Page 58 of Tainted Blood

“It’s normally not this tense,” he said, coming to sit down beside me. There was no fear from him, as if he’d seen my reaction before, and it was okay. He knew the other vampires in the room would protect him. “I’m Mikey. I normally work at the city’s main building as a footman. I’m going to college to become a doctor.”

“Does Isaiah pay for it?”

“I believe Master Isaiah signed off on it for the nest to use the funds?” Mikey didn’t look at Isaiah for confirmation.

“Everly worked for a nest as a human until last November,” Isaiah said, chuckling softly. “So, she knows more about your life right now than you probably do. And yes, Everly, we are helping with his college expenses while he works for us, and we’re hoping he continues to work with us when he’s done with his education.”

“Becoming a vampire isn’t part of my employment package,” he said, chuckling.

“It wasn’t part of mine, either,” I said softly, and his chuckling stopped.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, that wasn’t… appropriate.” He shook his head. “Let’s get this done before I get myself fired.”

“How much are you paid for this?”

“Five thousand for a normal feeding. More if it goes wrong,” he answered without missing a beat, pulling off his jacket. He was fit, as though he spent time in the gym. “I don’t do drugs, smoke, or drink alcohol. I’m A-negative.”

“Thanks…” Knowing I was being watched, I wanted to crawl under the chaise. He lifted his forearm up, a clear indication that he believed I would find a place to bite there. I looked at Alexius, who nodded.

Well, arm it is.

I focused on his heartbeat, listening to it as it drummed steadily. He wasn’t anxious or afraid. He was here for a reason, and he would be paid for it, something most would never get if they met a vampire on the street.

My fangs felt sharp in my mouth, wanting so badly to find their mark. I took his arm gently, inhaling as though I could smell the blood through his skin, and found the spot that felt perfect for the bite as if it would be so easy to get what I wanted from it. Near his inner elbow, where people had their blood drawn all the time.

“Everly, when you bite him, I want you to try thinking of something you want him to feel. Painless doesn’t work, but you can potentially make another feeling stronger,” Alexius whispered in my ear. I didn’t notice that he had gotten so close.

I sank my fangs into Mikey’s wrist, excited over the first rush of clean, healthy blood in my mouth. I pulled in time with his heartbeat twice before I thought of what Alexius told me. I went to the first thing I could think of, which was what Alexius had once done to me. I wanted Mikey to enjoy this instead of feeling pained by it. I pushed that emotion through the contact, feeling the current of my power flow into him thanks to our contact and his blood now in my body. Once I felt I could maintain it and feed, I continued with what I was doing.

It felt too soon, but a hand grabbed my lower jaw.

“Let go,” he ordered sternly in my ear.

I whined, a sound I didn’t recognize from myself, but I released, feeling the burn in my throat was nearly nonexistent. I had made a promise to myself not to hurt anyone as a vampire, to never drain a human and kill them. If Alexius was telling me to stop, I had to stop. I turned to Alexius, not wanting to look at the injury I had just caused or the blood there because that would have made me want more of it. His eyes were red, and he wasn’t breathing at all, his body the epitome of stillness.

“Marcus,” Isaiah called out. “Help this young man to a room to rest.”

I kept my eyes on Alexius as the door opened and Marcus made a joke I barely heard. Isaiah chuckled in response, but soon after, Mikey was gone.

“Did I do okay?” I asked, licking my lips to find blood on them.

“You probably made his night,” Isaiah answered even though he wasn’t the man I had asked. “The poor man would have died happy if we let him.”

“You hit him harder than I think you intended,” Alexius murmured. “He—”

“Came,” Isaiah finished. “Hilarious.”

With my beating heart, thanks to the blood, I flushed. Sinking low on the chaise, I pulled away from Alexius, who was leaning over the back of it.

“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered.

“No one ever does,” he replied, and I remembered the ending of the one time he fed on me. “There are other reactions, such as contentment or joy, you can do in the future.”

“Am I missing something?” Isaiah came closer to us.

“No,” Alexius and I answered at the same time.

“You are terrible liars but keep your secrets for now. I have work to do now that I’ve done my friendly deed of the night and made sure Everly won’t starve or kill anyone… though there is still time for the second if I think about it.” He walked out of the library.

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