Path of the Vampire forum

Eli’s heart skips a beat or two as Glade draws closer, covering him like a heavy shroud that smells of smoke and danger. There’s a weight of ice on each shoulder too when the vampire holds him and nestles into the crook of his neck. The barbs of Glade’s facial hair tickles and aggravates his sensitive skin. He jerks upward and sucks in a sharp breath instinctively, though he isn't sure if that is because he is trying to get away from that feeling, or closer to it. It’s then that he feels Glade’s jaw drop and the angle of his head change to get a better angle. Eli complies by moving his head even further over to his left; his ear rests on the vampire’s cold hand.

There is no warning when those fangs puncture his skin. The dull snap of flesh and musculature is more like being punched than having your blood taken at the doctor’s office. His eyes roll back into his head, squinting shut, and he reaches out to grab at the front of Glade’s coat for comfort. The damp material is pulled tightly to his own chest as he arches up on his toes, bringing him closer to that sinister mouth. A soft moan threatens to break past his lips, but he bites down on the sound, muffling it into an incomprehensible murmur that muddies pain with pleasure. Equally, his body is just as confused and sends his blood both north and south; into his cheeks, into his core, and into the mouth of the predator.

The longer Glade feeds, the more Eli is aware of their equalling temperature. However, he can’t quite tell if it’s his own heat which is cooling like a fire dying to embers, or if Glade’s ashes are being rekindled by his lifeblood. Eventually, he begins to lose the strength in his legs and a fog comes over him that causes his extremities to tremble and ache. There’s this lightheadedness too, which indicates that he’s close to passing out, but rather than shove Glade away, he concentrates on that warm, weightless feeling. He relaxes into the sensation, surfs the high, and goes limp.

At first he started feeding it was just to feed, but it only took a moment before he realized how...alarmingly good the blood was. It was like the tenderloin of blood. Never had something like that before. It was incredible, both as it went through his mouth and as it strengthened him as it normally would. Yes this was a good deal, $650 was definitely underpriced..but he wasn't going to mention that. His eyes had somewhat forgotten to pay any attention as he was too focused on that splendid taste. As he began to feel more full, he realized with some worry how alarming that was that it could be so good. He dwelled a bit longer, making sure every drop he could get to fill him was taken. That's what was offered after all. He was mostly unaware of Elijah's reaction, didn't really care enough o pay any attention aside from the very slowly declining temperature where he was feeding, until he eventually went limp. Glade took a second longer pulling his fangs out and running his tongue across them, every drop was necessary.

He looked at Elijah, and thought as he continued to run his tongue over his teeth. "Hmm, guess I should have expected that." he mumbled to himself looking around smacking his mouth as if he'd just tasted some fine wine. "Now what to do." he said aloud, the wound no doubt would seal on its own soon enough, as it always did after he removed his fangs. People had a tendency to forget what happened though he had no idea if this one would or not after all if he knew of vampires and seemed to remember what led up to previous feedings perhaps he would. Whether Elijah was still conscious or not Glade would have to see and decide from there, if he wasn't he thought maybe he'd just wait to see what would happen if it didn't take long. But if he was still conscious and just limp, well he'd probably just see how he responded now that Glade had had his fill.

Elijah slips out of consciousness for just under a minute. When he comes to, it’s like waking from a deep sleep. There’s a moment of weightless, painless bliss in the darkness and the thick static. Throughout the inky space, Eli’s heartbeats pound loudly, echoing in his ears alongside the smoky rumble of Glade’s voice that feels too far away. He opens his eyes, and for a moment longer, his vision is clouded and blurred. Beneath him the stony floor feels soft, not as much as even a firm carpet, but not right for cement. As his eyes adjust and his brain peaks over the covers of dream-less sleep, there’s a resistance there that fights to go back to dozing under the wings of darkness.

Waking up is no longer the pleasure it was when he was a child, rushing out of bed to play. There is a fleeting moment when Eli feels whole again, but it evaporates faster than summer rain off the burnt earth. Then his lids, that were drooping and leaden with sleep, snap open as violently as if he'd been woken by wailing raid sirens. He’s on his feet, his eyes roam, one hand wraps around his midsection squeezing, and the other palms the bite wound on the side of his neck. The pain will probably last the night - as it usually does - and Eli doesn’t check to see if he’s still bleeding. He feels the cold of the air again and tastes its loamy fragrance with each clinging breath. It’s uncomfortable, but he’ll survive. Eli’s doe-like eyes focus in on a very concerned looking vampire and he sighs.

“Uh. Hmm,” he says abruptly before he pauses to think about the situation. “Is… Was. Everything ok?”

Glade paused and looked at Elijah for a moment considering the question, in a moment he realized just how unusual the situation was. The blood was...disturbingly more enticing then usual. Suspicion set its seed in his mind, the beginnings of realization of what he'd stepped into.
"Yes." he said simply, avoiding letting his concern about the situation reach his voice or face as he put his hands together in thought, while he would rather dwell on the issue, there was a matter of payment. "Remind me again, what was the agreed payment?" he asked stepping to the side and looking out the door just to check, more to avoid looking at Elijah as he thought then to actually look for anyone passing by.

When Glade’s response takes the form of a single word, yes, Eli’s shoulders slump. He knows that the male of the species isn’t the most articulate, but, he’s still a little disappointed. To say he is sad sounds so childish; like something flimsy, something one should be able to cast off with a happy reflection or the smile of a friend. However, this feeling is nothing of the sort. It sits inside him like the germ seed of depression, just waiting for the right conditions to grow, to send out roots to choke the hope out of his heart. Each second that ticks by is a droplet of life-giving water to that wretched weed.

It’s when the subject of price comes up for the second time that Eli breaks from disappointment and is visibly frustrated. He takes a deep breath and allows the air to rush out of his nostrils as a loud huffing sound. He moves to retrieve his coat from the floor and brushes the chalky debris away with a flat palm. Not a word escapes him as he does this and neither does he look up to see where Glade is or what he’s doing. The vampire is somehow even more standoffish than when they first met, and to disguise his confusion and annoyance, Elijah focuses on the mundane task of checking over his neck and then shrugging on his coat when everything seems fine. The last thing he does is look in Glade’s direction - once he has established a neutral expression, that is.

“I believe we agreed $650,” Eli says.

He takes out his mobile phone and begins typing; he sucks in his bottom lip between his front teeth and chews idly as his thumbs tap away on the screen. When he’s done, he looks to Glade again with a soft smile.

“There,” he says - voice warming. “I’ve emailed you my phone number and bank details, so you can make the payment. It’ll be easier, too, if you do want to make future arrangements.”

Eli tucks his phone back into his pocket as he talks, but his focus remains set on Glade. He’s smiling, but only to remain polite, so his lips don’t curl quite as generously and his brown eyes don’t sparkle. Judging from Glade’s demeanour, their interaction would be coming to a close now, so he remains respectfully silent.