These Hateful Bones

Mindy does not believe in vampires, not really, even after Drake bites her the first time. They can't exist, they just can't. They don't fit in her world of science and logic.

Drake doesn't return the next day as he taunted he would and she convinces herself that it was all a nightmare in spite of her paling complexion and the healing bite marks on her neck indicating otherwise. She doesn't see him again until that Monday at school. She places her backpack in her locker, grabs her lunch bag, and shuts the door, jumping with an audible gasp at the sight of Drake leaning against the locker next to hers. Her shock and fright amuses him; he manages to look cocky and threatening at the same time. Ugh. She is not impressed by his vampire swagger—if anything, it increases her disdain for him. She narrows her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Lunch," he says, as if it should be obvious. He's not sure what it is about her—her scent, her taste, the way she garnishes herself—that's whetting his appetite and he doesn't care.

Mindy unconsciously tugs at the collar of her shirt then squares her shoulders. "Well, I suggest you go get something to eat."

"Why do you think I'm here?" He turns and walks a little ways down the hall into a dark, empty classroom.

She doesn't want to but she follows Drake like a lamb being led to the slaughter. There's an intuition, part of her that knows that it's an adverse side effect of him feeding from her; God, the last thing Mindy wants is to have some twisted connection to him. She'd rather him make a full course meal out of her and drain the life from her body than to have this bond solidify.

He pushes the door closed behind her as she sets her lunch on the teacher's desk. He takes a few steps towards her and perches on the edge of the desk; he lets his eyes linger on her neck before meeting hers and flashing his fangs at her, running his tongue between his teeth.

A chill runs up her spine and she shivers, giving him an icy look. "Don't think that you can just snap your fingers and I'll come running because you're feeling peckish."

Drake smirks and snorts because, clearly, she will, whether she wants to or not. He reaches out, wrapping his hand around Mindy's left wrist and pulls her roughly to him. She jolts backward in an attempt to put space between them and he snarls, yanking her closer so that she's straddling one of his legs. Instead of struggling further, she stands stiff as a board.

Mindy doesn't understand the popularity of the vampire mythos but she does recognize the innate sensuality embedded within it and there are many levels on which she is not comfortable with Drake's decision to feed from her of all people. She worries that that if he proceeds to use her as an all-you-can-eat buffet that he'll eventually decide he wants to take his meals of her in bed; she's afraid that if a haze of pleasure always sets in when he bites her, she will let him.

He senses her trepidation but not the cause, inhales, breathing it in, and his appetite grows as he unbuttons the cuff of her sleeve. Mmm…the thrill of the chase.

"Did you know that adrenaline has a distinct flavor that it adds to blood? From what experience I have, which isn't much, I've found that everyone tastes different. I haven't tried twins yet." He chuckles, "Well, I have, but not since my diet changed. Fiona, my sire, said that hormones are like spices, when released they add their own flavor but it's the same flavor for everybody, so there's always a hint of something familiar no matter who you eat."

Drake pushes her sleeve up past her elbow and holds her gaze, a vicious grin on his face, as he brings her forearm up to his mouth. He sucks a bit of her flesh between his teeth, his tongue stroking against her skin, before biting into her. She lets out a small cry, wincing, when she feels the pricking of his fangs.

He drinks deeply and the euphoria returns as the tension in her body dissipates and she relaxes against him. The pleasurable stimulation charging through her entire being is like a drug and Mindy can already sense the seeds of addiction sprouting roots in her. She hates it as much as she enjoys it. It's making her feel wanton. It makes her hungry. And she is not okay with feeling or being either of these things, not with Drake.

She braces herself, clutching at his shoulder with her right hand as she becomes light-headed. His arm comes around her waist for added support as he finishes eating, savoring the taste of her blood. Between her and random strangers, mostly transients and the homeless, she is quickly becoming his favorite food. He half carries her around the desk, depositing her in the chair so that she can regain her bearings.

Drake likes Mindy this way, off of her game; where are her belittling remarks now? They're drying on his lips, mixed with her blood. He watches as she starts coming back to herself, her dilated pupils returning to normal size, her eyes once again able to focus on her surroundings.

She glares at him with as much intensity as she can currently muster. "I hated you less when you were human."

He sneers back at her and wonders how she'll feel if one day he does decide to rid her of her own humanity. Then he remembers: he doesn't give a damn.