All That's Left

3rd Place Winner of the All Hallow Eve Anonymous O/S Contest

A/N: Thanks to Katmom for her mad beta skills and to LJ Summers, as always, for her eagle eyes.

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just running around loose on her playground.

All That's Left was nominated for One Trick Vampie (One-Shot Award)
Thanks to all that voted, and congratulations to all the winners.

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I slipped into town just as the school year was starting in early September. As much as I hated having enter into high school once again, I had to admit it was a target-rich environment.

Documents had long been easy to forge, and I registered for classes without any difficulty. I thought that finding a roof over my head might be tough since the town was so small, but there were several abandoned properties to choose from. I selected the most remote house, on the edge of town, one that had a clear path into the forest. Easy access to prey was as important as low visibility; I didn't need anyone watching my comings and goings. It came with an unexpected triple bonus — it wasn't locked, had the basics of furnishings, and there was an old beater car in the garage.

Score!

Further snooping in the various drawers and cabinets turned up several sets of keys. Through the process of elimination, I was able to find three keys that worked: one for the front door, one for the back door and one for the car. It was almost as if the previous occupant had just walked outside one day and vanished into thin air. Yet there was no food left rotting in the fridge, no signs of rodents or insect invasion typical of a dwelling left with edible material inside.

Huh, weird.

I checked out the mailbox and the glove box to scrounge up a name or two. I needed to create a cover story of some kind. I knew that a new girl living alone in a small town would set tongues wagging. I struck out with the mailbox — not even junk mail. But the glove box was a gold mine. Registration, insurance, even an old driver's license. Bud Brechenridge was the name on everything. An old guy, would be in his mid-70s according to the birth-date on the license. The car tags would expire in a couple of months, so no worries there.

It didn't look like Bud had left too long ago, but it was certainly long enough for the place to have taken on a lifeless air.

The next day, I stopped by the library to look through back issues of the local paper to see what, if any, further information I could find out about dear old Mr. Brechenridge. I struck out again, and decided to chat up the librarian.

"Excuse me."

"Yes, can I help you, dear?"

"I, uh, came in hoping to find some information on a relative, Bud Brechenridge. Know him?"

Her face fell into sad lines. "Oh, dear. Poor Bud. We didn't know he had any relatives. I guess you weren't close?"

"No, I just learned recently we were related."

"Ah, I see. Well, he lived alone in a house outside of town. He never married. He didn't come into town very frequently, so he wasn't missed. It was the mail man, John, who finally said something to the sheriff. The mailbox was stuffed full, he couldn't get another piece in it, and when he went to the door, no one answered. After three days, John got worried and called Fred. And it was Fred who found Bud. It looked like he died in his sleep. I'm sorry, dear, he died late last December. He's buried in the town cemetery, of course."

I tried to look appropriately saddened by this news.

She continued without pause in almost an embarrassed tone. "We didn't know quite what to do with his things. A few of us girls got together and cleaned everything out, took what we could to the Salvation Army box and left the rest. There wasn't anyone to claim him or them, but we didn't feel right selling the house or the furniture or anything. There was rumor of a will and a sister, but I don't know anything about that." She pursed her lips primly.

Here it comes.

"You said you're related?"

"Yes. I'm his step-grand-niece."

"Oh, I see. Did you come to visit?"

"Yes. I'm disappointed I missed Great Uncle Bud. It's nice here, very green." Deflect now. I looked down at my hands on the counter and closed my eyes concentrating briefly to send mental static in her direction. When I looked back up into her eyes, I asked, "What do I need to do to get a library card?"

"You need proof of residency — a piece of mail addressed to you is just fine."

"Okay, great. Thanks so much. I'll stop in again soon." I left quickly continuing to send mental static her way. She'd remember speaking to me, but that would be it.

I stopped by the utility board and had everything turned on, picked up a disposable pay-as-you-go phone, and grabbed a few groceries. All props for show.

And as simple as that, I was settled in Forks, Washington. I had been seen, accounted for, and with a little mental push, my flimsy back story was not questioned by anyone.

◈ — ◈ — ◈

High school was high school – something to be endured. I kept my hood up and my head down. Just being new would draw more attention than I wanted. I wore unremarkable clothes and hid my golden-yellow eyes behind more ordinary brown contact lenses. I spoke as little as possible and kept my distance from everyone, wanting and needing to observe, not be observed. Projecting a band of unpleasant mental noise was very effective for this and, after a week or so, I didn't need it any more.

Watching and waiting, I bided my time. Learning who was where in the high school hierarchy. It never took long to sort out the main players; it was those on the fringes, the ones with shifting alliances, that were tricky.

I didn't care about the petty high school dramas playing out around me. They were merely a distraction, however the associations and friendships usually proved useful later. I watched the adults around me just as carefully. The choices people made or didn't make held a level of fascination for me. I liked to make small wagers with myself over how a particular individual would react in a given situation. In any group, there were always a few individuals who would surprise me over and over. I'd hone in on those few, observing much like an animal behaviorist would, making notes and looking for regular or repetitive patterns. It filled the time and gave me something to scribble in my notebook. I sure as hell wasn't paying attention to any of the lectures.

I made a list of all the guys in school, and expanded it to include all the single young men in town. I was here for a reason – I was on a man hunt.

After another week or so, I had eliminated almost everyone on the list, and I was facing either going back through and settling for the best of a bad lot, giving up for this year entirely, or trying another nearby town. I was not a happy camper.

I decided to spend lunch in the forest away from everyone. Volatile vampire in a crowd of humans is never a good idea. I detoured around the cafeteria, heading for the rear of the building. Crossing the asphalt parking lot, I noticed a lone figure sitting at the picnic tables in the grass between the school building and the trees.

What's he doing out here? It's a shitty day out, he should be inside.

As I got nearer, he turned his head slightly in my direction. I still couldn't see his face well, but I knew I'd not seen him before.

Who is this? How did I miss him?

"Hey. What are you doing out here?"

"Eating lunch," he mumbled looking at the table top.

"I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?"

He laughed dryly. "No, I'm not new here. I just hide well."

"Yeah? You like to hide?"

"It's just easier."

"Yeah, hiding can be a good thing. I'm Bella, but my friends call me Little Swan, and I'm new here."

"Yeah, I know who you are. I'm Edward, and I've been here forever."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is for me."

"Oh, sorry. High school can be hell." I paused, but he still hadn't looked at me. "Well, it's kinda shitty out here. I think I'll go back inside."

He just nodded in reply and turned back to whatever it was he was hunched over. I was really curious now, but he didn't seem eager for company, so I left him to it and returned to the building. I could have pushed him mentally, but at this point I wanted to observe him in his natural unaffected state.

A new guy for the list! Finally, a real possibility.

And with that to lift my spirits, I sailed through the afternoon and fed well that evening.

◈ — ◈ — ◈

Now that I knew of Edward's existence, I saw him everywhere. I realized he'd been there all along, but he put out such a strong vibe of invisibility, I'd overlooked him just like everyone else did. We didn't actually have any classes together, or I'd have noticed him for sure. He avoided the long hallways as much as possible, willing to go outside and around the building if he could.

His shoulders were always hunched forward protectively, his hands jammed deep in his pockets. His head never looked away from the ground at his feet, one of which turned in slightly at the toe causing him to shamble and sometimes stumble a bit.

Awkward and uncomfortable in his body, check.

His hair was long and poorly cut, hiding his face well. His glasses were a disaster — old grandad black plastic frames.

I didn't think they even made those anymore.

No visible acne, but with his head down, those huge hideous glasses, and hair in his face, it was hard to tell.

Acceptable bone structure and skin, check.

He was tall and appeared to be thin, though with the clothes he assembled over his frame, there was no telling what was under there.

Appalling clothing sense, check.

Overall, his appearance was unkempt, uncared for, and unattended.

He was a continual surprise. He definitely had his habits, trails and routines, but within those structures he followed an indecipherable maze of choices and behaviors. Isolating himself completely, he avoided everyone. He needn't have bothered as everyone ignored him equally.

Within a day, he moved to the top of my list. I was definitely interested and intrigued. On the second day, I followed him home from school. He didn't go straight home, shuffling instead along a Byzantine pathway locked within his mind.

I took a brief look at where he lived. It was tidy and neatly kept, though slightly shabby and in need of some fresh paint. The screen door was a little crooked, and didn't close fully. The car in the garage was an old beater, the backyard needing mowing and a couple of windows on the second floor had bent, broken, or missing screens. Yet there was a flourishing kitchen garden, lovely blooming hedges and a prize winning rose garden out front.

Interesting. This house looks like no man has lived here in a long time, at least not a handy fix-it kind of guy. Or gal, I suppose.

I slipped into the shadows of the tree line behind the house to listen for the occupants. I was doubly rewarded since they were in the kitchen as I could see them through the window as well as hear them.

"Hi, Grams."

"Eddie! How was your day, dear?"

He winced. "It was fine. Nothing special." He picked at a fresh baked cookie while leaning along the countertop.

"Stop that!" She smacked his hand firmly. "You'll spoil your dinner."

"Sorry." He ducked his head and put his hand back into his pocket.

"Did you ask Charlotte to the Halloween Festival and Dance?" she asked with a hopeful tone.

"No, Grams." He ducked his head, and appeared to toed his shoe into the floor. "She wouldn't go with me anyway — there's no point in asking."

"Eddie," she chastised, "You're a lovely, handsome boy. Any girl would be proud to be seen with you. You have to stop hiding your light under a bushel!" She patted his back gently. "Now go wash up for supper."

He slumped off, and when he returned they sat down in the tiny dining room to eat. Listening them for the rest of the evening, it was clear she doted on him but had no concept of what his life was like outside the walls of this house. He was compliant and obedient with her every request — no teenaged belligerence, no back talk, no muttering or swearing under his breath. No aggression, nothing. He was soft spoken, gentle, tender and sweet.

Submissive to females in positions of dominance or authority, check.

I wondered what his story was and slipped into the house once they were asleep to see what I could find out. The inside of the house was much like the outside — neat, tidy, slightly shabby, somewhat cluttered with knickknacks, and generally very lived in. They had both been here together for quite some time. Flipping quickly through the mail and papers on her desk, I confirmed that they were the only two living here, and that their last names were different — hers Cullen, his Masen. There were no listings in her address book with those last names.

Only child living with one parent or guardian, few relatives, check.

Quickly, I scoped out the upstairs. No condoms in the bathroom or anywhere in his room, not even his wallet.

Hmmmm.

A fleeting glance at his driver's license showed his age as 18.

Not a minor, check.

I had to stifle my laugh when I saw him asleep in bed. He was wearing dad pajamas — the kind with a button up top — and was curled up with a ratty old teddy bear.

Clearly a virgin, triple check.

He was awfully sweet looking as he slumbered. Without the glasses and with his hair falling back against the pillow, I could see his face clearly for the first time. I was stunned. He was quite beautiful, actually. Well, for a human, anyway.

A bonus, nice.

His fingers were long and slim wrapped around his teddy, and I noticed drawings and drawing supplies all over his messy, chaotic bedroom. Typical teenager. And I felt relief.

This one could do nicely, indeed. I haven't had a specimen this promising since the 50's. But there's still the final qualification. The most important one. Time to see how he measures up.

As he slipped into a dream state, I edged closer to the bed. Closing my eyes, I concentrated briefly before leaning over and exhaling softly into his face. He gasped lightly, then the tiniest moan came from his throat. I continued to send mental images to him. His legs thrashed a little, his free hand started to slide slowly under the sheet and his hips thrust marginally upwards as his cock stood fully erect and at attention.

Mmmmmm, would you look at that. Big, long, hard, straight and beautifully shaped. Excellent.

I had learned the hard way that it was important to check out the package in the box before I committed. It was too much time, energy and work to expend only to end up with a thimble peen.

Before his hand could grasp his shaft, I reached over and touched him through the sheet and his pajama bottoms, drawing my fingertip lightly along his length from the base of his balls all the way to the tip. As my finger reached the very peak of his erection, he groaned softly, shuddered slightly, and came.

Well that clearly needs work.

I smirked and slipped away silently leaving him fast asleep in wet dream wonderland.

◈ — ◈ — ◈

Thus began the seduction and pursuit of my prey. He was virtually perfect for this in every way, and I so enjoyed playing with my food. I salivated venom freely at the thought of his beautiful face and his gorgeous cock. I had to feed immediately to keep myself from turning around and destroying my fun. This was not the time to be picky, so I gorged on the first animals I found – I was too excited, too horny, too turned on to worry about my food now. Starting to stroke myself before I finished the second carcass, I bit the head off the last one as I came in a powerful, blood-fueled orgasm.

Oh, God, yes. The ultimate vampire orgasm. How it was meant to be. Uhhhng.

I panted and shivered on the ground, reveling in my post-orgasmic high. Lingering long in the feelings, memories of past exploits washed over me. When I was younger and less disciplined, I found the lure of blood sex, blood orgasm irresistible, eventually drawing unwelcome attention from neighboring vampires. I was lucky when one took pity on me as a solitary newborn — I had never known my maker — and he became a mentor of sorts who took me under his wing and watched over me.

Jasper was always patient and kind. He could sense my feelings and emotions better than I could feel them or know them myself. He taught me the rules, the vampire basics, and helped me to understand the storm of irrationality raging within me. What few human memories I had weren't worth remembering and my vampire life before this point was violent, fueled by human blood, sex, and death. Jasper helped me calm down, taught me how to control myself, how to hunt and drink without ripping my prey to pieces in the process. He had switched to animal prey a century or so ago to control his own bloodlust, and while I really hated it at first, I had to admit that the fire for sex and death cooled on the vegetarian diet.

I lived for five years as a nomadic, solitary animal-drinking vampire, away from all humans. One night, a young, handsome hunter crossed my path one night, and my will crumbled. I seduced him, nearly fucked him to death and in the throes of my passion, I bit and drained him dry. It was the best orgasm I'd ever had and, like any addict, with just one taste of my drug of choice I was hooked again.

I wanted to feel regret, but honestly had none. However, I knew I had to be careful and after a few slips here and there when I couldn't control my appetite, plus one or two mistakes in prey selection, I came up with my checklist and the years passed swiftly. I had briefly tried a seduction every year, but that actually took some of the buildup and anticipation from my ultimate pleasure — a year is not very long when you live forever. I now allowed myself the indulgence of human blood fuel orgasm only once every five years or so.

◈ — ◈ — ◈

Over the next couple of weeks, I continued the pattern of occasional casual approaches at school or in town during the day and visiting his bedroom while he slept. He was unusually reclusive, so I proceeded cautiously, not wanting to scare him off or overload his mind. That could be messy, and I avoided messy at all costs.

By the first of October, I knew my prey very well. I had made a few other friends-at-a-distance by this time, and rotated through sitting with them in the cafeteria, subtly pumping them for information about Edward. He was warming to me as well, trusting me enough to sit with him at lunch a time or two, though conversation was minimal at best.

I hadn't touched him again during my night visits. Early on, I had thoroughly investigated his room, rooting around his desk mostly, looking at his drawings and sketches. He was really very talented and I found a series of completed graphic novels full of violence and death. It was clear this was his way of venting his anger and frustration at his lot in life.

Impressive.

Scattered across the top of his desk were drawings and diagrams for a haunted house. He'd even sketched up several costumes and made a list of needed supplies. The DVD cases next to his player were for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Nosferatu.

Classic movie buff. Why am I not surprised?

I spent time breathing lightly into his face every night. I used my mental prowess to induce a state similar to hypnosis and he turned out to be very suggestible. The mental images of myself were of how I really looked and dressed, not the part of "Little Swan" I played during the day, keeping us separate in his mind.

Sometimes I would send erotic, sexual images of things I wanted to do to him and things I wanted him to do to me. Other times, I would ask him questions in my mind that he would answer out loud. He was very forthcoming in his sleep and I learned a lot about him.

After making a suggestion or two one night, he finally opened up to me the next day at lunch and told me about the pay-to-go haunted house venue he'd designed. Some guy named Emmett had started organizing them three years ago.

Emmett had been a year ahead in school, and was one of the only kids never to tease or torment Edward with maliciousness or cruelty. He recognized Edward's talent and gave him a piece of the receipts for designing and staging the production. The first year was a success, and they'd increased the complexity each year since. They'd been constructing set pieces, false hallways, hidden doors and the like for a couple of months already. October was when the painting, staging and lighting details kicked in, and the brunt of the work now fell to Edward.

"That sounds like a cool gig."

He nodded, ducking his head and blushing a bit — his most typical response.

Geez! This is like pulling teeth!

"I'd be happy to help out, uh, if you, uh, you know, need any."

Go Little Swan!

"Really?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

He gave me a big bright smile. "That'd be awesome, thanks. I can always use another pair of hands."

"You might not say that once you've seen how inept I am."

"Nah, you'll be fine. It's supposed to look creepy and a shitty paint job works better under the lights than a good one."

"If you say so."

"I say so. Can you make it tomorrow around nine in the morning?"

"Yeah, I'll be there. I gotta run, I'll see you then, okay?"

"Okay. See you."

That night, I raised the stakes in my little night time game. I spent a couple of hours treating him to a highly detailed, very sensual, erotic mental movie of me kissing, nuzzling, nibbling, licking, stroking, and caressing him while he lay immobile, tied spread eagle to the bed. I didn't actually touch him, remaining next to him on the floor breathing into his face, and he wasn't actually tied to the bed though he lay as if he were. It was all in our minds.

Having had him undress for me some time ago, I knew what he looked like naked. He didn't even bother with his pajamas anymore at my suggestion. He wasn't perfect, but he was quite beautifully shaped and formed, with soft pale skin over lean muscle. He wasn't a washboard abs kind of guy and I liked that about him, his stomach and flanks were so vulnerably soft, which I found very arousing.

He had continued to struggle with issues of premature ejaculation, so having him unable to touch himself in his mind left him entirely at my mercy. I wanted him to come repeatedly, partly for the experience as he had none, and partly because I knew that the time between erection and ejaculation would lengthen each time. He needed to learn to keep an erection for longer than a minute or so once I touched his body. He was as responsive to me physically as he was suggestible mentally.

"Edward, do you trust me?" I breathed against his chest, my lips just above his skin. He could only hum his assent, still coming down from his latest orgasm.

"I want to try something new, okay?"

"Go for it."

I was laying on his chest, still partially clothed, my body between his spread legs. I slid down his body with deliciously slowness, dragging my tongue in a serpentine path from his sternum to his crotch. He was, of course, hard and twitching once I got there.

"What have we here? Is this all for me?"

"Yes, all for you."

"Mmm. . . ." I buried my nose in his hair and inhaled deeply. "Mmm, sexy. . . ."

"Oh, oh. . . I'm gonna, oh. . . ."

"No, you're not, baby." I slipped my fingers around the base of his cock and underneath his balls. I squeezed carefully until my hold was tight as a human's would be, essentially making a cock ring.

"What. . . ." He gasped, "What are you doing?"

"Not letting you come. Does it hurt?"

"No, not really, it's just. . . uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable bad, or uncomfortable new?"

"Uh. . . new, I think."

"That's good, baby. Just relax into it." I waited unmoving until his body began to submit and surrender to the new sensation.

"Oh, baby, I can't wait any longer. I'm going to taste you now." I leaned forward and licked the precum off his tip.

"Oh, uhhnng. . . ah. . . ." He writhed and groaned, his cock pulsing in my fingers. I could feel his balls trying to squeeze past the boundary I'd made, but I held firm.

"Oh, God, oh. . . I wanna. . . oh. . . come. . . ."

"I know, baby. But not just yet. Drop into the sensation. Don't fight it, let it wash over you and hold onto it. Learn it. Feel it." I wiggled the tip of my tongue down the side of his shaft to the base, circled it by flicking around the taut flesh, then finished by licking each ball once. He continued to writhe and groan, his motions restricted by the restraints.

"Oh, please. . . please. . . ." His hands clenched around the ties into fists. His toes curled toward the soles of his feet.

"Just a little longer, baby, just a little longer." I flattened my tongue against his shaft and dragged it slowly across the tip and down the other side.

"Ah, ah, ah. . . ." He was panting now and thrashing his head back and forth, pushing his hips up as much as he could. I saw his jaw clench and knew the time had come.

"Are you ready, baby? I'm gonna let go in just a second, I just want to be sure you're ready."

"Oh, God, please. . . yes, aaaaaaugh. . . oh, yes. . . ." The last was a gasped, desperate plea.

"Be ready, it's going to be a little cold. . . ." And with that, I plunged him deep into my mouth, my teeth covered by my lips, and released my fingers. His eyes flew wide open in surprise, looking down at me for a split second before his body arched, forcing his head back against the pillows as his orgasm ripped through him and his cum poured down my throat. I sucked him clean and swallowed every drop with satisfaction before releasing him. He collapsed against the mattress bathed in sweat.

I didn't move until he took a deep shuddering breath and exhaled, "Amazing. . . ." And I couldn't hold back my knowing grin and soft chuckle. His face split into a wide, goofy grin of bliss.

"Holy shit. How. . . how did you. . . what did you. . . do?" He gasped out as his breathing began to calm.

"I made a cock ring with my fingers. As long as your testicles can't draw up into your abdomen, you can't come. It also traps the blood in your penis, so you can't lose your erection, either, though you don't generally have a problem with that." I laughed and he joined me.

"But your mouth. . . . God, your mouth. . . . It was so cold. I. . . . It. . . . The sensation. . . . The contrast. . . . Incredible. How do you do that?"

"My mouth, my body is always cold. I've always shown that to you. I do not lie and show you heat where there is none. It is just how I am and, as you have just discovered, the difference is quite pleasurable once the shock wears off."

He only murmured in response, already drifting deeper into sleep, and would only partially remember the answer. Enough to settle his mind, but not enough to pique his curiosity further.

"The restraints have been removed. Sleep now, deeply, and awaken well rested. You have worked hard tonight and done well, you deserve your rest."

I had just under a month left, and things were progressing nicely. I was very pleased.

◈ — ◈ — ◈

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-October. Classrooms were fully decked out in the Halloween theme and decorations were popping up on more and more houses around town.

"Hey, Little Swan. . . ." Edward caught up to me outside my English class. Turning to him, I raised my brow in response. "Would you like, I mean, uh. . . wanna come over after school and decorate my house?"

Never wanting to appear too eager, I simply smiled and shrugged. "Sure. Could be fun. What time?"

He smiled then, too. "Oh, uh. . . ."

Hadn't thought about that, huh?

I stifled my snicker and made sure my expression didn't change. "How 'bout we meet in the parking lot after school? My car, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure, that'd be great." He said, his head bouncing like a bobble head doll.

"Okay, see you then."

When we got to his house later in the afternoon, we brought box after box of stuff from the garage to the front porch.

"Some of this stuff is for the haunted house, so we can't use it. But the rest is open season."

"You seem to really like Halloween, Edward."

"Yeah, it's my favorite holiday."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Oh, I don't know. The costumes — getting to pretend to be someone or something else for a night. I've always liked scary stories and scary movies, though I think scary books are better. What my mind imagines is always scarier than what they show on screen."

"Really? Wow. I'd have taken you as a It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown kinda guy." I teased and nudged his shoulder with mine. We never touched much during the day, I made sure of that.

"Swan. . . ." He teased back, throwing a rubber mask at me. We laughed easily together and between the teasing and the laughter, we made short work of the elaborate Halloween decorations he staged in the yard. At one point, his grandmother brought us fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and a pitcher of crisp apple cider with two glasses.

"Take all the time you kids need." She winked at Edward and disappeared into the house.

"She seems sweet. Lived with her a long time?"

"Yeah. Since I was a little kid. She practically raised me. She's more like my Mom than my Grandmom."

"Oh. Where're your parents?"

"Don't wanna talk about it." His face darkened immediately.

"Okay. That's cool. No worries. Didn't mean to pry."

"S'okay. Thanks, though. Just don't like to go there."

"Got it." I paused. The silence was suddenly awkward. "Um, so Saturday as usual, yeah?"

"Yeah, unless you want to come over here Friday to carve pumpkins. We usually do several so Grams has enough fresh pumpkin for several pies. I'll warn you, it's pretty messy and can be a lot of work, though."

"Well, the pumpkin deal has never been my thing, and I can't even draw a stick figure, but. . . . Yeah, okay."

He smiled happily, the dark cloud gone from his face. "Parking lot after school again?"

"Sure."

"We'll be stopping at the pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins, so put something in your car if you want to protect the seats or the trunk."

I laughed out loud at that and he looked puzzled and a little hurt. "Hellllloooo. Have you seen my car? It's an old beater piece of shit. A little pumpkin dirt isn't going to make any difference."

He blushed and ducked his head, nodding and laughing with me.

"Okay, big man, take care. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see ya."

◈ — ◈ — ◈

Going to the pumpkin patch turned into quite the adventure. It was a pick-your-own kind of place, the pumpkins mostly sitting right where they grew in the field. It was rainy and cold, and despite the hay strewn around on the ground, it was muddy, too. Edward was goofing around, not watching where he was going, and, of course, he tripped over a huge pumpkin and face planted in an extra squishy mud puddle. I couldn't stop my peals of laughter, especially once he sat up. The expression on his face was totally priceless.

"Yeah, ya think that's funny, Swan? I'll show you funny," he said in a mock threat as he got to his feet.

"Bring it!" I laughed taking a step or two back.

He lunged for me, and I dashed off down a neighboring row making sure to stay just out of his reach, but still tantalizingly close. We were both laughing and out of breath, stumbling along when I finally let him catch me. He wasn't expecting it and slammed into me, knocking us both to the ground into a huge puddle. Soaking wet and covered in mud, I grabbed a handful of the muck and threw it at him playfully.

"So, that's how you play, huh?" he teased, throwing a handful back at me with surprisingly good aim — he hit me square in the chest.

"Oh, oh! So it's like that, is it? We'll just see about that!" I went for a double handful and smashed it into his face, spreading the mud all over his glasses. I howled with laughter as he gasped and grumbled and made exaggerated noises of upset. He looked all the world like he'd been pied in the face with a mud pie instead of a cream pie. Wiping his glasses with muddy fingertips, he went for a double handful, dumping it on top of my head, mashing it into my hair.

"Isn't this supposed to be a beauty treatment?" he laughed. "I'll send you my bill later."

"Yeah, uh, thanks. It'll make my hair so shiny." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Truce?"

"Truce."

Now soaking wet and covered with mud, we found the nine pumpkins he needed and headed to his house. I dropped him and his pumpkins off and went home to shower and change. By the time I returned, he was freshly showered, too, and ensconced at a newspaper covered kitchen table spooning the last of the pumpkin insides into a bowl. Happy to have missed that disgusting task, I just sat and watched him carve intricate facial expressions into the rinds.

"Here, you do one." He placed a small pumpkin in front of me on the table.

"No, I'll let the artist thrill me with his artistry. I'm good just watching."
His grandmother glanced in my direction out of the corner of her eye and smiled. She served us the hot apple cider she'd been simmering on the back of the stove. I was sure it smelled wonderful to them – sweet and spicy – and I wrapped my hands around the cup to warm my icy cold fingers just in case.

"You like cats, yeah?" He asked suddenly.

"Depends on my choices. Of the basics, yeah."

He nodded in response, his brow slightly furrowed, his lips pouting a bit in concentration.

"Then here, this last one is for you. I really only needed eight, I like to get an extra just in case, but really, I wanted you to have one." He turned the pumpkin around so I could see the design clearly. It was a beautifully rendered cat head, complete with ears and whiskers.

"Oh, wow, um, thanks. That'll really be amazing with the candle in it."

"Yeah, um. . . . You're welcome. A little Halloween for your house, too."

"Speaking of which, I'd better head out." I stood from the table and cut Edward's grandmother off at the pass, "Thank you, no, Mrs. Cullen. Can't stay for supper, I need to get home."

"Oh, all right, dear." She couldn't hide her disappointment. "Drive safe, now."

"Yes, ma'am. Goodnight."

I left through the front door only to return through the back door several hours later, once they were both asleep. I went straight up to Edward's bedroom and took my usual place next to his bed. I had continued with the no physical touching mental sex exercises the past couple of weeks, slowly but surely increasing his orgasm control until he'd reached a fairly normal human range. Longer yet would serve me better, but considering where he'd started, I really couldn't complain. Plus, he did have excellent return and stamina otherwise, easily handling five orgasms in a single evening session. Two more weeks and he'd be at his peak. I smiled just thinking about it.

This next step was always a bit tricky, as I had to retain control while seemingly handing it to him. Since I couldn't read his mind, only projecting mine, this was in essence my fantasy of him taking the lead instead of me. Of course, real life Edward didn't have the faintest idea what to do with a naked woman, but dream Edward was a different story.

"Edward. . . ." I called, breathing into his face.

"Hi." He smiled, still sound asleep. "I was hoping you would come again tonight."

"Don't I come every night?"

"Yeah, I guess you do."

"Feel ready to try something new tonight? Do you trust me?"

"Oh yeah."

"Mmm. . . . Always eager."

"For you," he breathed, a new sultriness to his voice.

"Mmm, I like the sound of that."

He chuckled low and throaty.

"So, tonight, I thought it only fair for you to have a turn at me. You've waited very patiently for your turn as we've worked on your control. How's that sound?"

"Oh, God. . . ah, yes. . . finally."

"Ready?"

He hummed softly in response.

"Okay then." I slipped into bed beside him and waited. He turned to me and raised himself up on an elbow and pressed his lips to mine. Deepening the kiss, he stroked his fingers down my neck, across my collarbone and down my arm to my hand. He brought my hand to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss into the palm. A small gasp escaped my lips. He smiled lightly against my skin, and licked each finger in turn, suckling the tip briefly before moving on to the next. He returned his lips to my mouth and kissed me passionately, deeply. His hand closed over my breast through my clothes. He groaned into my mouth when he felt my nipple already firm, just waiting for his touch to harden. I arched a bit into his touch to encourage him, reward him. He pulled his body closer to my side, pressing his erection into my thigh.

He ducked his head to my neck, pressing hot, wet, open mouthed kisses over all the exposed skin he could reach. Quickly becoming frustrated by the boundary of my thin jacket style top, he reached for the zipper, pulling it down with aching slowness, licking and nipping every inch of flesh he exposed.

"Oh. . . ." He groaned when he found no bra under the soft black leather.

"Thought you might like that," I breathed through a smile.

"You're gonna be the death of me, woman."

"That's the general idea." I laughed softly.

"I guess there are worse ways to go," he breathed across my skin.

"That there are. Much worse ways to go. Oh!" I couldn't stop the surprised intake of breath as his teeth nipped the skin just above my low rise waistband.

"I thought you'd like that." He smiled again against my skin and continued to nip from side to side across my abdomen while his hands slid back up to my breasts.

"Yes. . . uh. . . ah. . . ." I gasped. "You're coming to know me so well."

"Yeah, well, I've had a good teacher."

I laughed. "The best."

He lifted his head and winked at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He slipped a leg in between mine and when he bent his head back down, it was to collect one of my nipples in his lips. No teasing, no warning as his teeth clamped down around the firm tip. I groaned loudly and arched for real this time, and his arms slid behind my back, pulling me closer, holding me firmly to his mouth. Tickling and dancing his tongue around and over my breasts was exquisite torture that I would endure as long as he dished it out.

Eventually, he danced his tongue back to my mouth, consuming it with abandon. He greedily swallowed my moans, rolling onto his back, bringing me with him. His hands slid slowly, sensuously down my spine, freeing the button and lowering the zipper on my short black leather skirt.

He slid his fingers under the leather, finding me waiting for him completely bare. He groaned loudly when his exploration was not interrupted by silk or lace. Palming both ass cheeks, he squeezed them deliciously.

"I want to see you naked. Now." His lips brushed my ear with his words. He raised his hands and pushed the shoulders of my top down my arms, unable to take his eyes off my totally exposed breasts.

"Beautiful," he sighed and leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to each nipple as he pulled the sleeves over my hands and tossed the garment onto the floor. He rolled again, so my back was pressed into the mattress, and slid down my body, pulling my skirt down with him.

"There are no words." He drank in every inch of my nakedness with his smoldering eyes. I lay panting and still, ready and waiting under his gaze.

Moving to below my feet, he raised the left one to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to the bottom of my foot. His lips parted, and he began a wandering journey up my foot, over my ankle, and along my calf. He spent a bit of time teasing the skin behind my knee as I fisted the sheets beside me. Finally, his warm, wet tongue arrived at the apex of my thighs.

"Unnngggmpf. . . ."

"Really, love. You're usually more coherent than that."

My reply was cut off by his lips closing around my clit. He sucked the sensitive flesh gently before releasing it to run his tongue in figure eights around my clit and my opening. Just when I opened my mouth to beg, he slid first one finger, then another inside me. A loud groan vibrated out of my throat. He circled his fingers inside me as he thrust them in and out while his tongue circled my clit relentlessly.

I couldn't hold back any longer, and let the waiting orgasm rip through me. Pausing only long enough to say, "Let's see how many orgasms you can have in one go," he continued assaulting me, pushing me into wave after wave of orgasm until we both lost count.

"Double digits, anyway," he murmured with a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile. I panted, totally drained and completely sated. "Enough for now?" Nodding was all I could do, and I was lucky to be able to do that.

I pulled back from Edward's face slightly to break the connection. He was hard as a rock, throbbing probably painfully, but he had held off coming through all of that. This was a much better result than I had expected. We only needed to seal the deal and we still had a couple of weeks yet.

"Edward. Excellent job tonight. You've earned a reward. You can come now when I touch you."

Once again, I stroked him with my fingertip balls to tip. His cock pulsed once and I pressed my open lips to his peak as he came, shooting his cum into my mouth and throat. I swallowed him down lustily, licking to get every sweet drop.

"Mmmm, Edward. You taste so good."

As usual, I told him to sleep well and rest deeply before I departed.

◈ — ◈ — ◈

The haunted house opened ten days ago. It was, by all accounts, a raging success with several people already repeat customers. Halloween was tonight, Saturday, complete with a dance and festival at school. The afternoon was for the little kids, the early evening for the older kids, and a huge overnight party held at the haunted house after it closed for the late-nighters.

Edward's grandmother had made all sorts of pies, popcorn balls, candy apples, and spiced apple cider for the festival and we spent the early part of the afternoon shuttling the goodies to campus. He wanted to stay and play with the little kids but a few things needed to be fixed at the haunted house before it opened, so he had to go there instead.

"Are you sure you don't need some help with your costume for tonight? I've got lots of stuff you can borrow."

"No, Edward, I'm good, thanks." I caught his eye. "Do you trust me?"

His eyes popped wide and he blinked wildly for a second.

"Something wrong? Got something in your eye?"

"Uh, no. . . . I'm fine. . . . I just. . . um. . . . I just thought I heard something I couldn't have," he finally mumbled under his breath.

"Okay, I'll see you later tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah, later." And he took one more skeptical look at me before he turned and walked to his car.

He'd refused to let me help at the attraction after a certain point though he wouldn't say why other than he wanted me to see it "in all its glory" Halloween night. I skipped the school festivities, having no interest in them whatsoever. The after party, however, had the distinct possibility for fun as there were plans for scary stories in the firelight and a late, late night movie marathon if anyone was still awake and interested.

Admittedly, I was excited and a bit nervous. I'd waited nearly eight years for this night and had spent the last six weeks carefully preparing my prey. I hunted extensively after I dropped Edward off – I needed my eyes to shine like the yellow-gold beacons they could be.

Wrapping up the house to leave it as I found it, I packed my few belongings into my knapsack and burnt the rest to ash, leaving nothing behind. Staying in any one place for more than a week, I always managed to accumulate a few things that I couldn't or wouldn't take and it was unwise to leave anything behind.

Then, I prepared myself with care and attention to every detail. My hair swept up into an intricate knot at the back of my head, zipped into the familiar black leather jacket and short skirt paired with thigh high boots. Stockings and stilettos were more de rigueur, but not practical in the Olympic rainforest. Make-up carefully applied, lips glossed, I headed out to the haunted house.

◈ — ◈ — ◈

Emmett had really picked a perfect location for his pay-to-enter Halloween venue. The house was set back from the road behind a thick screen of trees and the woods closely circled the house, isolating it perfectly from any neighbors. While it wasn't really creepy old — just a 70s ranch style, it was sturdy and safe, protected against any sort of collapse or other such liability. With the right staging, lighting and props, anything could be scary.

The party kids began to arrive just as the venue closed. The first several to arrive brought alcohol, drugs, and a sound and video system. Someone plugged in their iPod and started blasting tunes into the night. Three or four more carloads of party goers arrived about an hour later and things began to really swing. I made sure several of them saw me in and around the house, while keeping out of Edward's view.

"Here, man. Have a cold one." Emmett slapped him on the back while thrusting a beer into his hand.

"I don't. . . . I mean. . . . I. . . I. . . ."

"C'mon, Ed. It's just a beer. Live a little."

"Drink it." I called mentally.

"Well, um. . . well. . . okay." He popped the top and sipped, making a face at the bitter taste. Emmett laughed loudly and wandered off.

Several girls wanted to have a bonfire in the backyard but Emmett vetoed that not wanting to burn his investment down or catch the forest on fire. He acquiesced to a fire in the house's working fireplace and several guys went out into the tree line with flashlights to find some firewood. Emmett wisely nixed candles, too, and as soon as a bright fire was blazing in the grate, the music and the lights were turned off.

"Soon, so soon," I crooned to Edward in my mind and slipped back inside the house through a bedroom window.

After some silly supposedly scary noises and rowdy laughter, someone spoke up. "I'll go," she said, and launched into a story about a ghost at her summer camp. Several more stories were told, the tension and fear growing in the room, but not yet palpable.

Perfect, I purred to myself. Then louder, Edward? Are you listening?

He'd been sitting at the rear of the group and seemed bored. When he heard my mental voice he raised his head slightly and looked around.

Nod your head if you can hear me.

And his head immediately bobbed slightly.

I'm going to narrate a story that I want you to tell out loud, okay?

He nodded again once.

"Well, everybody, I guess it's time. . . ." Emmett began.

"Wait!" Edward cried cutting him off. "I have a story to tell."

"Oh, okay, Ed. Go ahead."

There were several snickers, giggles, and a few muttered "This oughta be good's" before the room fell silent again.

You've all heard of ghosts, goblins, vampires and witches, right? I began, Edward's voice perfectly repeating what I was saying. There were nods and murmurs of "yes" around the still room.

"Well, I'm going to tell you the story of a similar but different creature — a succubus. A succubus is a rare kind of vampire, a female vampire who likes to seduce and feed on human men." Edward's voice continued the story.

I laughed lightly out loud from the back bedroom, throwing my voice eerily. The fear and tension in the house raised a notch.

"One day, shortly before Halloween in a small town just like this one, a few people began to see a strange woman appearing seemingly out of nowhere and disappearing into the shadows almost as quickly. No one said anything to anyone else because they weren't sure they'd seen anything in the first place and they didn't want to mention something that might just be a hallucination."

I tossed a handful of nails onto the bathroom floor. I delighted in the gasps from the adjoining room.

"After a week or so, a strange girl showed up at the local bar. She was wet and shivering with cold. It was pouring rain and she had no coat and no shoes. She was very pale with long reddish brown hair and black eyes. The men couldn't help noticing that she wasn't wearing a bra as her shirt was plastered to her skin, her nipples clearly showing through the thin fabric."

Snickers and a few moans now.

"The cockiest guy in the bar approached her but she shrugged him off. The best looking guy in town tried next only to be met with a withering look. Each man tried in turn to speak to the beautiful wet creature that had appeared in their midst."

I splatted bare wet foot prints across the kitchen floor and had to stifle a laugh when several heads turned to the empty doorway and a few others hid their eyes.

"A few earned a small smile or a touch on their chest, but she eventually spurned all that approached. Then the women tried. They thought perhaps she didn't like men and several women found her very attractive. Again, a few soft smiles, a caress, but it seemed she wasn't interested in anyone in the bar. It had been silent while all this was going on, so everyone jumped when the jukebox suddenly belted out a song."

I hit play on the iPod and the song I'd selected blasted into the silence. The room erupted briefly with confused, panicked voices.

"Did you see someone?"

"I didn't see anyone."

"Is someone there?"

"This isn't funny."

"I'm scared."

I stopped the music abruptly. It was immediately silent and still, everyone frozen in place listening. The tension and fear were thick now. I could almost see it floating over their heads. Only Edward remained relaxed and unafraid at the back of the room. This is for your ears only, Edward. You're doing so well! I look forward to rewarding your trust in me as well as your storytelling prowess later. Now we continue with the story. . . .

"The woman closed her eyes and began to sway, dancing by herself in the middle of the floor. Slowly, she danced herself around the room and in the back corner of the bar sitting in a booth by himself was the one person who had not braved approaching the beautiful stranger. She reached down and gently grasped his hand to pull him to his feet. 'Did you pick this song for me?' she asked him. 'Yes,' he stammered in reply. 'It's lovely, thank you. Dance with me.' And she wrapped her arms around the shy guy, snuggling into his chest as they swayed together. Everyone watching was frozen in place. When the song ended she took him by the hand and led him out of the bar into the night.

"In the depth of the night, some thought they heard screams and cries. Others swore they heard moans and groans. What everyone agreed on was that the sounds were of pleasure and ecstasy, not pain or fear. No one admitted to being inspired or turned on by the sounds but many were.

"The next morning his car was still parked at the bar. His bed had not been slept in and he was nowhere to be found. A search of the surrounding woods turned up his shredded clothes, a little blood and nothing else. He'd disappeared completely, seemingly vanishing into thin air, and was never seen or heard from again.

"The woman was a different story. She appeared the next night and the next, not at the same place, the same time, or the same town, but each time a man was chosen and never seen again. Her choices puzzled the gossips. She never selected the most handsome, the most wealthy, or even the most well-built guy in town. They were nice guys but not ones anyone thought special. Little did they know she had one simple criteria. The men she chose always had the biggest cock in town.

"She visited a nearby town one final time on Halloween night and this time, no man would go with her. She slipped away alone, and like the men who went with her willingly, she simply disappeared. But she reappears now and again around Halloween. She hovers at the edge of the forest, hugging the shadows. Calling to her victims in their sleep, in their dreams. Places, parties, gatherings filled with young single straight men she simply can't resist."

I was high in the trees outside now, and spoke out loud just above the soughing of the wind.

"Sleep well, tonight, boys. I'll see you in your dreams. . . ." And I laughed. Loudly. Musically. Enticingly.

Shrieks and screams from inside met my ears, and the lights immediately popped on. Several guys ran outside and shone their flashlights amongst the trees. Of course no one looked up, and I had to stifle my laughter with my hands. It had been perfect, just perfect.

I dropped silently out of the tree and easily slipped back in amongst the party goers unnoticed. I came up to Edward from behind, ensuring he didn't see me just yet.

"Hey, Edward. Great job! That was really creepy."

"Thanks. . . ." He trailed off when he turned around expecting Little Swan and finding me instead. "I, uh, you. . . ."

"Told you I had a great costume lined up."

He hummed staring at me in disbelief.

"What, you don't like it?"

"No!" He practically shouted. "Uh, I mean. . . no, um, you look great. I just. . . . I just wasn't expecting you to, um, look like that, er, look like her. For her to look like you. . . ." He rambled nervously. "Are you. . . she. . . her. . . you?" He gestured to the wall beside us.

"Yes."

Looking at the wall, I stared at myself staring back at me. It was me, but not really me. My face was glowing brightly in front of a backdrop of shadowed trees. My eyes glowed golden as if lit from within. He'd softened all my hard edges and smoothed out the imperfections of my face. I looked like an angel hovering in the trees and I had to laugh inwardly — not at his skill or his work but at the thought of me as an angel. I wasn't even a dark angel, no, I was a she-devil.

And damn proud of it.

"Um, it's how I've seen you in my head."

"It's beautiful, thank you. You're really talented, Edward. Really."

He ducked his head shyly and blushed, toeing the floor with his shoe.

"Are you ready to go now?" I reached for his hand and took it in mine. "Do you need to speak to anyone before we leave?"

He raised his head and his eyes were blistering in their intensity. "It's time?"

"Yes, Edward, my love. It's time."

He turned without saying a word and led me out the back door to the tree line. I then led him deeper into the forest to a small clearing just within earshot of the venue. I had arranged a nest of bedding for us earlier knowing it wouldn't be disturbed. I turned to say something, and without warning, Edward crashed his lips to mine and crushed me to his body.

He broke away after a moment gasping. "You're real. . . ."

"Yes, I'm quite real."

"I thought you were only a dream!"

"I know. I planned it that way. I did it on purpose. An education of sorts, you could say. And now it's time for your final examination. Are you ready?" I reached down and grasped the hem of his shirt and waited.

"I've been ready." He replied grasping the zipper of my top and pulling it down.

We spent the rest of the night pleasuring each other in wicked and wonderful ways. He was an inspired and creative lover, moving beyond the things that I'd shown him in my mind. That was the disadvantage of the one-way mental game, I never knew what he was thinking, dreaming, fantasizing about.

There was plenty of moaning and groaning, some cries and screams of pleasure. He was so hot, plunging into my cold core over and over again. As the sky began to lighten before dawn, I rolled him onto his back rocking my hips against him. We had been at it this time for while now – a slow burn – and we were nearing our peak.

Panting into each others' mouths, his hands tangled in my hair holding it behind me, I groaned loudly as he suddenly thrust up hard with his hips, "God, yes. . . . Yes, please. . . . Harder. . . . Oh, more. . . ." And he gave me all he had, driving up with his hips over and over.

"I can't. . . . Oh, God. . . . I'm gonna. . . ah. . . ." He groaned desperately. He thrust three more times and I leapt off the cliff, soaring into my orgasm. I heard him cry out as his orgasm tore through his body and my teeth tore into his neck.

Exquisite.

Ecstasy.

I floated.

I flew.

Some shredded clothes and a little blood. That was all that was left.