continued, "and had a lot to learn as, like me, he was abandoned after his change."
"Is that common amongst vampires?" I asked. "I mean, I would think if you go to all the trouble to change someone, you want them in your life."
"No, it is not common. Jean-Claude and I were unfortunate. I, because the man who changed me was a coward, and Jean-Claude because he was taken against his will and grew to hate the one who changed him. That is not unusual. Being changed is a traumatic experience, one that takes you from one life to another, making you leave everything you have ever known behind—forever. Imagine awakening from what you supposed was some kind of nightmare to find it a reality, and no matter how one might try to wish it way, it cannot be undone."
"So you helped Jean-Claude through all of this?"
He nodded. "He was lonely, lost and very bitter ... For a time I did not think I could save him from himself, but gradually he came to an acceptance of his new life."
"Were you lovers?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't notice the strain in my voice.
"We loved each other. We still do, but not in a sexual way.
He is a very attractive man. He was changed just before his thirtieth birthday, still in his prime, but no, we did not engage in acts of love." He tapped the tip of my nose with his 108
My Vampire and I
by J. P. Bowie
forefinger, and grinned at me. "So take that jealous glint from your eyes."
"Sorry," I muttered, grabbing his hand and holding it tight.
I brushed his knuckles lightly with my lips. "I'm being obnoxious."
He smiled into my eyes, a smile guaranteed to melt my heart. "When you meet Jean-Claude, you will love him too."
* * * *
"So about this creep, Gregory," I prompted, after I'd cleared the table and we sat back down on the couch.
"He was one of the Brothers in the monastery I joined for a short time." He sipped his wine, without a grimace, so I figured he was getting used to it. "I had by this time, adapted to many of the ways of humans. The discipline and the solitary monastic life benefited me enormously. Very few monks approached me. No one spoke except at meal times from which I absented myself. Only the Father Superior knew my true identity, and he was eager for me to find the path to redemption and allowed me to stay within the monastery walls, on the strict promise that I would not bite the necks of any of the Brothers.
"This promise I adhered to, finding my sustenance elsewhere. I threw myself into my studies, pouring over the volumes the Father put at my disposal. For months, I searched for the answers I needed, but I found nothing. You see, Roger, I just could not find it in me to believe what I was reading. To me, the texts were awash with superstitions gleaned from every religion that had gone before. I rapidly 109
My Vampire and I
by J. P. Bowie
became disillusioned, even though the good Father gave me daily encouragement.
"Then disaster struck. Not immediately, for it came in the guise of Andrew, a gentle young man to whom I felt an enormous attraction. It was obvious from the start that he felt it too, and before long, he was in my cell and we were making love most every night. I hid my vampirism from him—he had not guessed my true nature, thinking that the sexual heights to which I raised him were partly his doing."
He paused. "I'm sorry, did that sound very conceited?"
I nodded. "Yes." Then I grinned at him. "But, as one who has been raised to those heights, I'll forgive you." He kissed me gently on the chin, and shot me that amazing smile of his.
"Don't do that," I warned him, "or we'll never get to the end of this story."
"Mmm," he murmured. "Something to look forward to.
Anyway, Brother Gregory had been spying on us and had informed the Father of our liaisons. The Father had no choice but to throw us out of the order, but I begged him to give my young lover another chance. This he did, and I took my leave of the brotherhood the very next day. I retreated to Naples where I
"Is that common amongst vampires?" I asked. "I mean, I would think if you go to all the trouble to change someone, you want them in your life."
"No, it is not common. Jean-Claude and I were unfortunate. I, because the man who changed me was a coward, and Jean-Claude because he was taken against his will and grew to hate the one who changed him. That is not unusual. Being changed is a traumatic experience, one that takes you from one life to another, making you leave everything you have ever known behind—forever. Imagine awakening from what you supposed was some kind of nightmare to find it a reality, and no matter how one might try to wish it way, it cannot be undone."
"So you helped Jean-Claude through all of this?"
He nodded. "He was lonely, lost and very bitter ... For a time I did not think I could save him from himself, but gradually he came to an acceptance of his new life."
"Were you lovers?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't notice the strain in my voice.
"We loved each other. We still do, but not in a sexual way.
He is a very attractive man. He was changed just before his thirtieth birthday, still in his prime, but no, we did not engage in acts of love." He tapped the tip of my nose with his 108
My Vampire and I
by J. P. Bowie
forefinger, and grinned at me. "So take that jealous glint from your eyes."
"Sorry," I muttered, grabbing his hand and holding it tight.
I brushed his knuckles lightly with my lips. "I'm being obnoxious."
He smiled into my eyes, a smile guaranteed to melt my heart. "When you meet Jean-Claude, you will love him too."
* * * *
"So about this creep, Gregory," I prompted, after I'd cleared the table and we sat back down on the couch.
"He was one of the Brothers in the monastery I joined for a short time." He sipped his wine, without a grimace, so I figured he was getting used to it. "I had by this time, adapted to many of the ways of humans. The discipline and the solitary monastic life benefited me enormously. Very few monks approached me. No one spoke except at meal times from which I absented myself. Only the Father Superior knew my true identity, and he was eager for me to find the path to redemption and allowed me to stay within the monastery walls, on the strict promise that I would not bite the necks of any of the Brothers.
"This promise I adhered to, finding my sustenance elsewhere. I threw myself into my studies, pouring over the volumes the Father put at my disposal. For months, I searched for the answers I needed, but I found nothing. You see, Roger, I just could not find it in me to believe what I was reading. To me, the texts were awash with superstitions gleaned from every religion that had gone before. I rapidly 109
My Vampire and I
by J. P. Bowie
became disillusioned, even though the good Father gave me daily encouragement.
"Then disaster struck. Not immediately, for it came in the guise of Andrew, a gentle young man to whom I felt an enormous attraction. It was obvious from the start that he felt it too, and before long, he was in my cell and we were making love most every night. I hid my vampirism from him—he had not guessed my true nature, thinking that the sexual heights to which I raised him were partly his doing."
He paused. "I'm sorry, did that sound very conceited?"
I nodded. "Yes." Then I grinned at him. "But, as one who has been raised to those heights, I'll forgive you." He kissed me gently on the chin, and shot me that amazing smile of his.
"Don't do that," I warned him, "or we'll never get to the end of this story."
"Mmm," he murmured. "Something to look forward to.
Anyway, Brother Gregory had been spying on us and had informed the Father of our liaisons. The Father had no choice but to throw us out of the order, but I begged him to give my young lover another chance. This he did, and I took my leave of the brotherhood the very next day. I retreated to Naples where I
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