Chapter Nine
Kip
First Blood
Charlie’s on my lap, his body fitting perfectly with mine. I can’t get a full breath, because all I smell is him.
“Bite me, Kip.” He whispers, leaning in.
My fangs ache, my body telling me to go for it. I look into Charlie’s eyes, silently asking for permission. He gazes back at me, and gives a tiny nod.
“It’s okay, Kip. I want you to.”
I groan, those words sending tingles over my skin, and a pleasant shudder through my body. I think I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.
Leaning in, I nuzzle my nose against the skin of his throat. My lips brush his skin, his pulse beating wildly against my mouth. My fangs itch to sink into his pale flesh. To drink his cinnamon sugar scent down. Will he taste as good as he smells?
He asked earlier if other people smell as delicious as him, and the answer is no. Not by a long shot. I only want him.
I press a soft kiss to the skin above his pulse. I’m excited, but terrified. What if I take too much? What if I hurt him?
“I can feel you hesitating. I’m nervous too, but I’d rather you take from me with my consent than accidentally attack someone.” Charlie rasps.
Who is this dude? He came into my life like a whirlwind. And I haven’t really given him any reason to trust me, but he does anyway. And I have a feeling that isn’t something he usually gives freely.
I place one more sweet kiss to his skin, and then bare my fangs.
They rake across his skin softly. Bracing myself, and steadying Charlie with one hand around the other side of his neck, and the other on his hip, I take one last deep breath before placing my fangs against his pulse, and letting them sink in.
I feel Charlie stiffen and gasp against me as my fangs puncture his beautiful, soft skin.
I tasted a drop of his blood from his finger earlier tonight, but that was nothing compared to this.
His blood pulses in his veins and drips onto my tongue and it’s the sweetest, most heavenly thing I’ve ever tasted.
It’s like lightening, lighting me up from the inside.
My mouth seals around the puncture wounds, pulling more blood down into my throat. I can feel my chest rumbling, and I realize I’m growling as I feast on Charlie. I don’t want to stop, but I know I have to, otherwise I might take too much.
Charlie trembles beneath, but his body is no longer rigid. He lets out a soft moan as I suck one last time, just needing one final taste. My tongue flicks out, licking every last drop of blood from the wound.
Reluctantly, I pull my mouth away from Charlie’s skin. More blood wells from the punctures, and it takes everything in me not to sink back in for more.
Charlie whimpers, and that snaps me out of my blood haze.
“Are you okay, Charlie?” I ask, rubbing soothing circles with my thumb on his hip.
“Mhmmm.” His eyes are closed, but he doesn’t seem like he’s in pain. It’s almost as if he too was lost in bliss. It’s then that I notice two things at once. First, my dick is very hard, and it’s digging into the split of his ass. Second, he’s also hard.
“Here, let me heal you.” I say softly. Releasing my hand from the side of his neck, I bring it up to my mouth. Tyson told me that he would heal me by feeding me his blood. So I’m guessing that all I have to do is nick my skin with my teeth, and then let him drink from me.
Biting my palm, I let some blood pool in my hand. I can’t tell if it’s the dim lighting, but my blood looks dark, almost black.
“Here, sweetheart. Drink.” The pet name slips out without a second thought. I cup my palm around Charlie’s mouth, coaxing him to lap it up.
Charlie sighs dazedly, but I feel his velvety, wet tongue flatten against my palm. Each brush of his tongue against my skin sends electricity buzzing through me. My dick is rock hard now, twitching against Charlie’s bottom. I’m sure he can feel it, but he doesn’t seem fazed.
I watch in amazement as the puncture wounds in his skin heal over. In a blink, they’re gone, his skin unblemished again. I wonder what other injuries or diseases vampire blood can heal. Why aren’t we using this to advance medicine?
Charlie stops sucking, and I let my hand fall away from his mouth. As soon as he stops, my wounds close up. It’s like magic.
Charlie collapses tiredly against my chest, his arms wrapping around my neck. I hold him tightly to me, pressing my face into his soft, black hair.
“Do you feel okay?” I ask against his scalp.
“Yes.” He slurs tiredly. “Just sleepy now.”
“It didn’t hurt too much, did it?” My stomach flutters with nerves. I’ll hate myself if I hurt him.
“At first. But then it felt…good.” He whispers. “Intimate.”
I hum into his hair, content. “I’m happy it didn’t hurt badly. I couldn’t stand it if I hurt you, Charlie.”
He sleepily raises his head, locking eyes with me. A small smile tilts on his lips. “You didn’t hurt me.” A blush rises on his cheeks. “I liked it.”
His words make my heart sing.
“And weirdly, your blood tasted…sweet. Like honey. And I liked that too.” He whispers.
Huh. That must be normal, right? I get why his blood tasted good to me, I mean, I am a vampire now. But for mine to taste good to him too? That’s unexpected, but I’m glad. It makes things easier for if I need to heal him again.
“How about we get you some food, and then I take you home?” I ask, as Charlie smiles shyly at me.
“Ok.”
I really, really don’t want to go home. I don’t want to be apart from Charlie, and I don’t want to see Tyson. That’s why I’m taking Charlie to a twenty-four hour diner, in hopes of avoiding reality for a little bit longer.
“This place used to be one of my favorite. A guilty secret.” I admit as we sit in a booth, waiting for our orders to be taken.
“Can you still eat human food?” Charlie asks. “I know in some lore vampires can’t eat it at all, and in others they can. Although you did drink alcohol at the bar, so maybe that means you can eat too?”
I study the menu, thinking. “Honestly, I don’t know. You probably know more about vampires than I do.”
“Why haven’t you asked your roommate, Tyson? Isn’t he the one that turned you?”
Grimacing, I think about what I want to say to that. It’s complicated, but Charlie deserves the truth, right? He did let me feed off of him.
“Well, like I said earlier, we’re kinda on the outs, right now. He admitted to using me from the get go, and I guess I just don’t trust him.”
Charlie drops the straw wrapper he’s been folding and unfolding, reaching across the table to place his hand on mine. “That’s right, you mentioned that, you know, during that long and weird rant you made at the club.” He shoots me a mischievous smile.
Rolling my eyes, I flip my palm up, hoping that Charlie might hold my hand. He hesitates, looking from me to our connected hands, before sliding his fingers into mine.
“So, what happened with that?” He pries.
“Hey sugars, what can I get ya?” An older woman stops by our table, notepad flipped open and pen at the ready.
“Cheeseburger and fries, please.” I rattle off my usual order.
“And for you, sweetheart?” The waitress asks Charlie.
He blushes, clearing his throat. “Uhh, can I get a full stack of chocolate chip pancakes, please?”
“Sure thing. It’ll be out shortly.” She replies and then walks back to the kitchen area. The diner is dead right now, but I’m sure as soon as the bars and clubs close for the night it’ll get more crowded.
“I really hope I can eat that burger and fries, or else I’m gonna be really bummed.
And then my ‘friendship’ with Tyson will really never recover.
” I mean, could you imagine? One of life’s greatest pleasures, taken away forever?
Especially if I’m immortal…like never having a burger again? No thanks.
“So…Tyson…” Charlie hedges.
“Finnneee…I guess it might be nice to talk about it with someone.” I play with the water pooling on the outside of my glass.
“It turns out, when we first met, he befriended me to use me basically as a blood bag. He said I was easy and trusting. He took advantage of my kindness, and that really fucking sucks because I thought we were best friends. He acted like he was my best friend. Tys said eventually he grew attached to me and actually views me as his friend, but how can I ever believe him?”
“That’s really fucked up, Kip.” Charlie gnaws on his lower lip, wanting to ask something but hesitating.
“Just ask.” I say after a minute of tense silence.
“You’re not…” He sighs, swiping his hair back with frustration. “You’re not using me like that, right? Sorry, it feels really shitty to ask, but I have to.”
“No! Of course not, Charlie. I was willing to die rather than hurt you or anyone else. You don’t really think that’s what this is, do you?”
Charlie shakes his head. “No, I don’t. But I don’t actually know you all that well, so maybe you’re playing me…but it doesn’t feel like you’re using me. You seem…genuinely nice.”
“I’m not playing you or using you. I like you. I feel like I’m drawn to you.” I swallow thickly.
“I like you too, Kip.” Charlie whispers.
“You’re one of the most open, honest, and kind people I think I’ve ever met.
And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry I was kind of a dick to you last night.
I don’t trust easily, at all. I mean, I have a group of three friends, for fuck’s sake.
Not only that, but I don’t really date. I’ve had some bad experiences, and it’s kind of turned me off of the whole scene.
And to be frank, I’m kinda scared of this… and you.”
I freeze. “Y-you’re…scared of me?” That hurts.
“No, no, no. Not like that. Not because you’re you know…” He leans in and covers the side of his face to murmur “a vampire.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s not really you I’m afraid of, I suppose. More just…opening myself up to a new person. To be friends, or more, or whatever…” Charlie’s cheeks are bright pink, and I can almost feel the heat of shyness and embarrassment radiating off him.