"This has to be a dream," Kevin said, burying his face in his hands. This girl, who saved his life, couldn't possibly be a vampire who was over a hundred years old. No fucking way.

"No, beautiful one. This is no dream. If it were a dream, it would be a nightmare. One from which you can never wake."

Kevin brought his eyes up to hers again. He could feel his body beginning to change. It was painful. Burning. Aching.

"Your body is dying," she said. "The pain does go away. You'll be fine in a few days."

"How did you know what I was thinking?" he asked, narrowing his green eyes.

"It's telepathy. You can do it too, though not very well right now," she answered. Kevin noticed that the wound on her wrist had already healed. "You're powers will get stronger as you get stronger. You get stronger with every feeding."

"Feeding??" he asked, feeling nauseated again.

"Yes, Kevin. Feeding. I told you... you're now cursed with the unquenchable thirst. For blood. Human blood. Now don't believe the Anne Rice novels... she's a wonderful author, but rat blood doesn't work. It has to be human."

"Do I have to... kill... people?" he asked, feeling faint.

"No. You don't have to. Some, like Lorelei, kill because they like to kill. They love the thrill. I don't like to kill those who don't deserve to die. However, if I ran across someone particularly evil, I wouldn't hesitate to kill them."

Kevin stared at her, not quite comprehending what she was saying. Kill people? No way. There was no possible way he could ever... He glanced down at himself and realized he was still naked and he had an erection to end all erections. He was completely embarassed and scrambled to find his clothes.

"It's ok, Kevin. I've seen naked men many times before. And the hard-on thing... that's normal. It's just your body's reaction to my blood entering your veins," she said, smiling gently, almost motherly.

"I can't believe this is happening to me," he said, pulling his boxers on. "So... I'm a... vampire? Oh God, this is just unreal."

"It's as real as you can get, Kevin," she replied, sadly.

"But what... what do I do? How the hell do I live... like this?" he asked, feeling panicked. His breathing was becoming rapid. He was starting to hyperventilate.

"Kevin, calm down," Rhiannon said, moving closer to him and tried to put her hand on his shoulder. He shyed away from her touch. He was afraid of her. Tears began to fill his eyes again.

"I told you," she said, shaking her head. "I told you you would regret this. I warned you. But Kevin, I will never hurt you. I swear, I'll never hurt you."

"I'm so scared," he said, sobbing. She moved to him, taking him into her arms. He allowed her to hold him, to comfort him.

"Shhh. It's going to be ok. I'll take care of you," she whispered, stroking his soft hair. "I won't let anything happen to you. You can stay with me until you get your bearings. I'll teach you everything I know. You're going to be ok, Kevin."

He continued to cry on her shoulder... he mourned the passing of his mortal body... and cried at the thought of eternity. He was now one of them... one of the children of the night. God, what did that mean?

"Kevin, we have to go," she said quietly. "It's getting close to dawn."

"Huh?" he said, uncomprehending.

"We have to go," she said again, looking into his eyes. "Sunlight isn't good for our health."

Kevin smiled a little and nodded. She took his hand and led him to her car. A gorgeous black 1966 Corvette convertible. He climbed into the passenger seat and collapsed against the seat. As she drove, the wind blew through his hair. He smelled the night air. Something was different about it. Alive. He could smell the life in it. He opened his eyes and watched the street lights and the people on the streets. There was something different about them too. He could feel it, but he couldn't quite place his finger on what was different. It was a feeling. A vibration. A throbbing...

"You're feeling their life force," Rhiannon said, looking over at him. "You can feel the blood running through their veins. You'll become even more aware of it as your own life leaves you."

"This is so weird," Kevin said, closing his eyes again. "How am I ever going to get used to this?"

"Give it fifty years or so. You'll get used to it."

"But... how do you... how am I going to live? I mean, won't people notice if I don't ever get older?" he asked, looking back at her.

"Does anybody notice that Dick Clark never gets any older?" she replied, laughing. "Kevin, there are ways, ok? It's not like you'll be in the public eye forever, you know? I mean, when was the last time anybody saw Shaun Cassidy? When the time comes, you just... fade away."

Kevin was quiet. Fade away? What about his family? They would notice if he just faded away... Brian... oh God... what was he going to do about Brian? And the rest of the guys? Oh God... he couldn't go outside during the day anymore. That was going to be a problem. No more outdoor photo shoots. No more vacations to the Bahamas. They would surely notice that. What was he going to tell them? His mind was spinning.

"Kevin, let's think about that tomorrow, ok? It's late. You need to rest. You're still weak. I promise when you wake up, things will be much clearer."

He looked at her again. "Will you stop doing that please?" he said irritably.

"Stop doing what?"

"Stop reading my mind, ok? It's making me nervous. I can't even be alone inside my own head."

"I can't help it," she laughed. "But I'll try. Sometimes, especially when someone is so close to me, it's hard to tune them out."

"Well try really, really hard, ok?" he snapped.

They turned into the driveway of an large old house. Rhiannon led Kevin up the walkway and into the house. It was beautiful. Old tapestries and antiques all over. The house smelled of patchoulli and sandalwood. Kevin breathed deeply. It was an earthy, spicy scent. Very pleasant. It smelled like India...

"Down here," she said, taking his hand. She led him down a dark stairway and into a completely darkened room. She flipped a switch, and he was shocked by the sight that greeted him. There were three mahogany coffins in various places around the room. He began to get the panicky feeling again.

"You can sleep with me," she said, opening one of the coffins. It was lined with the most exquisite white satin that Kevin had seen. His breathing began to quicken again.

"It's ok, Kevin," she said, placing her hand on his cheek. "Remember, I'm here for you. I'll be your guide and your mentor. You will get through this."

"Do we have to sleep in... coffins?" he asked, trying to control his breathing. He was claustrophobic, and he didn't know how he would be able to do this.

"No. You don't HAVE to, but it's much safer. If sunlight touches you, you will never forget it. It leaves a burn on your skin that is the most painful thing you can imagine. Too much sunlight will kill you. These coffins just provide the most protection in case something were to happen and sunlight got into the room."

"Who... is in those?" he asked slowly.

She pointed to each casket. "Lorelei. Stephen."

"Who's Stephen?"

Rhiannon climbed into the coffin and held her hand out to him. He slowly climbed in beside her and laid down. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, like a child. She closed the lid on top of them, and it was completely dark.

"Who is Stephen?" Kevin asked again. Rhiannon ran her fingers through his soft black hair and kissed the top of his head. She loved having him this close. This beautiful man. She hated herself for making him, but it was wonderful being able to hold him.

"Stephen," she said softly, "made me and Lorelei. He was made by one of the Elders over 600 years ago. I made you. You're lucky, Kevin. You're only the 4th generation from the Elders. You'll be so strong. And beautiful. Eventually, you'll have power like you could never imagine."

"Tell me what it's like," Kevin said.

"What what's like?" she asked, still stroking his hair. It seemed to calm him. He relaxed in her arms, and slowly draped his arm over her stomach.

"What it's like to be... you know.... a vampire."

Rhiannon sighed. "Well, it's wonderful sometimes. And other times, it feels like a curse. You have incredible strength. Very few weaknesses. You are young and beautiful forever. You never get sick. You don't die, unless you're stupid enough to get caught outside after dawn. You don't have to eat . You don't have to drink. You have no natural enemies. You can see into people's thoughts. And into their hearts. You can blend into the background and be totally unseen. Or you can make your presence so known that it is impossible for people to ignore you or resist you. You can control people's bodies and their thoughts, even their feelings, just like Lorelei did to you tonight. Kevin, I could go on forever. It's time to sleep."

"Can we still... um... have sex?" he asked, shyly.

Rhiannon laughed. "Yes. Of course. And when you do, you will see that the pleasure is multiplied a hundred times, because you can feel what the other is feeling, not just your own pleasures."

Kevin laughed nervously. "Would it be wrong if... you and I... um..."

"Yes, it would," she said, laughing. "Because right now it's time to SLEEP, Kevin. If you still want to have sex tomorrow, we'll see."

"Well, I meant, you know..."

"I know what you meant. You meant if we ever wanted to do it, would it be ok. Yes, it would. Just not right now. SLEEP."

"Ok. Goodnight Rhiannon," he said, closing his eyes. He was beginning to feel a little better.

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