Void(85)

That was the thing. I’d just told him what I needed. But I could give him time. I wasn’t going to push him, and as long as he didn’t abandon me again, I could be patient while he learned how to navigate my power. After all, he’d been taught to fear me and detest my power. That kind of ingrained brainwashing wasn’t just going to change overnight.

The longer I stood there in the cafeteria, the hungrier I became. My amulet was buzzing more than usual, the glow brighter than what I was used to. Dad had just topped it off, but it seemed like being around so many powers all the time was weakening it much faster.

“Okay...I think I should go back to my cabin, then,” I said quietly, not wanting the other students to overhear. “I don’t want to lose control, and I don’t know where Banner is. Besides, the rest of the school clearly isn’t too fond of me right now, and the last thing I want is to accidentally snap. Torne won’t be lenient again. I’d ask you to find Gritt, but he’s probably still pissed, and I haven’t spoken to him since...well. I’m just not going to beg to feed from him right now. He’s avoiding me. So I’ll just go back and try to get myself under control,” I said with a shaky smile.

I’d gone years between feedings before, but that was always because I didn’t know any better, and I did what the council said. But now that I’d learned to take small sips, I needed to keep it up regularly to feel normal and keep control. Plus, something about feeding from Gritt had made other powers just not satisfy me at all. I craved him more and more, but I wasn’t going to grovel to the stubborn ass shifter.

I turned around to head back to the cabin, but a figure flashed in front of me before I could even take a step. My hand flew up over my chest to slow my startled heart. “Dammit, Render! Don’t do that.”

The vampire smiled, his dark stubble across his pale jaw looking positively lickable. “Little Void, I’m so happy you weren’t expelled. When you went all smoky on everyone yesterday, it got me a little hot,” he said with a salacious grin before leaning forward and sniffing at my neck. After getting a deep inhale, he turned to scowl at Quade. “Why do you smell like the damn elemental?” he asked before rolling his eyes. “Actually, don’t answer that,” he said, cutting me off before I could begin to answer. “I don’t want to imagine poster boy over there grunting into you.”

Laughing, I rolled my eyes, suddenly feeling lighter from the sting of Quade’s refusal. “What are you doing here?” I asked as he wrapped his arm around my back and started pulling me out of the dining hall.

“I woke up craving you again,” he answered as he led me out the door and into the empty hall. “Then I heard you talking to Earth, Wind & Fire over here,” he said, nodding his head over his shoulder to indicate Quade. “I heard the bit about your appetite and no willing participants. So I thought...I’m hungry, you’re hungry...maybe we could help each other out?” he offered with a shrug.

I zeroed in on the first part of his speech. “You were craving me again?” I asked.

“Yep. It’s turning into quite the nasty little habit,” he said before moving his hand down and grabbing my ass. I pulled away with a cough, not wanting to start another jealous match between paragons. But when I turned around, Quade was just rolling his eyes at the handsy vampire.

“Well, I do need to feed,” I said, sheepishly.

“Perfect,” Render said, continuing to tug me forward. “Besides, Gritt goes on and on about it all the damn time. I figure it’s time I see if it hurts like a bitch like everyone else says it does, or if it feels good like Gritt says.”

“Maybe Gritt’s just a kinky masochist,” I joked.

Render grinned. “Guess I’ll find out.”

My heart was racing as he pulled me into a deserted hallway that only housed supply closets. Backing me up so that we leaned against the wall, he let his gray eyes flick over to Quade’s rigid form as he unclasped my necklace. As soon as the amulet dropped into his palm, he stuffed it into his pocket and then placed his lips on my neck, hovering over my thudding pulse. My smoke trickled out like steam, rising up and wrapping around him, but I held it back, wanting to wait until his fangs had pierced me.

I expected him to plunge his sharp teeth into me immediately, but instead, he licked the spot on my neck, making me shiver, and then lifted his mouth to address Quade.“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked with a mocking tone.

“Just get it over with. I need to take her to class,” Quade said through clenched teeth.

At that, Render grinned again and then sunk his teeth in my neck, unleashing his venom, and I cried out. The venom shot into me in powerful waves, nearly making me come right then and there. It was too much, too soon. My nipples pebbled, my back arched on a loud sigh, and my hands took on lives of their own as they ran down my body. I let my smoke begin to drink from him, my eyes locked on Render’s face to gauge his reaction. As soon as I started to sip from his power, his gray eyes rolled to the back of his head in a pleasure-filled groan.

And fuck, I matched his reaction, because his power was delicious. Like red wine and dark chocolate. It was rich and heady. The stuff that cravings were made from. I was so damn relieved that he was having the same reaction as Gritt, that my lips parted on a little sigh. I was worried it would hurt him again, like it had at the council, but I could tell from his face that he was feeling no pain.