Free Stake That by Mari Mancusi

tell you the truth. I bite down on my lower lip.
    “Uh huh,” I say, my voice suddenly as squeaky as Sunny’s. Moments later I feel a little pressure on my neck. Just a pinch and then … ecstasy. I am so not going to be able to describe to you guys how awesome it feels to be bitten by a vampire. There aren’t hu-man words. It’s better than Oreo ice cream sliding down your throat on a hot summer’s day. Better than slipping into a steamy bathtub on a crisp fall afternoon. Better than curling up by a fire on a freezing winter’s night.
    It’s better than anything I can possibly think of. Not that at that moment there’s much thinking going on in my head. I’m just enjoying. Completely and utterly enjoying the sensa-tions coursing through my veins. It’s heaven. Absolute heaven.
    My head lolls backward and I let out a moan of pleasure. “Oh, god,” I cry. “Don’t stop.” But he does. I guess he has to, seeing as he’s not out to drain me dry. Not that I’d have minded being drained dry at that particular moment. In fact, I would have embraced my death with open arms if that sensation were to continue. Now I totally understand why it was easy for vampires to survive in the old days when they didn’t have blood donors.
    Once bitten, totally smitten.
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    His fangs retract. The electric current zapping through me clicks off like a light switch. The pleasure is gone. The ecstasy evaporates. I feel empty and alone and needy and desperate for more. No wonder this place is so popular. One bite and I already feel completely addicted. I lift my head and open my eyes, looking over at Jareth. He’s wiping his mouth, looking horrified and flushed and flustered beyond belief.
    “Uh, there you go. You’re bitten,” he mumbles. He draws in a deep breath and pulls out a handkerchief, dabbing his sweaty forehead. Evidently the experience did something to him as well. Which makes me feel better, in a way. I’d hate to have succumbed to that rapture, only to find him all noncha-lant and superior afterward.
    I reach up to feel my neck, pressing my fingers against the tiny bite holes. “That was incredible,” I murmur. “Amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it. Does it always feel that good? Or just the first time?”
    “I certainly don’t know,” Jareth says in a totally unwar-ranted grumpy voice. He rises from the bed and walks toward the door. “I was only bitten once. When I was turned.”
    “Oh, right. Of course. Well, let me tell you, that totally rocked my world. You’re good at the biteage, dude.”
    “I beg of you. Don’t ever, ever call me dude again.”
    I sigh. “Sorry. But I was trying to give you a compliment.”
    “None necessary. It’s just business. Nothing more.”
    “I know, but…” Why do I suddenly feel kind of hurt? He’s right. This was obviously just for the job. To look legit. Nothing more. But still, it felt so intimate… .
    I shake my head. Earth to Rayne. Come in, Rayne. We don’t even like this dude—er, guy. So there is absolutely no reason to be upset. Just get the job done. Impress the council and you’ll be assigned a real blood mate. Someone compatible to you DNA-wise. And then you can bite each other ‘til the bats come home.
    “Okay, fine. Let’s go to the lounge.”
    I follow him out the door and down the corridor until we get to a room labeled lounge. I’ve got to admit, I’m looking forward to the cookies and orange juice snack at this point. The bite, with all its euphoria, definitely left me feeling weak in the knees. I wonder how much blood he took from me. I won-der if he thought I tasted good. If they even care about that.
    I wonder if he wishes he could bite me again.
    Not that I care. Really.
    The lounge is decked out like the rest of the Blood Bar, in red and black, but it’s more relaxing looking than the formal sitting room lobby. There’s a lot of smooshy velvet