Eternal Love, Eternal Night

Her head rolled across the castle floor, coming to a stop at his shiny black boot. The vampire, dropping to his knees, felt as though invisible rats were shredding his heart. For his love had just been beheaded before him. And when he swept her up by the hair to kiss her goodbye she was already gone; and it burned him deeper than sunlight; and he wept centuries-old tears.

Later, as he unleashed his rage upon Van Helsing for what he’d done, a sudden, clear change overcame him, guided by a feminine sigh from another realm. He stopped cold, silver eyes piercing his long-time enemy. A few choice words, and that was that. Calmly, he stepped forward—a vampire opening his arms to the stake…

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.