Blood Hope

The five Lemyari had camped between the Ymraudes and the lycans in a quadrant that served to buffer the human majority from the blood-slaves and the nibari herd. Among the dark ranks, Lemyari were considered and often referred to as the 'royals' of vampires, because of their great power. Haig had the largest tents for the fourteen nibari in his private herd and their young. Jun owned only a single nibari; a young female named Nolly that Isranon had given him last summer. The other three, Corbienne, Garin, and Keahi, had smaller tents and fed from the common herd.

Corbienne's tent contained two huge chests, a scattering of large pillows for sitting, and a thick heavy pallet. Three goose down comforters made the bedroll, topped with blankets and more comforters. Iuf snuggled deep between the layers, warm and comfortable, watching Corbienne undress. She fluffed her long black hair, and arched her back, thrusting her ivory breasts and roseate nipples at him.

He might lie to others, but the old freeranger could not lie to himself. He knew that his vampire lover had lost herself to the obsessions of the Passion-Dance, and was slowly killing him. However, no matter how rough she became with him, Iuf could not find it inside himself to stop her. He loved her as he had never loved anyone before in his life. Amiri had excused Iuf from all work and told Nans that he was not well. He hoped that she had not told Nans the truth. Amiri had also given him a blood tonic to take to slow down the rate at which he was succumbing to the effects of Corbienne's constant feeding. Iuf fetched the tonics on time each week from Amiri; he had taken it for a few days and then thrown it away and kept throwing it away after that. Corbienne refused to face up to what she was doing, and Iuf had decided that he did not want to prolong the Dance. He was getting old and there were worse ways to die than in the arms of his love.

Iuf ran his hands through his graying hair and licked his dry lips. He no longer had the strength to make love to Corbienne. Her disrobing had become an empty symbol of a deadly love affair. Corbienne looked so young, barely eighteen; and Iuf was well past forty, close to the age he should have retired. The life of a freeranger was hard and the myn who lived that life tended to age fast. She had made him feel young and taken his mind off his years.

Now they were both paying for it. Nans and Isranon had both tried to put a stop to the relationship. Iuf knew that they had been right to, but he could not stop loving Corbienne, not stop wanting her, and not stop opening his veins to her.

"I love you, Iuf." She slithered between the blankets with him.

"I know, Corbie. I know."

He turned his face away from her to expose his neck better and shuddered for an instant as her fangs opened the artery. Illusion stripped the years from him and he once more walked the meadows of his youth; a young mon hand in hand with his one true love. Iuf grew swiftly dizzy, descending deeper into the dreams she gave him. His eyes closed and the darkness claimed him.

GODWAR CENTRAL

Blood Hope