"You heard him, all the tests are coming back normal. I can offer a little blood a day and it should be fine." I replied dismissively.
"No." Alexandre said sharply. "If you intend on trying this, we will alternate, and it need not be daily. I'll talk to Cornelius about it and arrange a schedule" I rolled my eyes, but kissed him gently.
"Yes hubby." I teased. He growled lightly.
"I like the sound of that." He murmured against the side of my neck.
"Which part? The yes or the hubby?" I taunted him and he growled again, squeezing me tighter.
"Both." His voice vibrated against my shoulder. I shuddered.
"I think I like the sound of it too." I responded and leaned against him. I felt a pang of remorse for Cornelius. Would he ever feel this way? "I'm sorry Alexandre, I think I'm a bit hungry. Would you like me to bring you something too?" Alexandre looked at me fondly but shook his head once again, caressing my stomach.
"Go eat, I'll slip out with Cornelius later." He smiled sweetly and kissed my neck again over the pulse. I moaned slightly.
"Ugh, always on the sweet spot." I griped as I got up. Alexandre chuckled, his eyes twinkling. I stomped out of the study towards the kitchen. I knew Alexandre and Cornelius had been saving the majority of the bagged blood for me so I wouldn't need to go out hunting, and I was grateful to them for it.
While I had been honest when I told Alexandre I was getting something to eat, I just hadn't filled him in on the second half of my plans. I drained the mug quickly and rinsed it out in the sink, then retraced my steps deliberately across the hall to the converted medical room. When I entered, I saw Cornelius sitting in the back of the room in front of a microscope with his head cradled in his hands, highly reminiscent of a pose I had once found Alexandre in.
"Cornelius?" I called gently from the door, but he didn't answer. I stepped inside the room and tossed caution to the wind, going directly to him. I placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked up, startled, with tears in his eyes.
"Are you ok?' I asked him, shocked. He blinked and swallowed, then grabbed my hand.
"I felt it Carys. I felt it." He babbled, and I crouched down in front of him, worried. His usual stone facade had broken and I wasn't sure how to react.
"Felt what Cornelius? I soothed and reached my other hand up to lay against the side of his face. He leaned into my hand, clasping that one too with one of his.
"It was gone so soon, but I felt it." He sighed.
"What Cornelius?" I asked again and he looked into my eyes with a trace of hope and excitement.
"Your love. Your love for Alexandre." He answered. "It was intoxicating. So powerful and...I never thought I'd hold a feeling like that and.." He babbled and I stood. "When I drank the remnants of the blood I didn't need for testing, it rushed through me and I heard you two talking at the same time which intensified the feeling and I'm sorry I am babbling a bit aren't I?" He asked. I pulled my hands free gently and tugged his head to my chest. My heart ached for him.
"I actually came here to offer you more to go with that." I told him and felt him stiffen.
"Truly?" He asked looking at me with awe. I nodded.
"I drank extra just now, for this reason." I heard Alexandre's gentle footfalls as I spoke.
"Well if we're going to do this-might as well do this right." He said. "If you drink from Carys, you have to drink from me too. I'm afraid you'll become a little too, shall we say, overzealous, now that you've had a taste?" Alexandre smirked slightly. I saw a gleam in Cornelius' eye and he stood, leading me towards the exam table, Alexandre on the other side.
"Are you certain Carys?" Alexandre asked me, lifting me onto the table by the hips. I nodded and dug my fingers into his hair, leaning my forehead on his.
"I know what he feels like..I...want to help.." I responded. Cornelius looked to Alexandre, who nodded, and then Cornelius turned to me.
"Preference?" He asked, rubbing my wrist, and then moving the hair from my shoulder. I turned my head and heard him growl low in his chest. "Neck it is." Standing between my knees, he pulled me forward slightly and took the back of my head in his hand gently. Alexandre's gentle hand was on my thigh as Cornelius wrapped his other arm around my waist. He hesitated for a second more before leaning in towards me and gently placing his lips along the pulse in my neck. I shivered and gripped Alexandre's hand tightly. I felt him rub my thigh, which made me moan. That set off Cornelius, who immediately sank his teeth into my neck, and I felt the blood pulse out of the wound and Cornelius nearly pulled me from the table into his arms. Alexandre was there in an instant, steadying us, but his wandering hands were not helping me keep calm.
"Alexandre." I moaned and felt his hands trace the inside of my thigh. I shivered. Cornelius' gentle pulls at my neck made it worse and I writhed.
"That's enough." Said Alexandre softly and I felt Cornelius begin to loosen his grip on me. But the two of them had set something in motion I wasn't willing to stop. As Cornelius moved away I gripped Alexandre, still feeling Cornelius' gentle lips and tongue cleaning up the blood on my neck. I pulled Alexandre to me and wrapped my arms and legs around him, rocking against him as Cornelius turned to him next and latched on to his neck from behind. I heard Alexandre's heart rate jump as he sucked in a quick breath. I sheepishly tried to let Alexandre go, but he pulled me from the table to cling to him, hands gripping the backs of my thighs tightly. I could hear his moans of pleasure now and smell his excitement and it just fueled my own.
"Alexandre, if you don't let me go...let's just say I might have to strip you right here and now." I growled against his mouth. He growled back and bit my lip, then let me slide to the floor as Cornelius finished cleaning up his wound as well. I stood on unsteady legs and watched as Cornelius sank into the chair beside the bed. He clutched his head dizzily and panted slightly.
"Are you ok?" I asked cautiously as I watched him from my place in Alexandre's arms.
"I..um..think that the introduction of your virus is rewriting some of mine..." He panted and then lookup up at us with a look of confusion on his face. "I did not expect..." He chuckled lightly and then I realized what he meant as the smell of his own arousal hit me full force.
"Ah..." Alexandre remarked. "We're still in the honeymoon stage, I guess you could say. It's pretty bad with us." Alexandre apologized and I giggled slightly. Then Cornelius' expression changed again and a soft look stole over his face and it was as if suddenly his whole body just relaxed.
"Ah, there it is." He whispered, and I could smell the shift again, pheromones, and hormones, serotonin, oxytocin, Cornelius suddenly looked at us like we were the two most precious people on earth. He got up and walked over to us, grabbing us in a hug and leaning his head on ours. "Thank you." He said softly and then left the room. I blew out a breath.
"Well. That was interesting." I remarked.
It took two days for Cornelius to come back and ask for more blood. He approached me like a small child asking for sweets. He looked at me from under his lashes with begging eyes and I nearly laughed as I rolled my eyes at him.
"Carys.." He begged, "I was hoping you might be willing to...allow me a little more blood?" His eyes took on a pleading look and I fully expected him to clasp his hand in front of his face in a begging gesture. I snorted, but extended a wrist.
"No wait, let me find a place to sit down, I always get a little weak kneed when doing this." I pulled my wrist back abruptly. At first Cornelius looked hurt and then a look of understanding crossed his face and he smirked slightly. Alexandre appeared at my side in an instant and lightly gripped my arm. He led me slowly to our bedroom, Cornelius trailing after us, a hand hovering at my waist as if afraid we might leave him behind. I blushed when I realized where we were headed, but didn't hesitate, just gripped Alexandre's arm tightly.