Page 11 of Midnight Prince
Benedict
Itasted the cool liquid on my tongue; it tasted different. This wasn’t human blood. Was I dreaming again? What was this? I wanted more. But when I reached up and grabbed for it, I heard a yelp from someone.
“Hazel.” My eyes flashed open. I was holding her arm tightly. Was this her blood? I felt something drop between us. I looked down to a vial. A few drops of blood were left inside. I let go of her wrist. Shame flooded through me at the red mark I had left on her. I had no idea where the strength had come from.
“What did you give me?” I looked around the room, hoping to see Galen. I wanted to thank him for his friendship, after all these years, but I couldn’t sense him here. My heart fell a little.
“Galen gave it to me. He said it might heal you and that I had to feed you.” I shook my head. What? Galen had something to heal me with? What was that blood? I could feel the effect already, my system waking up. Energy returning almost immediately. I was so hungry.
“Where is he?” I looked down to my arm, it was starting to heal itself. I jumped back in surprise. I looked around the room, my vision was better, my hearing was returning. I scanned the area for the pack but I couldn’t hear or sense them.
“I found him. I drove and found him. He couldn’t come. He gave me that, said I couldn’t tell anyone else where I got it. He told me to feed you straight after. Please, Ben, please take my blood. I don’t want to lose you.” She placed her wrist under my mouth, my fangs descended at the smell. I tried to will them away. I didn’t want to do this to her. I knew this would be the end before we could even start. This would be a deal breaker for her.
“No, I don’t want to scare you.”
* * *
A few hours had passed and she returned to the room again. I was feeling much better. She messaged Galen to tell him that I was healed but that I wouldn’t feed from her. I was angry that she had told him that, but grateful knowing that if he couldn’t come here then he wouldn’t be coming, because that asshole had compelled her to feed me. And I wasn’t happy with him about that.
“Please, Ben, I am offering you my blood.” My fangs again descended at her smell. God she was beautiful. She pressed her wrist to my lips, my fangs grazed over the soft skin. She wasn’t going to stop until she fed me, and the guilt inside me was building at the fact she had no control over it. She so desperately needed me to do it so she would stop.
I couldn’t hold back any longer. I looked up into her eyes. With the energy I now have I should be able to compel her so she wouldn’t feel the pain at least.
“This won’t hurt,” I told her. She nodded and pressed her wrist harder to my mouth. My fangs descended and she let out a small whimper as she slumped onto the bed. I looked at her face, her brows scrunched together and her teeth biting into her lower lip.
I didn’t compel her. I wasn’t strong enough and now I was causing her pain. But the taste of her fresh clean blood running down my throat was too much to break from to try again. I listened to her heart, waiting until the right time to stop. When I heard it start to slow, I tried to pull myself away. But I wanted so much more. I hadn’t fed in so long.
“Ben?” I snapped out of it, pulling away from her wrist. I watched as blood started to run from the two small holes I had made. I bit my tongue and lapped at the wound. Closing it and healing it with my blood as if it was never there to begin with.
“I almost didn’t stop, Hazel. I could have killed you.” I felt so guilty. How could I have done that to her? With the fresh blood pumping through me, I felt… alive. I wasn’t dying. Holy fuck, I was going to live. I had been given another chance, and I wasn’t going to fuck it up this time.
Hazel moved in and wiped my chin. She smiled before she moved in, her eyes finding mine as our lips slowly touched. My fangs were sharp against her soft bottom lip, the one she was biting earlier as she pulled back sucking it into her mouth. Fuck, did I hurt her?
But she smiled, wrapping her hand behind my neck and pulled me forward. Licking my bottom lip before she kissed me again. I pulled her to me, lifting her so she was now straddling me. I grabbed her hair to one side and trailed kisses down her bare neck, licking her salty skin. She moaned when I sucked gently where her neck met her shoulder.
“Ben, oh god.” She moaned again as I cupped her breast through her top and rubbed my thumb over her hard nipple.
I pulled back. I didn’t want to fuck this up and take advantage of her. I was going to take her on a date. “I need to shower, I’m all yuck.” She chuckled at that, but it was true. I took her hand in mine and looked right into her big brown eyes.
“Hazel… would you go on a date with me?” She gave me the biggest grin and nodded as she ran her hands down my bare chest. Her fingers so warm, my body so cold beneath hers.
“You might be a little turned on because I fed from you. That can happen sometimes, but I think we should slow it down and wait before we go any further.” That had her sobering up fast. She pulled her cardigan tightly around her chest and looked down to where she was straddling me. My erection clear in my pants. She could feel it beneath her.
“It’s okay, it happens when a vampire feeds, and I don’t want to take that choice away from you. Just because you are feeling like this now, you might regret it later. So, I will take you on a date, get to know you. Court you. Then if you are ready, we can move to the next step. And believe me, that is what my body wants, too. But I want more. I want to have you, Hazel. You as my own. I haven’t dated someone in a very long time. If I mess up at all, you need to let me know.”
She swallowed and took her weight off me. I was cursing myself from turning her down. But I knew this wasn’t right, she was worked up after I fed from her. She deserved more than me taking her, she needed to be… wooed. I would bring her flowers and take her to the Italian restaurant that wasn’t too far from here and tell her how beautiful she looks.
“No.” She stopped at the doorway. I was confused.Nowhat? That she didn’t want to go on a date with me? I could feel that in the pit of my stomach. I thought she wanted to, she told me that she would. Or was that just something you tell a dying man? I stood up. It felt great to be moving again, but I just couldn’t read her expression.
“No, I don’t want to wait. I haven’t slept in weeks, and even less since you have been injured. I don’t want to wait. I want this.” She pointed between herself and me. “I know it’s not just the blood. I wanted to be with you since I first saw you in the bar. So go and take a shower. I will change the sheets. You come back and you better not let me down again. I am a big girl,Benedict, I know what I want. And I want you.”
I was taken aback by her boldness. Hazel was strong. I knew that, and this… fuck. Her calling me by my full name made me want her even more.
