Just a Bite - Part 1

Content Warning for the following: blood

Charlie was taking a moment to look at anything besides her computer when she noticed Dahlia, who sat on the other side of the office, staring at her again. It was like the fifth time today she'd caught her doing it and she didn't look the least bit embarrassed about being caught, again.

It was just after 12 and Charlie supposed she should go grab some lunch. As she stood up she caught Dahlia looking at her again. Okay, enough's enough, time to go talk to her. As she approached, Dahlia gave her a sly smile which, if it didn't make her look incredibly hot, would have pissed Charlie off. There was also a look in her eyes that Charlie couldn't quite work out.

"So. What's up?" asked Charlie standing next to Dahlia's desk.

"Nothing much. You need something?" replied Dahlia with a smirk.

"I could ask you the same thing. You've been staring at me all morning. Is there something on my face?" said Charlie in a cold tone.

"Oh, no, nothing on your face." said Dahlia, smirk still plastered across her face.

"Well then, what do you want from me?" asked Charlie a bit more aggressively than she'd intended.

"A drink after work perhaps? It being Friday and all. What's some after work drinks between colleagues?" asked Dahlia in an almost teasing way.

Charlie stood taken aback for a few moments, she hadn't expected that response from Dahlia. She was almost the opposite of Charlie, always so cool and laid back, while Charlie tried her best not to lash out at every little bit of condescension sent her direction. Something about that pissed Charlie off and she couldn't quite figure out why.

Eventually the gay part of Charlie's brain kicked in and registered that a hot woman had just asked her out for drinks and replied "Uhh... Yeah, sure."

Still smirking, Dahlia said "Great, see you after work then."

Dahlia's skin was so pale she was practically glowing as she sat across from Charlie. The way she was sitting there, sipping from her glass of red wine was so elegant and composed. That pissed off feeling stirred inside her again but she shoved it back down.

"So. Any particular reason you wanted to have a drink with me?" asked Charlie, trying to appear calm.

"Oh, no particular reason. I guess I've been meaning to get to know you for a while now." she said leaning in.

"Have you now? I guess we haven't really gotten to sit down and chat one-on-one before. Anything in particular you want to know about me?"

"Hmmm... What do you do in your free time?" asked Dahlia, her eyes fixed on Charlie.

"I mostly just hang out with friends and do the odd bit of photography." replied Charlie, hoping that she wouldn't ask what kind of phot-

"What kind of photography?"

"Oh, a bit of this and a bit of that." said Charlie, not about to admit the kind of photography she actually did.

Dahlia leaned back and said "I see..." with eyes still fixed on Charlie. And in that moment, it finally registered with Charlie what the look in Dahlia's eyes was. Hunger.

"And what about you?" asked Charlie, trying to shift the focus off herself.

"Oh you know, fencing, painting, reading, dinner parties. Those sorts of things."

"Sounds like you keep yourself busy then."

Her smile widening, Dahlia replied "Quite."

Charlie checked the time; they'd been making polite but shallow conversation for a couple of hours now. The bar was getting louder as more and more people filtered in. She looked back to Dahlia and said "It's getting crowded in here; I wouldn't mind heading out."

"Would you like to come back to my place for a quiet drink then?" asked Dahlia, hunger still burning in her eyes.

Charlie was a bit conflicted, it was getting a bit late and she still couldn't quite get a read on Dahlia. She was pretty sure Dahlia had been flirting with her but she knew it wasn't really a good idea to get involved with a co-worker. But eventually the gay part of her brain once again overrode her objections and she said "I could go for one more drink..."

Dahlia's apartment was immaculate, it looked like something out of a magazine. Modern, clean, and minimalist. Definitely not Charlie's style but it fit Dahlia to a T.

Charlie spotted an easel by one of the floor to ceiling windows in the living room. How much was this place worth? Something this big and modern right in the middle of the city? Had to be a lot. She stood by the window looking out over the city.

As Charlie stood admiring the view she suddenly heard Dahlia say "Quite the beautiful view" from behind.

Charlie fought back the urge to lunge at her, instead fighting to turn around slowly and sarcastically said "Me or the city?"

Dahlia smiled and while stepping towards Charlie said "Both."

Adrenaline was coursing through Charlie, and she was so close. As Charlie stood there panicking internally, Dahlia took another step closer and placed her hand on the small of Charlie's back.

Charlie leaned in and their lips met. Her lips felt so soft, yet so cold.

After a few moments Charlie surfaced from the bliss of it all and pulled away. She rushed out "I need to tell you something before we go any further."

Dahlia simply gave an "Mmm?" because she'd already moved onto kissing her neck which was sending shivers down her spine.

"Yeah I'm... I'm... I-"

Charlie was cut short by Dahlia sinking her teeth into Charlie's shoulder. Charlie let out a little moan and said "Ffffffuuuck". They hadn't discussed it but Charlie wasn't averse to the direction this was heading. She tried to gather her thoughts but the fact a pretty pale rich lady was biting and sucking on her neck was clouding her thoughts too much.

She felt hot and her knees felt week. She tried to gather her thoughts again and get back to letting Dahlia know she was-

Something deep in Charlie's subconscious clicked into place and her mind was flooded with one word. Vampire.

Instinct kicked in as Charlie grabbed Dahlia by the throat, and with little effort, launched her across the room. She landed, back first, on a glass coffee table, causing it to shatter. Charlie set off towards Dahlia at speed, shifting into her wolf form as she closed the distance.

Charlie let out a deep guttural growl as she stood over Dahlia. Unexpectedly Dahlia didn't move, she was just laying there staring at Charlie with a confused look on her face. A few moments later she backed off since Dahlia wasn't fighting back.

After she'd shifted back into her human form she extended a hand to help Dahlia up, which she accepted. She still looked just as confused but before she could say anything Charlie pointed to her coach and barked "Sit."

Dahlia complied and sat staring at Charlie while she stood there naked. Charlie stared her down and then eventually said "What the hell is wrong with you? Did you seriously invite someone from your fucking workplace back to your house as a meal? What the hell were you thinking? I thought y'all were supposed to be good at this shit? God, you vampires think you can get away with anything!"

After staring at her with an even more confused expression than before Dahlia asked "Vampires? What're you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I know what you are and you know what I am."

"I- What?" said Dahlia, somehow contriving to look even more confused. Charlie was starting to think that the confusion wasn't an act. There'd be no reason to try hide it from her now.

Charlie place her hand on the shoulder Dahlia had bitten and felt around. Yep, there were 4 deep punctures where her fangs would have been and Dahlia had blood around her lips. Granted, Charlie had just thrown her onto a table made of glass but Charlie was pretty sure it was her blood.

Charlie stood thinking everything over before giving up and saying "Okay... Let's take this from the start. What did you think you were doing?"

Dahlia tried to sit back but winced as her back touched the couch. She leaned forward instead and said "Well, I saw you at work today and felt a strong attraction. I thought it was just sexual but then when I was kissing your neck I felt the urge to bite you, so I did."

"So your parents never explained all this too you?"

"Explained what? The birds and the bees? No one ever mentioned anything about wanting to bite people." replied Dahlia, in a sarcastic tone.

"Wait, your parents never explained the cravings to you?"

"What cravings?" said Dahlia, looking confused again.

"The- Wait. Did your parents not tell you you're a vampire?"

"I'm not a vampire." said Dahlia defensively, trying to sit back again before giving up and just standing up.

"Yes you are. First, you just drank my blood. Second, everything about you screams vampire. Third, you've got half a glass table worth of glass in your back and you're still able to stand. You're a vampire."

"I can't be a vampire because vampires aren't real."

"Okay, one quick question. How old are you?"

"23" replied Dahlia, crossing her arms.

"Okay, that explains some things, but again, how did your parents not explain this to you?"

"My parents aren't vampires! Hell, I'm not a vampire! I don't drink blood, they don't drink blood! They're just rich assholes!" yelled Dahlia before storming over to a chest of drawers with photos on top of it.

She came back holding a framed photo that she shoved in front of Charlie. "Do they look like vampires to you?" she asked with the sound of victory in her voice.

Charlie looked at the photo, it was Dahlia and what were presumably her parents. Her parents certainly didn't look like vampires, they in fact just looked like rich assholes. Then a thought entered Charlie's mind.

"You're right they don't look like vampires. In fact, they don't look anything like you."

Dahlia paused for a moment then said "I was adopted."

And just like that it all made sense to Charlie. "Well shit." she breathed before continuing "Okay, so, I hate to break it to you but you're a vampire. I'm not joking, I'm not fucking with you. Vampires exist and you're one of them."

Dahlia stood processing it for a few moments before saying "Well that explains the garlic allergy... And the fact I just burn in the sun..." She stood thinking some more then said "Does that mean you're a werewolf? I mean you did turn into a wolf just now right?"

"Yes, that would explain those things. And yes, I'm a werewolf."

"I see..." said Dahlia staring into the middle distance. She looked back at Charlie then said "I have one more question."

"Shoot."

"Not that I'm complaining but... Why are you naked?"

Charlie's face turned bright red. She'd completely forgotten. She looked away and said "It happens when we change shape. Our clothes don't make it through the transformation."

"Do I have any powers like that?" asked Dahlia, sitting down on the couch again.

"You can turn into a swarm of bats."

"Cool."

"You can also fly."

Dahlia raised an eyebrow and said "I can fly?"

"Yes, you can fly."

Dahlia sat thinking for a while. Charlie could tell she was having a hard time processing it. Who wouldn't? Not only had she found out vampires actually exist but that she is one.

Sitting down next to Dahlia, Charlie started to explain "I know this is a lot so I'll just give you a quick run down. Yes, vampires and werewolves are real. Vampires usually start getting the craving for blood in their early twenties."

Charlie paused for a moment to make sure Dahlia was keeping up before continuing. "Traditionally vampires and werewolves don't get along. In modern times we try keep out of each others way and live our lives. I've never actually met a vampire before this so this is a bit of a first for me."

Charlie let Dahlia process for a little while longer. She wasn't freaking out which was good, but she definitely needed some time to really process it all. Charlie waited a bit longer then said "I know you're going to need some time to process this and I don't want you to be alone while you do. I'll sleep on the couch and then we'll try figure out what we're going to do in the morning."

Dahlia nodded so Charlie continued with "If you need anything or have any questions just let me know."

Dahlia sat still for a few moments then looked at her for the first time since she'd sat down next to her. In a more confident voice than Charlie had been expecting she said "You don't need to stay on the couch. You're welcome to join me in bed."

Charlie's mind raced, different parts of her brain were in conflict with one another. One part was yelling "She's a vampire! You can't trust her!" while another part was yelling "A beautiful woman just invited you into her bed! Take the offer! Take the offer!"

For the third time that day the gay part of her brain won out and she said "Well, if you're offering. But before that, do you have clothes that might fit me?"