Even Monsters Get Lonely
Chapter 10

She drifted off to sleep at some point, and when she awoke, it was to replace André pulling the covers up over her. She whispered, “André?”

He looked up black eyes and fangs.

She sighed and said, “Vampire. Look I’m sorry about...”

He shook his head.

Shannon stopped talking.

“Don’t, I may be a monster, but I know when I’m wrong,” he told her as he sat down. He then took her hand, gently rubbing the back of it with his thumb.

The numbing cold she had felt since earlier was suddenly gone with the touch of his hand, and she basked in its warmth.

“The truth is petite, I didn’t want to feel what I was feeling, and so I used anger as my defense. I left tonight to prove to you, and to myself, that I could do what I wanted.”

Shannon felt hurt well up in her at his words and removed her hand from his. She began feeling the cold return as she played with the edge of her blanket but ignored it. She had begun to feel hopeful after the things Tamara had told her, but he had just crushed that hope.

“So, did you prove it to yourself?” Shannon asked him as she tried not to cry.

He continued to look down at his hand as he said, “Non. I found a woman, one that had the looks I always considered to be lovely to look at, tall, dark-haired, and curvy. I convinced her to go with me into an alley. I then used all my charm, determined to seduce her, yet I felt nothing, not even a twitch. So, I thought I would drink from her, perhaps that would arouse me. When I started to sink my fangs into her neck, nausea rolled over me to the point of gagging. So, I quickly erased her memory of me and fled.”

He looked up at Shannon, bringing his hand up to caress her face. The heat from his hand made her push into his touch, it felt so good.

“All I proved is that you are the one I want,” he told her.

“Are you sure, or are you just saying that because you’re hungry and want my blood?” She asked him, scared to hope again.

Vampire closed his eyes and taking a deep breath, he let his body relax.

Shannon began to feel his emotions, emotions he had been blocking until now poured over her like water. She felt the desire and lust, but she also felt how she made him feel happy, and not lonely anymore. She felt how he wanted to hold her, and never let go, but he feared her rejection of him if she ever saw him really lose control.

That’s when it dawned on her, this was more than just his emotions. These were his very thoughts, and she could almost “hear” them as they fluttered across her mind!

Shannon’s eyes flew to his face to replace him already watching her.

His eyes were now hazel, his fangs retracted. André then whispered in French, “I want you my darling. I want everything you will give me, and more, and I will give you that in return.”

She felt the promise behind the words so strongly that it didn’t matter whether she understood them or not. She knew he was now open to the thought of them, and that was all she cared about. So, holding her arms up, she pulled him down, and whispered, “Come here and kiss me, Baby.”

He lay down next to her, then gave her one of those all-consuming kisses of his.

She slid her hand up his shirt.

He pulled away to remove the shirt. He then paused for a moment before sliding his own hand up under her shirt, raising an eyebrow in question as he looked at her.

She lifted her arms and raised up a bit allowing him to remove her shirt too. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

He gave a hissing growl, turning her insides to mush as his eyes swept over her bare chest. His hand then moved gently over one breast, his head lowering until his mouth was on the other. His touch was nothing like Luke’s groping, what she could remember of it anyway. Instead, it was soft and gentle, yet filled with need.

Shannon whimpered as the fire in her belly was lit. The tingles between her thighs grew until she moaned, squeezing them together to try and stop the ache there.

His hand left her breast then to move slowly down her body, causing the fire in her belly to spread everywhere he touched. He moved his mouth to lavish the second breast, and she ran her hands down his back and shoulders.

When his hand slipped past her waistband, she whined, her hips bucking.

André groaned, his mouth moving back to hers, his hand warms where it lay on her belly. Then he raised his head to look at her, his eyes hazy with desire.

“Why did you stop Baby?” Shannon asked him, even as she tried to bring his lips back to hers.

“I’m not... I can’t... we shouldn’t...” He sputtered. He then stopped, shaking his head before continuing by saying, “Why do you call me bébé? Do you somehow see me as an enfant... err child?”

Shannon blinked at the abrupt change in subject, and his question, confused. She said, “No, I don’t think you are a child, far from it. It’s just a pet name, but if it bothers you for me to call you that, I won’t.”

André lay flat then, pulling her tight into his arms as he said, “Non, ma chérie, I’m sorry. I am struggling to not go too fast. There are still so many things I need to figure out. I don’t...?”

Understanding that he wasn’t ready for the next step, she interrupted him to say, “We will figure it all out. I’m as lost as you are, but we’ll figure it out, together.”

He nodded as he kissed the top of her head. Then he murmured, “Sleep petite.”

Shannon quickly went to sleep.

André, however, lay wide awake. He needed very little sleep, to begin with, and he was used to being up all night.

Tonight, he had left an angry Vampire, and came home a worried one. He wasn’t really concerned at not being able to get JR up since sex wasn’t something he really craved. He gave an internal chuckle, at least it wasn’t until I met Shannon! Not being able to drink from that woman earlier though? Now that concerns me!

As a vampire, he needs blood to live. At that moment though, the thought of drinking from someone besides Shannon had almost made him gag.

What do I do now? He thought, I must be able to get nourishment and I can’t take all of what I need from her or it will make her sickly and weak.

He carefully exited the bed and made his way to the kitchen. Once there, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed a number from memory.

“Back from your evening out? Did you have fun? Did you get a little something?” Tamara asked him with a giggle.

He growled before saying, “Not funny Doc. Now, I need help, I have questions!”

She sighed, before saying, “I know you do, so ask, and I’ll tell you what I can.”

“Is she really my Beloved? Is there really such a thing? I’ve never heard of it. Are you sure it isn’t a myth? What is a Beloved anyway?” He tossed the questions out fast.

“Yes, André she is, and yes, there really is such a thing, because you have one, as do some others I know. Although, fewer and fewer are replaceing theirs,” Tamara answered.

“Why?”

“I don’t know why, probably because most don’t believe in soulmates or beloveds anymore. When you believe in something, you look for it. If you look for it, then you’re more apt to replace it.”

“Wow Doc, you make it sound like looking for your car keys,” he told her, feeling the urge to roll his eyes, even if she wouldn’t see it.

Tamara laughed, then said, “Whatever funny guy! Anyway, a Beloved is the one fate made just for you, and your perfect match in every way. You will crave her touch, and not want to be away from her for long periods of time. You will also crave her blood, almost to madness. She will crave your touch too, and to be away from you will be hard for her also.”

“But Doc, she’s human and will age, but I won’t,” he reminded her. Then asked, “What about that?”

“No, actually, she won’t age,” Tamara disagreed. “Since you have bitten her, and she is your Beloved, you released a special venom into her bloodstream which will soon stop her aging process, if it hasn’t already. André, a Beloved is extra special to us as vampires. You have no idea how jealous it makes me that you’ve found yours. So, treat her well, she will be a good wife to you, I know she will.”

“Wife?”

“Yes, doofus, wife. A Beloved is to a vampire like a spouse is to a human, only without the ring and ceremony,” she told him with a laugh. “Oh, and I told Shannon some of what I just told you.”

He gave a tired sigh as he said, “Okay, but what about the fact that I couldn’t feed on the woman tonight? Just thinking about sinking my fangs into her almost made me physically sick. My vampire does not like to be hungry. I don’t exactly relish the idea of starving you know, but I also know that taking too much from Shannon could kill her.”

“You will never take too much. You will need a little bit from her every evening upon waking, and then you will be able to go feed just as you always have. Although, you may replace it hard to take from a female because of the natural seduction of the process. Sometimes, like during lovemaking, you will drink a bit from her. If she eats right, and stays healthy though, taking that little bit of extra won’t hurt her,” Tamara concluded.

Sitting down in a chair, he rubbed the back of his head with his hand. He tried to wade through all the information Tamara had told him, but it was so much.

“André?”

He turned to look at Shannon, who was standing and looking sleepy-eyed in the doorway to the kitchen.

“I thought you were asleep petite?”

“I was cold without you,” Shannon told him.

She was so beautiful with her sleepy eyes, and her bed head, that he had to smile.

“The cold is a symptom of her body needing yours. Now go, take your wife to bed André. Cuddle, and do all those naughty things married people do until sunup!” Tamara said before she hung up.

Laying his phone down, he walked over to Shannon. “Are you hungry?”

She shook her head.

“Then let me take you back to bed,” he murmured. Then he picked her up bridal style and carried her to his room. When they got there, he lay her down and moved back.

She grabbed hold of his hand, her eyes opening. In a shaky whisper, she asked, “We’ll be okay, won’t we?”

“Oui, petite we will be.”

“Stay with me,” she begged him.

He chuckled and said, “Since it’s my room, I planned on it, but I want to take my jeans off.”

She let go of him and looking around the room, she let out a quiet “oh”.

After emptying his pockets, he took off his shoes and socks. He then removed his jeans, leaving him in just his boxer briefs. Turning to get into bed, he found Shannon watching him.

“You really are a well-built man André,” she said with a blush on her face.

“Merci (Thank you),” André said, then he told her, “now sleep.”

Pulling her up against him, spoon style, he buried his face in her hair. He then let sleep take him.

Waking up, Shannon gave a big yawn and tried to stretch. Only to replace herself weighted down.

André, she thought with a smile, then frowned. He’s always awake before me though. How did I manage to wake up first tonight? Rolling over to look at him, she worried he might be sick. Do vampires even get sick?

She slowly ran her eyes over his handsome features, so relaxed in sleep. He looked so young, no wrinkles, no gray. One would never know he was so old. Wow! I’m ‘married’ to an old man, a real old man, she thought with a smile. Then she brought up her hand up to stifle a giggle.

Giving a sigh, she moved her hand up to run her fingers through his hair. It was so soft with a bit of a wave to the top where it was slightly long. Next, she leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips before wiggling her way out of his arms.

Shannon made her way to the door and slipped out. From there she went to her room, where she quickly showered and dressed before making her way to the kitchen. She was hungry, and after fixing some cereal, she stood at the sink eating it.

As she looked out the window, she realized that the sun hadn’t quite set. That must be why André still slept.

“Hm... I wonder if it’s true that they can’t go out in the sunlight,” she mumbled out loud, before remembering he’d said it burned him. It had her thinking though, about the fact that she knew very little about him.

Finishing her cereal, she stepped out the back door. Taking a deep breath of the evening air, she watched the sun go down. She then continued to stand relaxed as the humid breeze blew through her hair.

"Quelle belle vue m’accueille si tôt dès le soir.” (Such a beautiful sight to greet me first thing in the evening.)

The sound of André speaking had her turning. She told him, “One day, I’m going to learn French, so I’ll know what you’re saying in that sexy accent of yours.”

André straightened from where he was leaning on the door jam. “Are you?”

Then, she blinked and was suddenly wrapped in his arms. She let out a squeal at the suddenness of it.

André chuckled. “Did I scare you petite?”

Shannon huffed at him, giving him a dirty look as she said, “Does my heart pounding like a bass drum not give that away?”

The smile left his face, and his eyes darkened as his fangs lengthened.

Shannon knew what was going on, but it didn’t stop the feeling that went through her at the sight of the change in him. No, it wasn’t fear, it was excitement, because she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. She knew that when he hungered for her blood, all his hesitations and inhibitions about kissing and touching her seem to fade.

She let her fingers trail up over his chest as she pushed up onto her tiptoes. Placing her lips on his, she gave him a light kiss before looking back into his eyes. She saw the desire there, so she leaned in for another kiss.

This time, he took the lead, pulling her tight against him, with his hands placed on her hips. He was still so careful, because of his fangs, but she still groaned as the flame he lit inside her ran rampant through her body.

She pulled away and began kissing along his jawline, her hands moving down to the hem of his shirt. Once there, they slid back up across the bare skin of his back. Feeling need for him pool in her lower belly, she whispered, “Oh, André, the things you do to me.”

His voice was husky, his accent thick as he spoke, “As if you aren’t doing the same thing to me.”

He pulled her hips even tighter against him, and she let out a groan as she felt the evidence of his desire. His head lowered toward her neck, and she moved her head to the side. His gentle kisses kept her moaning until she felt his bite. Even then, she couldn’t stop the sounds of her need coming out as moans. She wanted, she needed, and she had to have!

Shannon whimpered when he pulled away, but all he did was pick her up and head for the door. “André?”

“I want you Shannon, every bit of you,” he whispered.

“Don’t you need to feed?”

“I took enough for now,” he informed her.

Then they were in his room and on his bed.