“You’re a vampire.There’s no mistake.”
Raven nodded.“Eating this makes me really thirsty.How about that drink, huh?”
Maxim nodded, a minute movement.“Yes.Let’s drink to Bryan’s eclectic movie selection.And to friends.”
Jason snorted.“If you’re making fun of me for carrying your books after you, Mr.Vallois—”
Maxim stood.“Not at all, Jason.You are a good friend—one of the rarest kind.”
Raven watched Maxim as he rounded the couch, but he turned when movement drew his attention.Jason was leaning into Heath’s personal space and looking at the container with the cookies.
“So these’re really blood?”
“They’re blood cookies.I clearly said that they’re blood cookies.”Heath was frowning at Jason.“Why are you looking at them like that?”
“Lemme have one.I mean, that’s okay, right?I can’t get sick from them?”
Clement cackled, the sound humorless.“This is what this house has fallen to.Human guests are starved until they will eat whatever scraps the vampires leave.”
Bryan hissed at him yet again.
“It’s not like that.”Jason’s hand hovered over one of the cookies.“Can I?”
Heath’s eyes were going wide.“W-well, yeah.I mean, all our donors are healthy, and these’re always made fresh, so—”
Jason grabbed one of those cookies and stuffed the soft creation into his mouth while smiling at him.“Hmmmm… Hm.Not terrible, right?”
Raven saw the red now, saw it on Jason’s teeth, because Jason could be a messy eater and had a tendency to try to talk while chewing.
Heath stared, his mouth hanging open.Then he shut it and nodded.“Yup.Yeah, exactly right, this is good.”He shoved one more cookie into his own mouth then held the container out to Raven.“One more?”
Raven tried to curb the chuckles as both Heath and Jason looked at him with a sheen of blood on their lips and teeth.The chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh, and before he knew what had hit him, tears filled the corners of his eyes while his diaphragm pinched from the laughter.
“Dude,” Jason said, eyeing the remaining cookies.“You okay?”
Raven put his hand over his mouth.“I think you’re officially a cannibal now, Jay.”
Jason’s eyes went wide.“What, me?No, that’s not right.You’re only a cannibal if you, like, eat people.”He pointed at the cookies.“That’s not people.”
Clement and Bryan were standing in front of the screen, watching them.
“You did this,” Clement said.“You ruined your favorite resident and the handsome guest.”
“You stay behind your bar and mind your own damn business.Heath, I got fudgy chocolate bites for you.”
Clement snorted.“And the guest?”
Raven leaned back, relaxed.He lifted his feet onto the couch and finished the cookie he’d been eating before taking one more from Heath.
Heath handed him the container—probably a good idea, seeing as how that moved it out of Jason’s easy reach.“Have the rest of them.I’ll… We have some cake that’s nice too, and the chocolate… I mean, thanks, Bryan, but I was actually thinking of sticking to blood for a while.I’ve been…missing it.”
Bryan looked nonplussed.“Missing it?”
Jason pointed.“Yeah, that.It’s not too bad.I think I’ll try the blood cake.”
“I didn’t say it was blood cake.”
Maxim tsked from behind them.“Darling, if Jason feels the need to explore a new culinary field, let him.And have the chocolate Bryan specifically got for you.It’s rude to reject special treats.”
