Page 38 of Unmasked
“I appreciate it. You guys are always welcome here too. So what’s the deal? Do you need my help?”
“No, not at all,” Yves says. “We just wanted to clear it with you. We’re gonna sneak in tonight, ambush the guy, and be done with it. We can take his body with us. We don’t want to give you any unnecessary trouble.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Yeah, how are you hiding the bodies of your victims?” Syn asks me.
“I’ve only had two so far that I’ve actually killed. One of them I just left there, knowing the cops would chalk it up as it being a bad part of town. He probably got into some drug trouble or something. With the other one, I made it look like he took his own life. He was a real piece of shit. I don’t like bullies.”
Yves smiles. “Looks like we have some things in common. Also, if you ever need any tips on the vampire thing, let us know. It can be hard out there when you’re brand new.”
“How long have you guys been vamps?”
“I was turned a very long time ago,” Yves says.
“Italian renaissance. I saw Michelangelo’s art when it was new,” Syn answers. “We’ve been around a while.”
“Wow.”
“Back when I turned,” Yves continues, “vampires were told we had to stay out of the sunlight and sleep in coffins.”
Syn laughs. “Fortunately, Yves had a very smart maker who told him those rumors were false.” He shakes his head. “All the years vampires wasted sleeping in boxes and avoiding the sun.”
Both guys laugh. “Live and learn,” Yves says.
“Or un-live and learn,” Syn adds, laughing.
These guys are nice, and not anything like the vampire who turned me. “My maker, he didn’t stick around very long, but he gave me the basics.”
“Did you want to be turned?” Yves asks.
“I did. Long story, but I wanted to make my life better even if it meant becoming what I am now.”
Both men exchange looks. “There are a lot of benefits to being a vampire,” Yves says.
“I don’t hate it, but…” I have to push back my nerves to get the rest of the sentence out. “Can I ask you guys something?”
“Sure,” Yves answers.
“Cool.” I exhale slowly. “Have you ever, um, been with a mortal person? You know…”
“Sexually?” Syn asks.
I feel my cheeks burn, a feature that did not go away when I turned. “Yeah, sexually.”
Syn chuckles. “Yeah, man. Lots of times. I’ve been alive for several centuries.”
“Is there anything I need to know? Like, is it the same as when you’re alive? Uh, mortal?”
Yves shakes his head, leaning forward on the desk. “Your maker didn’t tell you about that?”
“No, not at all, and um, I haven’t had the opportunity to find out for myself yet.”
“Gotcha. Okay, well, first of all, you can’t catch or transmit any diseases.”
Syn grins. “Which is fucking epic if you ask me.”
“Very epic,” Yves agrees. “You also have a shit-ton of stamina. So you can go and go and go. You can come and five minutes later you can come again.”