A/N: I was pleased to see how many loyal SebMass I had on the last chapter! Glad to see a new face doesn't stir your heart away so quickly. Let's hope it lasts through this chapter *chuckle* Mebbie all the way!

[39] Theo

His eyes flooded with shock before molding itself into one of clear interest. A small smile graced his lips. "It's been a mighty long time since I've been gifted the opportunity to meet one with matura, a beautiful one as well might I add. Now I really want to be your friend, Candy."

Massie started to regret her rashness in pulling on his collar. He seemed to appreciate their close proximity. As a matter of fact, he was getting closer.

"Stop calling me Candy," she demanded, growing irritated with the nickname. "I know you're a vampire."

"How astute of you, Candy." He said, emphasizing the name to further irk her. "I'm glad there's a brain in that human skull of yours. I'm impressed you know what I am." He chuckled, his head tilting with wayward thoughts. "Though I do guess I made it quite obvious."

"I've been told about your kind by my friends, they're werewolves."

"I prefer to be referred to as Theo, as that is my given name."

Massie scrunched her nose. What a weird name. "You sound ancient." She babbled the first thing that came to her mind, and was rewarded with a hurt pout from said man. Whether she hurt his feelings or not she didn't care. She didn't appreciate being induced to fainting.

"You wound me." He placed his hand above hers and began to disband her fingers from his collar. The material remained slightly crumpled.

Massie was about to reply when they were interrupted by shrill, female voice. "I've been looking for you all morning!"

Massie felt herself being shoved as a short brunette pulled Theo into an affectionate hug.

Massie instantly recognized her as the chick he had sunk his fangs to. Judging by the off-the-shoulder shirt she sported, there was no markings on her neck that gave way to anything the man had done. At least she knew they were as harmless as she learned them to be.

"Hey Sugar, I had a late morning. Here, I'll introduce you to my new friend— Candy." He motioned to the purple-eyed beauty.

Massie stuck her hand out to shake, but the girl merely acknowledged it with disgust. Deciding she was not worth more than a passing regard, she fixed her attention back to the dark-haired Adonis. "You weren't in my room when I woke up, I expected you to stay after such a fun night."

She gave Massie a victorious smile after mentioning the last two words, as though lording something over her. Massie yawned at her obvious display of possessiveness.

Theo shrugged. "Sorry Sugar, I had some things to attend to."

"Will I see you again tonight?

At this he smiled rakishly. "You might, I'll meet with you later after spending some time with Candy."

"Fine." Though her voice indicated she felt anything but. After sending Massie a withering glare, she stomped off. Massie could see dark fumes rise above her like a boiling volcano.

Running her fingers through her hair, she regarded the vampire. "Do you have a habit of naming women after sweet things?" She finally said. She highly doubted that girl's name was 'Sugar'.

"Why do you say that Candy, does it make you feel less important?" He grabbed a hand of hers and kissed it. Massie let him, she already knew his type.

"She has no bite mark," she stated, purposely ignoring his question. Quite frankly, she didn't care what the man called her.

"I guess your werewolf friends didn't tell you much of our kind. Let's go get some breakfast and I'll be more than happy to tell you. Maybe then you will be inclined to marry me and move to my estate."

Massie almost laughed. They were also as ready to marry as she had heard. She thought James had been exaggerating when he mentioned they do quick marriages when they find matura females. The downside is they were allowed to have multiple wives.

"Are any of the two girls I've seen you with your wife?" Massie asked him this after they retrieved a plate full of food.

Theo stuffed his mouth with bacon before shaking his head. "I don't have a wife yet. You're the third matura I've ever met in my eighty years of life."

Interesting, so he was actually a young vampire. He didn't look a day over twenty-five. Theo began to openly inform her of his kind. Some she had already heard, but other things she hadn't known, such as the fact that he could bite someone without leaving a mark. The more interesting thing to know was that vampires didn't take blood for the taste. The bottom of their teeth had actual blood vessels that pulled the liquid into their system to replace the rapidly aging blood cells. They sucked blood not for the taste, put for the feeling it gave them depending on the quality once it entered their system. Apparently matura blood gave the best feelings of all.

"Don't get any ideas." Massie said, noting how he was staring at her neck rather appreciatively.

He was quick to mention he enjoyed the slope of her neck equally as much as the slope of her breasts. Massie was quick to tell him her reason for coming on this cruise. The least she needed was this vampire thinking her friendliness meant she was available. Her heart was not ready for any sort of relationship.

"It's a shame your heart is someone else's. I don't mind being the rebound, Candy. At least not for a bit."

Massie giggled. Theo was extraordinarily playful yet childishly serious at the same time. "Aren't you moving a bit too fast? You should figure out the kind of woman you're chasing before you ask something so quickly."

Theo shrugged. "I love women in general. Contrary to what most men think, I don't think you're that hard to please." He gave her one of his panty-dropping smiles that would have worked on any unsuspecting woman but was an easy fail on her.

"I hope the next matura girl you find is free for the taking. You're not too bad." Massie complimented.

Theo whined over the fact that she didn't properly supplement his ego. He much preferred 'dashing' and 'charming' over her lacking adjective. The rest of the morning was passed with surprising ease. She hadn't realized how lonely it felt on the cruise until she spent the remainder of the day in his company. There were a couple times at the pool where he would leave her to flirt with another random chick, but he would always come back to her after a few minutes.

"Did that make you jealous Candy?"

"Of course not, you bafoon."

He pouted. Massie passed a hand over his wet hair. He was like a little puppy. A tall, masculine, good-looking puppy. He was especially interesting when a waiter had come by to offer her a drink. In his hastiness, the waiter ended up dropping the glass. The smell of piña colada invaded her senses, and immediately her own waiter senses took over. She foolishly began to pick the sharp shards in attempt to help the nervous boy, but it ended up with her accidently cutting herself rather deeply.

This made the waiter even more panicky as apparently he had a strange aversion to blood. Theo couldn't be more different. His blue eyes glowed and continuously wandered from her face to her injured digit.

"Can I lick it?" He finally asked, once the waiter left with a miniature version of a broom and dustpan.

"I thought you said you didn't taste it, only felt it."

Theo opened his mouth to reveal the underside of his tongue. Massie didn't notice anything different, but he explained he had tiny vessels there too.

"They open and absorb the blood if I lick it." He explained.

Massie pondered his request. The idea wouldn't hurt. And besides, it was only just her finger. Theo seemed to take note of her unperturbed expression and got excited.

"No." Then she smirked and leaned back to get more sun. Rejecting men was fun. Practice makes perfect, right?

It was the last day before she had to return home, and the cruise had made a pit stop in Puerto Rico before they reached the Florida shores. Up until today, Theo had occupied the greater part of her vacation. In the mornings he met her for breakfast, and at night they indulged in one of the many activities the cruise provided. Some of them required paying additional out-of-pocket money as they were not included in the average cruise package, but Theo was more than prepared to pay. While he was a womanizer, he was a gentleman in every other sense.

The stop in Puerto Rico afforded them a large, extravagant mall open to tourists. They just had to return before nightfall otherwise risk the cruise leaving without them. As they walked around the shopping area Massie paused in front of a clothing store. The display held beautiful casual dresses and form-fitting outfits. Because this mall would cater to tourists, it was guaranteed to be more expensive, but maybe she could grab a dress or two.

"Let's go in there," she said redirected them inside the store.

Theo assessed it with clear distaste. "Shopping is not my cup of tea, you females take forever," he refuted, frozen to his spot. Massie continued to pull on his hands with much effort but he remained unmoving.

"Please," Massie begged, grabbing a hold of his shoulders and shaking him.

Theo remained disinterested. "That sounds like an awful lot of work."

Massie configured what she could possibly do to get him to comply. A lightbulb flashed in her head, and her eyes shined with glee. "I'll let you suck on my finger for two hours." To make the offer more tantalizing, she wiggled her index finger in his line of vision.

His eyes followed them, mesmerized. His voice was darker as he addressed her. "Why, Candy. This is indeed something I will not refuse."

Massie smiled victoriously. "Let's go!" This time when she pulled him, he easily gave in and followed her.

When they entered the store Theo's tall figure garnered a couple of admiring gazes. He winked at a cute brunette who stared at him for an extended period of time. The girl blushed in embarrassment and pretended to look through a rack of shirts. Massie bee-lined to the area of dresses. She wanted something that would be form-fitting and compliment her curvy figure. Something that would make a man succumb to his baser instincts. Deep down, she knew who she had a certain golden-eyed man in mind but she pretended it was only for herself.

Inside the fitting room, the first one she tried was a purple one that cinched at the waist and flowed loosely to mid-thigh. When she walked, the dress moved after her, and the thin material moved appreciatively with her movement. Yes, this was perfect. The second one was a yellow sundress that made her look like a rectangle. She immediately took it off, displeased with how it made her figure. The third one was a plain olive green dressed that also accentuated her small waist, but unlike the purple one it hugged her behind and remained fixed on her knees. A small slit on the side exposed some thigh. Now this was definitely a winner. Pleased with her two findings, she put away the yellow one, but kept the other two. A quick glance at the price tags had her frown. She would only be able to afford one.

Unless...

Looking around the store, she was not surprised to find Theo busily talking with the brunette from earlier. "Theo." She called.

If it were any regular person, they probably would not have heard her, but like a puppy responding to its owner, Theo lifted his attention from the girl with him and said a rushed goodbye before joining her, much to the girl's annoyance. He rubbed his nose against her cheek. "I gotta say this dress really suits you."

Massie smiled mischievously. "Well, your sweet Candy needs money for this dress, do you have cash on you?"

Theo handed her his wallet. Massie cooed happily at his unrestrained willingness. Opening his wallet, she found numerous hundred-dollar bills and a couple of debit cards. "Sheesh Teddy, why do you have all this money. Are you like, rich or something?"

Theo scratched his chin. "My family manages a couple of businesses, so I have more money than I know to do with."

Massie beamed. "Perfect, then you can buy both of my dresses. You can be my sugar daddy for this vacation." Massie clapped her hands. She was probably taking advantage of his goodness, but who cares?

Theo threw his head back and laughed. "Whatever you want."

Changing back into her clothes, Massie grabbed her two favored dresses and brought them to the register. Theo stayed close behind her, this time deciding not to be a flirt with any other passing girl. After paying in full and receiving her items in a cute bag, Massie returned Theo his wallet and opted to hold his hand as they exited out. To any other outsider, they would appear to be a couple, but truly Massie was just thankful to have a good, generous friend.

Massie sat on Theo's lap as they watched the old version of Dracula. Theo was clearly much more entertained by having her finger in his mouth. A side glance gave her the image of him sucking her finger with an expression of pure content, it amazed her to see him so enthralled with her blood. Feeling her gaze, his eyes shot up to meet hers. They were filled with bright swirls of blue that shined even in the darkness of this room. What an interesting creature, this color only popped up when he was taking blood or compelling someone.

His eyes gleamed wickedly. She felt his tongue caress her finger as he pulled her tighter against him. "What, Candy? Are you reconsidering my marriage proposal?"

If she hadn't been so immersed in Sebastian and met him first, she probably would have given him a chance. Theo was handsome and very much taken with her. She sighed, she refused to lead Theo on when she knew her heart was elsewhere. Maybe in the future when she got over Sebastian, she would revisit him now that she knew where he lived.

Rather than answer him, she rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the movie. Tomorrow she would be returning to Dark Falls. A part of her hoped Sebastian took great notice of her absence and even missed her. Another part wanted to not care and mind her own business. She found it quite annoying how her heart refused to heal on her terms. Yet...a part of her wanted him to suffer the way she did.

A sinister idea coming to mind, she fixed her attention to Theo. "Teddy, I want you to bite my neck. Hard."

Massie felt her finger drop from his lips. Much to her surprise, Theo's gaze was concerned. "Candy. What's wrong?"

Massie shifted uncomfortably on his lap, she didn't expect him to ask that. "Nothing is wrong. You did me a favor in buying me those expensive dresses, so why not? Besides, I want to know what it feels like."

Theo shook his head. "I need nothing as payment for those dresses. I bought them for you because I wanted to." Theo caught her wrist and kissed the inside of her hand. "You can tell me, I'm your friend."

Massie groaned, she felt slightly pathetic for even planning this. "I'm going back home tomorrow and I want my ex-lover to think I'm over him," she admitted grudgingly, hiding her face in his chest.

Theo laughed, she felt his chest vibrate beneath her ears. "If you were any other person I would happily say yes, but unfortunately for you, I will refuse."

Massie pulled away from him. "Why not?!" She knew he enjoyed drinking her blood.

Theo took a large breath. "To be honest, I know we're friends and everything, but at the end of the day you still have matura. You're a nice catch Candy, and at any point while drinking your blood I might accidently mark you as my own."

Massie pouted. "That's not true Teddy, you have great self-control. Please! Just do it. I don't care if you accidently mark me," she said desperately, not realizing the weight of her words.

"Time for you to go to bed and sleep over this." Theo started to push her off his lap. "Gosh, who said being the good guy was fun?" He mumbled to himself.

Unwilling to lose this battle, Massie began to lift up her shirt in order to expose her neck. She could care less if he saw her bra, wasn't a bikini essentially the same thing? Taking note of her plan, Theo's hand went up to cover his eyes. "Oh, no. Don't be doing that Candy. Put on your shirt!" He commanded sternly.

For a moment Massie was blown away at his sudden care for propriety. Wasn't he the one that easily flirted and slept with a number of girls on the boat. Why was he acting all proper now? Frustrated, she peeled off his fingers. After some resistance, his fingers finally gave way. When he opened his eyes she was meet with glowing blue dots. Theo seemed to be a war against himself. The blue would come and disappear.

Massie pulled her hair to one side to expose her neck. "I know you want to. Just do it," she urged. She grabbed the back of his head and drew his mouth to her neck.

She felt his teeth graze her skin, warning. "I hope you don't come to regret this."

"I won't." The moment these words left her lips she felt a sharp pain. Massie closed her eyes as the sensation progressively dulled. It felt odd having his fang in her, the gesture felt morbidly intimate.

After a few moments she felt his fangs retract. He finished by licking her skin at the open wound. Finally, he pulled his face away from her. His eyes were still blue, and slowly spinning. "Massie, you are going to be the death of me." He murmured.

It was her turn to laugh. Though she figured he must have been serious since he said her actual name. She kissed his cheek in gratitude. "Thank you, my sweet Teddy Bear."

"Yeah, yeah. Now put your shirt on Candy, unless you want me to lose control in a different way."

Deciding not to be a further hassle, Massie quickly threw her shirt over her head. She didn't miss the hand under his chin, or the slight tilt of his head. He was perplexed.

"What's the matter?"

Theo's tongue swept over his fangs. "You told me that wereman rejected you, that he didn't want you."

Massie scrunched her brows. "Well...yeah. He didn't talk to me for a whole week and then some."

Theo's eyes met hers, the blue gleam from them gone and returned to normal. "I don't believe that. I felt it. Even if I wanted to mark you I wouldn't be able to. There was a blockage. No one can mark you without his permission."