The past is a blurry thing these days, but you remember him. You remember his smile, the sweet lull of his voice… ambrosia.
The weight of his lips on your hand lingered even as he rose to his full height.
He’d insisted on it, taking you on a tour of Mondstadt.
‘It’s no inconvenience on my part,’ he’d assured, his eye lingering perhaps a bit too long on you.
A flattering thought. A foolish thought. Yours always were.
Arms linked, his shoulder pressed against yours, how could you pay attention to the city when he strode beside you?
He wove his words well, setting your head spinning even nights after.
‘I fancy you,’ you said one night, leaning close enough for your knee to graze his. ‘I’ve never fancied someone like this before.’
He’d laughed, not coldly but not warm either.
Wine sloshed in his glass as he raised it in a toast.
‘To “fancy”, then. If that’s all there is on your mind tonight.’
You shake your head. ‘Kaeya, I’m serious.’
‘I know you are.’ He nodded, taking a sip of his drink. You should have seen it then.
He leaned closer still, resting his folded arms on the table. Here in your pocket of privacy, all you smelled was wine and his cologne. Your head spun pleasantly.
His eye lingered on you. Funny, you don’t recall ever catching him blink. You don’t care to.
‘You think you can handle me?’
You’d nodded dumbly. You’d nod to everything he said, even if you didn’t understand a word of his pleasant murmur.
Kaeya had smiled.
Pressed against the wall in the shadow of a windmill, your lips parted in a silent cry.
It ran down your neck, down the front of your clothes, the red warm tar in the dim moonlight.
He guzzled it from your neck, every suck and lap producing a sickening squelch. Your fingers twitched in his scalp, your legs kicking at nothing and everything.
The burn was dull, more uncomfortable than it hurt. Your chest ached, your veins throbbing and fighting blood going the wrong way.
He moaned, pulling back to stare at you ardently. He was beautiful, even with your blood dripping from his cheeks.
Beautiful. He made you feel beautiful.
‘You taste … sweet.’ He murmured. His fangs had begun to shrink already.
Kaeya pulled away, blinking away whatever had come over him. ‘And I’m sorry, for… all of this.’ He cleared his throat and gestured to the mess on your clothes.
The pain in the side of your neck had dulled, already ebbing away to numbness.
‘You won’t remember this night,’ he said, wiping your blood from his lips as if it were spilled wine. It might be your woozy head, but you sensed comfort in his voice. Sympathy, even. Or was it plain pity?
His hands steadied you, letting you lean on him. ‘This will be little more than a bad dream,’ he whispered, pressing a bloody kiss to your cheek, ‘and you’ll be just fine.’
‘No,’ you hear yourself croak.
You feel him stiffen against you, turning his head sharply to you.
‘I don’t… want to forget…’ You tug on the lapels of his coat. ‘… you.’
The stairs creak, the steps slow but loud in the stillness.
He stands above you now, neither cold nor warm. Just Kaeya.
You smile, holding your arms open. It’s all you can manage from your bed, your flesh pale with the memory of the sun.
He wraps you in his embrace, his face nuzzling the crook of your neck. You never realised how cold he was.
‘Tonight?’ His voice is raw. You knew why, you’d seen his bloodshot eye.
‘Tonight.’ You said, your chin on his shoulder.
He wasted no time in pulling down his collar, his jugular pressed to your lips.
He grunts at the pierce of your teeth, but it trails off into a quiet groan. You taste iron, but after tonight you’ll taste more.
It’ll be a new life, but it will be a sweet one.
With Kaeya, it always was.
A/N: Very self-indulgent, decided to post it because to be cringe is to be free. The relationship is def not healthy though, so be safe moonies <3
The vampire had hardly noticed the actual bullet coming out until he saw Tartaglia about to toss it in his mouth—blood and all—like a piece of candy.
"Stop-!" He quickly sat up and snatched the man's wrist, immediately confiscating the bullet. "Don't you know that ingesting vampire blood would turn you?!"
Tartaglia simply pouted. "It looks so tasty though."
The vampire sulked, but he couldn't deny that he was worried about another attack so soon. Even though he could easily handle getting shot three times with silver bullets, he was going to have a few hours of downtime while his body repaired itself.
"Do me a favor and pretend to be asleep. I'm going to tell my family that you're an injured hunter. Don't say anything, don't open your eyes. They won't notice anything wrong if you cooperate, okay?"
"Do you kidnap injured humans frequently?"
"No," the question made Tartaglia laugh, "but it wouldn't be the first time. Don't worry, you're in safe hands." The vampire only huffed in response.
It wasn't long before the two arrived at Tartaglia's family home. He smiled a bit to his family, not minding their faces of surprise.
"Ajax..." His mother frowned, apprehensively eyeing the seemingly unconscious man.
"Mama, he will be just fine. Don't worry."
"That's a lot of blood," commented his brother, having briefly poked his head in to see what Ajax had brought home for dinner.
"He's a hunter, Anthon. There was an accident but it's not that serious. He'll be okay."
"No dinner?"
"No game this time. Sorry. I'll cook something else for you."
"Big brother!" A higher pitched voice exclaimed suddenly after running into the room. "Did you finally catch the vampire??"
Tartaglia laughed a little. "Nope, Teuce. It evaded me once again. But you'd better not go out into the woods or it'll eat you up."
There was a disappointed sound from the little boy but he seemed to know better than to argue with his oldest brother, if the vampire had to guess. He could also smell the presence of another kid, but they were silent and Kaeya could feel their eyes on him. It was slightly unsettling. All he could do was wait for Tartaglia bid them goodnight and carry him away from their prying eyes and ears.
It wasn't long before he set the vampire down on the bed, seeming pleased with the bit of blood that was now staining the white sheets. The vampire sat up as soon as it was out of the man's arms, not seeming happy to be stuck indoors in an unfamiliar house full of unfamiliar people. It said nothing, but the apprehensive look in its eye was enough for Tartaglia.
"Don't worry..." He tried to soothe the vampire again. "None of them are going to bother you. Unless you count me."
The creature scoffed. "I don't even get to be alone?"
"My house, my rules. Not that I think you would hurt my family, but I won't be too careful. I don't intend to find out the hard way."
"Ugh. You humans are so annoying. I just ate a few days ago. I have no need to feed again so soon."
"Is that so?"
"It is. We feed every two weeks or so."
"Hmm, I see. Well," Tartaglia grinned as usual. "That isn't going to stop me from keeping an eye on you."
The vampire huffed. "You're the worst."
"Thank you!" The ginger's grin only grew wider. The vampire could only look at him with contempt in return.
"When am I going to be able to call you by your name?"
"Never." The man with blue hair half glared at him. "You don't need to know it. Don't try to be so buddy-buddy with me. I have no interest in being close to you."
"And yet you trusted me to help you when you needed it."
"I could have fought them off if I had wanted to. I didn't need your help."
"Sure, sure... and you don't think you need a place to rest and yet you let me bring you here. Why is that?"
"Stop arguing with me. You clearly are the type of person who wants to play the hero, so I let you. End of story."
"How kind of you to indulge me, comrade." Tartaglia laughed. "Indulge me a little longer and let me get these bullets out of you."
"Sure. Go ahead." The vampire shrugged off Tartaglia's coat and his own shirt so that the ginger could properly access the bullet wound in its shoulder. He did somewhat bask in how Tartaglia looked over his torso. He knows how beautiful others find him, and despite not seeing it himself, the reactions of others were somewhat validating.
The vampire scrunched his face up a bit as Tartaglia began to pry the scab off of his first wound. Vampire blood is thicker than human blood so it took a bit of digging even just to separate it from the cool flesh. Not to mention that he'd have to reach inside of it since the goal was to retrieve another bullet.
"Does it hurt, comrade?" Tartaglia didn't seem concerned. He had what might have been a hunger in his eyes. What a strange person he was indeed.
"No," came the stoic reply.
"Indulging me again? Don't you think you should quit doing that?"
"I'll do what I want. Are you complaining?"
"No, of course not." The ginger swallowed. "Think you could cry for me?"
The vampire glared at him. "Of course not. I said it doesn't hurt."
"It would be quite an enjoyable show, I'll admit."
"Forget it. Just get the bullet out and fuck off."
"Ah ah ah, so hasty. I don't even get to patch you up?"
"I'm not human," the vampire spat. "As you can see, the healing process is much faster than yours. Bandages aren't necessary."
"Only willing to play along for so long... I have to wonder if it was ever really an act."
"You cannot seriously think that you could actually cause me pain." He huffed flatly.
"Is that a challenge?"
"No. God—" The vampire coughed a bit as if the word physically ailed him. "You're so fucking annoying."
"Pushing buttons is what I do best, comrade." Tartaglia's smile widened once again.
"Find a new hobby. This isn't cute."
"You think I'm cute??"
"What-" The vampire glared up at him. "That is literally the opposite of what I just said!"
The ginger laughed a bit. "Defensive much? It's okay. At least your eye seems to work well enough."
"I swear to god—" The poor thing was sent into another short coughing fit— "I am going to kill you the next time you show up in my part of the woods."
"Really??" Tartaglia seemed to get his hopes up. The vampire could almost swear the threat made the ginger perk up visibly. He wasn't just going to give this weirdo the satisfaction. He just stared blankly at Tartaglia, who grinned back. "There's nothing I love more than a good fight."
"You couldn't possibly survive a fight with me. I'm much more powerful than you. Even if I tried to go easy on you, your neck would still probably get snapped."
The hunger in Tartaglia's eyes returned stronger as he dug his finger deeper into the wound. "Is that so?" The vampire squeaked at the sudden movement and quickly shut his mouth, glaring up at the other.
"It is."
"How cute..." Tartaglia seemed genuinely happy to have gotten such a reaction out of him. He seemed less tense and more adoring as he continued to slowly reach for the bullet. "Ah, there it is." He stopped and removed his finger when he found it, needing something smaller to be able to grip it properly. The vampire stoically watched Tartaglia, noticing right away that his pupils had expanded slightly when he'd shown his pain. He supposed he should stop questioning that the hell was wrong with this man or he'd continue to ponder it every time Tartaglia did anything ever.
He'd hardly noticed the actual bullet coming out until he saw Tartaglia about to throw it in his mouth—blood and all—like a piece of candy.
"Stop-!" He quickly sat up and snatched the man's wrist, immediately confiscating the bullet. "Don't you know that ingesting vampire blood would turn you?!" Tartaglia simply pouted.
"It looks so tasty though."
"Please..." The vampire spoke exasperatedly. "Please tell me you weren't going to swallow the bullet." Tartaglia wasn't (he had found that he liked to click bullets between his teeth sometimes), but it wasn't like the vampire needed to know that.
"I've passed worse things."
The vampire just stared at him, looking for any trace of dishonesty. He searched well, and the longer he looked, the longer he wondered how this man was even alive. He said nothing as he broke the eye contact and sighed.
"I don't even want to know."
"What, you're not even the least bit curious?"
"You humans sure are weird. I've heard enough. I don't want to know."
Tartaglia pouted a little. "Hmph. Fine, I'll never tell you."
"Good." The vampire knew that the question would unfortunately stay on the back burner in his mind, and Tartaglia knew it too.
"Do you know who I am? I could have you killed for disobeying me. If your master is so unhappy with bullets and a little vampire blood, tell them they can come pick up their little prize—in Il Dotorre's lab." He grinned as the men paled. "Now, stay put and I'll get those bullets for you. I mean it. One step forward and I'll disembowel you myself."
When he was sure the men would obey him, he knelt down to the injured vampire, gently running a hand down its back in attempt to soothe it. It didn't take Tartaglia long to recover a single bullet from the vampire, who didn't move or breathe whatsoever. He'd be worried if these men weren't buffoons with silver bullets.
A few nights later, there was more of a commotion than Tartaglia was used to hearing in the woods at night. He heard men yelling, their footsteps loud and fast, but not more than the bullets being fired. Whether the men were hunting something or acting in self defense, he really couldn't be sure from where he was sitting. Not until they started to run closer.
The flight through the trees wasn't so smooth this time. It was as if the vampire had completely given up on stalking its prey through the leaves. It was another few seconds before he heard something crash into a bush nearby. Tartaglia stood up to investigate now, stumbling upon the vampire just as its pursuers came into view.
A quick glance from the injured vampire was all Tartaglia needed before putting himself between the poor thing and the people who wanted its head.
"Good evening," the ginger waved to them as the men stopped in front of him. "I've already checked. The vampire is dead."
"Move aside," one of them glared at him.
"I see no need. After all, finders keepers, no? I found the body before you so I'll be the one to dispose of it."
"Move. Aside." The men were both breathing heavily, clearly not in the mood to play games with the young man standing before them.
"And I said no." Tartaglia never lost an iota of his smile. "Shall I dig out one of your bullets for you to take as proof for whoever sent you?"
"Move out of the way, kid." The hunters were clearly getting impatient with him.
"I don't think I will," he spoke easily. "Do you know who I am? I could have you killed for disobeying me. If your master is so unhappy with bullets and a little vampire blood, tell them they can come pick up their little prize—in Il Dotorre's lab." He grinned as the men paled. "Now, stay put and I'll get those bullets for you. I mean it. One step forward and I'll disembowel you myself."
When he was sure the men would obey him, he knelt down to the injured vampire, gently running a hand down its back in attempt to soothe it. It didn't take Tartaglia long to recover a single bullet from the vampire, who didn't move or breathe whatsoever. He'd be worried if these men weren't buffoons with silver bullets.
Tartaglia cupped the bullet in his hand, scooping up the viscous blood he'd loosened during his retrieval and coating the bullet—and his hands—with more blood. Hopefully these idiots would shit their pants *after* they turned tail and fled the forest. Tartaglia laughed jovially as he approached the hunters with the bullet and the blood. Especially when he noticed that one of the men's knees were shaking. That never failed to give him a power trip that would make him want to beat the pathetic coward into the dirt, but he held back as he dropped the bullet into the other's hand and stared them in the face.
"You've gotten what you wanted, haven't you?" The dead look on his otherwise grinning face never failed to unsettle others, and he loved it. Both men nodded their heads. "Now, under direct orders from the Tsaritsa, this forest is off limits to the common folk. I'm surprised you weren't aware. Tell me, did you think you would find the vampire before I would?" Both men shook their heads, not trusting their voices. "You've got guts," he flashed them a menacing smirk. "But if I run into you again here, I'll make good on my promise. You'll be good and stay away from our hunting grounds from now on, right?" They nodded quickly. "Now run along and inform your master that the Harbingers have the body and you won't be getting it back." He turned away from them, whistling a little tune as he made his way back to the vampire. He heard the two hunters run off in the opposite direction, and that was good enough for him. He knelt back down next to the vampire and gently placed his coat over its wings before picking it up. The vampire tensed in his grasp, briefly struggling before Tartaglia spoke again, much softer than before.
"I won't be turning you over to Dotorre. I was never here on business. I'm taking you home with me."
"I don't need help," the vampire hissed. "I'm not actually hurt."
"Hush," he said gently. "I know you'll be fine tomorrow. Let me keep you safe while you rest tonight."
It wasn't that Tartaglia was afraid of getting kidnapped or killed by the vampire. He simply did not want it to leave. He wanted to hear its lovely voice again, to be able to admire its pretty face. There was much he didn't know about. Much he didn't have time to ponder as his head felt felt like it was being filled with cotton. It became too hard to think.
The darkness of the night was comforting to Tartaglia. Even as he walked through the woods, there was nothing to fear, at least not in his eyes. He was strong enough to protect himself and he liked living on the edge like that. It reminded him of his days spent in the abyss, where all of his time was spent fighting strange monsters just to survive. There were rumors of vampires living in these woods, but no one had actually seen one. Tartaglia was pretty sure it was something told to kids to scare them out of going into the woods by themselves.
Fortunately, he is not a child, and he doesn't have to listen to anyone who tries to tell him what he should or shouldn't do.
Not only that, but he could see well in the dark due to having to survive in the abyss for quite some time. Humans may fear the unknown, but Tartaglia has seen it all. There is nothing that scares him anymore.
Not even the rustles in the trees above him. He never saw the movement directly; it was a bit too fast for even Tartaglia to be able to tell what kind of animal was moving around up there. It sounded big though. The thought only excited him. If he got to see it, would it put up a fight? Try to chase him off? Try to kill him? He couldn't help but hum a bit to himself as he continued to walk through the bushes. Why take a trail when you can explore the less traveled parts of the forest? Eventually he sat down at the base of a tree, wondering if the creature would go on its way or stay with him.
The shifting of the leaves seemed to come to a stop. That was enough of an answer for him. He leaned the back of his head against the tree, leaving his neck wide open and closing his eyes. If the creature wasn't a figment of his imagination, he didn't know what else it could be if not the vampire. He wondered if it would take the bait.
He found out rather quickly when he was tackled by someone impossibly fast. Instinctively, he had started to struggle, but when his eyes snapped open, it seemed that he was being straddled by the most beautiful person he'd ever seen in his life. Maybe it was the moonlight or his adrenaline, but either way, the hunger in this man's beautiful eye and the tips of sharp fangs he could see inside slightly parted lips had Tartaglia unwilling to fight at all.
"Go on," the ginger tilted his head back to expose more of his neck. "Do it. I know you want to."
The vampire stared down at him for a moment before lowering his face to take what he was being so generously offered. Both of Childe's hands were firmly held in place by the vampire as his breath ghosted against the side of his neck, close to his ear.
"Don't worry..." The vampire's voice was only slightly more than a whisper. "It isn't going to hurt much." Childe had started to open his mouth in response before he felt the vampire's fangs sink into his sensitive skin. It stung pleasantly, but the sensation quickly faded. He opened his mouth to complain, but his thoughts were stolen from him as his head started to spin. He felt a bit woozy, soon fighting to stay conscious as the vampire's mouth stayed on his neck.
It wasn't that he was afraid of getting kidnapped or killed by the vampire. He simply did not want it to leave. He wanted to hear its lovely voice again, to be able to admire its pretty face. There was much he didn't know about. Much he didn't have time to ponder as his head felt felt like it was being filled with cotton. It became too hard to think.
By the time Tartaglia awoke, the vampire was long gone. The sun shone through the trees and the dappled light highlighted his freckles perfectly. His thoughts were still a bit muddy, but his first coherent one was mourning the loss of the beautiful man that had pinned him down the night before. He brought two fingers up to verify that the wound was real, and that the whole ordeal wasn't something he'd just imagined when he sat down to rest.
But there they were. Two slightly raised bumps far enough from each other to eliminate any other possibility. They were more sore today, to Tartaglia's delight. He gently pushed on them to feel how they stung, to prove that the situation was not just in his head. The information made him giddy. He'd have to come back in a few days' time to see if the vampire would come back again. Oh, who was he kidding, he'd be back again tonight. But for now, he'd hunt some animals to bring home and feed his family.
Clouds slowly clouded the one's sunny sky of any light turning it into a light of grey instead, harsh sets of wind blew alongside the forest trees that surrounded you moving agreesively as leaf's flew all over. Signaling the birds and animals around that there was gonna be an incoming storm.
You couldn't help but shiver at the harsh winds, quickly retiring back from your hike as you tried stalking your way outta there but to no avail. As the tall trees surrounded the area blocking you view of any kind of path especially the one you'd took from the nearest village. Now to only end up lost in the unknown.
As if your day couldn't get any worse small droplets of water began spilling out from the sky, one by one it soon became heavy, while you tried finding an alternative way out.
You're thought's soon halted when the booming sounds of thunder accompanied by even more rain.
Sighing as you felt yourself being drenched in rain water and the coldness by the gust of winds that made their way to you.
Thankfully luck was finally on your side as you began to follow up a small path at the distance that led to an open field, in between stood proudly a large rundown manor that looked like it would've have been something glamorous at it's time or area of prime. Sadly now that's left is a dark and hallow place with over growned weeds that covered the cracked walls and fences making it look somewhat unsettling.
While standing in the pouring you felt a shiver around yourself, quickly gathering your breath before sprinting towards the manor for shelter, then leaning against one of the pillars as you took to catch your breath and shaking yourself rid of any form of water to dry off. You opted to staying outside but after glancing back at the dark clouds you knew it wasn't gonna end anytime soon.
Glancing towards the manor doors instead you too you thought I'd be best to dry instead even though no one lived here the places was basically abandoned so...
But something inside you kept you away from that decision, from all the horror story's you've consumed you're entry. Peering into the darkness you couldn't help but gulp. Stepping into the mansion closing the door behind that left clanking sound. Finally you were inside!
Adjusting your eyes you took in the place/surrounding the place you stood before was a grand entrance in between leading to long stairway, and in the corner left you spotted and old dusty looking couch near a window in the corner that showed the pouring rain outside.
*This was probably some kind of greeting area for guests to wait*
Not opting to wandering around the place you decide to stay where ever where. Unhooking your backpack you placed it against the couch before plopping onto it letting out a large sigh, before slowly drifting off to sleep the only sounds could be heard was the constant clicks of rain droplets against the window and your heartbeat, surprisingly it was peaceful?
But at the same time you couldn't shake off the feeling like you where being watched, somehow it probably was your imagination, it was the case though when you suddenly felt something cold and slender pressed against your hands!?
Your entire body felt numb your eyes closed shut only the thoughts racing inside your head where unbound. Your heartbeat quickened with a set of pearls sliding off the top of your head. The hand started caressing your cheek before slowly trailing down to your exposed collarbone. You wanted to wake up and push away who ever was touching you but couldn't. Like prey being captured by its predator you froze in place to afraid for the outcome.
You then heard a low chuckle, accompanied by the hand placing itself onto your shoulder instead.
bruv i can’t stop thinking ab vampire!kaeya lately……… do you have any thoughts ab him
VAMP KAEYA…. WHEW
vampire!kaeya headcanons
- so allow me to set the scene
- kaeya rarely leaves his big ass vampire mansion, but when autumn rolls around and the whole village comes out to celebrate, he can’t help himself
- especially if the majority of the festivities are held in the evening, when the sun isn’t a problem
- it’s on one of these nights that he sees you for the first time
- and holy shit
- you’re just so… familiar, somehow
- and warm. so warm.
- the two of you hit it off right away. very romantic courting ensues
- but it’s so hard to be close to you
- the urge to drink from you is constant and it’s only getting harder to resist.
- he can’t hurt you. he just can’t.
- so he disappears, back into his big ass vamp mansion
- of course you’re not gonna let that slide. so you start asking around, trying to at least get an idea of where he could be. at least find a place to start.
- it takes a week, but you get the information you need. a bartender at the local pub slides you a paper, along with a shot of whiskey (which is pretty much like drinking rubbing alcohol bc it’s like the 1800s)
- on the paper is a crudely drawn map that leads you through the woods and to a tall, secluded house, just outside of town.
- kaeya smells you before he sees you. as soon as you open the door, he’s on you.
- almost like he has… super speed, or something?
- he’s got you up against the wall, gripping your shoulders tightly, trying to resist the urge he’s been feeling this whole time.
- he opens his mouth to tell you to leave, and you see his fangs
- “oh,” you whisper. he’s breathing heavily, chest heaving with every inhale. you put a soft, warm hand on his cheek, and he shivers at the feeling. he can hear the blood pumping through your veins.
- “you can’t be here,” he says through gritted teeth, “i can’t hurt you.”
- but you aren’t phased. if anything, you saw this coming, because-
- “i’m a hunter,” you say, barely above a whisper.
- suddenly a lot of things make sense. why he hadn’t seen you in town before, why you always dodged his questions about your past, why you seemed so calm walking alone at night.
- “i won’t hurt you,” you say before he can react. there are tears in your eyes. “i.. i can’t.”
- you explain that while you had originally come to town looking to slay the vampire rumored to be lurking in the forest, you had never expected to meet someone like him. to feel the way you do. to be so willing to give yourself to him.
- when you finally pull him closer to you and press your lips to his, it’s like a ticking time bomb finally goes off. he grabs you by the hips, pressing you firmly against the wall, and kisses you dizzy. it’s raw and loving and everything you’ve been craving.
- after a lot of convincing, kaeya finally agrees to drink from you. it’s a roadblock for you both, considering you’ve been slaying vampires; not feeding them. but you know he needs it, and the thought of him desiring you so much that he just can’t resist- well, it’s hot.
- he’s gentle, kissing and sucking at the spot he plans to sink into. relishing in the noises you make when he teases your neck with his mouth, fangs grazing ever so lightly against it.
- when he does sink his teeth into you, it’s a shockingly euphoric sensation. you’d thought it would be painful, but you’ve never felt pleasure so intense in your life. you head spins as he takes what he needs, embarrassingly loud moans escaping your throat. it only lasts a minute, but it feels like a lifetime.
- he pulls away and licks his lips, your blood still dribbling down his chin. “you look.. so beautiful,” he murmurs. he pulls you in for another kiss, the taste of your blood on his tongue. it’s intoxicating.
- “that was incredible,” you say between kisses, “i’ve never felt like that before.”
- you feel him smile into the kiss, his hand traveling slowly between your thighs. “oh, love,” he whispers, “this is only the beginning.”