Everyone had already left. I was sleeping in Otis's house tonight, not looking to go back to Nelly's so late.
The guest bedroom smelled like new furniture and the walls had pasty looking yellow daisies plastered on them. It reminded me of the guest bedroom in Nelly's house and I shuddered. So similar.
The gathering of all the vampires had ended, and even now I could see the last one who left being escorted by Vikas down the road.
I settled into the bed and sighed. No late night belfry tonight. I didn't want Otis to catch me gone.
I shut my eyes, not wanting to think about the meeting with Dorian that had happened downstairs earlier. That vampire was just creepy; trying to drink my blood in front of everyone. We hadn't even known each other for more than thirty seconds when he demanded some of my blood, and controlled everyone in the room to try to get some. I opened my eyes quickly, then shut them again; he had gotten so close too…
A light sound echoed through the room, and I opened my eyes to look around.
My heart hammered to a stop and I nearly froze in shock when I looked at the window.
Dorian, perched nimbly on the windowsill outside, tapping on the windowpane with one finger, eyes silently begging to be let in. It took me a minute to fully grasp what was happening, but when I realized what was going on and what he was trying to do, I shook my head frantically, sending a clear message of You can't come in no no no no!
Then he made a sudden motion, like he was punching the window. Like I'll break this window if you don't let me in.
I still shook my head, I would never let him near me again. I promised Otis I would keep my distance.
So he broke the window and crawled into the room.
"Dorian!" I hissed, "What the hell-" I felt my body seize up as Dorian invaded my mind and took control of my movements.
"Hush little Vladimir," he cooed, leaning in until his copper hair brushed against my face.
Vladimir, Otis asked telepathically, Is everything alright? I heard a strange noise from your room.
"Tell him you are fine," Dorian hissed into my ear, then let go of his control over me with a warning glare.
I'm fine. I told Otis, regretting telling him another lie.
Okay, he sent back, and I felt his mind ease back into sleep.
"Dorian, what are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Dorian seemed to purr as he ran a hand through his hair, "I came to demand some of your rare blood. And to see you of course…"
What's the difference? I wanted to ask, just to hear what he would say to that, but then he sat himself on the end of the bed and hummed, "You know you smell quite delicious."
Yes, because my blood is so rare to you.
"No," he said, giving me an intense look, "Not just your blood. Your scent. You smell like mint and damp earth; it's actually a very soothing smell…"
What? That's not creepy.
"No, I don't think it is either. Unless you were being sarcastic," he offered. "But I'm sure you are complemented on your scent a lot."
Actually, normal people don't bring that up a lot. So no.
"Really?" he asked. "Shame…"
Then I realized I hadn't said anything, and Dorian was reading my thoughts. My mind was unguarded; an open book to him. I realized he could see everything I was thinking, even the almost silent thoughts of shameful things…
I felt my face get hot and I shielded my mind from Dorian.
"So Vladimir," he said with a smirk, "Will you give me some of your blood, pretty please?"
"Of course not!" I sputtered, "I never will!"
His eyes shrunk to slits as he turned from sitting on the bed to crawling up to me, stopping when his face hovered over mine. "There is no Otis to protect you now," he whispered before my body was taken over by him again, and he swooped in to latch onto my neck.
I couldn't call out, or scream, or even connect to Otis telepathically when I felt the sharp prick of pain over my jugular as Dorian began to feed.
I felt my body fight a shiver, and Dorian controlled me to move my head farther back, exposing more neck to him and swiping my long black bangs over my eyes.
I started to feel dizzy, and I numbly felt Dorian wrap his arms around me and press me closer to him. I felt a million miles away as he continued to feast, and I didn't realize he let go of his hold over me and his hold on my neck after a few minutes.
His face loomed in and out of view as he breathed over me steadily. A trickle of my blood was on the corner of his mouth, and a few drops fell onto my lips as he leaned closer to me.
"So delicious…" he said, probably more to himself than to me, and he shifted down to press butterfly kisses on my healing neck. I felt like I was waking up when I felt his lips press into me again, no teeth this time. I felt his mouth move around my skin, whispering things into me I couldn't catch. I shuddered when I felt him suck lightly on a patch of skin near the now completely healed bite. He chuckled at my reaction when he was done, licked the spot several times, then moved up over my jawline to kiss my cheekbone there.
He pulled away and I was left staring at him in disbelief.
Like: what just happened? I was overtaken by Dorian, handsome, kind of hot mysterious vampire who lusted for my blood.
"Not just your blood Vladimir," he hissed into my ear, pressing his lip against the shell of it and nibbling the edge, "But you."
I blushed harshly when I remembered, Right, open book.
"Right," he hummed, echoing me. He hovered his lips over mine, teasing, then came down onto them in a quick kiss. When he pulled away I noticed the blood on my lips also on his, and he licked it away, purring. I remembered he had let go of control over me, so I pressed my hand against his stomach to try and push him away.
I tried to hide my blush at the fact he had a rock-hard stomach and muscular abs. "Dorian," I tried to sound forceful, but his smirk never left his face, "We're both guys, and I like this girl…"
But he grabbed the back of my head and brought us together for a more forceful kiss. I felt his tongue slide across my bottom lip, wanting in, but I clenched my lips tighter, denying him. He growled and nipped at my lip with his fangs, causing me to open up in shock. His tongue explored my mouth and wrapped around my own, trying to bring it out to play, but I squeezed my eyes shut and attempted to shake my head in his firm grip.
He held the kiss for a bit longer before he pulled away reluctantly and we both panted for air.
"Dorian…" I began to ask, but instead he went back to pressing soft kisses into my jaw.
"Dorian…" I tried to say, "Dorian, why?"
"Because," he whispered, moving his arms from around me to resting on my hips, "Your scent is so different, and you're so different. I want to make you mine and only mine. I feel so strongly about this that I think I might," he paused and pulled back to stare into my eyes again, "have feelings for you."
"Dorian, I barely know you, and there's these girls that I feel-"
He jumped back to my neck, ravishing it with kisses and flicks of his tongue. I threw my head back and moaned at the feeling, and on me I felt Dorian hesitate at the sound. He continued, using fangs to suck a bit more blood from dozens of little points all on my neck. I felt my eyes water and I opened my mouth to gasp for air, because for some reason I just couldn't get enough.
He suddenly kissed my cheek again, and I looked up sharply to see him watching my face, looking very uncomfortable. I realized my flushed face, probably bruised lips, and the tears trickling down my cheeks. Then I felt uncomfortable too.
"Not uncomfortable," he said, leaning in slowly, "Just unsure."
He licked the tears from my face gently.
Unsure of what? I was curious.
He licked my blood from my lips just as softly before saying, "Unsure if you return my feelings or not. You look like you do, but you keep speaking of girls you know."
Girls I knew? Who? Wait, Meredith and Snow. But I had kissed both of them before, and it had never felt like this. So sweet but still insisting and needy.
So I closed my eyes, tilted my head, and pressed our lips together, chuckling at his shock of my actions.
I think I return your feelings. And I felt him sigh contentedly into the kiss before deepening it.
Yeah, Dorian was kind of odd. But he had a special place in my heart now.