Free Haven 1: Caution: Contents Under Pressure by Gabrielle Evans

but remained quiet this time.
    “You need blood to live like I do—like a vampire. When I take blood, I absorb it into my body where it nourishes me. It’s like putting fuel into a car. My body uses the blood until it’s gone, and then I will have to feed again.”
    “Okay, so how is that different than me?”
    “Think of your body more like a bathtub.” It was a strange analogy, but Stavion really couldn’t think of a better way to explain it.
    He held Jory’s wrist loosely and brushed his thumb over the scars.
    “You fill your body with blood, and it does its job. If you were in a bathtub, you’d fill it with water and clean your body. When you finish, you have to drain the water. Your body works the same way.
    The blood cycles through your body and mixes with the water, causing it to double in volume. It can be very painful.”
    Jory bobbed his head solemnly. “It does hurt. That’s why I do this.” He looked down at the scabbing wounds on his forearm. “It’s like this big pressure building up inside of me until I feel like I’m going to explode. When I cut myself and bleed, it lessens a little.”
    “It’s not enough, though.”
    “No.” Jory looked up and sighed. “It hurts so much. It never stops hurting, but sometimes it hurts just a little less.”
    “That’s because cutting yourself isn’t the answer.” Stavion grinned and kissed the tip of Jory’s nose. “It’s very lucky for you that you’re mated to a vampire. You need someone to feed from you, baby.”
    Jory looked excited as he bounced in Stavion’s lap. It lasted only a moment before he stilled and tilted his head to the side, though. His eyebrows drew together, and he pursed his lips. He looked so cute that Stavion wanted to kiss him. So he did.
    “What about Aímas who aren’t mated? Or young ones? I’ve been cutting myself since I was about nine. Are we supposed to live with the pain until we find our mates and just hope that they’re vampires?”
    “Those are really good questions, baby.” Stavion brushed a stray lock back from Jory’s face and beamed with pride. His little mate was so smart. “I’ve never seen a baby Aíma or met an adult with children. So, I really can’t say what they do for the little ones. The older demons that I’ve met have saunas built in their homes. Once or twice a week they will sit for hours inside the room and purge their bodies of the excess.” Stavion wrinkled his nose. “It’s kind of gross, and it can be scary if you don’t know what’s going on. The blood seeps through their pores.”
    “They sweat blood? I mean, I sweat blood?” Jory grimaced and shuddered a little. “Yeah, that does sound really gross.”
    Stavion chuckled. “Right now you’ll probably sweat rivers of blood. Normally, you will only sweat water, though. We just need to rid your body of the excess to get you healthy. I think most of your scars will fade as well.”
    “They will?” Jory looked at Stavion with so much hope, Stavion prayed he was telling the truth.
    “Remember how we talked about that bathtub? Well, if you don’t drain the water, after a while it will go stagnant and even get pretty disgusting.” He stroked Jory’s cheek with his knuckles. “That’s what’s happening in your body right now. Once you get rid of all the bad blood, your body will be able to heal itself.”
    “You can’t drink from me,” Jory said sternly. Stavion blinked in surprise, but his mate continued before he could speak. “You might get sick, and I don’t want that to happen. I will sit in a sauna and get all this icky blood out of me. Then we can start over and go from there.”
    Stavion hadn’t really thought about that. “Smart and sexy,” he purred. “What will I do with you?”
    “Be patient with me,” Jory pleaded. “I’m trying really hard, but part of me is still scared and unsure. I really like you, though. I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything. So, please, just don’t give up