"You look awful."
"Thanks, it's nice to see you too." He grumbled, sighing heavily as he closed his bedroom door and leaned against it, allowing it to support his weight. He knew she was probably right, if he looked half as bad as he felt, he must have been a sight to see.
"When was the last time you fed, Alec?" She asked concern evident in her voice. Alec had left on a mission nearly two months ago, if he hadn't fed since then, the pain he was experiencing would be nearly unbearable.
"Not since I left." He managed through grit teeth; talking only antagonized the burning in his throat.
Kali exhaled sharply; just as she'd feared.
"Why the hell didn't you feed?" She growled, taking him by the arm and guiding him to the bed. "Surely there must have been an opportunity at some point."
"There was." He agreed reluctantly. "But it simply wasn't practical at the time."
"And letting yourself starve is?" She snapped.
He didn't answer, eyes trained steadily on the floor.
"Alec, you of all people should know, you can't allow yourself to become weak on a mission."
"I know. I'm sorry." He replied quietly, hesitantly letting his head fall to rest against her shoulder; she let him.
"You know, Heidi isn't due back with another group for a week." She murmured, running her fingers through his hair.
Alec groaned, his pain increasing just at the thought.
"I can't wait another week." He whispered, ashamedly. He knew vampires couldn't starve to death, fire was the only way to truly kill a vampire; what he really meant was he simply couldn't take the pain for another week, he was strong but not that strong, he could only endure so much; even Alec Volturi had his limits.
"I know, love." Kali sighed, understanding the pain he was feeling all too well. "Luckily, you won't have to."
With great effort, he lifted his head to meet her eyes. "What are you talking about? You just said, Heidi won't-" "I'm not talking about Heidi." She cut him off, rolling up her sleeve and presenting her arm to him. "I'm talking about this."
His eyes widened, in fear or shock, she wasn't sure. "No, Kamora, I can't, I won't do it." He stuttered, attempting to stand from the bed but, couldn't, he was too weak even to stand anymore.
"Alec, don't be difficult. Look at yourself, you need this." She insisted patiently, expecting he would react like this. "My blood will be better for you than any humans could ever be."
"No. You don't understand. I can't do it. I promised…" "You promised who? What did you promise?" "I promised Aro I would never drink from you."
Kali paused for a moment, seeming to think this over.
"I think he could make an exception." She said coolly after a moment, and offered him her wrist once again.
He had to admit, it was very tempting. He'd spent countless hours fantasizing about what it'd be like to drink from her, what her blood would taste like… But he had promised, had more or less sworn an oath that he would not drink a single drop from her, and one does not simply break a promise to Aro.
"Kamora…" He groaned quietly, eyes fixated on her tiny wrist; he could see the blood rushing through her veins, his mouth immediately flooded with venom, his eyes turning an even deeper shade of black.
"Alec," She whispered, gently. "It's okay."
He slowly leaned down, even going so far as to press his lips against her fiery skin, but, he pulled away, her skin still perfectly intact.
"I'm sorry, I can't." He managed through what would have been tears, had he been human.
"Oh, for God's sake." She sighed, lifting her wrist to her mouth and biting, her razor sharp teeth easily piercing the skin.
She smirked and held out her wrist to him one last time, just as the blood began to trickle.
"Are you sure you don't want any?" She offered, amusement lacing her voice.
His lips were pressed against her wrist before the first drop could fall.
She smiled to herself as she felt his teeth sink into the bite she'd already made. "That's what I thought." She murmured, stroking his hair with her free hand as he fed.
It took every ounce of self-control Alec had to keep from moaning while he drank; it was everything he'd thought it'd be, and then some.
He couldn't fully enjoy the moment because the rational side of him was in panic mode, reminding him he might not be able to stop when he needed to; the amount of blood Alec needed to satisfy his thirst completely was far more than Kali could afford to spare.
Kali, however, wasn't concerned in the least. She sighed in contentment, letting her eyes fall shut, as she enjoyed the moment.
It didn't last nearly as long as she had wanted.
The soft ringing in her ears and the darkness creeping into her vision warned her she was nearing the point of no return.
"Alec," She murmured, "That's enough; I can't give you much more, love." She continued, watching him closely for his reaction, wondering if she'd have to call for help.
Luckily, that turned out not to be necessary.
With hardly a sound of protest, Alec pulled away from her wrist, only hesitating for a moment to heal the wound with a bit of venom; quite an impressive display of self-control, Aro would have been proud.
"You did well." She commented, watching as the bite already began to heal, ignoring the searing of the venom, so hot it was almost cool. "Almost too well actually; how did you do it?" She asked curiously, never before had she seen a vampire resist his instinct for blood, to kill, so easily.
"I didn't want to hurt you." He replied, as if that explained everything, licking his lips to catch any remaining drops.
She couldn't help but smile. "Your instinct to protect me is stronger than your instinct to feed."
"It certainly seems that way." He returned her smile, only just now noticing she was swaying slightly, back and forth. "You should lie down." He said, more of a command than a friendly suggestion.
She wordlessly complied.
"Should I get Noel?" He asked, worry creeping into his tone.
She shook her head. "No, really, I'm alright. I just need to rest. Trust me; I've been through this before."
With Vladimir, Caius, and Lokey… So many had tasted her blood, and now she had another name to add to the list.
"Alright." He muttered unhappily, arranging himself next to her on the bed. "If you're sure."
"I'm sure." She assured him, cuddling closer against his body. "So, will you be able to make it until next week?" She asked, teasingly.
"I'll live." He joked, smiling to himself as he traced the shiny new scar on her arm.