Void(46)

“The only thing driving me crazy right now is you,” he whispered, dropping his hold on me suddenly. “But we’re not the same, Void. I learned how to control myself. You’re still flailing around like a fucking fish out of water.”

Just like that, the moment popped. Asshole vamp was back.

“Come on, time for you to learn some godsdamned control.”





*



“How was the ball last night? Have any cravings?” Banner asked me, circling around me while my smoke hugged my feet, swirling around the ground, waiting for me to loosen its leash.

Render was standing in the corner of the empty classroom, arms crossed and a scowl perched on his plush lips as he watched us.

Banner had started the day off with more lessons. He hadn’t even greeted me, just told me to take off my amulet and feed from him. So long as he didn’t activate his neutrality, my Void was able to touch him in order to feed. It wasn’t like it had been with Gritt though. With Banner, it was still painful for him, and he definitely didn’t enjoy it. But he told me to do it, so I did. I wondered if he could sense the hunger within me. I was still getting used to the fact that I had to feed regularly, appeasing the hunger just like you would your stomach. I wished that I could’ve told him about the weirdness with Render earlier and asked about why the vampire seemed to be hooked on my blood, but of course, the ass vamp refused to give us any privacy.

“It was fine. I felt hunger with all the powers around me, but not too bad. I was more in control than I think I’ve ever been,” I replied before giving Render a smirk of triumph. It was the truth. Feeding gave me hope that maybe the Void was something I could handle—with more practice.

“Good. Don’t get too complacent though. You need to always stay ahead of your hunger. I want you to call me if your amulet is working overtime. The goal is to use it only as a last resort, not your constant cage.”

My eyes flickered to the pocket of Banner’s suit jacket, where I knew my amulet was currently sitting. For so long, it had been a safeguard against the Void. A muzzle of sorts to keep its deadly teeth at bay. Being without it still made me feel stripped bare and vulnerable, which was ironic since, in reality, having it off was what put everyone in jeopardy.

“Again,” Banner said, bracing himself.

Taking a steadying breath, I let my power push further out. I was practically frothing at the mouth with smoke, my hunger still not sated. For the second time this morning, I let streams of smoke wrap around his legs, creeping up around him. Except the moment my power touched the bare skin of his arms and neck, I watched a thick bead of sweat flow from his hairline and down his angular jaw, and then Banner’s knees buckled.

“Shit!” With a gasp, I immediately pulled the Void back.

I could sense that his power was fading. I’d nearly taken too much, even though I’d barely fed at all.

“Why’d you stop?” he panted, folding in on himself.

With Gritt, he seemed to enjoy it when I fed from him, but with anyone else, Banner included, it hurt them. I didn’t understand. Despite the brave face he was putting on, Banner looked about ready to blackout, and I’d barely taken anything from him. It put into perspective just how powerful the paragons really were.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I said, kneeling down in front of him, struggling to keep my Void wrapped around me and not touch him.

Render scoffed at my words, like he didn’t believe that I genuinely didn’t want to hurt him. “What’s going on? The Neutralizer not strong enough for your tastes, Void?” he asked before propelling off the wall. For some reason, his question bothered me. I just wasn’t sure if it was because he was right or because I felt defensive about Banner. “Maybe you need the taste of a better supe.”

I clenched my fists, turning to look at him over my shoulder. “He’s more of a supe than you’ll ever be,” I lied. We both knew Render was stronger. “He tasted just fine,” I taunted.

Render walked around to me, his stride arrogant and sure. I rose to my feet, Banner still on the ground behind me.

“Why settle for fine, when we both know I’d taste better?”

I stepped forward, meeting him in the middle until we were toe-to-toe. “Is this the part where you say that you’ll feed me your dick instead?”

He grinned, looking so godsdamned arrogant and hot as sin that my nipples pebbled under my shirt. “That depends,” he breathed.

“On what?”

“On just how good at sucking you really are.”

I narrowed my eyes, even as my core tightened. I had a quip ready on my tongue, but Banner interrupted our heated banter. “Enough! We have to work on this,” he said, pulling himself shakily to his feet. I wanted to rush over to help him, but I stopped myself since my Void was still out and he had my amulet.

“The shifter and vamp that you switched at the council meeting are...struggling to adjust,” he explained. “They want their powers back as soon as possible, and the council wants proof that you can do it. We don’t have time for you to worry about whether or not I can handle this. Unless you’re actually offering, Mr. Tillson.”

Render didn’t look away from me. “Offering to let her Void smoke leech off my powers? Nope,” he said cheerfully. “Just wanted to point out that I’d actually be good enough to satisfy her.”