There is something seductive

There is something seductive, something darkly fascinating about the vampire, and this collection brings it all to bear, from an author with a penchant for vividness. This is Tattunigma's greatest collection of vampire poetry and short stories, finally put to paper and published.

From Marius Montelfeltro, Lilith's lair------Tatt, your talent is incredible, and covers such a wide range of venues. From dark poetry and stories to the dark side of erotica.

I genuinely hope to see your name displayed next to such known authors as, Charles Baudelaire and Edgar Allen Poe, Dean Koontz and Anne Rice.

Your work needs to be recognized!

Sweet, sweet invisible power
Clutching my very soul
A burning hunger deep within
Yearning for the twilight hour

Kindling for my cold desires
Is what I seek tonight
Nourishment, nay, life itself
To quell these ancient fires

As the darkness drops upon my face
My body tingling feverishly
The erotic pulse of a heartbeat
Pulls me to its embrace

Oh, the ecstasy, so very sweet
Witnessed only by the night
Anxiously awaiting tomorrows eve
So the hunt can again repeat

Mother night, my eternal friend
Bursting with inward beauty
The mists of time, cloaked in color
Haunting my heart to the end

Barren rock litters the ground around me,
Fear and survival grip my soul,
Swifter than any human might see,
I strive towards my goal.

A lone bullet whips past mine head,
A futile attempt to bring me down.
My survival hangs upon a thread,
And my ability to escape this town.

Eerie screams shatter the night,
Vampyric brethren slain.
Humans gathered in all their might,
To eliminate the vampire strain.

The scent of blood rides the wind,
As they search for hearts to still.
Hunting us all until the end,
Until no one is left to kill.

Breathlessly I race from their grasp,
Eliminating myself from the fray.
With my breath coming in quick ragged gasps,
I swear to return another day.

Sadly I pay my silent respects,
To those who died with mine sire.
And angrily vow that they won't forget,
The power and might of the vampire!

"Kiss Of The Cold Goddess"

Pale white skin glowing in the moonlight,
Incandescent in its allure,
A body like marble so hard and tight,
Ardent passion so pure.

Sultry features enticing to the soul,
Sensuality for devotion,
Perky breasts so round and full,
Poetry in motion.

Ancient and enticing this vampire queen,
Goddess of the female gender,
The eyes of the mortal enraptured it seems,
Captured by her naked splendor.

The woods around come to life and the sky begins to hum,
Secret fantasy finds its place,
His body melts quickly as he succumbs,
To the charms of her fiery embrace.

Such seduction in lust displayed,
As their bodies entertwine,
Having weighed the risks he’s not dismayed,
As his eyes see her beauty one last time.

Richard watched as the massive sixteen by eighty mobile home came slowly down the road, backwards, preparing to make the final turn into his freshly cut driveway. He turned and looked apprehensively at what suddenly looked like a too narrow opening. Grimacing, he walked over to the pickup, and pulled the new chainsaw from the back. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

A cloud of dust signaled the service truck for the set up crew bearing down on him. The motor raced as it came around the huge mobile home sideways in the ditch, pulling unceremoniously into the weeds at the end of the road.

Three men jumped out, each finishing off what was left of their lunch as they prepared to go to work. The oldest, Tom, walked over to the new driveway and shook his head. Turning to Richard, he said, “We need to take down a few more trees..” He walked up into the drive itself, looking with experienced eyes at the spot that Richard had cut into the woods for his new home. Pointing to a small group of five trees, he said, “I think we can get by with just taking these out, I’m sure you want to keep as many standing as you can, don’t you?”

Richard nodded his head, “Yes, I’d like to. My wife would like to keep this center island, and set the home up over there,” he pointed to the backside of the clearing, “Cock-eyed if we can get it in there.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be much of a problem if we can take out these five here, okay? If you’ll get them taken out, I’ll go help Jose back this sucker in here, you ought to be about done by then.”

“Okay,” Richard replied, picking up the chainsaw. He pulled the choke out, pumped the primer, and pulled viciously on the rope. It started immediately. Richard grinned as he realized just how much practice he had gotten in the last week or so. As he revved the motor and bent to the base of the first tree, he hoped that all of this would be worth it. He had always wanted a home, away from everyone, hidden by the woods, and now he had one. All woods, but for the small portion he had cleared to fit the mobile home into. But it hadn’t been easy. He had been plagued with problems since the beginning, and had to work around the clock to get anything done, and still keep his job. And even worse, being out here at night, alone, with no lights had caused him to have a small fear of the dark. He wasn’t sure why, but something about the place spooked him, especially at night. Only problem was, he had already closed the deal on the land, and given notice on the rental house.

As the chainsaw bit through the remaining inch or so of wood, Richard stood and pushed against the tree, aiming its fall away from him. Even as it fell, he had already bent to the next one, and the sound of the chainsaw was almost drowned out, by the crashing branches of the Blackjack, as it crushed its way earthward. Working feverishly, he felled that one and the remaining three, and then worked quickly to cut them into smaller movable pieces of firewood.

As the blade passed through the last piece, he straightened his back and fingered the shut off switch. Instantly the motor died, bringing the eerie silence of the woods back. He gently set the saw down in the trees off to the side, and turned to the task of moving the wood. The other two service men jumped quickly to help him.

In a matter of minutes they had the entire pile removed, and Tom was guiding the driver as he cut the wheel, jackknifing the trailer into the drive. The big trailer moved ponderously onto the temporary gravel that Richard had laid down, and expertly, the set up crew did their job, not only getting the trailer into the drive, but getting it put exactly where he wanted it in a matter of minutes. To Richard, it seemed that by the time he had walked over to his pickup for a drink, they not only had it in, but were already setting blocks for it.

Tiredly, he passed a grimy hand over his brow, wiping away the sweat that insisted on running into his eyes. He needed to lay down. The long hours of endless work over the past week were starting to creep up on him.

After explaining to Tom, who seemed to be the boss, he walked back to his pickup, and climbing inside he stretched himself across the huge seat, and in moments, he was asleep.

Slowly Richard’s eyes opened. A chill bit into his body as he painfully tried to maneuver himself to an upright position. Frowning, his eyes opened on darkness and his right hand groped for the cellular phone, while his left unceremoniously pulled the seatbelt from his back. Finding the phone, he jabbed a dirty finger into the buttons and held the receiver to his ear.

“Honey? Is everything all right? I was worried about you. I’ve been trying to call since about noon.”

“Everything’s fine babe,” Richard mumbled into the phone, “Just fell asleep in my truck is all.”

“Yeah, no problem,” he said, as he felt on the dash for the light switch. Finding it, he flicked the lights on, seeing for the first time the note left by the set up crew taped to his windshield. “Hang on for a sec will ya babe?” He set the phone on the dash without waiting for an answer, and opened the door of the truck, stepping out far enough to pull the note free from the front glass. As he did so, small twigs snapped in the darkness of the surrounding woods, setting his hair on end almost immediately. His eyes searched the inky blackness but could see nothing. Laughing at himself for his fear of the dark, he climbed back into the truck clutching the note.

Reaching once again for the phone, he set it on his shoulder and read the note to his wife, “Let’s see, I got this note from the set up guys. Blah, blah, blah, check the blocks every year, sorry they missed me, catch me next time, accessories inside the house by the laundry room door, etc, etc.”

Her voice came back almost instantly, “You mean you fell asleep while they were setting up? So you don’t even know if the fascia we ordered came or those curtains came or not do you?” Her voice had taken on an angry edge.

Richard could see where this conversation was going. He decided to nip it in the bud real quick. “Babe, listen. I’ll go inside real quick and check to make sure its all there okay?”

“Yeah right Richard! With what light? The power won’t be out there til tomorrow.”

Not even waiting for a response, he clicked the phone off, and tossed it into the seat next to him.

Climbing from the truck, he flicked on the powerful beam of the flashlight and aimed it in front of him towards the house. His footsteps kicked up dust from the dry, powdered dirt beneath him, and he watched the tiny floating specks in the lights, highlighted it seemed in a ghostly dance.

So engrossed was he that he never saw the pale fist cut through the night air. The force was so great that he never felt it connect. He did not notice the pale figure who now leaned over his prostrate body and shuddered as it licked the fresh blood from his lips.

And he could not hear a new voice or see the fear in the pale figure’s eyes as it spoke.

Had he awakened now, he might have noticed the unnatural speed at which he was being carried through the woods, he might have even noticed the tiny branches that slapped at his face, yet seemed to be ineffectual to the naked, white figure that carried him so easily.

Slowly his eyes opened, sticky and heavy, and for a moment his comprehension failed him. One eye stung as a rivulet of warmth rolled into it from his cheek. His mouth hurt him fiercely, and a dull throbbing pain emanated from his legs, most especially his ankles. His head felt heavy as he tried to look down at his ankles and realized with horror that he wasn’t looking down at all, for his legs were bound tightly and lashed securely to a tree branch. He was hanging upside down!

Frantically he looked around and discovered yet another horrific sight. Hanging on the branch next to him was another body, the body of a calf, and it too was alive, though barely, for it’s blood drained from several well placed incisions and dripped slowly into a small pot placed beneath it on the ground.

Richard shut his eyes, and silently begged the Lord for help. He prayed vehemently, swallowing his fear as he allowed the prayer to comfort him.

His eyes snapped open with shock, and widened as he took in the full figure of the man in front of him. From his vantage, the man seemed to be huge in stature, perhaps close to six and a half feet tall. His hair flowed from the collar of his overcoat in long, wavy blond locks. What skin he could see was beyond pale. He was white! Against the inky blackness of the nighttime woods and the filtered light of the moon, he looked almost surreal, like a painting placed there in front of him. But what drew Richard’s attention far more than the pale skin, was his eyes. Piercing blue, they seemed to glow in the dark with a light of their own. So bright in fact, that even upside down, Richard could make out the long lashes, and the entire effect seemed somehow beautiful to him.

Again the man spoke, “You find me beautiful Richard? Ah, Richard, do you know the meaning behind that name?” the man whispered, “Lion Heart…”

Chills ran the entire length of Richard’s frame as he realized that this man saw him as a prize.

The pale man smiled and Richard realized for the first time, that he was reading his thoughts!

In complete shock, Richard felt strong hands grab him and lift him easily and then his head reeled as he was righted, the blood rushing from his head. Another pale white hand steadied him and then released him. With quiet disbelief he looked at this other one.

Naked to the waist, his body was heavily muscled, though thin and somehow angular looking. His skin too was pale, though not as pale as the tall one. His hair was unkempt and wild, falling in waves down his back. His fingernails were unnaturally long and his hands were dirty. His legs as well were bare, the being clad only in a pair of jeans, cutoff to make shorts. No shoes were on his feet and they were caked in dirt as well. His face was sharp and angular like the rest of him, his eyes black and deepset. Pink lips surrounded his mouth, a mouth that pursed in thought as the creature studied him as well.

“Tobias. Come away.” The tall one said quietly. Instantly the creature drew away from him, so swiftly that he seemed to never have been there at all. He appeared again, just behind the tall one, who smiled now at Richard’s confusion. And in that smile, Richard saw another detail that eluded him, a detail that drove him beyond fear. Two tiny fangs glinted in the moonlight and with a start, Richard understood only too well the danger he was in.

“Richard. Please, do not be afraid of myself or Tobias. I am feeling generous tonight. Do you know where you are?” he asked as he leaned closer.

“You are on sacred land. These woods that you have so carelessly cut into belong to my people, and has for centuries.”

The tall one smiled easily, “Yes, but you did not buy it from me. This place has remained empty for so long because we have tried and succeeded for years in scaring away anyone who dared to intrude. There are legends of this land being “haunted” for hundreds of years. You are the first to build here anyway.” He leaned in closer and studied Richard’s face, “You’re strong aren’t you?” he whispered.

Richard looked back at him defiantly, “I didn’t know the place was supposed to be haunted, and if I had, I wouldn’t have cared anyway.” He looked at the tall one carefully, fearful that his words would anger, and still helpless in his bonds.

“Yes, this I know Richard the Lion Hearted. Your name suits you well,” the tall one looked over at the dirty figure of Tobias, and his face took on a few wrinkles of thought, then back at Richard before continuing, “Tobias has been the protector of this land for so long, so very long. He has proven his loyalty to me. I think it is time I allowed him to leave this place, and mature.”

Richard watched as Tobias snapped his head up and looked at him, a look full of hope and longing. Red tears began to well up in his eyes as he looked down at the ground again, a soft smile playing at his lips.

“Richard, as I said earlier, I am feeling generous tonight. I think that this night, I will give you the land, this land that you love so much that you would brave your own fears to live here.”

He couldn’t believe his ears! Hope sprang at last into Richard’s heart, but the feeling lasted no more than a moment. For without warning, and with frightening speed, the face of the tall one was nestled in his neck, and his cry of fear was lost on the night time wind…..

The lights came on inside the trailer and the figure in the darkness smiled to himself as he watched his wife and children cuddle close to each other, watching a movie.

His heart went out to them although he knew he could never reveal himself to them again. But he could protect them. Yes, theirs would be a safe life, at least as long as they lived on this land.

Wryly, his hand went to his neck as he remembered Ashton taking his blood. He leaned his back against a tree and closed his eyes, remembering how Ashton had drained him so close to death that his groggy mind had said it’s goodbyes to his wife and children. He remembered watching from behind hazy eyes as Tobias, at Ashton’s insistence, had slit his wrist, and placed the flowing fount of his blood against Richard’s lips, forcing the warm liquid to invade his mouth. He remembered the warm trickle sliding down his throat, and then how eagerly he had sucked at the wrist, his body begging for more.

When Tobias had ripped his wrist away, he had lain there for over an hour racked in pain, only seeing from time to time the strange similar ritual between Tobias and Ashton as Ashton had allowed Tobias to feed from his own slit wrist. At the time, the significance of this had escaped him, but as his pain had faded and they had released his bonds, the story came to him quickly enough.

He shook his head as he remembered the story that Ashton had told him. The story of Ashton’s people. The story of vampires with a twisted heritage. How Ashton traveled the world seeking out knowledge and returned to this place several times a year, bringing with him whatever surviving members of his “family” that he had left, for not all survived the real world. He told of how this land, was the growth and discipline place of his people, how they lived here for as long as Ashton believed they needed to, weaker than he, having been made by the former occupant instead of him, who in turn had been made by the former, and so on. As their time to leave had come, each had been strengthened by Ashton’s blood, and allowed to feed from humans thereafter.

Richard remembered the calf strung up beside him and the fresh pot of blood that had been gathered. He thought about how the smell had driven him crazy and how he had drained the entire contents.

He also remembered the rules Ashton had given him. Never feed from humans. Never leave this land until Ashton himself gave him permission. Protect the land and those creatures that lived on it, that list now including Richard’s own family. Respect the shamans.

He shuddered as he glanced at the two dark figures that stood so easily in the woods, always watching him. The figures that would never allow him to leave. The figures that weren’t bound by the night, who could travel by day as easy. The shamans who lived forever, just as he, immortal, yet of another breed altogether. The shamans that loved Ashton, and had sworn loyalty to him, and to this land, this sacred land. The shamans who alone were no match for him physically, but together could kill him easily, and would if he attempted to leave.

He shuddered again at the thought of their huge hairy hands, their monstrous hands, and their incredible speed. But he knew, these were to be his companions until Ashton chose to return. His only companions.

He turned his back on them and walked slowly into the woods away from the house, conscious that they followed at a discreet distance. Right now, he needed to sleep.

Finding a suitable spot, he dropped to his knees, then to his back. His body began to vibrate and sink slowly through the leaves, slowly into the ground. He smiled at the night sky and knew, that he loved this land. His land. His eyes closed as his face disappeared beneath the earth, leaving not a trace that he had even been there.

The two huge creatures looked at each other, then urinated on the trees surrounding the area, marking the spot, insuring that no wild animals would dig him up during the following day, and lumbered off into the woods……