The legion commander was a pretty cocky fellow, and Shion didn’t think that just because of what Vadim appeared to be packing—though that was definitely part of it. It made him equal parts thrilled and nervous to be in his presence, especially after seeing how quickly Edric had fled.
Shion couldn't help but admire the way the evening lights caught and reflected off of Vadim's black hair with a glimmer of glinting silver. What Shion found further fascinating was the almost ethereal, most vivid color of violet he'd ever seen. Gazing into them, he got the acute sense of rainwater and almost smelled it on the breeze coming in from the open window.
It set him at ease momentarily as he sat back and felt himself be studied by the legion commander. He didn't mind, something of a rarity. Where others peered at Shion with open-mouthed curiosity, or leers barely masking their darker intentions, Vadim seemed to be calculatingly appraising Shion. In an almost bored fashion as if he often sat across from naked shape-shifting men.
It was almost enough to make Shion laugh, but alas he held back in favor of doing his own perusal of the man. He was tall, long legs masked by his white pants, his torso a damn sight to behold with the muscle definition concentrated there, his skin looking like it'd be like velvet to touch. By habit, his eyes went first towards the visible veins and felt his incisors sharpen at the thought of biting into them, swallowing instinctively as he pantomimed drinking.
"My blood? How peculiar," Vadim deadpanned, not looking the least bit disturbed.
"Well, I guess it could be from anyone," Shion said thoughtfully. "I don't drink children or women though, ‘least not if I have a say in the matter.”
"Drink?" Vadim's brows notched up. "You'll be consuming the blood?"
"Straight from the source," Shion agreed, scraping his white hair out of his face, trying not to grit his teeth out of discomfort. His incisors pulsed out of desire, but he'd long grown accustomed to the ache. Hunger was familiar.
"Why?"
"Why do ya eat meat or greens?" Shion shot back, narrowing his gaze.
"I suppose," Vadim cocked his head to the side, bringing up his hand to balance his chin on, "it'd be for the energy."
"Then that right there's your answer," Shion's tone unmistakably sharp.
"Can you not consume meat and produce?"
Shion faltered. "Y-yeah."
And that was the honest truth. Kind of. If he'd been asked that question a year ago, he'd say yes honestly. But now was not so simple. As of late, eating food was becoming a practice too painful to maintain, as anything but raw meat had the effect of sickening him to the degree of being bedridden for days.
But could he eat still? At times he had to. Edric didn't often see much point in guaranteeing him a blood meal—his way of ensuring Shion would drink the victims when the time came to transform. Even accustomed to starving, it wasn't as if Shion could always control his blood fevers, and Edric knew that as well as any of Shion's other owners.
"Hm." Vadim's gaze seemed to be on Shion's shoulders, the skin he was exposing as the cloak slipped off him. Hastily, he covered himself back up and turned his gaze towards the ceiling.
"Gimme your blood already," Shion muttered.
"Is your need for blood connected in some way to your ability?"
Seriously—such a cocky fellow.
Shion stood up, keeping the cloak wrapped around him as he took a step towards Vadim, looming over the commander. "Have you figured it out already then?"
Vadim smiled, an expression that sent shivers down Shion's spine. There was something generally creepy about it, the lack of any real emotion behind it. "Figured what out?" he asked, lifting his chin off his palm and entwining his fingers together in his lap, the picture of ease and curiosity.
"If you won't say, I won't say it," Shion muttered, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair behind his ear, only to lose his grip on the cloak and send it slipping off. Inwardly, he cursed. Outwardly, he scrambled inelegantly to hoist it back up, only to be stopped when Vadim snatched his wrist and tugged it behind his back, not painfully, but not comfortably either.
Within seconds, Vadim had Shion spun around, turned away from him and facing the room. Alarm bells rang in Shion's head as he fought against the hold.
"I'll transform faster than you can—"
"The dark mage who has you indentured to him, tell me his name."
Panic intermingling with annoyance, Shion angled his face to bark, "The fuck should I tell you that?"
"From my understanding, your ability to change form overlaps with your need to drink blood. Is it that you can take on the form of your meal? Or does it simply feed energy into your ability?" Vadim traced a symbol on Shion's back, sending an unwanted rush through him. "I don't recognize this work."
"Fuck right you don't," Shion muttered viciously.
"A foreign mage, then. It's too advanced to dismiss that they've had lessons, but no school in any of the Thirteen would teach such—"
"Hey, let me go already or give me blood, prick."
"We've yet to discuss what your work for me will entail."
"Consider it a bonus, then, I'm starving here," Shion mumbled, feeling his muscles tighten up with that familiar pain, that first sign that yet another blood fever of his was burgeoning. It was at that point that he'd lose his mind, so it was either he got the hell out of there fast or got a meal with or without the commander giving his consent.
Vadim relaxed his grip and ultimately let go with a sigh. "Are you simply too fixated to focus?"
"I'd say so," Shion agreed readily as he turned to face the commander, cloak forgotten as it pooled at his feet. His eyes went towards Vadim's high-rise collar, disappointed to see it masking the view of his throat.
"Well," Vadim began, looking bored with the whole thing. "First answer me three things."
"Three?" Shion eyed him with undisguised distrust. "Okay. Deal, but I reserve the right to skip a question if I don't feel like answerin’."
"Sounds fair," Vadim said, that eerie smile returning to his face. "First off, who is Edric Royes to you?”
An owner. "A boss."
Vadim inclined his head. "Will giving you my blood allow you any special permissions as far as your abilities go?"
Sometimes understanding the man was a task best undertaken when not on the verge of losing his mind.
"Yes," Shion answered vaguely and then bit his tongue, wishing he'd skipped the answer instead.
"Oh, truly?" Vadim chuckled. "Tell me then, last question, what special permissions?"
"Skip," he said after a cough.
Vadim's smile grew. "Last question, who is the dark mage who marked you?"
Shion crossed his arms. "Skip."
"Last question, why a rat?"
"I don't know," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "They've been friendly to me."
Vadim laughed out right, expression brightening for the first time. "I suppose that's all I'll be getting out of you."
"Yeah," Shion agreed, feeling his incisors lengthen further as he took a step forward, distracted by the thought of blood and drinking. It made it difficult to speak as he asked, "Where do you want the bite?" It came out muffled and sounding closer to, vere do vu wan da bite?
"Oh? I get to pick?" Vadim seemed pleased. "Somewhere it won't be visible."
Shion's eyes immediately went to his throat.
Noticing this, Vadim's hand went to his collar. "Here, then?" he asked, unlatching the collar and baring the flesh of his throat. Shion could hear the steady pulse already and without thinking, it lured him onto the commander's lap.
Soon, they were face to face and then an eager Shion leaned in to press his lips to where he instinctively felt an artery. On habit, he licked before he used his teeth to prick the skin and felt an unsuspecting Vadim jerk and tense underneath him.
The commander groaned, a low guttural sound that sent vibrations to Shion's lips. Stomach muscles tightening, Shion took in his first long drag, reveling in the warmth that journeyed through him as his entire body shuddered with heat and new life.
Vadim's breaths turned haggard, strained, and with surprising strength, his hands came around to clamp onto Shion's hips, where he was certain there'd be bruises later. Inwardly he sighed over that, but outwardly the sensation was just too much to resist grinding against him.
Shion took another gulp, savoring the taste now, pleasantly shocked by the quality of his blood, and as if drinking wine, the more his thoughts slowed and the closer he got to a dream like state.
He pulled back in surprise as he realized the most likely cause, swaying, “‘ou’re drunk?”
Vadim, with his violet eyes feverish, flushed lips parted, pale cheeks lighting with a rosy glow, raised a brow. “You only just noticed?”
Prick. Shion went back in for more, licking the wounds before piercing them again. Vadim’s answering groan turned his stomach, made other parts of his lower region react when they really needn’t be, increasing his hankering to grind exponentially.
“Why does it feel—” Vadim moaned as Shion took another gulp.
“—like—”
Vadim rocked his hips, his breathing ragged.
“—like I’m being fucked?”
Shion grinned, letting his teeth retract, lapping at the wounds happily, unwilling to let a single drop go to waste. Against his tongue, he felt the wounds swell shut and after a healthy ministration of his saliva, found that the only evidence of his fangs were now simply pink spots, the slightest of white skin raised into a puckered scar.
“What are you?” Vadim asked, awe replacing the bored tone in his voice.
At that, Shion clambered off of Vadim, reaching for the cloak on the floor to wrap around him. “I have no idea,” he answered truthfully.
Comments (3)
See all