He put a hand to his neck to feel 4 puncture wounds. It seemed it would take a little time before that healed. “I see…how do my fangs look?”
“Well, let’s see.” He opened his mouth, and she looked intently at his teeth. Seemingly satisfied, she smiled. “Your new fangs look good as well! We will have to break them in and get you some blood soon.”
“Do you happen to have any on hand?” He asked, rubbing his head. “I’m actually really thirsty, and there’s a weird taste in my mouth too.”
She nodded. “Yes, I happened to bring along some blood packets.” Saying this, she got up to retrieve a cardboard box. In it, were the plastic containers of blood one could find in a hospital.
“Wait, is that human blood?” He asked, a little surprised.
“Yes.” She said, grabbing one of the packets with a rather regretful expression. “I must apologize, I’d previously told you that we tended to drink animal blood. But truth be told, animal blood is rather unappetizing compared to that of humans. So we have taken to drinking from packets such as these. We have a…unique relationship with the medical industry.”
“You lied to me that first night?”
“Yes. Again, I’m sorry, but I just didn’t want to scare you too much. I suppose saying we drank the blood of livestock was easier to explain than this.”
“Okay…” he sighed “y’know what, we’ll talk later. Just give me the blood for now, it’s hard to speak at this point.”
Opening the plastic bag, he started slurping up the dark red liquid. With the way the container was shaped, he felt like a kid drinking out of a juice box. It had an almost metallic taste to it as he expected, but the flavor was somehow more tolerable now. It didn’t feel like the taste itself had changed, but more that his tongue was more acclimated to it. Drinking in more of the blood quenched his thirst, and immediately made him feel more energized. In that regard, it had a stronger effect than coffee. Before he knew it, he’d sucked down the whole packet.
“How was it?” She asked. “That was type O blood just so you know, which is usually what I choose for the evenings after I wake up. That is a just a personal preference however, you’re free to experiment with other kinds.”
“I thought it tasted good.” He said. “I feel much more awake now too, it’s like it completely revitalized me.”
“Blood is our sole source of energy, so that is not surprising. Any other food or drink is merely a luxury that we partake in.”
“Oh, I just thought of something!” He announced, finally getting out of bed and stretched. “How do you turn into a bat? I want to fly around!”
“I was just about to say,” she rose to her feet, amused by his enthusiasm “I should walk you through your new powers.”
They migrated to the living room where they had a bit more space to move around. They both stood in front of his couch, where the training began.
“Now, as for turning into a bat, I’m not sure how exactly I should explain it. I’ve done it so many times, that putting it into words can be tricky.” She put her hand to her chin and thought about how best to explain the technique. “What I usually do is think about turning into a bat, jump, then it just happens. So, try doing that.”
“Okay, hold on.” He jumped up, only to then land back on his feet with a thud. Still very much in human form. “Shit, I wasn’t thinking about it hard enough. Lemme try again.” Feeling both a little embarrassed and pity for the downstairs neighbors, he attempted it again. This time, focusing a bit more, he was able to do it. He felt his body shrink instantly, and now he could flutter around by flapping his arms.
“I did it!” He excitedly yelled.
Lilith simply smiled, then turning into a bat herself. “You catch on quickly, good job!”
“I’ve always wanted to fly! Want to flutter around town or something?”
“Perhaps, but first we have some other things to go over.” Saying this she turned back into her human form and he followed.
“For your other abilities,” she started “you may notice that you’re faster and stronger now. Why not test it out?”
“Well I can’t really run around in the apartment, but…” looking for something heavy to pick up, he grabbed the arm of the couch and lifted it up. What he would normally struggle to lift with two hands, he could now easily lift with one. He was still just as thin as he was before, yet somehow significantly stronger. “Oh wow!” Surprised at his own strength, he gently set it back down. “Hm…” he walked over to Lilith and was about to try picking her up, before she firmly placed her hand on his forehead. Keeping him at arm’s length, he was stopped right in his tracks.
“I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no.” She stated, quickly predicting his next move. “I do not appreciate being picked up.”
“Right, sorry.” Stepping away, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “Shit, where can I even test out my new speed? If we go outside, someone could see us and freak out.”
“I suppose we can test it out at my mansion sometime. But for now, I just want to make sure you understand all your new abilities, and that you’re familiar with the new rules that you must follow.” She sat down on the couch, hands folded over her lap. With the way she talked and her demeanor, she was starting to look like a tutor from a historical drama. “Speaking of which, I want to remind you of a few things.”
“Hm?” He sat next to her so he could listen.
“As you already know, going out in the sun is no longer an option. I feel this should go without saying, but a surprising amount of newcomers forget about it and meet an early end. I suppose it is easy to forget if you’re not accustomed to it, so just so I don’t lose you: consistently remind yourself to not go out in the sun. Take extra caution to ensure it doesn’t happen, especially now when you’re in the early stages.”
He nodded silently.
“And I don’t think this will be an issue, knowing you, but just in case: try to avoid going to churches. The prevalence of crosses and other holy symbols make them a terrible place for us. And though we can technically eat human food, be wary of garlic.”
“Yeah, like you said, I don’t think the church thing will be a problem but good to know.” He slumped his shoulders. “I’m really going to miss garlic though…”
“And, let’s see what else…” she thought things over some more “oh! And you must resist any urge to attack living humans. The thirst we feel for blood can be great at times, especially with the prospect of drinking it directly from a live host, but any attack on humans will inevitably lead to problems. Being a monster in this world sometimes requires suppressing your natural urges.”
“Wait.” He looked at her, now having been presented with this new aspect of immortal life. “Did…did you ever get the urge to drink from me when I was still human?”
She sighed and lowered her head. “I must admit, a small part of me did. There were times when your neck was right up against my mouth, and I felt it would have been so easy to sink my fangs into it. But I held back. I knew turning you immortal too soon would be a reckless mistake, and it is not something I wished to do against your will. Fortunately, I’ve been a vampire long enough that my self control is quite strong.” She put her arm around him. “It is as I said on the very night we met: you have nothing to fear from me. I kept myself from biting you all that time, after all.”