Page 14 of Stranded with a Wounded Vampire

He drinks the whole container of blood, gulping it down. Afterwards he wipes a small drop of blood off his lips and then goes and washes his hands in the luxurious sink. I can immediately tell that he feels better. There's more color in his cheeks and a smile on his face.

He sits again on his preferred bench at the edge of the nearest kitchen island and watches me cook.

I turn on the heat for the pots again. In moments the water is boiling and I put a whole package of spaghetti into the water without breaking it in half. I let the dry part stick out of the boiling water for a moment and monitor when I can use a tool to dent the softened bottom and push it all inside, under the roiling water.

“You look more relaxed,” I tell him.

“This is deceptive because I’m still on the prowl.”

“Like an animal?”

“I will be doing my best to try and talk you into it saying yes.”

I pour the jar of sauce into the other warm pot and cover it with a lid. “What's wrong with that?”

“I might be so good at talking you into it, the next morning you could be left feeling that you didn't really agree. Because how could any female Korn or human or from any other species want to meet and have offspring with a male who is dishonored? I think you don't truly understand that I am a male that is considered the lowest of the low. No female would choose me. I can't trick you by not making sure you're not aware of that. You couldn’t be giving your proper consent because you didn't know all the details.”

“This is like purchasing a used car. You could end up getting a lemon because you don't know all the details of the car’s history.”

He must feel comfortable because next thing I know he's telling me some long story which I suspect he hasn't really told that many people. “I am a wounded war veteran. But I am dishonored.”

“How could you be dishonored?”

“I was wounded in the middle of a battle and amongst the Korn this is the worst kind of dishonor. The whole time I was on the ship for a month coming here I was mainly isolated in my cabin because none of the crew wanted anything to do with me.”

“That's terrible.”

He shrugs. “If the roles are reversed, I would have done the same. I understand. The moment I was defeated in battle I knew there would be the scars of dishonor. I took this position originally because I needed to get away from my home planet and start fresh. After what happened in the war I am scarred for life. There are wounds on my chest and the knee of my left leg is not perfectly stable. None of these can be fixed because they weren't given in battle by another Korn at the height the battle juices flow in our veins that cause scarring to become permanent. When skin is torn the wound will never permanently heal I know that I received these weapons because my opponent cheated. But I cannot claim this because then I'm just a whiner supposed to remain stuck. I'm not entirely an outcast. I was chosen for this position after all. My life as a soldier has gone. Females literally avoid me because they consider it terrible the thought of accidentally thrown into a blood frenzy with someone like me.”

“This is all so shocking for someone like me to hear. You said they’ve made it illegal for you to ever marry or have children?”

“It is illegal for me to breed because I’ve been designated as having “Bad Blood.” I have been taken off the mating database. I cannot have offspring.”

“Why? Is it something physical? An injury, something you were born with?”

“No, although I do have injuries. I’m considered not worthy for my genes to be carried on.”

I take a deep breath. I see again that he is wearing long sleeves and a turtleneck. I thought it was simply a t shirt he was wearing but it isn't.

“I'm scarred for life. Because of this, in the battle, I am dishonored for life.” He frowns. “I was not allowed a med lab to fully heal my leg wound. Nor am I allowed a replacement leg.”

I put my hands on my hips. “There are replacement legs on your planet and you weren’t given one?”

“Normally I could choose between organic or robotic. But in my circumstance, I am allowed neither. My scars would also normally have been repaired.”

“Okay, so the reason you aren’t allowed to mate isn’t something physically wrong with your... It's not something where you can’t…”

He bears his fangs. “No, I can perform.”

“You want to, but it is illegal. Is it illegal on Korn but also here on Earth?”

“All Korn must follow the law even though they are off planet. If I were to commit to a blood frenzy with a human and mark her as mine and breed, for it to be accepted by the Korn, I would need to be given a special dispensation.”

“Who can do that?”

“The King.”

I pause because the pasta is ready. I take the pot off the stove and dump the entire contents into a strainer I’ve placed in the sink. Then I return the pot. “Can we get that dispensation from him?”

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