Free A Royal Craving by Elaine White Page A

seemed fresh, so he risked a tentative sip. His eyebrow raised, as he noticed the heat of the blood, as though straight from a live donor.
    “I told you,” the servant gloated, adorably. “The Master believes it is best kept at human temperature. There was a special heater built into the wall last year, that keeps the blood at its natural temperature,” he announced, proud of the contraption that had been put together long before his arrival.
    “Are you a donor to our collection?” Parry asked.
    Davian bit his lower lip. “No, Master. The King forbade me from supplying my blood. Only those who are willing to donate regularly are permitted,” he confessed.
    “You are unwilling?” Parry guessed, taking a longer sip. Now Davian mentioned it, it tasted sweet but innocent, like Jael.
    “No, Master,” Davian began, panicked. “I am…unsure. I cannot abide the sight of blood.” He made his admission with a squint, waiting on the derision of a vampire who lived off blood.
    Parry sped to his side, sad and concerned, until Davian opened captivating blue eyes. “You are right to feel that way. If you were not scared, you would not be human,” he soothed, cupping his chin.
    Before he could stop himself, he pressed his lips to Davian's. When they parted, he realised he had kissed him with blood on his lips.
    Davian licked them clean and looked away, blinking rapidly.
    Parry did not know what to make of it, as he returned to his seat.
    For half an hour, he encouraged Davian to talk of casual affairs, to distract him from their first, and potentially last, kiss. When he could not delay any longer and his weariness returned, he escorted Davian to the servants quarters and retired to sleep for yet another day.

Chapter 11
     

May 16 th
 
† Prosper †
     
     
    P rosper woke with uneasiness gnawing at him. Glancing at his bedside clock, he rejoiced to find that he had slept through the entire day.
    All the same, something was wrong. His arms were empty.
    He had spent the night and some of the morning holding Spencer, talking of their future, making love. He should not have woken alone.
    He must be a terrible lover. Should he not have known if his companion woke early, as a human would? Yet, he found his lover's side of the bed relatively warm; it could not have been long since he woke.
    His trouble eased, Prosper headed into the bathroom, to bathe and dress as a human, for the pure enjoyment of the actions. He liked the sensation that pulling on a silk shirt sent through him, as the material brushed his burns and scars. He enjoyed the simplicity of getting distracted while buttoning his shirt and having to match the buttons to the right holes, a second time.
    Once ready to face the world, he headed for the dining room, where he expected to find his siblings.
    Parry sat at the dining table, with a large glass of stored blood.
    Spencer walked into the room, before Prosper had a chance to speak, looking positively blinding in a pair of tight fitting trousers and a shirt open at the neck.
    “Parry insisted.” He blushed, taking a moment to turn, slowly, to show off the outfit.
    Prosper turned to his brother, stunned that he had taken the initiative to find suitable clothes for his lover.
    “He could not be seen in the rags he arrived in,” Parry excused his thoughtfulness.
    As usual, his twin tried to pretend he did not have emotions or the occasional weakness for a human. Prosper did not buy the act and his brother knew it, but he silently agreed not to mention it.
    Spencer looked healthier than last night; his eyes were no longer tired or weak from hunger and he shone with a radiance that rendered Prosper speechless. He looked as he should, for a lad of his age.
    He smiled at the obvious happiness his companion displayed on seeing him. He looked nervous, as though Prosper would disapprove. “You look exquisite.”
    Spencer crossed the two steps to take his hand and kissed him.
    “Good evening,” Prosper greeted,