Page 3 of Pity the Living, Not the Dead

He took another moment before responding, clearly deciding how much or how little to share with a stranger. “Yes, this is the usual spot I wind up at when I need to be alone.”

Ah, seems my presence wasn’t as welcomed as I’d hoped. “Sorry to have intruded. I can leave if…” I trailed off, waiting for him to ask me to stay. Why? I had no earthly idea. Being rejected by him wasn’t sitting right.

“No, it’s a free country. Far be it for me to tell anyone where they can or cannot go,” he solemnly replied.

Really not the answer I was hoping for. Still, I paused, wanting to know more. Should I force myself upon the young lad? Of course, I easily could, but that was not who I was. Sure, the monster itching to be freed could use itsallureto captivate him, but something was telling me there was more to this handsome man than met the proverbial eye. Call it a gut feeling or whatever you wanted—either way, fate had a hand in this. Chance meeting?No. I felt it with every fiber of my being. There was something more at play here.

All my prior conquests had been willing partners, even those I had mentally captivated, only having done so after they’d agreed to coupling first. I needed to keep the true nature of my being a secret, which compelling them allowed me to do. But that was a trick I refused to use on the pure. Those I wanted to come of their own free will. Needed them to want me just as badly as I craved being inside them. To give up such a gift—one’s virginity, something they could never get back—should not be overlooked or cast aside. I didn’t detect another’s scent on him, neither undead nor human, his aura shining as pure as I knew he was. I despised those who took what they wanted, no matter the consequences.

The curious stranger stared expectantly at me as I, too, became lost inside my own head, much as he was when I happened upon him. “So very sorry. Seems I, too, am captivated by the solace of this place. I’m Elijah, by the way. Elijah Walker,” I said, extending my hand.

Reluctantly, he accepted the proffered gesture, and when he did, his warmth embraced me in a comforting cocoon. You always hear the clichés of the electricity felt in one’s touch, thezip, bam, bangas some rom-coms portray it to be. I kid you not, when our hands touched for the first time, I got it. A two-hundred-year-old vampire, yet I felt like the virgin here and finally understood. I was the one seeing the cartoony hearts as my head filled with sappy sonnets.How could this be?

His mirrored gaze led me to believe he may have felt something, too, as it took him a moment to collect himself. “I’m—” came out pitched rather high, so he cleared his throat and began again. “Liam Aldrich.”

“Red hair. Green eyes. I should’ve pegged you for an Aldrich,” I said, which seemed to have been the wrong choice of words. In an instant, his facial expression faltered and hardened. “Have I said something wrong?”

“I wish I didn’t live in the shadow of my family.”

Ah, now we are getting somewhere.

“To live in the shadow of another is not living,” I muttered.

He scoffed. “Do you work for my family, too?”

“Hardly. I work for myself, investments mostly.” It was not a lie by any means, although I had not worked a day’s labor in decades. I lived off the interest from the vast portfolio I had amassed over the years. I was losing him again, noting a far-off look in his eyes as he stared mindlessly out at the water. This young man intrigued me, and I wanted to learn as much as I could about him. “So, tell me, Liam, what is it you do?”

Liam huffed. “I just graduated from college. I’m set to start working for my family soon.” His reply surprised me. Many would love to have such a golden opportunity waiting for them upon graduation, yet he seemed less than thrilled. Almost mortified, to be quite honest.

“Why do you seem unhappy with that prospect?”

“Have you ever had anyone—well, more than one person—try and run your life?” he asked me.

“Some have tried and failed.” Miserably, I might add, after I drained the life from them.

“I wish I could be that confident,” Liam replied, his shoulders sagged in defeat.

“Come on.” I nudged him with mine. “It can’t be that bad. It’s better than having no one who cares at all.” Which is what I did or did not have, depending on how you looked at it. I had been alone for so long, I forgot what it was like to be surrounded by others. The vampire who had turned me, William, left as soon as he came — in the literal sense.

“Sometimes I just want to run away, ya know?” he said. Even though it came out as a question, it wasn’t meant to be. Still, I understood the meaning behind it.

“I do.” I was hit with the sudden urge to cradle this man in my arms, take away his pain and inflict it on those who had made him feel less than he was. I knew nothing of him, or about the others he spoke of, but that didn’t seem to matter. Meeting Liam changed me. The feelings were overwhelming and hard to put into words. They’d not be denied. Saying that aloud would surely send him running to the hills, though. If there ever was a time to play it cool, that was now, because without a doubt, the powers drawing us together would not be ignored.

“And I still live at home, which makes everything worse,” Liam admitted, nervously chewing the corner of his mouth.

“Liam, you put far too much pressure on yourself. You’ve just graduated. If living at home bothers you that much, then it’s time to make a change. Branch out, be your own man, get your own place—or don’t. You’re of age, that decision is yours and yours alone.”

Will there ever be a place in this world we’re stuck in that I could go to escape the Aldrich legacy? Yeah, anywhere outside of Washington, only then I would be away from… Why was it that Elijah came to mind? I only just met the man. How can one person simultaneously intrigue you and have your internal fight-or-flight mode reacting? Something was different about him. He was captivating and secretive, yet I was ready to hand over my “V” card to a man I hardly knew. Physical attraction aside—because damn, was he a walking wet dream—the fact remained I had no idea if he was gay or not, let alone interested in a dweeb like me. For all I knew, he was just a genuinely nice guy who saw someone sitting alone and came over to check on them. Or the other side of that theory—he was a psychopathic killer who’d get his victims so enchanted with his charming personality that they’d agree to go with him without putting up a fight.No more late-night thrillers for you, Liam.

Gay.

How could I think the word but not be able to embrace it or say it aloud?I am gay. There, I admitted it again, now to say it out loud. There was no denying it, yet I still did.

Born this way.

Right, like my family would ever believe that. They would have me in some sadistic shock therapy, praying to some holy statue for forgiveness and lighting a candle before I could so much as protest.

“Fuck!” I yelled, abruptly standing. My voice echoed into the vast emptiness of the sound. The ocean holds so many secrets, including many of mine. A silent therapist, there to listen and not condemn. While she can be a cruel mistress, taking lives, she also can provide a mother’s loving embrace, there to hold you in her metaphorical arms as you share your sorrows.

---