Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Feb 23, 2009 20:31:28 GMT 1
There were many different kinds of dead. Theoretically as vampires still had brain activity, by modern standards, they weren’t actually dead. Conventional death was generally achieved by the body stopping all functions and – by the vampire’s beliefs – the soul leaving to join whichever eternity they’d earned in life. But the type of dead Dacian had in mind for Silas Rosier was a special sort of dead. After excruciating pain, the vampire wished the wizard’s soul a one way ticket to Hell. Even though he had no standing with the Lord since he joined the Devil’s ranks, Dacian had made more than one plea to the Almighty to send the man’s soul straight into the fires of Hell when he’d delivered all earthly pain unto his mortal body.
It was safe to say, Dacian did not like Silas Rosier.
Dacian had tested the threshold of the club Silas owned and lived in soon after he met the unfortunate man, but it seemed the wizard had been quick to reinforce his threshold to keep him out. Strictly speaking, he should be able to enter the public parts of the club but it seemed only an invitation from the man himself would be enough to break the spell. He’d tried getting an invitation by other means, but it yielded no results.
So Dacian was restricted to stalking the wizard from the outside of the building. That was infuriating, as Silas had taken to never stepping foot outside since that visit in the cemetery a few days ago. Clever, but Dacian was not deterred. He had a handful of decades before old age took the wretched man and when the wizard made a mistake, Dacian would be there to pounce. Vampires were nothing if not unwavering.
The staff door was his favourite target. After the wizard’s little taunting session, Dacian had gathered all information he could and had pegged the staff door as the best hunting place. Staff seldom came out in more than ones or twos, and there were no queuing crowds of pesky witnesses. Dacian could snatch a meal, quickly feed, and the victim would be snoozing off the after affects a few minutes later. Dacian was an efficient hunter, and his meals would be waking up a little confused but able to shuffle back inside for the rest of the night’s work, albeit more prone to headaches and nausea.
It wouldn’t be long before Rosier realised what epidemic was sweeping through his employees, so the vampire would have to refrain from feeding here for a little while after tonight so he wasn’t raising suspicions. It was a pity, Scores was the perfect place to hunt. There was only one redeeming feature about Silas Rosier: he had a good taste in women.
Standing just out of sight of the staff door, Dacian waited for the opening of the door. In a matter of time, his next meal would be practically walking into his arms. His keen hearing trained on the inside, he heard the clunk of shoes on the wooden floor just inside. Surprisingly, it wasn't the usual tip-tap of high heels, but more like boots. The footsteps were female, however, so Dacian would not be getting any unfortunate surprises.
The door swung open outward – it was a fire door – and as soon as it shut, Dacian struck. In typical fashion, his left hand clamped over the victim’s mouth and his right arm wrapped around the girl’s waist. From behind, the prey saw nothing and before their heartbeat could step up more than a few notches, his teeth were buried in the curve between shoulder and neck and the victim was limp from his sedative saliva.
He first noticed the taste of the blood and then as a chill ran up his spine, the scent of her. He let go quickly, carefully turning the girl’s head. The confirmation of who he held hit him like a punch in his gut, and the blood turned sour in his mouth. The vampire stared in disbelief. Why was she here? Why the staff door? Why a strip club? His incredulity turned to anger and he quickly sealed up the neat punctures he had made in her skin. By rights, he should leave her out in the alley to think she had tripped or fallen but Dacian was not leaving her here to get cold, or to return inside. If Dacian had anything to do with it, she would never set foot inside there again.
Glad his left arm was well enough to carry her, he scooped her up in his arms like a sleeping child and using all the hidden backstreets, took her away from the club.
Dacian has explored much of the unused parts of the village in recent nights, and he headed toward somewhere he knew to be warm and presently deserted. The Quiddich stadium was a modest place, and the changing rooms while not glamorous were serviceable. It was well maintained, easy to get into, and more importantly, had showers. Dacian had lived in crypts and caves since leaving the Three Broomsticks, and while vanity was not usually a strong trait in the vampire, he did not want to lecture Cassie on the evils of when she’d been doing while looking as if he’d been living in a field for the last week and a half.
During the short journey, Dacian had to bite Cassie once more. The sedative affect of his saliva only lasted so long, and he’s barely bitten Cassie before he’s realised it was her. After all the time he’d spent with her, he’d never bitten her, and it was with conflicting thoughts in turmoil that he did it. He drew as little blood as possible, though by the time he had led her down on one of the slatted wooden benches in the men’s changing rooms at the stadium, he was feeling particularly wretched.
She began to stir again as he was looking down on her, and he quickly dosed her again. If he was going to subject himself to this again, he was doing it while looking just as well-groomed as her. It hadn’t escaped his attention that she wore a skirt, baring her legs below the knee until her boots covered them again at mid-shin. Alone with the chequered shirt, it seemed Scores had been holing a cowboys-themed night. She was more modest than the other girl’s he had snacked on, and she looked lovely, but the fact that she was even there in the first place ruined the effect.
Absently checking her pulse and satisfied at its steady rate, he reluctantly left her to sleep off the rest of the sedative after folding a discarded cloak to act as a pillow which he placed under her head. Those perfect wavy locks made his hand ache to run his fingers through them. He knew how they would feel, and it was with great disinclination that he left her to make use of the showers.
The water was almost scolding hot on his skin, yet he turned it up as hot as he could manage. Subconsciously, he did not want to be as cold as stone when Cassie awoke and so the hot water would warm him to a more human temperature. Since leaving her, he had avoided seeing her though visiting the Hogs Head every night to tend to Vivian gave him daily doses of her scent. He couldn’t avoid her, and so it was impossible to forget her and that was something he wanted to do very much. She had an uncanny hold on him which he was both bitter and fascinated over. He was torn between wanting to destroy it and cultivate it.
Despite his best efforts, all he could think about was her as he stood under the water for longer than he thought. Stepping out, he could now hear Cassie’s heartbeat and breathing without the falling water to deafen him. The faster rate suggested she was waking, and he hurried to secure a towel around his waist. His eyes secured on her as he rounded the corner from the shower block and he was surprised to see her waking. He’d intended to be dressed by the time that happened, so being caught in just a towel was less debonair than he wanted.
He had a brief moment to just watch her before she came round to her senses, and he made the most of it. Figuring that approaching might not be well received, he lingered in the open archway, leaning on the tiled wall, feeling the chill of it though his heated skin. It was soothing to feel warm as though it was not a necessity, it was a mortal pleasure that you took for granted when it was no longer there.
Stood in just a towel, he would soon lose the heat but he took comfort in the fact that one of the few things he did believe about her was that she did find him attractive. It was impossible to fake the way her pupils dilated when she looked at him, the speeding of her heart and the subtle hint in her scent that suggested hormones at play. Perhaps confronting her like this would put the ball in his court. It would certainly make the exchange more entertaining.
He remembered he should have been angry at her. She had brought his self-control to its metaphorical knees and gave it a few good kicks in a sensitive area, yet he couldn’t muster it. Just looking at her made it difficult. The vampire had a crooked smile on his face as he looked at her that he tried to quell but just couldn’t quite manage it. Despite the pain and the grief, he missed her. She had taken him in, tended to him like some lost stray, and most importantly, hadn’t tried to kill him. Dacian appreciated than in a woman.
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Post by Cassie Vimes on Feb 23, 2009 20:53:26 GMT 1
Two firewhiskeys, a shot of that black stuff and a butterbeer for that weedy guy at the back. Or was it three firewhiskeys? Cassie sighed, using her wand to levitate another tumbler of whiskey onto the already over-filled tray balanced on her left arm. Better safe than sorry, she could always hold onto it until one of them ordered a refill. It was inevitable. Instead of going straight back out into the club she set the tray onto the bar and flexed the fingers of her left hand, shaking her arm out.
Carrying a tray for a straight shift was hard work. Every time she worked as a waitress she always vowed never again. And yet here she was, doing it all over again. She was hot, her feet hurt, her arms ached and the orders she brought back never seemed to be quite right. At least she was too busy to think about… Cassie’s brow furrowed into a small frown. She wasn’t going to fall into that trap. Picking up her tray again she walked out into the club, plastering on that fake ‘yes I really am pleased to be bringing you your drink, sir’ smile.
Cassie had learned two very important lessons during the couple of days she’d spent working at Scores. One; don’t let patrons tip you with drinks and two; skirts were always a bad idea. Always. She gave the guy who always tried to slap her arse as she walked past a wide birth. What, did he think she was going to forget when he’d tried it at least a dozen times already? The first time Cassie had to remind herself that crippling customers was generally frowned upon. Even if he was a total sleazebag.
Her drinks delivered to the right people, her tray a lot lighter and a generous tip in her pocket, Cassie made her way over to the back door of the club. She needed air and a break from the thumping base of the dancer’s music that she was pretty sure had permanently scrambled her brains. Slipping out into the cool evening air she let out a sigh of relief. Cassie had never thought she be pleased to be outside in winter, but the chill was nice for now and as the door closed the silencing charms did their job by cutting out all noise from inside the pub.
A strong hand pressed over her mouth, yanking her back as the other arm wrapped tightly around her waist, cutting off any chance of escape. The scream Cassie hadn’t even had time to form died to no more than a frightened whimper, her heartbeat speeding up with fear as she brought her arm up to try and claw at the hand pressed firmly over her lips. She didn’t have time to criticise Silas’s security measure, or comprehend the significance of the teeth sinking into her neck before she began to feel groggy, her pathetic attempt at a struggle growing steadily weaker until she slumped against her attacker.
~
Cassie woke with a start, her elbow slamming painfully into something hard and wooden as she reached up to clutch at her neck. Why had she done that? Had she fainted? She was lying down on something hard and her head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton wool. Cassie sat up, far too quickly she discovered as a wave of dizziness washed over her and she moved her hand from her neck to her forehead as though that would help hold her brain in.
Her heart gave a leap of alarm as she opened her eyes groggily. Where was she? At least the world seemed to stop spinning now that she had the floor to focus on. Slowly she took stock of her surroundings, stifling a gasp as she caught sight of the man standing not far off. Dacian! The fear melted into pleasure. No matter how many times she was warned Cassie still found it impossible to stay frightened for long.
Dacian in a towel. Dacian with moisture still clinging to his skin, with his hair all wet and that crooked smile quirking his lips. Cassie still felt fuzzy and confused. She should be freaking out. Where was she? Why was she here? ”What?” She managed, brow furrowing as she tried to make sense of the situation. The last thing she remembered was taking a break from work. Oh crap! She was so going to get fired! [/font]
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Feb 23, 2009 21:32:21 GMT 1
How was it that Cassie managed to make confusion cute? Usually it was just frustrating, but the way her nose wrinkled and the furrow on her brow was, for lack of a better word, adorable. His smile lingered, and he couldn’t suppress it. She might have betrayed him, abandoned him for a lesser man, but she still appealed to him. Besides, it wasn’t as if he’d been nice about it all. He could have handled it less like a child with a foul vocabulary.
She started to sit up, and he straightened a little. She shouldn’t be moving quite so soon after a bite, it generally led to nausea and he didn’t want to be cleaning her up now he was nice and clean. Than again, she might be a little drowsy and would need a helping hand in the shower. He closed his eyes tightly, banishing that image. This was not the time for that.
Cassie managed a groggy ‘what?’ and Dacian padded across the room to kneel in front of her. He put a hand to each cheek, keeping her head still. “Stop moving, you’ll make it worse.” He said softly, surprised at the ease with which his lingering anger was slipping away. This close, it was hard to remember why he was angry in the first place. He brushed her hair back from her face, carefully watching her face for signs of discomfort. Knelt like this, he had to look up a little to catch her gaze.
He had promised on one of their first meetings he would never hurt her, and here he was checking she was recovering well from three bites in quick succession. He looked mildly guilty as he examined her. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled, his left hand – the skin mostly healed compared to when she had last seen it – carefully touching the bites on the right side of her neck. “It… was a mistake.” He wasn't sure if she would or could believe him, but he hadn’t known it was her until he’d tasted her. She shouldn’t of been there in the first place, so technically it was her fault as well as his.
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Post by Cassie Vimes on Feb 23, 2009 22:53:16 GMT 1
Cassie couldn’t even wrap her head around what was going on, let alone think about what had happened the last time she saw Dacian. She felt drowsy, her stomach churning in protest at every move she made. For some reason it became a priority that she didn’t throw up on her shoes. She liked these boots, real leather, patterns stitched up the sides. It Dacian came over that would probably help she decided groggily. Even after everything she still wanted to be near him.
And then his hand was on her cheek, a little gasp escaped her lips. He was warm, that steady hold seemed to slow her heart, suppress the last vestiges fear and calm her churning stomach. She watched him, her eyes following a droplet of water that rolled from his chin, down his throat to settle in the groove between his collarbones. She felt so tired, it would be so easy to just lean forwards, nuzzle into his neck and go back to sleep.
His voice sounded muffled, far away. Why was he even here? She’d thought she was never going to see him again. Why was he being so nice to her? The cold expression on his face flashed briefly before her eyes and she shivered. ”Mistake?” She echoed. His hand was on her neck, the same place she’d clutched as she woke. ”What happened?” Even as she asked the answer popped into her head. He was a vampire, what other kind of mistake was there?
”You…” Cassie’s eyes widened in surprise and she leaned away from him, hurt, betrayal, fear building uncontrollably. At the movement nausea rolled through her again, her vision blurred, though she couldn’t tell if it was because she was still light-headed or because there were tears in her eyes. How did he always manage to make her cry? ”You bit me!” She stuttered, her hand slipping beneath his to feel for the marks, the barest twist of scar tissue beneath her fingertips. Was this revenge? [/font]
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Feb 23, 2009 23:51:41 GMT 1
Dacian looked chagrined, sitting back on his heels. He let his hand drop as hers pushed under it to feel the evidence. The disbelief written across her face brought the guilt to new heights. He truly hadn’t meant to bite her. If he had known it was her, he wouldn’t have. The realisation dawning on her face had struck deep, and he hadn’t experienced remorse like that in a fair while. She was just like any other human; he shouldn’t feel responsible for biting her, it was his nature. Somehow, Cassie had evaded the classification as food not long after meeting her, and he couldn’t help but feel bad.
“I bit you.” He confirmed, the words bitter on his tongue. “I’m sorry.” He said again, hands unsure of where to sit. He started by putting them on the bench either side of her, but he moved his left to sit on her knee after a moment. Not touching her seemed to dull his sincerity. “I didn’t realise until it was too late. I didn’t know it was you.” His gaze found it hard to look at her with that expression of utter dismay on her face. She was starting to exude fear, and Dacian was lost on how to stop that. Generally he was excellent at causing fear, just not so apt at calming it.
“Cassie, I stopped as soon as I realised. I wouldn’t have bitten you on purpose.” He seemed earnest; his dark eyes were worried as they flickered across her face, unable to keep eye-contact. He bit his lip (carefully) to refrain from mentioning that it was partly her fault. He was socially intelligent enough to know that probably wouldn’t help right now. He could save that for later when he laid into her about working at Silas Rosier’s strip club.
His hand tentatively squeezed her knee as he tried to convince her of his innocence. “Please? I wouldn’t be trying to apologise if I had meant it, would I?” Hopefully that snippet of logic would hold back the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. He wasn’t angry enough to ignore them this time.
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Post by Cassie Vimes on Feb 24, 2009 0:41:38 GMT 1
Cassie wanted to be angry, wanted feel that fury burning in her gut. She struggled to find hateful words to throw at him, so that he could feel a taste of that bitter rejection that had struck so deep in her a week before. Instead she let the words of his apology slip over her, soothing the hurt of a broken promise, slowing her frantic heart. It was too hard to think right now, and sweet relief that he would even talk to her, look at her, made it impossible to muster up more than mild irritation.
She tried to follow his darting gaze, but she was still too hazy to do so without feeling sick again. Instead she let out a little frustrated sound low in her throat and reach for his shoulder so she could pull him forwards and rest her forehead against his. He eyes fluttered closed, much better. Cassie could concentrate on the feel of his strangely warm skin beneath her fingertips. That was new. New and much appreciated. She hated the cold.
”No, you wouldn’t.” She agreed slowly. The strange flu that had been spreading through the girls at work. That had been Dacian, she realised. ”I’d be back in the alley, in the cold, sick and alone.” It was easier to feel angry at him for the other girls. She deserved this, she’d been warned and chose him anyway. They hadn’t stood a chance, still didn’t know what had happened. Perhaps she should tell Silas, but an angry mob baying for Dacian’s blood filled her with cold fear. She’d already lost him once.
”Why my work?” Cassie asked, growing suspicious. ”Have you been following me?” Perhaps that was just wishful thinking. She wanted to believe Dacian had been close to her. That he’d been lying when he walked away and said not to look back. She dropped her other hand to settle over his on her knee. He was so close, so warm and he wasn’t angry. She gave a little contented sigh, a smile ghosting over her lips. If she’d known it would only take a bite to secure forgiveness she would have tried it a long time ago. Although the nausea and feeling that her brain had been scrambled wasn’t all that fun. [/font]
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Feb 24, 2009 1:11:12 GMT 1
He gratefully leaned in as her hand came to rest on her shoulder. He rose to his knees again, finding comfort in the feel of her skin on his but it was strange that she felt only slightly warmer than him now. He made the slightest noise of contentment, and let his eyes close with hers. He moved as close as he could to the bench, gently resting his right arm along her thigh, his hand resting on her hip. Her fingers played with the bare skin on his shoulder, and he wondered if she noticed his warmth though knowing Cassie’s penchant for heat, probably.
Half-embraced like this, he’d forgotten completely their recent past, slipping into the older habits they had started to learn before that night she returned to Edward. “I know how much you hate the cold. I wouldn’t have left you.” He’d been referring to the incident just previously, but he supposed with a stab of a memory that it applied to their previous time together too. He slipped his left hand under the fabric of her skirt, enjoying the soft skin of her lower thigh underneath. He didn’t want to think about what had happened before.
“I wasn’t following you. It was just a coincidence. Would you have wanted me to? Have followed you, that is.” He looked up a little so their noses could meet. Any excuse to feel more of her against him, it was just happenstance that it brought their lips closer together. A smile played across his as he remembered their deal. He spoke lowly, softly. “I should have, Scores is no place for you. I would have dragged you away sooner had I known.” His tone was hardly threatening, but there was a sternness about it that betrayed his displeasure with the situation.
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Post by Cassie Vimes on Feb 24, 2009 2:27:39 GMT 1
Dacian pressed closer and Cassie’s heart gave a thrilled lurch, giving her away and ruining any attempt at indifference she might have tried to portray at his proximity. His arm along her thigh reminded her of the blissful week they’d spent holed up away from the world in her room. She wanted that back. No pressure, no guilt about betraying Edward, no fear that he might bite her. Free to indulge in him as much as she wanted. Free to kiss those lips whenever she wanted.
At his words she stiffened a little. He had left her in the cold. ’Turn away. Go to him. Don’t look back… I’ll give you demonstration.’ Cassie shivered, swallowing back the lump that had formed in her throat. That had been then, this time he was still here, still close. The gentle brush of his fingers beneath the hem of her skirt reminded her of that and her breath hitched far too easily at the touch. Dacian had said she was playing games. He was the one that so easily draw emotion from her.
”Maybe,” She said with a sly smile, revelling in the way his breath ghosted across her lips as he spoke. It would be so easy to tilt her head, close that gap between them. Cassie was feeling giddy again, but this time she didn’t think it had anything to do with the blood loss. She let out an annoyed huff as he spoke again. Well that effectively ruined the mood, she felt like a child being berated by her dad. It didn’t really surprise her that he’d had the same aversion to her working at the club as Ed.
”Oh please,” Cassie rolled her eyes. ”I’m I big girl. I can choose where I work.” A little of that stubborn streak was slipping back, she was willing to push back a little again now that she was growing more certain the cold anger wouldn’t return. ”Besides, I’m only a waitress. Can you really imagine me volunteering to take my clothes off in the middle of winter?” She scoffed, lifting her other hand to link her fingers behind his neck. [/font]
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Dacian
Vampire (A)
Creature of the Night
Posts: 330
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Post by Dacian on Feb 24, 2009 11:00:55 GMT 1
He was having an effect on her, and it was contagious. The more she reacted, the more it encouraged him to entice more of the same. His mind wandered to such times that they had both driven each other almost insane with need and only the fact of his injury kept their clothes on. His eyes opened and he her see the hunger for her brewing there. He’d be lying if it wasn’t at all about her blood. That brief taste returned to him, and he did want more, but currently there were other parts of her he wanted that took precedence.
It seemed the heated started to fade at the mention of his dislike for her new career, and he felt compelled to rekindle it. Metaphors about banking the fire until morning could wait for later. For now, he wanted enough tension to make his little interrogation better received. It would be cheating, but convincing Cassie that taking her clothes off for a living was not a good idea.
His left hand inched a few degrees up her thigh, his thumb gently stroking the delicate softer skin on the inside. In their week together, trousers had remained strictly in place. Jeans were an effective chastity belt. Skirts were too much of a temptation and dressed in just a towel himself, he could see this conversation losing all focus. He’d better get it over with, then.
“The way I see it, you’re only half dressed now.” He eased his remark by deliberately licking his lips. “Are you confident you wouldn’t be coerced into losing a few more layers?” Of course he was referring to Silas warping those oily words around her and somehow making it seem like a good idea to undress for money, but the way in which he said it implied heavily that there were other interested parties.
What was that saying? Absence made the heart grow fonder? Absence certainly made other things fonder, though he supposed his heart might have joined in the longing had it not died with his body. He’d missed Cassie, in more ways than one, and now rather than resuming their last conversation, it was much more pleasing to play this old game again.
The game had originally been about infuriating Edward, but then it had evolved into something else. Somewhere along the way, he’d lost sight of the objective and then Cassie had stopped playing. Resuming it now, Dacian had a new endgame, and it strictly did not include Edward. This was about sating each other with no distractions and no excuses.
In the back on his mind, something niggled. His reaction to her leaving had been in response to his obsession with her being thwarted. Indulging in this little diversion was going to flare it up again, and the logical part of him knew it would be harder than before to walk away. He should have been worried by the way she affected him, but it was an undeniable thing and now there was no reason not to let fate have its way.
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Post by Cassie Vimes on Feb 24, 2009 23:29:05 GMT 1
Dacian’s hand slipped further beneath her skirt and Cassie’s eyes flicked open as his thumb explored the skin of her thigh. From this close, their foreheads pressed together, her view of him was little more than a blur of dark eyes. She leaned away, wanting to see his expression clearly, hoping for a hint of that desire she’d grown used to before. Instead she was hit with a wave of nausea and Cassie put a hand to her forehead once more, the fingers of her other hand digging into his shoulder a little to keep her from swaying.
It wasn’t fair. She was having a hard enough time thinking straight as it was and with the added, but welcome, distraction of his hands on her Cassie could barely find the words to try and convince him working at Scores wasn’t all that bad. Ed had tried the same trick going around looking all pouty and kissable when she announced exactly where she’d be working. With Ed she hadn’t just lost a pint or two of blood and been dosed with potent vampire saliva though.
”Rich coming from you.” She murmured, gaze running deliberately down his torso to settle on the towel slung loosely about his hips. Compared to him Cassie was a virtual nun. ”I wouldn’t.” She told him firmly. ”Not for money.” It wasn’t like she was even remotely close to being broke, it was just easier to get a job sooner rather than when she ran out of money. Besides there was only so many times she could drag Ed away from work of an evening to keep her entertained.
A sly smile slipped onto her lips. ”But for the right man?” The look in her eyes left no doubt about who the right man was. ”Definitely.” She was sure she should be more annoyed that Dacian had bitten her and kidnapped her in the middle of her shift, she still wasn’t even sure where she was, but she was just so thrilled to see him. More importantly he was close and intimate and warm. ”I missed you.” [/font]
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