Eternal Love, Eternal Night

Her head rolls across the castle floor, coming to a stop at his shiny black boot. The vampire, dropping to his knees, feels as though invisible rats are shredding his heart. For his love has just been beheaded before him. And when he sweeps her up by the hair to kiss her goodbye she is already gone; and it burns him deeper than sunlight; and he weeps centuries-old tears.

Later, as he unleashes his rage upon Van Helsing, a sudden change overcomes him—guided by a lonely, feminine sigh from another realm. He stops cold, silver eyes piercing his enemy. His tongue spits two words of white fire, and that is that. The vampire steps forward, arms open wide to the stake; his time here is ended. Now he walks hand-in-hand with his love along the opulent streets of eternal night.

First published in The Vampiricon: Imaginings & Images of the Vampire, an anthology from Mind's Eye Publications, 2023.