By L. Crystal Michallet-Romero
Copyright © September 6, 2005 L Crystal Michallet-Romero
All Rights Reserve
Rated: PG-13, it’s a vampire story and not intended for children, however, compared to a few of my other vampire stories,
this is pretty tame and should not upset the faint of heart.
Some said the road to perdition was reserved for the damned, but Valerie Munoz didn’t believe in it. The tall, leggy beauty
didn’t accept that the damned were destined for an eternal existence of pain and suffering. In her mind, it was the mortals
whose lives were hard, which is why she left that life behind her so many years ago.
As the daughter of Mexican migrant farm workers, Valerie Munoz could have looked like any other Chicana save for one
difference. Once, in her mortal days, her flesh was as brown as earth but now it was an ashen color. But this didn’t take
away from her ethnic beauty. In fact, whenever she met someone new the question was eventually asked, “what are you?” A
part of Valerie, the dark evil side, wanted to answer them without words. She wanted to show them exactly what she was so
that they would see with their own mortal eyes that creatures of the night were not relegated to fables. But she did not. She,
more than anyone, knew that discretion was necessary.
By vampire standards Valerie was considered a youth. She was brought over in the summer of nineteen forty-two at the age
of twenty-eight years old. Not yet one hundred vampire years old, Valerie knew that she had many years of being undead
before her. Although only a babe the young vampire knew how to utilize her new immortal powers to her best advantage.
With a slight arch of a brow, the statuesque vampire entered the crowded dance club. All eyes turned upon her. Valerie
knew what they were looking at. Her calf length black dress clung seductively to her body. Its halter top revealed her milky
white shoulders and shapely bosoms. Long, wavy hair that was her pride in life fell past her collarbone like a gentle waterfall.
With an inward smile, the immortal sauntered into the crowded nightclub. At the instant press of bodies, she inhaled deeply of
the fresh humanity. As she threw her head back to inhale the intoxicating aroma, she felt her long hair tickling her back like
gentle fingers. All around her the mortals pressed against her, their pulses of life beat to the staccato rhythm of the music.
While the syncopated beat of the music reverberated off the stone walls and floor, their bodies gyrated against each other. A
myriad of neon colors flashed from the ceiling lights and soared through the air. The brilliant beams honed onto the dancers
like beacons in the night, yet never once settling on a single person.
Valerie Munoz was in her element. The dark dank dance club was her feeding ground. Just as she had done in the past, she
began the hunt. Her eyes fell upon the multitude of women. Their inviting smiles might have caused her heart to skip a beat, if
she were still alive. But Valerie was not alive. She was part of the living dead and as such, her heart no longer beat, her veins
no longer coursed with mortal blood and the vampire thrived in this new existence.
Like a shopper gazing over the latest gadgets, Valerie made her way through the throng of women. As if parting the red sea,
the dancers glanced at her as they opened a path for her to walk through. The vampire smiled at the women dancing in pairs.
Her eyes gazed lustfully at the gyrations of their bodies. “Lovers on the floor, lovers in bed,” she silently mused as she walked
past their forms. Once or twice her eyes caught sight of the women who courted her, flaunting their willingness to flirt with
danger. Their inviting smiles were enough to encourage the hungry vampire’s desires, but Valerie held off. Instead, she smiled
seductively at an Asian beauty as she passed her by. With another, she lightly ran the long nail of her forefinger across the
mortal’s cheek, down her neck and over her clothed bosom, yet she did not choose this woman. For tonight, she wanted
something different – something new.
As the vampire turned away from each morsel, she heard their disappointed thoughts in the back of her mind. Valerie smiled
as her slow seductive walk continued past the crowd. With arms stretched out at either side, she lightly grazed her fingers
over their warm mortal flesh. She closed her eyes as a gleeful smile escaped her control. With her vampire senses she
reached out and listened to their inner thoughts. She heard their turmoil, ecstasy and longing. Their passions matched the
movements of the dancers and just when she was ready to settle for one of the patrons, a still, small voice entered her senses.
It was new. It was fresh. It pulsed with life and Valerie knew that she had to possess it. Turning in the middle of the dance
floor, she searched for the source. Her keen vampire senses were alert as she honed in on the object of her hunt. The
multicolored ceiling lights flashed radiant beams overhead and pulsed to the beat of the music. Despite the distractions Valerie
found the object of her search. When the vampire laid eyes upon the mortal, a slight smile crossed her lips. If it had been a
different place and time, the prey could have passed for a Nubian princess or an Ethiopian Queen. But Valerie knew that this
mortal was neither. The woman who caught her attention was simply a beautiful African American who would soon be
consumed by the hungry vampire.
The black woman stood surrounded by her friends. She was not as tall as Valerie, nor was she short. She wore her hair
natural and even in the darkness, its large massive mane flowed out with pride. In dress, she knew what she had and flaunted
it to anyone who looked her way. The tight red dress clung seductively to her body and the slit up the side showed off her
muscular calves and thighs. Her round bottom slowly swayed to the beat of the music as she spoke with her friends. When
the mortal laughed, a trill like the sound of bells seemed to echo through the room.
Valerie smiled as she focused all of her concentration on this woman. She reached out with her vampire senses into the
darkest recesses of this mortal’s mind. In it, she heard the single name that sounded like music to the vampire’s heart.
Octavia Mae Jamison was her name, but for Valerie, her name was ancillary – an accoutrement that meant little to a hunting
creature of the night.
As she admired Octavia’s large, brown hair, the vampire smiled to herself. She imagined all of the delights that she would
bring to this woman, and in exchange the mortal would give to her what was needed the most. The black woman would
become yet another soul that would succumb to Valerie’s dark powers.
Valerie knew that this woman had never encountered the likes of her kind before, nor would she ever again. The tall, lithe
vampire strode casually toward the black women. When she grew closer, the group of mortals suddenly turned and looked
her way. The newcomer had a look of perplexed disbelief as she slowly gazed over Valerie’s form.
“Would you like to dance?” the vampire smiled seductively as she held out a hand.
The mortal beauty glanced at her, a surprised brow cocking in disbelief before she looked back at her friends. A wide smile
crossed Octavia’s full lips as her shoulders began to shake with laughter. Before Valerie could harness in her emotions, the
woman mumbled something to her friends, and then turned toward the vampire.
“I know you didn’t just come up here thinking I’d dance with you,” the African American chuckled before turning her back on
Valerie to address her friends.
Valerie was not accustomed to such a rebuff from a mortal. In most cases all she had to do was extend the invitation, and it
would be eagerly accepted. Now, to her utter disbelief, she found herself calling upon her dark gifts.
Filled with confidence Valerie stepped forward once more, her smile never wavering. She instinctively began to draw upon
her vampire powers. She felt her unholy gift soaring from her, moving out to envelop those nearby.
“I only asked for a dance,” Valerie’s voice was seductively low. At the sudden change, the woman’s eyes grew wide with
surprise. As her friends moved forward to protect her, Valerie lifted her palm to them and spoke in a voice so low that most
mortals could not hear, “You will remember nothing.”
“Remember nothing,” the three friends spoke in unison as a haze covered their eyes.
“You, on the other hand,” Valerie reached below the woman’s chin and lifted it up to gaze into her dark, fathomless eyes.
“You will remember this day for the rest of your life,” she promised her victim.
“The rest of my life,” the black woman echoed with a vacant tone as she slowly followed the vampire to the dance floor. Her
body movements were slow and hesitant at first. Valerie felt the mortal fighting against the unnatural powers. But eventually
Octavia gave in to the unholy powers and like a zombie followed the vampire’s unspoken commands.
Like the rest of the dancers, they began to sway to the music. Valerie felt her powers consuming the woman until they
became like one. As their bodies bumped and rocked against each other, the vampire’s cold hands ran over the mortal’s
form. Standing above her, the vampire admired her prey. Their breath seemed to mix as one as the music flowed over the
dance floor. Once or twice, Valerie leaned in and received a kiss. At first it was tentative, like a hesitant lover. But when she
felt Octavia’s sweetly soft lips parting, she explored fully. Tongues brushed against each other. Lips that were once defiant
now welcomed the ashen vampire’s touch. When Valerie felt the heightened sense of pleasure, she began to guide the mortal
to a darken corner of the nightclub. With lips still locked, Valerie completely controlled her prey. Only when the wall pressed
against the mortal’s back, did they stop their movements.
Gasping from the raw sensuality of the kiss the two looked at each other in the darkness. The music continued to blare
around them, yet they were submerged in a world of their own making. Through the haze of the bright lights, the vampire
examined the mortal carefully. Valerie noticed the pearls of sweat that coated Octavia’s forehead. The contrast of light sheen
on brown skin caused the perspiration to look like droplets of rain. Valerie leaned forward and brushed her nose against the
African American woman’s soft, thick hair. The sweet scent of jasmine wafted to the vampire’s senses. When she pulled
away and looked into Octavia’s almond shaped brown eyes, she saw the full spectrum of the mortal’s emotions. Like a
trapped animal, the black woman watched her intently. The fear made the mortal ready to bolt, yet there was a part of
Octavia that wanted this, wanted to court danger in order to be close to the immortal darkness.
With a curious arch of a brow, Valerie smiled at her prey. Her fingertip traced the line of Octavia’s brow, then her temple
and down her high cheek bone. In slow, methodical movements the vampire left an invisible trail down the ebony neck. At
this gentle touch, her prey sighed softly as she closed her eyes and leaned back, exposing her neck. This motion was inviting
for the thirsty vampire, yet she did make her move. Instead she ran her finger over the woman’s warm flesh and marveled at
the throbbing pulse that coursed through her prey’s jugular vein.
“Not yet, not yet,” the vampire’s mind whispered in answer to the woman’s silent plea.
Valerie smiled as she leaned forward and planted soft kisses against her prey’s warm flesh. As the vampire’s mouth left a
slow, methodical trail, her hands explored the woman’s curvaceous body. When the immortal cupped her palms around the
warm, fleshy bottom and her tongue moved lower down Octavia’s shoulder, she heard a low guttural moan escape her victim’
s control. With an almost pleased smile, the immortal ran her fingers down the length of the mortal’s waist and came to rest
along the hemline of her taunting red dress.
“Hey, if you two would like company,” a lewd, interloping voice of a man stopped Valerie in her tracks.
Angered by the intrusion, she turned her full vampire wrath upon the man. Her face metamorphosed into the unholy beast that
she was. Like a raptor protecting her kill, she reached out her hand, her long fingernails sending a menacing warning to the
intruder. Even in the darkness he could see her monstrous face clearly. As if he were part of the undead, his face turned
deathly pale as he released a yelp. Before the vampire could grab him, he turned and ran away. His pudgy body pushed and
shoved the dancers in an attempt to escape the vampire’s wrath. Unaware of his fright, the dancers continued to bump and
grind to the sound of the music.
