Free Draven's Crossing: Tempestuous Crossings by Selena Illyria Page B

park.
    “I have your food and medication. Hop in, and I’ll tuck you in again. I promise not too tight.”
    She looked skeptical, but got in bed anyway and allowed him to tuck her in and place the tray on her lap.
    “So, what happens now? You’ve fed from me. Can you like track me or something? Find me wherever I am? Read my emotions? Know my thoughts?” She dug into the stew. Her eyes brightened, and her body relaxed against the pillows. “I think I just had a stew-gasm.”
    He raised an eyebrow.
    “You know, like foodgasm, but with stew. This is so good. What is it? Where’d you get it? Is there more?”
    Draven held up his hands and chuckled. “Whoa, slow down. First of all, it’s a simple beef stew, but modified. The recipe is a secret, and the owner won’t give it out even on threat of death. And I’ll get you more if you want. As for your other questions, I’d have to give you blood to track you. That’s it.”
    The metallic flavor of her life essence rolled over his tongue again, and the mixture had an edge of spice and fruit that went to his head, just as it did when he drank of her. With a deep breath, he focused on the here and now, not on the pulse of hunger pinging around his body demanding another sip.
    “What’s it like? The feeding? Have you ever been fed on?” She shoveled another spoonful of stew into her mouth and took a sip of orange juice.
    He settled against the far poster of the bed and looked at her, taking her all in. Rose’s color was much better than before, and her hair was a wild mass of curls around her face. Her eyes were bright and inquisitive. He fell a bit more for her. Draven wanted to wake up to this sight for as long as she’d allow him to.
    With a shake of his head, he pushed away those thoughts and focused on her questions.
    “If it’s just a feeding, it’s tunnel vision. All your focus is on the taste of the blood, the feel of it sliding down your throat, the way it’s energizing you, and the pain of the hunger. There’s pleasure there too, like tasting good food, but it depends on whether or not the person takes care of themselves. If they don’t, it can be like drinking sludge.”
    She scrunched up her face in response.
    “If you’re drinking and having sex of any kind, it’s sensory overload. Everything feels bigger. Your body comes alive on all levels. You can feel everything. As for being fed on, yes. When I was changed. I was human once and then changed on my thirtieth birthday, once my parents felt that I’d lived a good life.” He watched the thoughts and questions forming in her mind and waited for her to ask or respond.
    “Is it an exchange? Three bites, what?” She leaned forward and studied him.
    “Three bites and then an exchange. My turn to ask questions.”
    Rose opened her mouth, shut it, and then opened it again. “Go for it.” She shoveled another spoonful of food into her mouth, her gaze not wavering from him for a second.
    He held back a laugh. “Where were you born? Were you happy? Why did you come here?” Setting aside the file, he waited for her answer.
    “Born in New York, grew up in Brooklyn and was happy, yeah, as I could have been for a kid. My parents were all you could ask for, supportive, kind, caring, loving. They were part of an advertising firm and showed me the bones of the business. I decided to follow in their footsteps, but I didn’t want to return home, so I went here and there. Worked in Chicago. Fucking hell, those winters are cold.”
    He grinned, remembering his time in the Second City. “That they were, but it’s a wonderful metropolis.”
    She nodded. “Loved it there, but the pizza threw me. I couldn’t get over eating it with a fork and knife. Sorry, I’m a New Yorker; fold it in half and chew. What’s so hard about that? Why make a pizza so thick? Anyway, I came here for a fresh start, a clean slate. People found out about my mentor and me. He got drunk, told everyone he banged me and, well, here I