Vampire in the Garden

Short story of a hungry vampire.

Everything you thought you knew about vampires is wrong. They can walk in the daylight and holy water doesn't burn them. In fact, vampires can pass as normal humans so perfectly that even other vampires have trouble spotting them. Until they drink human blood, that is; then they transform into monstrous beasts who mindlessly rape and murder. But not all vampires are evil. The secret task force that patrols Tokyo's vampire population has several fanged operatives, including half-human Yuuki Anzai, who believes that his human heritage lets him resist his species' basest cravings. But after Yuuki rescues college student Tsukasa Taira from a vampire stalker, he realizes that he's succumbing to urges he's never felt before.

Wracked by insomnia and wanderlust, Kou Yamori is driven onto the moonlit streets every night in an aimless search for something he can’t seem to name. His nightly ritual is marked by purposeless introspection — until he meets Nazuna, who might just be a vampire! Kou’s new companion could offer him dark gifts and a vampire’s immortality. But there are conditions that must be met before Kou can sink his teeth into vampirism, and he’ll have to discover just how far he’s willing to go to satisfy his desires before he can heed the Call of the Night!

In Victorian England, the young orphan Wisteria begs for scraps. Able to see through demons’ disguises, she befriends the immortal Marbas, lonely after centuries of solitude. He finds kinship with the human girl, even while evading the brutal Sword Cross Knights—including Wisteria’s brother. Is it possible for two souls so different to find happiness together, and what price must they pay?