Promising you can keep yourself safe is a bold promise. Promising to keep yourself safe from a vampire is bolder. But that's exactly what Jezebel did. Truthfully, such a valiant proclamation from the young woman was beyond irritating to Lucinda. Lucinda didn't see how Jezebel could say such a thing. Such a ridiculous, intrepid thing. The well-fed demon behaves better than the famished saint, but where does that leave the hungry vampire, tied between human morality and insidious instinct? Lucinda didn’t know. She wasn’t sure she wanted to. 

  For weeks Lucinda had been haunted by dreams that gradually grew more realistic. Dreams of ripping open the throats of those she loved most, the little girl she'd stumbled upon by chance alone and the woman who had taught her love. 

Her daughter, Elizabeth, was everything Lucinda was not. She was kind and gentle, trusting and sweet- it was all Lucinda could do to not burn in the girl's mild light.

Lucinda’s wife, Jezebel, was similar to Elizabeth. Too trusting. She'd known what Lucinda was from the beginning, knew exactly what marrying a thing as she may entail, and yet Jezebel insisted that this was what she wanted. Lucinda never could say no to her- for, within Jezebel, Lucinda found freedom in the arms of the only thing that could ever bind her. 

Lucinda couldn't understand such a thing. Humans such as Elizabeth and Jezebel shouldn't be in the presence of something such as herself. You may love a monster, but that will never take away its teeth. Yet, Lucinda couldn't find it in herself to turn them away. She loved them too much, perhaps a bit selfishly. She was well aware that such love for mortals would bring only turmoil, but she couldn't help herself. So she did her best. When she was able, she was the best mother and wife she knew how to be; despite never having had either of these things herself. She read Elizabeth's books when it was time for her to rest, and she held her hand when she was afraid even though she had never known fear. She danced with Jezebel in the pale moonlight though she knew Jezebel longed for the sun and kissed her when she believed it was right. For her family, Lucinda tried to be normal. To be human. But a monster is a monster. Using a spear as a walking stick cannot change its nature. Deep down, Lucinda knew that. 

The vampire stood with crossed arms on the porch of her house. Shaded by the manor's canopy she observed Elizabeth and Jezebel tending to the garden, still and cold as stone. She found herself smiling at them despite herself. She watched with yearning and envy as they giggled, laughing in a way so carefree it made her heart seize. They tended the plants with care, and the flowers did not wither away. They flourished in their little beds. Lucinda could imagine the flowers uprooting, killing themselves for the joy of dancing between Jezebel and Elizabeth’s fingers, for the two of them had never known pain. 

The light they gave off was untainted and never yielding, shameless and graceful as the night sky. Their hands were strong and never afraid, for they had never known the burden of shielding someone from your claws, never allowing yourself to get close enough to cause harm.

 Lucinda often felt like a visitor in their lives. Close, but never close enough to touch. Never close enough to understand. 

She watched them laugh and play, touching and dancing in the midday sun. She felt envy, dark and hot, running through the pit of her belly. She grimaced.

Lucinda’s thoughts were disturbed by a sudden pain in her stomach. A pang of unmistakable hunger shot through her abdomen. She cursed, wrapping her arm around her torso as she stumbled indoors. Her nails began digging into her side as she rifled through the fridge for that cursed bottle. She groped around the cold machine for the glass, vision blurring in and out as she felt the raking claws of something horrible scratching at her insides- fighting to get out. 

A black mass whirled within her, sliding up her throat and pooling in her mouth as she searched in vain for the vial. Lucinda heaved a sigh of relief when she reached it, lifting the glass to her lips with trembling hands and ripping the cap away with her teeth. 

She could feel the life flood back into her as she drank, cold blood filling her mouth. She groaned, doing her best to make do with what little remained in the bottle. Lucinda fell slowly to her knees as the last of it spilled onto her tongue, coaxing the black that had begun to overwhelm her back into the pits of her stomach. Sheep's blood. Sustaining, but not enough. Never enough.

She felt an unspeakable lethargy course through her as she slumped against the kitchen cabinets. She leaned her head back against the wood. The creature was put to temporary rest, but Lucinda could not feel relief, for she knew it would come back. It always came back. She took in slow, shaky breaths- not daring to open her eyes as the bottle rolled from her hand, landing beside her with a quiet clink. 

Slowly, she was rejuvenated. Lucinda’s eyes fluttered open gradually as she came to her senses. She licked her lips, tongue dry and smelling of rust. She had never been fond of the way blood tasted. 

Carefully she pulled herself to her feet, picking up the bottle from the floor and setting it softly into the sink. With her hands on either side of the metal basin, she leaned her head down, fighting the urge to throw up what she'd just consumed as tears threatened her eyes. Lucinda cringed as she wiped the drying blood from her chin, ready to simply wash it away with water when Jezebel and Elizabeth came flooding back into the house. Her claw-like nails nicked the skin of her throat and she shuddered, glaring over her shoulder at the two. Jezebel met her eye immediately. The brunette frowned, wrapping her arms instinctively around Elizabeth's shoulder. It caused Lucinda’s heart to burn. She looked down, digging her claws into her palms. Jezebel was afraid of her. She would never admit it, but she had shown it clearly enough- maintaining feigned calm only to shield Elizabeth from her horror. It was only rational, after all. Lucinda could only imagine how she looked at that moment. Dark and brooding, long hair greasy from weeks of neglect and eyes black as coal, hunched over a sink like a witch creating a potion. Anyone with any sense would be fearful. 

"Liza, honey, why don't you go wash your hands before lunch?" Jezebel said, smiling at the little girl. Lucinda watched her go, tears burning her throat. Without a word Elizabeth dashed out of the kitchen. Lucinda looked back to the bottom of the basin, listening to the soft drum of Elizabeth’s footsteps.

Shame clouded Lucinda but Jezebel was having none of it. She said nothing as she approached Lucinda. She wrapped her arms around her waist from behind and rested her cheek on the square of the taller woman's back. Lucinda sighed, calmed a little just by the simple touch. She hated herself for it. Lucinda didn’t deserve such gentle care, nor such unwavering loyalty. 

At once, she felt ridiculous for ever thinking Jezebel had feared her. Lucinda placed her unnaturally pale hand on the bronze one of Jezebel which rested on her stomach, fighting the urge to smile at the stark contrast as she interlaced their fingers. 

 "Lucinda?" Jezebel asked, voice quiet. Lucinda's chest heaved at the soft timber of the other's voice. So full of love. Love Lucinda could never deserve. She fought the urge to collapse as she turned, removing Jezebel's hands from her body. 

She looked down at the other. Lucinda had a good head on Jezebel, but Jezebel never seemed even the slightest bit intimidated. Lucinda’s straight hair crowded her face, charcoal strands spilling out from behind her ears. Her pointed features were hardened by regret as she fought to avoid Jezebel's gaze. She looked almost macabre in her wonder, scarlet staining her lips and dangerously pale face. 

Jezebel reached up her hand, tucking a stray hair behind Lucinda's ear. The gothic woman's hand shot up on instinct, capturing Jezebel's hand and pressing it to her cheek. She relished the warmth. 

"I could hurt you, Bel, I could hurt both of you," Lucinda said suddenly, voice barely above a whisper. Jezebel only shook her head. She craned her neck in a way that forced Lucinda to look at her, deep brown eyes boring into Lucinda in a way only Jezebel could.

"You could. So could everyone else in this world," Jezebel began, rubbing a gentle circle into Lucinda's cheek. “-But for as long as I’ve known you, I have known nothing but love from your hand and nothing but kindness from your mouth. As long as this reigns true, I will trust you.” Jezebel stood up on her toes, placing a soft kiss on Lucinda's uncovered cheek.

"I trust you, Lucinda. I wish you'd trust yourself." 

The rest of the night ran smoothly. They carried on as usual: Elizabeth took a bath. Lucinda and Jezebel tucked her in. Lucinda read her the next chapter of Heidi, and Jezebel sang her a song. It was utterly ordinary, beautiful in its monotony. 

Lucinda slumped against the wall as Jezebel shut the door to Elizabeth's bedroom. Lucinda heaved a sigh, running her hand through her hair. It was knotted, greasy to the touch. She needed a shower. Her eyes were heavy, her chest heaving with the conscious effort she took to keep herself breathing. Technically she did not have to, but she was afraid that if she stopped doing the small, trivial things, she may forget how. Forget how to breathe, forget how to sleep, forget how to be human. 

Her eyes fluttered open as Jezebel's soft footsteps trailed past her, the other woman going back downstairs. She pursed her lips, shutting her eyes and leaning once more against Elizabeth's door frame. At the moment, she was much too tired to move.

She was still lying outside Elizabeth’s door when she woke up next. Light poured in through the window that sat open across from her. For a moment, she relished the warmth, but then realization dawned upon her. The unmistakable stench of burning flesh burned her nose. She hissed, throwing herself to the side in an attempt to escape the scorching light.

Lucinda fell to the ground as the sun weakened her. Torso pressed against the hardwood she stretched her arms out, clawing at the ground in an attempt to flee from the sunlight. 

Sweltering pain rose in her, beating like a drum as her head hit the ground. Her vision faded to black. Without warning, she fell into a world she knew to be fake. Once again, she was forced to live out the nightmare she couldn’t escape. She saw Jezebel in the kitchen, humming as she chopped what appeared to be an onion. She saw herself from above, watching as “she” crept up behind the woman.

 Lucinda tried to yell out a warning to Jezebel, but her voice wouldn’t come out. She looked away when her clone was upon Jezebel at last, unable to bear the sight- but she could not spare herself from the scream. It was blood-curdling, sharp and laced with fear and betrayal as Jezebel’s life was sucked from her body. 

As suddenly as it had come the vision was gone, and Lucinda was back on the floor- except she was not being burned. Her head rested on something soft and her mouth burned with the taste of metal. Slowly her eyes fluttered open. She saw Jezebel hunched over her, staring down with sympathy. 

Her wrist was caked in dried blood. Lucinda felt her heart drop. Lucinda reached her hand to her lips, feeling the still-warm blood against them. Jezebel. She shot up from where she sat, heart pulsing in her ears. Jezebel reached for her and made a futile attempt at comfort, only for her hand to be discarded. Lucinda turned her back to her, black crowding her vision as she stumbled down the steep stairs of the house.

  Without regard for the sun, she threw herself out of the manor. She didn’t bother to shut the door, shielding her eyes with her steadily burning arm and sprinting toward the forest. She was not thinking coherently. All she knew was that now that she had tasted Jezebel’s blood, she would not be able to stop herself from seizing it again. 

She stumbled towards the thicket, feeling her skin blister and burn. Lucinda staggered into the shade of the trees, falling the moment she reached the canopy. Out of the glaring sun she lay against the brittle grass and leaves, the once-living plants wilting at her touch. She dug her nails into the dirt, bitter tears falling from her eyes as she tried vainly to claw her way deeper into the forest. It was no use, she didn’t have the strength to continue moving- but that wouldn't stop her from trying. Dirt invaded her broiled skin, coarse earth and pebbles sinking into her flesh. At last, she couldn’t fight anymore. Her vision went black.

She wasn't sure how it happened. Didn't know why. All she knew was that the sun had gone down, and she was now moving towards the house. Like a ghost she stalked through the house, feet hardly touching the ground. Elizabeth's bedroom. Elizabeth’s bed. Silently she sat at the end of the girl's sleeping body, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she slumbered. Lucinda's head was overcome with a painful pulsing as she stared at the girl. The sound of Elizabeth's heartbeat, her pulse overwhelmed her. All at once, she found that she could not remember the girl any longer. She could remember only the sound of her pulse and the hunter that thrashed in her stomach. 

Lucinda pounced. Before Elizabeth could wake up or react Lucinda's teeth had sunk into her neck, as she sucked away the very thing that made her human without any regard for the little girl's safety. She took the girl into her arms to gain better access to her weakly beating veins, holding the child's limp body against her own as she drained her for all she was worth. For a moment Elizabeth began to convulse, to struggle, but by the time she was fully conscious she had lost far too much blood to fight back. 

Lucinda panted as she released the girl's neck at last. Red spilled from the corner of her mouth. She stared down at the lifeless body of the girl, and all thoughts of the insatiable hunger that possessed her faded away. She was left only with regret, poignant and real as the blood that stained her lips.

"No, no," She began, dropping the girl's body onto the bed as panic began to overwhelm her. The blood that didn't belong to her rushed to her head as she began to try and revive the girl, shaking her to no avail. "Elizabeth, Liza, please," She began to plead. Lucinda allowed herself to slide off of the bed, hugging the girl around her shoulders. Lucinda buried her head in Elizabeth's neck. The lack of pulse made her sick. 

Her body itself began to reject the blood she had consumed, expelling it from every cavity her face possessed. Lucinda didn't bother to move as blood leaked from her nose and ears. She held Elizabeth tight, arms shaking. Blood fell from her mouth and spattered onto Elizabeth's face as she spoke, apologies muffled by the red liquid that spilled from her. Elizabeth's pale skin was soon covered in the red that was leaking from Lucinda, and the woman began to choke. 

She covered her mouth with her hand, crying out a mixture of blood and tears as she stared down at the desecrated body of the girl she had loved so dearly. "Forgive me, forgive me," she began to plead, sinking to the ground. She placed her head on the floor, unable to contain it any longer. She let out a shriek, sobbing through the gore that clogged her lungs. The essence of Elizabeth rushed in her heart, her lungs, her throat. Lucinda was being choked, suffocated, by the blood of the girl she had loved so dearly. Agonized, she opened her eyes, only to find she could no longer see anything.  

The next moment, Jezebel was shaking her. Lucinda's eyes shot open and her hand flew to her mouth. She began to apologize, but her voice was overcome by tears. She collapsed into Jezebel's arms, sobs shaking her body as reality came upon her. It had been a dream. A sick, twisted dream- but it was not real. Elizabeth, she was safe. Lucinda's legs gave out as she clung to Jezebel. The other woman's arms wrapped around her waist, lowering her slowly to the ground as she rubbed soft circles into her back. 

"Shh, you're safe- you're alright," Jezebel whispered, kissing Lucinda's temple- but Lucinda didn't hear any of it. All she could hear was the blood that had rushed to her brain moments earlier. Suddenly, the scene changed. Her vision was pulled into black and the silhouette of Jezebel was walking toward her. Lucinda didn’t let go of Elizabeth as she stared up at the woman, and prayed she was right about what was to come. 

“Eliza-” She choked, but Jezebel was faster. She cut her off, taking Lucinda’s face into her hand. She squeezed tight. Lucinda’s eyes shut, silent tears falling down her cheeks. With her eyes shut, Jezebel pulled her into a hug, kneeling before her and reaching over their dead daughter. Lucinda did nothing but shake in the woman’s arms, not daring to open her eyes. 

“I hate you,” Jezebel whispered, pulling Lucinda in tighter. Lucinda whispered back. 

“I’m sorry.” 

At that moment, a stake dug into Lucinda’s back, driving directly into her unbeating heart. For just a second she struggled, writhing, trembling, but she did not exercise any real force to escape Jezebel’s grasp. Black liquid gushed from the wound like blood, spilling from her like a waterfall as she grew weaker and weaker. She went limp in Jezebel’s arms, vision fading out for the last time. She felt a hand in her hair, stroking her head. Somehow, this hurt more than the stake in her heart. Everything went black. 

Lucinda gasped. She shot up from the ground, hand flying to her heart. It was there, though it was cold. It wasn’t bleeding, she wasn’t gone, not yet. She struggled to stand only to fall to her knees, hunched over. She pulled at her hair, doubling over. The most guttural of screams was pulled from her throat, hands wrapping themselves around her throat as she allowed herself to sob. Ragged and tortured she sat there, hitting her head with her fists and pulling out clumps of her hair. It was then that she was shoved to the ground, landing hard on her side. 

Beside herself she thrashed around, trying to fight against whatever had attacked her, only for a familiar pressure to place itself on her stomach. Jezebel sat on top of her, fighting Lucinda to pin her arms to the ground. The moment Lucinda recognized Jezebel, the fight left her body. At that moment, everything was still.

"Elizabeth," She finally choked out. She needn't say anything more. At once Jezebel stood, helping Lucinda to her feet. In silence, they returned to the house. The sun had gone down now, and Lucinda was sure that this was real. The weight in her feet and the pain in her heart told her as much.

Before Lucinda knew it, they were in Elizabeth’s bedroom. And there she was, resting peacefully. Lucinda’s head rushed. She ran to the bed, collapsing to her knees at its side and grasping the girl's hand. She bowed her head, smiling through tears at the gentle drumming of Elizabeth's heartbeat. 

Jezebel was soon by her side, a comforting hand on her shoulder as she watched Lucinda murmur apologies and praises to a God neither of them believed in. Metal lingered in Lucinda’s mouth, inflamed by the sacrilege she spewed.

Hours passed and Lucinda never moved, head resting against Elizabeth’s hand. Warm, pulse thrumming, blood running. Alive. Fully, completely alive. It was only when Jezebel began to snore that the spell was broken. 

Carefully Lucinda stood, picking Jezebel up as softly as she could and escorting her to their own bedroom. Darkened and smelling of incense, the room welcomed them. Lucinda placed Jezabel on the plush mattress and tucked her as she would a child, planting a kiss so gentle you never would’ve predicted the fangs that sat docile behind her lips. 

Soundless and somber Lucinda trailed out of the bedroom, returning moments later with Elizabeth cradled in her arms. Lucinda set her down just beside Jezebel and took her own place sitting up beside them. She crossed her legs criss-cross. Her arm stretched out to rest on both of their heads, and Lucinda sat in the quiet. She would not sleep again that night. 

She sat, watching, predatory, but the two girls were not the prey. The two sleeping had nothing to fear, not from Lucinda. But at that moment, with the air still and quiet, Lucinda knew that she would stop at nothing to keep the two of them safe. There was nothing that could stop her, not even herself.