I slept soundly the day I took Hannah, with her curled up in my arms and her face buried between my tits as I drifted off. I didn't have a care in the world for the moment, aside from having a good day's rest with my latest acquisition. Yesterday had been rather exhausting, and I needed sleep, so I pulled down the blinds, turned my phone off and had a long and peaceful day.

I woke up around 6 PM to find Hannah seated out in the living room of my suite on the couch, looking at her phone which barely illuminated her face. Humans had come to look at their phones a whole lot over the past fifteen years or so, and I often had trouble understanding what could glue them to their screens so easily. Oh sure, my thralls had shown me all kinds of amusing distractions, but I just couldn't get into it. I had my computer right there at my desk if I needed to look something up, and even that had taken a long time to get used to.

Of course, whenever I said something about this, I was advised by my thralls that I sounded like an old lady, so I was trying to understand better, and I did my best not to think less of them. As for me, though, I had gone to sleep with my cell phone powered off. After the chaos of the last few days, I wanted to get a restful sleep without any interruptions.

"Good evening, dear," I said with a smile that Hannah probably couldn't see. With the blinds still down, it was almost perfectly dark in my bedroom.

"Mistress!" Hannah said, putting down her phone and looking terribly excited. "Um, good morning. Did you sleep well?"

She picked her phone back up, illuminating herself again. "Um, I hope you don't mind the light, Mistress. With those blackout curtains down I really can't see anything at all in here."

"The light's fine at that brightness, dear," I said. "But I'll pull up the shades anyway. I like letting a faint bit of moonlight shine in during the night. It helps me retain a connection to the outside world." I stood up out of bed, pulling up the shades one by one, letting in just enough light so that Hannah wasn't completely blinded.

"Come over here, sweetie," I said, sitting back on the bed.

"Yes, Mistress!" Hannah replied, scampering back into the bedroom with a huge smile on her face. She was so adorable.

"You are so fucking pretty, Mistress," she said, flopping down on the end of the bed and snuggling her head into my crotch area, looking up at me. "I can't get over it. I'm yours, forever. Thank you… so much, for accepting my request."

"Anything for such an adorable, obedient cutie as yourself," I said. "I'll take it that you had a nice nap too, then?"

Hannah nodded and said "Yes, Mistress. It's so easy to rest in your arms. I was kind of worried about your body heat, o-or lack thereof, honestly, but it's wonderful anyways. In my Mistress' arms, under the covers, I was just… so comfy. Never better…"

"Good girl," I said, giggling. "You are so fun to cuddle." I thought for a moment. "You had said something to me about your family not supporting who you are. Do you have a safe place to stay, dear?"

"Uh, I mean, I guess I'm fine at my parents', for the time being. I'm looking for a way out soon, but—"

"Never mind that, sweetie," I cut her off. "This is a hotel. There's a lot of space for a good girl like you to call home. Just like I do."

"Really?" Hannah's eyes widened. "You mean it, Mistress? Thank you so much!"

"Oh, it's not a problem, dear," I said. "Nobody's going to be upset. Everyone who works here is as much of a devoted little thrall as you are."

I giggled. "Besides, it'll keep you close by so I can fuck you and get another taste of that delightful O positive blood of yours whenever I like."

Hannah's face turned as bright red as I'd seen it when I said that and she was shaking excitedly, practically overflowing with happiness and excitement from what I could tell. She was really very adorable. "Thank you, Mistress! Thank you! I'm so happy to be here… it's turning my whole life around, really. In a good way!"

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, dear," I said, giving her some scratches on the head, then taking her hand and kissing it as well. "Now just give me a moment. I should probably check my texts – I need to see if Valerie has any updates for me. I expect things went smoothly for her at home, but I really do want to check in with her." I took my phone off of the table and opened my text messages, idly playing with Hannah's hair as she laid in my lap looking perfectly content.

"Oh," I said, abruptly pulling my hand out of her hair to grip my phone with both hands. "This is concerning." I scrolled up to Valerie's first message, sent to me this morning. This was going to require considerably more effort on my part than I expected.

9:58 AM

<Valerie Hawthorne> Mistress, my roommate knows I'm yours. Please help me.

She and I have known each other forever, I couldn't sell her on the story. I tried very hard, Mistress, I swear to you

Trying to follow her in my car now. I don't know where she's going. I was too weak to stop her. Emotionally

I failed you, Mistress, and I need your help.

12:09 PM

<Valerie Hawthorne> Mistress, I found out where she was going.

Actually an hour ago but with no reply I assumed you were asleep anyways.

She found someone who she thinks can convince me to betray you. But I won't

I think I can get us all to go back to my house. Consider this my formal invitation in, Mistress, assuming that works over text (?)

Here is my address: 1033 Broadside Drive Apartment 217, Hooksett, NH

3:43 PM

<Valerie Hawthorne> Please let me know as soon as you see this, Mistress! We are at my house and I'm doing my best to keep us here

Your undeath may depend on this!

A bit panicked, I typed a quick response, gritting my teeth.

6:14 PM

<Naomi Rennt> im on my way

stay safe dear

youve been a very good girl

I sighed, tossing my phone back toward the pillows for a moment. Hannah seemed to notice, and sat up next to me on the bed, gently wrapping her arms around me.

"Is something wrong, Mistress?" she asked. "Did something happen with Valerie, if that's OK to ask?"

"Yes, something did happen, and something is wrong. How did you get yourself here, sweetie? Did you drive?" Not the most fun circumstances, but this would be a nice second night spent with Hannah. Almost a bit of a road trip, her town being a good hour away from here.

Hannah looked nervous. "Ummm, yes, Mistress, I drove myself. Got kind of a run-down old sedan."

"Can it drive at highway speeds?" I asked. I stood up, moving her arms off of me and moving toward my clothing dresser.

"Sure," she said. "What do you need it for, Mistress?"

"I need you to drive me to a house an hour's drive away from here, sweetie. Valerie's, specifically. I have her address in our text messages. Her roommate knows what I am, and apparently someone else does, too. I need to put an end to that. Something like this could really snowball if it's not handled quickly," I explained. I opened up my drawers and pulled out a cute top, skirt, and hat I wanted to wear tonight.

"Yes, Mistress, I can drive you! I… I want to serve you however you need!" she said, scrambling for her clothes that were strewn about the floor. "And if you're in danger, I'll do what I need to protect you."

"Good girl," I said, putting my bra and panties on. "I hope her roommate and the other person are another couple of delicious hot women like you and Valerie."

Hannah smiled at being called a good girl but looked rather nervous otherwise. "If they're not… can you still, you know, hypnotize them and stuff, Mistress?" she asked.

"Sure I can, but it's not as fun," I giggled. I put on the tight-fitting white crop top and blue miniskirt I had picked out – a cute outfit that really showed off my curves. No, not everything I wear is black and red. I have a broader taste in clothing than some narrow category like that. Still, bloodstains are easier to wash out of black and red. But I really felt like showing off my body right now. It could be vitally important.

"If Valerie had been some guy, I don't know if I would've made it against her," I said. "But she smelled so wonderful in spite of everything and I just had to have her. Maybe you two will meet each other. That could be cute." I took a pair of brown strappy sandals out of the closet and put them on, then put on the straw hat I had gotten out earlier, completing the outfit. And I grabbed my phone and stuck it into the waistband of my skirt, just to be safe.

"Well, sweetie, how do I look?" I asked.

"Fucking… irresistible," Hannah replied. "I can't imagine any pretty girl being able to resist your charms like that."

I giggled back at her and blew her a little kiss. "Oh, you don't think so?" I asked. I did a little twirl, then took her by the hand. "Let's get going. I'd like to get to her as soon as possible."

"Yes, Mistress," Hannah, who had just about managed to put her own t-shirt, hoodie and skirt back on, said. Good. All that clothing would cover her numerous bite marks.

I took Hannah down the hallway at a brisk pace, not the fastest I could go, mind you; she needed to be able to keep up, after all, and I didn't want to compromise her comfort at that moment any more than Valerie's was already compromised. We rode the elevator down to the lobby – thankfully, no one happened to be in there, so I was free to wrap my arms around Hannah from behind and play with her hair a bit more. I did like playing with her hair.

I realized that the lobby might be a bit crowded, what with it being around the beginning of dinnertime for humans. Though the hotel was nowhere near upscale enough to have its own restaurant— it only had a small breakfast area that my thralls never seemed to have a very high opinion of—people would be coming and going around this time, and checking in as well. Hannah and I would need to make a quick exit.

"Alright, dear," I said as the elevator began to stop. "Provide me with cover here from any prying eyes. Being seen in public can be risky for my kind."

"Yes, Mistress," she whispered back as the door opened. There was indeed some straight couple talking with my thrall Lucia at the front desk, discussing their plans to visit family in the area. The girl was cute – I'd have to keep it in mind that she'd be here for the week. With Hannah interposed between me and them, we rushed for the door at a brisk, but only human pace. Not a big deal if someone saw me, of course – people saw me all the time here. But if possible, I'd rather not give them a good look.

Unfortunately, while going between the sliding glass doors that led out to the parking lot, I ran into a shocked-looking middle-aged woman.

"You're going out like that, darlin'?" she asked, looking at my rather revealing outfit. "You'll freeze!" Hannah was frozen up herself, eyes darting between me and the woman. But there wasn't any need to panic – there were easy explanations for this sort of thing that I was well used to after a couple of centuries.

I giggled, and spoke in my sweetest, softest voice, one that was awfully difficult to question.

"I'm going to a party with my girlfriend here," I said, patting Hannah on the back. "My car's right outside, I won't be outdoors for long."

The woman nodded, said "OK", and walked into the hotel, muttering something about today's youth. Funny, since I was a lot older than her if you measured by time alone. I wondered if she meant the revealing outfit, the going to a nighttime party, me having a girlfriend, or all three. Humans could be so simple-minded.

Hannah looked awfully relieved, with a big smile on her face, as she hurried outside into the parking lot with me.

"I-I'm your girlfriend?" she asked, holding herself to stop from shivering. It had to be in the low 40s at most out here, and the cold air felt great on my skin.

"Well, you're my thrall, dear, but I wasn't going to say that to that lady. Thralls are more precious than girlfriends, anyways. But I can absolutely be your girlfriend and your Mistress, sweetie. You wouldn't be unique in that regard. Sandra calls me that too, sometimes," I explained. "And Gail. I'm no stranger to it."

"Thank you, Mistress. I'm… precious to you," she said, blushing.

"So precious, dear," I said, giving her a fanged grin and patting her on the head. "So, which one of these is yours?" I looked around the parking lot. It was less than half full, but that was still quite a lot of cars.

Hannah started walking over toward a blue sedan, and I followed suit. "That's mine, Mistress," she said. I climbed into the passenger seat, as she got into the driver's seat. The car was a bit small and cramped, the floor strewn with old receipts and a few shopping bags as well as various bits of plant material. All of that made it feel very much like hers, in a cute way, particularly given that she was mine.

Hannah turned on the car, pulling out of the space she was in and out toward the road. "Mistress, if I may ask, though…" she began. "I mean, you do look really cold. You can handle that OK? Should I turn on the heat for you?"

I giggled and shook my head. "No need, dear. I'm fine just like this. I have a much lower body temperature than a human like you – I like the cold. I'm quite well adapted to it, really."

"That makes sense, I guess, if you're undead… I think?" Hannah said quizzically. "Anyways, I understand, Mistress. I-is it ok if I turn on the heat for myself, just a little? Even with a hoodie and tights, this is still cold… for a weak little human like me, I mean." She blushed a little.

"That's alright, sweetie. You can turn it on a bit," I said, smiling back at her as she drove. She did, saying "Thank you, Mistress" and I laid back in my seat and watched the moonlit vistas go past as Hannah drove down the highway.

Even in the face of whatever was awaiting me with Valerie and her roommate, I was feeling quite relaxed. Hannah was extremely cute – frankly, I felt I was falling for her charms as much as she was falling for mine. Every second I had spent with her so far, in the span of no more than maybe 18 hours, had been an absolute joy, and there was sure to be many more good times with her ahead. After she had several glasses of water and a hot meal or two for herself, I'd get another taste of her delicious blood, and I was sure that she'd be absolutely adorable about it.

We did eventually get there, though, and I had to say good-bye to Hannah. We were pulled up in the parking lot of a suburban apartment building surrounded by trees turned orange in mid-autumn. "Here we are, Mistress," Hannah said. "Do you… want me to come in with you?"

"Oh, no, dear. No need. I wouldn't want you to get wrapped up in all this. I can handle it alone… well, not alone at all. With Valerie's help. I imagine I'll be staying the night, and likely the following day as well." I winked at her.

"Right. Makes sense," Hannah replied. "So, should I go home or what? I-is your hotel my home now?"

"Of course it is, sweetie," I said. "Hmm… well, Sandra and Gail won't be there at this time of night, but you let whoever's there at the front desk know that their Mistress wants a room prepared for you… no, a suite. If you're going to be living there full-time, dear, it should be a proper home. Preferably, one on the fifth floor, same as me, so you're always close by."

Hannah beamed. "OK! Yes, Mistress! Thank you so much! I'll get back there and… tell them!" She was practically vibrating with excitement.

I grabbed her chin, giving her a big kiss and then pressing my forehead against hers. "You are fucking adorable, Hannah," I said. "Such a good, obedient little thrall. I'll let you know if and when I need a pickup tomorrow night. You get some food, sleep, whatever you need in the meantime." I smiled at her and stepped out of the car, then blew her another kiss.

"Thank you, Mistress! Yes! OK! Yes, Mistress," she said, giggling with absolute peak submissive glee and waving good-bye. "See you soon!"

I closed the door and turned away, then took a deep breath. It was time to face more serious prospects, though I was confident that they'd be no less delightful in the end. I didn't expect that Valerie's roommate or whoever they had recruited would be too much trouble – none of them seemed to be trained hunters or Valerie surely would have mentioned that. This would be a simple thing.

Hannah drove away, leaving me alone in the cold and slightly humid parking lot – beautiful weather, really. Valerie had said she lived in Apartment 217, which would be on the second story. I walked up a staircase around the side of the building, built out of white-painted wood and covered in a few autumn leaves. Apartment 217 ended up being the second one on the left. The window shades were drawn, but I could see light leaking out from underneath. They'd be there, I could only assume, and I could hear the faintest of arguing on the other side with my sharpened senses. Valerie's voice, definitely, along with two others I didn't recognize.

I could've simply broken down the door. Valerie had invited me in her text, after all, but that would cause undue trouble for her and generally be rather unnecessary, so I decided to simply knock.

The voices on the other side of the door at once became quite silent. I heard footsteps approaching the door, and then one of the voices that wasn't Valerie's – a cute-sounding, feminine one actually, though tinged with apprehension. "Hello?" she asked. "Who is it?"

I once again put on my sexiest, prettiest voice, and said, "Oh, I'm just a neighbor. Could I borrow a cup of sugar?" Was that dated? I think it might have been dated, relegated to a cliché at this point. Sometimes things like that were hard to keep track of.

I saw the shadow of a person pass by the window toward the door, and I could only imagine that she was looking at me through the peephole. Well, with my paleness and so forth, the cat would be out of the bag soon enough.

I heard a yelp on the other side of the door, then that same person saying, "Oh, fuck!" I frowned. That was no way to greet a pretty girl like me. Then she said, "S-she's fucking outside the apartment! Naomi fucking Rennt! The vampire!"

So that person recognized me, no doubt about that. Perhaps Valerie had shown them her pictures of the look-alike girl I had enlisted to produce my ID photo. We really did look alike, aside from the features unique to my kind.

The person shouted back, with an unmistakable tremble in her voice but doing her best to sound angry. "You… are not welcome here! Go the fuck away! Leave me and Valerie alone, you hear me?" Ah, suggesting that Valerie wouldn't want to see her Mistress. How silly.

On that note, I heard Valerie herself speak up. I saw her shadow rush past the window, also toward the door. "No, no! Come in, Mistress! Thank you for coming here, I knew you'd be here soon!"

Her roommate let out a sound of utter disbelief. "Valerie, you have to stop! You can't… she can't, right? You! Ms. Rennt! You have to go away now. She can't invite you in! This isn't really our place, right? We're just renters! If you want a proper fucking invite, go find the landlord! They're probably in some cozy office tower in the city. We don't own this apartment!"

I giggled. Humans tended to overthink this particular restriction. It was quite simple, in fact. "Oh, you think I care about property law?" I asked. "No, sweetie, I care who lives here. My kind has an innate sense of that, when we've been invited and who has the power to invite us. Both of you are positively brimming with that power, I have to say. Valerie’s invitation stands. But I already had an invitation anyway, from several hours ago, in fact. You might as well unlock that door for me before I break it down. Wouldn't want to cause such a commotion, would we? I'd hardly like to damage my darling thrall's place of residence."

"W-what?" the roommate said. "I–I need to get out of here, the windows in the back, maybe…" I heard her run off away from the door, then what sounded like a second set of footsteps, then the lock turning.

And there was Valerie, looking rather haggard and exhausted. She had on a white and black striped t-shirt and gray sweatpants stained with sweat – whatever car chase and/or difficult conversations had ensued between her and her roommate had clearly taken a lot out of her. She still looked and smelled delicious, of course.

"Mistress!" she breathed, sounding immensely relieved. "It's really you. Thank god – thank you you're here. I–today's been a lot. Those windows aren't going to be any good to climb out of…pretty sure they're too small and we're a story up. Lauren and her have to know it's not a real solution. They're just panicking… but you can calm them down, right? You… you…" She kind of fell toward me, almost passing out but lazily wrapping her arms around me with her face against my chest.

"My goddess… you're beautiful, perfect, my Mistress," Valerie mumbled. I stood her back up, massaging her shoulder a bit. "I am so sorry," she continued. "I've failed you."

"There, there, dear, you haven't failed me at all," I reassured her. "Like I said in the text message, you've been a very, very good girl."

"But… Mistress!" she said, distraught. "I put you in danger, with my roommate Lauren! And the other girl, Emily… she's here too."

"Well, I'll have to talk to them and learn all about this Emily, but you've done well, sweetie. Ultimately, the people who know you're my thrall seem to be confined to this apartment, don't they?" I walked in beside her and closed the door behind me, looking around. They had a worn old leather couch, coffee table, and television stand in the living room, a used plate lying on the table. The walls had a few decorations, not the least of which were a trans flag and bi flag hung on the wall behind the couch. Ah—Valerie was cis, so I could only assume that Lauren was a trans woman, like me. How adorable. Behind the living room was a rectangular wooden dining table, an attached kitchen, and a hallway leading back to some doors – bedrooms, a bathroom, and laundry, I assumed.

"I… I guess so, Mistress," Valerie said. "Thank you."

"Of course, dear. If this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I should've asked you if you had anyone in your life I should be concerned about," I said. I leaned down and gave her a little kiss on the lips. "You've been a wonderful, deliciously obedient little thrall in all respects."

Valerie smiled and blushed a little bit at that, and sighed. "I'm… so blessed to have you as my Mistress. You really are perfect. My goddess…" Her expression began to form a cute little smile.

"That's it, dear. Why don't you sit down for a moment and worship me while I go get the others? No need to think hard thoughts right now. You've earned it." I smiled and led her over to the couch, where she slumped down.

"Yes, Mistress," she said. She sat up, closed her eyes, and pressed her hands together as though in prayer. Such a good girl.

I gave her a few head scratches as she began to murmur praise toward me, then headed back past the kitchen into the hallway. I heard Lauren's voice, along with another voice that I could only assume was Emily's, coming from the room at the end of the hall on the left, both of them sounding panicked.

I opened the door to find a messy bedroom adorned with a bed, a closet, a set of drawers, and a desk with a computer mounted on it. Lauren, a brown-haired woman with glasses whose silhouette I recognized from the front window, was standing next to the bed, looking about as nervous as I'd ever seen a human. On the bed itself was Emily, a slight woman with chin-length curly black hair, so far unsuccessfully trying to inch her way backwards through a window that seemed to have a limit on how far it could open backwards.

I considered advancing into the room, but I quickly realized that I couldn't. Oh, right. Invitations. While the rest of the apartment might have been Lauren and Valerie's to share, this was Lauren's room, likely where she felt most at home out of the whole place. She was clearly more than reluctant to allow me in.

"Would you let me in, sweetie?" I said to Lauren, who reeled back onto the bed as she realized I was there. Both of them were looking at me in horror, but carefully avoided looking me directly in the eyes.

"G–good!" she stammered. "This is my room, I was hoping that'd count. No, I won't let you in! We're–we're leaving, right, Emily?"

Emily said nothing, instead putting her hands over her ears and closing her eyes. Then she nodded her head.

"So, you, you just let us go, OK? Go find some other girl to prey on… or don't? I mean, you should stop, but if you have to, don't do it to us, OK?" Lauren said. There was such genuine fear in her tone, it was actually quite off-putting. It wasn't common for anyone to react to me this way.

"I'm not here for some other girl. I'm here for you two," I said, trying but struggling to put on my soothing, relaxing, sexy voice. This wasn't like Valerie's righteous anger, it was something altogether different – fear, hatred, and resentment… this would be a bit different from what I usually dealt with.

"What makes us so special, huh? D–do you think something sets us apart because we're Valerie's friends? I–we can't even trust her any more. That's your fault!" she shouted.

"What sets you apart, my dears, is that you know I'm… me, and you clearly don't approve. Much like Valerie didn't when we met. The main difference I see is that you seem considerably less trained to face me," I said, getting ahold of myself and returning to my preferred quiet, relaxing tone. "Not that you don't both look and smell quite delicious in your own ways, of course." The tension in the air had kept me from savoring the moment before, but I took in a breath to smell Lauren and Emily's blood then. Lauren's was slightly tangy-smelling AB positive, whereas Emily's smelled sweet and fresh, certainly A positive. That would be a lovely combination.

"Besides, it's clear you're not getting out that window so easily. And even if you do, what then? It's nighttime. I'll simply run down and catch you. Wait until morning and you'll be sluggish and sleepy, and I will have called my other thralls here to help catch you. Instead… hm," I thought for a moment. "Why don't you come out into the living room instead? We can talk it out, all four of us. Valerie's still there, you know. Waiting on me like the good girl she is."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Lauren shouted. "I can't trust you to follow through with that! You'll just overpower me, hypnotize me, drink my blood! Even if you do just talk to me… I mean, I know what kind of charisma you have. It's hard for me to tell, but you're probably using it now! You'll talk down to me and soon I'll be begging to be bitten."

I sighed. It was true what she was saying – at least, I had thought it would be that simple. Reading the message from Valerie after waking up, I had been planning on just what Lauren had said. I would come here and take Lauren and whoever else was supporting her. But at this juncture, that somehow didn't feel right. It was for Valerie, I thought. I didn't want to make a mess of her own apartment. But it couldn't be that simple. For whatever reason, I did just want to talk right then.

"I… no," I said. "Just no. I really do just want to have a conversation with you, dear. With Emily too, if she's able. Are you able, sweetie?" Emily was visibly shaking, still covering her ears and grimacing, looking completely terrified. She didn't react, and hadn't said a word. I didn't quite understand that. Wasn't I easy to talk to?

"How can we possibly take you on your word?" Lauren said, backed up against the wall of her room now in a defensive position.

"Because if I wanted to just take you, I'd have you already!" I snarled. "Even if I can't come in there myself, I could easily have Valerie drag you out. She's eager to obey my orders, especially if they involve getting me out of danger. And she's quite well built, you know. She might not be as strong as me, but she clearly worked out for her whole 'hunting my kind like animals' business. She could overpower you almost as easily if I asked her to."

"So given that I haven't done that," I continued. "You can trust that I'm not going to just bite you. I want to talk, and reach a civil end to this. With you and Emily agreeing to become my thralls, of course. Because I know how much you already want it, deep down." I giggled.

Lauren looked at Emily, worriedly, and then back at me. "This is some kind of sick game to you, isn't it, Naomi Rennt?" she said with a tone of disgust, replacing her anger. She then let out a long sigh and said, "Fuck it. What choice do I have? Waiting in here is going to be hell. Just… give me a moment." She looked away from me indifferently, then reached into the drawer on her desk by her bedside, and pulled out a gleaming silver fork, not a bit tarnished. It looked horribly deadly to me, and I pulled back from the doorway a bit.

"Yeah," she said defiantly. "Valerie gave me this, before you turned her into your pathetic little thing. I'll be honest, I neglected it, never took it with me anywhere like she recommended, but if you want to talk, I'll do it with this in hand." From across the room, she pointed it out at me, making a threat.

I narrowed my eyes. "Fine. Point taken," I said, still retaining my sweet and seductive tone. "This way we will be able to just talk, like I said. And you'll want to put it down by the end of this."

"Sure. Whatever makes you feel better about yourself," Lauren said. She leaned down to Emily, and whispered, "Hey, look at this. It's gonna be OK. She can't handle this."

Emily opened her eyes just slightly, and loosened up a bit from her tense posture. Seeing the fork, she peered at me the tiniest amount, and then nodded ever so slightly. She then spoke to me in a quiet, almost disengaged voice, "Fine. I'll talk."

I gave her a fanged grin, causing her to shudder and look away again. "Wonderful," I said. "Come on out, then." I moved to the back of the hallway and extended my arm to motion for them to come out of the room. Emily got up from the bed and they both came walking to the doorway gingerly, Lauren holding her fork tight and Emily almost clinging to Lauren's backside.

"Just keep your distance with that weapon, dear," I said. "I can still have Valerie disarm you in an instant if I see the need." Lauren nodded and muttered "sure", walking out into the hallway with the fork still extended toward me. I kept my distance as well, following them back out into the living room.

Emily saw Valerie with her hands still pressed together in prayer on the couch, and stepped back from Lauren, looking paralyzed, covering her mouth in shock. "Make… make her stop that! I cannot deal with that shit right now!" she shouted, much louder than before. Lauren was looking on, her eyes wide, seemingly bewildered by her entire situation at the moment. I was bewildered, too. Never would I have expected such a visceral reaction to seeing one of my thralls expressing such devotion. It was just so cute, after all.

"V-Valerie!" I stammered. No, I didn't usually stammer. I spoke in a very pretty, calm and composed voice because I was usually feeling pretty, calm, and composed. This was catching me on edge in a way I was almost never caught on edge. "Stop worshiping me for the time being, dear. We're all here."

Valerie blinked a few times and looked around at all of us. She had almost certainly been caught on the very edge of trance, feeling so relaxed with me handling her problems for her, not letting even Emily's outburst bother her out of her deep devotion to me. "Yes, Mistress," she said, taking in her environment and each of us one by one. "You're all here!"

"Yes, dear," I giggled, regaining my composure as best I could. "We're all here. You and I can share the couch, sweetie. Let me get some chairs for the other two of you." I easily lifted two of the padded wooden chairs surrounding the dining table and moved them to the other side of the coffee table, motioning for Lauren and Emily to sit. They did, reluctantly, and I sat next to Valerie, wrapping one of my arms around her. She smiled, and looked extremely comfortable with this arrangement.

"OK," Lauren said, deadpan. "You said you wanted to talk. Talk." She motioned for me to respond, staring daggers at me, probably silver ones.

"Well, I just thought it'd be good to get to know you lovely ladies," I said. "You're… awfully scared of me, aren't you? Hard for me to understand that reaction in humans. I need to protect myself, sure, but you're going to feel very, very good in the process. I know being bitten sounds scary, but it's actually quite pleasant. Valerie knows." I looked down at her, snuggling against my right boob. She was absolutely adorable and content.

"Yes, Mistress," she said. "Being bitten is fucking wonderful."

Lauren groaned as though she were completely at the end of her rope. "Fuck! You don't think Valerie has been saying this shit to us all day? That she thinks having her blood drained is good? I don't care how good it feels! I don't want to obey you! All I even know about you is that you took away my best friend's free will and you drink people's blood! And Emily… well, I won't speak for her." She turned her head toward Emily, conspicuously avoiding looking at me.

"Well, sweetie, that's why I'm here, to get to know you all better. So you can understand just how much you do want to be bitten. Valerie's had a very exhausting couple of days, you know. I don't think she can articulate it quite as well as I can right now," I said. "And, yes, Emily, dear, I'd very much like to get to know you better as well." I fixed my gaze on her and she closed her eyes, gritting her teeth. She had still been almost completely silent since I had been here, and was now shaking nearly imperceptibly.

She opened her eyes back up, unfocused and wide, though distinctly different from the unfocused wide-eyedness of a girl deep in trance. She looked far more… exhausted, not tranquil at all, and then she began talking, low and angry and monotone, though not without emphasis.

"Are you fucking kidding me with this shit," Emily said, not really asking a question. "I… No. I fucking know how good it feels to be bitten because I've been bitten before! You heartless fucking thing. Valerie, your mewling little… thrall, I was like her not that long ago! It's been what, close to 90 days now, I think? I lost track of the count a while ago. Valerie killed my godde… the vampire that drank my blood." She winced after holding back from saying that one adorably worshipful word.

"For the last few months, I have been on the road to recovery, thanks to her. I've been going to therapy, trying to work through the… shit she did to my brain. And now you're here with the explicit intention of tearing down everything I've been through. I'm not going to be your slave, Naomi Rennt! I don't want any part of it.

"I've been through it before, this whole song and dance. She met me at a nightclub in the city. She was… pretty. Easy to talk to. Eventually I lost myself in her eyes, and the next thing I knew she was pinning me down and drinking my fucking blood! And she kept draining me, and draining me, more than I could handle. She had me for nineteen fucking days. That's it. And by the time Valerie got to me, I had lost so much that I was barely able to stay conscious. Thanks to my… her. That's what you want to do to me, too. I know it. I don't want it to happen."

We all sat there in silence, listening to her story, and I won't lie, it had shaken me to my core. A former thrall. It wasn't common for them to outlive their owners, though it did happen. Many spent time looking for a new Mistress to serve, someone to help them relive their experience. Though, with what Emily had just described to me, I could understand how much I had scared her. I'd have to make this right.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, sweetie," I said. "You deserve much, much better than that. But you see, I'm much more careful than your goddess seems to have been. My undeath has lasted for 200 years, and I know how to moderate myself. I have self-control, dear. A lot of it. I'm different from her. My thralls don't die on my watch, not by my fangs. I cherish them, and I protect them. You'd be no exception, dear. I'd treat you right."

Emily was wide-eyed for a moment, but she closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously. "No fucking way," she said. "You're misunderstanding me. I don't want to be a thrall… to any vampire. I've experienced it, and I'm just not interested.

"I know you can make me want it," she continued, stone-cold serious. "You already are. But I really don't want that. I know you were a human once. You're not just some soulless shell. You have feelings – real ones. I'm asking you to choose not to do this to me, because I know you can if you want to."

I took a moment to think. I wasn't really sure how to respond to that. Somehow, she still needed convincing. There was something in the back of my mind bothering me about all this. It was no matter, though. I'd get her eventually.

In the meantime, Valerie spoke up. "But… Mistress is so wonderful! I didn't get it before I met her, but now, ohhh…" She leaned back against me as I scratched her head. "How can you say this after seeing her in person?"

I giggled and reached my hand out toward Lauren, beckoning. "Well, surely you can see how wonderful this is for her, can't you, sweetie? Imagine… being right here alongside Valerie, each one of you sucking on one of my tits. Oh, but don't worry, you wouldn't be left out either, Emily – I've got something else for you to suck on." I motioned to my crotch.

That clearly caught Lauren a bit off-guard, and I saw the faintest hint of a blush on her face. She looked away from me, trying to hide it. Emily remained surprisingly disinterested, seeming only angry even with my offer in mind. That wasn't typical. I shifted my focus back to Lauren for the time being.

"Oh, does that interest you? Come over here right now and you can get the comfort you deserve," I said, smiling sweetly at her.

"With… Valerie? I mean…" Lauren trailed off, struggling to form a coherent sentence, then shook her head vigorously. "No! Valerie is barely even Valerie because of you! I'm… you are not going to ensnare me that easily, you fucking monster!"

"She is herself, I promise you," I said. "Your very same Valerie, with all of her personality and interests and desires, just with her priorities readjusted, hm? Just ask Emily. She clearly has an idea of how this all works." I grinned back at Emily, who was holding her head with both hands, her eyes closed tight.

"Stop involving me in this!" she said. "Don't you get it, Naomi? I don't want to be your thrall, god damn it! I'd rather be anywhere but here right now." She groaned with anxiety. She didn't seem scared of me in the ways humans often were, that sort of primal fight-or-flight response that typically combined with desperate horniness and was quick to be completely replaced with the latter. Somehow, she just seemed… resigned? It was beginning to annoy me.

"Oh, but you are the same person, aren't you? The same as before your goddess took you as her own? Nothing's really changed in you fundamentally, has it?" I asked.

"God damn it! Who cares?" Emily asked. "Lauren has a point, you did fucking brainwash her best friend! Yes, sure, I'm the same person, whoop-de-doo, congratulations. But I was changed as a person, not by a goddess, but by a vampire! The same as you, no matter what she liked me to regard her as."

"Oh, Mistress is my goddess," Valerie said. "So perfect and wonderful…" She snuggled up against me and squeezed me tight.

Lauren groaned. "Ugh, just stop, OK? Like Emily said, it doesn't really matter if she's literally a different person or not. I just want Valerie back, the way she was." She was sweating bullets now, and her resistance was surely beginning to weaken.

"Well," I said, speaking back with confidence. "You want something you can't have. She's happier the way she is now. Can't you tell?"

Valerie leaned up to nuzzle my cheek. "I am, Mistress, I am! So good, with you…" she murmured.

“She’s… that’s not normal-happy, OK?” Lauren said. “You must know that, right? You know what you’re doing to people?”

“I know exactly what I’m doing, silly girl,” I said. “I’ve been doing it for a very long time. The truth is, they just really, really like it, because being bitten is that good, and being my obedient little thrall is even better." At that, Valerie made a little noise and scooted a little closer toward me, and I held her tight with one arm. Lauren looked at her, then back at me, then back at Valerie, and frowned. And then I heard her stomach rumble.

"Someone's hungry, hm?" I asked. "You certainly have all had a long day. Why don't we sit down for dinner together?" I glanced over at Lauren and Valerie's dinner table. These two really did have a cozy apartment. It had none of the polish of my usual dwellings, but that made it appealing in its own way.

"Dinner?" Emily asked. "You don't eat."

"But you do!" I said, giggling. "And I do have my own dinner, right here." I felt up Valerie's bite mark, causing her to moan and squirm and splay herself over the couch before I took her in my arms and kissed her on the lips, her face red as blood.

"But we can sit down to eat while we continue our little discussion, I think. Wouldn't that be nice?" I smiled. Lauren was trying to hide it, but I could see her blushing again after Valerie's cute little display. She obviously had a thing for her, and I strongly suspected the feeling was mutual. And of course, she had a thing for me, too. How adorable.

"I can't say I have much of an appetite right now, but fine. Whatever," Lauren said. "It might almost help take my mind off of the fact that you're here in my apartment."

I put on the sweetest, sexiest voice I could manage, and half-whispered back, "Don't worry, dear. I won't let you take your mind off of me any time soon." I giggled as she got up and walked toward the kitchen, being careful to keep me in her peripheral vision with her silver fork kept in hand.

I took Valerie's hand and followed Lauren. Emily stayed behind, not even looking at me. It had been a long time since I had seen anyone so uninterested in me. She'd probably change her mind eventually. I considered saying something to encourage her, but I couldn't quite bring myself to. That was an unusual feeling. Something like when I thought about… him? No. That couldn't be right. I put it out of my mind, and focused on how delicious a healthy, nourished Lauren would be.

"Well, as long as you're here, I might as well ask," Lauren said, getting a yellow vegetable out of the refrigerator — a butternut squash, maybe? I hadn't been good at recognizing human food for a long time. "How did you become a vampire, um, Naomi? What's your story?"

I nearly shrieked in surprise, almost knocking Lauren off-balance as she began to chop up the squash. This, so close to losing interest in seducing Emily? I wasn't sure what one had to do with the other, but this had me out of my element somehow in a way I wasn't prepared for. "Uh, um…" I did not normally stammer like this, you can rest assured. I liked to have an image of elegance and grace that I was totally lacking in this moment. "I'm not so sure…"

"Mistress is so powerful and lovely," Valerie said. "She gave herself her own freedom! She took it back from a man who turned her and tried to enslave her. It was wonderful to hear about." She looked back at me, as I was almost paralyzed, even more pale than usual, wanting to take myself out of this situation. I had half a mind to slink out the window that Lauren and Emily had opened earlier.

"Oh, but, I shouldn't speak for her! I'm sorry, Mistress!" she said. "This is your story to tell, of course."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure. While I didn't need to breathe, it still brought me comfort in a way it had since I had been a human. Oh, yes, since before I was turned — no, the bad feelings came back, thinking about that. No. I had to get ahold of myself. Yes. I had done this so many times before. This silly girl wasn't going to make me run away with a truly innocent question…

"Valerie, it's fine," I managed to get out. It was amusing to think that my strained speech was probably still irresistibly sexy to these lovely humans. "You should help Lauren make… whatever it is she's making."

"Yes, Mistress!" Valerie said. "What can I do, Laurie?" I watched Lauren's expression soften as she looked back at Valerie. Yes, she was recognizing that that was her very same Valerie, still so much more than my thrall, and yet still my thrall completely. They had probably done this a thousand times together, and they would keep doing it, too, if they liked.

"Um, could you dice a tomato?" Lauren told Valerie.

She hesitated, then scowled at me. "Yellow curry and rice, for whatever you care, you fucking… Naomi."

I narrowed my eyes. "Does that have garlic in it?" I asked.

I saw Valerie's eyes widen. "We can leave it out, right, Laurie?"

Lauren groaned, closing her eyes and shaking a bit. "Fine. That's fine. Just…" She turned her head nearly toward me again, averting eye contact still. "Tell me how you became a vampire."

I closed my eyes again. I thought she might have been distracted from that. It's not as though I hadn't told this story many times before. Valerie wouldn't have known without me telling a bit of it to her, of course. I just didn't like being put on the spot about it.

"Okay. Sure. Very well. I was made a fledgling to Alexander of Epirus on June 26, 1804, one month and one day after my twenty-sixth birthday. Being turned is not a pleasant experience. I'd rather not recount the exact details. My sister was there too. She was younger than me, just nineteen. She lived with me. I was supposed to be taking care of her. I… if I hadn't let him in, well…"

I shook my head. "A lot of things would have happened differently. I wouldn't be here now, if you understand, but she would have died later. In any case, he came by just after sundown asking for a pail of water. It was so…obvious, in retrospect. I can do so much better than that! But it's not like it mattered. I let him in, and what happened happened. My sister and I were both turned. And I actually ended up liking belonging to him, for a while! I regarded him as having saved me from death by turning me. Fuck, if you could only imagine the kind of mental gymnastics I did."

Both Lauren and Valerie listened raptly, under the spell of my pretty, pretty voice and engrossed in the story. "He was this ancient Greek bastard. A couple thousand years old, and he squanders it pushing the most macho bullshit you can imagine. He loved fucking guys, but thought it was completely outrageous for me to want to be a woman… I realized that I didn't have to live by society's standards any more, because I wasn't living at all any more, but he wouldn't let me, and I had to go along with it to be a good fledgling! I loved being a good fledgling, you know… I had to. But it put strain on me, I suppose. And he treated women like shit, of course, including my sister, who was just the most devoted fledgling you can imagine. Then one night, he decides that my sister isn't good enough for him despite all that loyalty, and stabs her through with a, a fucking dueling sword! How fucking over the top did he need to be, oh, Lilith…"

I collapsed all the way to the floor, in tears, and instantly Valerie was down on the ground by my side, hugging me and holding me tight. "I'm here for you, Mistress," she said.

"Good girl," I replied, patting her lightly and holding her tight. I really did need her right then.

"Wow, you almost make me feel bad for you!" Emily shouted from the other room. "You do the same shit to people as he did!"

I hadn't realized it, but she appeared to have been seething in there on her own all this time, even after that tragic story told in my beautiful voice. Lauren, too, was in quite a state, it looked like, and was peering down at me and Valerie, ignoring the squash altogether.

I leapt to my feet, and dashed over in front of Emily, pinning her into her chair. I was near feral at this moment in time, and I was not hearing this from a human, not now.

"Would you care to say that again, darling?" I asked, baring my fangs.

"God, if you're gonna do it to me, just get it over with. You needed a reality check on that," she said dejectedly, now tearing up herself for altogether different reasons.

"Let me make this clear. I do not turn humans into vampires. It's off the table for me. I do not mistreat my thralls either! They're precious to me in a way you couldn't possibly imagine. I would never hurt any of them. I am nothing like him!" I stood up and walked back toward the kitchen, leaving Emily shaken. Normally I would look her in the eyes and drink her blood instead of walking away, but I suppose I was too caught up in the moment. I didn't even know what was making me avoid her like this. It was all a little too much right now.

"You're not like him, Mistress. You're so much sweeter… so much more perfect…" Valerie said, coming to comfort me around the archway to the kitchen.

"That is a really fucked up story," Lauren said. "I still don't want to be your thrall, though." She hesitantly finished chopping the squash and started cooking in a pan on the stove, keeping an eye on me. I wanted to say that she would soon, but I needed a moment to recover.

"That's not the end of it," I said after a moment. "Don't you want to know what happened to him in the end? My kind doesn't die of old age, of course. Like Valerie said, I took back my freedom from him. Even despite being his fledgling, I had self-control uncommon among my kind… I still do. Certainly a lot better than his. I left some fresh bodies for him and left him stranded in the sunlight while I was a hundred miles away. I had to trick my own brain in five different ways to stop myself from thinking it was so, so wrong to hurt my… him, but it ended up working out… just like I had planned."

"And that cutie Violet, my first thrall… She was mine only and not his. It was her that made it possible to consider an undeath without him. She protected me out of love… helped me trick myself and trick him… Oh, Lilith, I miss her."

"I… guess that's good?" Lauren said. "I mean, you're better off not belonging to him, I think? He sounds worse than you, probably, if nothing else."

"That's because I'm not bad at all, darling," I winked at her and she blushed a little again before tending to the pan where her curry was cooking. I was largely recovered now, back to normal. That part of the story gave me the resolve to keep going, and reminded me that I was my own woman every time I recalled it. And Valerie was my woman, and soon Lauren would be my woman too, and everything would be so much better. Oh, and Emily too. She would be mine too. I had a harder time conceptualizing that, but I was sure it would come.

"Mistress, if I may ask…" Valerie said. "Who is Lilith? Someone else important to you or your kind?"

"I… didn't understand that part either," Lauren grumbled.

"I suppose humans usually don't know about our oral tradition, do you?" I said. "Lilith is the mythical ancestor of my kind. It can't be turtles all the way down, you know. They say she was the first wife of the first human, cast down for being disobedient, or some say that she was a cult priestess who practiced human sacrifice, you know, things like that. She was cursed by God or given power by the devil and turned into the first of my kind. Practically every vampire I've talked to understands a different account. She's most likely been dead for centuries if she ever existed at all. In any case, many of us look to her for guidance and inspiration. Hard to follow organized religions when they tend to consider us cursed and evil beings, hm?"

"A goddess among goddesses…" Valerie said. I giggled.

"That's right, dear," I said, and kissed her forehead.

"Maybe they wouldn't consider you cursed and evil beings," I heard Emily begin from the other room, "if you didn't take our blood and prey on us and enslave us like animals!"

"That's— that's right!" Lauren said, looking back at me while tending to the curry on the stove.

I looked to the side. "People would consider me cursed and evil either way. For being a trans lesbian, if not for my bloodlust. My undeath has gone on far too long to believe otherwise. I don't see what the point is in hiding any of it. You end up liking it a lot anyways, don't you, Valerie? All of it," I said.

"Yesss, Mistress," Valerie said, lying against my bare stomach as I was still seated on the floor against the wall of the kitchen. Valerie had been over here comforting me since I had begun to panic earlier, making no pretense of helping with the food. That was okay with me, though. I liked having her right here.

"Can you really conflate those things, though?" Lauren asked, conspicuously looking away from how comfy Valerie was cuddling with me. "Bloodlust and… queer identity?"

"I don't know about you, but I'd like to think that I can," I said. "I'm always going to be on the fringe of human society in one way or another. You must be able to understand that, sweetie."

"I, well… sure, I get that you and I are both trans, I guess, but I'm not going for anyone's blood! You have to understand that that's a fucked up thing to do to another person, queer or not, right?" Lauren asked.

"But you end up quite liking it," I said. "And it's thanks to me that so many cuties just like you have been able to live as their true selves, outside of the patriarchy that defines your culture. Why, just last night, a trans girl named Hannah came by my place of residence, asking to become my thrall, and I've been helping her escape her awful family life… I've always loved to let my thralls love a woman like me instead of being stuck… out there."

"That's… it's almost kind of sweet, I guess?" Lauren said. "Just… it ends with you taking away their free will, right? And they become your helpless thralls? Like, like Val…" She looked away from us.

"They become my thralls, yes, and they're far less helpless than they were before," I explained. "Valerie, for example, was stuck in her ways of hunting my kind before I took her in. I freed her from that. And you can hardly blame me for self-defense, can you? Valerie needed to be taught a lesson about threatening me and my kind."

"Thank you, Mistress," Valerie said, holding me tight.

"And someone like Hannah? She may have never gotten a chance to be herself without me," I said. "I gave her freedom."

"But…" Lauren looked down. "But you can't be sure, right? There might've been another way for this Hannah girl, a better way besides becoming your thrall. For Valerie too? Couldn't you have just… I don't know, erased her memories of wanting to kill you? Fuck, I—I can't believe I'm advocating for that!"

"If I erased Valerie's memories, her fellow hunters and you as well would obviously suspect it, sweetie, and then you'd all know I was there in the hotel, and you'd come for me all at once. I know what I'm doing, dear," I replied, grinning at her. "You can trust me.

"Besides, Valerie, you wouldn't want your memories of me erased, would you? It's so much better knowing me this way," I continued.

"Yes, Mistress. I'm so glad I know better now. And Lauren too! I don't have to lie to anyone any more about anything and it's all going to be OK, finally. Once Mistress bites you, Laurie, and you and I can be together again… it's all going to be so much easier," Valerie said, smiling at Lauren and shaking her arms with excitement as I held her.

Lauren's face was completely flushed and she said nothing as she turned the stove off and began serving curry onto plates. The room was filled with a strong and distinct but thankfully non-garlicky scent, which did little for me but was no doubt quite appetizing to all of these adorable humans. I had what I needed right here, anyways, two counts of it, in fact. Three, if you counted Emily. I wasn't sure why I wasn't counting her by default. She was right here too, and looked rather delicious.

"Look, food's ready," Lauren finally said, adjusting her glasses and trying to keep her cool as she handed a plate to Valerie and carried Emily's and her own out to the dining table, keeping her silver fork held between her fingers and pointed vaguely in my direction. She set the plates down, dragged her own chair back over, and sat, Emily approaching apprehensively with the chair she had been sitting in while Valerie and I took seats next to each other on the long end of the table facing away from the kitchen, in the two seats I hadn't moved earlier.

Lauren, who had been avoiding looking at me even beyond my gaze, peered back in my direction after taking a hesitant spoonful of curry. "So, you're saying… you're both saying," she asked, "If I become your thrall, Valerie and I can still, I mean… be roommates and… friends?"

Valerie took a spoonful herself, then looked up at me for approval, and I spoke. "Of course you can, sweetie." I giggled. "You can be more than friends, too, if you so desire. Why would I keep two cuties like you away from each other?"

Lauren and Valerie both flushed, looking at me bewilderedly. "Because you're a… I guess, self-centered parasite who wants us all to yourself? Oh, god, I really don't have long left to say this, do I?" Lauren asked. She covered her mouth in surprise. "Fuck, please don't do this, please…

“But,” she continued after a pause and another spoonful of curry. “Valerie and I? I mean, we’re roommates and I love her, but romantically?” Saying this, she looked at Valerie with the most longing look I could envision, and Valerie looked back at Lauren with a similar desire in her eyes.

“You would let us, Mistress?” Valerie asked, looking up at me with anticipation. “You don’t need me to be… only yours?”

“Oh, you silly girls…” I said. “You’ll both be mine. Why would I keep you all to myself when it’s so adorable to see you look at each other like this?

"I…" Lauren trailed off. "But… no? Not on those terms! Not on your terms! I…" Still gripping her silver fork, she pulled out her cell phone from the pocket of her jeans. Her hand was trembling.

"I need… I need to call someone…" she said, clearly very unsure of herself. "Before it's too late?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm so tired of humans using these silly little devices of yours. Things were better when there were fewer screens in the world, I think. Valerie, take it from her," I ordered.

"Yes, Mistress," she said, and stood quickly to walk over to Lauren's seat. Lauren was a bit shorter and significantly less muscular than Valerie was, and so she didn't bother struggling much, looking rather defeated as Valerie took the phone in her hands. While Lauren looked frightened, she had an almost longing look on her face which Valerie returned as she handed the phone to me.

"For you, Mistress," she said, bowing her head — she was so cute.

"I…" Lauren seemed lost for words and tears were beginning to stream down her face. "I don't want to be separated from Valerie, but… I mean, look at her! Look at you, Val!"

"I'm… I'm happy this way, Laurie. You can be too," Valerie said, beaming at her friend.

Lauren dropped her silver fork, and seemed lost for words.

"This is all such bullshit!" Emily shouted. “She's working you, Lauren! Don’t listen to this! She’s just using you, just like my… Kathy did.”

I grinned. “Oh, you’re right. I will get a lot of use out of both of you. But no, no, sweetie, I would never keep you all to myself. Not if you so desire. Love is meant to be shared.”

Emily scoffed. “You’re telling me about love? You’re just going to revictimize me. You’d be just like your progenitor, tormenting an innocent woman, no matter how much I tell you I don’t want this!”

I blinked. Was this what I had been feeling all night? Not pity for Emily as she probably thought—there was nothing pitiable about being my thrall. But to be accused of acting like him? And to think she could be right? I pitied myself. I wanted to offer happiness and escape for my girls, but my actions were truly filling Emily with nothing but terror.

This one time, I chose not to reach toward Emily, and I held back my predatory intentions. Instead I just sighed, an old habit still left over from when I had to breathe.

“Why don’t you just go home, then? Leave me with my girls,” I said, a bit defeated.

Emily stood with a start, quickly looking at the front door. “I-is that an offer?”

“If you’d like to consider it one,” I said. “So that you won’t consider me to be like him.”

“You’re not even erasing my memory or anything?” she asked. “Truly?” Her tone carried genuine disbelief.

“If I did that, then there would be no way for you to remember that I’m better than him,” I clarified. “Just don’t give me any ideas.”

Emily gave me a small nod, then ran out the door, shutting it behind her. A small part of myself wanted to run after her and revel in sadistic glee over my deception, but then I remembered where that part of myself came from. I realized at once that trauma was the one thing that could hold off my kind’s charisma for long. Mine over my sister’s death, Emily over former mistreatment. I decided not to interfere with that.

And Lauren and Valerie were still sitting at the table, their attention divided between me and each other.

“Now then,” I said, turning my attention to Lauren. “What about you?”

She began shaking. At first I worried that it was the kind of fear that Emily had expressed, but then I realized that that wasn’t it at all.

“I had been holding on for Emily, but, if she’s gone, then… oh god,” Lauren said. “I think I want…” She was looking at me longingly then, with almost a similar kind of reverence to Valerie.

I took my time to sit back down across the table from her, next to Valerie.

“Oh?” I asked, feigning uncertainty. “Is there something you want from me?”

“Y-yes?” Lauren said with lingering apprehension. “But not just from you. From Val, too…”

“Well then, please inform us,” I teased.

Lauren’s delicious-smelling blood ran to her face, and she looked longingly at Valerie. She had that dreamy, giggly quality about her that tended to result from spending time around me, but perhaps Valerie was adding to that effect as well, if for a more mundane reason.

“Val—” she paused, hesitating for a moment. “Val, I love you. Please kiss me.”

Valerie glanced at me briefly, looking for approval, and I nodded with a smile.

“I love you too, Laurie,” she replied, and she pulled herself up over the table to kiss Lauren passionately and deeply, in what must have been a truly cathartic moment for both of them. I, too, had once doubted the possibility of loving more than a single person at a time, though the frequency of my bloodlust made that quickly unviable once I was turned. Doing things this way was so much sweeter.

I let the two of them have their moment. They pulled away from each other slowly after a good long kiss, and I saw Lauren looking into Valerie’s eyes so raptly that I wondered for a moment if Valerie’s gaze had somehow acquired the hypnotic properties of my own. But no, the two were simply letting out their long-held feelings for each other after what I could only guess was years of apprehension.

“Now then,” I said, as Lauren and Valerie smiled at each other, “What was it you wanted from me, Lauren?”

Lauren and Valerie both turned toward me, and I could immediately see that Lauren really was deep in it. She was so unfocused, lost in both thought and emptiness. Now, it was finally time to let her relax.

“Y-you, oh god… oh. You’re kinder than I thought, and oh gosh, so pretty…” she murmured. “Maybe I was wrong about you? Maybe it’s OK, to be your thrall, and…”

“Is that a request, my dear? I want to hear it from you,” I ordered.

“Yes, I—I think so? If Valerie… Valerie thinks so? It’s really good?” Lauren asked.

“Belonging to Mistress is fucking wonderful,” Valerie said. “You can see it, right? Look at her. Think about how good it would be if we were both hers… together.”

Lauren gulped, then nodded. “O-okay. I’ll do it.”

“Good girl. What will you do? Use your words,” I said.

“I’ll become your thrall.”

“Good girl!” I responded. “Get on your knees, then, sweetie. Submit yourself to me.”

I stood from the table and Lauren, shaking a bit, stood from her chair and walked in front of me, then fell to her knees.

“I submit myself to you,” she said meekly. She was looking at a spot on the ground between my legs, wide-open, blank, and unfocused behind her glasses.

“Valerie, be a good girl and turn Lauren’s head up toward my eyes, won’t you?” I ordered.

Valerie, who had been watching eagerly, said “yes, Mistress,” and leaned down to grab Lauren by the chin, gently but firmly turning Lauren’s gaze toward mine, and I kneeled down to get a closer look. Lauren offered no resistance, and rather seemed to enjoy being handled this way by her best friend and lover.

Lauren stared into my eyes raptly, her mouth slightly open, as I brushed a bit of straight brown hair out of her pretty face.

“That’s right, sweetie,” I said. “Submit yourself to me. I know today must have been stressful for you, but it’s alright to relax now. You’re safe here, with Valerie and I, and we’re both going to take very good care of you. Rest now, darling. Stare into my eyes and have a nice, long, relaxing sleep.”

A bit of drool ran down Lauren’s face as she stared at me, already looking rather worshipful. Humans were always so scared of my kind. I loved to be able to take that from them, and make them feel nice and comfortable in my presence.

“I’ve held off on my own dinner for too long, I think,” I said. “Let’s get your clothes off, sweetie. Offer yourself to me.”

“Yes… Mistress,” Lauren murmured ever-so-quietly.

“So obedient and submissive!” I giggled. “Oh, I can already tell that you’re the kind of girl who likes to be ordered around and used, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Mistress,” she said, still slowly and quietly owing to her trance, but even despite that she was blushing hard.

“Well, you’re in luck, because I’m the kind of girl who likes to order other girls around and use them.”

I pulled Lauren’s flannel off, and Valerie removed the t-shirt she was wearing underneath after I motioned for her to do so. Lauren had a body a bit like my own, fairly slender though quite a bit shorter. She had a soft belly and large, pointy nipples on her medium-sized tits. I grabbed her shoulders, pushing her back onto the floor as I stared into her eyes, and Valerie helped spread her legs out onto the carpet from her previous kneeling position.

“You want this, don’t you?” I asked, grinning and showing my fangs. “You want to be my thrall, just like Valerie.” Unlike Emily, I knew for certain that Lauren wanted this. It was written all over her face, from the empty, pleading look in her eyes to the small half-smile on her face.

“Yes, Mistress,” she said, her eyes staring blankly into my own. “For her… for you… anything.”

I would give her everything. She deserved it in this moment. For as much as it was frustrating, I understood then why Lauren had been so defensive. Emily had felt pain from being a thrall, and it was my responsibility now to ensure that that trauma would not be passed on. Trauma was resistance, that was clear, and why would Lauren want resistance? She’d have no need or desire to resist anyway, and would only feel joy and love in serving me, now and for years to come.

“You submit yourself to me,” I said.

“I submit myself to you, Mistress,” she repeated.

“Such a good girl. I’m going to drink my fill now, darling, and once I do, you’ll be mine forever,” I reminded her.

“Yours forever, Mistress,” Lauren said, empty as could be.

“Valerie, hold her down for me, won’t you? I wouldn’t want my latest acquisition squirming around."

“Yes, Mistress!” Valerie responded gleefully, eager to help me take her best friend and lover. She leaned down and placed her arms, strong for a human, on Lauren’s shoulders, smiling at her thoroughly hypnotized lover. Lauren had no resistance left to offer, of course. She just stared up at me with her cute blank half-smile.

“Very good. Now for my main course…” I said. I leaned down and put my hand around the back of her neck, lifting her head slightly to expose her most delicious-looking vein, and I pierced my fangs in, excited to instill her with the kind of love that anyone but my girls could only dream of.