musesandlyrics | 8.9. You Do Something To Me lyrics
8.9. Dancing through the fire just to catch a flame
Just to get close to, just close enough
To tell you that...
You do something to me something deep inside
You Do Something To Me - Paul Weller
Co-written with gr8muppetyodin
[Follows THIS. Simultaneous to THIS]
Blaise was fortunate enough to be able to nurture highly good and pleasant relations between his city and the Scottish capital. As Juliette's Sire, Blaise had an immaculate closeness with the Kindred Princess of Edinburgh and it forged a sound relationship between them. She was beautiful, and Blaise always had the best hospitality opened up to him when he stayed in Edinburgh for business, and vice versa for the Princess and her own. But it meant Blaise was able to use the perks to his advantage and without any notice, he had a private room opened up to him in Edinburgh's finest and classiest restaurant with less than a day's notice. The room was tastefully decorated in silvers and blacks, with fresh long-stemmed red roses on their table lit with a soft candlelight. Once Juliette got wind that he had arranged a date with Buffy, she had insisted on the roses, believing that women who did not appreciate the beauty of the long-stemmed red rose, they weren't ladies. Blaise had merely smirked and indulged her Toreador tendencies, as he usually did, instead focusing on arranging a tasteful and elegant blue dress, a diamond necklace with matching earrings, and diamond strappy shoes. Of course, Juliette had to put her seal of approval on those too, but Blaise had merely stood and watched her examine the pieces smugly.
He had also arranged for a stretch limo to pick Buffy up from her castle home, and he was just waiting for her to arrive now. He was carrying on a soft conversation in French with their personal waiter, and the man was basically asking in amusement what the woman's talents were for Blaise to go to all this trouble to get laid. Blaise had merely laughed politely, but didn't honour the guy with any sort of insight into his thoughts. He was pretty sure if all he wanted was in Buffy's underwear, he would have relented on her that first night they met.
Buffy felt like a princess. She also felt distinctly like a fraud and that at any moment someone was going to show up to take the diamonds off her for not being worthy of them. She had never once worn diamonds other than a pair of studs her Mom had saved up to buy her for her Sweet Sixteen, and even those had been kept under lock and key. This beat Prom, and any other high school dance Buffy had dressed up for, hands down. She'd even showered twice just to be sure she was clean enough to wear the beautiful gown without feeling like she'd soil it just from it touching her skin.
She was more than impressed that Blaise had obviously told them to take it up, the dress settling at the right length for her short stature even with the heels on. She'd gotten dressed early enough to spend a good twenty minutes just staring at herself in the mirror before the limo arrived. Even Willow had helped with Buffy's hair, the blonde locks straightened and some of them pinned back away from her face while the rest fell down around her shoulders. The witch had also helped the Slayer escape the castle without too much notice, since Buffy hadn't wanted any of the girls to be drooling over the outfit or asking questions about the date. Willow got that Buffy wanted something for herself, and for that she gave her best friend a hug before escaping into the limo.
Now she entered the private room, and again, Buffy felt like big men in suits would come busting in and take everything off her for not being a proper lady. She couldn't help the huge smile that broke across her face though as she landed eyes on Blaise and her heart started to thump in her chest. Nervous didn't even begin to cover how she was feeling, but the awe was soon taking over. "Wow," she finally said. "I can't decide whether it's you or the room that's the most beautiful," she added in a slightly teasing tone. "You even got roses..." She walked over to the table to smell them, the soft petals telling her just how fresh they were. "Thank you for this."
Blaise watched her clamly, his hands clasped behind his back and a mere glance at the waiter had the man disappearing with a polite nod. Blaise was used to being waited on hand and foot, and had been his whole life. This was his norm, but he appreciated it was far from for other people, such as Buffy. But that didn't mean he believed that people who weren't used to it didn't deserve to experience it or be drawn into his world if he wished it. He was born a Prince, and he would remain as such for eternity. It wasn't often he invited any fresh blood into his world, and he knew Buffy had no clue as to the enormity of that, nor did she need to know. He had just deduced over their interactions since they met that she was easy with the tough talk, but deep down, he sensed she had missed out on a lot. He knew she had never been in love, for one, but he also suspected she hadn't been spoilt much, or made to feel like she was somene's whole world, even just for one night.
He wanted to change that.
He took in how she enjoyed the roses with a hint of a smirk. Juliette would be proud, and Buffy was going to need her approval too, after all. She didn't let many people close to Blaise, either, and it was interesting that she was willing to relent a little for the blonde American. He stepped over to her and took her hand, softly kissing the back of it. "Vous êtes belles, mon cherie," he told her as he rose, still keeping a hold on her hand. "Bleu... C’est un compliment qui signifie."
Buffy bit her lip as she tried not to look too lost at the French, but she did manage to pick out some of the words. "I think I got the part where you were saying blue suits me?" she started as she tilted her head and tried to see if she could figure out the rest. The smile was back though, her green eyes dancing with excitement now she was coming to grips with the fact she really was about to be a princess for a night. "You really have this first date thing down, don't you? J'ai été vivement impressionné. And don't even ask how long I had to practice that for."
Blaise laughed softly and raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I have heard a lot worse, chaton. At least you didn't accidentally swear at me." Still holding her hand, he lead her around the table to her seat and pulled it out for her to sit down. "I am pleased to see everything fit. Do you like them? Do not feel you have to just settle because they were chosen for you, mon amour. I can have the collection brought to you to choose for yourself, if you prefer," he offered and once she was seated, he waved his hand to get the waiter's attention for some wine.
"Are you kidding?" Buffy asked as she gazed up at him, and waited for a punchline to come. When it didn't she shook her head. "No, really. They're perfect. All of it. In all honesty I'm still not sure I deserve them, but I'm not going to give them back. I learned that lesson with the cab fare, and as much as I probably do want you to feel a little lusty towards me, eating dinner in my underwear isn't part of being a lady. And tonight... that's what I am. Everything's just perfect. I mean it."
Blaise had rested his hand on the table so he was leaning over her little. He smiled at her, holding her eyes again. Eyes always told him a lot about people, just like his could about him, just a lot more in the extreme with his moods. Arousal and hunger had them shifting to a silver, which intensified when he was in the midst of feeding. "What would be your definition of deserving gifts, cherie? Diamonds and beautiful jewellery should be deserved and enjoyed by anyone who is gifted them. It is not enough that I feel you deserve them and wish to see you enjoy them?"
Buffy couldn't drag her gaze away from Blaise's even if she wanted to. She always found herself caught by those eyes. She reached out to cover his hand with hers, wanting to retain some sort of physical contact while she had the chance. Maybe it was also just a little to reassure herself she wasn't imagining this. "Well, that's what my definition of deserving gifts is. Only I wasn't sure about these. Thought maybe they were just a loaner so I wouldn't embarrass you in something I'd choose to wear. And I did promise to wear what you sent me." With her other hand, Buffy reached up subconsciously to touch at the diamonds around her neck, a smile tugging at her lips again. "I feel very expensive right now," she added with a laugh.
Blaise laughed and shook his head. "Oh non, non... they are not on loan. I assure you of that. They are there because I felt they complimented the dress. Like milk and cookies, hm? For want of a better American metaphor. I could have merely sent you flowers or chocolates as a gift, but I wanted to give you something you could remember the night with. It did not even cross my mind that I would be embarrassed by your own chosen attire. Just because someone has not experienced elegance in the past, does not mean they do not like it nor do they not belong in it. And you do, cherie. Very much so."
This time Buffy did break the gaze as she dipped her head and felt her cheeks heat up a little bit. Maybe Angel had been around for a long time, but even he had never treated her like this. Neither had Spike, or Riley. She'd convinced herself she had been okay with all of it because she just wanted simple. She liked chocolates and flowers, but this was something else. She looked up at Blaise again, and worked her fingers under his hand so she could pick it up and kissed the back of it. "I'm relieved to hear it. And I'm trying not to say thank you again. But thank you... Really. Now sit down otherwise diamonds or not, you're going to give me some serious neck ache."
Blaise moved to take his seat, the waiter expectedly at his side to be at their beck and call. He had already sussed the guy out, and if the cheeky attendent decided to pull any sort of move on Buffy or to make the night awkward, he would be lucky to make it home in one piece. There was the inevitable wine tasting, but Blaise had stuck close to home and chosen French from a winery he knew the owners of. It was perfect, deep red, and just exact to his palette. He gestured to Buffy's for the waiter to serve her, which he did with a nod in Buffy's direction. He smiled at her over the table and cleared his throat. "Next time, we can do things your way," he offered and then gestured to her with his glass. "You should learn the art of our language, mon belle. It could open you to a wealth of experiences."
Buffy raised her own glass after the waiter had filled it, her gaze not lingering on the other man for long. Every time she was in a room with Blaise, she really did only have eyes for him. It was the mysterious quality about him, she was sure of it. He was an enigma she was itching to figure out. Or a Kinder Surprise she wanted to crack open to find the toy inside. "I did start at school, but I have to admit that me and school were never quite going to work out the way we were supposed to. Classes didn't hold my attention for long, and homework is hard to juggle when you have other priorities. Like a job. That doesn't mean I hate your language, though. Just means I'll probably need an audio book I can listen to." She sipped at her glass before she smiled at him again. "Hopefully my way won't bore you to death."
Blaise shook his head slowly. "It is not something you can learn by an audio book, nor is it something to be attempted with no interest. It's a language of the heart, you have to feel it inside." He looked over her face. "I think you have experienced a lot, yet very little at the same time. You have missed out on a lot of important things. Life experiences... love," he added and undid the buttons on his jacket so he could relax a little.
Buffy cocked her head. "I haven't missed out on love. I've had love. And losing it is more than something I know about about unfortunately. But you're right about the rest of it." She pulled her mouth to the side as she looked across the table at him. "I have interest! Trust me, there's interest. Maybe you'll just have to tutor me a little. Some one-on-one heart time."
Blaise's eyebrows rose again at this and he swallowed a sip of wine to put his glass down. "I don't believe you have experienced love, cherie. Call it a sixth sense. You might have thought you did, but not really. Not deep down. True love." She had mentioned lovers before, yet he had not once had an urge to feed from her. Not even a slight taste. He kept waiting for that to change, but it didn't. It made it hard to find even a sexual attraction to her, but there was a curiosity there that had his interest piqued enough to build on. She was beautiful, that much was evident. But his sexual desire usually came from an urge to feed, and with that missing, it had him more than wondering why she was holding his interest at all... but she was, without a doubt. "Sure your work life is not so packed and busy you would have time to commit to my language?"
Buffy pointed at him, about to argue about true love and even sacrificing Angel, but she bit her lip and held her tongue. Blaise didn't know about her, not yet. She was trying to pull off the secret identity thing yet again, and it was a struggle. Maybe he was getting more of Buffy than the Slayer, but her work was still part of her. As was her romantic history and it was going to sound more than strange to talk about being in love with vampires. "I call bullshit on your sixth sense, buddy. I've been in love. I've been to hell and back because of it. There's just some things you can't shake, and a first love is one of them. Angel will always be that for me, so don't even try and tell me I've never felt it. How can that not be deep down, true love?" She pulled her hand back, realising that pointing probably wasn't exactly lady like, and fought the urge to fling a bread roll at him just to emphasise her annoyance. "I'm currently in the middle of making some changes, so yeah, I'm sure. Call it an education that's valuable to improving my work performance. Even if it's about heart."
Blaise shook his head. "Where does it say that first love is automatically true love? That is not so and that is something I can personally vouch for. You can love, but that does not mean you are truly in love. True love goes right down to your very soul. Your connection with that person is so deep and so real that for the time you have them, your mind, body, and soul cannot live without them. You would live with them, and die for them. Sometimes, it does not last long, and sometimes it lasts for an eternity. Being in love does not mean it is true love. True love means that person stamps on your soul, and you their's, and it remains there forever, even if you have lost them. No one ever replaces that. If you are lucky enough to find true love twice, they just make their own stamp. Perhaps you have been in love, but you have not known true love. It was not a two-way street," he resolved unwaveringly, almost challenging as he watched her over his wine glass. He couldn't completely stamp out his own annoyance inside and his eyes flashed just a little. His tastes couldn't be doubted, hadn't been doubted for over five hundred years. She could argue with him all she liked, but his senses told him otherwise. He shook his head. "Then you should find another teacher, mon cherie. I am not here to improve your work performance, even if I feel you believe you need to do anything but that. You already know you're in peak form for work performance. I am not your employer and I will not share something prized to me for your work when I do not even know what it is."
Buffy's back was rigid as she sat in her seat, and she clenched her hand into a fist under the table. Who was this man to tell her she hadn't known true love? She'd killed her true love. She'd let him feed on her so he would live. She even had the scars still. She subconsciously raised her hand to her neck even as the thought entered her mind and felt the familiar scar there. She was still holding Blaise's gaze though, and if they had been anywhere else she had to wonder if it could have ended in angry sex. Or still would. But he still showed no signs of wanting her like that, even if he'd bought her diamonds. He was just being her Prince Charming for the even. One that was arrogant enough to tell her she'd never known true love. "I would have died for him... Nearly did," she offered quietly, her own green eyes flashing. "He was everything to me... For three years he was all I knew. Even after he still got under my skin. I was sure he was my true love." Her brow creased as she tried to reply their entire relationship. Riley she could understand as not being her true love, same with Spike. But Angel? Angel had been everything to her. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes as she felt a surge of frustration, and sadness and Buffy looked away as she tried to wipe at them as subtly as possible. At least she had the sense to wear waterproof mascara. "I wasn't sure how you'd respond if I said it would just be for me. I'm selfish enough to want some things just for myself. Not for work. Not for the betterment of the world... Just for me."
The only time Blaise broke the eye contact was when her hand dropped to her throat and something strange surged up inside him to the point he actually sat back in his seat at the force it hit him. He watched her hand, the way her fingers traced across her jugular. She had been fed on. Without a doubt. But not by Kindred. Kindred wouldn't leave a mark unless they Embraced, and Buffy wasn't a vampire. He would have sensed that as soon as she was in his personal space. He glanced over at where the waiter was standing on hand. "Leave," he told he man calmly and then watched him go, the door to the rest of the establishment closing behind him. He met Buffy's eyes again. "He seems to have left quite the mark on you, mon cherie. But what mark did you leave on him... if he is even still for this world, considering you speak of him in past tense. And for the record? Three years is but a blink in time. I have underwear that have lasted longer for that, so do not pull the time thing on me. Time is irrelevant in true love. I am at a loss why you would think I would respond so horrifically to say otherwise. Be honest with me. I understand secrets, but something as simple as that, do you not feel me worthy of your honesty?"
Buffy's hand trembled as she brought it back up onto the table, her teeth catching her bottom lip as she felt the bravado slip away for the moment. "I don't know if he's alive. Last I heard he was about to get into the middle of something pretty bad in LA. Like, nearing end of the world bad. I'd try the angry puppy line on you, but you're right about it being his mark. And since you seem to have underwear that's lasted longer than three years, and you talk like you know more about the world than most normal people should - French, or otherwise - I'm just going to assume you know about what goes bump in the dark. And you want honesty. So here goes, I'm a Slayer and my first love was a vampire. He had a soul, so he wasn't the usual kind of vamp I was used to dealing with. Angel had done a lot of wrong in his time, but he was trying to make up for it. He was on the side of good. Most days I still don't always know if there is a good side, and a bad side. Most of the time it all just runs together. It's not as simple as white hats and black hats. I get that. I'm also tired. I am so, so tired. Maybe three years is a blink, but I've been a Slayer since I was fifteen. I've died twice, I've lost way too many people and I've fought and fought and fought. I just want something that's for me now. I feel like I should be able to have that, and then I get a guilt trip because I wonder if it's even allowed. Even after everything, maybe I'm just meant to be selfless. But I'm not that selfless. I'm not that good. I'm not pure."
Blaise was up smoothly out of his seat and behind her in the blink of an eye. His hands were on her throat and his thumbs slipping through the long, straight strands of her hair. This close, he could see the marks and oddly enough, he now had the urge to mark his territory where the other vampire had been. It was like flicking a switch. She had been taken before, and now he understood like dominos falling in a line. He understood why he had a desire for her, yet no urge to feed on her. He understood why she had fueled an apprehension inside him when they first met, a desire to watch her and keep her close. She was a Slayer, perhaps The Slayer even, and having her this close almost at his mercy was pleasurable for him. "You let yourself fall in love with a vampire, mon amour..." he purred softly against her ear, his lips hovering dangerously close to her throat. "Tsk, tsk... that wasn't very smart, was it? You let those lines blur. Doesn't that go against the Slayer prophecy? Do you know that a vampire's love can never be pure? True, oui, but not pure..." His lips pressed softly against the markings on her throat. "You were not his true love, belle," he whispered.
Buffy was starting to feel that strange niggle in the pit of her stomach again. The same one she had felt when she'd first met Mr Mysterious. He always felt like she was playing with fire, and maybe the dominoes weren't as quick to fall into place for her, but the picture wasn't definitely starting to form. He was smooth, he moved quickly, and she already knew he was strong. He just had a refinement to him most of the blood suckers she was used to dealing with definitely missed out on when they handed out the fangs. He even pissed all over Dracula in the allure stakes. His hand on her throat had her on alert, ready for the moment it would change. The kiss on her throat had her nerves tingling for an entirely different reason. Not many would understand how a Slayer could find a bite mark on her throat arousing, but Buffy couldn't help it. "I mentioned my dislike of rules, didn't I? I'm hardly one for conventional. I'm also not one for following along with prophecies. There was one that said I was going to die at the hands of the Master. I didn't stay down for long, and now he's been dust for nearly a decade. So, just out of interest, do you think true love is pure? Because you really seem to be hung up on the concept, and I just want to know if you're about to start punishing me for being a dirty girl."
"Not a lot left in this world is pure, mon chaton. True love goes even deeper than purity, does not matter to it." The tough talk meant little to Blaise. He had heard her go with that before, and it did nothing for him then, either. He had met many women who tried it with him, and even then, it still did nothing. There were other things that aroused him. He wouldn't be apologetic for liking a woman to act like a woman. He liked some modesty and he liked confidence, he liked beautiful attire and a beautiful natural body. Strangely enough, none of those tastes could be factored to his Kindred blood. It all stemmed from being born into royalty. It was how he had been raised in his short life before he was Embraced and it still lived within him today. "Hung up, perhaps, but a concept you, yourself, do not know a lot about to judge," he told her, not wavering from his point as he turned her head to face him and caught her lips in a heated kiss and engulfing her with his presence so she got a taste of just how much he could make her lose herself in him.
Buffy's hand reached up to grab at his shoulder as she kissed him back, and pulled him closer. She really did need him in that moment. She wanted him to devour her, and if she wasn't so preoccupied with the thought she might have actually been scared by it. There was no denying Blaise was unlike any man she had ever met. He had a power over her no one else had, and sometimes she really did just want to be a woman around him. Not the Slayer, just Buffy. She'd battled with the separation before, not ever believing that she could be both at the same time, but it wasn't like she was ever going to be one or the other. Just some things made one more prominent than the other. She didn't even battle for dominance with the kiss, and just responded to Blaise's lead with a moan.
Something akin to his hunger was burning in him. It was that need to claim her and dominate her. He knew he could do it without hesitation, too. He picked the intensity of the kiss up and slipped his hand down the front of her dress to cup the soft mound of her breast in his hand. Sexual desire could work. It might not satisfy him completely, but it was something. It had been sometime since he had slept with anyone who wasn't Juliette, either. She catered to all his needs and desires. She just didn't always satisfy his hunger, leading him the need for him to find blood elsewhere. It was like he could feel and smell the other vampire on her skin and he needed to rid her of that. Vampires were nothing, if not completely and totally territorial. They didn't share well, and that was one trait in Blaise that never died out. If he let someone into his circle, they stayed and they offered him something until they either died as a mortal or he elevated them to a more important role within the Kindred.
Her other hand came up to grip his arm, her fingers curling around it as Buffy arched in the chair and pressed her breast further against his hand. As she pulled back from the kiss she caught his lip between her teeth and tugged on it, looking up at him with dark eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her pulse racing, dinner well and truly out of her mind in that moment. Buffy pressed a kiss to Blaise's shoulder as she took a moment to catch her breath, her mind a blank except when it came to thinking about him. Even Angel was just a distant memory and someone that no longer had any right to stake their claim on her. She tilted her head back up towards him as his name escaped hers in a moan, their lips meeting once again as she curled her fingers into the waistband of his pants. She had always needed an intensity in her relationships. Buffy might have liked the simple side of things with flowers and chocolates, but as far as the actual passion went she needed it burning brightly. Sometimes she wondered if that was why she had always done better with vampires than anyone else. They had a hunger that always needed to be met. A thought suddenly entered her mind of Blaise taking her on the table while she wore nothing but the diamond necklace and Buffy broke the kiss suddenly. "Oh my god..."
Blaise's eyes had shifted to that soft silver, indicating he was at least aroused by something. He saw a recognition in her eyes and his lips curled into a satisfied smile as he tucked his finger under her chin and tilted her head up as he rounded her chair, meeting her eyes again. "I bet you have never met one of us who calls their own ambulances before, non?" he purred, drawing her mind back to that first night they met outside Princes Street Gardens in the middle of the night. He didn't give her a chance to respond though. He drew her swiftly up into his arms and bit down sharply on her throat when his fangs pierced the smooth skin there. The blood filled his mouth and swept over his tongue, and he really did try to take it. He wanted to be able to with the hunger increased in him to compliment his arousal. He had her nursed secure in the embrace so she wouldn't fall, his arms wrapped around her as he tried to use the feel of her petite body pressed against him to gain something, some sort of momentum. It just didn't feel right.
Now the pennies did drop for Buffy and she gasped, even before he sunk his teeth into her. She also didn't fight him off like she should have. She wanted this... She wanted to feel what it was like to be bitten again. Only this was nothing like before. This was beyond euphoric, and she was sure she was in danger of coming just from the sheer intensity. Her fingers gripped at his hair as she let out a strangled cry as she held him in place, her eyes nearly rolling back into her skull as her body shuddered. "Blaise... Please..."
Blaise swallowed, wanting to taste that sweetness and feel that uncontrollable pleasure that hit him when he fed. He managed to only persist a little longer before he found himself gagging and he had to pull away. A painful sickness was surging up inside him and he lost the momentum. He kept a hold of her long enough to trail his tongue over the two fresh wounds on her throat, but the blood tasted bitter and tainted to his palette. He grabbed for one of the pristine white linen napkin to cover his mouth with it, coughing when his body started to reject the foreign blood. He feared this would happen, he had just been too optimistic with her. He should have trusted his senses. "Désolé, amour" he choked out, holding his other hand up when he was hit with more horrible nausea. "Sorry," he added for her in English before he doubled over and vomited beside the table, gripping the edge of it. It was physically painful for a Kindred's body to reject blood, it just didn't happen often and was usually isolated to Ventrue with specific tastes.
Buffy wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel as she watched Blaise react so violently to her blood. There was an urge to slap him and demand what kind of vampire he was to reject perfectly decent blood, but she got the distinct feeling he wasn't stomaching it for a reason. Their conversations about true love came back to her but she crinkled her nose up as she dismissed the idea. It was stupid... It had to be. Buffy managed to get her footing back as she touched her hand to his back, not sure what she was actually supposed to do for him. It wasn't like she could just get him some anti-acid. "Well, at first I wasn't sure if you just didn't like me, but I guess you just don't like my blood. Hard for a girl not to take that personally, you know. Is there anything I can do?" She touched her other hand to her neck, surprised to find no marks. It really did explain what Rory had been telling her about bodies showing up with blood loss but no bite marks.
"The waiter. I need the waiter..." Blaise choked out. He glanced up at her, but didn't maintain the eye contact. He watched as Buffy backed away a little but managed to run quite well in those heels to the door where the waiter had disappeared through. In fact, if he wasn't feeling so bad, he would have found that quite hot. The man visibly balked at the sight of Blaise covered in blood, but he had no time to shout out or scream. Blaise pounced on him, pinning him up against the nearby wall and bit down almost feverishly on his throat, accepting a blood that he could swallow to revive his weakness. The man only struggled for a moment before Blaise rendered him unconscious by how hard he was draining him, but he stopped as soon as the man was limp in his arms and drew back breathlessly, licking his lips as he felt the pain start to subside within him.
Buffy watched the scene with wide-eyes, hoping like hell she hadn't just sentenced the waiter to death. She took a couple of steps towards Blaise and the waiter as she looked between the two of them, but her eyes landed back on the Frenchman. The silver in his eyes was hard to miss this time, and she reached up to brush some blood away from the corner of his mouth. "Missed a spot..." Something like this should be arousing, but Blaise really wasn't like the other vampires. It wasn't the blood that was turning her on, it was the strength. He was like some sleek jungle cat and all Buffy could do was stand there a little awed at seeing him in action.
Blaise didn't reply to her at first. He had healed the man's throat, but that wasn't going to explain why the restaurant's waiter was suddenly unconscious, nor the amount of blood by the table. Blaise's eyes narrowed a little and he carried the man over to the floor beside Buffy's chair. The nail on his little finger turned into a sharp, lethal spike and he sliced it across the man's palm, placing his arm into the pool of blood and strategically placing one of the steak knifes nearby. He rose again, locking eyes with Buffy as he pulled his mobile phone out, yet again placing another 999 call for an ambulance, followed by one to his own driver in French to come immediately to collect them. "We are to leave, belle. Immediately. We will go to my hotel room," he stated. "We must talk."
Buffy looked down at the waiter, and gave a nod, her expression sobering as she looked at him lying in a pool of what was basically her blood. She didn't argue though, because there was going to be a lot of talking once they got back to Blaise's hotel room. Suddenly she didn't feel so much like a princess anymore, and she touched the diamonds around her neck to see if they had disappeared along with her fairytale. They were still there, though, and Buffy just let out a soft sigh before she took Blaise's hand and followed him out of the restaurant. "Believe it or not, that was still one of my better dates."
Word Count | 6,326
Just to get close to, just close enough
To tell you that...
You do something to me something deep inside
You Do Something To Me - Paul Weller
Co-written with gr8muppetyodin
[Follows THIS. Simultaneous to THIS]
Blaise was fortunate enough to be able to nurture highly good and pleasant relations between his city and the Scottish capital. As Juliette's Sire, Blaise had an immaculate closeness with the Kindred Princess of Edinburgh and it forged a sound relationship between them. She was beautiful, and Blaise always had the best hospitality opened up to him when he stayed in Edinburgh for business, and vice versa for the Princess and her own. But it meant Blaise was able to use the perks to his advantage and without any notice, he had a private room opened up to him in Edinburgh's finest and classiest restaurant with less than a day's notice. The room was tastefully decorated in silvers and blacks, with fresh long-stemmed red roses on their table lit with a soft candlelight. Once Juliette got wind that he had arranged a date with Buffy, she had insisted on the roses, believing that women who did not appreciate the beauty of the long-stemmed red rose, they weren't ladies. Blaise had merely smirked and indulged her Toreador tendencies, as he usually did, instead focusing on arranging a tasteful and elegant blue dress, a diamond necklace with matching earrings, and diamond strappy shoes. Of course, Juliette had to put her seal of approval on those too, but Blaise had merely stood and watched her examine the pieces smugly.
He had also arranged for a stretch limo to pick Buffy up from her castle home, and he was just waiting for her to arrive now. He was carrying on a soft conversation in French with their personal waiter, and the man was basically asking in amusement what the woman's talents were for Blaise to go to all this trouble to get laid. Blaise had merely laughed politely, but didn't honour the guy with any sort of insight into his thoughts. He was pretty sure if all he wanted was in Buffy's underwear, he would have relented on her that first night they met.
Buffy felt like a princess. She also felt distinctly like a fraud and that at any moment someone was going to show up to take the diamonds off her for not being worthy of them. She had never once worn diamonds other than a pair of studs her Mom had saved up to buy her for her Sweet Sixteen, and even those had been kept under lock and key. This beat Prom, and any other high school dance Buffy had dressed up for, hands down. She'd even showered twice just to be sure she was clean enough to wear the beautiful gown without feeling like she'd soil it just from it touching her skin.
She was more than impressed that Blaise had obviously told them to take it up, the dress settling at the right length for her short stature even with the heels on. She'd gotten dressed early enough to spend a good twenty minutes just staring at herself in the mirror before the limo arrived. Even Willow had helped with Buffy's hair, the blonde locks straightened and some of them pinned back away from her face while the rest fell down around her shoulders. The witch had also helped the Slayer escape the castle without too much notice, since Buffy hadn't wanted any of the girls to be drooling over the outfit or asking questions about the date. Willow got that Buffy wanted something for herself, and for that she gave her best friend a hug before escaping into the limo.
Now she entered the private room, and again, Buffy felt like big men in suits would come busting in and take everything off her for not being a proper lady. She couldn't help the huge smile that broke across her face though as she landed eyes on Blaise and her heart started to thump in her chest. Nervous didn't even begin to cover how she was feeling, but the awe was soon taking over. "Wow," she finally said. "I can't decide whether it's you or the room that's the most beautiful," she added in a slightly teasing tone. "You even got roses..." She walked over to the table to smell them, the soft petals telling her just how fresh they were. "Thank you for this."
Blaise watched her clamly, his hands clasped behind his back and a mere glance at the waiter had the man disappearing with a polite nod. Blaise was used to being waited on hand and foot, and had been his whole life. This was his norm, but he appreciated it was far from for other people, such as Buffy. But that didn't mean he believed that people who weren't used to it didn't deserve to experience it or be drawn into his world if he wished it. He was born a Prince, and he would remain as such for eternity. It wasn't often he invited any fresh blood into his world, and he knew Buffy had no clue as to the enormity of that, nor did she need to know. He had just deduced over their interactions since they met that she was easy with the tough talk, but deep down, he sensed she had missed out on a lot. He knew she had never been in love, for one, but he also suspected she hadn't been spoilt much, or made to feel like she was somene's whole world, even just for one night.
He wanted to change that.
He took in how she enjoyed the roses with a hint of a smirk. Juliette would be proud, and Buffy was going to need her approval too, after all. She didn't let many people close to Blaise, either, and it was interesting that she was willing to relent a little for the blonde American. He stepped over to her and took her hand, softly kissing the back of it. "Vous êtes belles, mon cherie," he told her as he rose, still keeping a hold on her hand. "Bleu... C’est un compliment qui signifie."
Buffy bit her lip as she tried not to look too lost at the French, but she did manage to pick out some of the words. "I think I got the part where you were saying blue suits me?" she started as she tilted her head and tried to see if she could figure out the rest. The smile was back though, her green eyes dancing with excitement now she was coming to grips with the fact she really was about to be a princess for a night. "You really have this first date thing down, don't you? J'ai été vivement impressionné. And don't even ask how long I had to practice that for."
Blaise laughed softly and raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I have heard a lot worse, chaton. At least you didn't accidentally swear at me." Still holding her hand, he lead her around the table to her seat and pulled it out for her to sit down. "I am pleased to see everything fit. Do you like them? Do not feel you have to just settle because they were chosen for you, mon amour. I can have the collection brought to you to choose for yourself, if you prefer," he offered and once she was seated, he waved his hand to get the waiter's attention for some wine.
"Are you kidding?" Buffy asked as she gazed up at him, and waited for a punchline to come. When it didn't she shook her head. "No, really. They're perfect. All of it. In all honesty I'm still not sure I deserve them, but I'm not going to give them back. I learned that lesson with the cab fare, and as much as I probably do want you to feel a little lusty towards me, eating dinner in my underwear isn't part of being a lady. And tonight... that's what I am. Everything's just perfect. I mean it."
Blaise had rested his hand on the table so he was leaning over her little. He smiled at her, holding her eyes again. Eyes always told him a lot about people, just like his could about him, just a lot more in the extreme with his moods. Arousal and hunger had them shifting to a silver, which intensified when he was in the midst of feeding. "What would be your definition of deserving gifts, cherie? Diamonds and beautiful jewellery should be deserved and enjoyed by anyone who is gifted them. It is not enough that I feel you deserve them and wish to see you enjoy them?"
Buffy couldn't drag her gaze away from Blaise's even if she wanted to. She always found herself caught by those eyes. She reached out to cover his hand with hers, wanting to retain some sort of physical contact while she had the chance. Maybe it was also just a little to reassure herself she wasn't imagining this. "Well, that's what my definition of deserving gifts is. Only I wasn't sure about these. Thought maybe they were just a loaner so I wouldn't embarrass you in something I'd choose to wear. And I did promise to wear what you sent me." With her other hand, Buffy reached up subconsciously to touch at the diamonds around her neck, a smile tugging at her lips again. "I feel very expensive right now," she added with a laugh.
Blaise laughed and shook his head. "Oh non, non... they are not on loan. I assure you of that. They are there because I felt they complimented the dress. Like milk and cookies, hm? For want of a better American metaphor. I could have merely sent you flowers or chocolates as a gift, but I wanted to give you something you could remember the night with. It did not even cross my mind that I would be embarrassed by your own chosen attire. Just because someone has not experienced elegance in the past, does not mean they do not like it nor do they not belong in it. And you do, cherie. Very much so."
This time Buffy did break the gaze as she dipped her head and felt her cheeks heat up a little bit. Maybe Angel had been around for a long time, but even he had never treated her like this. Neither had Spike, or Riley. She'd convinced herself she had been okay with all of it because she just wanted simple. She liked chocolates and flowers, but this was something else. She looked up at Blaise again, and worked her fingers under his hand so she could pick it up and kissed the back of it. "I'm relieved to hear it. And I'm trying not to say thank you again. But thank you... Really. Now sit down otherwise diamonds or not, you're going to give me some serious neck ache."
Blaise moved to take his seat, the waiter expectedly at his side to be at their beck and call. He had already sussed the guy out, and if the cheeky attendent decided to pull any sort of move on Buffy or to make the night awkward, he would be lucky to make it home in one piece. There was the inevitable wine tasting, but Blaise had stuck close to home and chosen French from a winery he knew the owners of. It was perfect, deep red, and just exact to his palette. He gestured to Buffy's for the waiter to serve her, which he did with a nod in Buffy's direction. He smiled at her over the table and cleared his throat. "Next time, we can do things your way," he offered and then gestured to her with his glass. "You should learn the art of our language, mon belle. It could open you to a wealth of experiences."
Buffy raised her own glass after the waiter had filled it, her gaze not lingering on the other man for long. Every time she was in a room with Blaise, she really did only have eyes for him. It was the mysterious quality about him, she was sure of it. He was an enigma she was itching to figure out. Or a Kinder Surprise she wanted to crack open to find the toy inside. "I did start at school, but I have to admit that me and school were never quite going to work out the way we were supposed to. Classes didn't hold my attention for long, and homework is hard to juggle when you have other priorities. Like a job. That doesn't mean I hate your language, though. Just means I'll probably need an audio book I can listen to." She sipped at her glass before she smiled at him again. "Hopefully my way won't bore you to death."
Blaise shook his head slowly. "It is not something you can learn by an audio book, nor is it something to be attempted with no interest. It's a language of the heart, you have to feel it inside." He looked over her face. "I think you have experienced a lot, yet very little at the same time. You have missed out on a lot of important things. Life experiences... love," he added and undid the buttons on his jacket so he could relax a little.
Buffy cocked her head. "I haven't missed out on love. I've had love. And losing it is more than something I know about about unfortunately. But you're right about the rest of it." She pulled her mouth to the side as she looked across the table at him. "I have interest! Trust me, there's interest. Maybe you'll just have to tutor me a little. Some one-on-one heart time."
Blaise's eyebrows rose again at this and he swallowed a sip of wine to put his glass down. "I don't believe you have experienced love, cherie. Call it a sixth sense. You might have thought you did, but not really. Not deep down. True love." She had mentioned lovers before, yet he had not once had an urge to feed from her. Not even a slight taste. He kept waiting for that to change, but it didn't. It made it hard to find even a sexual attraction to her, but there was a curiosity there that had his interest piqued enough to build on. She was beautiful, that much was evident. But his sexual desire usually came from an urge to feed, and with that missing, it had him more than wondering why she was holding his interest at all... but she was, without a doubt. "Sure your work life is not so packed and busy you would have time to commit to my language?"
Buffy pointed at him, about to argue about true love and even sacrificing Angel, but she bit her lip and held her tongue. Blaise didn't know about her, not yet. She was trying to pull off the secret identity thing yet again, and it was a struggle. Maybe he was getting more of Buffy than the Slayer, but her work was still part of her. As was her romantic history and it was going to sound more than strange to talk about being in love with vampires. "I call bullshit on your sixth sense, buddy. I've been in love. I've been to hell and back because of it. There's just some things you can't shake, and a first love is one of them. Angel will always be that for me, so don't even try and tell me I've never felt it. How can that not be deep down, true love?" She pulled her hand back, realising that pointing probably wasn't exactly lady like, and fought the urge to fling a bread roll at him just to emphasise her annoyance. "I'm currently in the middle of making some changes, so yeah, I'm sure. Call it an education that's valuable to improving my work performance. Even if it's about heart."
Blaise shook his head. "Where does it say that first love is automatically true love? That is not so and that is something I can personally vouch for. You can love, but that does not mean you are truly in love. True love goes right down to your very soul. Your connection with that person is so deep and so real that for the time you have them, your mind, body, and soul cannot live without them. You would live with them, and die for them. Sometimes, it does not last long, and sometimes it lasts for an eternity. Being in love does not mean it is true love. True love means that person stamps on your soul, and you their's, and it remains there forever, even if you have lost them. No one ever replaces that. If you are lucky enough to find true love twice, they just make their own stamp. Perhaps you have been in love, but you have not known true love. It was not a two-way street," he resolved unwaveringly, almost challenging as he watched her over his wine glass. He couldn't completely stamp out his own annoyance inside and his eyes flashed just a little. His tastes couldn't be doubted, hadn't been doubted for over five hundred years. She could argue with him all she liked, but his senses told him otherwise. He shook his head. "Then you should find another teacher, mon cherie. I am not here to improve your work performance, even if I feel you believe you need to do anything but that. You already know you're in peak form for work performance. I am not your employer and I will not share something prized to me for your work when I do not even know what it is."
Buffy's back was rigid as she sat in her seat, and she clenched her hand into a fist under the table. Who was this man to tell her she hadn't known true love? She'd killed her true love. She'd let him feed on her so he would live. She even had the scars still. She subconsciously raised her hand to her neck even as the thought entered her mind and felt the familiar scar there. She was still holding Blaise's gaze though, and if they had been anywhere else she had to wonder if it could have ended in angry sex. Or still would. But he still showed no signs of wanting her like that, even if he'd bought her diamonds. He was just being her Prince Charming for the even. One that was arrogant enough to tell her she'd never known true love. "I would have died for him... Nearly did," she offered quietly, her own green eyes flashing. "He was everything to me... For three years he was all I knew. Even after he still got under my skin. I was sure he was my true love." Her brow creased as she tried to reply their entire relationship. Riley she could understand as not being her true love, same with Spike. But Angel? Angel had been everything to her. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes as she felt a surge of frustration, and sadness and Buffy looked away as she tried to wipe at them as subtly as possible. At least she had the sense to wear waterproof mascara. "I wasn't sure how you'd respond if I said it would just be for me. I'm selfish enough to want some things just for myself. Not for work. Not for the betterment of the world... Just for me."
The only time Blaise broke the eye contact was when her hand dropped to her throat and something strange surged up inside him to the point he actually sat back in his seat at the force it hit him. He watched her hand, the way her fingers traced across her jugular. She had been fed on. Without a doubt. But not by Kindred. Kindred wouldn't leave a mark unless they Embraced, and Buffy wasn't a vampire. He would have sensed that as soon as she was in his personal space. He glanced over at where the waiter was standing on hand. "Leave," he told he man calmly and then watched him go, the door to the rest of the establishment closing behind him. He met Buffy's eyes again. "He seems to have left quite the mark on you, mon cherie. But what mark did you leave on him... if he is even still for this world, considering you speak of him in past tense. And for the record? Three years is but a blink in time. I have underwear that have lasted longer for that, so do not pull the time thing on me. Time is irrelevant in true love. I am at a loss why you would think I would respond so horrifically to say otherwise. Be honest with me. I understand secrets, but something as simple as that, do you not feel me worthy of your honesty?"
Buffy's hand trembled as she brought it back up onto the table, her teeth catching her bottom lip as she felt the bravado slip away for the moment. "I don't know if he's alive. Last I heard he was about to get into the middle of something pretty bad in LA. Like, nearing end of the world bad. I'd try the angry puppy line on you, but you're right about it being his mark. And since you seem to have underwear that's lasted longer than three years, and you talk like you know more about the world than most normal people should - French, or otherwise - I'm just going to assume you know about what goes bump in the dark. And you want honesty. So here goes, I'm a Slayer and my first love was a vampire. He had a soul, so he wasn't the usual kind of vamp I was used to dealing with. Angel had done a lot of wrong in his time, but he was trying to make up for it. He was on the side of good. Most days I still don't always know if there is a good side, and a bad side. Most of the time it all just runs together. It's not as simple as white hats and black hats. I get that. I'm also tired. I am so, so tired. Maybe three years is a blink, but I've been a Slayer since I was fifteen. I've died twice, I've lost way too many people and I've fought and fought and fought. I just want something that's for me now. I feel like I should be able to have that, and then I get a guilt trip because I wonder if it's even allowed. Even after everything, maybe I'm just meant to be selfless. But I'm not that selfless. I'm not that good. I'm not pure."
Blaise was up smoothly out of his seat and behind her in the blink of an eye. His hands were on her throat and his thumbs slipping through the long, straight strands of her hair. This close, he could see the marks and oddly enough, he now had the urge to mark his territory where the other vampire had been. It was like flicking a switch. She had been taken before, and now he understood like dominos falling in a line. He understood why he had a desire for her, yet no urge to feed on her. He understood why she had fueled an apprehension inside him when they first met, a desire to watch her and keep her close. She was a Slayer, perhaps The Slayer even, and having her this close almost at his mercy was pleasurable for him. "You let yourself fall in love with a vampire, mon amour..." he purred softly against her ear, his lips hovering dangerously close to her throat. "Tsk, tsk... that wasn't very smart, was it? You let those lines blur. Doesn't that go against the Slayer prophecy? Do you know that a vampire's love can never be pure? True, oui, but not pure..." His lips pressed softly against the markings on her throat. "You were not his true love, belle," he whispered.
Buffy was starting to feel that strange niggle in the pit of her stomach again. The same one she had felt when she'd first met Mr Mysterious. He always felt like she was playing with fire, and maybe the dominoes weren't as quick to fall into place for her, but the picture wasn't definitely starting to form. He was smooth, he moved quickly, and she already knew he was strong. He just had a refinement to him most of the blood suckers she was used to dealing with definitely missed out on when they handed out the fangs. He even pissed all over Dracula in the allure stakes. His hand on her throat had her on alert, ready for the moment it would change. The kiss on her throat had her nerves tingling for an entirely different reason. Not many would understand how a Slayer could find a bite mark on her throat arousing, but Buffy couldn't help it. "I mentioned my dislike of rules, didn't I? I'm hardly one for conventional. I'm also not one for following along with prophecies. There was one that said I was going to die at the hands of the Master. I didn't stay down for long, and now he's been dust for nearly a decade. So, just out of interest, do you think true love is pure? Because you really seem to be hung up on the concept, and I just want to know if you're about to start punishing me for being a dirty girl."
"Not a lot left in this world is pure, mon chaton. True love goes even deeper than purity, does not matter to it." The tough talk meant little to Blaise. He had heard her go with that before, and it did nothing for him then, either. He had met many women who tried it with him, and even then, it still did nothing. There were other things that aroused him. He wouldn't be apologetic for liking a woman to act like a woman. He liked some modesty and he liked confidence, he liked beautiful attire and a beautiful natural body. Strangely enough, none of those tastes could be factored to his Kindred blood. It all stemmed from being born into royalty. It was how he had been raised in his short life before he was Embraced and it still lived within him today. "Hung up, perhaps, but a concept you, yourself, do not know a lot about to judge," he told her, not wavering from his point as he turned her head to face him and caught her lips in a heated kiss and engulfing her with his presence so she got a taste of just how much he could make her lose herself in him.
Buffy's hand reached up to grab at his shoulder as she kissed him back, and pulled him closer. She really did need him in that moment. She wanted him to devour her, and if she wasn't so preoccupied with the thought she might have actually been scared by it. There was no denying Blaise was unlike any man she had ever met. He had a power over her no one else had, and sometimes she really did just want to be a woman around him. Not the Slayer, just Buffy. She'd battled with the separation before, not ever believing that she could be both at the same time, but it wasn't like she was ever going to be one or the other. Just some things made one more prominent than the other. She didn't even battle for dominance with the kiss, and just responded to Blaise's lead with a moan.
Something akin to his hunger was burning in him. It was that need to claim her and dominate her. He knew he could do it without hesitation, too. He picked the intensity of the kiss up and slipped his hand down the front of her dress to cup the soft mound of her breast in his hand. Sexual desire could work. It might not satisfy him completely, but it was something. It had been sometime since he had slept with anyone who wasn't Juliette, either. She catered to all his needs and desires. She just didn't always satisfy his hunger, leading him the need for him to find blood elsewhere. It was like he could feel and smell the other vampire on her skin and he needed to rid her of that. Vampires were nothing, if not completely and totally territorial. They didn't share well, and that was one trait in Blaise that never died out. If he let someone into his circle, they stayed and they offered him something until they either died as a mortal or he elevated them to a more important role within the Kindred.
Her other hand came up to grip his arm, her fingers curling around it as Buffy arched in the chair and pressed her breast further against his hand. As she pulled back from the kiss she caught his lip between her teeth and tugged on it, looking up at him with dark eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and her pulse racing, dinner well and truly out of her mind in that moment. Buffy pressed a kiss to Blaise's shoulder as she took a moment to catch her breath, her mind a blank except when it came to thinking about him. Even Angel was just a distant memory and someone that no longer had any right to stake their claim on her. She tilted her head back up towards him as his name escaped hers in a moan, their lips meeting once again as she curled her fingers into the waistband of his pants. She had always needed an intensity in her relationships. Buffy might have liked the simple side of things with flowers and chocolates, but as far as the actual passion went she needed it burning brightly. Sometimes she wondered if that was why she had always done better with vampires than anyone else. They had a hunger that always needed to be met. A thought suddenly entered her mind of Blaise taking her on the table while she wore nothing but the diamond necklace and Buffy broke the kiss suddenly. "Oh my god..."
Blaise's eyes had shifted to that soft silver, indicating he was at least aroused by something. He saw a recognition in her eyes and his lips curled into a satisfied smile as he tucked his finger under her chin and tilted her head up as he rounded her chair, meeting her eyes again. "I bet you have never met one of us who calls their own ambulances before, non?" he purred, drawing her mind back to that first night they met outside Princes Street Gardens in the middle of the night. He didn't give her a chance to respond though. He drew her swiftly up into his arms and bit down sharply on her throat when his fangs pierced the smooth skin there. The blood filled his mouth and swept over his tongue, and he really did try to take it. He wanted to be able to with the hunger increased in him to compliment his arousal. He had her nursed secure in the embrace so she wouldn't fall, his arms wrapped around her as he tried to use the feel of her petite body pressed against him to gain something, some sort of momentum. It just didn't feel right.
Now the pennies did drop for Buffy and she gasped, even before he sunk his teeth into her. She also didn't fight him off like she should have. She wanted this... She wanted to feel what it was like to be bitten again. Only this was nothing like before. This was beyond euphoric, and she was sure she was in danger of coming just from the sheer intensity. Her fingers gripped at his hair as she let out a strangled cry as she held him in place, her eyes nearly rolling back into her skull as her body shuddered. "Blaise... Please..."
Blaise swallowed, wanting to taste that sweetness and feel that uncontrollable pleasure that hit him when he fed. He managed to only persist a little longer before he found himself gagging and he had to pull away. A painful sickness was surging up inside him and he lost the momentum. He kept a hold of her long enough to trail his tongue over the two fresh wounds on her throat, but the blood tasted bitter and tainted to his palette. He grabbed for one of the pristine white linen napkin to cover his mouth with it, coughing when his body started to reject the foreign blood. He feared this would happen, he had just been too optimistic with her. He should have trusted his senses. "Désolé, amour" he choked out, holding his other hand up when he was hit with more horrible nausea. "Sorry," he added for her in English before he doubled over and vomited beside the table, gripping the edge of it. It was physically painful for a Kindred's body to reject blood, it just didn't happen often and was usually isolated to Ventrue with specific tastes.
Buffy wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel as she watched Blaise react so violently to her blood. There was an urge to slap him and demand what kind of vampire he was to reject perfectly decent blood, but she got the distinct feeling he wasn't stomaching it for a reason. Their conversations about true love came back to her but she crinkled her nose up as she dismissed the idea. It was stupid... It had to be. Buffy managed to get her footing back as she touched her hand to his back, not sure what she was actually supposed to do for him. It wasn't like she could just get him some anti-acid. "Well, at first I wasn't sure if you just didn't like me, but I guess you just don't like my blood. Hard for a girl not to take that personally, you know. Is there anything I can do?" She touched her other hand to her neck, surprised to find no marks. It really did explain what Rory had been telling her about bodies showing up with blood loss but no bite marks.
"The waiter. I need the waiter..." Blaise choked out. He glanced up at her, but didn't maintain the eye contact. He watched as Buffy backed away a little but managed to run quite well in those heels to the door where the waiter had disappeared through. In fact, if he wasn't feeling so bad, he would have found that quite hot. The man visibly balked at the sight of Blaise covered in blood, but he had no time to shout out or scream. Blaise pounced on him, pinning him up against the nearby wall and bit down almost feverishly on his throat, accepting a blood that he could swallow to revive his weakness. The man only struggled for a moment before Blaise rendered him unconscious by how hard he was draining him, but he stopped as soon as the man was limp in his arms and drew back breathlessly, licking his lips as he felt the pain start to subside within him.
Buffy watched the scene with wide-eyes, hoping like hell she hadn't just sentenced the waiter to death. She took a couple of steps towards Blaise and the waiter as she looked between the two of them, but her eyes landed back on the Frenchman. The silver in his eyes was hard to miss this time, and she reached up to brush some blood away from the corner of his mouth. "Missed a spot..." Something like this should be arousing, but Blaise really wasn't like the other vampires. It wasn't the blood that was turning her on, it was the strength. He was like some sleek jungle cat and all Buffy could do was stand there a little awed at seeing him in action.
Blaise didn't reply to her at first. He had healed the man's throat, but that wasn't going to explain why the restaurant's waiter was suddenly unconscious, nor the amount of blood by the table. Blaise's eyes narrowed a little and he carried the man over to the floor beside Buffy's chair. The nail on his little finger turned into a sharp, lethal spike and he sliced it across the man's palm, placing his arm into the pool of blood and strategically placing one of the steak knifes nearby. He rose again, locking eyes with Buffy as he pulled his mobile phone out, yet again placing another 999 call for an ambulance, followed by one to his own driver in French to come immediately to collect them. "We are to leave, belle. Immediately. We will go to my hotel room," he stated. "We must talk."
Buffy looked down at the waiter, and gave a nod, her expression sobering as she looked at him lying in a pool of what was basically her blood. She didn't argue though, because there was going to be a lot of talking once they got back to Blaise's hotel room. Suddenly she didn't feel so much like a princess anymore, and she touched the diamonds around her neck to see if they had disappeared along with her fairytale. They were still there, though, and Buffy just let out a soft sigh before she took Blaise's hand and followed him out of the restaurant. "Believe it or not, that was still one of my better dates."
Word Count | 6,326