The vampire likes to go to Walmart at three in the morning. After a night of hunting, it is relaxing to browse the store. Vincent does not need food or water, making the Walmart visit unnecessary. He comes here to be with people, and seeing the werewolf is always a highlight. They met almost a month ago when she started working third shift at this store.

The life of a vampire is very lonely. There are just a few of them left in the world, and they cannot make other vampires. The stuff in the movies is bullshit, like holy water, crucifixes and garlic. Daylight however is a fiery problem, necessitating a nocturnal lifestyle. When Vincent is hungry, he is a monster, but with a belly full of blood he is just a tall, pale weirdo who dresses funny. At three in the morning, he blends right in at his local Walmart Supercenter.

***

Dani loves working in the deli. It has the best smells. The human world is filled with fantastic smells. She loves the smell of a hard-working human who strains and sweats to earn a living. The smell of feet is a favorite, especially after it spent ten or twelve hours in leather boots. Perfume and strong soaps are unnatural and off putting. The smell of meat in the deli helps her deal with those odors.

She knew Vincent was a vampire from the moment she smelled him, minutes before she saw him for the first time. Vincent was also acutely aware of Dani’s presence the second he set foot in the store. He doesn’t smell her, that is a wolf’s talent, but he feels her presence. He can point in her direction and know how far away she is. He was drawn to his natural enemy.

When Vincent first saw Dani she was preparing a customer’s order. She glanced at him and winked, indicating to him that she knew what he is, and confirming to him what she was.

***

Vampires and werewolves are sworn enemies. Vincent does not know why. That knowledge was not transferred into him with the blood of his creator, only that vampires hate wolves. His master died before he could learn anything about this part of vampire and wolf history.

At the time they lived in London. It was 1888 and the city was overflowing with almost five million people. Vincent’s master was fond of body parts, and his efforts to harvest what he needed from Whitechapel’s women created the story of Jack the Ripper. Whitechapel was severely overcrowded with unemployed farm hands, hungry Irish and impoverished Jews. It was a veritable smorgasbord of foreign food for a pair of wealthy vampires. They did not even hunt, it was not necessary. They drove through Whitechapel’s cobbled streets in his master’s carriage and picked up who they wanted, then fed at their leisure while traveling.

His master was very old, and very conceited and arrogant. He simply lived too long, and insanity took him slowly but surely over the years. He believed consuming human body parts will make him more human so he can go out into the day and mingle with humans. He burned to dust one sunny Thursday morning when he stepped out in his best clothes to visit the shops.

Vincent knew the love of a woman and the importance and value of female companionship; he was married before he was turned. He understood why his master lost his mind. Why the bastard did not choose a woman to turn instead of him remains a mystery.

***

Wolves have it easier than bloodsuckers. Dani is human, but with heightened senses and the strength of ten strong men. If it wasn’t for the monthly madness, she would have enjoyed being a wolf. When the moon is full, she turns into a mindless beast who kills and eats anything it finds. She is not a born wolf, but a made one, and only turns once a month for one night. She would much rather turn into a crazed beast for a few days every month like normal women, than live through these murderous monthly episodes. It bothers her that she is absent during these times and has no control over her transformed body when it goes on a killing spree.

She is unclear on the issue with vampires. There are so few of them nowadays that she was not even aware of her ability to sniff them out because she had never encountered one. When she smelled Vincent she was alarmed by her furiously growling stomach, the same painful growling she experience in the days leading up to full moon. Unlike those days she was able to quiet her gut by eating a few slices of salami.

***

Dani was the first wolf Vincent encountered in his short 239 years. Wolves have a much higher mortality rate than vampires. When they turn, they become animals, and behave like animals, and humans are good at killing animals. Vampires on the other hand become monsters when hungry, but intelligent monsters who apply cunning and skill when hunting.

When she winks at him something in his chest makes a feeble attempt at tightening. This is surprising, he is supposed to be a heartless parasite, and void of emotion. Vincent is intrigued, and against his vampiric instincts that tell him to back off he walks up to the counter.

***

The hair on Dani’s neck rises as she watches the vampire approach. He is tall, with heavy black hair and eyebrows, and walks gracefully and confidently like the predator he is. His clothes are old fashioned, but this time of night at Walmart he fits right in.

***

Something is happening in Vincent’s head and chest as he approaches the wolf. She is beautiful. She has short brown hair, and her body is tanned and in fantastic physical condition. She has the greenest eyes he has ever seen, and he has looked into thousands of pairs of eyes over the years. When she smiles at him those eyes lit up like lanterns.

****

’We are fresh out of blood’, Dani says through her smile. Vincent knows she is not mocking him but is being funny. ‘I did not know Walmart had a blood bank’, Vincent responds, showing his teeth as he smiles. Dani notices that his teeth are perfect, and perfectly normal looking human teeth. ‘Unfortunately, you can only make deposits at the moment good sir’, Dani continues her joke.

They look at each other for a moment, smiling quizzically, before bursting out laughing like loons.

’I am Vincent’, he extends a hand. ‘Dani’, she takes his hand and is happy to feel that it is warm. ‘I am warm blooded’, Vincent remarks, noticing her surprise. ‘No problem, we can chill it here at the Walmart blood bank’. Again, they laugh together, still holding hands.

’Wolf’, he says. ‘Vampire’, she responds. They regard each other for a few seconds before they realize they are still holding hands. ‘Aren’t we supposed to try and kill each other?’, Vincent asks. ‘Not until it’s my break I think’, Dani answers, and they laugh like old friends.

’I need to go’, Vincent says, ‘sunrise is in an hour, and I like to be indoors long before then. It was good meeting you tonight, Dani. I’ll see you tomorrow, I come here most days after a busy night’. Dani’s smile widens, ‘I am here most days. Except when it’s full moon, then I am gone.’

***

Ever since they met, Vincent and Dani have seen each other every day. Her shift varies, some days she starts early and other days later. Vincent adjusts his schedule accordingly, the criminals and lowlifes he feeds on are about all times of the day.

He falls in love with Dani but is afraid to tell her. He is not sure that he is really feeling love. He cannot tell for sure since he is no longer human. For so long both also believed they were enemies, and if she did not love him back, he might just watch a sunrise. Dani falls in love with him but is afraid to say anything. What if he does not feel the same way, and even if he does what would they do when the moon is full. She cannot stand the idea of him seeing her when transformed, it might fill him with disgust.

***

Days before the next full moon Vincent decides to just confess his feelings. Dani is home and he brings roses and a giant steak. She is a wolf after all. She opens the door before he can knock. He expected that and held the flowers and the steak at arm’s length. She snatches the flowers from him and slams the door shut. Moments later the door swings open and she grabs the steak, and again slams the door. Vincent waits. Her green eyes changed color and appeared golden. Just when he thought she did not want to see him, the door opens and she yanks him inside, and slams the door shut.

Dani’s elderly neighbors were very disturbed by the sounds coming from her apartment. They have grown accustomed to weird noises from her place and have learned to live with it because she is such a fine person and they honesty love her. These sounds were new. Growling and howling with something banging against the walls, accompanied by the sound of furniture moving and things breaking. A couple of times it sounded like somebody hit the wall and then the floor. The noise went on for hours before it became quiet.

***

Vincent wakes with a start. He immediately notices two things. Dani is next to him, naked, and watching him wake up with her beautiful green eyes. The second thing he sees is little specs of dust floating in the sunlight that filters into the room, basking them both in a golden light. His survival instinct kicks in and he throws himself out of bed and huddles close to its side to get out of the sun.

Vincent examines himself, curious why he is not on fire. Dani’s head appears over the edge of the bed. ‘Vince, you have been lying in the sun for the past thirty minutes, and yeah you are hot, but not on fire’ She reaches for him and pulls him back onto the bed like he weighs nothing. ‘Look at my eyes! They changed back to their normal color! And my hands are still hands and not claws!’ She is on her knees on the bed, showing off her beautiful hands, human hands! ‘And you are sitting in the sun!’

Vincent tries to process it all, but the sight of Dani’s breasts distracts him. ‘God you are beautiful’, he says as he reaches for her. He pulls her close, and marvels at the sunlight reflecting off her hair and skin. ‘You know what this means?’, Dani asks with her nose almost touching his. ‘Something changed when we made love, I was able to turn off the transformation, and you are able to be outside during the day.’ She pulls back and her eyes change color, becoming golden again and growing in size. She holds up a claw that is way too big for her petite frame. ‘I am doing this Vincent! I am in control’. Vincent already accepted the fact that they are now better than before, but Dani’s breasts still has his full attention. She knows this and lifts herself up and pulls his head to her breasts. They proceed to break the rest of her furniture.

***

Vincent has been investing under various names for centuries and is insanely wealthy. Dani moves in and for the first time ever his penthouse feels like a home. Every morning, they sit outside on the observation deck, waiting for the sunrise, and every night they enjoy the sunset together. Their bedroom is furnished with a custom-made bed, and the bed is bolted to the floor. They test the strength of its construction regularly. Vincent and Dani spend their nights together hunting criminals, and their days together outside enjoying the world.

Every night before they return home, they stop at the Walmart deli to buy cheese and cold cuts.