Page 73 of Thicker than Blood
“Why? How? You don’t even know me.”
A deep crease mars his forehead. “You don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that. It’s just…” I shrug, pushing my spinach around my plate. “I don’t get it. That’s all.”
“All your research and yet you misunderstand the most basic aspect of vampirism.”
“What’s that?”
“It can’t be studied or seen under your magnifying glass. You can’t extract it and pick it apart. It just is.” He jerks my chair so I’m as close to being in between his legs as possible. “When a vampire decides he wants something, nothing else exists until he gets it. I have decided I want you, my sweet little mortal, and therefore, I will have you.”
I twist my lips in defiance. “But why? What is it about me that has you so into me?”
“Why does it have to be anything specific? It’s a myriad of things.”
“Name one.”
“Dude,” Enyo complains, chomping on a piece of meat. “Why fight it? It’s Elias Caswell, my guy. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
“Hey,” Jagger complains.
“For him,” Enyo says, patting Jagger’s shoulder. “He’s obsessed with him.”
“Shut up, En.”
Elias’s eyes literally glimmer. “An affliction we share.” Wrapping one arm around my waist, he effortlessly pulls me onto his lap. “There’s just something about you that stirs the beast within me. You’ve added a bit of adventure to a long, boring life. You’re interesting. You understand me on a level most mortals never will.” He leans in and brushes his lips against mine. “You’re lovely. Perfection really. You taste like the sweetest nectar. I am obsessed with your pleasure, your moans, the way my name sounds on your lips. Is that enough proof for you, darling?”
I blink several times as his words wrap around me like the warmest blanket. “Thank you,” is all I can manage to say.
“Use my attention to your advantage,” he continues. “Whatever you want, you will have. Ronald’s head on a platter? Done. A lab the size of a city block? Done. Endless nights of pleasure wrapped in my arms? Done.”
I don’t really know what to say, so I move off his lap and finish the last bites of my meal before sitting back in my chair, full and happy.
“Thank you for the meal. It was perfect.”
He lifts my wrist, and using the sharp pointed tip of his index fingernail, he pricks my skin, smiling as a dot of thick red blood bubbles up. He flicks his tongue across my skin, gathering theblood and smiling as he closes his eyes like he’s savoring the perfect bite.
“Much better. You still need a bit more water, but if we keep up the protein- and iron-heavy meals, you should improve. What do you normally eat?”
Enyo huffs a laugh from across the table. “Peanut butter and crackers. When he remembers to eat.”
“Shut it, En.”
He laughs harder. “Elias is good for you. He can actually get you to eat a meal.”
“Thank you for the information, Enyo,” Elias says. “I’ll be sure to put him on a good meal schedule.” He stands. “Now, you go up to take a bath and I’ll go out looking for our friend Ronald.”
“I don’t need a bath. I need to work.”
He frowns but nods. “Fine. The study should work. If not, there are many other rooms in the house. Pick your favorite.”
I look over at Enyo, who’s dragging his finger up and down Jagger’s chest, obviously flirting and making eyes at the vampire.
“You need to help me, Enyo.”
He scrunches his nose up. “Fine. Boring, but fine.”
“The sooner we figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it, the sooner you can get back to… whatever it is you’re doing over there.”