Page 3 of Ghoul Kisses

My calves ache as my feet hit the pavement, steadily moving me along the Alki trail. I need this run to get some fresh air, clear my mind, and get away from the bullshit back at home.

My two brothers have been on my case about me not finding the Zenith book, a critical component to ridding this world of the scourge known as vampires. The vampire and ghoul war forced us, the ghouls, into human society, to live among them until we rebuild our kingdom. This place doesn’t feel like home. I hate this shit, everything about it. I hate having to hide my true nature from the humans, so they won’t see us as a threat, and living by their stupid laws. I will make the vamps pay for what they did to us.

I stop running, rubbing my heaving chest and catching my breath. Yanking my shirt over my head, I swipe at the sweat dripping down my face, using a tree to lean on. I freeze at the sound of a moan. I scan the area, spying a female human lying a few yards away in the grass, blood dripping steadily from her neck. Her dress is bloody and torn.

“Female, are you okay?” I ask. She pushes her hand up to stop me, her eyes are pressed shut. She is in shock, both mentally and physically. That’s what happens after a vampire drinks from a human.

“I’m going to help you,” I murmur.

Usually, I wouldn’t bother the human, because vampires like to come back and finish their meals. But, I hate to see any female or youngling hurt, no matter what kind of creature they are. Searching the grass, I find the female’s shit and shove it in her purse. Scooping her in my arms, I make quick work of the distance back to my car and thrust her into my red Porsche. As I slide in the driver seat, I tap the start button on the car, the engine humming to life. I need to call Dr. Edward; he knows how to treat humans. He works at a hospital in Seattle. Hitting the Bluetooth button, I request his number, as I smoothly navigate the car onto the road. His phone rings, and he answers.

“What can I do for you, Sire?” His voice is deep; I hear papers shuffling in the background.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” I ask as I turn right at the stop sign.

“Not at all.”

“I have a human with me, and she needs blood.” I couldn’t let this beautiful creature die.

“What does her blood smell like?”

I take my right hand off the steering wheel and use my index finger to touch the blood from her neck. Bringing it to my nose, I take a cautious sniff.

“Silver,” I answer, wiping the blood on my black gym shorts.

“Okay, I’ll meet you at the mansion in fifteen minutes.” He hangs up the phone. Mercer Island, where I live, is about twelve minutes from Seattle. It’s a small island community, comprised mostly of wealthy, dual-income families and couples. It has local bars, clubs, groceries stores, but it’s more of a small-town feel.

I drive through the metal gates, cut the engine and scoop the human in my arms. Carrying her to a guest room on the fifth floor, Nicholas, my oldest brother, spots me. He has jet-black hair that reaches his shoulders and a scar across his nose that he received from a vampire who attacked him during the war. He wrinkles his nose.

“Take her back; the human can’t be here,” Nicholas demands as he follows me. Ignoring him, I open the bedroom door and place her on the queen-sized bed. Nick leans against the wall, his cornflower blue eyes narrowing. He is reading my emotions, trying to figure out if I want her. Not only can he read emotions, but he can also manipulate the emotions of other ghouls. He has a history of manipulating females into sleeping with him, tricking them into thinking they love him. I might be an asshole by fucking females and not bonding with them, but playing with the emotions of others is fucking immoral. Females view him as ugly because of the scar; consequently, he hasn’t found a mate.

“She might be a hunter.” The timbre of his voice is deep. Hunters kill anything that is a threat to the human life.

“Does she look like a fucking hunter?” I ask sarcastically.

Dr. Edwards strides in, wearing his white lab coat with a black suit underneath. His eyes are green, and his hair is orange. We grew up together back in Venice, Italy, partying, drinking, and fucking. He’s changed a lot; he has a mate with three offspring now. Edwards is my close friend, even though we don’t speak as often. Setting his medical bag on the floor, he bows towards me. He walks up to the bedside and takes out an instrument, putting a piece in his ear and pressing a round thing on her chest. Edwards peers at his watch. What a strange ritual. Then he tucks the instrument back in the medical bag. He pulls out two packets: one with blood, and one with clear fluid, and rests them on the brown nightstand. He pokes a needle in the back of her hand, connects the two bags to the needle and tubing, then hangs them both on a tall pole. I’ve never seen anything like it. Ghouls don’t require a lot of medical attention because we have healing abilities unless we are injured beyond repair. Humans are fragile and weak.

“As soon as the human is awake, she needs to leave. That’s an order, Eric,” Nicholas says before he slams the door shut. He thinks he is in charge because he is the oldest. When dad passed away, he put all three of us in charge, not just him, so I’m going to do what the fuck I want. If I want her here, she will be here. Edwards slings his bag over his shoulder.

“I gave her blood, saline, and a healing potion; it will heal the scar on her neck,” he says as he grabs the doorknob.

“If her condition gets worse, give me a call.” He walks briskly down the hall, no doubt back to his day job.

After surveying the female’s bloody, tattered clothes, I go the bathroom, run some water into a bowl, and grab a washcloth and a big shirt from the closet. I don’t want her covered in blood when she wakes up. Through the intercom, I call Kate, my housekeeper, to help me with the human.

Kate’s eyes glow blood red as she stands in front of the bed, looking at the human. She tucks her purple hair behind her ears. Kate is cute, with pretty, smooth skin. I thought about fucking her a few times before she bonded Mac, but once I got to know her, I realized she was too annoying to be with.

“Help me wash her,” I order.

“Why didn’t you let her die?” Her voice is mousy.

“Don’t question my authority,” I snap. Kate looks at me in shock, then nods.

“What do you want me to do, sir?” She takes the washcloth and the bowl of water from me, eyes downcast.

“Clean the blood off her,” I direct, pointing at the human. She disappears briefly and returns with a bottle of soap that puts off a feminine scent. Kate dabs soap on the cloth and places it on the nightstand.

I cut off the human dress and Kate removes her bra. The human’s breasts are beautiful and small. Focus, Eric. Kate lifts her arms and starts washing away the blood. I quickly avert my eyes, but my dick gets hard anyway.

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