Vampire and Witch (GL) - Chapter 4

Thick clouds gathered on the horizon, a somber herald of the coming storm.

Grey had just finished her preparations for the day when she welcomed her first customer.

“Good morning, Grey. I brought you some breakfast.”

Sif held a small bag, and the enticing aroma of fresh baking instantly filled the air. It was from the bakery on the next street—a place wildly popular with the local children.

Grey remembered that the shop only opened in the morning and usually sold out within two hours. Sophia had once dragged her there at the crack of dawn to wait in line; the bread was delicious, but the physical toll of the queue was exhausting.

Sif handed the bread to Grey and began setting out the tea set on the table, moving with the natural ease of someone who lived there.

Grey stood frozen, watching the woman’s movements. It took her a long moment to snap out of it.

“What… are you doing?”

Sif tilted her head. “Making tea.”

Grey rubbed her temples. “No, I mean, why are you here?”

“To eat breakfast.” Sif placed the bread on a white porcelain plate. The scent of butter was mouth-watering. “Come try it. This bakery is amazing; I was waiting there before the sun was even up.”

“Don’t you sleep?” Grey asked, surprised. Ultimately unable to resist the lure of the bread, she sat down.

Bread and black tea—truly an ideal pairing.

“Hmm… Vampires are nocturnal creatures, I suppose,” Sif said casually. “The monsters you saw last night can only move at night; they hide during the day. Light makes them sluggish.”

“Then why aren’t you afraid of the light?”

Sif arched an eyebrow, looking quite proud of herself. “Because I’m very powerful.”

Grey rolled her eyes, her silence speaking volumes.

Sif picked up her teacup, blew on the steam, and took a small sip. “It’s likely because I have human blood in my veins,” she said softly. “While Pureblood vampires can move in daylight—though they become weaker than a normal human—among the non-purebloods, only those like me, born of a human and a vampire, don’t fear the sun.”

Vampires, Purebloods, Dhampirs… Grey couldn’t help but think back to the night before.

“A Witch…”

Sif looked thoughtful as she glanced at the fading flames in Grey’s palm. Suddenly, she asked with total sincerity, “Can you fly?”

Grey let out a blank “Huh?”, unable to keep up with the sudden leap in conversation. She unconsciously rolled her eyes; why did everyone assume witches could fly?

Grey cleared her throat. “Everyone has their specialty. My field is incantations and charms.”

Sif nodded, looking like she halfway understood. “So… you can’t fly?”

“Why would I need to fly?” Grey snapped, her irritation rising as she shot Sif a cold glare. “Since you already know I’m a witch, I’ll show you exactly what a witch is capable of.”

“Wait, I don’t want to fight you.”

Sif raised her hands in surrender. “I know you’re not a vampire now. I won’t hurt you. I was a bit crude earlier—I apologize!”

“Besides, now that we know each other’s secrets, how about we be friends?”

Grey narrowed her eyes. “Who wants to be friends with you!”

Sif: “I want to be friends with you.”

“Well, I don’t! Stay back! What are you doing?”

Grey watched Sif’s face get closer. The woman even licked her lips. Grey’s heart jumped into her throat, and she instinctively raised her hand to block the approaching body.

Suddenly, Sif caught her hand and lowered her head to take a finger into her mouth. Grey had touched the wound on her neck earlier; there was still a trace of blood on her fingertip.

“Your wound is still seeping. Should I lick it for you?”

At the thought of the pleasurable sensation of that lick, Grey’s face flushed and her heart hammered. That damp warmth between her legs surged again.

In that moment of distraction, her wrist was pinned by Sif’s brute strength. Soft lips brushed against her cheek, moving slowly downward until a hot breath fell over the wound on her neck.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite. I’ll only make you feel good…”

As the words fell, those soft lips pressed down. A tongue flicked out to dampen her skin, sucking and swirling against the wound. It made Grey’s scalp tingle; her whole body shivered as her strength drained away.

The fire in her palm flickered out. Grey slumped weakly into Sif’s embrace, a low whimper escaping her throat.

Her eyes were wet, and so was she.

Does being fed upon really cause an orgasm?

It was a terrifyingly wonderful sensation.

Grey panted for air. Just before she lost consciousness, she heard the woman’s deep, tender voice calling her name.

“Grey? What are you thinking about? Your face is so red.”

Grey snapped back to reality. Sif was waving a hand in front of her face with a curious look, trying to bring her back.

In that instant, Grey noticed several fresh burn marks on Sif’s pale hand.

She looked away subtly, thought for a moment, and pulled a small bottle of green ointment from her drawer.

“Give me your hand. I’ll put some burn cream on it.”

Sif blinked, and a brilliant smile suddenly broke across her face. She obediently held out her palm. “Are you worried about me?”

Grey shot her a look but said nothing, rolling up Sif’s sleeve.

The cool ointment was spread evenly over the burns—it felt itchy and chilly. Grey scratched Sif’s palm lightly with her fingernail, a small act of revenge for the night before.

Grey: “There. Once the blisters go down, you’ll be fine. Don’t scratch it, or it’ll get infected.”

Sif looked down and smiled. “I know. How is the wound on your neck?”

Grey instinctively covered her neck, only then remembering she was wearing a high-collared lace dress today. “It’s fine,” she said quickly.

“Let me see.”

Sif stood up, rounded the table, and moved into Grey’s space. Since her left hand had ointment on it, she used her arm to loop around Grey’s waist, using her other hand to pull at the collar.

“What are you doing?!” Grey cried out in shock, like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Sif was relentless. “I just want to check the wound.”

“I said it’s fine! Let go!”

“Grey, just one look!”

The two were scuffling and tugging at each other when the shop door was suddenly thrown open with a loud bang.

Sophia stood there, hand over her mouth, staring in absolute shock at the two of them with their clothes half-disarrayed.

“S-sorry to disturb you!!!”

BANG. The door slammed shut.

Sif blinked. Grey stared back. They looked at each other in stunned silence.

Grey finally pushed her away, smoothed her hair, and adjusted her clothes. She called out, trying to sound natural: “Sophia, you can come in.”

The door creaked open a tiny bit. Sophia peeked through the crack. “Then… I’m coming in,” she whispered.

Sophia held her hot tea, her eyes darting curiously between the two women.

Sif looked amused. “Want a piece of bread?”

Sophia’s eyes lit up as she looked at Sif with a lovestruck expression, happily taking the small plate Sif offered. She looked a bit like a puppy being fed.

Grey cleared her throat. “Sophia, why are you here? Don’t you have school today?”

Sophia snapped to attention. “Right, right! I think I left my scarf here yesterday.”

At the mention of the scarf, Grey recalled the terrifying encounter from the night before. She froze for a few seconds before composing herself and nodding.

“It was a bit dusty when I found it, but don’t worry, I’ve washed it.”

Grey handed the clean pink scarf to Sophia. It carried a wonderful floral scent—sweet and full of youthful energy.

“It smells so good! Thank you, Grey!”

Sophia took the scarf and was promptly ushered out the door by Grey to get to school.

Watching the girl disappear into the distance, Grey asked quietly, “Did you come to my shop because of Sophia?”

Sif nodded. “You could say that. Are you disappointed? Because I wasn’t coming for you?”

Grey rewarded her with a flat, silent roll of the eyes.

Sif didn’t mind; she accepted the look with a grin. “Don’t worry, the scent is gone from the scarf. She’s safe now.”

“I don’t understand,” Grey’s voice turned heavy. “Those monsters were created by your kind, and then you kill them… what is the point? What do you think human lives are?”

It felt like they were playing with people’s lives.

Sif waved her hand in denial. “I didn’t create them.”

“It’s hard to explain all at once. Just as there are good and bad humans, there are good and bad vampires. My job is to eliminate the bad things.”

“But they were humans once…”

“Once.”

The atmosphere became somber. Sif stole a glance at Grey; the heavy breathing seemed to signal her anger. Sif decided to change the subject.

“Grey, I said I didn’t come here for you… but actually, that was a lie.”

Grey looked up. Their eyes met, and she found herself submerged in Sif’s sincere gaze.

“I told you, I saw you twenty years ago. This ‘accident’ allowed me to meet you again, so I was curious…”

Sif’s eyes crinkled with a smile. She propped her cheek on her hand, her tone casual but tinged with a certain tenderness. “I was curious about you.”

“Grey, I really do want to be your friend.”

Author’s Note:

Grey: Just friends?

Sif: Girlfriend!