Page 30 of Blood Lust

Great.

They’ve probably been taking bets on how long it would take before I could knock through Oz’s good guy routine and get him to let go a little.

“Did you sleep well?” He asks.

The concerned look on his face from last night is gone. He seems content that I have recovered from the whole lake debacle. I try to remember if I had any dreams, but nothing comes to mind. I don’t remember even seeing the faces. “Probably the best sleep since I turned,” I admit. “No nightmares,” I whisper just for him.

“Good, I’m glad.” He is so calm all the time, I’m a little jealous of it.

“Well, this will be one hell of a party!” Charlee strides over quickly and pulls me into a hug. My stiff form relaxes in her arms and I grin, squeezing her back. “I’m so glad that things seem to be going well now that you two are ma-” She pauses briefly, and I catch the look Oz throws at her. “-making headway in your relationship.” Charlee is quick on her feet, I’ll give her that. However, I am quick too, and Oz doesn’t want to look me in the eye again.

There is something they still aren’t telling me. I try to shrug it off. If they are keeping something on the down low, knowing Oz, it is for some noble or honorable reason. I choose to let it go for now.

“I’m happy I get to be here for your first time drinking from a human,” Charlee says as releases me. I watch everyone else circle the humans, picking who they want. “We have a fresh supply of donated blood too, but something about drinking directly from someone is just better. You know, farm to table and all that.”

I snort. The thought of directly sourcing blood is entertaining. There are enough humans here that we could each have one to ourselves. That gnawing sensation in my gut is back, my nerves flaring to life and anxiety taking hold of me.

Charlee must’ve picked hers on the way here because she possessively pulls a female human from the group. “Mine.” She grumbles at Chandra before turning and winking at me. She leads her human away. I look to Oz, unsure of what to do.

Oz guides me toward the humans who are standing there, unmoving. Lights are on in their faces, but no one is home. It’s eerie, seeing them as shells of themselves. “Study them, smell them, and if biting them would please you, then you know you’ve picked a good one.”

Excuse me, smell them?

This is kind of gross.

“How do I know if biting them will please me?” This all sounds simple, but I still don’t know what he means.

Noting my confusion, he walks behind a human and inhales deeply, demonstrating. “Their scent will stir your thirst.”

Okay…

I can feel his eyes on me as I select. I pass a woman who looks like she could be a teacher. She didn’t smell any special kind of way. A man in a suit with his hair slicked back. He smells disgusting to me. No idea what that means. Then finally, a man in his mid-twenties, whose smell tingles the back of my throat. I look him over. He is average in every single way imaginable. Not unattractive but not particularly good-looking. I stare into his brown eyes. They are far away, unseeing. “This one,” I tell Oz. I tug the human’s hand, imitating Charlee, and lead him to the living room.

Oz follows behind with his selection, another young man, but this one looks like he just stepped off the military bus. He sits on the couch and pulls his human to it. The man sat willingly. “This is the part where you decide how you want to drink. Some people prefer wrists, others necks, and some find the femoral artery is one that they particularly enjoy.” He stares pointedly at Charlee in the corner. I follow the direction of his eyes and raise my eyebrows. Charlee has pulled the pants off her human and latched her lips to her thigh. By the look on the woman’s face, it is quite enjoyable to be fed from that particular location.

I make a note of it for a later time.

Oz laughs at my expression. “The neck is traditional,” he says softly. “To the casual observer, you could be kissing, and it’s the easiest start for most new vampires.”

The neck. Not in my five days of memory have I ever found a neck so imposing. Usually, when I picture necks, it comes with an image of Oz kissing mine.

I look at the man’s jugular and take a deep breath. I get a strong sense to feed from there. The raw and primal part of me is awakening, and she is thrilled by being allowed to feed from a living being instead of a blood bag.

“Neck it is,” I said.

Oz pulls his lips back from his teeth and raises his human’s wrist to his mouth. He slowly sinks his teeth down, and I watch as they penetrate through effortlessly. I don’t need to know the science, I just need to do it.

Sitting beside him, his neck is at an awkward angle. I look around, everyone is feeding now, and they are family, nothing to be embarrassed about, right? I swing my leg over and straddle my human. I can feel his heart beating in his chest as I press closer. I rest my mouth against his neck and felt his pulse. Pulling my lips back like Oz had done, I gingerly bear down with my teeth.

A warm gush of blood is my reward. My lips acting like a seal against his skin as I drink. He tastes good. A moan escapes me as I savor the taste, my eyes rolling back into my head. I grip my human’s waist tightly. His blood is delicious, flavored with something I couldn’t put my finger on.

Desire?

Fear?

Do emotions flavor humans like wine?

Oh, what a delicious wine he is, pouring into my mouth hot and thick. I have chosen a very juicy spot, indeed. I pull from him what I need, what will sustain me. Closing my eyes, I can feel the rawness of the blood lust slithering into me, wanting me to drain the very last drop out of him.

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