Sofia reached down and picked up the young man by his throat. She was too short to lift him off the ground but he clawed at her grip nonetheless. His bound legs kicked like a mermaid on the floor.

Jackie watched excitedly. Something as off-putting as it was encouraging. Jackie liked this. And fuck Sofia liked it too, she sank her teeth into his neck as he screamed.

Life flowed back into her. She bit down harder as she pulled him tight. His pulse was already weak from blood loss but she eagerly finished him off. She let his body crumple to the floor as she wiped the blood from her chin.

Heat swirled through her, bringing her cooling flesh back to life. The heat embraced her like an old friend as she shuddered with pleasure.

The one on the bed was screaming, or doing his best too. Jackie was straddling him with a knife to his throat as she watched Sofia with a heated gaze.

This was so wrong Sofia couldn’t help but smile. Her fangs were stained with blood. She climbed up onto the bed. The man pulled desperately at the ropes, but Jackie clearly knew what she was doing.

Rather than dig into him right away Sofia brought her wrist to her lips. Using a fang to cut open a large gash which she offered to Jackie. Blood oozed from her wrist almost with the speed of a beating heart.

Jackie swallowed, her pulse racing as she looked between Sofia and her blood. After a moment Jackie reached for Sofia’s wrist. Running her tongue up Sofia’s arm to not spill a drop before she began to suck.

Heat swirled in Sofia’s belly. The pulsing of arousal as she felt Jackie’s warm lips drinking from her. Sucking, nursing, feeding.

Jackie’s faint furrowed brow relaxed as she kept drinking. Sofia didn’t know when to make her stop, but she also didn’t want her to.

She wrapped a hand around the neck of the human below them, her iron grip stilling any of his protestings. She couldn’t bring herself to part with the sight of Jackie quite yet. It was beautiful, she was beautiful.

Jackie eventually pulled away, licking her teeth of Sofia’s purple blood. She was practically panting as she met Sofia’s gaze. Sofia wished she could toss away the sunglasses, to share a moment with no barriers.

Instead, she leaned down and sunk her canines into the human's neck. Not to tear out his throat, but to let his heart pump every drop of blood it had to offer into her as she pressed her mouth to his neck.

He groaned and struggled. Turning paler and growing weaker with each drumbeat of his heart. Sofia felt powerful, reborn, so very much alive. If she closed her eyes she could almost pretend his heartbeat was her own.

Time felt utterly meaningless until he took his last breath, his heart struggling in desperation before finally going still. Sofia rose with a sigh of bliss, licking her lips.

“Fuck,” Jackie whispered, wrapping her arms around Sofia’s front from behind and resting her chin on her shoulder. “That was so hot,” she practically purred, nuzzling into Sofia’s neck.

“We,” Sofia began, struggling to get the words out as she leaned back into Jackie’s touch. “We should… get going,” she gasped.

“Are you sure?” Jackie asked with a chuckle, gently nipping at Sofia’s neck.

With great self-control, Sofia pulled herself away and climbed off the corpse. Even she had her limits, even if they were proving to be increasingly flexible.

Jackie pouted but stood, brushing the wrinkles out of her dress. Sofia inhaled, she could smell the musk of arousal, the metallic goodness of blood, the stench of death. A combination Sofia didn’t really know what to do with.

She left the room to get some fresh air. What a fucking night.

“Those guys were fucking loaded,” Jackie informed as she exited after Sofia. Slipping on latex gloves and holding out a pair. “Let’s look around and see if there’s anything we want. No point in it going to waste.”

After everything Sofia would really just have preferred to go home. But there was that nice lamp downstairs that would fit well in the living room.

“Next up on the list, stealing from the dead,” she sighed.

Jackie smiled. “Nothing unique, nothing obvious. We’re not selling anything we take. No cards or cheques, cash only.”

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“I don’t even want to ask,” Sofia sighed.

“I mean we would probably get away with pawning stuff off if it weren’t for the bodies,” Jackie shrugged. “Police don’t really investigate burglaries, they just report them.”

Sofia just blinked at her.

“A double homicide on the other hand… that’s gonna draw some attention. Thankfully exams are next week and we’ll be long gone before they can even find us,” she grinned. “Ooo look, creepy ass porcelain cherubs.”

Sofia shook her head and hurried after her.

----------------------------------------

Exams had been a disaster. Sofia already knew that before she had gotten her grades. She had passed, barely. She hoisted up the last of the few boxes and carried them out to Jackie’s cousin’s car. Or Albert, as she had recently learned. He was in his late 20s and not remotely what Sofia had expected.

Sofia barely had anything. She had only brought a suitcase and a bag to Toronto anyway. Anything not particularly important beyond that was in a box going to Albert’s garage with Jackie’s stuff.

The fact Jackie was giving up the apartment was honestly a surprise.

Then again it wasn’t even quite May yet. Paying rent for several months while not even in the city was a stupid idea. However not having a place to stay would make it hard in the fall to return to her classes.

It wasn’t really any of Sofia’s business but she still worried a little. She might not be going back next year, but Jackie had just finished her third year. Not getting her degree would be stupid of her.

Everything had gone back to how it had always been, or at least the new normal, after their night out.

Sofia wanted to talk about it even if she didn’t know what she wanted to say. But the memory of Jackie’s moans as she nursed and the warmth of her lips on Sofia's neck was a recurring one. As was the knowledge that a moment of intimacy took place on top of a corpse.

For now, she let sleeping dogs lie. She didn’t want to risk any more conflict, that day had been enough of a roller coaster.

It also uncomfortably occurred to her that she was also a serial killer. Certainly more bloodthirsty than Jackie. Three in less than two months. She was in no position to judge. Jackie may have helped but she had felt the final blow.

They had a bus to catch tonight which would drop them off in Gem Creek in the early hours of the morning.

She had yet to tell her parents anything beyond Jackie coming for the summer. She couldn’t bring herself to, not over the phone.

With the parasol, a full stomach, a large coat, and her glasses, she could go outside during the day. It just felt like being in an oven, suffocating heat that her whole body rejected. She had barely lasted minutes before hurrying back inside to safety. But she had proved it could be done, that’s what mattered.

She may have felt horrible and been almost entirely blind but she had prevented any cooking of her flesh. The smell and sight of that was very unsettling.

The better news was that Dad worked nights and slept during the day. Hector had long ago moved out and Miguel was spending a lot of the summer at their grandmother’s so their mom could work at the bakery she was a co-owner of.

Essentially, the house would be pretty quiet. Jackie and Sofia would have the basement to themselves undisturbed. The perfect place to hide away from the sun and prying eyes.

“Any left?” Jackie asked with a yawn as Sofia slid the box into the car.

“That’s the last one,” she replied, giving an awkward wave to Albert. He nodded stoically as if only to acknowledge her presence. He was a weirdo, Sofia much preferred his cousin.

Sofia stood there as Jackie said goodbye to her cousin and thanked him again. To which he replied with the same strange politeness.

“Do you think it will be a problem that one of those boxes is full of stolen stuff from the two guys we killed?” Sofia asked as they watched the car drive down the road.

Jackie shrugged. “Nah. He’s a lawyer. The cops would have a field day just trying to step in his house.”

“What kind of lawyer?”

“Contract law,” Jackie admitted with a wince.

Sofia laughed.

----------------------------------------

The bus rumbled down the highway. Sofia rested her head against the window. This far out from the city she could make out the stars. Still, she was painfully aware of her lack of reflection. And the dozens of people that surrounded her and Jackie. It was hard not to be on edge.

“Relax, it will all be fine,” Jackie coaxed, her head resting on Sofia’s shoulder.

“What if it’s not?” Sofia sighed.

“Then we’ll figure it out,” Jackie promised.

Despite Jackie’s attempts, it wasn’t the most reassuring.

“Hey,” Jackie coaxed. “Blood buddies.”

Sofia rolled her eyes and gave her a fist bump, unable to stop herself from smiling a little.

At the very least they had each other. A vampire and her serial killer. What a strange combination they were.

Sofia shifted and rested her head on Jackie’s shoulder. “I miss sleep.”

“I’m jealous you don’t waste a third of your day,” Jackie chuckled sleepily.

“The sun being out wastes all my days,” Sofia pointed out.

“I guess there’s gotta be some kind of balance, it would be unfair otherwise,” Jackie teased.

“Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not,” Sofia retorted.

Jackie laughed. “I like that one. You and your books.”

“I like feeling smart,” Sofia smiled. “Plus it’s something to do while the sun is wasting my days.”

Jackie adjusted the blanket they shared. Her hand met Sofia’s, who took it with a gentle squeeze.

“Get some sleep, I’ll wake you when we get there,” Sofia suggested.

Jackie snuggled up and closed her eyes. “G’night, my little vampire.”

Sofia shook her head and turned back to the beautiful night sky. She was going home at last. She was going home as a totally different person. Not quite dead, far from alive.

But… everything was ok. She was strong and freshly fed, she wasn’t alone. If everything worked out she wouldn’t be alone for a very very long time. Maybe even never. What a strange thing that would be.

But she felt optimistic. She had adjusted and found a connection, a home away from home. Hopefully, her old home still held up.

Maybe her blood farm idea could even be possible. Maybe she could really build something for herself out there. She may not have been alive, but she certainly felt like she was living.

She gazed out the window, wishing she could run rather than be cooped up in here. Not that she would ever move with Jackie snuggled up to her like this.

Sofia glanced up at the stars that twinkled with opportunity. “We are all in the gutter,” she recited, “but some of us are looking at the stars.”

The transport truck swerved into the bus with such force that Sofia barely had time to grab Jackie before the bus flipped onto its side, the screech of metal, screaming and sparks filled the air as it rolled.

Sofia clung to Jackie for dear life. Willing her body to take the force of any impact. Finally, the bus came to a stop in the grassy field to the side of the road.

For a moment all was quiet. Somewhere a baby cried, someone else screamed, and smoke billowed in the air.

Then headlights illuminated the bus.