Satiated
He felt lips brush against his as the blond devoured his mouth with his own. Their lips crash into each other like giant waves collapsing into one another. The blond’s tongue darts out to lick the blood on his lips and then his tongue found its way into his mouth.
It was powerful like some writhing sea snake battling against his own tongue, plunging deep into his mouth scripting the edges of his uvula. It wiggled and squirmed, brushing against the inside of his cheeks, licking the remnants of blood there and catching the traces of blood between his teeth.
The experience of it was overwhelming, he felt as if he was out of breath even though he didn’t need to breath. He clung to the blond’s body, fingernails digging into his jacket as he felt a stirring in his loins.
And then the blond steps back, his teeth biting his chapped lips as his tongues leaves his mouth. He is breathing heavily, panting despite not needing to, while the blond looks unbothered, if anything he looks amused at his reaction.
He smiles at him, his red eyes glinting in the moonlight, “I am Jasper. Jasper Whitlock. What’s your name?”
He ponders the question for a moment.
“Harry” a woman with long flowing red hair and emerald green eyes screams
“No, please not harry, not my baby”
Then she falls, her hair falling over hair in a curtain of red
And a green light encompasses his entire vision.
The same scene flashes in his mind.
“Harry. My name’s Harry” And that felt right.
“Well, Harry it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jasper replies and then takes his hand and kisses the back of it.
Harry feels that he would be blushing if he could, instead he looks down and notice the dead man whose throat has been ripped apart.
“Oh”
“What are we going to do about him?” He asks
Jasper stops gazing at him and looks at where he is staring, “Don’t worry about it. I will take care of it.”
“How?”
“Animal attack. So tragic, that such a wonderful young man’s life have ended so soon.” He says in mocking tone and with a smirk on his lips.
Harry frowns and feels guilt (?). He swallows
Jasper notices the fact that he is upset and kisses the top of his head.
“Don’t think about it. Don’t get too hung up on it.” Jasper whispers as he holds his face in his bloodied hands.
“It won’t help. Trust me.” He continues as his thumbs gently brush the side of his face.
“People die all the time.”
“Except us.” Harry whispers
“Except us” Jasper repeats with a sad smile.
And with that, Jasper steps away from him and grabs the dead man’s arm, “Stay where you are. I mean it this time.” He tells him.
Harry just nods and looks down at his feet as he hears Jasper dart off.
Harry sighs and looks at the blood soaked grass, some of it had congealed and some of it was still flowing. He takes a few steps back so that the blood wouldn’t touch his bare-feet. He feels like he should cry but instead all he can feel is the ache in his throat coming back as he watches the blood flow slowly toward him. He turns his head away from it and stares at the direction Jasper darted off to.
A few moments later, Jasper steps through the trees and moves toward him.
“Let’s go.” He says, offering his hand and this time harry doesn’t hesitant to grab his hand.
He wants to get out of here.
They leave the woods and eventually they find themselves walking down the wet sidewalk. It had stopped raining though so they walk at a leisurely pace, Jasper lets go of his hand as soon as they are out in the open, but he still stands close enough to him that they're almost leaning against each other as they walk.
“My hotel is a bit of walk from here. I hope you don’t mind, we can’t exactly call a cap.” Jasper says interrupting the comfortable silent between them.
Harry just nods, not trusting himself to reply just yet.
And so they continue walking for a bit till they reach an elegant looking hotel. “Yeah, I know it’s a little over the top but that means that it usually doesn’t have a lot of guests, since most people can’t afford it, which is a good thing when you’re always hungry.” Jasper says seeming to have noticed the look harry’s is giving the hotel’s enormous gaudy golden greek revival columns. “ And they also don’t ask too many questions here.” Jasper adds.
Harry looks at him with confusion as he follows him up the stairs. Jasper seemed to be trying to remain unseen, but unfortunately for him and harry they both are rather striking and they captive any human they lays eyes on them with their beauty, as they were made to. So, not only do the security guards notice, although their eyes brush over them apparently recognizing Jasper, but also the receptionist at the desk.
“Mr. Whitlock.” The woman gasps.
Harry can see Jasper grimace but it’s too quick for the woman to notice before he makes his way to the front desk.
“Miss Robinson,” Jasper nods toward her.
“Oh, I told you to just call me Nancy.” She giggles and bats her eyelashes at him. Harry raises his eyebrows at that.
“Can’t do ma’am” Jasper replies with a smile, although to harry it looks forced.
“Oh you are such a gentleman.” She replies and then turn her head toward him pretending as if she just noticed him.
“And, who might you be?” She asks
“This is my brother, Harry Whitlock. He will be staying with me in the deluxe suite.” Jasper replies from him.
“Oh well, alright.” She sounds like she doesn’t really believe him. They looked nothing alike after all, except for maybe the red eyes.
“You two look soaked to the bone.”
“Yes, unfortunately my brother got lost and I had to look for him while it was raining, it’s his first time in Philadelphia.” Jasper explains
“Yes well it’s a big city. You two should get to your rooms and change before you catch a cold.”
“Will do, ma’am.” And with that Jasper quickly makes his way to the elevator where the bellboy opens the elevator door for them.
He looks at them with suspicion, having ‘overheard’ the conversation at the front desk.
Harry hears him scoff and say, “of course” in a low voice that harry was sure he wasn’t meant to hear.
“What floor, Sirs?” The bellboy asks this time in a normal voice.
“9th floor, the deluxe suite.” Jasper replies
The elevator ride is awkward and quiet, and harry can’t help but stare at the bellboy and his bizarre uniform, harry gets the sense this is all so outdated like something from a bygone era or those old-fashioned television shows that his aunt used to watch. Harry blinks, where had that thought come from? Before he has a chance to think it over, the elevator door opens and Jasper grabs his wrist and leaves the elevator, “Goodnight.” Jasper tells the bellboy before handing him a wad of cash.
The bellboy’s attitude changes then, “Enjoy your night, Sirs.” with smarmy smile on his face. The door to the elevator closes and harry furrows his brows in confusion, what was that about?
Jasper however seems to be on a mission as he drags him away from the elevator door with quick steps.
Finally, they reach the door of the suite and Jasper digs in his jacket for the keys before he opens the door to the suite, “After you.”
“Sorry about that, Robinson is a busybody, I was hoping we wouldn’t run into her.” He sighs
“Hopefully she doesn’t get us arrested.”
The room was filled with expensive looking furniture, two wingback chairs covered in burgundy and gold jacquard fabric and the bed was large canopy bed with dark red velvet sheet and a wood frame. And harry is surprised by the bed he expected something different, he doesn’t know what though. Harry’s eyes lingered on the television set, it looked so odd to him he is not sure why but it looked more a giant wooden block with a small transparent window-like square barely the size of his palm.
He was sure TVs weren’t supposed to like that, he wanted to go and see if it can even be turned on. But in the end he decided to leave it for now and he looked around the room some more he noticed that the walls were painted this odd pale yellow that reminded harry of old women with too many cats.
Where had that thought come from? But just like the clothing of the receptionist and the guards, everything in this room felt both antiquated and old fashioned. His aunt would probably turn up her nose at such a place and call it archaic and completely out of style but harry know she secretly likes it.
Again harry had no idea where that thought had come from and shook his head trying to get rid of these strange thoughts that were making his hurt.Soon the strange headache passed and harry watched as Jasper sat on the bed and watched him.
There was a long awkward silence as the two of them just watched each other without either of them moving. Eventually, Jasper decided to break the silence when he saw that harry isn’t going to.
“I have been waiting a long time for you.”
Harry stayed silent
“I know this must be confusing for you but why don’t we start with what you remember and what you know?”
Harry’s throat was still burning but he replied, “I don’t remember anything.”
“I think I was walking in the woods trying to find something” He shrugged he had no idea why he was in those woods to begin with
“and then there was a lot of pain and then nothing. I woke up to the smell of fire I think and then I walked for a while till I ran into you.” The memory of how they just killed and drained that innocent man of his blood flashed in his mind.
“What am I?”
“A vampire like me.” Jasper answered him calmly
“Does that mean I have to kill people?”…. well more people thinking of the man from earlier.
“Yes, unfortunately”
“Isn’t there another way?” Harry asked in earnest
Jasper shakes his head, “there isn’t and if there was I haven’t found it.”
Harry feels like there is another way.
The room is filled with silence once more and Jasper sighs, “You can have the bed if you want. I know you are still hungry we will get something to eat tomorrow.” He got off the bed, and headed toward the bathroom. While they didn’t need to sit or lie down or rest or take showers, human comforts still felt nice. “I am going to clean up first if you don’t mind.”
Harry shook his head and jasper went to the bathroom and closed it behind him. Harry sighed, he really didn’t want to dirty the bed especially with those expensive covers but he was starting to feel tired from the days events and decided that a bit of lie down wouldn’t hurt.
After a nice shower in which Jasper decided to just burn his clothes rather than bother trying to clean them when he had a full wardrobe and could buy more clothes if he needed to. He walked out the bathroom with the first real smile on his face in a long while. His mate, he is finally with his mate.
He didn’t he could ever feel this happy and content. When he walked into the room and saw harry lying on the bed, he smiled and approached him.
“Harry, if you wanted to take a shower the bathroom is all yours.”
“Harry?” He stepped closer and started to gently shake him when the man didn’t answer.
“Harry?”
Jasper had though that his mate had just closed his eyes as he lay on the bed, but instead it with great shock that Jasper discovered that his mate was asleep! He fell asleep..but How?
And that question wouldn’t be answered util harry woke up the next morning. A few hours after sunrise where jasper had spent all his time sitting in one the nearby armchairs staring at his sleeping mate in utter disbelief and waiting from his mate to wake up.
A few terrible thoughts went through his mind such as what if he never wakes up? What if there is something wrong with his mate? He has been around plenty of newborns and right after they turned to and not once has seen anything like this. That is why it is such as relief when he hears harry begin to stir and eventually open his eyes.
When harry wakes up he notices that Jasper is sitting at one of the armchairs staring at him with a look of awe and puzzlement.
Harry sits up,”Good morning. Were you watching me sleep?” Harry frowns was this normal behavior for vampires? Is creepily watching your friends sleep part of some strange friendship ritual that he was unaware of?
Instead of answering him jasper walks up to his bedside, “You are different somehow”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean vampires can’t sleep even if they want, they don’t need it anyway, we are just a walking corpse after all” And that just doesn’t seem right to harry at all.
“Do you need to sleep?”
“No, I don’t think so. I just felt like it.”
Jasper look of confusion is replaced by one of fascination and harry feels like some kind of circus act. You always have to be different don’t you he thought to himself. Can’t even be a normal vampire.
Jasper noticed that harry looks uncomfortable decided to change the subject, “we can go out in a hour or so if you want after you clean up of course. It will be cloudy by then.”
“So we can’t go in the sun?” And harry is not sure how he knows this but he has the vague impression that Vampires burn in the sunlight.
“Yes, I will show you why later”
And harry frowns show him? But how? Wouldn’t they turn to ash?
“I was wondering harry what exactly is your gift and if I could see it again? Or can you not control it?"
“Gift?”
“Yes, you turned off mine, I can no longer feel the feelings of people around me”
When harry still looked confused his eyes softened and he elaborated, “Some vampires after they turn are reborn so to speak with gift an ability that has nothing to do with our vampire traits and ability. Some believe that such gifts are strong traits that once had as a human and are amplified and become supernatural in nature when one turns. For example someone who could easily tell if someone is lying to him or not when he was human could end with gift of compelling people to tell the truth or the ability to tell right away if someone is lying.”
He continued, “I am an empath, my gift gives the ability to feel the emotions of those around me and to influence them as well.”
“I…hmm” He doesn’t know how he did it, he just had the impression that Jasper was struggling somehow and he wanted to fix it. He thought back to it and took Jasper’s hand in his hand and closed his eyes and willed Jasper to go back to the way he was before harry touched. He willed his gift to turn on. Like a light bulb with a on/off switch he thought turn on turn on.
Jasper gasps and Harry opened his eyes.
“I can feel your relief and surprise”
And Harry blushes
“So it’s back”
“Yes, like it never left. If I didn’t know any better I would say yesterday was just a dream.”
Jasper seems ecstatic that harry is able to deactivate his gift when he wants and he puts his hands on harry’s shoulder, “Thank you… for yesterday”
Harry blushes, “I am not sure if I can do it again” or how he did it really
“It doesn’t matter”
“Even if you are unable to do it again, I won’t leave you. You are my mate, we are meant to be.” Jasper replies taking his hand in his
Harry is unsure what being mate entails but he knows he can feel a deep connection with Jasper and feelings of longing and devotion toward him.
“I feel the same” Jasper tells him sensing his feelings
“Come on, the weatherman said it will be cloudy till late in the afternoon with a chance of rain.” Jasper rolls his eyes, “which means it will probably be cloudy for fifteen minutes if we are lucky.”