Precisely at sundown Aidan opened his eyes to find himself alone in the bed. He yawned and stretched. Flame had probably been up for hours. He had come to terms with the darker aspects of his condition, but some of the everyday consequences were proving to be very annoying. The fact that during daylight had always wanted to sleep was one of the more irritating of them. During the winter it was no bother, the days were short, the nights were long, and he was awake most of the time, but during the summer months it was very inconvenient. Living as far north as they did, the summer days were very long. Sometimes the sun would only slip below the horizon for an hour or so before rising again. During that time of the year Aidan practically hibernated, spending so much time asleep that he wasn’t much use to anybody. The year had turned toward winter now, so the nights were growing longer, but he still slept more than he wanted to.

He got to his feet, getting dressed for the day. As always he chose an outfit in dark colors, today’s being deep navy blue. He adjusted the medallion around his neck that allowed him to go out in daylight when necessary. He could stay awake during the day if he had to, but he never felt as alert as he did during the night. Darkness was his element now, and most of the time he liked it that way.

He wished he could see his reflection to get some idea of how he looked. That was another thing he found somewhat annoying about his vampirism, the fact that mirrors now ignored his existence. The little mirror that Flame used was propped up on a dresser at the moment, and it reflected an empty room, even when Aidan stood directly in front of it. He combed his hair and straightened the dark iron collar that he always wore around his neck. Judging that he was ready for the day, or rather night, that lay ahead he opened the door and went out into the main room of the house. He found Flame Song reading Littlespark a story. She was going slowly, sounding out some of the words.

“Hi Flame.”

“Hi yourself,” she said, breaking off he story. “I was thinking it was about time for you to emerge.”

“Yeah, I just crawled out of my coffin. How do I look?”

“Handsome as ever, though your sun medallion is on crooked.” She got up and straightened it. He smiled warmly at her and stole a kiss while she was so close. He had never thought of himself as handsome. Scrawny was the word he usually applied, if he thought about it at all, but after more than four years of Flame Song saying it he was actually starting to believe it.

“Daddy!” said Littlespark.

Aidan scooped her up and twirled her around. “Hello Spark. Enjoying your story?”

"Wanna spin! Spin, spin, spin!"

Aidan laughed. "Okay, but you're going to get dizzy."

"Spin, spin, spin, spin Daddy!"

Aidan laughed again and obediently spun his daughter around. They whirled until he started to get dizzy himself and dropped onto the low pile of cushions that sat in front of the fire. They were both laughing, as was Flame Song.

“I need to go out tonight,” said Aidan when he’d recovered from the laughing fit.

“Want some company?” asked Flame.

“No. I’m just going to get some dinner.”

“All right. See you when you get back.”

Aidan gave her a kiss and headed out the door. He went up the sloping entrance tunnel that lay outside their front door. He reached the top and looked out on a cool summer evening. The sky was still light, and the night wouldn’t be long, but there was time enough for him to do what needed to be done. He spread his wings and launched himself into the air. He reveled in the flight. Flying was one of his greatest joys. He loved the feel of the wind rushing past, the way he felt completely free of the cares of the world. Just for fun he did a couple of barrel rolls and a mid-air somersault before settling into a pattern of regular wing beats that carried him swiftly across the sky.

It didn’t take him long to reach his destination. Below him the green of the summer plain was covered in little brown shapes, like a bag of rice spilled out over a green tablecloth. As he swooped lower the shapes resolved themselves into a huge herd of northern elk. Somewhat similar to the caribou of Earth, the elk provided Aidan his primary food supply. He’d been tracking this herd for weeks. They would be around for a month or two more before the turning season sent them migrating south. During the deep winter hunting was more difficult, but now it was almost too easy. Aidan selected his animal, choosing a doe that had wandered a little ways away from the rest of the herd. With practiced precision he dropped from the sky and landed with a flip of his wings right next to the doe. Before the startled animal even had time to move he’d gotten a firm grip around its neck and an instant later his sharp eyeteeth had cut through its skin. The doe froze, unable to move while Aidan was feeding.

He drank deeply, taking his fill of the hot red blood. It revitalized him, filling him with a rush of energy more intense than anything he’d known in his old life. When he’d had his fill he released the frightened animal. It staggered away, stunned and slightly weakened, but not permanently harmed. That was the reason he preferred the big northern elk to any other game, the fact that he didn’t have to kill to get what he needed. As a monster hell-bent on causing death and destruction, he was a total failure. He was far too softhearted. He wiped a faint trace of blood off of his lips with a handkerchief. Then, tucking it back into a pocket, he spread his wings again and took off into the still night.

It hadn’t really taken that much time, but with the short summer nights by the time he got back to his home the sky was just beginning to lighten again. He sighed as he looked out over the tundra. Sometimes it was downright frustrating, spending so much of his time out cold. He wished winter would hurry up, though the long winter nights could be lonely, with everyone else asleep. But he much preferred the solitude to this continual sleepiness. Well, nothing I can do about it, he thought to himself and turned and went inside.

“Hi,” said Flame Song, who was sprawled in front of the fire in firecat form.

“Where’s Littlespark?” asked Aidan, sitting down next to her and running his fingers through her thick fur.

“She didn’t go down for her nap today, so she fell asleep early and I just put her to bed.” Aidan continued to run his fingers through her fur, scratching gently along her sides.

“Mmmmm… keep doing that, that’s very nice.” Her eyes closed halfway in an expression of utter feline bliss and she started purring. Aidan leaned against her side, feeling her purr rumble through him. It was an odd sensation, but not unpleasant. Once he’d given her a thorough scratching her purr gradually faded and she sat up. The shimmering blur of shape-shifting surrounded her, and when it cleared she had returned to human form.

He puller her close and kissed her deeply. Her arms went around him and she returned his kiss. When she came up for air, she smiled at him and ran her hands along his soft-feathered wings. He stroked her cheek, marveling again at her beauty in both her forms. A strange thought popped into his head. “Flame Song, do you ever wonder what it would be like if you were mated to one of your own species?”

“Well… to be honest, I have wondered a bit. Humans do go about things differently, but I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. You’re pretty amazing, you know.”

He blushed, and Flame Song laughed. “Guess I’ve got a reputation to live up to,” he said. He pulled her in and kissed her again. Then he broke off and began to work his kisses downward, lingering teasingly, tantalizingly, over the pulse at the base of her neck. He could hear her heart racing, could smell the sweet scent of her rushing blood beneath her skin. Her hand came up to the back of his head, her fingers threading through his hair, and she urged him on with gentle pressure.

He responded to her urging and broke through the soft skin at her throat with his sharp eyeteeth as gently as he could. The feelings that filled him as he slowly took her blood into him were completely different than the sensations of his earlier feeding. That had been the mere attaining of sustenance, but this was something far deeper. The blood shared between them created an emotional bond, and as he drank he could feel what she felt. The bond ran both ways and even as he touched her mind, she touched his, their hearts coming together in a profound union of pure love that was far more intimate than any simple physical joining.

Afterward they lay side by side in front of the fire in drowsy contentment. Outside the sun was rising and as it came above the horizon Aidan dropped into a deep sleep. Flame simply lay next to him and enjoyed his closeness. After a while she stirred herself and got up. She considered Aidan, who lay perfectly still on the cushions in front of the fire. He would probably appreciate waking up in bed, and besides, if she left him out here Littlespark would want to use him as a jungle gym when she woke. She knelt down and picked him up, giving a slight “oof” at the weight. He wasn’t all that heavy with his short height and slight build, but she was no weight lifter. If she had needed to go further than the few steps to the bedroom she probably wouldn't have tried it.

She set him down on the bed. He didn't wake, though he stirred and murmured something sleepily. She smiled down at him, thinking again how lucky she was to have him. Eventually she curled up next to him, and was soon sound asleep.