A challenge, did you say a challenge KC?  Now how am I going to resist?
This is Nick’s side and a follow-up to “Ponderings,” by KC Smith.   The
following will be Nick’s point of view of why he illustrated to Natalie the
reason his addiction to blood is more than just a hard habit to break. Okay,
here is my version of Nick’s rationale for letting Nat in on a very guarded
vampire secret in “Francesca.”

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     Nick tried to steady himself as he left the morgue.  Captain Reese had
called him to return to the precinct just as he had finished the most
intimate discussion about the sensations that vampires shared that he had
ever had with Natalie.  As he leaned back into the shadows of the hallway
directly outside the Coroner’s office, he reached up and dabbed at a few of
the droplets of blood that had formed on his forehead.   He had stirred up a
good deal of emotions just now, but he did not regret a single word.   It
was not a mistake that he had divulged a secret that was hidden from all
except his kind, but why had he done it?  Gently closing his eyes, he
fantasized about what he wished he could verbalize to his confidante of the
past half decade.

     “When I told you I knew it was the musician Faubert whose blood filled
Francesca’s ornate silver goblet almost two and a half centuries ago, you
were captivated.  Natalie, you were in awe as I described the unnatural
pleasure I received with that first sip of blood.  Yet, you knew nothing of
that potent liquids effect as it exploded with rapture into my brain.  I
heard your heart quicken with excitement and your breathing almost cease as
I made clear the wonders and sensations of eternal gratification.  I could
not stop myself from continuing, for what I spoke of was magical.  And even
in my disdain for what I am, this is an ecstasy that cannot be diminished.
Mortals may eat for pleasure and to sustain their bodies, but we consume our
nourishment not only to feed the hunger but to nourish ourselves at a higher
level. Blood is the essence of life both for mortals and immortals alike,
but to us it replenishes what we left behind when we chose this existence.
Without the blood, it is possible for us to starve our will and our thoughts
as well as our physical bodies.

       I have never before spoken of what compels my kind, to any other
mortal.  It is dangerous to speak of such things, it is too enticing.
Although I never once captured your heartbeat during our discussion, my
words had you just as mesmerized.  Whether you knew it or not, knowing the
power that human blood contains, had seduced you.

      You must now be confused, for during the past five years I have
condemned all that is my lifestyle.  You never fully understood how much
more blood is to us than the mere satisfaction of a physical need.  I’m
still not certain why I disclosed so much.  This was an intimacy that far
exceeded our friendship.  I guess I needed to tell you, and you needed to
know of what drives me.  It is because of all the feelings that you have
brought out in me, that I needed you to know that blood is so much more than
surviving.  I have yearned for the understanding non-judgmental look in your
eyes that I saw tonight.  I have longed for you to recognize that because of
what I am; I can appreciate life beyond what any mortal can ever dream of.
There is more to me than the unyielding beast that I struggle to control.
There exists a perception and depth of the human soul far more intense than
could ever be described.  But there was something other than information of
what blood means to us that I wanted you to know because there will one day
come a time when we must part.  When that time arrives, I know now that I
would only taste of your blood to bring us closer.  The thought of having
your blood coursing through my veins intoxicates me more each day. If only
you could feel the depths of my feelings for you without becoming engulfed
in my endless void of darkness. One day, unless there comes a cure, we will
share blood Natalie.  And with that first sip, you will appreciate the
anguish of withdrawal or you will understand my reasons for not being able
to stop.”

The End