Angel

Fang’s blood is sweet, his smell in liquid form, rich and heady. I drink and drink, losing myself in the intoxicating taste of it. I barely notice when Fang tries to pull away, and when he forcibly yanks his arm out of my grasp I snarl at him, trying to take it back. He places a hand on my chest and I start, looking at him, confused. He seems paler, almost translucent.
“I don’t want you taking too much, blood loss can affect even me.” I blush at that, embarrassed, and he smiles, pulling me close

“Now what?” I ask, the taste of him still on my tongue.

“Now we wait. It won’t be much longer, and it will be painful; but I will be here so don’t be afraid.” He reassures me because I have started to tremble. “Would you like me to distract you?” I nod, “what should I talk about?” he seems genuinely perplexed.

“Anything,” I whisper. I think for a moment. “Tell me what we do.” I am curious about this, but I hope I’ll actually be able to comprehend at least some of it.

“Very well.” He nods, as if satisfied with my choice.

I don’t get a chance to hear much, as soon as Fang starts talking, there is a stabbing pain in my abdomen. I gasp, doubling over at the sheer enormity of the pain. Fang holds me tighter, but doesn’t continue. The stabbing spreads, as if knives are being shoved through my insides, tearing and ripping them to shreds. It slowly works its way up from my abdomen. When it reaches my head I scream, unable to bear it, burying my head in Fangs chest as he crushes me against him; his strong arms shaking along with my spasms. The pain in my head subsides to a bearable level, but then starts in my bones, along with cracking and splintering noises as my bones lengthen, changing my body structure completely. I can feel muscles building, hardening along my body; but I am swallowed again in the pain of my head as my skull shifts, lengthening. My eyesight blurs momentarily, then snaps into sharp, almost painful focus; I can see perfectly in the pre-dawn gloom. I inhale sharply, entranced by the rainbow colors of the dust motes floating in the air, and find that I can smell things I could never smell before; dust, the sheets of the bed, the fainter traces of Fang’s scent from his previous visits here. I hear a faint noise and realize that it is the rushing of my blood, and of Fang’s. Our heartbeats seem painfully loud, as does the shifting of the house, and the mattress springs’ soft creaking. The pain slowly ebbs away, leaving me as drained and shaken as I was only a moment before.

I slowly uncurl myself, feeling slightly stiff, and stretch. I jump when my feet touch the end of the bed because I was sure they didn’t before. I scoot up careful not to wake Fang, resting my head beside his on the headboard and grinning when I notice that we are the same height, even though I’m not sure why I do. I laugh, feeling slightly confused, and Fang starts, opening his eyes. He gazes at me, his lips curling up in amusement at my evident wonderment, though I notice a touch of concern; for what I’m not sure.

“Feeling better?” He mumbles sleepily. I nod, smiling at him. “Nice teeth,” he half-yawns, then smiles back.

Realizing what he means, I run my tongue over my teeth, and nearly cut them open on my fangs. I’m startled, again without really knowing why; this makes me even more confused, but I am determined not to show it. For Fang’s sake. We simply sit there for a while, watching the rising sun slowly push the shadows across the room. When the whole room is full of light, we slowly get up and dress. I am shocked to find that my clothes don’t fit, I am sure that they did yesterday; they are several inches too short. As if I’d grown nearly a foot and a half overnight. But that wasn’t normal. Fang looks at me for a moment; I know my confusion is apparent on my face.

“I guess we’re going to town today.” He hands me a pair of boots, his, and a long sleeved shirt to cover the gap between my jeans and shirt. He then leads me downstairs and through several rooms, more than I thought could fit in such a small house, and out the back door where a sleek black Harley waits.

Getting to town seems to take forever, although I have no idea why it should have taken less time. Surely it takes just as long as it usually takes. The town seems different to me, and I wonder exactly what has changed, because I can’t remember how it looked before. This sudden realization throws me off for a moment, and my grip on Fang loosens slightly. He looks back at me, concerned, but I merely smile at him, lost in my musings. Why is it that I am so confused this morning, and does it have anything to do with me not remembering how town looked before? Before I can get very far on that thought Fang stops in front of this dingy-looking little store that I don’t remember at all, even being confused like I am.