Free Seer: Thrall by Robin Roseau

tolerance for pain than you do, but it hurts. But after that, no, it doesn't hurt. It feels good for me, too, Sidney, although not as mind-blowing as for you, and not as good as if I feed from you."
    "You must get an emotional high."
    "From your reaction? Yes."
    "It's going to be hard to stay mad at you." I paused. "Did you tell the therapist to order me to drink your blood?"
    "No, Sidney. It really will help you, a great deal. How do you feel?"
    "Better than I have in months," I admitted. She chuckled.
    * * * *
    I woke when Solange sat down on the edge of the bed. It was Wednesday evening, a week after being taken from my prison. "Hello," she said when I opened my eyes. "How do you feel?"
    "Good," I said. "Sore."
    She was still binding me to the bed when I was alone. She allowed me freedom only if she or Thomas was in attendance. I had stopped complaining, for now. She turned to my restraints and freed my hands then moved down to my legs, peeling the covers away to free them. I was dressed in normal clothing that I'd actually pulled on myself. It was just a tee shirt and shorts, but it had felt nice to wear real clothes.
    "You weren't here this afternoon," I said. I glanced at her wrist. "I'm becoming addicted."
    "Emotionally, yes," she admitted.
    I looked down at her wrist. I'm sure she could follow my gaze. "You have to stop." I licked my lips. "It feels so good, but you have to stop."
    "You've been doing very well," she said. "Your recovery is well ahead where it would be otherwise."
    "You have to stop, Solange," I said. I tore my gaze from her wrists.
    She didn't say anything, and when she crawled up into the bed and cradled me, I didn't stop her.
    "Solange... No."
    "You're strong, Sidney," she said. She bit her wrist then presented in front of me, holding a towel under it to catch the welling blood. I took her wrist in both my hands and stared at the blood.
    I could smell it. The scent was intoxicating.
    "Solange, please don't do this to me."
    "You're strong, Sidney. It is your choice. Take a taste."
    "No."
    "Take a taste!" she said firmly. "I don't want to make you, but I will. Take a taste, then decide."
    I lifted her wrist, and as it got close, the scent was overwhelming, and I latched my mouth around her wrist, drawing heavily for a few seconds.
    It tasted divine. It felt amazing, and I shuddered for a moment.
    "No!" I said, pushing her wrist away. "No."
    Solange kissed my head. "I told you that you were strong." She wrapped her wrist in the towel for a moment, dabbing at it, then dropped the towel off the side of the bed, the wound healed. She hugged me briefly then climbed from the bed.
    I whimpered, but I didn't stop her.
    Solange stood next to the bed. "You're stronger than this," she said. "Unless you are in desperate need, in the future, I am not offering. If you want my blood, you will have to ask. This is not me trying to control you or humble you. This is me giving you control over your choices. Do you understand, Sidney?"
    I nodded. "If I ask?"
    "Then, unless I decide it's a risk for you, I'll fulfill the request. No strings."
    I nodded again.
    "Are you staying? Or were you going to tuck me back into bed right away."
    "I wondered if you would let me take you for a roll outside." She gestured to the waiting wheelchair. I could walk, but not very far, and I wasn't steady. I had a walker I used to make it to the bathroom.
    "All right," I said. "I'd like that. But I don't know if I'm dressed for the weather."
    "I'll bundle you up," she promised.
    I didn't need her help, but she'd gotten used to providing it. She put an arm around me as I sat up, then hovered closely as I swung my feet over the edge of the bed. There were slippers waiting for me, and she held me as I slipped one foot into them, then the other. I moved slowly to the chair and sat down carefully. Once I was settled, she collected the blanket from the bed and tucked it all around me, wrapping it around my legs and tucking it into the sides and over