The Bliss Drip

by Liddie Cain

  I looked at them with a fake shocked expression. “Is this an intervention?”

  My dad drawled, “Run while you can.”

  Mom swatted his arm before looking at me, “Of course not, baby. We are just worried.”

  “Oh, so it is an intervention,” I laughed.

  Dad reclined on the couch and leaned his head back, closing his eyes and firmly letting my mom know that he wasn’t going to participate in the conversation.

  Darby said, “Just want to know how this is gonna work because we love you.”

  I walked over and sat down beside her. “I love y’all, too. And it sounds like Mac has gotten a pretty good system set up. I will arrange some live donors to be a part of the program. This will happen out at his residence, which is the main headquarters for the district.”

  I paused to shoot Darby a glare before I continued, “I met his boss today, and he seemed nice.”

  Darby cleared her throat but didn’t act overly suspicious.

  I looked back at my mom. “The Imperium has many laws that protect the interest of the blood mediums in districts. I will be compensated for it. Mac says it's good money. So far, everything seems pretty good.”

  “Why did you decide to do it?” Mom pressed.

  “You’re asking me that because you want me to say I’m doing it because Mac asked.”

  “And?”

  “And,” I drew out the word, “that’s part of it.”

  Dad lifted his head and added, “And it sounds interesting.”

  I smirked. He would enjoy every minute of it if it were him. Any demon, angel or vampire that walked through that house would have Ellison Hunt studying them and asking them about their existence.

  “I can take Dad with me one night if it will make you feel better, Mom,” I offered.

  She looked at my dad, and I could tell she wanted to say yes. He reached over and rubbed his hand up and down her back. “I would love the invite. But I’m not going over there to check up on our twenty-eight-year-old daughter, Eve. She is an adult.”

  She scoffed at him. “I know she can take care of herself.”

  “What am I going to do with a vampire, anyway? I’m old. They would just flick me aside.”

  “Ell!”

  “What?”

  “You are not old. And I don’t know, you’d figure something out. You always do.”

  He smiled sweetly at her, getting her hand and kissing the back of it. “Thank you, love. But Roz does, too.”

  “Okay, we can stop talking about your adult daughter like she’s not here,” I shot at them.

  “Roz, you know I trust your judgment. If you feel like this is a safe thing for you to do then I won’t worry as much.”

  “I don’t think you need to worry, Mom.” I knew she still would, but she would feel better after coming over to talk about it.

  Darby stood up. “I’m gonna get some tacos started for supper.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you a hand.” I followed her into the kitchen, hearing my parents start to bicker with each other in whispers. I rolled my eyes at Darby as I got some meat out of the fridge.

  She reached in behind me to pull out the lettuce and tomatoes and smirked. “They’ll be okay. Your dad will get her calmed down.”

  “Eventually.”

  “So. Felix.”

  I looked back toward the living room to make sure they were still talking before looking back at Darby. “What about him?”

  “What did Mac say?”

  “It seems like he likes him.”

  “He wasn’t jealous?”

  “No.” I paused to turn the heat up on the eye of the stove then put a pan with the taco meat on it. I continued in a whisper, “They don’t really do monogamy from what I’m told.”

  “So you can date both of them?”

  “I know it sounds crazy.” I stirred the taco meat absently. “But my attraction for Felix doesn’t take away from anything I feel about Mac.”

  My mind wandered, my hand limply holding the wooden spoon I had been stirring with. Darby paused from cutting up a tomato to look over at me. “You’re gonna burn it.”

  I blinked then stirred the sizzling meat again.

  “It’s not that crazy,” she responded.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. It’s not like it is impossible to love more than one person. Like my aunt Jean? Her first husband died when we were kids. When she got remarried a few years ago, she told me that she would never stop loving Uncle Robert even though he was gone and her new husband Tim knew that and encouraged her to talk about him. It made her decide to marry him. So she loves both of them.”

  “That’s true. I think people fall in love with someone new all the time when they are still in love with an ex.”

  Darby nodded. “Definitely. So if they aren’t jealous about it, then why not?”

  I was quiet as I drained the meat then shrugged at her. “Maybe, I don’t know. I’m not sure I want to go down that road again with Mac.”

  “Well, don’t make any decisions until you’ve talked to him about why he left.”

  We could hear my parents talking as they were walking toward us, so we dropped the conversation and sat down to have dinner with them.

  The sun was beginning to set when I finally left for Mac’s house.

  I let myself in with my new key and called out as I came through the door, “Hey! It’s Roz!”

  There was no answer. I politely waited at the front door-- for about twenty seconds. Then I started looking around. I had already seen the living room and kitchen and dining room, so I went down the hallway that led further back into the house. I first came to a set of double doors, one of which had been left halfway open, and I could easily see that this was Mac’s office. He had been in mine plenty of times now, so I strolled right on into his.

  Everything in the room was fairly generic. The only personal touch was a few pictures on the bookshelves behind his desk, which were of him and his family after he was already turned into a vampire.

  I left his office and went farther into the house, finding a powder room and checking my hair in the mirror. More exploring revealed several large empty bedrooms. I made my way back to the front of the house where the staircase was and headed upstairs. More bedrooms and bathrooms, but I did find the older gentleman that I’d seen on my first visit here in the upstairs sitting room. He turned when he heard me approaching.

  “Hello, I’m Rozalyn.”

  “Hello, Ms. Rozalyn. I am Arnold, the residence manager.”

  I smiled and walked up to shake his hand. “You’re human.”

  “Yes.” He shook my hand. I had the impression that he wasn’t overly friendly. “Mr. Jacobs is in his room. Last door at the end of the hallway. He wished to be revived when you arrived. Forgive me that I did not hear you come in, but if you are in here he would likely prefer a lovely woman to revive him as opposed to myself.”

  I grinned but asked, “Revive?”

  “Yes, he is in repose in his room.”

  Feeling like he was growing impatient, I simply gave him a nod and went in the direction he had indicated. Another set of double doors stood at the end of the hallway. I realized as I placed my hand on the handle that I was nervous. It didn’t make sense, I knew Mac well. I might have told him to keep it on a professional level with me, but rousing a vampire from his coffin was related to the profession, right? I smirked at myself for the coffin thought and let myself into his room.

  There was, of course, no coffin. The lights were dim, and Mac lay perfectly still on top of the covers of a bed that looked much larger than a king. I took a few steps into the room and said his name softly. He didn’t move. I spoke his name louder, and louder again. Did they go deaf when they slept? Feeling ridiculous, I crawled up on the bed to grasp his arm and give him a shake.

  I didn’t see him move. The instant my hand touched his arm, he had grabbed me and dragged me across the mattress. I let out a distressed yelp. He pinned me un
derneath him, and I finally saw the expression on his face as he hovered over me. There was no recognition. His fangs extended and I started screaming his name. I shoved and kicked at him, gripping his hair in my hands to keep his fangs away from me. A predatory growl swelled from his throat. The fight was only making it more exciting. I tried to calm myself as he trailed his lips across my cheek, heading for my neck. I said his name over and over in a calmer voice. His fangs scraped my earlobe and I started to whimper.

  He froze. Then inhaled. He jerked upright with shock on his face. “Roz!”

  A sob broke over my voice when I tried to respond. He laid beside me and pulled me into his arms, gathering me against his chest and soothing me. “Dove, I’m sorry. Why are you even in here?”

  “Arnold said you would prefer me to him.”

  My fight or flight response was calming back down, but Mac continued to hold me. “Fuck. I’m sorry, I haven’t explained your role yet. and he must have thought you were a blood consort.”

  I didn’t respond. I had come back to my senses enough to be more aware of my body being held against his. It was familiar but strange at the same time. He started to trail his hand up and down my back comfortingly as he spoke, but his touch was starting to arouse more than comfort. “When a vampire first rises, it is all instinct. Feeding is the only thing that makes sense. Getting close enough to smell you broke the prey drive.”

  My back arched into his caress before I could stop myself. Guess he wasn’t the only one acting on instinct. And I had caught his attention. He froze again, and I knew he was debating pretty hard.

  “Dove,” he whispered.

  I tilted my head back so I could look at his face. His green gaze examined my face intently. Then he kissed my forehead before getting off of the bed. It was what I had asked of him: don’t cross that line. But I couldn’t completely squash a voice of disappointment that he didn’t make a move to kiss my lips. I followed him off of the bed and ran a hand over my hair to smooth it back into place.

  “Some of the new residents have arrived. Do you feel like meeting them?”

  “Oh, sure.”

  “I think you are going to like them.”

  We went back downstairs and out to the pool veranda. There were five people sitting out on the patio furniture; three of them I immediately recognized as vampires. Then there were two inhumanly beautiful beings sitting beside each other across from the vampires that I could not identify.

  “This is Rozalyn. She is our blood medium for this district.” He looked at me then started gesturing at the vampires.

  “This is Sylvia.” She smiled at me with interest. Her gorgeous dark skin was well complimented by the pale lilac dress she wore. Her hair was a natural afro-textured ‘fro which was styled with a twist out. It suited her dramatic cheekbones and large eyes. Her make up was also understated but well planned. She was the kind of woman my mother could’ve been best friends with, and I found myself already liking her before we had spoken.

  “And Rose.” Mac continued on to the vampire sitting next to Sylvia. Rose smiled, but seemed more subdued. Short, blond-haired, and blue-eyed, she looked like she had been in her early twenties when she was turned. She had on a t-shirt and cutoff shorts and looked very much like most of the college-age girls that came into my spa.

  “And Destiny” He gestured toward the last vampire. Destiny looked, dressed and had the name of a stripper. She was the tallest, with long legs and wearing tall heeled black boots. The white body suit she wore left little to the imagination, and she had the body to pull it off. She had an outgoing grin, exaggerated makeup and big hair.

  “They have just arrived today and will be the first three moving into the district.”

  I was surprised. I had expected men. Most didn’t expect many men to sign up for donations with me. Then Mac turned his attention to the mysterious couple across from the vampires.

  “Roz, this is Barden and Iona. They are Sidhe, some of the few of the Unseelie court who also need blood, and will also be a part of the donation program. Two more vampires will join us at some point this evening. Their names are Jason and Tate.”

  I waved at everyone. “Hello, I didn’t expect so many women. I will mostly have female donors?”

  “Yes, it is why we chose here,” Destiny replied enthusiastically. “The men can get a little gross.”

  Sylvia nodded. “They always want sex. Women are more pleasant.”

  Mac agreed with them. “Most vampires prefer to feed from women.”

  “Gender does not matter,” Iona added. The Fae were not as animated as the vampires. They were both tall. Iona had her long brown hair loose except for two thick braids on either side of her temples which met at the back of her head and were tied off with a leather wrap. Barden was very dark, even darker skinned than Sylvia, like he was made out of shadows. His amber colored eyes were a sharp contrast to his face. His hair was also long but secured back into a low ponytail with multiple leather wraps down the length of it to keep it in place.

  “Barden and Iona will only be here through November. They do not require blood at all times, only during their feeding season around Halloween.”

  “And the gender doesn’t matter because they magic the person they are feeding from,” Sylvia added.

  “Just a bit of glamour.” Barden’s tone was much warmer than Iona’s. He looked at me. “The nervous ones are normally suited for us. We don’t provide the pleasurable experience the vampires do, but we do have magic to put them in a dream-like state while we feed.”

  “Okay, got it.”

  “Medium, allow me to show you.”

  “It’s Roz,” I responded, noticing that Mac stiffened beside me, but didn’t say no.

  Barden tilted his head. “Roz. I like the name.”

  I walked over and sat beside him. The three vampire women all shifted how they were sitting to watch us. Barden was even more beautiful up close. There were color dimensions to his skin that could not be seen from far away and a faint glimmer over his whole body. He reached out and lifted my hand, turning my wrist upward to his lips. When his fangs flashed, they were thinner and actually extending from behind his lateral incisor. He placed a kiss at my wrist.

  I suddenly found I was crawling over and straddling his lap. His fangs had disappeared, and I molded my mouth against his. His hands moved up across my thighs as more hands slid across my ribs and cupped my breasts. I broke away from Barden’s kiss to look behind me. Mac’s face showed his desire. I dragged him to me and kissed him deeply as Barden continued to stroke his hands across my thighs, then pressed his thumb against the center of me through my jeans. I moaned into Mac’s mouth, moving my hips against the pressure of Barden’s hand. Mac slid his hand down my shirt and into my bra to cup my bare breast, teasing the peak of it as I turned and kissed Barden again. My jeans were undone and Barden’s hand slid into them as both of Mac’s hands invaded my bra. They put pressure and stroked at all three places at once and I threw back my head in pleasure as it began to build. I cried out as they drove me over the edge, the edges of my vision blurring.

  Then I realized that I was still sitting beside Barden on the couch, fang marks on my wrist, panting with the after shock of the climax I could still feel, but my body had not actually been touched.

  I looked at Mac in embarrassment but realized that they were all concerned about Barden. He was slumped over onto Iona and she was saying his name.

  “Barden!”

  “He lives. I can hear his heart.” Destiny had come to kneel in front of them.

  Iona lifted her hand, which started to glow a dim yellow light, and touched his chest. She immediately jerked it backward with a stunned face.

  “Goddess, it’s like he is about to burst with power.”

  Barden opened his eyes and leapt to his feet. The glow started in his eyes and then began to spread across his entire form. Silvery blue enveloped his dark form as he lifted his arms and loudly exclaimed a war cry. The light around h
im was so bright it was uncomfortable to look at. The air around him began to spark like his own atmosphere full of falling stars. He left the covered area of the veranda, stepping through a door that opened onto the lawn. Iona followed him.

  With a wave of his arm, the soil before him churned. It rolled and lifted before forming into stone. The stone began to chip away until the form of a gigantic horse emerged. The stone horse came to life with glowing red eyes and tossing its great head. It reared and the wind swirled around them. It stepped up onto the air as if it were solid. Barden leapt onto its back. He turned to Iona. “Ride with me!”

  She nodded. The ground came to life once more, churning out a large stone wolf. It snapped to life and shook itself off before turning glowing blue eyes to Iona and dipping its chest to the ground. She climbed onto its back. The wind increased and the wolf stepped up into the air beside the great stone horse. Barden let out another cry, then they charged toward the night sky. The sky clouded directly above them, a storm propelling their great stone animals through the air. As they disappeared from sight, the vampires all turned to look at me.

  “What did you do to him?”

  I looked at them with surprise. “Me?”

  Sylvia leaned in as if she were smelling me. “Do you have immortal heritage?”

  “Not that I am aware of. Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

  Mac raised an eyebrow at me. “I asked because you can sense auras.”

  The other three all looked intrigued.

  “Like a seer,” Rose said quietly.

  “Or a witch.” Destiny sounded thrilled.

  Sylvia just grinned at me. “Oh, love, you are fun. Look what you did to Barden!” She turned to point at the sky. “That dude is a Unseelie Sidhe. They are practically demigods. And you just jumped his power supply up like three times.”

  “Will you let us try?” Destiny asked.

  Mac pulled me back against him. “Roz will not be on the menu.”

  Destiny pouted for a moment, Sylvia looked thrilled, and Rose just watched quietly.

  “Besides, pretty sure Felix will claim her.”