Nathaniel comes into the room following his run with Jason, flushed and wiping sweat from his body with his shirt. He shuts the door and notices Damian, and he offers the vampire a smile.
"Hey, Damian. You're looking..." He pauses on his way to the shower. "You're looking a bit lost."
Damian looks at Nathaniel... and quickly looks away again, his eyes looking through the donor list as if it isn't there.
"Anita has left for St. Louis," he says quietly, as if that explains everything. Nathaniel's presence puts him even more on edge. He can already hear the wereleopard's pulse, and if he doesn't look at the half-naked, beautifully flushed body, he just might be able to stay calm and in control of himself. Being a millennium old does have a couple advantages.
"She risks me with her absence... without a care." The words sound strained, even to his own ears. Part of it is because he is hurt by Anita's disregard for him. Part of it is because he is frightened but doesn't want to admit it.
Part of it is because Nathaniel just moved closer, too close for comfort in his current state.
Nathaniel reaches out and places his hand on Damian's thigh, a reassuring gesture.
"She cares... she cares about us all. Anita just... has trouble showing it," he says in that ever-optimistic way of his. His faith in Anita unshakable, even when she's hurt him as badly as she has.
Even through the cloth of his trousers, he eminates an otherworldly cold, and he is very still when Nathaniel touches him. Just as the wereleopard will be able to feel his chill, he can feel the heat radiating from that hand.
Closing his eyes, he forces himself to push away the bloodlust, to silence the panic-inducing thoughts of Anita's absence possibly leading to his demise after so long surviving. He simply doesn't have the faith in Anita that Nathaniel does.
Damian is forced to repress a shudder at the offer, and his eyes open to emerald slits, eyeing Nathaniel's wrist. His gaze follows the path of blood from wrist to elbow, to chest. The curve of Nathaniel's shoulder and neck is exquisite, and he suddenly can't tear his gaze away from that pulsing spot at Nathaniel's neck.
His hands tighten on the sheet of paper containing names of other willing meals. "I told him I would try not to," he whispers.
Damian gives a silent nod. That was more or less what had happened. It hadn't exactly been a demand, but Asher had specifically asked him not to feed from "mon chat". It had been easy enough to avoid Nathaniel when his hunger rose, to control himself, but now...
He closes his eyes, but it doesn't erase the gentle beat of Nathaniel's heart sounding in his ears.
"I would not keep you from your shower and rest." It's a weak excuse, and he knows it. He honestly doesn't want to cross Asher. The vampire is much more powerful than him, even though he is Asher's senior by several hundred years.
But the hunger doesn't discriminate and surges in him with thoughts of sinking fang into Nathaniel, who is all too willing, all too tempting.
The question is one he hadn't been expecting, one that breaks through the fog of his hunger, causing him to blink once, his eyes finally rising from Nathaniel's pulse to those incredible, violet eyes.
Part of him wants to send Nathaniel to his shower and try to get a better grasp on his control. The other part of him wants to follow the wereleopard into the bathroom and help... help by touching that attractive body, comb the shampoo and conditioner through all that beautiful hair.
Gods. He takes a mental step back. He had resisted his attraction to Nathaniel for a long time. Now would be no different. He had also promised Anita no sex with the weres...
The conflict he feels might be visible in his eyes.
Nathaniel slowly smiles at him, sweet and enticing.
That smile shows that Nathaniel is very aware of what he can do, how attractive he is, and that he can see what Damian doesn't want him to in those clear, green eyes.
"Do you want to shower with me?" he asks. "You can wash my hair again."
The knowledge in those eyes is too much for Damian to handle. He had kept his desires locked away, safe from the prying gazes of others. No one can know. It's too dangerous. He wouldn't have thought it possible to fear someone as sweet as Nathaniel, but in that moment fear washes through him in a sobering wave.
In the blink of an eye, he is standing arm's length away, his eyes staring ahead as the donor list flutters to the floor. Anything to remove that tempting touch to his thigh. Anything to put just a little distance between them so he can clear his mind.
He doesn't know what to do. Giving in would endanger him. Going without blood would endanger more than just him. But if he never woke up the following night, it wouldn't matter either way.
"Hey, Damian. You're looking..." He pauses on his way to the shower. "You're looking a bit lost."
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"Anita has left for St. Louis," he says quietly, as if that explains everything. Nathaniel's presence puts him even more on edge. He can already hear the wereleopard's pulse, and if he doesn't look at the half-naked, beautifully flushed body, he just might be able to stay calm and in control of himself. Being a millennium old does have a couple advantages.
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"She'll be back," he assures Damian softly.
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Part of it is because Nathaniel just moved closer, too close for comfort in his current state.
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"She cares... she cares about us all. Anita just... has trouble showing it," he says in that ever-optimistic way of his. His faith in Anita unshakable, even when she's hurt him as badly as she has.
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Closing his eyes, he forces himself to push away the bloodlust, to silence the panic-inducing thoughts of Anita's absence possibly leading to his demise after so long surviving. He simply doesn't have the faith in Anita that Nathaniel does.
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He tilts his head, considering.
"If you want, you can feed from me... I won't mind."
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His hands tighten on the sheet of paper containing names of other willing meals. "I told him I would try not to," he whispers.
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"What? Who did you tell that to?" He blinks, the piece instantly falling into place. "Asher? Did Asher tell you not to feed from me?"
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He closes his eyes, but it doesn't erase the gentle beat of Nathaniel's heart sounding in his ears.
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But the hunger doesn't discriminate and surges in him with thoughts of sinking fang into Nathaniel, who is all too willing, all too tempting.
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Part of him wants to send Nathaniel to his shower and try to get a better grasp on his control. The other part of him wants to follow the wereleopard into the bathroom and help... help by touching that attractive body, comb the shampoo and conditioner through all that beautiful hair.
Gods. He takes a mental step back. He had resisted his attraction to Nathaniel for a long time. Now would be no different. He had also promised Anita no sex with the weres...
The conflict he feels might be visible in his eyes.
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That smile shows that Nathaniel is very aware of what he can do, how attractive he is, and that he can see what Damian doesn't want him to in those clear, green eyes.
"Do you want to shower with me?" he asks. "You can wash my hair again."
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In the blink of an eye, he is standing arm's length away, his eyes staring ahead as the donor list flutters to the floor. Anything to remove that tempting touch to his thigh. Anything to put just a little distance between them so he can clear his mind.
He doesn't know what to do. Giving in would endanger him. Going without blood would endanger more than just him. But if he never woke up the following night, it wouldn't matter either way.
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