Page 1 of Love Bitten

1

THE LIBRARIAN

It was near closing time when he walked in. The sun had set, leaving behind a twinkling night sky and a sliver of a moon. I was about to step out from behind the counter when he opened the front door, the bell on it jingling brightly.

I knew exactly what he was the moment he walked in the door. The unmistakable coppery scent of pennies and a lingering dash of musty cedar tickled my nose even as he was still several feet away, approaching me cautiously as if I might bite.

Ironic, really, a vampire being afraid of fae.

“Greetings,” he said, his voice deep and surprisingly warm for a vampire.

“Hello, there,” I said in my cheeriest voice. “How may I help you out today?”

The vampire leaned in closer, his pale face obscuring my view of the door. He opened his mouth to speak, the scent of blood that emanated from it nearly overpowering me.

There was something so intoxicating about vampires – dizzying, almost. I wasn’t one to be drawn in by their particular allure, but I’d met many who felt quite differently.

“I am looking for…” he paused, glancing around the room. “For a certain place with books meant to help one find –“

“A date?” I finished for him. “Or a mate, if you prefer that term.”

“Yes, a date. That is indeed what I’m looking for. Do you know where I might find the room that holds the books? I’ve been told it’s well hidden, and one must ask permission before entering.”

“You’ve been told correctly,” I replied. “If you will just follow me, I can show you the way into the matchmaking room. May I ask your name?”

“Xander,” the vampire answered. “My name is Xander Valchazar. I come from a long, unbroken line of Valchazar vampires, and I myself am approaching 250 years of age.”

I nodded, taking a slip of paper from underneath my desk before we set off through the library. Some of the monsters I worked with lived a surprisingly long amount of time, but it never ceased to surprise me when I heard such large numbers being so casually thrown around. Many humans would kill for a chance to live that long, though none had found immortality yet.

“And what are your preferences?” I led Xander through long corridors of ancient texts, some covers glowing as we passed by, begging us to select them, with others reaching out to snap at us lest we attempt to pick them up.

“I would like a man who does not mind living his life nocturnally. As I’m quite sure you already know, the sun is quite damaging to my, shall we say, delicate skin.” He touched his long, bony fingers to his gaunt cheek. “I understand that many humans are uninterested in that lifestyle, but I must insist my date be accustomed to it.”

“Of course,” I said, jotting down little notes on my sheet of paper. “That is quite a reasonable request for a vampire, and I believe I have the perfect book for you in the matchmaking room.”

I stopped in front of a bookshelf that was built of darker wood than the others. Without hesitation, I pulled a red book out halfway, then a blue book in the middle of the shelf, and finally a thick black book tucked away at the bottom. The bookshelf turned slowly, revealing a short passageway into a dark, cobwebby room.

“Join me in here,” I told Xander, beckoning for him to follow me. “This is the matchmaking room.”

2

XANDER

The Librarian, which was the only name they were known publicly by, showed me into a rather unimpressive, cramped room. Its only saving grace was the darkness that shrouded it and by extension us, but The Librarian spoiled that by lighting a kerosene lamp on the table.

The books on the surrounding shelves became washed in the warm glow. I looked around, wondering which book they were going to select for me, hoping that this particular human would not be repulsed by my vampiric proclivities, something that had happened the last time I attempted to date properly 48 years ago. There were some hookups here and there after that, but nothing concrete.

Then again, that was quite some time ago, and I was ready to give my best at making something with a human man work – as long as The Librarian picked out someone suitable.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked The Librarian, hoping the lisp produced by my two fangs wasn’t too thick.

I could understand myself perfectly, but some species had more trouble than others. Orcs were a particular problem, possibly because their own accents were so different from most other species. Fae folk like The Librarian had never complained about my voice before, however. Of course, fae rarely complained about anything that didn’t have to do with their own species or the state of nature.

“I’m quite sure,” The librarian assured me, selecting a green leather-bound book from a shelf opposite us.

They set it on the table, laying the sheet of paper they took with them next to it. Opening the book up, they crosschecked what they had written with whatever words were scrawled along the page they had opened it to. I bent down to achieve a closer look at it while The Librarian looked up at me expectantly.

“Well, what do you think? I believe this human will be the perfect man for you.”

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