Vampire, family, and admiration

In the blink of an eye, May was already standing in front of you, holding your throat with her strong hand, and tilting your head to the side. She leaned over, and you couldn't help trembling. You could feel her cold, wet tongue sliding back and forth on your neck, and your manhood was reacting excitedly.

"You would be tasty if your blood isn't tainted." May straightened up and smiled as she stared into your eyes and held you still.

You couldn't look away from the pair of captivating red eyes when her gaze slowly drifted downward and locked on your manhood. "But still..." She whispered and moved her fingers over the tip of your cock. Even through your trousers you could feel the coldness of her slender fingers. Your cock was throbbing, eager to be released.

Grace was just sitting next to you, watching calmly. She didn't seem worried about the situation at all.

You couldn't even make a struggle. You were like a puppet at her mercy, and you knew vampires had no mercy. She would suck your blood, ravage your cock, and make you a loyal vampire servant, just like what all the vampires you've seen have done to their victims. Now you knew why you lost your memories of that night. You were doomed.

But she didn't do it. The next moment, May was sitting back on the sofa. She retracted her fangs and turned her eyes black again quickly, but the fear had been engraved in your soul. You still couldn't move your arms and legs, but you noticed that nothing except fear was stopping you from speaking. So you took a deep breath and tried to find the courage to face the vampire.

"Why didn't you do it?" You asked.

"Do what? I'm just playing with you." She smirked. And you felt more uncomfortable now.

"Did Grace know?"

"I knew. So did George." Grace replied freely as she looked at you, "We're just not allowed to tell other people about it."

"You are controlling their minds." You kind of expected this, but you still felt angry.

"I haven't done anything to their mind more than what Grace just told you. It's just a means of self-preservation. I'm sure you'll understand. And before you ask, no, I'm the only one in this town." May showed confidence to your question, as she knew that she had the upper hand here.

"Don't act all harmless and innocent, because you're not." You held your fist tightly, "I know what you vampires are. You need to feed on blood, desire to have sex, and want to turn everyone into a vampire. You're just evil."

"Do I look evil to you?" She raised her eyebrows and curved up her lips slightly, as if she wasn’t at all surprised by what you just said.

"How many people in this town have you been feeding on this whole time, huh?" You didn't back down at all.

"I've never killed someone or turned someone in this town. Does that make you feel better?" May gave you a dangerous smile.

"That's bullshit..."

"James, when George and I came to this town 10 years ago, May helped us a lot." Grace reached out her hand to hold yours and spoke calmly.

You didn't know if you should trust Grace. For all you knew, she could be compelled by the vampire to say anything she wanted her to say. But the fact you were not dead yet meant that there was something more to this. And you needed to know what it was.

"Fine. What do you want from me?" You asked.

"I think I've made myself clear. I want to talk." May was sitting still like before, but you could feel the tension in the room lift. You could move your arms and legs freely now. "But before we start, I would like to ask you a favor." She looked at you sincerely.

"Why would I want to help you?" You frowned.

"Fine. But consider it a favor for Grace." May sighed helplessly.

"Huh? Me?" Grace looked confused.

"What is it exactly?" You didn't understand what this was going.

"Grace, I have investigated Mr. Wilson after he came into town. Before he officially started his career in Raven Harbour, he had been staying in Owl City for a long time." May looked at Grace with concern. "He might give you some closure. But if you don't want to ask him, I will not force you to or ask him for you."

"What... are you talking about..." Hearing Owl City again, your hands were trembling.

"I..." Grace lowered her head for a few seconds, like she lacked the courage to continue. But eventually, she lifted her head and looked at you firmly. "James, I have a friend in Owl City. She was a senior student when I was going to college there, and she became a police officer after graduation. We wrote letters to each other for years, but... I haven't received hers since last Christmas. I wondered... if you knew what happened to her..."

"What's... her name..." You had a bad feeling, and your voice was shaking.

"Melissa. Melissa Ashton..." Grace said.

It felt like a heavy hammer slammed into your heart as you almost collapsed in the chair. It was a nightmare that you would never want to relive, but also one that you had to confront. You collected yourself and breathed deeply before you spoke.

You told May and Grace from the beginning. You told them how Olivia became a vampire, how she went to the bar Fran worked at, how she infiltrated the police station, and turned almost everyone in the city into a vampire. And, in the end...

"Melissa was turned, and Olivia brought her along to hunt us down. Our car was crashed, and Olivia went to turn the priest, while Melissa was fucking the driver. I had to protect Fran..." You gasped for some air to gather your strength before you continued, "I drove a stake through Melissa's chest and killed her... I'm sorry..." Tears rolled in your eyes as you spoke.

"No... Melissa..." Grace covered her face and began to cry.

"Your friend was being controlled by the master vampire, Grace. She wasn't herself back then. It can't be helped." May sighed as she turned to you, "Mr. Wilson just did what he had to do, to protect the one he loves. Please don't blame him."

"I know... I know. It's just... I'm sorry..." She couldn't stop crying from the painful truth. She got up and ran to the corner of the bookshelves to be alone for a moment.

"Give her some time. She'll get through this." May looked at you with a peaceful expression, "Thank you, Mr. Wilson."

"Why are you doing this?" You frowned.

"Grace has been acting like she's fine in front of other people, but I've seen her sobbing alone at night. She knew something bad must have happened to her friend, but she wouldn't stop writing letters to her, hoping that she would receive a reply one day." May shook her head and sighed, "I had been worrying about her mental state, fearing that she might drive herself mad. But now that she knows the truth, maybe she'll get better and move on."

"Why do you care?" You questioned her, "I mean, you're a vampire, and she..."

"She's my family." May smiled calmly.

"I don't believe you." Or perhaps you were just refusing to believe that a vampire could have normal emotions. It was easier for you to see them as evil monsters just like Olivia.

"You don't have to."

"What do you really want to talk about?"

"Well, I'm sure by now you're quite aware of what is lurking in the shadows in this town. Besides me, of course." She said.

"Werewolves." You replied. Without question, the werewolf problem was more crucial to you than the vampire in front of you.

"I settled in this town about 12 years ago, but that wasn't when I first came here. You know, I can't stay in one place for too long, or people will notice that I'm not aging." May spoke more casually, like she was just telling a story. "I came here once in 1990 to see if it was a safe place to stay. And it wasn't. I realized that humans were not the only inhabitants here. There was something more horrible, even to me."

"Werewolves." The same word, but not the same feelings. You've read the book, so you were not very surprised about it.

"A large settlement of pure werewolves, in the north of the mountains. I found it too dangerous to stay under their noses, so I left." May said, "But when I passed through this place in 1998, the settlement was gone, wiped from the map, along with a village nearby. So I have settled down since then."

You widened your eyes in astonishment. You couldn't help but connect this information with the story the mayor told everyone at the dinner.

"And then you showed up, Mr. Wilson. You were the only werewolf activity in this town in 12 years." May stared at you mysteriously. "Of course, except for the little huntress." She added.

"So you know about Valerie, too. And you're okay that she's around?" You frowned.

"Not by much, but enough to know that she isn't a threat to me or the others. And the mayor know about her, too, which will make getting rid of her a bit too conspicuous." She smiled.

"Is this why George insisted that I should have dinner with you? You wanted to get rid of me?" You immediately understood.

"Indeed. At first, I thought you were a careless carrier, and if I killed you before you turned, everything would return to normal." May gave you a wicked smile, and it frightened you a bit, "But when I bit you that night, I smelled the monkshood solution in your blood. You had been fighting it, and I respected that."

"You bit me?" You spoke louder as you were shocked and angry. Maybe more shocked, less angry. And you weren't even sure what you were angry at - she biting you without your consent, or you having no memory of being bitten. You still remembered the pleasure Olivia gave you when she bit you. Just thinking about it made you, and your little beast down there, feel good. Sometimes you thought you would trade anything to feel that pleasure again.

"On your wrist, yes." She said. Now you knew where the blood on the sleeves came from. "See? I didn't drain you, didn't fuck you, and didn't turn you when I had the chance. I'm not that evil." She curled up the corner of her mouth as she retaliated.

"Why are you telling me this, about what you are?" You had doubts about her motive.

"Because you're either dying or becoming a werewolf. Whether you know what I am doesn't actually matter anymore. You should know by now that you might be dealing with a problem that has been lasting for more than two decades. It is beyond your reach." She looked at you seriously.

"I won't give up." You replied firmly. You had lost too many friends in Owl City. You were tired of giving up and running away.

"Courage won't help you much." May let out a helpless sigh and continued, "You've seen what happened in the Smith Mansion. You knew there are more werewolves out there, and you saw how fast this infection can spread."

You had your doubts, too. Valerie told you that the lycanthropy changed the victim in roughly a week. Shannon's transformation still followed that rule, but Donna's transformation was way more faster. Did that have something to do with the victim's injuries?

"Even if you join forces with the vigilant mayor and the huntress in the forest, you don't have a chance to win. You don't even know who your enemy is."

"Do you?"

"No. It isn't my concern." She said. "You should leave this town with your girlfriend while you still can, and maybe live with the monkshood solutions like a drug addict for the rest of your life. Or just kill yourself. Trust me, either option is better than turning into a mindless beast."

Grace happened to come back at this moment and sat down quietly next to you. You could still see the tear stains on her cheeks. She hasn't fully recovered from the sadness yet, but there was a slice of toughness in her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" You asked carefully.

"Better..." Grace gave you a faint smile. "Now that I know what happened to Melissa, maybe... I can finally stop writing letters..."

"Grace..." You didn't know what you could say to comfort her.

The room fell strangely silent. You began to think about what May had just told you, how low your chances of survival were. And then, a bold idea came to your mind.

"Can you help us?" You looked at May and asked.

"Now you're asking for an evil vampire's help?" She gave you a sarcastic smile. "You don't have the faintest idea about how strong a pure werewolf is. I won't risk everything to help you." She shook her head helplessly.

"So are you just going to sit in this room and watch everything fall apart?"

"No." She said, "George, Grace and I are leaving tomorrow."

"I... I'd like to stay." Grace suddenly said, with her voice shaking.

"What?" May sat straight, looked shocked, and turned to her sister-in-law. This was the first time in this whole conversation you felt that the situation had slipped out of her control. "Why?" She asked with confusion.

"Melissa wouldn't leave if she knew that there was even a glimpse of hope to make a difference. If she were here, she would fight to the very end." Grace looked at you, the one person in this room who also knew the brave police sergeant. "I've been looking up to her. I know she would've wanted me to stay, too." She smiled sadly as she added.

Hearing these words almost made your heart skip a beat.