Page 11 of Love Bitten

Luke shook his head. “I don’t mind. Do you have a bandage or something, though? I don’t want to stain your pretty sheets.”

“I shall see what I can find.”

Before I left, I handed Luke a few of the tissues from the nightstand drawer to clean himself up with. It wasn’t much, but it was the best I could offer.

I rooted around in the bathroom cabinet for some sort of bandage. My grandparents had added bathrooms in the house once indoor plumbing became available, so these rooms were a touch more modern than the remainder of the house. As a vampire, I didn’t have much use for them in any traditional sense, but it made bringing human men and a variety of monsters over significantly less awkward.

I also kept many things for my more human counterparts. The lubricant was one such object, but it was not the only thing in the house meant for non-vampires. I had a variety of bandages for wounds, whether inflicted by me or not, and I even stored food in the kitchen cupboards, something many men were surprised to find out about. Of course, it did no good to send them off in search of a hearty breakfast after a night of fun. It ruined the entire morning for both of us, and I was never one to murder a good mood.

“Where are those damned bandages?” I muttered under my breath, tossing aside the toothbrushes and shampoo that had been requested by previous gentlemen staying in my house.

The only useful item I could find was a roll of gauze that dated back at least 50 years, possibly longer.

“This will have to do.” I picked up the gauze and brought it back to the bedroom, where Luke was still sprawled naked on my bed.

It was a sight to behold, one that made my desire flare up again, but I kept my composure and handed him my finding apologetically.

“I shall have to purchase more bandages during my next shopping trip,” I told him. “I hope that will do for now, however.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Do you have any scissors?”

I wasn’t about to search the house for yet another item, so with a huff, I took the gauze back and slashed through it with my fangs. My dentist warned me against doing that too often, but what was there to lose? In 250 years of being a vampire, my fangs had yet to dull, and tearing cotton fabric likely wouldn’t be their undoing now.

As the fabric pulled apart, a cloud of dust sprang from it. I looked down at the ugly beige gauze and narrowed my eyes.

“I do hope it doesn’t contain asbestos. It’s a little…old.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? I’m only human, you know. I can get sick and die.”

“I’m sure it’s perfectly safe. At any rate, what’s life without a little risk?”

“Easy for you to say. I swear to God, if I get sick from a –”

“I’ll turn you into a vampire and grant you the gift of immortality as an apology. Now, hush and let me help you clean your cuts.”

Luke gave me a concerned look, but he didn’t protest. This time I didn’t give him back the gauze, instead wrapping it around his neck. I tried to strike a balance between wrapping it tightly enough to stem the bleeding and not so tight that I choked him. Choking could be fun, but not in this case.

“You’re good at this,” he said.

“I’ve had a great deal of practice.”

“I’m sure you have. Your body count must be off the charts.”

I paused mid-wrap and Luke scrambled to clarify his statement.

“Sexual body count, that is. Not the number of people that you…killed.” His voice trailed off at the end as he looked at me expectantly as if I were going to chastise him.

I had no intention of pressing the matter. It was a poor turn of phrase to use, certainly, but I’d already told him I was not a murderer, nor were the vast majority of other vampires. He was under no pretenses that I might have a second body count as well.

“Hundreds, I would guess,” I said casually. “Some years have been better than others, some relationships have lasted longer, and some decades were easier to find partners during.”

Luke nodded. “That makes sense. I guess I should tell you about my sexual history now?”

I shook my head. “There’s no need to if you don’t wish to. I have no interest in the past – at some point, there are too many years to look back on. I’m only interested in the present, and perhaps a little distance into the future.”

11

LUKE

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