Nolan was drifting weightless in the blackness of nothing. Half-forgotten memories swirled languidly around him like snakes made of mist and silk. Fragments of broken conversation made their way through his mind.

"We are better than the barbaric simpletons beyond the great seas." He heard himself speaking in an ancient language not even the elves remembered. "We do not turn away an intelligent being, just because they are different."

He stood at the precipice of the westernmost cliff of his lands, staring out at the descent of a much younger sun. Or maybe it just looked that way through the eyes of a much younger man. Behind him, a young girl with his eyes chased after her dragonkin nurse and tripped on an uneven stone. She picked herself back up, brushed the dirt off her torn skirt, and rushed at the female, undeterred by her bloodied knee.

"I am like you, Yfeerie," Said another voice, tinged with the hint of trained aristocracy. Blood red eyes swam before him before fading away again. "I am blessed by one of the dragons. With out the great Luna, the sun would char my flesh, and I would not be able to control my appetite."

"What have you done to me?"

"I couldn't let you die!"

"You have ruined me! I was never meant to be this!"

Out of the darkness, a large, bronzed hand extended towards him and a pair of sun-gold eyes with vertical slits for pupils peered into his very soul. A perfectly straight, clean cut appeared at the base of the palm and bright red blood poured down his hand and beaded at the tip of his finger. "I am offering you life on your own terms." Said this third male. Magic swirled around him, hot and thick with static electricity. "There is more for you in life than death. I have not turned my back on you."

A drop of the precious, magically charged blood dripped off his hand to hover in the air before changing shape. A red-headed woman looked up at him with warm, emerald green eyes. Her smile was a balm to his soul. She reached for him. He took her hand in his and it turned into a poisonous green fog. The head of an enormous black dragon, an under glow of the same green of his glowing eyes, came out of the fog towards him. A mouth full of enormous, pearly white teeth opened and it let out a horrific roar.

Nolan sucked in a gasp, and his eyes flew open. He stared up at the rafters of his room, his heart beating much faster than its average of once per minute. He swallowed hard and slowly tilted his head to look beside him. There was nothing but a tangle of sheets and the faint, lingering scent of a woman. He sat up sharply. "Rhia?" he called out, panic rising in his chest, praying that she wasn't just a dream. If she were just a figment of his imagination, then he wasn't sure what he would do with himself for the next minute, let alone the next twenty thousand years.

Rhia's tall figure appeared at the bathroom door wearing a towel around her torso. "Hey," she beamed at him. "You know your bathroom is bigger than my entire room. You can have a party in your shower and, oh god the pressure!" she moaned. "But I think there's a light out in there, I had to shower in the dark."

Nolan stared at her. Her long red hair was dark from moisture. Her sun-kissed skin was rosy from the heat of the shower and her breasts were accentuated by the towel. Her green eyes sparkled in the low light of the room and her very kissable mouth was curled into a stunning smile. Until it faltered a little and he realized he was frowning at her.

"Sorry," she said slowly. "I didn't think you would mind. You were still asleep."

He shook his head. "I don't mind." His voice was rough, and he forced a smile on his face. "But only if you take the towel off."

Her smile turned salacious and she took a hip-swaying step closer, all of her confidence back in one move. "You like a show?" she teased and untucked the towel.

He groaned, his eyes on the smooth skin above her breasts. It was killing him to stay still. He wanted nothing more than to grab her and pin her to the bed again, but the pleasure and joy on her face was just as delicious. She took another step forward and opened her arms, revealing her in full naked glory. He let out a long breath of awe. He was never going to get used to that. She reached the edge of the bed and crawled up to him until she was sitting in his lap, her thighs on each side of his hips. Nolan ran his hands over her legs and up her waist. "You are..." he shook his head. "There are no words in any known language to describe how beautiful you are."

"You're just saying that because I'm naked and within screwing range."

He rolled his eyes and then rolled her. She squeaked and laughed as he found her wrists and pinned her to the mattress. "Self-degradation doesn't suit you, pet." He warned.

"I think it suits me just fine when I need it." She smirked up at him and wiggled her hips. "What are you going to do about it, big guy?"

Her challenge was enough to drive his need for her over the edge. He let out an inhuman snarl and flipped her onto her stomach, jerking her hips up to meet his. She pushed herself up so her back pressed against his chest. He pressed his face into her hair, inhaling her clean yet spicy scent. His mouth watered, and before he knew it, he was pushing her hair aside. He paused when his fingers grazed the bruises over the back of her neck and shoulder. He looked down at her hip, which was tainted in purples and brown colours. Slowly, he sat back on his heels.

"No," she whined, looking over her shoulder with lust-filled eyes. "Why? Why did you stop?"

"I'm..." he hesitated. "I'm not used to the fragility of humans."

She looked down at her hip and scoffed, flipping back around to lean against the headboard. "Please," she rolled her eyes. "These don't even come close to the worst I've ever had."

"That does not fill me with confidence."

She scowled up at him. "If you're worried about hurting me, you can stop that right now." She snapped. "I'm stronger than that."

"And I'm stronger than you could ever comprehend." He pushed himself off the bed and started to pace. "I'm older than all but one other vampire. The only things older than I am are the dragons and their kin. And you," he rounded on her. "I nearly fed on you last night. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've lost control?"

"Ooh, is this the," she lowered her voice to a low growl. "I'm too dangerous for you, you should stay away, but, oh god, your blood just smells so good..."

Before she could blink, Nolan was pinning her down again, fangs fully descended, and a hiss somewhere between a demonic cat and a snake escaped his throat. "This is not a joke, Rhia." He barked, his eyes glowing red-hot.

Rhia wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled them over. It was not lost on her that he had to let her do it, but she took full advantage and rubbed her whole body against him. His reaction to her was also not lost on her. "I have read it all, Nolan." She breathed in his ear. "Twilight, Vampire Diaries, Dark Ink Chronicles... God, I spent half my time in high school on those trashy Ancient fanfiction sites. There are only so many ways people can write I'm dangerous, stay away. I am well aware of what most vampires can do, and I am just as aware that you are far from most vampires. I am not afraid of you."

Nolan looked up at her and let out a disgruntled sighed. He reached up and brushed her hair aside and she leaned into his touch. He raised his other hand to pinch his thumb and forefinger together until they were just almost touching. "This close." He said seriously. "I was this close to feeding on you."

She gave him a withering look. "If it were legal and I agreed, would you have fed on me?"

"No."

There was such vehemence in his voice she felt it course through her like magic. "Why?"

He sighed and rolled them onto their sides, propping himself on one elbow. "It's the venom." He said softly, running his fingers through her hair. "It's more than an aphrodisiac. It causes the victim to want to bite back. It's how most vampires were made before a handful of laws were past."

"Isn't how pairs bond? Like... mate?"

"Bonding is a bit more complicated than that. Turning isn't. All mortals need is vampire blood and venom in their system."

"Aren't you strong enough to keep me from trying to get at you?"

"I don't know." Another sigh. "Vampires are at their most vulnerable when we feed. It's... just as good for us as it is for our victims."

"Have you ever turned anyone?" He looked away from her eyes. She reached up to cup his face, bringing his eyes back to hers. "Please don't turn away from me." She begged softly.

He groaned and let his forehead thump gently against hers. "Yes." He whispered. "But they didn't live through the transition. I... wouldn't let them."

She nodded, understanding what he meant. "Have you ever bonded?"

"Do you really want to talk about my dating history while we're naked in bed?"

"Good point. I'm going to make some coffee."

She tried to sit up, but he grabbed her waist and dragged her back down. "I have a better idea."

He crushed his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss. She giggled under him, setting his blood on fire. "Oh, no you don't!" she squealed as he moved to her neck. "You lost your chance when you got all self-loathing about the bruises."

She wriggled out from under him and scooped her clothes off the floor. Nolan groaned and rolled onto his back. "Yeah, I deserved that." He grumbled, watching her pull her shorts on. A thrill went through him as he remembered that she had no underwear to put on. "You can leave some clothes here for next time if you'd like."

"I like the sound of that." She smiled at him over her shoulder. "Much better than 'I'm dangerous, stay away'."

"If memory serves, those speeches never worked anyway."

"Of course, they wouldn't. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a story."

She disappeared out the door with a lingering laugh. Nolan groaned again. That laugh just might be the glorious death of him. That was fine. He lived a good, long life.

He pulled his phone from his discarded pants, but it was dead. He tossed it onto the charger, but nothing happened. No beep or light or any indication that it was accepting a charge. Weird. It was only a year old, it shouldn't be shorting out so quickly. Oh well. He could replace it later if it really was dead. He dragged himself to the bathroom and flicked the light switch. As Rhia had said, the room remained dark except for the limited light from the tinted window. He couldn't even hear the electricity trying to complete the circuit. Weird... again. That also shouldn't be happening. Not that showering in the dark would matter, he could see perfectly, but Rhia would have had some difficulties.

He had a sudden image of lifting her against the tiles as steam swirled around them. Her moans and screams reverberating against the walls, and her fingernails digging into his back. He turned the cold water on full force and ducked his head under the stream. His raging erection persisted, and he let his head thump against the wall. This woman was going to be the death of him in all the best ways.

~