I shoot a worried glance at the clock again. It was now 9:30. Thirty minutes late. And there was no sign of York. I was worried for her. She had been in such a state yesterday after she had lost control when feeding on me.

Maybe she was avoiding me?

I would have thought she would at least send me a message, maybe even feigned being ill. It wouldn't have been the first time a secretary ship had avoided the duty by faking illness.

I try to get back to the work at hand, plotting patrol routes. But my heart just isn't into it. The deep pit of worry in my chest just keeps widening as time goes by. I sigh. That's it, I decide. I can't shake the feeling of concern within me, so I might as well do something about it.

I get out of my chair, grabbing my coat and exiting the office, heading in the direction of the Royal Navy dorms.

I reach the dorms within minutes and start wandering the halls, looking for a ship girl to ask for directions. Unfortunately, most ships at this time are out on sorties, patrols or classes. I hear some chatter and laughter from a side corridor and hurriedly follow the sound.

I turn the corner and come face to face with Javelin and Juno, currently walking down the corridor and laughing together. Javelin looks at me in surprise. "Oh. Commander. Hello. We were just heading to class, how are you?"

I quickly reply, trying to keep the stress and worry out of my voice. "I'm ok. Thanks. I don't suppose you know where York's room is?"

Juno pipes up. "Behind you, two lefts, then third on the right." I memorize the instructions and thank the girls before heading off.

As I do so, I hear Javelin call me from behind, concern in her voice. "Everything ok Commander?" I wave to her reassuringly.

"It's fine…"

She doesn't look convinced but nonetheless continues talking with Juno, deciding not to pry into my business, which I appreciate.

Before long I find the door, with a gold nameplate placed atop it, Duke of York inscribed upon the plaque. I knock on the door gently. "York?"

No response.

"York? Everything ok?"

Still nothing.

"I understand if you don't want to see me… I just wanted to check you were ok?"

Silence.

I'm getting desperate, so I try the handle, but it's locked. "York? Hello? Please answer me. I'm worried about you."

I hear a faint sound, I put my ear against the door and listen as hard as I can.

It takes me a second, but I hear it, weak breathing. It's faint, but she is definitely in there. I hear her voice murmur, but it's unintelligible through the thick wooden door. She sounds like she's in trouble.

I make a snap decision, deciding to forgo protocol. I pull the master key out of my pocket; one I was strictly prohibited from using in the dorms and unlock the door, rushing into the large room.

It's well furnished. Luxurious antiques scatter the room, with an expensive-looking leather reading chair situated in the corner, a glass coffee table and bookshelf next to it. The shelf itself is full of various literature, mainly fiction. The rest of the room is a fairly standard affair, a countertop, sink and stove on one side, large window on the other.

My eyes finally drift to the item which takes up most of the room. The bed. It's a large double, and clearly expensive. But I'm more concerned by what it contains.

York is curled up on top of it. She looks dangerously pale, and her eyes are unfocused. She's wearing nothing but a black thin silk nightie alongside a matching pair of lace panties. Normally, such a sight would stir up many thoughts, but all I can focus on is how weak she looks.

Her breathing is laboured and upon seeing me, she whispers out in a weak croaky voice. "Commander?" Going off what she told me yesterday, these are the symptoms she develops when she misses a feeding.

I spot a blood bag on the bedside table and rush to pick it up and bring it to her. As I do so, she shakes her head weakly. "I…I tried." She breathes deeply. "…couldn't keep it down. It was horrific… sickly…"

At that moment, seeing her like that. I don't even think, I just act. I immediately undo the top few buttons of my shirt as I sit on the bed. I flip the collar out of the way and bare my throat to her. "Drink." I demand.

She protests weakly. "No… I could hurt you… lose… control…again."

"Drink." I demand again. But she just shakes her head.

"Drink. That is an order." I try my best to give my voice an authoritative tone, which I'm not sure works very well considering how panicked and worried I am.

Nonetheless, she seems to relent, slowly getting up, clinging to my body to help support her. She sits to the side of me, leaning on me. I move my throat closer to her mouth, tilting my head so she had a better angle.

She's resting her head on my shoulder now, she doesn't have the strength to sit up otherwise. "But…" She still puts up some resistance.

"York. You need to feed. You have my consent. You won't hurt me." I try my best to reassure her. I have no way of knowing that of course. In fact, if she lost control yesterday when she was already fed properly. The chances of her losing it completely and draining me dry now are probably high.

But I don't have a choice. She had said she might die if she missed two feedings in a row, and I wasn't prepared to let that happen. I just had to trust she had enough self-control to stop herself.

She places her lips on my throat and the throbbing veins there. I can hear my nervous heartbeat in my ears, and I brace for the sensation of her fangs. The second she digs them in, I cry out in pain. It takes all my willpower to not recoil from her, I grit my teeth, gripping the bedsheets, my hands forming into fists. Surely it shouldn't hurt this much? It was only 2 small incisions.

But, as before, once she begins to suck, the pain eases. I breathe a sigh of relief as the familiar waves of pleasure wash over me. That was better. I could get used to this, in fact, it would be difficult to not become addicted to such a sensation. She sucks strongly, much faster than last night. I raise my hand to the back of York's head, stroking soothingly. "Easy… easy, take it slow." I murmur to her.

She keeps drinking my blood but manages to slow her pace. Already, colour seems to be returning to her body. She sits up a bit straighter, no longer leaning on me for support. She slows her sucking right down, then eventually, pulls away.

I gasp as the numbing sensation disappears, and I'm left feeling a little weaker, and the wound on my neck returns to being sore. York licks her lips, cleaning up the blood that was scattered across them.

"Thank you, Commander…" She looks at me with an odd expression on her face. I can't place it, but I notice a slight blush on her neck, although it quickly disappears. She straightens up and a familiar aura descends on her.

"It would appear I owe thou a debt of gratitude. How would thee like to receive said favour?" She says with a smile. My heart relaxes. That was the Duke of York I knew, back to her old self.

I realise she has asked me a question, but I'm not sure what to give as an answer, but she stops me before I can respond. "Hmm. I think I know what thee would appreciate."

She grins and pushes me roughly back, and I land on her pillows. She leans over me, pink hair cascading downwards as she brings her face close to mine. She pushes her lips into mine, just as she did last night.

Her tongue finds my own within seconds, fighting it for dominance. She easily has her way, and explores my mouth, running her tongue around the edge, then deeper still. I fight back, eventually gaining the upper hand and I do exactly the same thing that excited me so much yesterday, run my tongue over her fangs, exploring every inch of them.

My hands, which have so far been idle, slowly creep towards her body. I wanted nothing more than to run my hands up her back, under the black silk nightie, feeling her skin as our tongues intermingle.

However, the second my hand reaches her side, she pulls away and tuts disapprovingly. "Thou had a single token of affection due. That was thy kiss, Commander. Perhaps if thou wanted to touch instead, thee should have spent thy token more wisely? Greed fells the best of men." She winks slyly at me, before moving back further still.

I could of course point out that I hadn't really been given a choice in the matter. But that was probably pointless. Nonetheless, I was very happy that she was feeling more herself, and that I had even got a second kiss, one that was just as memorable as the first, if not more, given her state of undress.

"I must say… thou art skilled at the act of kissing. Though… thee seems to be obsessed with mine own fangs, do thee not?" I blush deeply, but she wasn't wrong. There was something about running my tongue over them… it sent shivers of excitement up my spine. It was hard to believe that I was scared of them a handful of days ago.

I quickly change the subject. "What was wrong this morning? Why couldn't you feed?"

"Hark. Inquisitive one. Let me change my state of dress first… I can feel thy lustful gaze all over mine own skin… tis distracting."

My blush worsens. She truly did look stunning. There was so much skin on display that it was hard to look away. The black silk nightgown, so light and thin, struggles to contain the entirety of her weighty chest, and her folded legs are completely bare before me, which only works to highlight the valley between her thighs from where her black panties peek out from.

"How uncouth. Did I not just point out the folly of thy gaze? I understand thine attraction, but my eyes are up here, Commander." I quickly raise my eyes to her face, embarrassed by my actions.

She laughs, then shoos me away. "I wish to change. Thou art not permitted to look upon my bare form… not yet. Begone."

I quickly leap out of the bed and stride towards the door. Just as I get halfway across the room, I hear her teasing voice ring out from behind me. "O Commander, there is no need to leave. I shalt nary be a second. Simply avert thine eyes."

I stop in my tracks and stare at the wall mindlessly. She really was playing with me. My heartbeat grows ever faster as I hear the bed creak as she gets up, and the sound of fabric dropping to the floor.

The temptation to peek rises within me. The thought of her bare breasts, her giving me fanged smile as she rolls lace panties down her slender legs. I groan inwardly, trying to contain my arousal. I can't help but look for a reflective surface to peek in, but unfortunately, there is none.

I try to take my mind off the naked beauty behind me by skimming the books on her shelf. A lot of Shakespeare, as expected. But there were more standard choices too. She also had several horror novels, H.P Lovecraft, Steven King, even Bram Stoker's Dracula ironically.

Then, I'm surprised when a flash of black flies over my shoulder and into a basket in the corner of the room. It takes me a second to realise she had thrown her nightwear into the laundry basket in front of me.

Something else flies across the room, but this time fails to hit its target, falling short of the basket. It's the vampire's black lacey panties. My cheeks fill with heat as my ears steam. I hear her laugh from behind me at my reaction. "Hmm, tis a good thing I am more accurate with mine own cannons than my throws. Be a gentleman and put them in the basket for me."

I thought I had misheard her for a second. She... wanted me to pick them up? My chest tightens and I feel butterflies in my stomach... she really was something. I bend down, picking up the underwear which she had slept in and quickly throw it in the basket before my mind can wander further into more depraved thoughts.

"Did thou resist sniffing mine own underwear? How very noble of thee…" She laughs again. Good lord, this wasn't teasing. This was torture. Not even Eugen was brave enough to go this far.

After a minute of fabric moving back and to, she calls out to me. "Thou may looketh upon my splendid visage now, Commander. I commend thee on not bowing to temptation and attempting a glance. Perhaps thee truly is an honourable man…"

I turn around to find her giving me a sultry smile, now fully clothed in her standard attire. Yet, despite her teasing and confidant manner, a light blush does rest on her cheeks. I'm glad to see that even she was at least a little flustered by her own behaviour.

She sits down on the bed and pats the spot next to her. "Sit, Commander."

I obediently follow her request, sitting next to her on the bed. "What was thy question again? I hast forgotten in my tomfoolery…"

"Why couldn't you feed? You had me worried…"

Her expression sharpens, and the aura around her turns from sensual teasing to deadly serious. "It was foul. Utterly foul. I even tried my emergency stash. Twas all the same. I… couldn't keep it down… My stomach refused to allow such filth to rest easy…"

"But… why? I thought you've drunk that blood plenty of times?"

"I hast. I suspect… that drinking from thee may be the culprit." Me? Why would her drinking from me make any difference?

"Thy blood… It is exquisite… so fresh… so sweet. Ever since I tasted it… I cannot stomach any other… Even if I force myself…"

"…oh." I'm not sure what to say. I mean… I guess that's a compliment, in a weird way. But it left us in a bit of a situation.

"So you need to feed on me from now on?" To be honest, I wasn't really against the idea. That pleasurable sensation was well worth the initial pain, and if it kept York alive, then I had no choice.

But York shakes her head. "I feed twice a day. And I need both, I also drink a large amount each time. Thou would not last long… a week… maybe two… I refuse to do that, be a part of that."

She brings a hand up to my face and strokes it lovingly. Her turquoise eyes burn into my own. "I shall find a way. I'll keep drinking that wretched stuff, force-feeding if I have to."

"York… you just said that it made you sick… clearly that's not going to work."

She looks down sadly. "I know… but I hath no ideas…"

I put my hand on her shoulder and rub, trying to reassure her. "We'll find something… at least feed off me tonight, I insist."

She looks like she's going to protest, but the thought of going through the painful experience she had this morning again simmers her down, and she nods gratefully.

"You seemed to control yourself much better this time?" I ask curiously.

She smiles slightly. "Twas still difficult… to pull away. But twas easier… than yesterday, I was more used to the taste... the urge for more…"

She pauses and her smile widens slightly. "Truthfully… If it were not for the fact that I knew it would kill thee, I would sip on that nectar for a lifetime… gorging myself… I would be unable to pull away entirely. It would be most unhelpful for my diet…"

Again, I choose to take this as a compliment of sorts and I smile back at her.

"Right. I need to get back to work. You stay here and rest. We'll figure something out about your feeding, don't worry. I'll see you tonight."

I go to stand, but I'm surprised when York stands with me, annoyance clear in her eyes.

"I doth not think so. I am bountiful with energy and health currently. I still have secretarial duties to perform for thee, do I not?"

I want to insist, tell her that she had worried me so much in that state… that she looked so weak… that I was still worried… but I decide against it. It's true that she seems perfectly healthy now, and the expression on her face is not one that takes denial well.

I sigh. "Fine… fine. Let's head back to the office."

She smiles and follows me out, staying close to my side as we walk down the corridor.

We don't really get much work done. It was already almost dinnertime by the time we reach the office. York continues on as if nothing had happened, although she seems… friendlier today. The occasional brush of her hand, a side glance at me when she thinks I'm not looking… It warms my heart.

But deep inside I worry. If we couldn't find a solution to York's feeding problem, the consequences would be dire, and swift. In my spare time, I browse through a variety of vampire fiction, searching for an answer, but do not make any progress.

Before long, the day has ended, and I am walking back to her room with her. She could simply have fed on me at my office, but she had said she wished to walk home with me, which was sweet.

She opens the door and ushers me in. I immediately sit on the bed and waste no time unbuttoning my shirt. She walks over and gives me an odd look. "Thou doth realise, I can bite thee anywhere? It doth not need to be thy neck. Let us try thine arm?"

To be honest, I didn't know that. I'm a little crestfallen at the change of position. Having her lips on my neck felt… very intimate. But the lady was the one feeding in the end, so I acquiesce to her wishes, unbuttoning my cuff instead and pulling the sleeve up, bearing my arm to her.

She takes my hand gently, lowering her lips to the skin. She starts at my fingers, running her tongue down one, then another. She even takes one into her mouth and sucks slightly.

It's only my hand… but damn. The sight of her suckling on my fingers is quickly exciting me. She licks further down my arm, twisting slightly so that the underside of my wrist is shown. She settles there, giving some experimental light bites to make sure she has a grip, then, pushes her fangs in.

Arghhh. There it is. That searing pain. I admit, it was less than when she bit my neck, but still incredibly painful. Then the pleasure comes. It too is less intense than her previous bites. Still cosy and pleasant though. I close my eyes, allowing York to hold my arm up to her face as her lips suck noisily. Blood slowly drips down my wrist in beads. Not much, but a little.

After a minute she pulls back. She must have been keeping time in her head, trying not to get lost in the sensation, forcing herself to stop the second she counted a minute.

"Ok?" I ask. She's breathing heavily again, her eyes shining red, although it quickly fades. She doesn't answer but nods, composing herself.

Then, she whimpers with need. "I am truly sorry… I need more… I can feel it…"

I smile. "That's fine. Go for it." She gives her thanks and resumes feeding at the same spot. After exactly a minute again, she pulls back gasping. "So hard… so hard to stop."

"Easy…it might be hard, but you did. It's fine. I'm fine."

"Thank you… Commander… Thou truly are a good man…"

Suddenly, I have an idea. "Do you still have that canteen?" She looks confused but nods, pulling it out of her jacket, then wiping her mouth to remove my blood from around her lips.

She hands it to me and I open the top and swirl it around, checking it's full. Then I hold my wrist above it. I squeeze a bit, letting about 3 or 4 large drops of blood into the container. I pass it to her. "Try it?"

She sniffs it, wary of the old blood inside that was now mixed with my own. She takes a tiny sip, then a larger one. I see her throat expand as she swallows the blood.

She then turns and smiles at me, excited. "Thou art a clever one Commander. It is… edible. I can taste thy sweet, beautiful blood in amongst the vile rot. It sweetens it, makes it bearable."

I nod, happy that my random idea worked. I mean, if you didn't like the taste of something, mixing it with something you really liked tended to balance it out, right?

She hums in thought. "But it's not enough… It does not quench my thirst nearly as well… I think… alongside that, I would still need to feed on thee… at least once a day… Thee would be fine… if I was measured, careful. But… I cannot ask that of my Commander…" She looks away ashamed.

"I'll do it." I reply instantly with no hesitation. I'd be lying If I said I hadn't gotten used to being bitten, it was pleasurable. And if it was for her, I would happily do it.

She hesitates for a second, but smiles. "Thank you. Commander. Thou art mine own lifeline now."

She winks. "Although… I do hope thy not simply wishing for more appreciation… in a more carnal form?" I blush but shake my head. I was doing it for her, yes, but not because I expected anything in return, that would be unfair.

"Good answer, O Commander." She leans forward and gives me a quick peck on the lips. My heart skips a beat. "And that was thy thanks for tonight and solving mine issues. Truly, thou art a resourceful one…"

I would argue that a quick peck felt a bit cheap compared to the passionate kisses I had received before as recompense, but that would belittle my previous denial. She was just toying with me, I could see it in her eyes.

"Then I bid thee farewell, O Commander. May we meet again tomorrow morn." I take the hint and get up, waving goodbye to the pink-haired vampire, closing the door behind me and slowly making my way back to my quarters.

As I walk, I wonder, what exactly was I getting myself into? Had I just agreed to be York's feeding bag for the foreseeable future? That didn't seem particularly wise but in all honesty… I would do anything for York at this point… I think I might be falling for her… bite by bite.