Merciless Haze - Part 4/4
Summary: He turned back to face her, and as soon as Sophie saw what he was holding she was unable to shift her gaze. She removed herself from her sheets to sit on top of the quilt, eyes not once wavering from the blood bag in Nate’s hands. Her top lip twitched at the feeling of her fangs descending.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
Warnings: Explicit sexual content, minor blood play that might actually count as food play depending on how you look at it
Word Count: 7.3k (🫣)
Pairing: Nate Sewell x f! Detective (Sophie MacNamara)
Note: Y’all this is my first time writing smut, and on top of that it’s M/F smut. I’m a lesbian with no experience with cis men. So all I can say is: I definitely tried! (lowkey a little proud of it)
Tags: @agentnatesewell @nat-seal-well @itsmistyeyedbi
Read on AO3
The glow of the presentation screen was the only light in the Facility conference room. Sophie was seated towards the front of the ovular meeting table, listening intently to the lecture Elidor had prepared for her. She hadn’t been particularly keen to provide even more of her blood to the Agency, especially considering how poorly that had gone before. Elidor, however, was someone she trusted as an individual. He was methodical, concise, and trustworthy. She had approached him, asking if he would be interested in researching something for her and, more importantly, if he would be willing to keep it off the books.
He had been hesitant, Sophie had certainly understood why — she wasn’t one for breaking the rules herself — but upon hearing just what she wanted looked into, he had agreed. With the promise of disposing of it as soon as he concluded his research, Elidor had drawn five sizable vials of Sophie’s blood, used his high security to access samples of concentrated vampire venom, and set to work.
“I could survive it, then?”
“You could,” The fae replied. “But the circumstance would have to be just right, as well as the dosage.”
Sophie leaned back in her chair, “How would we go about measuring that?”
Elidor let out a lighthearted chuff, “There’s no ‘we’ here, Agent. After we walk out of this room, it’s all you.” His gold eyes met hers. “All I can determine here is that you’ll be walking a very fine line between death and immortality.”
Sophie sighed then pursed her lips. “Well, tell me what you found.”
Elidor tapped on his computer, displaying three different images of her, now very recognizable, blood cells. Using a pointer, he brought her attention to the left-most image.
“This is your blood straight out of the vial, nothing has been done to it. As I’m sure you can see, there’s already abnormalities.” Sophie nods. Elidor shifts his pointer to the second image. “This is your blood’s reaction to a dose of Turned Vampire venom.”
Sophie squinted at the screen, “I don’t see a reaction.”
“That would be because your macrophages ate all the infected cells before it could do anything.” Sophie opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Elidor’s hand raising in a halt. “Let me continue, it makes more sense as we go,” His pointer shifted to the third image. “This is the reaction to Natural Vampire venom.”
Once again, Sophie’s well-trained eye was unable to stop a difference. “Am I immune to it, then?” She masked the disappointment in her voice, but it didn’t stop her heart from clenching in her chest.
“Not quite,” Elidor tapped his computer again, displaying a new slide with two more images. He once again indicated his pointer at the left image. “This is your blood when introduced to a double dose of Turned Vampire venom. Think of it as if you had been bitten by two Turned Vampires at the same time. Again, the same reaction, or rather a lack of one.”
He brought her attention to the second image in the lineup. This one, Sophie could see, was much different.
“This sample is where things change. I mixed one dose of Turned Vampire venom with one dose of Natural Vampire venom.” Elidor once again looked her in the eyes, a proud smirk on his face. “It worked.”
“It worked once.” Sophie replied blandly.
Elidor rolled his eyes. “Ever the pessimist, you. Have a little faith in me,” He clicked his computer once more, ten more images appeared. “I did eleven trials, there’s a ninety-point-nine percent success rate.”
“Elidor, I appreciate that you did more tests, but eleven is hardly a stable sample size, and there’s still a possibility that with this combination I wouldn’t turn.”
The fae stared at her, unimpressed. “Unless you plan on providing me with four more liters of your blood, this is the largest sample size I can provide,” he hesitates for a moment. “As for turning, I should rephrase. This venom mixture has a one-hundred percent success rate in turning you,” his pointer hit the eighth sample image, “this, though, is the problem.”
Sophie studied the image, it only took a glance to understand what had happened, but she wanted to know why it had. The image displayed the same altered red blood cells as the others, but this sample’s cells looked wilted and tired. The cells were dead.
“How long did it take?”
“For them to die? Four hours, but the signs were there by the two hour mark.”
Sophie nodded slowly, “Do you have a theory as to why?”
Elidor’s lips tightened, “My best guess is that the cells infected by the venom multiplied too quickly. In a turning, the cells infected by venom multiply exponentially. It essentially brute forces its way through the body,” He sat down in the chair across from Sophie, seeming a little lost in thought.
“You know well enough by now, turning is a painful process. I believe you’ve forgotten how dangerous it is though, Sophie. Plenty have died before reaching the ending stage,” Sophie looked back to the slide, willing it to reveal something more to her. There was nothing left to see though, just dead red blood cells, suffocated by the force of the venom that had contaminated it.
“I assume you didn’t bother with a double dose of Natural venom, then?” She prodded.
“I almost didn’t, but you’re as thorough as I am. I did one test,” the next slide appears on the screen, displaying a single image. The result didn’t shock her.
“How long did this one take?”
“It took significantly longer to actually kill all of the cells, the dying phase started earlier but was severely prolonged,” he grimaced, “I can only make the assumption that it would be a torturous death.”
“Turned Vampire venom effectively dilutes the Natural Venom, then?”
“In essence, yes. There’s a bit of a detachment between the two,” Elidor looked up at the ceiling in thought, “I’d have to get into the genetics of it, but to put it plainly, there’s just certain aspects of being a natural vampire that can’t be replicated in a human vessel. Turning changes a lot about a person, but it can’t change too much without killing the afflicted individual.”
“I suppose there’s not much of a point in having the ability to turn people into vampires if it will only ever kill them,” Sophie rubbed her fingers against her temple and squeezed her eyes shut.
There was a long silence in the room, broken only by Elidor’s voice, the gentlest Sophie had ever heard it, “Are you sure you want to do this, Sophie?”
Sophie opened her eyes and sat up, looking him dead in the eye as she gave a stern nod.
Elidor replied with a few small, slow nods. “Well, you know what you need, now. What’s your plan?”
Sophie pursed her lips, “I suppose I’ll arrange something with Farah, see if she’s open to being involved. I doubt that Nate would have any objections to being-”
“I would strongly advise that you do not utilize Agent Sewell’s venom.”
That took Sophie aback some, “And why is that?”
“I can’t disclose any more than that, I’m afraid. Confidentiality, and all. You’ll have to discuss it with him,” he stood up, “Is there anything else I can help you with, Agent?”
Sophie, still mulling over Elidor’s comment, shook her head.
Elidor gave her one final nod before he disconnected his computer and plunged the room into darkness.
—————
“Sophie.”
Nate felt breathless. There she was, standing on her own two feet, alive despite everything she’d been through. Next to him was Adam and Elidor, a case of blood bags at their feet, but as soon as he looked into her deep green eyes, it felt like they were the only two in the room.
She looked unlike she ever had before, her face appeared gaunt, and her hair was unkempt and tangled. She had, what Nate could only assume, was her own blood running down her chin. Her fangs had descended, and the expression she donned was something very familiar to him. Hunger.
She remained as beautiful as ever.
She also had to return to her room before something of severe consequence occurred.
Nate approached her swiftly before she could take advantage of their surprise, grabbing her by the waist.
“Nate—”
“I’ll help her, Adam, don’t work yourself into a fuss. Let the others know to stay away,” He gave a pointed look at Elidor. “Especially you.”
Elidor nodded. “I’ll be back to check on her when she’s less… instinctual.”
“We would recommend it,” Adam replied.
As Elidor strode away, Nate felt Sophie’s abdomen tensing, like she was checking just how strong his grip on her was. Before, Nate wouldn’t have been the slightest bit concerned about his ability to hold her back. Now, he had no idea what she was capable of.
Though perhaps he didn’t have much to be concerned about, as Sophie seemed to be content to remain near to him. Nate had never seen a newborn vampire so calm before, he was almost concerned that there was something wrong.
Adam looked back to him, “Are you sure about this?”
“Completely.”
“We do not know the extent of her strength now.”
“There’s nothing she could do to me that I couldn’t heal from.”
He nodded, eyeing Sophie cautiously. Clearly, Nate hadn’t been the only one to notice her odd behavior. Adam picked up the blood case from the floor, pressing the handle into Nate’s free hand. Sophie didn’t even spare Adam a glance as he entered her space.
“Take the case, make sure she gets enough, but not too much. You know the protocol. I’ll inform the others,” He hesitated a moment before following the same path Elidor had just taken.
As soon as Adam’s back was turned, Nate pulled Sophie back into her bedroom, closing the heavy wooden door and locking it. The second he did so, Sophie fell into him, letting out a distressed hum. The sound made Nate’s chest ache. He guided her back to her bed, placing the case at the foot of it.
“Ya rouhi, mo chuisle,” He climbed onto her bed, still holding onto her, and settled them in the center. He made a mental note to change her bedsheets for her.
Sophie seemed intent on keeping her face buried in his neck, apparently fixated for one reason or another. He allowed her to relax into him as she continued to release gentle hums, which grew softer as he began to pet down her hair. Then he felt the warmth of her breath and the blunt press of the front of her fangs.
Ah.
Well, that wasn’t how he’d intended for this to go, but it certainly explained why her focus had only been centered on him. Vampires didn’t tend to take note of each other's scents while their blood was still in their body. Even outside of it, the potency was more noticeable than any possibly desirable scent. Nate couldn’t help but feel a little flattered.
Adam may have emphasized protocol, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t perturb him. Instinct wasn’t always a bad thing, and if her instincts were telling her to bite, he wouldn’t stop her.
“It’s alright, my love. You can.” He felt her open her mouth, one of those fresh fangs testing against the skin of his neck. Nate mentally braced himself for what would undoubtedly be an unpleasant feeling. Sophie was wholly instinct right now, she wouldn’t be able to release the pheromones to—
Oh. How wrong he was.
Nate wasn’t able to contain the pleased groan that left him as she sunk her teeth in. With each pull she made, he fell further into the feeling. A first feeding was usually a messy affair; ripped open blood bags, numerous stains, animalistic behavior— but here was Sophie, clasped onto his neck, one hand firmly gripping onto his back, the other pressed on his hip. Only Sophie, floating in a cloud of delirium, would be in so much control she would put effort into being considerate.
She was perfect, absolutely perfect for him. He would never meet someone like her again, and his all-consuming fear of losing her was diminishing. Just as he was about to gently coax her off, she retracted on her own.
Sophie raised her head from his neck to look at him. Some color had returned to her cheeks, her bright red hair adding to the glow. His blood was smeared over her teeth and lips, her fangs still out and Nate just now noticed that they were larger than average. He couldn’t have stopped the burn of arousal that ran through him if he tried, nor the descent of his own fangs. Nate took a rare, necessary breath to center himself. That reaction is something that could be explored later, preferably when he wasn’t responsible for the first feeding of the love of his life.
A first feeding that would have to wait, apparently, as Sophie was beginning to look less coherent by the second. He had forgotten just how much rest was necessary for a newborn vampire. He looked behind him and was reminded of the state of her bedsheets, mottled with blood and sweat stains.
Nate frowned, that wouldn’t do. Sophie had done nothing but suffer in the past ten days, the least he could do is provide her some basic comfort. He turned back to face her, the fatigue was dragging her body down, but she remained awake.
“Let’s get you over to the couch, mo ghrá,” Nate stood, then picked Sophie up from her place on the bed. He set her down on the couch tucked into the corner next to her bookshelf, ensuring she was comfortable before he left through her bathroom door.
He turned the faucet of the bath on, letting it run while he returned to Sophie’s bedroom to change her sheets. He made quick work of it, quickly stripping the bed of its beige sheets and well-loved quilt with dark green silk sheets and a quilt of his own, before returning to Sophie’s side.
Her eyes were closed, her chest completely still. Nate pursed his lips before brushing a few stray hairs from her face. Her chest jumped and she blinked her eyes open, apparently he caught her on the edge of sleep.
“I have a bath ready for you, love.”
Sophie once again hummed in answer.
Nate helped her move into a sitting position, pulling the oversized Agency-provided white gown she wore over her head before once again picking her up and taking her to the bathroom.
He set her in the pleasantly warm, still shallow water, placing a folded towel under her head for support before grabbing a washcloth. Lathering soap onto the cloth, he set to work gently cleaning Sophie’s tattooed skin. He couldn’t help but admire the work as he went, even as familiar as he was with it. He rinsed over the angel on her thigh, the bat on her sternum, the skeletal lovers on her forearm.
That piece was the newest addition, only a few months old, but it was quick to become his favorite. She never said it outright, but he knew she had used a candid photo Farah had taken of them on the balcony of her apartment as a reference. The position was exactly the same, Nate had been pressed behind her back, his head settled on her shoulder, his hands over her abdomen, her arms crossed over her chest.
He smiled at the memory as he finished cleaning her, rinsing the remaining soap away before pulling the drain plug. As the bath emptied, Nate gathered Sophie’s long hair and quickly braided it. It was loose and sloppy, but out of her face.
Sophie’s eyes had once again closed at some point, but the habitual rise and fall of her chest told Nate that she was still awake. With the bath empty, Nate gently patted her down with a dry towel before doing his best to wrap her in it, picking her up one final time to return her to her bed.
After placing her down onto the clean silk, he went over to her dresser, pulling out one of her oversized t-shirts and a pair of boyshorts. He quickly dressed her, surprised by the fact that she was still somewhat conscious and helping him do so. As soon as she was settled, Nate walked around the room, shutting off the lights, before undressing himself down to his boxers and joining her.
In the darkness, Nate watched as Sophie settled into a deep sleep. For the first time since her turning began, Nate felt tired, too.
—————
“No romantic life-altering decisions by the fireplace for you, then,” Farah sighed dejectedly. “Here I was, getting everything in order to create a trail of rose petals leading to Nate’s room and your immortal future.”
Sophie would’ve rolled her eyes if she had the energy for anything that wasn’t trying to figure all this out. She was lying on the long couch in the sitting area, her fingers ceaselessly tapping on the wooden frame.
“What time were they meant to be back?”
Farah looked over at the, rather regal looking, grandfather clock in the corner. “Twenty minutes ago,” She chirped.
Sophie let out a deep sigh, growing more impatient with every passing minute.
Farah gave her a quizzical look, “You don’t need to be worried about them, they’re just on patrol. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this anxious before.”
“It’s not anxiety.”
“You sure? ‘Cause it sure feels like it. It’s practically radiating into me.”
Sophie gave Farah a weary frown.
“Wow, you really are in a mood,” She chuckled, then looked towards the heavy wooden door of the living area. “They’re back now, I can hear them.”
Sophie pushed herself off of the couch and onto her feet, rushing out of the room and toward the warehouse entrance. Nate was mid-discussion with Adam and Morgan when Sophie approached them briskly, her full attention on Nate.
“Shit, what the hell did you do?” Morgan gave a deep chuckle, ignoring the disapproving look Adam gave her.
Before Nate could reply to the quip, Sophie grabbed his arm with urgency, but kept her voice soft. “I need to talk to you.”
Nate nodded at her, looking a little surprised by the gentleness of her tone, considering her approach. “Of course, lead the way.”
Sophie gave a quick nod of greeting to Adam and Morgan before leading Nate to his room. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Sophie turned towards Nate, and suddenly felt herself beginning to panic.
Farah had been right about the anxiety, then.
Nate’s brow creased in concern, his hands came up to rest on her shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze. “What’s wrong?” His left hand came to caress her neck, his thumb gently brushing her jaw. “Did something happen?”
His touch brought Sophie back to herself, easing her pulse. The anxiety still buzzed, but the panic subsided. This was Nate. She could tell him anything.
“I had some blood tests done.”
Nate’s eyes widened at that. “What kind of tests?”
“I wanted to see how my blood would react to vampire venom. I had them run trials.”
“The Agency allowed a turning test? I’ve never heard of them giving that kind of approval,” he hesitated. “Especially not for someone they seem very keen on remaining human.”
“I didn’t give it to the Agency. I asked someone to do it for me, no documentation.”
“You what?” There was no anger in his voice, just surprise. He let out a gentle laugh, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you disregard the rules.”
Sophie fixed him with a determined look. “I’m allowed to make decisions in my own life, and I’m allowed to be educated in those decisions,” She replied stubbornly.
“Yes, you are, absolutely, you are. What did you find out?”
Sophie heaved a sigh, “It’s going to be complex,” She thought about her next words carefully, Nate’s head titled in curiosity. “I was… advised that I should not use your venom.”
Nate leaned back a bit, his hands falling to Sophie’s arms. “That doesn’t surprise me, unfortunately.”
“Why?”
Nate worked his jaw in thought, “It would likely be too… unpredictable, is the word, I suppose. There’s many aspects of my abilities that I’ve had to learn to manage and control. My venom is not one I’ve ever had a need to keep in check. It’s very rare that the agency would allow a vampire under its employ to turn a human.”
“We may have a problem, then. I’ll need two of you, and one of them has to be Farah.”
Nate gazes at her warily, “I’m afraid I’ll need you to walk me through this.”
She does.
—————
When Sophie woke up, she found herself warm, clean, and comfortable for the first time in days. She opened her eyes, her head was resting on Nate’s bare chest, their legs intertwined.
Sophie nuzzled into Nate’s chest, taking a deep breath to take in his scent and—
Had Nate always smelled this good? She was accustomed to his spiced, earthy cologne but this was something entirely different. Lifting her head, Sophie looked up to find Nate’s deep brown eyes already focused on her.
“Good evening, my love,” He said, a gentle smile gracing his lips.
“Evening?” She looked at her walk clock, 21:38. She couldn’t even remember the last time she was awake. Sophie looked back at Nate, who almost appeared startled with a wide-eyed expression. “Is… something wrong?” Her voice had certainly had better days.
Nate just gave a single stunned laugh. “I wasn’t expecting that you’d be able to respond, let alone be so coherent.”
Sophie cleared her throat, trying to rid it of the roughness as she turned to lie on her back. That was when the room started spinning. Sophie closed her eyes, pressing her hands over her eyes.
She felt Nate turn onto his side to place his hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. “Are you alright?”
Sophie gave a placating hum. “Dizzy,” she said, moving her hands to lay on her stomach.
Nate clicked his tongue, as if he were chastising himself. “I waited too long, but I wanted you to get some real rest,” He brushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear, “You must be hungry, let’s get you something filling.”
As he moved off of the bed, Sophie’s eyes followed him curiously. He walked over to a case sitting at the end of her bed, unzipping it. He turned back to face her, and as soon as Sophie saw what he was holding she was unable to shift her gaze. She removed herself from her sheets to sit on top of her quilt, eyes not once wavering from the blood bag in Nate’s hands. Her top lip twitched at the feeling of her fangs descending.
That sensation would take a while to get used to.
He climbed back onto the bed, and Sophie winced a bit at the realization that this was a less than preferable place to be doing this. “Not the breakfast in bed you’re accustomed to, is it?” Nate chuckled.
He presented the bag to Sophie, “No, not quite.” She replied as she raised it up to her mouth, giving a shy glance to Nate, before opening her mouth and letting her teeth sink into the bag.
Her brow furrowed for a moment, unsure what to expect, before it finally hit her tongue and she was able to relax into the relief. Even she was surprised by how quickly she took to it, like it has always been in her nature to drink human blood from a small silicone sack.
The effect was immediate, she could feel herself satiating a hunger that had been silently taunting her for days. Still, she maintained her resolve, not allowing herself to fall into an animalistic haze, though she could feel the urge creeping up her spine.
She hadn’t even realized that her eyes had closed in her focus. She reopened them to see Nate, a strained look on his face, watching her throat move as she drank. If her observation of his reaction gave her an idea, she couldn’t be blamed.
She was, previously, only human.
—————
Nate was once again baffled by Sophie’s self-control. He could count on one hand the number of first feedings he’d been witness to, and not one of them had been this calm. Even after coming to know her so intimately, she still managed to surprise him.
Nate found himself having to continually reinforce his own self-control as his eyes clung to the bobbing of her throat. His gaze lifted to find her looking at him with as much intensity as he felt, but there was something playful there too.
“You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?” Nate said with an amused smirk.
Sophie’s jaw loosened, allowing some of the contents of the bag to rush down her throat and slip out of her mouth. Nate’s hand rushed forward, catching the droplets before they could stain the quilt beneath them. His hand remained there as Sophie drank down the remainder of the bag. As Nate shifted to get her another, Sophie grabbed his hand and — before he could react — licked up his palm, gathering the small pool of blood into her mouth. She swallowed it down, her eyes unwavering in their attention on him.
“Nate,” Her voice still raspy from a lack of use. He couldn’t help but lean in and kiss her.
Sophie immediately began to run her fingers through his hair, it was down, just as she liked it to be. He hadn’t put it up once in these last ten days.
He moved to pull Sophie into his lap, desperate to be as close to her as possible. The taste of blood in her mouth alongside her familiar flavor had Nate’s head spinning and his own fangs dropping. He was struck with the realization that this was the first time he’d felt her mouth against his since that morning at the Facility. He hadn’t known then that that could have been the last time he kissed her.
Nate pulled back, kissing down her neck, tasting the blood that had dripped down her warm skin, “I could have lost you,” His voice broke, and he breathed in her scent to center himself, “I almost lost you.”
Sophie gently tugged his hair back, forcing him to look at her. As if he would be able to focus on anything that wasn’t her.
She kissed his forehead. “You didn’t.”
He felt his eyes sting as he pulled her back in, even closer, until they were chest to chest, their mouths working in sync. Sophie let out a soft, low moan, and that was the end of Nate’s patience for the day. He broke their kiss and shifted his hips, maneuvering Sophie onto her back so he was on top of her, his forearms framing her head, his body between her legs.
He looked down at her. Her cheeks were flushed, her green eyes bright and aware. She no longer looked starved, the sharp lines of her pretty face not harsh, just defined. Just Sophie. Nate opened his mouth but found himself lost for words.
She smiled at his awe of her, and Nate noticed that her once slightly crowded front teeth and incisors were now perfectly straight. The scar that once ran through her right eyebrow from an “incident” when she was a child was now gone, the only indication of its existence being the beginnings of new hair growth. He couldn’t stop himself from brushing his hands over the bushels of flowers she had tattooed over her collarbones— she had always complained that they had healed poorly, leaving them raised. As his thumb traced the weaving flora, he felt nothing but the softness of her skin.
“What is it?”
Her question pulled him out of his study of her. “Your scars are gone,” he answered, a gentle smile gracing his lips as a bittersweet feeling ran through him.
“Ah, I had forgotten about that part,” she reached her hand up to caress his cheek, then guided him back down to her.
The brief break in their heated moment came to a quick end as their lips met again. Nate had to have her, he had to hold her and know she was okay, and alive, and herself. Sophie’s nails raked down his back as his hands slipped under her shirt, pushing it up her torso. He broke their kiss for a moment, encouraging her to lift herself so he could pull it off completely.
With her upper half fully exposed, Nate kissed down her neck, leaning on his left forearm as he squeezed her breast with his free hand. Every gasp she let out was another sign of life, an additional reminder that despite everything, she had survived.
Nate’s kisses lead him further down, over her left collarbone and breast before his mouth latched over her nipple, teasing it with his tongue.
“Nate!” Sophie’s hand tugged on his hair, pulling a low groan from him.
His free hand came up to pinch her right nipple before wandering down to where the band of her panties was snug against her hips. He released her breast from his mouth, giving a quick kiss to the hanging bat on her sternum before he encouraged her hips upward to pull off her last barrier. As her panties slid down her long legs, Nate wondered if she were taller now. He’d been too occupied when last they stood together to notice.
Sophie leaned up to tug down the band of his boxers, which were doing absolutely nothing to hide the evidence of his arousal. He adjusted his position to push the fabric off, then it was just him and Sophie — naked, together, and alive.
He leaned forward to kiss down her stomach, leading to the trimmed, coarse hair of her sex. Normally, this was when Nate would take his time to tease by nipping at her inner thighs, kissing everywhere except the place she needed him most. There was a time and place for those games, and now they had so much time. The games could wait.
Instead, Nate immediately licked at the wetness of her core, his tongue trailing upwards to gently flick at her clit. The choked gasp Sophie gave in response would be replaying in his head for days.
“God, Nate!”
The way she said his name when they were together like this was addictive, another hit of dopamine every time he heard it. He redoubled his efforts, wrapping his strong arms under her equally strong thighs and gripping her hips to pull her wet cunt against his mouth.
He knew exactly how she liked it, this was a well-practiced dance between them, but was never any less thrilling than that first time on that picnic blanket in the sunshine. His tongue circled around her clit again and again until it was firm and sensitive, then he sucked—
“Ah, fuck, Nathaniel—”
There it was, that was how he knew he was doing well. He continued his ministrations, Sophie’s moans and gasps only growing louder, especially as he pressed one of his long fingers into the wet heat of her cunt. He felt his cock twitch in interest at the feelings of her walls squeezing at his intrusion, a feeling that was only exacerbated with his addition of a second finger. He flexed his fingers, seeking to press up against that soft spot he’d come to know very well. Sophie’s thighs tightened around his head and he knew he had found it.
“Right there, yeah—hah—don’t stop—”
As if he would ever consider such a thing. He looked up her body to meet her eyes, the rich brown of a forest floor meeting the green of the pines above it, and watched as she came undone on his fingers and tongue. He worked her through her orgasm, not pulling away until it was clear she was beginning to get overstimulated. As he raised himself up from her heated center, Sophie grabbed his hand, still wet from her orgasm, and licked what remained off his fingers.
He was impossibly hard at this point, something Sophie had taken note of as she used her free hand to grip his straining length. Nate let out a groan, the pressure of her hand offering a desperately needed relief. Sophie’s thumb ran over his tip, spreading the pre-come that had gathered there over the rest of his length. Nate looked down their bodies to watch her work, her long, dainty fingers contrasting beautifully with the dark lettering on her knuckles. FARE was working his cock, WELL was still holding his wrist, though Sophie had since finished licking his fingers clean.
Sooner than he would have liked, Nate felt the familiar burn of his peak coming. He reached down to grab Sophie’s wrist, bringing her to a stop.
“Not yet,” His voice was breathy and desperate.
Sophie nodded, bringing both of her hands to feel their way up his chest, before putting one behind his neck to pull his face down to hers. Their mouths met once again, this time slower, but no less passionate. Nate’s still hard cock was resting on her pubic bone, catching Sophie’s attention.
Breaking their kiss, she quietly murmured to him, “Want you, please.”
How could Nate ever say no to a request like that? He leaned back, gripping himself by the base, before guiding his tip into her tight heat.
He would never get tired of the feeling of this. There was something so special about it, only with Sophie. She was closed off and stubborn— a result of a difficult upbringing and a clear lack of positivity in her life —but here, in the privacy of their coupling, she opened herself up in the most intimate way, and did so with such genuine love it made Nate’s heart ache.
He pushed in slowly, wanting to feel and cherish every moment of this. His gaze moved from where their bodies met to Sophie’s face, her mouth was open, letting out only small gasps, and her brow was furrowed in want. Again, their eyes met, this time as Nate bottomed out and Sophie let out a satisfied moan.
He waited a moment for her to nod, the way he always did, before he finally let himself go.
He created a steady pace, ensuring each stroke was long and deep, hitting all of the right places for her. Sophie’s arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her, until he felt every inch of their bodies moving together in tandem. God, it had been quite some time since they’d taken it slow like this, not having had the opportunity since Sophie moved into the warehouse full time.
He was lucky they were able to be together like this, lucky that she wasn’t six feet under, lucky that instead of hearing her death rattle he was hearing her beg him for more, beg him to touch her.
Nate let one of his hands slither down their bodies, his thumb finding her clit, stroking it in pace with his thrusts. He groaned as he felt her tighten around him in response, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to last much longer. Luckily for him, she clearly wasn’t going to be able to either.
“Oh Christ, Nathaniel, I- close, so close—“ Sophie let out a broken keen as she reached her second peak, her ankles locking together behind him, pulling him in further.
“Sophie,” was all he could manage to say as he came in response to her walls spasming around his length. He worked them both through it as he spilled inside of her, giving a few more shallow thrusts before coming to a stop.
Sophie’s legs unlocked behind him, dropping to his sides. He shifted, letting his softening cock slip out of her. If he pulled back to appreciate the sight of his spend dripping out of her, well, that was between them. Sophie was well aware of his proclivities; this one in particular they shared.
Nate rolled to his side, Sophie moving with him so they were left in a mirrored position of how they woke up. Her arm came up to rest on his chest, her hand holding onto the strong muscle of his shoulder. He looked down at her, his gaze softening at the sight of her satisfied smile. He brushed a lock of her wavy red hair from her cheek, his hasty braid from the night prior proving to be less than useful.
Even now, Nate was still surprised by how taken he was by her beauty.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
Sophie’s hand moved to caress his stubbled jaw. “I missed you too. So much,” she hesitated a moment, but said nothing.
A heavy feeling swept over both of them.
“I’m sorry,” Nate broke the silence, “For how this went. It wasn’t what I wanted for you.”
Sophie gave a small shake of her head, “You don’t have a single thing to apologize for,” she stopped him before he could disagree. “Nate, this was always going to be a difficult process. There was nothing you could have done.”
Nate looked up at the ceiling, “No, I suppose there wasn’t,” he let out a sigh, “but you deserved something peaceful.”
Sophie gave a small, rare chuckle at that. “Considering the life I lead, I would have been shocked if I was able to achieve something as impossible as a peaceful turning,” She tapped his jaw, encouraging him to return his gaze to her. “Don’t linger on this, love. It’s done now.”
Nate let out a breath, “For that, I’m grateful.” He brought his hand up to her lips, letting his thumb pull down her bottom lip slightly. He couldn’t help but smile, “They suit you.”
Sophie huffed a laugh, “The fangs do?”
He nodded, “They’re rather long, they make quite a statement.”
“Well, I’m glad you like them.”
“I think I more than like them, ya rouhi,” he gave her a quick kiss before moving to sit up. “The fact that they’re still down, though, tells me that you’re still hungry.”
Even Sophie couldn’t deny that, and she wasn’t going to complain about getting to see Nate bare from behind while he went to get her another bag.
—————
“Aw man, I was hoping you’d be, like, seven feet tall!” Farah exclaimed from where she was splayed out on the antique couch.
“Thank fuck she’s not, the stares we’d get would be even worse.” Morgan said from the table she was sitting on in the corner.
That was the greeting Sophie received upon entering the meeting room of the Warehouse after twelve days. She wouldn’t have wanted any other kind.
Nate entered the room just after her, “Farah, no shoes on the couch, please.”
Farah rolled her eyes before over-dramatically tossing her legs off of the couch and getting onto her feet. In a flash of motion, she was in front of Sophie, grinning, the glow of sunshine spilling through the windows creating a halo around her. “So? Let’s see ‘em, Soph!”
Sophie grimaced at the nickname, but decided she would humor her this one time. Giving her a less-than-enthusiastic smile, she showed Farah her fangs.
“Woah,” Farah’s eyes widened, and even Morgan looked over curiously at her reaction. “Guess we know where your height went, those things are impressive.”
“Have you figured out what else you have going on?” Morgan asked her.
Sophie looked back at Nate, “There’s a lot we still need to figure out, but we have a few ideas.”
Nate nodded in agreement, his arm coming up to wrap around her shoulders, “It will take awhile for her to settle into her abilities enough for us to run tests.”
Their conversation was interrupted by Adam opening the door. The sight of her close friend was a welcome one; the last time she recalled seeing him was when she was wracked with fever in bed. Now, she was met with one of his rare smiles. “It is good to see you well and on your feet, Sophie.”
“That’s an understatement, I thought you were a goner for a second there,” Farah’s chuckle was quickly silenced by sharp glares from Nate and Adam.
“Relax, both of you,” Sophie said to the men at her side. She looked back at Farah, “In all fairness, I did too.”
“It was seriously scary there for a second, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with talking about that! Processing trauma and all, ya-da, ya-da. Looking on the bright side, though, I’m not the youngest vampire in the unit anymore, and Nate got his scary dog privileges back!”
“My what?” Nate said, looking a little baffled.
Sophie stared at Farah, thoroughly unamused.
“See, you’re already back in practice!” Farah pointed out, earning a snicker from Morgan.
“That is enough of that for the time being, we have a meeting starting within the hour.”
Farah groaned, “You’re no fun.”
As she turned to walk towards the meeting table, Sophie realized that the glow she had seen around Farah before was, in fact, not from the sunlight.
“Why are you gold?”
That had all of the vampires turning to look at her. Sophie turned her head to look at Nate, still with his arm over her shoulder, only to find him smiling at her in awe. Farah was back in front of her when she looked forward again.
“Are you… seeing my aura?” She looked positively enthralled by the idea, “Where are you seeing it?”
Sophie gestured vaguely around Farah’s head and shoulders.
“You are! You can see my aura!” She bounced back and forth on her feet, “Oh this is going to be so fun, I’ve never gotten to see someone figure out their abilities.”
“It is not usually under such pleasant circumstances,” Adam commented from the table.
“I’m kind of surprised you ended up with something so…” Farah seemed to chew over the word she was thinking of, “personal, I guess. You’re not exactly known for your people skills.”
Sophie wished she could disagree, but Farah was right.
“She’s a detective, Farah. Auras reveal important information about a person’s personality and mood.” Nate explained, but only received Farah’s blank stare in return. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Motive. It would help her determine motive and reliability.”
Sophie’s chin tilted up at that thought, “Why can’t I see yours, then?”
“You’re still settling into your abilities, I’m sure you’ll be able to see it in time.”
“Yeah, we’re not all as easy to pick up on as Farah,” Morgan commented from her corner.
“Oh, so I’m the easy one? News to me.” Farah playfully shot back.
Sophie, Nate, and Adam stood back as the other two began to bicker.
“There is much to learn about you yet again, Sophie,” Adam said, breaking their observation.
“Just when we thought we had it all figured out,” Nate chuckled, looking at her with no small amount of adoration. “What a journey this will be.”
Sophie gave a shy smile, “I’m looking forward to it.”
Nate kissed her forehead in response as Adam returned to his meeting preparations. Sophie wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into an embrace, tucking her head into the side of his neck. They stood there for a moment, just holding each other in the comfort of the warehouse, surrounded by family.
“Thank you,” She whispered into Nate’s neck.
“For what?” He asked, his voice light and gentle.
“For giving me this.”
