Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
M ikael tried to go to sleep, he really did, but it was impossible.
There was nothing but a door separating him from Collin, and even if Collin had locked the door–which he hadn’t–it was only a thin sheet of wood. No match for a vampire, really. Collin might as well have been in the room with him.
It certainly smelled like he was. This was where Collin lived, after all, and his scent clung to every piece of furniture in the room. It was particularly strong near the couch, the exact spot where Mikael was currently lying, and it drove him fucking nuts.
How was a vampire supposed to stay sane under these circumstances?
He should have braved the sun. That would have been the safer option.
He couldn’t get the taste of Collin’s mouth out of his mind, the sensation of having Collin’s soft lips against his, Collin’s tongue in his mouth, his arms wrapped around Mikael’s body, his scent surrounding him…
Fuck.
Usually, when he was obsessed with people, he only wanted their blood–but with Collin… He wanted so much more. He wanted the man’s smiles, his laughter, his kisses and his hands and his warm body. He wanted to be the reason Collin blushed, and the reason he forgot how to use words.
He was so fucked.
If Collin were anything but mortal, all of this would be easier. Mikael would just walk through the door separating them right now and crawl into bed with Collin.
But he wasn’t an idiot. He knew exactly how dangerous this was.
He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, wishing that his dick was less insistent on being given attention.
He wasn’t going to jerk himself off here, even if it killed him. He’d made enough of a fool of himself as it was.
If he really focused, he could hear Collin’s heartbeat in the other room, the rhythm of his breath, and it sounded as if he wasn’t asleep either. Mikael strained his hearing, and he was pretty sure he heard a muted moan coming from the direction of Collin’s bedroom.
Mikael gritted his teeth, trying to tune out the sound.
Did Collin know how good vampire hearing was?
Probably not.
Mikael considered saying something, but he had a feeling that, whatever Collin was doing, it had to do with Mikael, and that was enough to keep him from interrupting.
He shifted on the couch, pushing his face into the pillow as if he could somehow smother the noises from the other room. He didn’t want to hear, because it made him think of Collin’s body, Collin’s dick and what it would feel like to touch him, to undress him, to kiss him all over, and it made his head spin, the knowledge that Collin was doing the same thing now, just on the other side of that wall.
His erection ached and he desperately wished for Collin’s mouth on him, Collin’s lips, his tight, tight heat…
He groaned.
This wasn’t helping.
If only the sun wasn’t trapping him here.
Another muffled groan reached his ear, and Mikael squeezed his eyes shut.
When the first rays of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon and the vampire world awoke, he was going to jump out of Collin’s window, run all the way home, and masturbate furiously.
If he survived that long, of course.
He listened to Collin’s hitched breath and the rustle of fabric. A murmured name fell from Collin’s lips. His name.
The sound of it went right to Mikael’s groin, and he bit back a frustrated moan.
Collin had no idea what he was doing to Mikael, did he?
It was torture.
Pure and simple.
He heard Collin’s breath hitch and then his heart racing, his breath halting, and the almost imperceptible shuddering of his body as he came, and it was so utterly sexy, Mikael couldn’t help but imagine Collin naked, writhing beneath him, the sight of his release splattering over his own chest, his stomach, his dick.
Collin’s movements stilled, and then he breathed deeply and slowly as if he was finally falling asleep.
Mikael sighed.
He’d watched Collin jerk off on camera numerous times, but this… this was something else entirely. He wanted to get up and cross the distance between them, to join Collin in the bed, to pull him into his arms.
Not that he could do that, of course.
But still, the thought kept him up for another couple of hours.
After a while, he pulled out his phone and turned to the internet with his problem. ‘How to control yourself around a mortal blood source.’ His search didn’t return many results, just a couple of advice pages for fresh vampires who struggled with constant hunger and ways to sate that hunger legally. He was long past that point, though.
Normally.
He clicked on another link, reading about ways to distract yourself from temptation. Apparently, it helped to find something else to focus on. Something you didn’t enjoy as much. Like math.
Mikael snorted.
As if he was gonna try solving math equations while kissing Collin.
Closing the website, he opened his streaming app and looked for his chat log with Collin. They’d been texting for months and never once had he even begun to guess that Collin was mortal.
Mikael scrolled through the messages, smiling despite himself, because he could clearly tell when Collin had gotten progressively more comfortable talking to him.
He’d been so hesitant at first.
Of course, now that Mikael knew Collin’s secret, he understood his reluctance to meet up offline.
He’d had a good reason for being so cautious, and he’d trusted Mikael, anyway.
Mikael had messed that up.
He glanced toward the door leading to Collin’s bedroom, then he looked back at his phone and typed: “I’ll never hurt you again.”
He heard Collin’s phone vibrate in the other room, but there was no response. Of course not. Collin was asleep.
Mikael listened to the silence for a little longer until it was interrupted by the strangest sound.
He frowned, and when it happened again, he pushed himself up, listening.
It sounded like a whimper, and it came from under the couch.
Carefully, he slid off the piece of furniture, onto his knees, and peeked under the sofa, searching for the source of the sound.
Luna stared back at him, wide-eyed, her fur gleaming faintly, even in the dark. She mewled again in a pitiful way.
“Shh,” Mikael whispered, reaching out for the bunny.
She didn’t flinch away, so he lifted her carefully out from under the couch.
“What are you doing under there?” he asked quietly.
She sniffed him and pressed her head against his chest as if she wanted him to understand something. Mikael wasn’t sure how to interpret the gesture, though. He was a vampire, not a bunny whisperer. Because he was a vampire, though, he noticed a smell that made him tip the bunny’s head up so he could inspect the fur under her chin. It was stained with blood.
Shit.
“What happened?”
Carefully, Mikael searched for the source of the blood but couldn’t find a wound.
Did that mean the blood had come out of her mouth?
That wasn’t good.
Mikael didn’t know much about animals, but even he knew that coughing up blood was a sign of a serious illness.
He ran his hand gently through her fur, and she responded with a soft whimper, not protesting his touch in any other way. She wasn’t trembling or in obvious pain, but it was clear that she was sick.
“Oh, sweetie,” he murmured, scratching her head.
There was nothing for it. He would have to wake Collin.
Getting up, he carried the bunny to the door that led to Collin’s room and knocked quietly, waiting for a reaction.
The bunny pressed against his chest, her heart beating a rapid staccato in her chest.
“It’s okay, honey,” he whispered, petting her again. “It’ll be fine.”
She snuggled against his chest, and the motion was so trusting that Mikael had to swallow down a lump in his throat.
How was this precious little creature not scared of a vampire?
“Collin?” he called, knocking again, a little louder this time. “I’m sorry to wake you, but Luna is hurt.”
From inside, he heard movement and a low murmur.
A moment later, the door opened, revealing a sleepy-looking Collin, barefoot, dressed in only a pair of pajama pants. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, and took in the sight in front of him. His gaze lingered on Mikael for only a second before it fell on the bunny in his arms. “What’s wrong?” Collin asked, immediately reaching out to take Luna from him.
“I found her under the couch,” Mikael explained, handing the bunny over. “There’s blood on her fur.”
“Where?” Collin’s voice was thick with worry as he inspected his pet. "I don’t see a wound.
Mikael nodded. “I don’t know where it came from. I think… I think it might be internal. Blood might have come up her throat.”
Collin whitened.
Mikael resisted the urge to reach out and touch him. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Collin swallowed, cradling his bunny against his chest. “She’s got a tumor.” He hesitated, his grip tightening around the bunny, before he added, “She needs surgery, but I can’t afford it.”
Fuck.
Mikael watched Collin bury his face in Luna’s fur, shoulders slumping.
“She doesn’t deserve this.” Collin’s voice shook. “She’s always been there for me and now…”
Mikael couldn’t help himself. He reached out for Collin, placing a hand on his arm and squeezing.
Collin looked at him, eyes glistening, and the raw emotion in his expression broke Mikael’s heart. “She’s all I have.”
“Take her to the vet.” Mikael spoke without a moment’s hesitation. “I’ll pay the bill.”
Collin’s eyes widened, and he seemed to stare at Mikael as if he didn’t quite comprehend what Mikael was saying.
Mikael pulled his credit card out of his wallet and held it out to Collin. “I’m serious. Consider it payback for all the blood I took from you.”
Collin’s brow furrowed as he slowly reached for the card. “I didn’t let you bite me because I wanted your money.”
“I know.” Mikael forced a smile on his face. “I’m still going to insist.”
Collin looked down at his pet bunny. “Thank you,” he said, the words spoken quietly.
He walked back to his room and returned a minute later, fully dressed and holding a carrier cage. His eyes were red-rimmed as he carefully placed the bunny in the cage. Mikael watched silently while Collin put on shoes and grabbed his keys. It was really too bad that he couldn’t go with Collin, but the sun hadn’t set yet.
Some days it really sucked being a vampire.
Collin cast another uncertain look at him.
“Go,” Mikael said.
Collin nodded, took the pet carrier with Luna in it, and headed out the door.
Mikael walked back to the couch and sat down heavily.
What a mess. Picking up his phone, he sent another text to Collin: “Get that surgery scheduled. We’ll figure out a way to make it happen.”
Collin’s apartment was empty by the time he got home, just half an hour after sunset.
He felt drained and exhausted, physically and emotionally. It had been a hell of a day.
He put the pet carrier on the ground and pulled his bunny out, holding her up to his chest and cuddling her. It helped to soothe him a little. “You’re gonna be fine,” he whispered into Luna’s fur. The vet had given him medicine that would help prevent the symptoms from getting worse for now, and they also scheduled the surgery for next week, but…
Collin chewed his lip as he sank down on the couch.
Was he really going to be able to afford it?
He looked at his phone, at the last text he’d received from Mikael. The vampire wanted to help him, which was beyond generous, but as grateful as Collin was for the offer…
Where was Mikael now? Had he gone home? Back to the club?
It was for the best, of course. Mikael was still a predator after all, and he couldn’t control himself around Collin, and yet…
And yet…
Collin closed his eyes and dropped his head back, sighing.
He wished Mikael were here.
The thought was ridiculous. He didn’t need a vampire around him right now, but he’d enjoyed Mikael’s company, his warmth, his scent. The easy way he’d offered his help as if he truly cared.
Collin rubbed his temples.
Wishing for the impossible was going to get him nowhere. Getting up from the couch, he went to take care of his pet, preparing her food and medicine, making sure that she was comfortable.
Then he retreated to his room and settled on the bed.
His gaze flickered to his laptop, and he chewed his lip, wondering if Mikael was online right now, if he would stream at the usual time tonight. Did he already have a new victim scheduled? He probably had a long waiting list of potential candidates by this point. Dozens of men and women who’d be available to him at a moment’s notice.
Collin’s heart clenched at the thought.
He’d watched Mikael bite other people countless times, but he didn’t think he could do it again. At least not soon. Not without thinking of what had happened between them the previous night.
He flipped the laptop open, logged into his account, and navigated to Mikael’s channel.
A message flashed at him, and he paused.
“No stream tonight. Please check back tomorrow.”
Collin stared at the words, feeling strangely relieved.
He clicked on the comments, hoping for some more information, and was rewarded with a series of speculations by Mikael’s regular watchers, most of them expressing disappointment that he’d canceled his stream.
In the upper corner of his screen, a notification waited for Collin. A text from Mikael. “Sorry I had to leave. How did the vet visit go?”
Collin stared at his keyboard, debating with himself, before he began to type, “Luna is fine for now, thanks to you. We’ve set up a date for the surgery next week, but I really don’t think you should pay for it.”
Mikael’s response came surprisingly fast. “How else are you going to pay for it?”
Collin didn’t know how to respond.
Another message arrived. “I left my credit card with you for a reason. Take the money. I don’t need it anyway. My coven isn’t charging me rent, and I get to eat for free on camera every night.”
In spite of his best intentions, Collin’s stomach dropped at the reminder that Mikael got his meals for free, considering that his ‘meals’ were other people. People who weren’t Collin. He bit his lower lip.
Collin: The reason I went to your party was to find someone to collaborate with so I could come up with the money myself.
Mikael: Is that why I found you with Zelos?
Collin: Yes.
Mikael: Really? You were going to let that green-skinned freak fuck you?
Collin: He’s not a freak.
Mikael: He’s an orc!
Collin: Half-orc, and there’s nothing wrong with orcs.
Mikael: I don’t care what he is, he’s not good enough for you!
Collin paused, staring at the screen.
Was that jealousy he sensed from Mikael?
Mikael: You don’t have to fuck Zelos for the money. Just use my card. Let me take care of this.
Collin’s fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long moment before he replied, “Why do you want to do this for me? We’ve only met once and it’s not like we can get together again.” His head hurt as he typed the words, and not just his head. His chest ached too. There was clearly something here, between the two of them, and he wasn’t the only one who was feeling it. No matter how much he wanted Mikael, though, they couldn’t have each other, and pretending otherwise wouldn’t do anyone any good.
Mikael didn’t respond right away, but Collin saw the little dots that indicated that the vampire was typing. Finally, a long reply came in. “I’ve wanted to have you on my stream since the first time I saw yours. You were so honest and vulnerable and so damn fuckable. I could tell that you weren’t faking your reactions to anything, and that’s so rare on this platform. I chatted you up because I wanted to convince you to work with me, because I wanted to bite you. I should have stopped when you shot me down. It’s not polite to badger people the way I badgered you. The truth is that I simply didn’t want to stop talking to you. You never left my thoughts. I’ve watched all your videos multiple times. I’ve reread every message you ever sent me. I’m obsessed with you, Collin. Hell, the only reason I invited all those streamers to the masquerade was because I was hoping you’d show up.”
Collin read the words again and again.
Mikael had watched him that much? He liked Collin that much?
Collin’s pulse skyrocketed as his fingers touched the keyboard again. “You didn’t know that I’m mortal.”
Mikael’s reply came fast. “That doesn’t change how much I want you. You’re even more amazing irl than you are online and I hated having to leave your apartment. I got back here and I thought about streaming, about biting some other person and I just don’t want to. I want you, Collin.”
Collin closed his eyes, swallowing down a lump in his throat.
When he opened his eyes again, there was another message waiting for him. “I don’t know how we’re going to make this work yet, but I will find a way, so don’t say that we can’t get together again, and don’t go and fuck Zelos. I think I’ll have to kill him if you do and I’d rather not.”
A choked laugh escaped Collin.
“You’re crazy,” he typed.
“Crazy about you,” came the response. “Please let me do this for you.”
Collin exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands over his face.
His thoughts were spinning, but one thing was becoming clearer than ever.
No matter how ill-advised it was, he wanted Mikael too.
His heart thumped loudly in his chest, and he took another deep breath, trying to steady himself before he typed, “All right. I’ll take the money, and I won’t contact Zelos, even though there is nothing wrong with orcs.”
“I don’t know about that,” Mikael wrote. “Orcs have green dicks.”
Collin rolled his eyes, but he was so relieved that Luna was going to be taken care of, that there might be a future in which he and Mikael could see each other again, he didn’t have it in him to be offended on behalf of orc kind. “Green is a beautiful color,” he wrote. “Good things are green. Vegetables are green.”
“You don’t eat vegetables with your ass.”
“I don’t eat Zelos’ dick either.”
“Yeah, you’d better not. You’d have no room left for mine.”
Collin paused with his fingers on the keys. “You’re promising me yours?”
“Next time we meet,” Mikael wrote. “I’ll find a way to control myself. If I have to pull out my own fangs, I will.”
“No!” Collin typed quickly because that sounded horrifying.
“They’ll grow back.”
“Still don’t. I don’t want you to hurt yourself because of me.”
“It’d be worth it.”
Collin had no response to that. Mikael was crazy. Seriously. Completely, one hundred percent out of his mind.
And Collin couldn’t wait to see him again.