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Dorian

I could already smell his lust from here and it was enticing. So much so I was having a hard time staying back. Imagine my surprise that it was the same human I’d been thinking about for days; the same one I’d been trying to find since I first saw him.

His blood was more alluring than any other I’d encountered before, which was saying something. I wasn’t that old, but I wasn’t that young, either, so I’d seen—and tasted—my fair share of bestowers. But never had I smelled one that made me want to forget the rules, forget the consequences, and take him right here and now no matter who saw. I wanted his blood—and his body.

The guy was staring at me with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. He was adorable with his blond hair and blue, scared—yet lustful—eyes. He was pretty small, even by human standards, but he was sexy as hell, and I wanted to devour every inch of him.

A slow smirk formed on my lips when he only stared at me instead of answering, and I stepped closer to him. He gulped loudly, revealing his slight fear and hesitation, so I decided I should take him for a walk before taking him to my quarters. I didn’t want to wait to drink from him, but I also didn’t want him terrified of me. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

He blinked, like he was coming out of a trance. “A walk?”

I grinned. “Yes, a walk. The night is still young, and the weather is nice.” I stepped closer to him and held out my hand. “I’m Dorian. It’s a pleasure to meet you…?”

“Uh… I’m Neo.” He cleared his throat and pushed the hair out of his eyes before grabbing my hand to shake.

We both gasped as soon as our skin touched, and it was like a strange spark shot up my arm and straight to my chest. What in the hell is that? The warmth grew, spreading through my body, and all I could do was stare into his blue eyes. We held our hands longer than we should have, but I didn’t want to let go for anything.

But then he snatched his hand away and stammered out, “N-nice to meet you, t-too.”

I heard some snickering, so I glared over Neo’s shoulder at Remi and Dorothy, but that didn’t stop them at all. Stifling a sigh, I refocused on Neo and asked again, “So how about that walk?”

He nodded and stepped up beside me as I turned and headed out of the courtyard. I was tempted to put my arm out for him to grab or to hold his hand, but I refrained so I wouldn’t make him anymore uncomfortable than he already was.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him wringing his hands and pulling on his sleeves, not to mention I could smell his discomfort since he was so close to me. I wanted so badly to pull him to me and hold him—a feeling I didn’t understand—but I didn’t think he’d appreciate that very much, so instead, I asked, “How did you come to live on the island?”

“Oh, um, well… my village was sorta attacked by witches and the Dark Witch showed up. And, uh, some of the shifters helped me and a few others escape to a nearby ship. They brought us here.” His eyes took on a faraway look, making me regret asking the question. And again, all I wanted to do was hold him.

“I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me. I wasn’t thinking.”

“I-it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I know most of the humans that weren’t a part of my den were brought here after their homes were desolated. I’m sorry for the horrors you’ve seen, my treasure.” His eyebrows lifted, and his mouth opened at the little pet name. I had no idea where it came from, but since he appeared to like it, I’d have to keep using it.

“Everyone has lost people in the war,” he finally whispered.

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

Smiling a little sadly, he kept walking forward.

I wanted to lighten the mood, so I asked, “Would you like to see my favorite spot on the island?”

“Sure.”

I debated it for a good ten seconds, but in the end, my need to touch him was far too great, so I grabbed his hand and laced our fingers together. I expected him to pull away or get upset, but he gasped, then clung to my hand as tightly as I was clinging to his. With a grin, I pulled him toward the north-east side of the island.

“Are you taking me to the hot springs?”

I smiled. “Yes, but to one in particular that many don’t know about.”

When we walked past the bigger hot springs, I felt Neo tense up, and I knew why. There were several couples having sex and drinking blood in the pools, just like there always was. There were a lot of vampires and bestowers on the island, and not a lot of privacy. When we had time to relax, many came here to bathe and have some fun.

“Sorry,” I muttered. “That’s all… normal.” I waved my hand in the vampires’ directions.

He nodded his head but didn’t say anything.

I need him to trust me. “I can see that you’re uncomfortable, and I’m not sure how to rectify that, but I want to try, so I’m going to tell you a little about myself.” I grinned at him, and he sent a hesitant smile back, making my heart flip in my chest. “My name is Dorian Mortas Kiebusinski, and I’m about one-hundred and eighty, give or take, which isn’t very old by vampire standards, but probably seems old to you. I was turned when I was twenty-two by a woman named Cassandra Tizane Kiebusinski.”

“You have the same last name as your… maker?”

I smirked. “It’s called a sire, and you take on your sire’s name when they turn you.”

“Oh, um, okay.”

“So anyway, she got me into some trouble—she wasn’t a very good person back then, neither was I, truth be told. But when I was shot in the chest, she chose to keep me rather than let me die.” I really didn’t know why I was sharing quite so much information about myself, but his breathing was evening out, so I continued, “She started out as someone I hated, but I grew to love her very much over time. She was killed about fifty years ago by a hunter.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Um, what’s a hunter?”

“Before the war, there were human factions that knew of our existence and killed any supernatural beings, regardless of whether they were good or evil. They were known as hunters. It’s hard to say whether or not they exist anymore since the war has things so… messed up.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Dorian.” His voice was so soft and sweet, hearing my name roll off his tongue warmed me from the inside despite the topic at hand.

“Thank you. I will always miss her, but vengeance for her death was swift.” Maybe don’t tell him about the people you murdered, you idiot. “I was lucky that Dregan took me in when I came to him. He and Cassandra were old comrades of a sort, so he didn’t hesitate to take me in and under his wing. They fought together in The Red War.” At the look on his face, I added, “That’s what the last war between vampires and shifters was called. I guess humans don’t teach you about that since our existence was secret for so long. But there have been many wars and battles between us.” I could tell he was a little overwhelmed, which was the opposite of what I wanted. Maybe I should just shut up. “I think we should stop the history lesson there for today and just enjoy the night, what do you think?”

He licked his lips, and I could tell he was thinking about asking me something.

So I pulled him to a stop, then stepped in front of him, bringing my nose close to his shoulder where I knew he’d be able to feel my breath on his skin. Grinning, I watched goosebumps appear on his creamy skin that I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into. “I’d be happy to answer your questions another time, my treasure, but we’re almost to the spring, and I’d like to enjoy my time with you rather than bringing up old hurts and devastations.”

“Will there be another time, you think?” His breathing was coming out in quick little gasps, so I knew my proximity was doing exactly what I intended. I might’ve wanted to keep him from being overly scared, but I also wanted to taste more than just his blood. I needed to stay away from heavier subjects and focus on that. Focus on his skin, blood, and the gorgeous blush along his cheeks. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.

I grinned at him, then cupped his cheek with my free hand since I refused to let go of our combined hands, and I whispered, “One taste of you will not be enough for me, my treasure.” I rubbed my thumb along his jaw, then over his throat, stifling a moan when he opened his mouth. “After tonight, you’ll have to decide for yourself. I will never force you or ask you unless it’s something you want as well.”

“You won’t compel me?”

“Never, my treasure, never.”

He searched my eyes for a few seconds, then nodded. “Where’s this spring you’re taking me to?”

I smiled and dropped my hand from his cheek, but tugged on his other. “This way.” I pulled him around a rock formation, then between a crevice in the rocks and waved my hand around the small pool—the unoccupied pool. Perfect. “Here we are.”

Neo looked around the small area with wide eyes, taking in all the small flowers and the moss on the rocks around us and the steam coming off the spring and the small, decorative chest on one side that held towels. Everything was glowing in the moonlight. “Wow. This is beautiful.”

I stared at the side of his face, not paying one bit of attention to the pool, and nodded. “It is.”

He glanced at me, then blushed, obviously catching on to my meaning.

Grinning, I forced myself to let go of his hand so I could remove my shirt. Neo’s breath hitched as he looked me up and down. I knew I looked good—I was a vampire, after all, and the vamp genes in my body kept me muscular and bigger built than I ever was as a human, and since I never went long without blood, my dark skin remained dark. I had tattoos left over from before I was turned on my right pec, around my shoulder, down my arm, and along my rib. Most vampires didn’t have any color to their skin or any ink, so I lucked out in that department. And if Neo’s face was anything to go by, he thought I lucked out, too.

I shot him a little smirk as I took my pants off—but left my underwear on so I didn’t scare him away. There would be plenty of time for that if he was on board with my plan. “You might want to take your clothes off before you get in.” I stepped one foot into the water, then turned around to face him and opened my hands, palms forward. “You coming in, my treasure?”