Adrianne Brennan - romantic dark fantasy and science fiction writer

A rather generous gift from one of her students sat on Merideth's desk in her office within the Sanctuary's library, begging to be enjoyed in many different and most sinful ways. She sampled it eagerly: rich, dark heaven with echoes of mint in just the right places.

Oh, how she loved chocolate mints. And these Godiva dark chocolate ones embodied the definition of "exquisite."

Why should immortality restrict one from such delights?

A knock came at the door. "Amaltheia? Are you there?"

Oh, shit. Janius. With great haste, Merideth stashed the rest of the sweets in the desk drawer. She didn't want to let the magister know about her addiction to mint chocolates and be forced to submit to his stern lectures on "maintaining vampiric purity" and the necessity of alchemical transformation through transcending physical needs typically ascribed to humans.

Blah blah, no longer human, we're above that nonsense, blah blah blah…. "Sure—come in, Magister."

And neither, as far as she knew, upheld the ideas of vampiric purity by the letter of the law as much as its spirit.

"Hello, Merideth," he greeted her, addressing her by her real name versus Amaltheia, the one given to her by Clan Gladius as her Order name. Dropping the formality relieved her of any notion that the magister sought her out for any negative reason, and she was thankful for it. Only those who knew her well called her Merideth, and her closest friends called her Meri for short. "I hope that I have not caught you at a bad moment?"

The elfish vampire was all sweetness with her smile, all the while praying that bits of chocolate didn't show on her teeth. "Of course not, James," she replied, dropping the customary Order tradition in return. They were behind closed doors, after all.

"Excellent. Merideth, you've been working hard keeping the Sanctuary's library the way it is, and I notice you haven't taken any time off recently."

She blinked at him. "Time off, James?"

"Well," he shuffled his feet, "I notice you go on occasion with Theodotos to play darts in the common room, but you could use some time away from the library. As much as we know you like it here."

Blood have mercy. "James, I love it here—you know that. Do you have the impression that I'm unhappy or something?"

The magister laughed. "Meri, don't be silly. You're a workaholic like the rest of us, and while some of us have our ways of managing time off, I thought that you alone could use a special…respite."

She fought down a smirk. Workaholic, indeed—James was certainly one to talk! When did he ever take a vacation? Had he ever taken a vacation? But she bit her tongue in her customary fashion.

"Me, James?"

"Yes, you." He placed an envelope face down on the desk in front of her, and she stared at it curiously as if it might leap up and bite her. She hesitated and raised an eyebrow at him.

Merideth began to sputter. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine that the magister would ever present her with such a gift. She would've been grateful just for the license to take the night off and attend an event at a nearby blues club with Asharael and Lyrael. "James, this is so…," she fought for a word adequate enough to describe how she felt, "frivolous. I just can't—"

He raised an eyebrow at her in an echo of her previous gesture. "You're allowed to indulge yourself every now and again, Meri. Moderation and all that, you know. Oh, and by the way," he added, "remember not to overindulge too much. You're among humans but not of them. Enjoy some alcohol, but stay away from those silly confections."

Her head swam. A hotel resort on a beautiful island. Granted, it'd take more than a few light spells to allow her even an hour's comfort in the sun, but surely the nightlife must be sultry, grand—exquisite like her dark chocolate mints.

"Say 'Thank you, James'. Then get on that flight and have a good time."

"Thank you, James," she mumbled, her voice not much louder than a whisper. What would she wear? What should she take? What would she do while she stayed at this hotel? But above all of her concerns she felt an enormous sense of gratitude. This generous time off touched her more than she could possibly express to James.

"You're welcome. Consider it a thank you from the rest of the Inner Circle for all of your hard work well done. Have fun!" With a big, almost goofy grin, he left her office.

Merideth stared at the door in disbelief, a blood-tear finally coursing down her cheek.