Charlie tried to think about not-blood. About taxes. About his overdue library books. His fangs stayed firmly in place.
"I'm trying."
"Don't try. Just let them go back."
"That's the same as trying!" Charlie's words came out oddly as he tried to speak around his fangs. "Ith's like telling someone to just relax when they're thressed."
Viktor pressed his lips together, clearly fighting not to laugh at Charlie's lisp. "Okay, different approach. What makes them go away normally?"
"Fainting?"
"Besides that."
Charlie thought about it. "When I'm distracted, I guess? Like when I'm at work and focusing on not dropping change."
"So focus on something else." Viktor grabbed a book from his shelf. "Read this out loud."
Charlie took the book—some thriller about spies—and started reading. Three paragraphs in, his fangs retracted on their own.
"See? Just needed to stop thinking about it."
"Great. So my vampire power is not thinking." Charlie handed the book back. "I should be really good at that."
Viktor gave him a small smile. "Everyone starts somewhere. When I first got enhanced strength, I ripped three doors off their hinges in a week. The Organization made me practice with eggs for a month."
"Enhanced?" Charlie asked. "What does that mean?"
Viktor's smile faded. He walked to the kitchen, and Charlie thought he'd pushed too far, but then Viktor opened his refrigerator and pulled out something that made Charlie's stomach clench.
Blood bags. Medical grade, with hospital labels.
"Why do you have those?"
Viktor didn't answer the question. Instead, he set the blood bags on the coffee table between them. Charlie immediately scooted back on the couch, pressing himself against the armrest.
"We need to work on your tolerance," Viktor said, sitting in the chair across from him. "Fainting at blood will definitely get you laughed out of the vampire community."
"I can't help it."
"You can." Viktor picked up one of the bags, and Charlie's vision immediately started to tunnel.
He gripped the couch cushion, forcing himself to keep his eyes open.
Viktor seemed surprised by his reaction. "I'm not even opening it."
"I'm sorry," Charlie apologized for being pathetic. "It's just—knowing what's in there?—"
"It's B positive, if that helps."
"Why would that help?"
Viktor shrugged. "Some vampires have preferences. Types they respond to better." He tilted the bag, watching the blood shift inside. "What type is Simon?"
"How would I know his blood type?"
"You've fed from him twice. You can't tell?"
Charlie's face heated. Would a proper vampire have figured it out? "I don't know," he admitted.
