Page 54 of Sunshine and the Vamp

“I will stay, Benji,” Vlad said. “I won’t let him hurt you or take too much.”

“Thank you,” I said gratefully, and a little relieved.

“Aleksey, help Byron find the Doc and if you see Acheron, tell him to stay away,” Vlad ordered They grumbled and groaned about it, but they followed his orders.

Aleksey looked over his shoulder at the doorway. “Let me know he’s okay, Vladimir.”

Vlad nodded and Aleksey closed the door softly behind him.

“Why did you send them away?” I asked with a frown.

Vlad’s warm eyes held mine. “Because feeding is an intimate thing, and I didn’t think you would appreciate the others watching.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to make of that. “I have so many questions.”

“I know and I’m sure Damyr will answer them all. And if he doesn’t, I’m sure—”

I yelled as pain beyond anything else erupted in my veins. It was like lava travelled through my blood, searing my insides and I was surprised, when I looked down, that my skin wasn’t melting off.

Damyr had sank his fangs into my wrist and his hands held me in place. His gulps as he swallowed my blood were loud. How much was he taking?

I threw a pleading look at Vlad, and I was glad to see that he was perched on the edge of his seat, ready to intervene if Damyr took too much.

I watched in horror and fascination as the jagged wounds on his chest knitted back together. “Holy fuck.”

“It shouldn’t be much more now,” Vlad said.

But it didn’t seem to hurt as much now. The pain started to fizzle out into a warm buzz that thrummed along my skin. Like small vibrations setting my very core alight.

It was unsettling and delicious all at once. My clothes felt too tight, hell, my skin felt too tight. My mind started to float, and I wasn’t sure if that was from the feeding or the blood loss, but I could see why people could be obsessed with the idea of a vampire’s bite. The whole sensation was intensely blissful.

Damyr slowed down and eventually stopped. He swiped his tongue along my wrist and let go of me. He was looking a more normal colour now and the only sign he’d been injured was the blood that had dried on his skin. When I looked at my wrist, there wasn’t even a mark. Guess some vampire lore was true. I suddenly wondered what else was true.

I rubbed the spot on my wrist absentmindedly as I watched Damyr sleep.

“He will probably be out of it for a while,” Vlad said as he texted someone on his phone. Probably Aleksey to let him know Damyr was alright. I envied them all a little. I didn’t have anyone besides Maya, and I couldn’t even reach out to her because she thought I was on a fucking cruise.

“Can I stay?”

A warm smile curled the tanks face. “Of course. I’ll get you something to eat and drink.”

“Do I get a cookie for making a good donation?” I said with a snort.

“Something like that,” he said with a grin. He patted my shoulder as he went past. “Thank you, Benji.”

I nodded, but almost without conviction. Had I done the right thing? Or had I doomed myself? As I looked at Damyr, something seemed to hold my gaze. I couldn’t look away and I couldn’t convince myself that I had done the wrong thing by saving him. Now that I’d saved his life though, perhaps I finally had some leverage.

Chapter Eighteen

Damyr

Icame to with a jolt. One second there was nothing but darkness, the next my eyes flew open, and the world came bursting back into focus.

Oh, no.

No, no, no.

My eyes instantly sought out Benjamin and I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I saw him. He had his head bent, shoulders arched, and gaze focussed on Byron’s hip bone as he fastidiously tied a suture into his skin.

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