Chapter 5 #2
Trying to look stern, I glowered at him.
“Not funny. You’re your own person. Yes, you do look quite a lot like Sorley, but you’re no imitation of anyone, let alone a lesser version.
” He opened his mouth to protest but I cut him off.
“Do I need to wash your mouth out with soap?” His eyes widened comically and he shook his head.
“Right then. Besides, I grew up with black and white photography, thank you very much, and I never had any complaints. I don’t want to hear another word.
” I waited until he finally gave me a hesitant nod.
Had it only been two days ago I’d personally declared James a pale imitation of my dear friend?
How quickly opinions could change. I wouldn’t swap him for the world now.
Perhaps James was a little on the plainer side — I knew myself well enough to suspect my objectivity was rapidly waning — but he was mine and he looked fucking perfect to my jaded eyes.
It’s also bloody hard for any human to glow in the same way as a vampire, so he had no business being down on himself. I’d have to keep reminding him.
Dialling back my intenseness, I brushed his shaggy hair off his forehead, tucking it into the hood he seemed to be addicted to keeping up, and pressed my lips to his heated skin. “Will you let me feed from you, James?” I held very still.
A blush swept across his cheeks, but he nodded. “I’d like that.”
I pushed up one of his sleeves and heard his pulse quicken. I needed to make this fast so I didn’t act like a horny fool. I traced my forefinger over the inside of his wrist, then repeated the action with my tongue. James whimpered softly, but when I hesitated, he pushed his wrist against my mouth.
I bit down, quick and clean. His blood flowed hotly into my mouth as I closed my lips around the holes I’d made and sucked.
Fuck, he tasted even better than the first time.
I could smell his arousal as I drank, his flushed skin and his rapidly lengthening cock unable to hide the truth from me.
I carefully pushed my hips away from him; there was no way I would dare complicate matters by grinding against his thigh.
I was reluctant to stop, but it wasn’t as if I needed to take a lot of blood.
I did and still do, however, need to feed regularly.
When I licked the bite closed, James sighed.
His eyes were closed and a quick glance downward showed me he was fully hard in his joggers.
Forcing my gaze back to his face, I touched his cheek gently.
“You okay?”
“Hmm.” He inhaled a shuddery breath, then said, “I should go. You’ve finished, haven’t you?” His expression was toneless, almost robotic, but it was fairly obvious he was feeling anything but steady.
I pushed a wave of calm towards him. “You have your own room and you can sleep in it every day if that’s what you want. But if you want to stay here, I’d like that too. If you stay, tell me whether you’d like to be nearest the door, or if you’d prefer me between the door and the outside world.”
His eyes shot open. “You’d let me choose?” He seemed amazed, but his heartbeat slowed a little, so my calm was working on him.
“Nobody’s getting in here anyway,” I reassured him, “but the illusion of being safe can aid sleep, same as worry about being trapped can prevent it.” Thank you, Sorley, for sending me those links to trauma. “The brain likes to think it’s in charge. It’s totally up to you.”
A small smile reached his eyes. “I was actually going for surprise you don’t have a side of the bed you always sleep on rather than psychoanalysing myself, but maybe you could sleep on the door side?
” His voice went up at the end, croaky and squeaky combined.
He cleared his throat. “If I won’t disturb you when I wake up. Like, if I wake up before you.”
“You won’t disturb me, James. If you need me for anything and I’m deeply asleep, be as rough and as loud as you need to be to wake me. I will wake, but depending on where the sun is in the sky, it might take me a minute or two, all right?”
“Yeah, all right.” He hesitated as if unsure if he should say what was on his mind, then ploughed on. “You feel weird when you’re asleep. Like, unnatural. Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, it’s the truth. I’m undead, love. Of course I feel weird. I’m practically a statue during my periods of sleep.” I winked at him, all fangs and sass. “Fucking badass statue though, right?”
He chuckled. “Seen worse.”
“You cheeky shit. I’m a catch.” With that, I shuffled over to give him plenty of room.
Positioning myself with my back to him, again in the hope he’d realise I wasn’t going to maul him, I wished him sweet dreams and told him to extinguish the lamp when he was ready.
He fiddled with the quilt and his pillows for a moment, then the room went dark.
“G’night, Edwin. Uh, no. Good day?”
“Either, love. Sleep well.”
I crashed hard, straight into whatever state my body went when the sun came up, the magic pulling my eyelids shut before he’d stopped moving. James seemed okay for now, and I was finally home. Time to catch up on my rest.