I Can't Get the Vampire Rogue to Romance Me

Chapter 74 - Vampy Eating Habits

Evangeline leaned back in the bath, sighing with extremely deep contentment as she let the naturally hot water soak into her bones. Valerian lounged on a mat on the ground behind her, lounging on his back, his eyes closed, though he wasn't asleep as every few minutes he retrieved a grape from a bowl by his head to nibble on.

Sigismund was on the other side of the pool, sitting under the waterfall dumping freshwater into their pool. Evangeline had tried that earlier at Artmond's recommendation and had found the pounding on her shoulders and back, depending on how she positioned herself, very relaxing and good for unknotting tight muscles. She also knew that Sigismund wouldn't hear anything over that racket.

Hagor himself was snoring softly in a corner, deeply asleep and Artmond had done the same, though he didn't snore. Even the Phoenix had tucked their head under a wing.

The soak had felt wonderful, but strangely Evangeline couldn't truly relax. Valerian had been right. The contents of the note the presumably other Rogue her employer had hired had left in her shoulder were bothering her. Despite his utter confidence in her nefarious intentions, Evangeline really didn't have a plan yet. Maybe it was not respecting the gravity of her situation, I mean, so far it had earned her a dart in her shoulder, but at that moment, she just didn't want to think about at all. But her mind kept chewing on it despite her wishes.

Desperate for a distraction, she glanced up at Valerian. He was just in the process of retrieving another grape from his bowl, bringing it to his lips to slowly catch to peel the skin back.

"Do you actually taste that?" Evangeline asked.

"Yes," he said, simply and licked the grape as if to illustrate the point.

"So you can eat other food?" she asked, turning around in the pool to rest her arms on the side of the stone, setting her chin on top of her hands.

"Can? Yes. Should? Not so much," he answered, still sucking on the now skinless grape.

"Why? What happens to you?" she asked genuinely curious. The pressure to burn a Meta point filled her, so she must already know from the before time, but she wanted to save it for the important questions. This was just her own curiosity.

"A vampire's body doesn't really digest food like this. We're just not made for it, so it's more of a game for us to imbibe it. Especially if you're the sort that needs to pretend to be like all the other non-vampires."

"Ah, I see. And you have built up such a tolerance, I suppose?" she said.

He finally popped the grape into his mouth, crushing the juicy thing between his teeth. "The trick is to savor the food, it makes it seem like we're eating more than we are. Also to chew thoroughly. Otherwise it's even more unpleasant when it comes out."

Evangeline wrinkled her nose at that visual. "Well, okay that's why vampires do it, but why are you doing it? We all know what you are so there is no need to pretend."

"Because this free food is a reward to us all and I'm going to be damned if I can't partake in any of it. Besides, I don't think I can ask for a cup of their freshest vitae without invoking some suspicion."

Nibbling her lower lip, Evangeline looked back to the still sealed branches door.

He must have noticed her glance, because then he said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to ask any of you to donate some to the cause. As much as I am curious about the differences between human, elf, and magic user, I'm pretty confident my continued existence in the group is dependent on keeping my fangs to myself. Besides, the sip I got off of your wound can hold me until we get on the road again."

"You've imagined tasting all of us?" Evangeline asked, surprised that she was surprised.

"Of course." He spared a glance at her, with a twinkle glinting in his eye. "Oh don't look at me like that. Of course, I thought about it, but it is just idle curiosity. The only one I know anything about is you. Or are you getting jealous?" he teased.

"But you would if you could. You'd feed on all of us?"

Valerian huffed. "It's just idle imagining. I can count on one hand the number of people I've actually fed on." He held up one finger, pointing it at Evangeline. "I'm a bit of a blood virgin, if you can believe it. I've fed on the blood of animals, no different than any of our fine companions. Except maybe, Hagor. He probably tastes like a sheep would."

"Sheep isn't what I think of when I look at Hagor," Evangeline smirked.

That earned her another surprised expression from Valerian, cracking his cool, unaffected vampire boy one with one of his rare genuine emotions.

He must have thought he was putting me off with all this talk about his feeding habits, Evangeline realized. She beamed at him, the one satisfied this time for catching him off guard. She then examined Hagar's sleeping form across the space speculatively. "I mean, he is an elf. Aren't elves supposed to the most delicious to vampires? You know like sparkling champagne?"

At last, Valerian rolled over onto his stomach to follow her gaze. "I suppose you have a point. But environment has just as much affect as racial nature. It's why I don't really go for domesticated things if I can help it. Not only do the owners tend to notice, but wild blood as a way of singing as it slips into you."

"So what is your favorite... vitae," Evangeline said, stumbling a bit over the coded choice of word, "To indulge in?"

"Why you, my dear. You taste the best off all, of course," his flirtatious smile returning and damn if it didn't work, warming Evangeline all the way to her core. It was a hungry, come hither to my flame little moth sort of smile. One that had a lot of promises attached to it.

Before she could answer however, there was a knock at their sanctuary's door.