Page 140 of Prodigal Son

She shrugged. “I was going to say you could feed, but you’re not there yet.”

His stomach turned. “You mean drink blood?”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds. Your body knows how to accept it. It’ll make you heal faster.”

Part of him wanted to try simply to prove he wasn’t a pussy, but another part of him would rather drink battery acid. He should at least test the theory, but… Nope. The thought repulsed him.

“I bet you like it. I heard that when a male feeds from a female it’s different.”

“Different how?”

She shrugged and he noticed how close they were sitting. “Nice. Like kissing.”

Kissing. He liked the sound of that. Since moving to the farm his body had massively changed. His voice wasn’t cracking anymore and he often woke from a dead sleep…ready. But there was no one here for him. They weren’t like him, and their differences had nothing to do with them being Amish. But the Amish thing wasn’t helping him fit in.

He missed his school friends at home. Missed television and texting. He wasn’t even sure what social media was trending anymore. When he vanished, his entire existence changed and he’d been alone ever since. Not alone, but utterly lonely.

He looked at Maggie, thinking of all the ways they were different from the others but somewhat the same. He liked the pert set of her pink lips and the way her laugh filled the air so easily. He felt warm whenever he saw her, and he often caught himself wondering what she hid under that Amish dress.

He cleared his throat and repeated her words. “Like kissing?”

“Yeah.” She bit her lower lip and his insides heated.

“Are you offering?”

She glanced at the door and back to him. “I wouldn’t mind.” She leaned closer and he hesitated.

“Are we allowed to do this?”

She looked around. “Who’s going to stop us?”

His body hardened. Maggie wasn’t like the other Amish girls he met. And she was really pretty.

“M-maybe we should start with kissing.”

She laughed. “Don’t be a baby. You’re older than I was when I started feeding. Your body is probably begging for it.”

His body was begging for a lot of things these days.

She leaned closer and pulled the collar of her dress aside. Her tapered finger rose to her pulse and pointed seductively at her throat. “You’ll want to bite right here.” Her finger nail lengthened.

“Wait.” He’d overheard others talking about Abilene feeding from Jonas, but Gracie supposedly only fed from the animals. Something didn’t feel right. He thought about Cybil. “Will it change me?”

“It’ll make you stronger.”

“But will I … turn?”

She shook her head. “No, silly. You already have immortality in your bloodline, so your body will accept it. A mortal needs to be completely drained in order to transition. I’m only feeding you a small amount.”

Should he? Shouldn’t he? Maggie shifted to her knees and removed several pins from her gown.

“What are you doing?”

“Trust me, you’ll like it.” She exposed her neck and the soft ivory curve of her shoulder. “Don’t worry. Come a little closer.”

The soft scent of her hair and skin lured him in. Her skirts billowed over the black of his pants.

“Ready?”

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