Meet Nadal from “The Chosen”

My name is Domenic Nadal. You cannot meet me until February, 2011, which coincides with my meeting my soul mate, my CHOSEN, Ariadne Fortesque. When we do appear, you shall find us at eXtasy Books under my author’s name, Dee Brice.

What makes you special? What differentiates you from your kind? Do you have special abilities?
Because I am almost 900 years old, humans call me vampire. But I do not drink blood of any kind. In truth, except for my longevity and enhanced senses, I am like you humans. I can tolerate sunlight. I have a reflection. I eat and drink human foods—although I prefer my steaks rare and my wine red. I sleep at night, in a custom-made bed that allows vigorous sensual encounters—which for the last several decades have been sorely lacking. But that is about to change—as you will discover.

Tell us about your most current adventure.

1 January 2675
There is something innately beautiful about a new journal. A book with blank pages, I mean, not those tiny data collectors doctors implant in newborns’ brains to track their lives from birth to death. But a real book, in which I can write my deepest desires with no one the wiser.
Nowadays, one has to search long and hard to find a journal. One has to pay dearly for the privilege of owning such a volume—even one made from recycled napkins or newspapers. I am forever grateful that the reuse craze did not extend to toilet paper.
I am blessed with foresight and purchased many journals in those halcyon days when journals—or diaries as some called them—were kept on a daily basis. A lovely record that allows one to look back at one’s family history. Or, in my case, one’s life.
The aroma of velum fills my nostrils. I caress the paper with my fingertips, as I shall touch the woman who will soon come to me. Soon, for me a month or year or century, is relative only to my growing impatience to meet her. I will breathe her scents as I now inhale those of parchment and India ink—another remnant of my past.
After years of trying to tempt me with imitations of herself, Erma Franken is sending a woman more to my tastes. How do I know? Franken wants me to fund her latest research—an exploration of why vampires drink blood—beyond the obvious need to survive. So I know the woman she sends this time is a woman I shall want.
I also know Franken wants more than money. I know she wants my blood.

Tell us a little bit about your author. Where can we find more of their works? And If you could offer your author advice, what would it be?
My creator—that is what ‘author’ means, is it not?—found a home for me and my CHOSEN at eXtasy Books, where you will also find several other erotic novels and novellas. You may also look for other stories written by my creator at Ellora’s Cave. For a complete listing, including Dee’s works in progress, check out her website at deebrice.com. My advice to Dee—and to all other authors—is to keep writing. Don’t let rejection stop you from exploring alternatives, such as writing different genres and/or seeking new publishes. Above all, keep honing your craft.

Are you happy with the way people perceive you?
I enjoy knowing that humans’ perceptions of me and my kind are steeped in myths about vampires. I also relish the fact that I am rich enough to live in solitude with a few of my equally long-lived friends and relatives. It is sometimes lonely. I have outlived my few wives and children, along with human friends. But, as I said, all that is about to change.

Tell us a little bit about your world.
My world? My world is what I have made it. I live in a castle that frightens my few human visitors. I can see in their eyes that they wonder if my coffin lies deep in my dungeons. Or if I shall share the refreshments I offer them or wait until they leave to drink blood—assuming I, the perfect host, will not drink theirs. While I dislike thinking of myself as vindictive, I more than enjoy their discomfort—a small payback for the centuries they threatened my life, forcing me to flee from family and friends lest the humans burn me to death or carve my heart from my living body.

Did you really do “it”?
Do ‘it’? I suppose that depends on your definition of ‘it’. Did I/do I have sex? Yes. When I first changed—my kind are not ‘turned’ as our vampire cousins are—my need for sex almost destroyed my sanity. My savior—Sarah—became my lover until I was able to control my lust. We have remained good friends for more than 800 years.
I am about to return the favor. Ariadne—my CHOSEN—does not know she is one of my kind. She does not believe in vampires per se (but all humans share a fear of the dark and unknown). I shall help her through her change and pray she will choose to stay with me.

What other characters have influenced you?
Influenced me? Make me wonder what she’s up to? Yes. Dr. Erma Franken—a real vampire—wants my blood. Since we were once lovers, you might assume her 500-year vendetta is that of a woman scorned. I know her need for revenge goes far deeper. What I do not know is what she will do with my blood should she succeed in killing me.

Tell us about the “real” you. Are there any dark secrets you want to share with us?
The ‘real’ me? Like most of my kind—both kindred and vampire—I love flowers. I also enjoy playing tricks—using candles in lieu of electricity to light my castle rooms, for example.

Dark secrets? Ah, the darkest secret of all—how I and others like me survive—is one you must discover for yourself by reading CHOSEN.

What does your significant other think about your adventures? And how do they deal with it?
My significant other—my CHOSEN—is my adventure. Saving her from Erma Franken’s machinations is a challenge only exceeded by Ariadne’s stubbornness—her insistence on dealing with Franken on her own. Not only does Ariadne refuse to see the danger to herself, she resents my attempts to safeguard her. Protecting those we love is another commonality my kind shares with our blood-drinking vampire cousins.

What is your most favorite thing to do?
My favorite thing to do is yet to come—in both the figurative and literal sense. If Ariadne consents to remain with me, we shall have centuries of lovemaking and laughter and tears to share. Only a few tears, I pray, and many more of joy than of sorrow.

What was the best sexual experience you’ve had?
My best sexual experience is yet to come. To know the love of my very long life will share all the long years of her life with me…

Can you really run away in high heels?
I have worn heels—required during my very long lifetime at certain courts—but not recently. I do, however, intend to chase Ariadne when she is wearing them. Trust me, there is little that is more exciting or more enticing than a naked woman running away in high heels. Well…catching her is even more than all that.

What do you think of blood-drinkers?
I pity them. They have lost so much—the touch of sunlight, the scent of flowers, the taste of food. In a very real way I find them repulsive—especially those who sought immortality over their own humanity.


What are the pro’s and con’s to being an alleged vampire?
My longevity, enhanced senses, strength, and speed. Cons? I am sometimes—in truth often—lonely.

Describe your best kill. Why was it the best?
I have killed in wars to save my country. I have killed to protect my sister from a man who thought to rape her. I shall kill without a shred of remorse to keep Ariadne safe. And that will be my best kill.

What kind of abilities do you get when you become, well…what you are?
I was not ‘made’ by another vampire drawing my blood then reviving me with hers. (I cannot imagine myself being made in any sense of the word by a man.) I was bred in the normal human way—the only difference being that my parents are both long-lived. I acquired my powers during the Napoleonic Wars—on the bayonet of a French lad barely old enough to leave his mother’s arms. Like others of my kind, I was in my thirties when granted my powers. All my senses—sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch--grew keener. My strength, while never that of Superman, increased exponentially, as did my ability to run far and fast. I became immune to disease and can die only if my heart is taken or I am burned to death and my ashes scattered.

What makes being with a one of my kind the best sexual experience?
By now you must realize I do not consider myself a vampire. Making love with me is incredible because I focus completely on my partner. And, having lived as long as I have, I know many secrets about how to bring a woman exquisite pleasure. Moreover, my stamina ensures I can bring her again and again and –you get the picture—before I take my own bliss.

How old are you?
I stopped aging when I changed. In that sense, I am and will remain thirty-five. How long have I lived? Almost 900 years.

Can you control when your fangs come out?
I have no fangs.

Do you like synthetic blood?
I do not drink blood of any kind.

Tell us about holy water, garlic and the sun.
I am pagan and know nothing of holy water. Garlic makes my mouth water and enlivens my taste buds. The sun makes my flowers grow.

Do you have to sleep in a coffin?
No.

What do you think about the Cullen Clan?
Deliver me from teenage angst!

What was your experience when you were turned? Tell us a little about it.
I was not ‘turned’! (I expel an impatient breath before continuing.) The bayonet seemed to pierce my belly from front to back. The boy who had sought to kill me grunted as he pulled back. I felt—as keenly as if I could see it happening—the hole in my body reknit. I tingled. The power, my waning strength returned in waves. I smelled gunpowder as if I had inhaled snuff. I tasted it on my tongue. Blood dripped in globs over my uniform, then dried to a rusty stain. And then, miraculously, I was again whole and uninjured.

Have you ever drank animal blood and why?
Never. As I have said (and pardon me if I sound peeved at having to repeat myself) I do not drink blood of any kind.

Finally, is there something you wished we had asked, but didn’t?
I have no questions. I do, however, thank you for this opportunity to tell you about my beloved Ariadne and myself.

Domenic Nadal
October 14, 2675