“Yeah.”
Then the sharp tips of fangs were pushing into his skin. Luis gasped at the initial prick of pain before the chemicals hit him. Karim only tightened his hold, kept him steady. Heat poured from the wound as Karim sucked and swallowed. The wet sound of it was loud in Luis’s ears.
Pleasure came on its tail, slamming into Luis so hard that he moaned. It was a breath of a thing, barely any noise, but Karim didn’t miss it. The vampire’s hands on him flexed, and there was another hard suck, a swallow of his blood.
Fuck, it feltincredible.
Luis’s awareness shrank to the push and pull of the pleasure-pain. He folded further into Karim, wanting more. He wasn’t so much swept away this time, as he was allowing himself to indulge, allowing himself this moment where he just felt good. Where all the guilt and pain of the last week fell away.
Then came Julien’s firm,times up.
Karim pulled away slowly, tongue lapping across the puncture wounds. Even that felt nice, the enzyme muting the last of the pain of being bitten.
Luis was hazy, eyes closed. He didn’t try to pull out of it this time, allowing himself to drift in it just a little longer. Karim had him and wasn’t letting him go. He was safe.
When Luis finally opened his eyes, Karim was there.
“Okay?” He asked. His fangs were still out, but his demeanor had already softened. There was an unruly swoop of hair trying to fall in his face.
Luis smiled at him. “Yeah.”
The corner of Karim’s mouth quirked up. “Good.”
The haze tapered off slowly, and as it did Karim let him go. Luis appreciated that Karim didn’t make jokes about how long it took him, or how out of it he probably looked.
But then again, the experience had affected Karim too.
“Here,” Julien prompted, and offered Luis a juice.
“Thank you,” Luis tipped it to his mouth, and the cold and sweet was a welcome break from the swamping heat. His mind still wasn’t on solid ground yet, and he didn’t force it as he sipped his drink.
Julien started a conversation about a rug they’d seen at an antique mall earlier in the week, and how he wanted to go back for it. Karim disagreed.
“He was selling it as a pre-1900s. It was 1940s at best,” Karim argued.
“Maybe he’d come down on price,” Julien said. “The coloring was just so unusual.”
“Which is why he’s got it at robber baron pricing,” he complained. “You could see if he’d come down, but I doubt it. He wouldn’t come down on the lamp.”
“Darling, it wasTiffany’s,” Julien said with emphasis.
“With a crack that ran up the whole side. It’s still there, might I point out,” Karim said with a sniff, “no one is going to pay that price.”
“Well, I think I want to try. I just keep thinking about it,” Julien said.
Karim crossed his arms, “Fine. But now, are you having a drink? Or is Luis going to bed?”
Julien gave Karim a hard look. “Darling, must you always be so…”
“To the point?” Karim asked. “Yes. If I wasn’t, we’d never get anywhere. You and I would still probably be traipsing around the English countryside, directionless.”
“You haven’t even asked Luis what he wants,” Julien pointed out, ignoring the comment.
Both sets of eyes turned to him. Luis was finished with his juice, his head a bit clearer. He likely didn’t need another bite, but…
“You can,” Luis said. “I mean, it’s not–it doesn’t hurt.”
“I’m glad,” Julien said delicately, hedging. “But it is late, if you’d rather just retire–”
