A Steady Stream of Moonlight

Chapter 2

“That donneur isn’t well again, love?” Perriot enquired. His donneur shook her head and pursed out a frown. “She’s never well on feeding days. Not ever. Or she’s busy, or she’s got a stomach ache or something.” Then Tracy broke into a satisfied smile as she stretched and adjusted the bandage on the wrist. “Maybe she just hasn't gotten into the swing yet- or she’s not confident.” Tracy being thoughtful was quite amusing to him, and he chuckled. “Why? Because of how she looks?”

Tracy looked at him for a while, looking into his deep blue eyes. “Probably- I mean, she’s so discouraged she doesn’t even try.” Perriot furrowed his brow. He understood if a person wouldn’t want to come for feeding if they had nasty bloody (in which, there was not a possibility) but over looks? That was plain silly. The poor girl probably hadn’t realized that what mattered was her blood, not her physical appearance. He clicked his tongue in thought and smiled at Tracy winningly. He bowed himself out and started to look around for a sign of that missing donneur.

The hour was over, and it was safe for Kayla to leave the oak tree. She stood up slowly, legs protesting as she stretched them out, using the trunk for support. “Ah!” She brought her hands to her face in horror. A huge, gouging splinter stood stark in-between the flesh of her third and fourth fingers. Blood seeped through the wound and she panicked like she had never panicked before. It hurt so much, and her finger trembled trying to ease it out, but it wasn’t going anywhere. The blood was dripping, it was dangerous, and she knew it.

She heard the light footsteps against the marble, rapidly approaching, and she flustered, looking desperately for a place to hide. The blood would bring people, even if they’d had their fill. She felt her wrist yanked harshly upwards, and she whimpered as blue eyes bored into her, a firm hand holding onto her.

Kayla didn’t know who he was, or why his hair glittered in the moonlight, or why he was shifting his intense gaze to her palm. She whimpered again, as the gaze burned her skin gently and a flush rose in her cheeks. A slender, stainless hand gently twisted the splinter out from the flesh, earning a wince from Kayla. She saw the glint of those teeth, and his tongue ran up the trail of blood, his eyes shifting back to her, staring at her as he licked the wound.

His gaze was utterly hypnotic, the movements of his tongue on her palm sending electricity up her spine.  She breathed in small, shallow breaths and was completely captured in his gaze. The wound fizzled and healed, but his eyes were still on her, still peering into her soul. She felt naked in his gaze, like there was nothing she could do to stop him from searching every crevice of her body, mind and soul.

The sound of the bell tolling broke off the hazy connection, and more blood rushed to her cheeks. She snatched her hand back and ran for it, running aimlessly from the invisible force of his gaze. She could still feel his eyes on her, and she clutched her hand to her heart like her life depended on it. Her heart thundered as she felt a hand grab her. “Kayla! What’s the problem? Do you have a fever?” She snapped out of her giddy run and relaxed, seeing Tracy, who had a shocked expression on her face. 

She nodded stiffly as her heartbeat raced. What happened? Why had it happened? And who was that damningly attractive man?

ß---à

Perriot could feel the taste of the blood lingering on his tongue. He had never tasted anything so raw, so smooth- so amazingly heated. He was still transfixed in the direction she ran away. He had felt her pulse race in his hands, her eyes dilate, and her cheeks flush in the pale moonlight. He swallowed slowly- it was a rush of pure potency. It tingled in his body and that little bit satisfied him from spine up.

He struggled to retain composure but his body felt overheated, and he craved for more. It was the most beautiful crimson, and he licked his lips, committing the flavour to memory- though a flavour like that would be thoroughly hard to forget anyway. His mind was still reeling: He’d smelt the blood, it dragged him to the source, and he couldn’t even stop himself from putting his mouth to her palm.

“Perriot, what happened to you?” Odette crossed the room and held him by the elbow. Despite having made it back to the hall, he was still reeling in the effect of her blood. It was prickling his skin, her urge to seek the blood out settling heavily at the pit of his stomach. “I…a girl…” he sunk into the plush couch and took in deep breaths, trying to calm his body.

“You did something? What did you do you can’t go and shag any donneur-“

“I didn't!” he snapped at her. He sat up and shuddered as the effect wore off on his body. “She tasted so damn good I lost myself. Her blood was like…like…” he shook his head, trying to ease out a description of the taste. It was a lot easier for people like Tracy, or maybe Amber. Tracy was like chocolate, Amber was like a freshly opened bottle of wine- but whatever he licked at was different. It was like electricity, like whiskey, like…liquid ecstasy in an explosion of flavours.

“You eyes are dilating, Perriot. Whatever you drank must’ve been strong- weird though, Tracy doesn’t leave me this high.” Came the casual comment he recognized as Darren’s. “No it wasn’t her. It was some other girl- and furthermore all I did was like a droplet or two.” Perriot scratched his head at the very thought of it. So little with so much impact- imagine if he took an entire gulp…

“That’s not possible!” Odette exclaimed. “We’ve gone through every donneur, unless you’re particular to that one…” Perriot’s eyes lit up. The only donneur that nobody had gotten a taste of yet. That girl Tracy talked about- he then hopped off the couch and starting digging through the roster for a name that was foreign to all of them.

“Emily? Floran? Dennis, maybe?”

“Don’t be a prat, Hyperion, Dennis is a dude. We’re looking for a girl.”

“Anyway I’ve fed from all three before, so it can’t be them.”

“Tali?”

“What are you, stupid? That’s MY Donneur for life you’re talking about!”

A heated argument that followed up with a fight had everyone completely distracted from helping Perriot at all. After consulting a few more books and rosters, he’d found a single name that he didn’t recognize at all. “Kayla Wilford” Her name never appeared regularly in the rotation rosters, and that was probably for the reasons Tracy had spoken of, how she didn’t want to be fed from. It troubled him on how to get to her, and those thoughts continued despite the angry yells and shattering of glass.