𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐄 | 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴

06: Untouchable

It doesn't hurt as much anymore.

You let out a quiet sigh and lean your head further back. As always, Xavier is holding you close while he drinks your blood. You can feel his lips gently sucking on the surface of your skin, and there's the dull discomfort of his fangs being lodged in your neck, but the pain is unmistakably less intense than before. You're not sure if it's because you're starting to become a bit more accustomed to this whole thing, or if Xavier really is making an effort to be as gentle as possible, but either way, it's far more manageable now.

He even pulls away from time to time, just to make sure that you're doing alright.

"Still okay?" he affirms.

You nod. "I'm fine, thank you. You can keep going until you've taken the usual amount."

Xavier pauses for a moment, and he doesn't smile, not quite, but there's a subtle warmth that fills his gaze, and for some reason, it puts you at ease.

Yeah. This is what vampires should be like. That asshole Felix could really take a page out of Xavier's book.

You sit there for a while longer, waiting for Xavier to be done. You haven't been feeling too lightheaded these days, so you figure the supplements you've been taking must have helped somewhat. So long as you don't run into any other clients like Felix, who drink far more blood than the allotted amount, you'll probably be fine.

Xavier eventually pulls back for good, making sure to wipe his blood-stained lips with a napkin. You can appreciate how put-together he is, because seeing someone with your blood smeared across their face will never be a pretty sight. Although you suppose that's another thing you're slowly getting used to.

"How are you feeling?" Xavier asks.

"I'm good," you reassure. "Don't worry. If something was off, or if I was feeling unwell, I would make sure to let you know. I'm not reckless with my health."

Ha. Okay, that was a bit of a lie, considering you just landed yourself in the hospital not long ago, but in your defense, that wasn't entirely your fault.

Xavier seems relieved to know that you're feeling alright, and normally, this is the part where he would get up to leave, but today, he opts to stay seated for longer.

After a few moments of silent deliberation, he works up the nerve to ask:

"Do you have any other clients besides me?"

The question catches you off guard. For one thing, he doesn't normally engage you in conversation, other than occasionally checking in to make sure you're not feeling sick. Unless you're mistaken, it's the first time he's asked you anything remotely resembling a personal question, even if it was simple intrigue on his part.

Before you can respond, Xavier scrunches his brows together. "Um. Actually, forget what I just said. You don't need to answer that. Now that I've stopped to think about it, it's not really any of my business, and it was perhaps a bit inappropriate to ask."

He looks rather flustered all of a sudden, which amuses you, because he's normally stoic and poised—almost to a fault.

Well. In any case, you suppose you have nothing to hide.

"I did have another client," you admit. "But I had to drop him because he was making me uncomfortable. So, right now, you're the only one I'm meeting with."

Xavier frowns. "I'm sorry to hear that. This arrangement only works if the client and donor respect one another, so it's unfortunate that you had to have such an unpleasant experience." After a brief pause, his eyes widen in concern. "I'm... not making you feel the same way, am I? Because if so, I urge you to be honest with me. The last thing I want is to upset you."