I separated the broccoli heads, then arranged them on a plate with celery, apple slices, and baby carrots. A small bowl of hummus, spinach and artichoke, sat in the center. In total, the food amounted to little more than a snack for me now. However, it wasn’t for me.

Ash lay on the couch, stomach down, and as I brought the dish into the living room, his distressed eyes followed my movements. After setting the plate on the coffee table, I lowered to my knees and stroked his hair. “How are you feeling?”

“My stomach still hurts.” His mouth moved against the pillow; his head lay turned to the side facing me.

“Want to try some fruits and vegetables? I read that it helps with stomach pain.”

“I’m never going to eat ice cream again.”

Mentally, I rejoiced, but guilt tainted the joy — a bittersweet victory at best.

Essentially, I’d tricked him. We’d both ordered the waffle cone at Baskin-Robbins, his fudge brownie, mine pistachio almond. We’d both raced to finish them before they dripped everywhere, and even after I’d finished mine, I’d encouraged him to continue, knowing this would be the result.

I could have stopped him. I could have helped him finish eating a dessert that was designed for people many times his weight. But, I didn’t. I rationalized it — a night of suffering was a small price to pay for a life of healthy living.

Unfortunately, rationality did not assuage my conscience. “I’m sorry, Ash.” 

“Why? It’s not your fault.”

It was my fault. I didn’t feel smarter, but I’d outsmarted him. Using reverse psychology, I’d guided him down the path leading to his current condition, all without his awareness. The old Luna never would’ve acted under such clandestine motives. She would’ve shared everything with him, informing him of the risks of eating too much sugar. Wouldn’t she?

“How about some tv?” I went to the other side of the three-person couch and sat, then pulled the bed sheet over his exposed feet. Even fully stretched out, he occupied less than two cushions.

“Ok.” He tried to sound strong in spite of his discomfort.

I turned on the television and flipped through the channels. Soap operas, women’s rugby, Empress Lailah’s World Address…

Twilight, a movie where a teenage boy falls in love with a female vampire. What luck — it had just begun!

“Haven’t we seen this already?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Do we have to watch it again? It was predictable enough the first time.”

“Pleeease.” I encased his feet with my hand and rubbed my thumb against his soles.

“Mmmm...ok.”

“Thanks!” I smiled and continued the foot massage. Over the course of the day, I’d become accustomed to his small stature. Instinctively, I knew how much pressure I could apply before causing harm. I’d adapted to other size differences with equal rapidity. It was as Regan had said; things simply ‘made sense’.

He moaned as I moved my hand upward and kneaded his calf, the one without the implant, between my thumb and two fingers. I reached and massaged his thigh muscles, pressing the tension out of his hamstrings. I dared not proceed further, because I still hadn’t gotten over my dream from last night. And because he needed sleep, not arousal.

Unfortunately, as time passed, the movie did nothing to dampen my own arousal. Bella, the Ascended lead in the film, saved Edward from getting struck by a van in the school parking lot. Even though she was a vampire, over one hundred years old, and craved his blood, they still fell in love. The kissing scene in Edward’s bedroom raised goosebumps all over my skin, and by the time the movie ended, I was hornier than ever.

“I can’t believe you massaged me through that entire movie,” he said in a lazy voice, then sat up and hugged my arm.

“I did?” My fingers had acted on autopilot. I hadn’t even noticed their ministrations, another indication that I’d fully Ascended. “Are you feeling better?”

“Much better.” On his knees, he rubbed his head against my shoulder. “You’re much prettier than Bella, by the way.”

I grinned. His compliments never got old. “Too bad I’m not a vampire.”

“How do you know you’re not?” he asked in a playful tone.

Wow. He must be feeling better. This could be fun. “Well if I’m a vampire, you better run.”

“Why?” He tilted his head up.

“Because I’m getting thirsty.” I reached my other hand toward his neck in slow motion.

He slid off the couch and ran to the stairs.

“You can’t hide from me, Edward.” I rose to my feet as he descended, most likely heading toward the basement bedroom.

To confirm, I pressed the side button on my new GPS tracking watch. He was fifteen feet below, and a little to the south of me. I didn’t need to use the watch inside the house; I could find him easily without it. However, the blipping dot gave me peace of mind. With the touch of a button, I could find him anywhere in the world now.

I took the stairs slowly, intentionally stepping on the ones that creaked so that he would hear my approach. “Where did you go, little Edward? You have nothing to fear. I only want a taste.”

The lines were corny and completely fabricated. In the movie, though Bella’s eyes did linger on Edward’s neck in several scenes, she only drank animal blood. Of course, Ash didn’t know that. He’d slept through half the film on both occasions.

Bypassing the basement light switch, I stepped into the dark bedroom and looked around. Even though the sun had set and no light entered through the window, I could see perfectly fine. I could also hear the breathing and the faint heartbeat of the man I loved, hiding in the most obvious place — under the bed.

“Come out, Edward.” I walked to the side of the bed. “The longer you make me wait, the harder it will be for you.”

Soft laughter...then movement. I dropped to the floor and shot my arm underneath the bed. My hand gripped his ankle just before he slid away. “I’ve got you now, my love. You can’t escape.”

His leg jerked in my grasp, but I held on tight and pulled him out, careful to ensure he didn’t bump his head on the bed frame. As soon as I had him out, I scooped him into my cross-legged lap, sitting so that he faced away, and hugged him back against my chest and stomach.

As he struggled in vain to free himself, I lowered my mouth to his ear and whispered, “This will only hurt a little.”

“Nooo!” His hands gripped my forearms and pulled, his tiny biceps straining under my effortless embrace. His struggles multiplied my lust because he couldn’t even begin to challenge my physical superiority. Not that I’d ever wanted to be ‘superior’ in that regard, but something about it felt incredible, at a primal level.

“You can’t escape my vampire strength.” I gave him a light squeeze, forcing the air from his lungs to prove the point.

“Please. I’ll be good.” His chest heaved. “Just don’t kill me.”

Eventually, his twisting and tugging waned, reminding me of his limited endurance.

“Kill you?” I lifted him in the air by the armpits, then spun him around to face me before standing myself. “Who said anything about killing? I don’t intend to drink all your blood.”

I laid him on the bed on his back with his arms and legs splayed out. His lungs gulped air as he looked up at me descending upon him like a dome. “Of course, there’s not much blood in that little body of yours…”

When he tried to sit, I forced him back down with a gentle forefinger to his sternum. The box springs creaked as I dropped forward onto my elbows. Then, I pinned his arms with my hands, and lowered my head toward his neck.

Showing more energy than expected, he wrenched his body from side to side, causing me to pause my descent until he stopped.

“My blood”—he gasped, thoroughly winded—“doesn’t taste good.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” I brought my lips to his right shoulder and inhaled. Even if I wanted to stop, I couldn’t.

My open mouth covered the entire side of his neck, my bottom teeth reaching to his Adam’s apple. I bit lightly and sucked, then undulated my tongue against his skin and made gulping noises. Though I wasn’t really drinking his blood, I was tasting his sweat, and it tasted delicious.

I lifted my head, dangling a string of saliva from my mouth to his shiny neck. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Can I go now?” His mouth hung partway open, his eyes turning glassy.

“Do you want to go?” It wasn’t fair. Surely, he knew the effects my saliva would have on him.

He nodded. “I forgot to eat the food you brought.”

Perhaps the aphrodisiac took longer to absorb through the skin. I lowered my mouth toward his. Was it wrong? Could I even stop myself at this point?

Our lips met, but I proceeded no further, willing my body to walk the tightrope over the abyss of wrongful desire. His nasal exhalations tickled my skin as we remained in that position. But when his tongue touched my lips, I pulled away as if stung by a bee.

His hurt expression confused me, almost as much as his words. “You still love me, don’t you Luna?”

I returned to his mouth and drove my tongue deep, filling the small orifice and overpowering his jaw. His tongue flattened to the bottom of his mouth because it had nowhere else to go. His teeth bit down, lightly. Even if he’d used full force, it likely wouldn’t have hurt.

I extracted myself, then asked, “Still want to leave?”

The haziness in his eyes had increased, and he stared at me with an expression of wanting. “Can we have sex?”

Suppressing a smile, I sat back on my legs and caressed the side of his face. “I don’t know, Ash. I think you should rest after that stomach ache.”

His eyes widened, and he released a sound somewhere between a whimper and a groan. His hand went to the bulge in his jeans, and he started rubbing. “Please, honey? I don’t think I can hold it in.”

My smirk broke through and I asked, “Hold what in? You mean what’s inside here?” I unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, then pulled them down. The tip of his penis protruded from the hem of his boxers, fully erect and glistening. His hand reached for it, but I grabbed his forearm.

“Please, Luna. If we can’t have sex, then I need to...”

How should I relieve him of his burden? Orally, or...

I slid my moist panties off and lay upon my back. In less than a second, he pulled up my sundress and threw himself on my body, causing me to giggle. He didn’t weigh anything, and didn’t even need to prop himself up.

My laughter stopped when he penetrated me. Not because it hurt, but because I could barely feel it. He was in as deep as he could go, his groin colliding against my vulva, but I might as well have been sticking a single finger in there.

Still, he seemed to be enjoying himself, so I didn’t mind the reduced sensation. Instead, I marveled at the way his hair rubbed against the cusp of my breasts, at how his thin arms grappled my abdomen as he thrust in and out. Even if I didn’t experience an orgasm, I wouldn’t mind because I was making him happy.

I moaned and bucked my hips, pretending to enjoy the activity more than I did. When he came, I faked a spasm and gasped, trying to sound as realistic as possible. I’d never faked an orgasm before, so hopefully he wouldn’t see through my ruse.

“Wow.” He crawled up and toppled over, head nestling under my armpit. “That was amazing, wasn’t it?”

“Incredible.” I lied, then reached down and fingered my clit. I was wet, but the whole thing ended far too quickly and...weakly. In the future, I could keep a vibrator handy, after discussing it with him of course. He wouldn’t want me to go unsatis — 

Pulse.

My finger stopped and my head tilted back. Time froze. A staggered breath departed my mouth as the pulsation vanished as mysteriously as it had arrived. It had originated toward the back of my vaginal canal, near the cervix, though that was impossible given he never even reached that far. Perhaps, I’d imagined — 

Pulse.

My stomach contracted as a wave of hot pleasure throbbed from my core, as if bliss itself, warm and slippery, had crawled into my uterus and given birth to ecstasy. Again and again, the pulsations came with increasing frequency, each stronger than the last, until they surpassed any known limits on my threshold for pleasure.

They didn’t stop, and it was all I could to to roll over onto my side, away from him, and scream into the pillow. No longer a pulse, but an intense vibration gave life to every cell in my body, searing every nerve ending with white hot euphoria, building and building until my body went rigid, curled in on itself, then uncurled in a violent arch, every muscle taut as clear fluid sprayed from down below.

“Luna!” He shook my shoulders, and I rolled onto my back, dazed. Although the orgasm, if it could be called that, had passed, every inch of my skin still tingled. The damp sheets, the humid air, every sizzling molecule surrounded me with inexplicable gratification — a sense of understanding, of knowing reality, its resplendence, and my place within it.

“Are you ok? What’s going on?”

His visage blurred as joyful tears leapt into my eyes. I pulled him down and hugged the side of his face against my breasts. “I’m so...happy.” Sobs cut through my speech. “You’ve given me the best gift ever.”

“I did?” He tried to get up, but I wasn’t about to let him go.

“There are no words to describe it, Ash.”

And there weren’t. At that moment, I was perfect. He was perfect for me. 

And nothing could change that.

***

While Ash slept, I bathed in the afterglow. My stomach, breasts, and legs sheathed the backside of his small form, unmoving except for my lungs which expanded and contracted in synchrony with his. Completely rejuvenated, I had no need for sleep, no need for anything but to enjoy every second in his presence.

When he finally stirred, I scowled, unable to contain my disappointment at...something. The passage of time perhaps. If someone ever invented a machine to freeze it, I’d be the first customer in line.

“Good morning,” I whispered into the back of his head.

“What time is it?” He shifted in my arms.

“Seven oh two.”

“What happened to the alarm?” He raised onto his elbow. “We’ve got to go. We’re going to be late.”

“I turned it off.”

“What. Why?” He tried to sit, but couldn’t budge my arms.

“You weren’t feeling well last night and needed sleep. You can call in sick.”

“Luna.” He crawled under my forearm and turned to face me. “I’m fine. Now come on. We’ve got to get to work.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Of course I do.” Arousingly naked from the waist down, he crawled to the edge of the bed. “It’s Monday isn’t it?”

“Like I said, you don’t have to work. Now that I’m Ascended, I can get a better job, one that pays more than what we both make combined.” I rolled over and tackled him with an arm before he could hop from the bed.

“Well, you can get a different job if you want, but do you really think I’ll quit my job?” He pushed himself up only to collapse once more as I applied pressure. “Luna!”

I giggled, then removed my hand from his back. “No. But I wanted you to know it’s an option.”

He jumped to the floor and turned around. “What would I do all day while you’re at work? I’d be bored silly.”

I rolled off the bed, scooped him into my arms, and walked toward the stairs. “You could sleep during the day, and play with me all night.”

He laughed. “As fun as that sounds —”

“I know.” I took the stairs, two at a time. “Can’t blame me for trying. At the very least, I’m taking my shower with you. You certainly need one.” I wrinkled my nose. “All sticky and smelling like sex.”

“And whose fault is that?” His eyes narrowed. “Mrs. Vampire Nymphomaniac.”

I smiled as we rounded the corner into the bathroom. Vampire nymphomaniac — I liked the sound of it. Perhaps we’d role play something else tonight.

But first things first, we needed a shower. Though the thought of ‘marking’ him as mine had its appeal, he wouldn’t want to show up at work smelling like my private parts. The scent would definitely be detectable to an Ascended woman.

Still, if cleaning must be done, I intended to assist...and have a little fun in the process.