Chapter 6

The sensation of a vampires bite is hard to describe. It is both painful, twin needles parting flesh none too gently, ripping through to make the fresh blood flow, and somehow, strangely…pleasurable.

This was all Joss could do, wonder about the sensations he was feeling, as his blood flowed out into the warm mouth attached to his neck. His eyes closed, but not from weakness; the vampire had only just begun to drink, and was sipping slowly, despite his obvious hunger. The slayer couldn't help but wonder if the purple eyed monster drinking his blood was, maybe, trying to make it easier on him. Despite his doubts, Joss could think of no other reason for the hungry male to drink so gently.

Slowly, the mouth moved off him, though only enough for the fangs to slide, painfully and pleasantly, out of his skin. "You can move how you wish." At the words, Joss felt his lax muscles snap back into coiled springs, but only for a moment, as the mouth returned to the bite wounds and continued drinking, so slow and soothing.

Confusion and fear mounted in the slayers stomach, creating a painful swirl of emotions. Vlad was on him, drinking his blood, and the very idea scared the mortal. However, at the same time, the soft feeling of the boys lips, wet with the humans blood, moving across his skin, coaxing more blood out of the fresh wounds, caused his body to calm, his mind to relax. The vampires words came back to him, ringing softly in his mind. 'You need to learn to trust me.'

Trust? How could he, a slayer, a captive, a slave to his own body, trust the very vampire who had caused his predicament? How could he trust the vampire who was, at that very moment, drinking down the humans source of life?

He couldn't.

All he could do was wrap his arms around the vampires shoulders and hang on to keep from getting lost in the flood of sensations and emotions that threatened to rip the slayer apart from the inside out.

Slowly, weakness mounted in the slayers body. His body relaxed further, weakness making it too much of a bother to keep his muscles tense. As though sensing the boys loss of strength, Vlad pulled away, gazing down at Joss, who had yet to let go of the vampires shoulders, holding onto him like a life line. Vlad gave a small smile, and the slayer flinched back at the sight of the teens bloodied lips. Vlad sighed, using his thumb to wipe away the excess red. Joss released his hold and slumped back onto the bed.

"Was that so bad?" Vlad asked gently. Joss sent him a weak glare, though the lack of strength did not come only from the weakness in his body. He gave a low sigh and looked away, staring at the wall once more. He heard the vampire sigh, and felt the mattress move as the vampire climbed swiftly off the bed.

Joss twitched, then, as he felt the vampires lips brush his new wound, kissing the bloodied flesh for reasons Joss wasn't quite sure of. Before Joss could even turn his head to look at the vampire, the boy was gone, the door shut softly behind him.

Joss sighed, rolling onto his side and curling up. The blood loss was making him tired, and he didn't want to stay awake, as he would only be forced to relive the past events in his mind. Emotionally, he wasn't up for that yet, and he let his eyes drift slowly closed.

"Wakey wakey sleeping beauty!" It was this cheerful call that startled Joss from his sleep a few hours later. He groaned and opened his eyes to squint through the midday light at his cousin, who was just dropping his school bag by the door to his room.

"You had a good day, I assume?" Joss asked, reaching up to rub his neck, which was strangely sore, not remembering why. He blinked when he brought his hand away to see flakes of dried blood scattered on it. His eyes widened, then narrowed again.

Henry caught sight and sighed. "I knew he was hungry." He huffed. "Told him to take from me, but no… Though he was right that it would have been hard to get through my classes on half my blood."

Joss blinked, then understood. That was what the argument had been about.

"Well." Henry continued, walking to the small bathroom connected to his room and starting the water. "You'll get used to it eventually."

"I shouldn't have to get used to it." Joss snapped, watching his cousin return with a wet cloth. He reached out for the cloth, but it was held away from him with a playful smirk, and he dropped his hand and grudgingly let his cousin clean the wound up for him. When it was done, he reached up to feel it, feeling nothing different from before; all there were, were two small dips. Joss frowned, then had to assume the vampire had put his fangs in exactly the same place as before.

As though knowing what he was thinking, Henry spoke. "It's easier to hide if there are less marks." He reported. "Plus, he can feel the marks with his fangs, so he almost never misses. I've got only 5 sets and I've been his drudge since we were eight."

"How can you accept that so easy!" Joss snapped, growing irritated by the light grin on his cousins face. "You have five bite marks! How can you just let him bite you like that?" Joss scowled, remembering earlier, when simple words held him helpless. "Let me guess. He just orders you to let him?"

A light chuckle startled the sulking male, and Joss quickly looked up at the other, expression surprised. "No, actually." Henry shook his head. "The first time he bit me, when we were eight, well, that was actually not planned at all. It was an accident." Joss raised one eyebrow, not convinced. "After that, he didn't bite me for a long time. Not till after you left." Joss' eyebrows nearly reached his hairline, expression coldly skeptical. Henry ignored him and continued. "He was hungry all the time, bagged blood not helping any more. He was my friend, and he was hurting. So, I told him to bite me."

"You what!" Joss cried, exasperated with his cousin. He couldn't believe his own flesh and blood had just told him he had offered himself up like some midnight snack to a monster!

"I told him to bite me." Henry repeated, calmly. "And he refused." Those words, for some reason, calmed Joss. "But it got worse, and I kept pushing. And soon enough, he listened. Ever since then, I've donated to him when he needed." Henrys expression darkened a hint. "But, it's been getting worse." He added softly. "Before, it was rare, after he over exerted himself or got injured. Now, it happens once a week, even if nothing sets it off."

"He didn't start taking too much, did he?" Joss growled.

Henry shook his head. "No. A vampires bite holds three things; a numbing agent, an anticoagulant and some sort of chemical that makes us produce blood faster for a while afterwards. We replenish all the blood we lost within a few days." Joss had to admit that made sense. It had only been a few hours, and he no longer felt the blood loss weakening him.

"Then, if he had you, why does he need me?" Henry sighed softly.

"He doesn't. Honestly, there is only one reason you're here." Joss tilted his head. "The council would have been much happier if he had killed you. They're worried about him having you here; they think you're still a threat." Henry shrugged, mind wandering, and he stood and grabbed his bag, obviously getting ready to head out.

"Wait!" Joss called. "You still didn't tell my why he kept me."

Henry paused at the door, swinging the bag onto his shoulders. "You should already know." He replied with a sigh. "He didn't want to kill you. He didn't want you to die. Vlad hasn't changed his impression of you just because he found out you're a slayer." Henry's eyes caught his cousins and held them, expression strong. "Despite what he may have said, Joss, he still thinks of you as his friend. He still cares about you. He always has. And, despite how you're acting, he probably always will."

Joss barely heard the door shut behind his cousin, his eyes wide and expression torn. Henry couldn't be right? Vlad couldn't still care about him? Vlad was a monster. Nothing more, nothing less. Vlad was a cold hearted, blood sucking, emotionless monster.

…Wasn't he?