Even Monsters Get Lonely
Chapter 9

When André still didn’t say anything, Tamara said, “Or maybe you have, and that’s why you’re so angry.”

André didn’t say anything, he just stood there.

Shannon began to feel like his body was in the room, but his mind was not. The urge to go to him, too give him a hug or a kiss, started to overwhelm her again. The urge was so strong, now that her mind wasn’t occupied with other things, and her knees began to bounce in agitation.

Tamara noticed the bouncing knees, and smirked, but said nothing.

Finally, the silence began to grate on Shannon’s nerves and she couldn’t take it any longer. So, she asked, “Well, is anyone going to tell me why I feel this way?”

André still said nothing.

With a huff and a look of irritation, Tamara spoke, “Shannon you are his Beloved.”

Shannon watched as André jolted as if lightning had struck him. Then as he stared, a stunned look on his face, at Tamara.

“What!” Both André and Shannon shouted.

“What is a Beloved?” Shannon asked.

At the same time, André argued, “I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

Tamara laughed. “When André brought you home, he called me, I came and patched you up. I asked him why he had brought you home,” Tamara said as she gave a soft sigh. She then as she looked straight at him as she said, “I’ve known André for a while now and he’s always been... soft, for a vampire.”

André growled at that comment.

Tamara gave a soft laugh, saying, “Oh please, you know it’s true! Most of us grab our prey, take what we need, erase the memory, and send them on their way. You though, you always tell them “be still, I won’t hurt you”, or something similar. That’s called being soft André! It’s okay though because that’s just who you are.”

“I’m not soft,” he grumbled.

“Whatever, softy,” Tamara snickered. “Anyway, he told me he thought it might be nice to have someone around for a bit. That’s why I had him give you just a drop or two of his blood. I knew it would heal you faster, and if you were okay in a couple of days, then he would let you leave if you wanted to go. I knew if he thought you needed him, he would keep you here, even if you began to... irritate him.”

“Irritate him?” Shannon questioned.

Tamara nodded and said, “Vampires are solitary creatures by nature. So, I figured that once the novelty of you being here wore off...”

Shannon nodded, saying, “He would want me gone, but the softer side of him would insist on waiting for me to heal.”

“I’m not soft,” he grumbled again but the women paid him no mind.

“Exactly,” Tamara told Shannon in agreement. She then continued, saying, “What I didn’t know, obviously, was that you’re his Beloved. He would have realized it after a time because of his feelings for you, but the blood hastened the process up a bit. By him taking your blood it mixed his venom into your bloodstream allowing you to, read or feel, if you will, his emotions. What does puzzle me is why he hasn’t felt your emotions yet? Perhaps it’s because you’re human, so it would work a bit differently...? Hm...?”

The women turned to look at André when they heard him snarl.

Looking at his now black eyes, Shannon knew Vampire was back.

“You know NOTHING!” Vampire snarled at Tamara. “You’re just making this up to make her feel better. I’ve never heard of this so-called ‘Beloved’! I am a Vampire, and I need no one! Do you hear me NO ONE! Anything I need I can have, or take, from any woman I want.”

Tamara looked at him calmly, unaffected by his snarling and hissing.

Shannon, on the other hand, sat feeling as if she were about to hyperventilate.

“Is that so?” Tamara asked calmly.

“Oui!” Vampire snarled.

“Well, go out there and replace someone then. Find someone that will satisfy all those longings I know you’re suddenly having. I can guarantee you that only your Beloved can satisfy all those longings you’re feeling now that you’ve found her, but you’re welcome to try,” Tamara snarled right back.

Vampire gave another hissing snarl her way. Then, with a dark look in Shannon’s direction, he left, slamming the door behind him.

“So, I’m guessing that was angry Vampire,” Tamara joked with a smile as she turned back to Shannon.

Shannon gave a heavy sigh. “Yeah, that was him.”

Then both women looked toward the door, wondering when he would return, and what he would have to say when he did.

Shannon gave a sigh as she realized André wasn’t going to just turn around and walk back in. She turned then back to Tamara and found her watching, not the door, but her.

“He will be back, hopefully in a better mood,” Tamara said calmly.

“How can two beings in the same body be so different Tamara? André is so sweet and gentle, but Vampire is so angry all the time. Although, I feel he could be gentle if he wanted.”

“Shannon honey, André is a vampire, not a werewolf. He is one being, not two,” Tamara corrected gently.

“But... but I don’t understand! I thought his vampire side was separate from...?”

Tamara was shaking her head.

“No, it isn’t let me explain,” Tamara said as she huffed out a breath. “André is a gentle soul, and he didn’t take well to becoming a vampire. He missed his family and wanted them back. Even though when I met him, they were already long gone. I think he was a bit of a mama’s boy, and he took her death hard, maybe because he couldn’t be there for her during her illness.”

Shannon nodded, remembering how sad André had been about having to stay away from his family.

“Anyway, the truth is he was in denial then, and he still is. When I first learned his story, I guess I should have corrected him when he tried to separate himself from his vampire, but he wasn’t hurting anyone with it, so I let it go.”

“So... he can’t talk to his vampire?” Shannon asked, so confused. André had told her how he’d communicated with his vampire when he’d first changed, yet Tamara was now telling her it wasn’t possible?

“All that was really just his human logic trying to deal with the change in his life. André knew that in his hunger, he killed those people but the human part of him couldn’t deal with it so he ‘blacked out’ while his vampire took over and killed them,” Tamara explained.

Shannon rubbed her sweaty palms over her bouncing knees as she digested what Tamara had said. It was so different from what André had told her that it confused her. So, she asked, “So it’s like when I argue with myself, or my conscience internally?”

Tamara nodded.

“So, he went as far as separating the human and vampire into two beings,” Shannon murmured.

“That is exactly what he did. It’s kind of like someone with multiple personalities I suppose. I really thought that over time it would get easier for him, especially since he no longer kills, but I guess it hasn’t,” Tamara told Shannon with a sigh. “With you here though that could change. He won’t admit it, but I think the vampire personality in him wants you even more than the human personality.

“Why do you say that?” Shannon asked.

“Think about it, he came to you first as his Vampire persona. He took your blood, you felt his emotions. As André, he didn’t let you feel anything until tonight. Shannon, his vampire persona, the more possessive and bloodthirsty side of him, desperately needs you. I don’t think he’s even realizing what he’s doing, but he needs you to pull the two parts together. He needs you to be the glue that puts his two personalities together and makes him one again, like a whole man. I know you can,” Tamara said with an eager look on her face as she leaned forward.

Shannon shook her head, exclaiming, “Oh no, I can’t do that! How can I fix him when I’m so messed up myself? Besides he’s probably out there right now figuring out how to get rid of me!”

Tamara sat back. She was quiet for a moment, twirling a finger round and round the end of her braid.

Shannon kept looking toward the door, hoping André would return soon, even if it was to get rid of her. She needed to see him so badly!

“It’s driving you crazy isn’t it?” Tamara asked, catching her glancing at the door once more.

“What is?” Shannon asked as she slowly pulled her gaze from the door and back to Tamara.

“I’ve never felt it myself, the pull of a Beloved, but I’ve heard others talk about it. They say it’s a constant need to be together, to feel the others touch. They say once the bonding bite is given it eases a bit, but the pull is always there right under the surface,” Tamara replied, not really giving her an answer.

“So, these feeling I’m having are normal? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” Shannon asked, with a slight ring of hysteria in her voice. “Tamara, I feel like if he doesn’t return soon, I’m gonna crawl out of my skin! Earlier, it took all I had to stay in my seat and not run across the room to him,” Shannon complained as she gave a light groan. She then buried her face in her hands as she once more caught herself looking toward the door. “I need him, Tamara, so badly, but every time we start...!”

“Start what?”

Shannon jumped up to pace, unable to sit still any longer. She was embarrassed by her thoughts about doing things with André. Yet they continued to roll through her mind like a movie reel making her hot and bothered.

“Talk to me Shannon, we’re both girls here.”

“It’s embarrassing Tamara! The things I want to do to him, with him,” Shannon whispered.

Tamara’s eyes widened for a moment as she studied Shannon. She whispered, “Are you a...?”

It was Shannon’s turn to stare at Tamara wide-eyed. Then she began to shake her head.

“No, no I’m not. I’ve only had one boyfriend though, and that was when I was sixteen. He was my first everything, and my only, so, I’m not experienced. That’s why I don’t understand why I’m feeling this way, I mean, I just met the guy and...!” Shannon blew out a frustrated breath as she started pacing again.

Tamara laughed, and said, “It’s normal girly, nothing to be embarrassed about. You’ve met a man that turns you on as no other man has, and you have a bond with him that is making it that much stronger. If it makes you feel any better, in the vampire world the fact that you’re his Beloved makes him, for all intent and purpose, your husband. So, except for a ring, and a piece of paper, you’re married to the guy. It’s okay to have those kinds of thoughts about a husband, isn’t it?”

Shannon stopped her pacing and turned, “Husband?”

Tamara nodded, and said, “Husband.”

Shannon sank back down on the couch cushion, weak-kneed. Then she smiled, husband.

“So, talk to me girly, tell me about Shannon Winters. I know André found you in the woods, but how did you end up there?” Tamara asked as she turned sideways on the couch giving Shannon her full attention.

So, with a long sigh, Shannon began to talk about herself. When she was finished, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She found herself feeling cold, strangely cold.

Tamara stood. “Time to eat, André should be home soon.”

Shannon stood, and followed Tamara to the kitchen. Once there, Tamara heated up Shannon’s food from earlier.

“Sit, eat.”

Shannon sat and did as told.

“That’s quite a story, the story of your life. I’m even gladder André found you now. If you weren’t his Beloved, I think I’d offer you a home myself. I could use a roomy, and I think we’ll be good friends,” Tamara mused softly.

Shannon nodded, and after swallowing a big gulp of O.J, asked, “I’m curious about something though. Does my being here make you hungry? Rick said that even though he already fed, he wanted a taste.”

Shannon had told Tamara all about Rick, so she knew what Shannon was speaking of.

Tamara looked disgusted when she answered, “No, it doesn’t, and if Rick had been paying attention to his senses, he would never have said that. I can’t believe I ever liked that guy!”

“What do you mean, if he had been paying attention to his senses?” Shannon asked.

“Because even I can tell you’ve been bitten by André, his scent is all over you,” Tamara explained. She then went on to say, “It would be like... going to a restaurant and watching a stranger at the next table eat. Then, when they leave you to grab their plate and finish what they didn’t eat.”

Shannon wrinkled her nose in disgust. She didn’t mind sharing food with her family, but eating after a stranger? So, she said, “You don’t know what kind of germs they could have. That is so gross!”

Tamara laughed. “Exactly. We rarely share prey, we prefer to catch our own.”

“Rick said they’d shared before,” Shannon said.

“Lies, unless it was a blood bunny that was passed around, and that would have been rare if it happened at all. I just can’t see André sharing anything with Rick, not the André I know anyway. The truth is Shannon, they’re acquaintances more than friends,” Tamara explained. She then said, “I need to go now though, I have a stop to make before I can go home. Don’t be too hard on my stupid friend when he returns, and drink another glass of orange juice, you still look pale.”

Shannon stood up, and they walked to the door.

Tamara grabbed her bag from the hall table, then opened the door before turning to say, “Good night Shannon.”

“Good night,” Tamara said.

Faster than Shannon could blink, Tamara was gone from the porch and getting in her car. Then she was gone.

Shannon closed the door with a sigh, after staring into the darkness watching Tamara’s taillights fade out of sight, hoping André would appear.

Tamara had kept her talking, so she didn’t have time to think about missing André.

Now Tamara was gone, and Shannon’s jitters were back. She needed something to keep her mind occupied. So, she walked into the bathroom of her bedroom and took a quick shower. Then she headed back to the kitchen. Once there, she poured another glass of O.J. to drink while she cleaned her dishes.

Feeling a bit calmer, she headed for the sitting room to replace a book to read. When she’d found one, she took it back to her room with her. There she made herself comfortable on the bed and began to read.