Sweeter Than Wine

The Revelation

John and I step into the living room, the other 3 in light conversation. Ritchie stands and walks over to us. "________, love, you're just in time to help make more tea, since some people decided not to inform me you were going to shower." He gives a pointed look to George and Paul who look around the room whistling.

John slouches into a couch and closes his eyes, "don't be long darling, I'm getting hungry again." My heart flutters. Ritchie guides me by the waist to the kitchen.

I fill the kettle with water and put it on the stove, turning the knob to the highest setting. Behind me I hear Ritchie opening packages.

"Y'know Ritchie, I don't understand why you needed my help?" I feel his presence behind me, so I turn for his response. What I wasn't expecting, however, was him pushing me against the counter and crashing his lips to mine. I hum surprisedly, gripping onto the counter behind me.

He releases my mouth and dips his head to the area between my neck and shoulder, brushing his nose across the tender flesh. I shiver as he places an open-mouthed kiss on the front of my throat.

"Ritchie..." I whisper as he snakes an arm around my waist. He looks up, staring intensely with his striking blue eyes. He plants another small peck to the spot behind my ear, making me shiver again. I open my mouth to speak, but the kettle starts whistling.

"Ah! Tea is on!" He straightens and places the kettle on the tray he's filled with biscuits. I wave my hand to my face, hoping to dispel the heat radiating from my cheeks.

We walk back into the living room and I quietly take my seat between George and Paul. John lazily sits up and grabs a fresh cup of tea. George grabs a handful of biscuits settling back beside me. "Would you like one?" George holds one out to me, I accept and take a small bite.

"Alright," Paul announces, "let's get down to business. George, do you want to take the lead?"

George stays silent for a moment, then nods, taking a deep breath he speaks a single word: "vampires."

I raise my eyebrows up, a small smirk playing on my lips, "well, that DOES explain the, uh.." I gesture animatedly to my neck. John clears his throat and takes a sip of tea.

Ritchie speaks, "is it not weird to you? You seem to be taking it relatively well." I shrug, "I would have been less likely to believe you if John hadn't already bitten me.  I mean, I would have to be an absolute daft sod if I didn't catch that part early on."

They boys chuckle and George continues, "well that's good then, because that's not the crazy part." His words intrigue me, so I turn to face him more head on, "oh, do tell."

He looks at the boys licking his lips nervously. The silence in the room is almost unbearable as I await his tale. George stands abruptly, causing the couch to groan in protest.

"Okay ________, this will probably explain some of the behavior we've been setting forth.." I wave my hand for him to continue. "If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, okay?" I nod, my body prickling with anticipation.

"Oye, get on with it Harrison, I can hear her heart from here. Get going before she has herself a bloody heart attack." John speaks from behind George.

George shoots him a pointed look and continues. "You are what we call a Psyche, _______." He pauses for my reaction, but I remain silent spinning the word around in my mind.

"You are an immensely important part of our lives, ______. A Psyche is a 'fountain of life' for our kind." My mind is racing at this information, and I finally speak, my voice trembling, "..and what exactly does...'fountain of life' mean?"

Paul gently uses a finger to turn my face toward him, "it's exactly as it sounds, love. You're our fountain of life. You bring us life, happiness, love..."

I look back to George for elaboration, he continues, "I don't want this to sound crude...I just hope you see that it's not as bad as it may sound." I chuckle dryly, "George, you're vampires for Christ's sake, how bad could this possibly sound compared to that?"

He stares intensely at me, causing me to shrink into Paul. "_______, please...this is very hard to come out with..." I lower my head in shame, "I'm sorry Georgie. No more interruptions, I promise."

He continues, "as our Psyche, you have a very special bond with each of us. Romantically, intimately...you provide us with nourishment..." he swallows hard, I watch his Adam's apple rise and fall.

"You are technically a vampire as well." This sentence has my heart beating impossibly fast. My mouth falls open, but I'm unable to make any sounds. "You are essentially an opposite vampire. You don't crave blood, you make it. Your body creates excess blood to give us means of survival. But I promise you, ________, you are not just an easy survival ticket. We're not going to lock you up in the cellar feeding on you until we get too greedy and suck you dry. We love you. I love you. I know this is a lot to process...but this is just the tip of the iceberg..."

My head is spinning, and just above a whisper my voice trembles out, "nosebleeds...." Ritchie leans in, "what about nosebleeds, love?" I falter for a few seconds, many moments from my past flying through my thoughts at breakneck speed.

"I have very intense, horrifically graphic nosebleeds. So badly, every doctor my parents ever took me to said I should have died with the amount of blood loss, but I was always okay after a rest and a snack...." I stare blankly ahead, everything clicking into place.

The four exchange glances, then George kneels in front of me, delicately grasping my shaking, clammy hands. "Here's the real crazy part. You were with us many years ago. You have always been our Psyche..but he...he took you from us." A rage flares in George's eyes as he remembers.

"He found out about you. He kidnapped you...he...he..." George looks away, tears in his eyes from the painful memory. He presses his lips to my knuckles for a few seconds. "He drained you...he killed you. Took away our most beloved...our soulmate...every single day since then I've been praying you would come back. We've kept an eye out for you. Every day for 30 years..looking for your reincarnation..." he traces his thumb across my cheek, catching the tears that had fallen. "And here you finally are...the love of my life...right in front of me...in my arms again..."

George embraces me tightly, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck, whispering sweet nothings. I gently slide my arms around him, holding on for dear life as a flashback erupts behind my closed eyes.