Xander's Chance

Xander loved the look on her face. Raw, unguarded, a mix of desire and surprise that caused her cheeks to flush and her body to yield beneath him. Her lips were parted as if for kisses, her eyes large enough, he saw himself reflected in their depths. She appeared sweet and alluring in that vulnerable moment. She'd almost crossed the threshold where she was his; he felt her body start to arch under the sensations.

Drinking blood was a necessity, and he took his pleasure from it and the bodies of the women in his bed.

Drinking her blood was a different kind of experience. With his teeth in her neck, he'd been granted partial access to her he was otherwise denied. He wasn't able to hear her thoughts, but he felt what she did. Her emotions were crisp and clear. Yet the idea he had to be inside her to feel her was intoxicating. Erotic. That level of intimacy wasn't something he ever experienced with others. He heard the thoughts of others but never experienced their emotions, aside from the pain of hurting the innocent.

These emotions were different. They were her, as if he'd been given access to her at the deepest levels. Why did he find the connection appealing? He preferred his solitary life.

He was growing more uneasy, despite the pleasure of her blood. She enticed him in a way he wasn't expecting and lived through handling the gem at his neck. The key to absolute power had been in her hands, as docile as it was in his.

It wasn't a good sign.

Her guardedness returned too soon. Her shapely, feminine body went rigid beneath his.

"Get off me," she whispered.

"When Laurencio says we're done."

"We're done!"

"Good effects with the blood. It's getting messy. Clean it up?" Laurencio called.

Xander licked his fangs and lips clean, enjoying her taste while she stared at him with far too much emotion for him to determine what she'd do: freak out or melt. Already, he wanted another sip of her, enough to tide him over until he was able to make a meal out of her.

"I quit," she hissed.

"No, you don't." He ducked his head to kiss away the ensnaring blood that dripped onto her cheek. He savored the wayward drops. "You want something from me."

"Not anymore!"

He'd guessed right. She didn't have the patience or interest to be a real personal assistant. Gerry was doing a good job of playing along, but Jessi was too outspoken, too unpolished. Unyielding, even with his attempts to breach her mind and influence her. He was manipulating Laurencio and Toni like puppets, but Jessi was beyond him. He was able to count the number of people beyond his ability to manipulate on one hand: the Gods. Even them, he was able to read, if he was willing to expend the effort needed to do so.