The Taste of Revenge

I woke up in sweats. The party had begun to wind down. Two or three couples danced to lulling music. In the corner of the living room, people were kissing and touching each other. I wasn’t with anyone that night, but that was the least of my problems.

It was one in the morning and in a few hours, I’d face the seniors of my company. I’d have a meeting at 9 sharp, where I was expected to talk about a plan to find my missing ex-husband. There might be the need to talk about a certain serum that could help my kind forge a new path. Yeah, my kind….

I’d been wondering about what my life was like before I was Turned. I suffered from memory loss as a result of an accident that happened in our factory. A fire started in the kitchen, then it spread and caught some machines, then an explosion occurred. Other victims had memory loss too, though at varying degrees.

This memory loss had been frustrating to me because I couldn’t remember a damn thing about myself. I felt like I had lost my footing. I wanted to know who I was when I was a human. It would mean a lot to me. It would feel like finding my root. My origin story.

Too bad Mark Hunter didn’t share the same sentiment. He thought I was being unnecessarily melancholic. I thought he was being an asshole. Our quarrel lasted for a week, then quietened for a few days. When we finally tried to talk things through, we realized the love had gone. Many things were said during our fights, and words jabbed deeper than a silver sword.

After several failed therapies, I filed for a divorce.

Mark and I were co-founders of Zephyr, a mega tech company in New York. He was the CEO; I was the CFO. The company’s success made us billionaires.

Zephyr prided itself on creating revolutionary products—for humans and vampires alike. The “sunlight blocker”, for example, protected human skin from UV lights and vampire skin from burning under the sun. Also, the “hunger-blocker”—a pill containing all nutrients needed in a day’s meals. Vampire-only products were also available, such as synthetic blood and bottled heme drinks.

In human eyes, Zephyr was only a tech company. In the vampire’s world, Zephyr was a Tribe. It was the youngest, and among the most affluent vampire Tribes in America. Vampire Gazette—an exclusive vampire publication—had named Zephyr “The Tribe of the Most Genius and Talented Vampires in the U.S.” and I couldn’t be more proud of my team. The title was justified because we only hired the best engineers and scientists from across the country and around the world.

A week after submitting the divorce papers, I invited Mark to talk over a coffee. He apologized for whatever he had said in anger. I did the same. He shed some tears, but I was convinced I’d made the right decision. He promised to make the divorce process fast, so I could soon move on with my life.

Mark thought I was seeing someone and said he was happy for me. It was actually just a hook-up, but I didn’t want to clarify. It was none of his business. He said he had some flings, but he wouldn’t tell me who they were. I thought it was fine. It wasn’t my problem.

Mark was a good guy. He deserved the best.

Months later, I heard Mark was in a serious relationship with his new secretary, Melinda. Melinda Frost. A red-haired beauty with a tiny mole on her left chin. Her fingers were thin and pale—just how Mark loved them. Her bosom had a great shape and so did her waist.

When Mark first told me about her, I thought she was a vampire. He was a senior vampire, after all. Dating a human would reflect poorly on his image. Why would he choose a mortal over an immortal? Why would he choose a weakling over a stronger being? He had to see a vampire therapist if he dared the thought of dating a human. Not to mention the risk he put on the poor woman—what if she met one of our rival tribes?

When I met her, the sweet scent of human blood caught my nose. I could smell Mark’s musk, thickly layered upon it. It must have been there to disguise her true scent. Faking a smile, I talked to her for about five minutes before she left the room.

“A human, Mark? Seriously? Your musk trick might work for a week-old vampire, but many of us here are at least a century old.”

“It’s just for added protection. Everyone knows she’s a human.”

“Great. Now anyone can hunt her.”

“I’ve told everyone she’s mine.”

“What about other Tribes?”

“She will not meet them. She lives with me in my apartment now, just in case.”

“Are you planning to Turn her?”

“For god’s sake, no! She doesn’t want to be like us. Maybe I’ll… forget it!”

“Speak clearly!”

Mark closed the door and dragged me to a sofa.

“Ruby, I want you to do me a favor.” He kissed my hand. “A big one.”

Mark Hunter rarely needed help. I had a bad feeling about this.

“I don’t know, Mark.” I pulled my hand back. “There’s a limit to what I can do.”

“That’s good enough.” He picked a wine bottle from a hidden rack behind the wall, then poured it into a glass. He slid it in front of me before pouring one for himself. “Remember those days you missed being a human?”

“I can’t recall.”

“Oh, come on! this was the reason we fought and got—”

“I was only curious about my faulty memories! Never I said I missed being a human.”

“It might be there, you know?” Mark sat next to me, swirling his wine. “Naturally, after living for a really long time… we want to be human again. It’s been haunting my mind lately.”

“Funny because I’ve never—” Realization hit. I stared at him in disbelief. “Tell me this is not what I think it is. Tell me this is just a random philosophical rambling.”

“I want to be a human again, Ruby.”

My heart sank. This was Mark Hunter, a proud Tribe Lead who used to make fun of the boring human life. Mark once said being a vampire gave one a chance to reach their highest potential. Vampires had a longer time to continuously improve themselves; to learn new things, to make more mistakes, and more amends. A vampire could “waste” time for a century or two, then work hard to prosper. That’s how many vampires turned into today’s billionaires.

“I’d like you to take over my leadership position. I’ll sell my ownership to you and start a new life with Melinda. I’ll resign from the company and the Tribe leadership. You’re going to be a good Lead, Ruby. I believe it. And you’ll make a wonderful CEO too.”

The Mark I knew would never do irresponsible things, such as leaving his Tribe and marrying a mortal. I wondered if falling in love was the sole reason for his decision or if Melinda had coaxed him into thinking about betraying his own kind.

“I’m happy you’ve found someone you think is worthy of this much sacrifice, but think about it a little more.”

“I’ve been thinking about it for some time. I’ll take the serum and turn back into a human. The effect is irreversible, but I’m ready to take the risk. I’m fed up with being this way forever. Whatever I wanted to achieve, I have achieved. I want to rest and grow old. I want to have a family.”

Ah, of course. A family. Something I couldn’t give him. Vampires couldn’t breed like humans. I remembered Mark’s behavior changed slightly after the factory explosion. I blamed myself for it. I thought he was still dealing with the trauma. But I was too, and I never took it on him!

Thinking back, I guessed it was never about the explosion. It was about him wanting to have something I couldn’t give. My head throbbed with the thoughts of it. All this time he’d been keeping a secret. A single tear slid from my eye. It was too late for me to catch it.

“Why are you crying?” he said as he wiped my tears.

“You’ve been thinking about this since we were still married, right?”

“Gosh, no!” He laid his glass on the table. “The thought only came up when I met Melinda. I regarded you as my true love when we were still together. I couldn’t have thought of becoming a human again. Not when our marriage went so well, at least.”

“Oh, so when it went south—not when you met your human lover—you came out with this idea?”

“Don’t push me, Ruby.”

“I’m not pushing you. I merely pointed out a logical hole in your story. I thought—”

“Listen. The seeds of thoughts might have been there for some time before I met her. But those seeds grew into sprouts when we started dating.” He buried his face in his hands, then looked at me with damp eyes. “I saw her vulnerability, and instead of the usual disgust, my heart swole with warmth. How I want to spend every minute with her, knowing she’s aging day by day… growing older and weaker, inching closer to death. It has also made me protective because I knew how ‘momentarily’ this relationship would feel. If things go normally, she’ll be gone long before I do. And the thought of her leaving me… the thought of having to live a long life after knowing someone like her… it kills me.”

I swept away a fresh batch of tears that streaked down my makeup. It was clear he really loved this human. I could feel his sadness when he talked about her mortality. It must have pained him to realize how different she was. The kind of difference one couldn’t simply “work out”.

“I’m going to miss you, dumbass!”

Mark hugged me tightly. His laughter warmed my soul. I hoped Melinda would love and treat him well.

“We’re going to move to California after I resign.”

“I almost wished we could still hang out.”

“We will, Ruby.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I’ll keep the apartment, just in case we come to visit old friends. I’ve bought a mansion in the northern part of the state. It has a pool and a helipad. The view is also beautiful. There’s—”

“I know what California looks like, Mark.”

He laughed. “You’re not jealous, aren’t you?”

“You wish!”

“I’ll give you a grand tour one day.”

To avoid him accusing me of jealousy, I betrayed myself and said something I didn’t mean.

“Sure. Why not?”

Mark planned to work as an independent business consultant. He would mostly work from home, but he had purchased office space in LA where most of his clients would be. Melinda would teach Italian online while perfecting her cookie and bread-making skills. She wanted to open her own bakery in near future.

“The wedding will be set up in our backyard. I can’t invite you because it’s going to be a private human event. Just me, Melinda, and her family members.”

“So you’re going to take the serum before the wedding?”

“Of course.”

I winced at his reply.

“You’re not normally this careless.”

“My self-defense skills won’t disappear after I take the serum. And as I told you before, this event would only be attended by humans.”

Centuries-old vampires should have known how vengeful vampires could be. One would never forget what others had done to them. They would carry the bitterness for as long as they could remember. During his service to the Tribe, Mark Hunters had generated a bunch of haters betting on his death. I doubted it would change once he turned into a human. I wondered what might have fueled his carelessness.

“I think—”

His phone dinged. His screensaver was Melinda Frost herself, smiling. He read the incoming message and smiled.

“It’s Melinda.” He typed a fast reply and went back to me. “What did you say?”

“Your enemies don’t care whether you’re a human or a vampire. They’ll take any chance to attack.”

“If it does come to that, I’ll be ready for them,” he said, confidently. “We’ve planned a lot for our new life, Ruby. I can’t back down. I’ve promised her we’d start afresh.”

“Does she care for you?”

“Of course she does!” He looked at me with the eyes of a scorching sun. “How could you think otherwise?”

“Then why does she let you do all this stupidity? She knows you’re a vampire. She works here, too. Surely, she knows there are some tribes who want you dead. She should be worried about your safety. Admit it, all the plans you mentioned were too stupidly human. I don’t believe they all came from you. I don’t know what else Melinda’s plan is. I just—”

“Keep her out of our discussion or I’ll ask you to leave!”

I took a deep breath and stood up.

“Ruby!” He caught my hand. “I’m sorry I yelled.”

He rubbed his temple, then gazed dreamily at an empty space before him.

“I want this to be my last relationship and I want to make it work. I don’t like failing. I knew it didn’t work with you before and I hope I could learn from it. I want to make her happy.”

His eyes fell on the signet ring on his right forefinger. The ring bore the symbol of our Tribe. He took it off and placed it on my finger. The ring gleamed as it magically adjusted its size to fit me. It felt warm when it touched my skin.

“How does it feel?”

“Great.”

“Then it’s meant to be.” He took the ring and wore it again. “I’ll see you at the board meeting tonight.”

He kissed my forehead. A sinking feeling hit my stomach when he left the room. I had a bad feeling about his dumb plan, but there was no way I could explain it logically. We might have separated, but the closeness we’d fostered for the length of our marriage had allowed me to understand him better than most. I knew he was hiding something.

A wild chuckle from a nearby couple pulled me back to the present. I picked up my bag and left the party. As the elevator transported me to the first floor, I glanced at the signet ring on my right forefinger.