Page 81 of John’s Yearning

“I can’t just do nothing.”

“You’ve done enough,” he assured her.

“But there must be something I can do.”

Donnelly looked up from the computer. “Why don’t you see how the kids are? I’m sure they’d love to see a friendly face.”

Grateful for Donnelly’s suggestion, John took Savannah’s hand. “I think that’s a brilliant idea.”

33

When Savannah and John reached the medical center in the basement, it was empty except for the doctor, whom John introduced as Maya, and one child, who suffered from dehydration and lay in a hospital bed, a drip attached to her arm.

“Where is everybody?” John asked.

“We checked all the kids out; they’re fine. And hungry. They’re all up in the H lounge,” Maya said. “I ordered some food for this little one here.” She smiled at the child in the bed and ran her hand over her head. “Chocolate ice cream and cookies, right?”

The little girl, who was a little shorter than Buffy and probably only nine years old, smiled weakly.

“Why don’t you guys go up to the H lounge and see what’s taking them so long?” Maya suggested.

“Sure thing,” John agreed.

On their way up, Savannah asked, “H lounge, that was the lounge where you brought me, right? What does H stand for?”

“Human,” John said without hesitation. “It’s meant for our human employees and guests. There’s also a V lounge.” He cast her a quick look, as if to check whether he should continue. “Only vampires are allowed there, because we serve blood there.”

“What do you mean by serve? Do you keep humans there to drink from?”

John chuckled unexpectedly. “No. Of course not. There’s a bar with blood on tap. The company purchases it from a blood bank.”

“Does that mean you don’t drink from humans? You don’t bite them?” If that was the case, it would mean they were rather civilized.

“Yes and no.”

When she raised an eyebrow, he continued. “Some of us live entirely on bottled blood, others drink from their human mates, few of us go out to hunt these days. We prefer to have permission to drink from a human. It’s more gratifying.”

“Gratifying?” She wasn’t sure what he meant by that.

He sighed. “A vampire’s bite is very sensual. Many of us like to combine the act of feeding with the act of sex, because it heightens the pleasure.”

“For the vampire?”

“For both partners, the human, too. That’s why we prefer to drink from those we are drawn to sexually and emotionally. It’s a way for us to share ourselves with our human partners.”

“But doesn’t that mean you’re turning them into vampires too, I mean, by biting them?”

“That’s not how it works. Only in death can a human be turned.”

“I guess television got a lot of things wrong then.”

“They also got a lot of things right. But we’re not the bloodthirsty monsters they make us out to be on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We’re more like Angel than Nosferatu. Sometimes troubled by our wish to hold onto our humanity, but also driven by our need for blood. It’s a delicate balance.”

She contemplated his words. “I can see that. But you seem to be in control of that need.”

They stopped in front of the H lounge, and John gave her a long look. “Savannah, I wish I could say you’re right. But I’m not in control, not when I’m around you. There were many times, when I wanted nothing more than to sink my fangs into your lovely neck and drink from you. And it took every ounce of my strength not to do it. I don’t know how long I can still hold back that need.”

She gasped, and her chest lifted. With parted lips, she stared at him. But it wasn’t fear that paralyzed her. It was something he’d said earlier, that the bite would heighten her pleasure.