SHIVER: 13 Sexy Tales of Humor and Horror Read Online Free PDF

that?”
    Holding his hands out in a placating gesture, he places the water on the table and steps towards me. “Baby, I know this is hard to understand, and I promise I will answer any questions you want answers to, but you were right the first time.” He breathes in deep and utters on an exhale. “I’m a vampire.”
    Oh yeah. I’ve gone bananas.
    I mutter under my breath. “Right, right. Okay.”
    He lifts the fallen chair and sits me down. He takes a seat across from me. “Ask me anything.”
    My first question is dumb. In my defense, I believe myself to be borderline high at this point in time. “Are you going to kill me?”
    His face screws up as he hollers, “What? No, I’m not going to kill you, Em. Shit! I love you!”
    I nod. “Okay. That’s good.”
    Taking my hand in his, he holds it tight and vows, “I will never hurt you. Never. I’m still the same guy.”
    The same guy. Just now he drinks blood.
    The second question comes easier. “So you drink blood?”
    He seems relieved by this question and answers immediately, “Yes. I don’t need it often but I still need it at least once a month to replace my lack of red blood cells.”
    “Did that man know what you were doing to him?”
    He shakes his head. “No. Vampires can hypnotize a person before feeding. It’s easier this way. It’s cleaner and faster.”
    Okay. “Did you hurt him?”
    His eyes soften, as does his tone. “No, baby. I release venom into the bloodstream that acts as an anesthetic. He didn’t feel a thing, and I never take too much.”
    I’m not sure I want to ask, but curiosity gets the better of me. “Have you ever fed from me?”
    His hand squeezes mine. “Never. I would never do that to you. Never without permission.”
    I think about all the vampire lore I’ve read about. “Are you going to live forever?”
    He sniffs a laugh. “No, baby. Immortality is a choice. When I met you, I gave it up.”
    Confused much? “How?”
    He explains in perfect calm, “I can slow down the aging process by feeding every day. And I did feed every day for a while but when I met you, I made the decision to stop feeding and start aging again.” He smiles down at me lovingly, “Why would I want to live without you?”
    My heart warms as I get a glimpse of my Bastien. Pre-vampir e Bastien, that is.
    I blurt out, “That’s so sweet. I think. In a creepy I don’t know what’s going on way, I guess.” I stand and begin to pace. “But you eat food. We eat together all the time.”
    He nods. “I do eat food but my venom dissolves it into nothing.” He looks me in the eye. “If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll explain all the things I think you’ll want to ask.”
    Pausing mid-step, I look my husband in the eye and whisper, “You’re not joking, are you?”
    He softly shakes his head. It’s then that I realize my life has suddenly changed in a big way.
    Bastien Lee – my husband, my lover, and my best friend – is a vampire.

More of the Story
    And the world still turns
    He watches me closely then asks carefully, “Are you going to freak out?”
    I lift my head in thought. I think hard about this.
    Has Bastien given me a real reason to freak out?
    No. He hasn’t.
    He’s been patient and calm regardless of my treating him like a leper slash nutcase.
    Body slumping, I slowly walk over to him till we’re almost toe-to-toe. I look up into his bright green eyes and reach up to cup his cheek. “No. I don’t think so. But you’re going to tell me why I shouldn’t have to, right?”
    His eyes close, he lifts his hand to hold mine in place on his cheek and responds roughly, “Whatever you want, baby.”
    Taking his hand in mine, I lead us over to the sofa. He sits and pulls me down with him. Sprawled over his lap, I turn to the side so I can look at his face while he speaks. “I never planned on meeting a girl. It was too hard what with my… condition. I didn’t count on meeting you.” He kisses my knuckles. “I don’t