“Funny thing, I’m not in the habit of inviting strangers into my house. Why are you here?”
“Ah. Well, the answer is unlikely to incline you to honor my request. I shall give it honestly though. My plan was to hypnotize you so that you would invite me inside. Then I intended to feast on your blood. Your ripeness called to me. A scent so sweet I could not resist. Especially as it has been three moons since I last fed.”
Judah grins, exposing his teeth. His canines elongate, resembling Catty’s wendigo teeth rather than human ones.
“Oh.” I rub my temples. “So I get my period and a vampire comes to call at midnight. This is what I missed living with my dad all those years? Fantastic.”
He bows to me. “If you wish it, I will go and never darken your doorstep again.”
“No. I won’t turn away a hungry creature. But know that you will honor your word about no harm coming to any in this place. Catty might not have eaten you, but I’m sure I’ve got someone around here who would.” I roll out of the way. “Come in, Judah.”
“Thank you, Mistress of Supernatural Creatures.”
“Liv.”
“I am between living and dead, I suppose,” he says as he steps inside.
I laugh. “No. Liv. It’s my name. Liv Good.”
“Ah. Mistress Liv. Is that from the Norse?”
“Norwegian, yeah,” I roll toward the kitchen. But I stop when I notice that Judah isn’t following me.
I roll back toward him. He’s leaning against the frame of the bathroom door. “Hey. You all right?”
“Liv, would it offend you greatly if I were to remove something from your trash?”
“You want to take out my trash? Dude, one less thing for me to do. Just make sure you wash your hands after you’re done.” I shrug. Sure, it’s a strange request. But he could have asked for far worse.
He bows. “It is only an item that I require. As you’ve discarded it, and seem unattached to your rubbish, I shall make use of it.”
I raise my eyebrow as he dashes into my bathroom. Curious, I roll closer to see what he’s taking. My stomach churns as I watch him lick an item pulled from my trash.
“Oh, whoa. I, that’s really gross. But, yeah, I can see why you’d like it.” I hide my face in my hands.
“I do apologize. You are compatible with my needs. The waste was a means to sustain and strengthen my existence. It had to be done.”
“Right. Yeah. Do you want some tea or something? Or a spare toothbrush? I probably have one.”
He laughs. “Thank you for your kindness. I have done far worse to remain sustained. If you would consider continuing our friendship though, perhaps I could purchase menstrual cups for you?”
“Wow. Well, that’s just about the oddest offer I’ve ever gotten. Forget the tea, this calls for alcohol.” I roll toward the liquor cabinet.
Judah follows me, Catty dancing between us. Nothing unusual here. Just a vampire licking my used feminine products.
“I don’t mean to alarm or offend you. At the moment, your trash contains my treasure. Something which I trust to be true every month.”
“Yup,” I say as I pour myself a shot. Using the bottle, I motion to him, questioning if he’d like one. He declines. Saw that coming.
“One benefit of my long time on this world is the extended time to accumulate wealth. I could pay you for a for something you throw in the trash. An arrangement that could last for years. Quite a handsome sum to be earned for doing next to nothing.”
He’s speaking to my basic needs.
*** 625 words
