Page 23 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

Paige

An agonizing ache shoots across my lower belly.

But it’s not because I’m feeling something for Crimson.

It’s because it’s the third day of my period.

The third day is always the worst for me.

Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve had terrible menstrual pain, and heavy bleeding.

It keeps getting worse and worse. Sometimes, it’s so bad I can barely stand.

After several years of suffering, I went to my family doctor about it.

But she told me that there wasn’t anything that she could do, and this is just “one of the things women have to put up with.”

I know. But what else can I do?

Even after scanning my nursing textbooks, I haven’t been able to come up with a better solution than a hot water bottle and a few days in bed when it’s really bad.

And this month is really bad.

I guess I was asking for it. My sleep schedule is totally wrecked, and I’ve been drinking way more wine than I usually do. Of course my system was going to punish me for it.

Another cramp seizes me, making my head spin.

At least I have this gorgeous bed to have my sick day in. I’ve drawn the curtains, but the sun went down twenty minutes ago. I hate the thought of not getting to see Crimson tonight, but I suppose I shouldn’t get too greedy.

The sexy lingerie will just have to wait.

There’s a soft knock on my door.

“Who is it?” I call, parting the curtains around my bed.

A head pops in through the door. It’s Eloise, giving me a concerned look.

“Can I come in?” she asks, gently.

“Of course,” I reply, using all of my energy to prop myself up onto the pillows behind me. “Sorry, I’ve just got awful period cramps.”

“Ah, I thought it might be something like that,” Eloise says. “Crimson was asking for you. She said she hadn’t seen you for the past few nights, so I thought I’d come check.”

“Tell her I’m sorry, but I’m not up for it,” I sigh, disappointed.

“Can I get you anything?” she asks. “I can ask the restaurant to bring you some nice tea, or some dinner. Are you hungry?”

I give her a tight smile. “I’m ok, thanks. When it’s bad like this, I don’t have much of an appetite.”

Eloise clicks her tongue. “You poor thing. Well, I’ll let Crimson know, and you get some rest, all right?”

“Thanks, Eloise.”

She closes the door softly. I reach for my book, but it’s hard to concentrate. All I can think about is Crimson.

I haven’t seen her since I broke up with Blake.

I can’t believe it took me so long to do it.

Now that it’s over, I’m amazed that I could have stayed with him so long.

But I know I shouldn’t blame myself. Lots of people stay in relationships for longer than they should.

And Blake was my first real relationship. I’ve never known anything else.

In some ways, I think I’ve become a lot more assertive since I’ve come here. It’s definitely challenging me. I’ve had to stand up to some of the vampires, like Waylan and Sabina. I’ve never navigated anything like that before.

And…it’s nice to feel cared for, for a change. I can go to the restaurant any time of day or night and order anything I want. And my closet is full of new clothes and shoes, courtesy of Crimson’s black card.

It’s just too bad I’ll have to wait to wear them.

Oh, well. What can I do?

Then I hear a sound: the latch of my door clicking. I look over…is it Eloise again?

My heart skips a beat as Crimson enters my bedroom. Today she wears a loose, long-sleeved shirt and low-rise pants with a thick belt. Her grey eyes are narrowed in concern.

“You’re in pain,” she says. More a statement than a question. I sit up on the bed, awkwardly. I’m not used to people being around when I’m like this. Usually I hunker down by myself and ride it out alone.

“I’m fine,” I tell her, not wanting her to worry. I hadn’t expected her to, and I definitely didn’t expect her to come up to my room. “It happens every month, I’m used to it.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be,” she replies, coming over to my bed.

“There’s not much I can do,” I say, putting on a brave face. “I’ve scoured the internet, and my nursing textbooks, but nothing’s ever helped. But there’s no need to fuss over me, really, I’m…”

She sits down on the bed, and puts a cool hand to my forehead, my cheek. I’m not used to attention like this, and my stomach flips. She must have other, more important, things to do than to be here with me.

I’m just about to insist that she go back downstairs, that there’s nothing that she could do, anyway…when I see her fangs elongate. For a moment, I think she’s going to bite me, and I instinctively brace myself, my hands clutching the blankets around me.

But instead, she brings her own wrist up to her mouth and bites down on it neatly. Thick, crimson blood flows out of her wound.

To my horror, she holds out her bleeding wrist.

“Go ahead,” she says, thickly. “It will help.”

My stomach turns. There’s no way I’m going to do that. I’m not very squeamish (I’m planning to become a nurse, after all), but I’ve never in a million years considered drinking someone else’s blood.

“Oh, no,” I reply, with a firm shake of my head. “I couldn’t…”

“You have no trouble giving me your blood,” she counters. She raises a dark eyebrow. “You didn’t realize it went both ways?”

“It’s just…I’ve never…”

“You doubt its power?” Crimson asks. “I’m a three-hundred-year-old vampire. There are only a dozen of us left on this continent. Trust me, what I’m offering you is a rare and valued magical elixir. It will ease your pain.”

I inhale shakily. A drop of her blood drips lazily from her wrist onto the duvet.

When I look at it more closely, I can see that it’s not quite like normal human blood.

It’s thicker, its colour more rich…when I gaze too long, it seems to sparkle and swirl, as though there are whole universes contained within it.

Could she…really be offering something of herself up like this? It seems so vulnerable, so intimate…

But then, I suppose that’s what I do, when I give my blood to her.

My head spins as another cramp radiates through my lower body. It’s impossible to imagine that anything could help.

But more than that…there’s a disarmingly tender expression in her eyes. An offering of herself. Does she do this for all of the people she drinks from?

She seems to sense my concession, and she leans in closer.

Just do it, Paige…

Without thinking, I close my eyes, and bring my tongue to her wrist. Just a little lick, a little taste.

The moment her blood hits my tastebuds, there’s an explosion of flavour in my mouth.

I thought the wine in the lounge was the most delicious thing I’d ever drank, but this is multiplied a hundred fold.

It’s unlike anything I’ve ever tasted…wine comes closest, but this is more nuanced, like drinking the feeling of being wrapped up in a warm blanket after coming in from the cold, the way you completely relax when you realize it’s summer break and you don’t have any homework, the gaze of someone who loves you…

Emboldened, I take her arm, drinking a little more.

Her blood is the consistency of maple syrup, and just as sweet.

The feeling - the magic? - spreads throughout my entire body, melting the tension and painful cramps away.

The transformation is so sudden, so complete, that it takes me a moment to process it.

I put a hand to my lower abdomen, stunned.

“How is that possible?” I gasp, looking up at Crimson.

“You thought my blood wouldn’t be powerful enough?” she asks, licking her wound to heal it. It heals faster than mine did, even, quickly knitting up and forming a neat scab.

“No, I…just didn’t know that it could do that.” I’m still holding my stomach, expecting the cramps to return, but they don’t. The relief is overwhelming. I could almost cry.

Years of suffering…melted away by a few drops of vampire blood. It’s unbelievable.

“You’re incredible,” I whisper, breathlessly. “Thank you.”

“You allow me to drink from you,” she replies smoothly. “It seems fair to offer you some in return.”

But something about this response deflates me slightly. Is that all that this is, just a transaction?

What am I thinking? Of course it’s a transaction. She pays me, and I give her my blood. I suppose she didn’t have to give me any in return, but she’s just being a thoughtful employer.

“What’s the matter?” she asks.

I’m surprised that she noticed the shift in my mood, but of course I can’t tell her my thoughts.

“Nothing,” I reply, putting a grateful smile on my face and pushing the other feelings away.

Now that the cramps are gone, I’m noticing another sensation low down in my belly. It’s too bad I’m still on my period. Now I can feel just how urgently I want her again.

I blink up at her coyly. “I…I wish there was something I could do to repay you.”

With a grin, she leans in to kiss me. But there’s something different about the way her lips caress mine. Softly, gently, like I’m a precious thing to be cherished. It’s new, and my heart flutters joyfully at the intimacy of it.

Now that I’ve consumed her blood, I feel a new connection to her that wasn’t there before. Like I can…see her more clearly than before, or something. Feel her moods more acutely.

And in this moment, I can sense her desire. She never retracted her fangs…they brush up against my chin, lower than they’ve ever been before. It sends shock waves of a matching desire inside me.

She crawls onto the bed on top of me, lacing her fingers through my hair. I’m self-conscious about the baggy T-shirt I’m wearing, with no pants, just a pair of underwear with a pad. I wasn’t expecting this, and I’m not dressed up the way I usually am when I see her.

But it doesn’t seem to bother her. She moves her hands lower, caressing my shoulders, reaching under the blankets.

“Oh,” I gasp, as her skillful fingers find my thighs. “I…I’m still on my period…”

She gives me a devious, playful look. “Yes, and I’m not letting any more of your blood go to waste.”

The air leaves my lungs as I realize what she’s insinuating. All I can do is make a tiny, strangled noise at the back of my throat.

Her head cocks. “Is that something you would enjoy right now?”

With all my effort, I find my voice. “Y-yes…yes, sir.”

She nods, and pulls the blankets down off of me. “I should really punish you, for not coming to me sooner. Such a waste of your sweet blood.”

My entire body is trembling with lustful anticipation. “What…what sort of punishment, sir?”

With a devilish smirk, she bends her head down, and whispers in my ear.

“Oh,” I breathe, feeling myself weaken at her words.

“What do you think?” she asks, caressing the skin of my inner thigh.

I’m entirely incapable of speech at the moment, so I nod eagerly, eyes wide.

“But that will have to wait,” she says, curtly. “Until you’ve regained your strength. For tonight, there’s another matter…”

Her steely gaze travels down to my underwear, and I quiver. I’ve never had period sex before…never considered it a possibility. But now, the thought of her drinking from me in such a way…it’s electrifying.

And she wastes no more time. She pulls my underwear off and throws it unceremoniously to the floor. Then she gets on her elbows, my legs wrapped around her, her head between my thighs.

The look in her eyes is horrifying. She gazes at me like a wolf that’s just spotted a plump, juicy lamb. Her own blood is still fresh on her sharp fangs, arched well down over her chin.

She inhales deeply, my scent bringing a swirl of crimson to her supernatural eyes. I’m aching for her in every way, my wetness dripping down onto the sheets. I don’t know if it’s blood, or desire, or both…

Then, unable to wait any longer, she bends down, and takes me in her mouth.

Every nerve in my body lights up. Her fangs, rigid and smooth, press me firmly on both sides, holding my lips open for her, exposing me completely to her hungry mouth.

She laps me up eagerly, and the sensation on my sensitive, aching pussy is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

She feasts on me uninhibited, with wild abandon, making every use of her tongue, mouth and fangs.

Stars explode behind my eyes and all I can do is surrender to her.

I feel the blood flow, the powerful wave of it cresting out of me, and I hear her satisfied groan as she thirstily laps it up, feasting from me, ravishing me…

My muscles tense, my pussy quaking, as the thought of her drinking from me like this flings me over the edge and I come, the crashing wave accompanied by another stream of wetness.

She moans even louder than I do, our primal urges complementing each other perfectly.

I arc myself toward her, but she’s already locked onto me, not making any indication of slowing down.

My orgasm wanes, and I pant heavily, but there’s no time to recover.

She’s already sucking at my clit, drawing out another…

“Oh, god,” I groan, my toes curling, fingers fisting the heavy sheets. I’m helpless in her embrace, lost in an infinite whirlwind of pleasure.

I come again, this one faster, in many tiny, acute twitches of pleasure. Then I succumb back down to the bed, already exhausted.

She brings her head up, her eyes ferocious.

“No, please,” I pant, desperately. “Please don’t stop…”

“We’re not stopping until you’re empty,” she declares.

I don’t know how, but I become even more wet for her. How is it possible? She didn’t even glamour me.

“Yes, my king,” I whisper, dutifully. “I’m all yours.”

The moment I say the words, I know they’re true. That I belong to her, completely. I don’t know fully what it means, or whether she feels even slightly the same way about me. But it doesn’t matter. Nothing else matters right now, other than my devotion to her.

And maybe I’m imagining it, just seeing the echoes of my own submission in her, but…I think there’s a glimmer of dedication in her eyes, too…

“You’re perfect,” she whispers, her voice like a spell, a binding curse that pulls us irrevocably together.

I swallow, and this time, it’s me that pulls her closer, sitting up although it takes all of my effort, my fingers reaching out for her face, running through her short hair. I kiss her, tasting my own blood and desire upon her fangs and tongue…the taste mingling with her own blood…

Then I feel the blood pool inside me again, threatening to spill over. Quickly, I surrender back down to the pillows, spreading myself for her. She crouches before me, the whites of her eyes gleaming in the moonlight, her shining fangs the brightest thing in the room.

She takes me again in her mouth, capturing me smoothly, spreading me wide with her fangs. Their sharp edges threaten to break the skin, but never do. Despite the way she moves like a predator, how she declares her intent for me, the hungry ache in her eyes…I feel safe with her.

Protected. Cared for. Cherished…