"Would you like some more?" I asked.
"Give me a moment, I'm trying to find out." He groaned.
"Too much at once?" I teased. "Made a glutton of yourself?" Alexandre snapped up from the table and was in front of me in a second.
"I'd like to make a glutton of myself with you." He whispered, kissing me intently. I nearly dropped my mug. Alexandre snatched it and finished it off.
"Please, be my guest." I said dryly and he whipped back around to plant a long, hard kiss on my mouth, tasting of blood. I put a hand on his chest to steady myself, and him.
"Are you ok?" I asked him seriously.
"Just a bit of a rush, I'm sorry. It's like being drunk. Or maybe high. And you, oh how I want more of you." He moaned, placing his hands on my shoulders "One taste just wasn't enough...and there's so much more I'd like to sample..." He leaned in close, but then abruptly backed off.
"I need to cool down. Give me a few minutes. Let me 'digest' so to speak." Alexandre zipped from the room and I faintly heard from another part of the house the sound of water running. I walked to the trash and sniffed the empty blood bags. They all smelled normal. Distractedly, I went back to the front door and retrieved my overnight bag, taking it back to my room. I hung my wet clothes in my bathroom and changed into another huge comfy sweater and pair of shorts. I wondered if Alexandre was alright yet. I stuck my head into the ballroom and listened for sounds of running water, but heard nothing. I glided out onto the walkway and into the main foyer. Still nothing
"Alexandre?" I called softly, and then followed the smell of flowers and books to his bedroom. The door was ajar, but I knocked lightly. "Alexandre?" There was a muffled reply that sounded like 'enter'. I pushed the door open and Alexandre looked at me helplessly with wild eyes.
"I'm sorry Carys, I made a mistake. I can't control myself. Maybe it's better if you leave." His hair was still damp and curling slightly. He was bare from the waist up, and his body was curled in on itself protectively. I could see how flushed his skin had gotten.
"What's happening? Maybe I can help?" I offered. Alexandre shivered.
"This is the other side of the virus. The side-effects of too much. If you 'over eat' as a human, you get sick-a stomach ache, maybe you throw up. Us? It wires us up. Heightened viral load equals heightened vampire mood swings. I'm unstable right now. Uncontrollable. I don't know what I'll do, especially if you stay." Alexandre replied with anguish.
"We're in this together, remember? Why don't you lean on me just a little bit? What about all that? Why not the same for me? What can I do for you? Can you induce vomiting? Have you tried a blood letting? I don't know? What can I do? Is the increase at least helping your injuries?" I walked around the bed and looked at his back where the scar-tissue was slowly improving right in front of my eyes. I watched as the skin of one of the smaller areas puckered and pulled together, fading from angry reddish purple to pink to white to smooth skin. I wanted to run my fingers over it as the scars were disappearing, to feel it as they vanished.
"Fascinating." I murmured, reaching out a finger. Alexandre twitched at the sound of my voice. I walked back in front of him and held out a hand. "Rely on me a little. You've held my life in the palm of your hand, let me repay the kindness." Alexandre grabbed me unexpectedly and inhaled the scent of my wrist, placing a kiss on the pulse there. Suddenly his eyes snapped to mine.
"A blood letting you said...Carys-drink from me." Alexandre blurted. I gaped at him, shocked.
"I...Are you serious? It's doing so much for your healing... Won't that put me in the same position though? I don't understand..." I stammered.
"No, you'd have to drink quite a bit to get to my state, and yes, it's doing wonders, but I'm halfway to losing my mind with lust. Blood-lust and desire all wrapped in one. Throw in the fact that the virus increases other emotional responses, I'm not sure I can control myself, and I've made you many promises I do not with to break. Carys, drink." He insisted, eyes pleading with me while his body trembled. I hesitated.
"I..."
"Drink." The command held the timbre of the sire bond. Alexandre tilted his head and used his own nails to slash the side of his throat. Unbidden, I pounced forward onto him, eyes wide with fear. My mouth settled over the open wound, drawing the blood in eagerly, as I straddled Alexandre's lap. He moaned softly and gripped my head, pushing my mouth against his throat, driving my teeth into his flower scented flesh. His groaning increased and I nearly choked as the blood gushed with renewed vigor. My fear increased as the vampire instincts took over, forcing me to pull at the tender flesh as the taste hit me. It was like some sort of floral tea, that only got more fragrant as his arousal rose. I moaned in response and fright. He hadn't told me when to stop and the sire bond was funny about things like that. I felt my body pressed tightly against his, hips driving against his, fingernails dug into his skin, like I was trying to rip him apart or crawl into him. Alexandre responded to the increased attack by arching backwards with a grunt, allowing us to fall to the bed. I tried to pull free but he held my head in place. I released my jaw's death grip on his neck.
"Not yet, not yet." He whispered, but I slowed my pace and let the wounds begin to close, kissing and licking the blood away as it trickled slowly from the openings. Alexandre shuddered, fingers still wrapped in my hair, one hand on my back. I was slowly coming back to my senses, and realized I was still straddling his hips, and what my intense movements had done, to both of us. I blushed.
"I um, am suddenly very embarrassed." I said quietly, adjusting my position, and then, with rage slammed my hands onto his chest. "Do you know how dangerous that was? I could have killed you!" Alexandre grunted at the blow.
"Not a chance. I had complete control and could have stopped you at any point." Alexandre replied, grabbing my hands before I could smack him again.
"You lunatic! You were enjoying yourself too much! When I said a bloodletting, I meant, you know, a medical procedure, not me draining you!" I complained bitterly.
"Do you know how to place an IV?" Alexandre asked. I flinched and he nodded. "And in my state, neither could I, and any wound I inflicted on myself was bound to heal quickly. This method was far more efficient...and much more...satisfying." He said with a wicked grin. I wanted to smack him again, but my hands were still being held prisoner.
"Ugh!" I exclaimed and dropped my head onto his chest. Alexandre's light chuckle reverberated underneath me, then he squirmed uncomfortably. I lifted my head and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I would apologize for that-but you sort of deserve it." I said motioning with my eyes towards his groin. He growled lightly, but wrapped his arms around my shoulders and closed his eyes. I laid my head back down and listened as he tried to steady his breathing. After a few seconds he sighed.
"Carys, I'm sorry," He said uncomfortably, "but I'm afraid all the excitement was too much for me." He gently shifted my weight off of him and ghosted out of the room. I heard the sound of running water again and laughed under my breath.
"Still your fault!" I yelled. I heard him growl in return.
When he came back a decent time later, I was propped against the headboard reading a scientific journal from his bookshelf. Alexandre dropped onto the bed on his stomach with a groan and then raised his head to look at me curiously.
"Which one is that?" He asked.
"Hmm, it's from 2016, it's about space. I don't understand all of it, especially the nitty gritty physics stuff, but the rest of it's fascinating." I replied absently, absorbed by the reading. The book disappeared from my hands and I was in Alexandre's arms, his lips pressed to mine.
"Who in Hell's name were you Carys? Your interests are as varied and wild as mine..." He trailed kissed down my neck. "and you hide your intelligence from me like some secret treasure, not knowing it drives me wild." He dropped me onto the bed on my back, straddling me. I blushed, opening my mouth to protest, but he silenced me with kisses until I broke free.
"Hey! I was reading that!" I objected, and Alexandre groaned pitiably, collapsing on top of me with all his weight. My breath whooshed out in a huff. He kissed along my jaw.
"Can't. You. Tell. When. Someone's. Trying. To. Seduce. You." He growled, punctuating every word with a kiss and giving my neck a little nip at the end that made me squeal.
"Can't you tell when someone can't breathe?" I wheezed and pushed at his shoulders until he took some of his weight off me. He nestled his head in the crook of my neck, making me shiver each time I felt his breath stir along my skin.
"You are right. You are very difficult. What will it take for me to win you over?" He sighed against my neck.
"Maybe just ask me." I suggested quietly, wrapping one of his wet curls around my fingers. Alexandre raised up and looked at me with shock and ran a gentle hand down my sweater.
"Carys, love." He whispered. "May I have consent?" I smiled shyly at him, blushing, and nodded. He happily covered my mouth with his own.