I take it and stand on shaky legs. I don’t even know where to start. “I thought… I thought I had to drink your blood to heal.”
“Not always.” He shrugs as I shimmy my leggings back on. “Some surface level injuries, like my bite, can be done with application. In instances like before, you needed to drink my blood. I heal too quickly. Your injuries were too extensive for me to cover.”
Gray holds up his finger to show me the unmarred skin where he pierced himself. Nothing is there. The mark is gone.
As I put on my coat, and he retrieves my other belongings from behind the desk, I embolden myself to pry further. “So, why did you bite me there?”
“I didn’t think you would enjoy a second bite to the neck tonight.” He hands over my scarf and hat. “Besides, I’ve heard it’s pleasurable for humans.”
“Heard? Does that mean you haven’t done it before?” I wrap the scarf around my neck loosely and sort my hair into place under the hat.
Gray walks to the door, hands tucked in his pockets, then turns back to me. With a wry smile, he says, “There’s a first time for everything, sweet cheeks.”
After-Hours, my favorite diner, is practically empty when we arrive. We must have just missed the “midnight mass,” when all the late night workers and party goers stumble in for their final stop of the night. I’ve been one of them before, crowded in a small booth with a few of the other girls as we celebrated big tips from a long evening of shaking ass. Those nights don’t happen too often anymore, at least not with me. I usually leave before the rest of the girls finish up, or I slink off after my shift to fuck around with Dax.
I need to get that under control, I tell myself. After tonight, I’ve decided that I have to break things off with Dax. There isn’t any way this works out for either of us that isn’t bad for the other. I just know that I can’t keep this going when I know that I’ll end up thinking about Gray.
“This way.” I lead Gray to a lone booth by one of the big windows overlooking the street. He follows close behind and slips into the seat across from mine. We’re greeted pretty quickly after sitting down.
“What can I get you?” The waitress, an older woman with a topknot, whips out a little notepad and looks between the two of us.
“Coffee. Black,” Gray orders, spreading his arms out behind him on the cushion of the booth.
“I’ll take a water, and a cheeseburger with everything on it,” I add, and she jots it down, then heads to the back kitchen behind the counter. There’s an older gentleman there picking at a piece of pie and reading a folded over book. Besides him, there’s us and a small group of college-aged kids in the far back corner smiling and laughing like nothing else exists but them.
“Quaint,” Gray says with an approving look. He looks between the table, the bar, the ceiling, and the dimly lit lights overhead. It’s a hole-in-the-wall, but it has the best french fries and cheeseburgers by far.
“I have a silly question,” I start, drawing his attention back to me.
He makes a gesture with his hands, which are folded on the laminate tabletop. “Go ahead.”
“How can you drink coffee? I thought your diet was strictly blood.”
His lips turn up at one corner. “Liquids aren’t really an issue. I can drink coffee, wine, liquor, and water if necessary. It doesn’tdo anything to… quench my thirst, but it can curb my cravings. Sometimes, I mix them together.”
I purse my lips at the implication. “Right. Blood makes way more sense than sugar.”
“Everyone’s blood has a unique flavor, Millie. It isn’t unusual for my kind to find ways to extract the taste using other means.”
Just as he finishes his sentence, the waitress returns with a simple white mug and a full pot of coffee. She slides a little bowl of sugar and cream packets in front of him, then walks away. I’m glad she didn’t show up any sooner to catch the tail end of his explanation.
“What does that mean, exactly?” I ask as he takes a packet of sugar and picks at the corner of it.
“Freshly ground coffee beans brewed with a cup of warm, human blood has a stronger flavor than straight black coffee.” Red eyes flicker up to meet my waiting gaze. There’s a hint of glee in them as he speaks. “For example, your blood would sweeten this coffee four times as much as this single packet of sugar. It would be richer, too.”
I blush. “Oh… uh, no thanks?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve had my fill of you already.” He picks up the cup and sips. “Just plain old boring black coffee for me.”
A cold glass of water slides in front of me just as my mouth goes dry. After it comes a plate piled high with steaming hot french fries and a fat cheeseburger with cheese melting down the sides. I look up at our waitress, grateful for her impeccable timing.
“Can I get you folks anything else?” she asks. I’ve already taken a bite of my burger, so Gray answers for us, and sends her on her way.
A comfortable silence falls between us. While I eat, he sips his coffee. After a few full and filling swallows, I suck down my water in a couple long swigs and sit back against the booth. Likea plant left out in the sunshine, I can feel my body soaking up the nutrients and dispersing it everywhere. I can hardly believe how different I feel now compared to earlier.
“Better?” Gray asks, setting his mug down.
“Mm. I really needed that,” I hum, stretching my arms high above my head.Talk about sore.
