Page 103 of The Forsaken Vampire

“Yes, I’ve noticed.”

She smiled. “Maybe he’ll come around.”

“Maybe.” I wouldn’t hold my breath.

I expected her to leave now that the news had been relayed, but she remained. “Why didn’t you…bite me?”

I stared at her fair skin, the subtle tones of pink in her cheeks, the sparkle of light in her sky-blue eyes.

“You were starving…”

“That would have required me to explain what I am.”

“You said it to my father freely.”

“No, I did it to barter for my life,” I said. “He would have killed me otherwise. And even if I did ask, you would have said no—as you should.”

“So…you always ask permission first? Because the Teeth don’t.”

“I prefer consent, yes.”

“And why would anyone consent?”

My eyes narrowed. “You’re asking a lot of questions.”

“I’ve never met a vampire before. Never even heard of one until now.”

“Well…when a vampire feeds, it’s more than just a feeding. It’s an intimate experience.”

“Intimate, how?”

“Erotic.”

Her eyes shifted back and forth between mine, and I imagined she had flashbacks of the two of us together, fucking like animals on the couch in the living room. “So…it leads to sex.”

“It goes hand in hand.”

“I don’t think blood and sex go together.”

“It’s one of those things that doesn’t make sense unless you’ve experienced it.”

She continued to stare at me.

“The fangs of a vampire release a flood of chemicals that elicit pleasure. So, when I bite my lover, she becomes drunk on the chemicals, and then she becomes drunk on my dick too. It’s borderline hallucinogenic.”

Fire burned from her core, the flames white-hot in the center, the warmth radiating from her like a beacon of light in winter. There was a shiver too, a streak of ice right in the center. Her eyes shifted away, like my words bored her, but her insides told a different story.

I felt my skin prickle again, but once I put up that wall, the surge of desire I had dissipated like steam on the wind. “We’re related to the Teeth, but we’re nothing like them. They’re bloodthirsty creatures, intent on feeding on more than blood, like muscle and bone. Vampires can be peaceful—if we choose.”

“And are you peaceful?” she asked quietly.

I inhaled a slow breath as I considered the answer. “It depends on the vampire. My brother is the king of Kingsnake Vampires, and he’s always been adamant about maintaining a peaceful balance with the humans. But one of my other brothers King Cobra feels much differently, sees humans as livestock for us to shepherd.”

“And you?”

“I’m an Original.”

“And are you peaceful?”