Nessa got out of the hired car and stood, apparently, at the address she'd been invited to. "Oh, you've got to come with us to board game night," Gabby had said. "There's this great board game cafe on broad street, I'll text you the address." She had failed to mention that it was some kind of gothic castle.
Nessa supposed it wasn't that unusual - there were any number of old, unused churches in this style. Still. It had either been constructed or facaded very well with dark slate stone bricks, giving it a downright spooky look in the fading light. A pair of colorful flags fluttered in the autumn breeze outside the large oak doors, declaring that this was, in fact, the board game cafe she'd been looking for. No light issued from inside, even through what must have been the original stained glass windows.
Nessa found her mouth suddenly dry, and she swallowed nervously. She walked up the stairs, reached out her hand for the door, hesitated, then gingerly touched the handle. The door opened into a sort of coat-check waiting area, and a small bell rung. Too late to back out now. Nessa gulped again and stepped inside.
"Oh! Well, I haven't seen you around before." An elegantly-dressed woman with pale skin and flashing red eyes appeared behind the counter. "Aren't you just a delight? Welcome to the Raven's Loft. My name is Selene. This is your first time, isn't it?"
Nessa nodded, not trusting her voice in the moment. Selene's presence was... powerful. She tried to focus on something else.
"Oh, a shy one, hmm? That's all right. Let me take your coat, dear, we don't allow them in the main room, too bulky. There, that's better, isn't it?"
Nessa's cheeks felt warm. She'd worn a short red skirt and deep-cut blouse with platform boots, then chickened out and threw on the coat. Without it, she was cursing her earlier self's sudden bout of confidence.
As if she were reading Nessa's mind, Selene said, "You look lovely, dear. Now, one of my regulars told me she was hoping someone called Nessa would drop by. If that's you, then you should be able to find dear Gabrielle at table four, on the far side of the courtroom. I, unfortunately, must away to help my wife find a... wine, to pair with the desserts." With a sultry smile, Selene glided away, vanishing into the gloom behind the counter. Nessa swallowed again. Her throat felt parched.
She made her way through the double doors into a large, open room filled with people. Tapestries hung on the walls and dark colored silks hung from the ceiling, so the chatter was muted. She tugged on her skirt and looked for table number four.
"Nessa! You made it!" Gabby waved at her, smiling behind a heavy layer of gothic makeup. "I love your outfit. This is Ella and Jinx," she pointed to two more women with pale skin in gothic outfits, painted lips, and in one case, an actual corset. Nessa waved nervously.
"Ooh, you weren't kidding. She's cute," said Ella - or, was it Jinx? Nessa's cheeks went pink.
"And she blushes cute, too. Ooh, I could just eat her up!"
"Girls! Behave!" Gabby admonished them. "Now, let's put this one away and pick a nice four-player game.
Some time passed. The girls flirted with Nessa relentlessly, but fortunately Gabby was there to help her out... mostly. She seemed to enjoy making Nessa pink more than either of the others. Nessa ended up ordering a coffee just to have something to hide behind, which got several refills throughout the evening. As a result, she was already pretty jittery by the time the hosts came through with a dessert cart.
The cart had several different kinds of extraordinarily well-crafted desserts - a red candied apple full of sweet jam, a chocolate layer cake with dark rum-cherry frosting, strawberry macarons... Nessa's stomach rumbled as the others picked their decadence.
"And anything for you, madame?"
Nessa's speech was practiced. "No, thank you, I'm on a diet."
"We do offer a number of low-sugar or low-carb options. Perhaps a light raspberry parfait?"
Nessa's stomach rumbled again. She forced a smile onto her face. "No, thank you!"
"Very well, madame."
The waiter left, and Jinx - or was it Ella? Broke open her candied apple shell and began to scoop up bright-red jam with the shards. "You really ought to try this, Nessa, diet or no diet. The desserts here are to die for," she grinned, and Nessa swore she could see a sharp fang behind the smile.
Nessa gulped. "I- I really shouldn't-" her stomach growled again, even louder this time.
Gabby placed a concerned hand on her knee, and she jumped. "Nessa, have you not eaten today?"
Nessa couldn't look her in the eye. Her coffee-jittered fingers drummed on the table.
"Oh, I keep telling you to take better care of yourself! Come with me." Gabby grabbed Nessa by the wrist and pulled her along towards the counter at the long edge of the room. The girls tittered as Nessa was drawn along by Gabby's surprisingly strong grip.
Then, before they could get to the counter, Gabby made an abrupt turn into the women's room.
Before Nessa could say anything, she'd been pushed into one of the stalls. Gabby locked it behind her. "Honestly", she said, closing the lid and sitting down, "you don't have to deny yourself like this." She took her choker off and Nessa's gaze was suddenly laser-focused on her neck.
"B-but, I was doing so well! I was fine, honestly, it was j-just... all the... red..." The pulse in Gabby's neck was hypnotizing.
Gabby reached up and pulled Nessa closer, her grip inexorable on the back of her neck. They kissed, and Nessa tasted chocolate. She shuddered. Gabby pulled her closer, and whispered into her ear. "My blood sugar's topped off. Nobody will find out. Now's the perfect time. I trust you."
Nessa's resolve faltered, and she sank her fangs deep into Gabby's neck. Gabby moaned softly. Her blood tasted so sweet, rum and chocolate and cherries, and there was so much, cascading down her throat, giving life to the flush in her cheeks, quenching finally her deep, deep thirst.
Nessa came up for air, finally, and held Gabby up. She had a slow, dreamy expression on her face, and she nuzzled herself into Nessa's chest. "Mmmmm, see?" She said, slowly. "I told you it would all be okay."
"You've gone completely boneless," said Nessa. "How are we going to explain this to your friends?"
"Oh, we'll just tell them we had sex, it'll be fiiiine."
"What!?"
