hope.

As the early morning sun filtered through the curtain, she gulped down her fears. In a bright haze of yellow and gold, the suns rays cast a slight shadow through the open door. The tall, pale woman watched in fascination as the morning sun crept into the night.

Anecita knew what had to be done. Life, her existence, was nothing more than a fragment on the wheel of time. Like the many lives before her, she knew that she would not be missed.

Filled with renewed purpose she rose from her hiding place. In a slow stride Anecita moved through the cottage and toward the open door. It had been so long since she saw the sunrise. It seemed an eternity since she basked in the warm rays, she thought as she slowly opened the door.

The dark one felt the warmth touch her toes first. When nothing happened, she moved further into the bright, morning light. As its rays moved up her body, she smiled as the intense heat began to crawl over her skin. She felt the acid-like heat burn over her tender, bubbling flesh. With a grimace of pain, she fought back her agonizing screams with muffled groans.

Anecita held little stock in a place called Hell. Hell was the hunger that needed to be sated. Hell was the continual longing for a soul mate. For her, living an eternity without Rayna, her soul mate, would have been Hell. Unwilling and unable to continue life alone, Anecita walked slowly into the sun's caressing embrace.

The End

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