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You sit down close to Sam, cross-legged but away from the fire. You can tell that he's still tense—that's only natural for a prey animal in close proximity to a Nosferatu.

"How long have you and Dani been together?" you ask, trying to keep him talking while you get closer.

Sam strokes his whiskers and a crooked smile plays on his lips. "About two months now, I think. Hard to keep track of time these days, honestly. Days go by faster when she's around; before we met, it was all I could do to get through from one sleep to the next. Having nothing to live for can do that to a person."

"You're together, then?" You inch closer. Sam doesn't notice.

He laughs. "Sure are. Prettiest thing in this patch of hell by a long shot, too. Don't know how I got so lucky. Guess God finally decided to do me a solid."

You're close enough now and you're pretty sure that God has nothing to do with what's about to happen. While he's distracted with pleasant thoughts of his partner, you lean in, pulling back his parka and slipping your fangs into his neck in one smooth motion.

"What?" Sam manages to gurgle. "Why are—" and the tension goes out of him as you drink your fill. As expected, Sam doesn't put up much of a fight, and when you're finished with him, you lay him down on his ragged blankets. Just to be sure, you throw snow on the fire. Who knows what havoc open flame could wreak if left entirely unattended?

Your appetite largely sated for the moment, you decide to move on, always aware that there's a Hunger for more that you can never fully extinguish.

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