Chapter 8

"Have we been neglecting you, Orion?" Talis asked me. She often spoke of herself in plural, but not always and it could be confusing at times.

"No Mistress," I replied quickly, earning me a smile from Ellicent. She'd been teaching me etiquette in her spare time.

We were having breakfast in her private chambers, the Duchess, Christian, and me. Ellicent and Jericho sat nearby, working together as they often did to arrange meetings and audiences, inspections, and all the things that kept Talis busy. As I understood it, the government pretty much ran itself and she had a lot of help from her cabinet ministers. A system of nobility governed the Empire and she commanded the loyalty of counts and barons who were responsible for smaller and smaller pieces of the whole.

Talis worried about the big things and the only person she answered to was the Emperor, her uncle who lived among the ancient stars near the galactic core. She was sixth in the line for the Onyx Throne with three cousins and two brothers ahead of her. Being a race that could move from one host into another as their bodies grew old, however, it would be a very long time before Talis could even imagine assuming the throne by right of succession.

"We thought it best if you had time to explore on your own," she continued as Eva poured a cup of coffee.

"How's your friend doing?" Christian asked me, leaning back in his blue robes so that the blue girl could fill his cup.

"Marcia? She's fine," I answered. "She likes it here."

"I understand you've made a servant of her," Talis said. "Has she been scanned?"

"Yes, Mistress," Ellicent answered before I could. "I observed her scan myself."

"Good. And how do you like being among us?" Talis asked me.

"It's great," I said with a nod. "Um, I like it a lot."

"Hmmm..." She smiled at that and I nibbled some toast.

I wasn't terribly hungry. Even though she looked like a teenage girl, the Duchess always made me nervous, even more than Ellicent did. Christian seemed totally comfortable, but he'd known her as Kelly before the aliens had arrived and Talis had joined with her. He made me a little nervous too just because he looked so handsome sitting there. I really wanted him to like me and I wished he wasn't married, or a least not quite so faithful to his wife. Of course, the idea of having an affair with the husband of the Duchess couldn't be a good one. I tried not to think about it too much.

"Lord Tristam has arrived," Jericho said.

"Late as usual," Ellicent flashed her fangs in annoyance. "Perhaps you'll cure him of that."

"Me?" I smiled at her as she stood up, turning to greet a tall, white haired man.

He wore a uniform, a stiff necked tunic and breeches in navy blue, with gleaming black boots and a sword in a silver scabbard. It didn't have a lot of fancy gold or anything like military officers on Earth liked to wear. He didn't have any medals, just that sword and his stiff upright gait as he marched across the room. He looked very human, like someone's grandfather maybe, and he ignored Ellicent for the moment.

"Mistress," he said in a hoarse voice, bending one knee to the floor and leaning upon the other as he lowered his head.

"Count Tristam," Talis replied and as she stood up, so did Christian. I quickly came to my senses and stood up as well.

He rose slowly and I could hear the old man's joints pop and creak, but his stern face remained impassive.

"I've missed you," Ellicent breathed, taking his right hand in both of hers and kissing it.

"As have we," Talis said with a smile, and Ellicent actually blushed, letting go of Tristam's hand reluctantly.

They shared an unmistakable look and I couldn't believe she loved that guy! He must have been eighty years old and Ellicent wasn't much more than twenty-three maybe, twenty-five at the most, although I'd already learned that not everyone in the galaxy ages the way humans do. But still ... I'd never seen Ellicent look at anyone with love in her crimson eyes, except Talis, of course, and that was different.

"You look well, cousin," Tristam said as he kissed Talis on both cheeks.

"Allow me to present my consort, Christian..." She held out her arm and smiled at her husband. "Meet my cousin, Lord Admiral Tristam, Fifth Earl of Pleiades and High Marshal of the Spinward March."

"My Lord," Christian bowed his head.

"Excellency," Tristam bowed as well and it was a brief, but necessary formality.

"Orion..." Talis extended her hand and I hadn't expected to be introduced, but maybe I should have.

The old man narrowed his eyes and compressed his lips, scrutinizing me as I stepped forward. I figured I'd better do more than just bow and I wished someone would have warned me. I still didn't know what I was doing there. I mean, none of them had explained why Talis wanted me in her court, as she called it. I didn't even have a title or anything, so I went to one knee and dropped my head.

"I like him already," Tristam said with something like a short, deep throated laugh. "Stand up. Look at me, boy."

I did as he asked, swallowing thickly as I lifted my eyes to his face. He stood a lot taller than me and Tristam's eyes were wintry grey beneath his white eyebrows. He had deep creases on his face and he didn't offer a lot of warmth. He looked pretty human, all in all, but I didn't find that very comforting either.

"What are your interests?"

"Um..." I blinked at the unexpected question. Nobody had ever asked me that before. "I'm not sure. I just ... I don't know yet."

"No?" He widened his eyes slightly. "Walk with me ... By your leave, Mistress."

"Of course," Talis agreed. "Go with him, Orion. We'll see you again this evening."

The private residence of the Duchess and her extended household, of which I was now a part, wasn't a small place. I liked to think of it as a castle, except it looked more Grecian than medieval. The maze of corridors were all floored in pink marble veined with blue, the walls were alabaster white, and the ceiling glowed with a cool, pale light. Decorations ranged from statues to great tapestries, bas-relief, and paintings both wonderful and bizarre. It was like living in a museum.

There were a great many rooms serving a great many functions and I'd only seen a few of them. Aside from the countless apartments where people lived, there were banquet halls and libraries, the gardens and an observation terrace, kitchens and permanent baths, an armory, barracks, studios, studies, and rooms whose functions I could only guess at. It was easy to get lost in there, and I had several times, but there were always servants bustling back and forth and eager to help. I think they found it amusing and it only embarrassed me a little.

We were joined by three people as we left the Duchess, one of them I recognized as an army officer, Colonel Prouel, who often briefed Talis on military matters. She reminded me of Ellicent, being a Riavean and looking like a vampire, although she wasn't nearly as beautiful. She served as the liaison between Talis and the General Staff; we'd never spoken or anything and she barely looked at me.

Another dressed like a fleet officer and introduced himself as the ship's second in command, but I didn't catch his name. He was one of the cat-like aliens, looking sleek and graceful with his dark fur and long thin tail curving upward along his back. He led the way and I supposed it was some sort of rule or protocol that one of the ship's officers be available to Tristam, since he was an Admiral and all that.

The third alien looked more human although he had pitch black skin and short, milk white hair to go with his white eyes. He seemed like a giant compared to me, being thick and barrel-chested and about seven feet tall, but not clumsy at all. He wore a black uniform, the tunic and breeches, with black boots and silver buttons. He carried a sword at his side as well and from what I gathered, he served as Tristam's aide-de-camp. He looked more like a bodyguard to me though.

"He's also my closest friend," the Count told me. "We've been through a lot together, Ransom and I."

"Okay," I said, glancing up at the man and he offered me a smile.

"He's saved my life twice," Ransom said in a surprisingly gentle, baritone voice.

"Only twice?" Tristam chuckled.

"I wished to honor your modesty, my Lord."

"And Ransom has saved mine a dozen times over," Tristam told me. "You'll learn to trust him as I do, Orion."

"Yes, my Lord." I nodded quickly as we walked along one of the many busy corridors.

"I've only just learned your language," Ransom said as we entered an elevator. "Much of the nuance escapes me as yet."

"You speak English pretty good," I said. "Uh, my Lord."

"Oh, just call him Ransom," Tristam told me. "No need to spoil the man."

"I might not want to get my hands dirty," the black alien said with a laugh.

"Alright," I agreed, smiling even though I didn't understand what that meant.

"Anyway, I was wondering ... What exactly is a faggot?" Ransom asked me and I blinked at him, feeling my cheeks redden.

"We were looking through your background," the Count said.

"My background?"

"Lady Ellicent was kind enough to send me your file," he explained. "The scan was very interesting."

"I have a file?" I felt like hiding. I remembered being scanned by the weird alien, but nobody had told me how it worked or what it had discovered about me.

"Everyone has a file," Ransom said and the cat alien growled softly at that, baring his sharp teeth. I think that's how they laugh.

"I'm, uh ... gay," I told them, because clearly they were expecting an answer and I wasn't ashamed, just ... It didn't seem like the sort of thing to be talking about in an elevator with three strangers.

"Happy?" Ransom narrowed his eyes.

"No, um ... queer," I replied and then figured that wouldn't help either. "Homosexual?"

"Ah!" He nodded. "Now it makes sense."

"What does?"

"You do," Tristam told me as the elevator came to a stop. "My cousin the Duchess is not without her sense of humor."

"The hospital?" I said as we stepped into the familiar corridor, almost forgetting to be curious about what the Count had just said.

"This way," the cat alien spoke for the first time and his purring voice didn't disappoint me. It sounded much like I thought it would.

"In my younger days I suffered from something of a reputation," Tristam said, putting a gnarled hand on my shoulder as we walked slowly.

"Heh!" Ransom chuckled. "Don't let him fool you, young Master. If my Lord hadn't been born of royal blood, he would have made the finest whore this side of Antares."

"Ah, rash youth," the old man sighed. "Pleasures of the flesh are a vice and one I often indulged. Just as you have, boy."

"Yes sir," I said, clearing my throat and thinking this was about the strangest conversation I'd ever had.

"I wondered why you would come so highly recommended," he continued. "Aside from your genetics and potential intelligence, I had to ask myself why Talis would pick you."

"Ummm..." I shrugged as we entered a room, but unlike the hospital rooms with which I'd become familiar. It was brightly lit, for one thing, and resembled a laboratory more than the room where Marcia had lain for so long.

"We're going to have a lot of fun," he said, stopping just inside the doorway and finding my eyes with his. "Usually I would take some time with this. Such decisions are not to be made lightly, but I have so little time now and I like you already."

"Okay, um..." I smiled nervously and I had that strange sensation like the old man wanted to kiss me. I mean, I felt that tension, not sexual really, but emotional, and I didn't understand it at all.

"What do you think of him, Ransom?"

"Well, he is pretty, my Lord," the black man replied. "And he doesn't talk too much. I like that."

"My Lord," the cat alien purred. "The technicians are ready."

"A minute," the Count said without looking away from me. "I'm dying, Orion. The only things keeping me on my feet right now are medicine and stubbornness. This body can't sustain me for another week, two at the most."

"Oh." I swallowed hard. "I'm sorry to hear that, my Lord."

"I need a new host," he told me, squeezing my shoulders gently. "There are a number of candidates, but I'm very old and very picky about my friends."

"You mean, you want me to..." I blinked at him.

"I can't force you," he said. "We must agree to this, both of us. I wish I could give you more time, but..."

"What's gonna happen to me?"

"You'll become the next Lord Admiral, Fifth Earl of Pleiades, and High Marshall of the Spinward March."

"But it'll still be you, right? I mean ... What's going to happen to me? Inside?"

"We'll be partners," he said with a smile. "Closer than twin brothers naked in the womb. We will live together as one."

"I don't know, um..." I sucked my lips. "Will I forget everything? What about my mom and Marcia? What about Srah? We're going to have an egg and..."

"You won't forget them," the Count said. "You won't change so much as you fear, I promise. You'll still be human, with your own memories and desires, and we'll share them."

"Talis should have told me," I thought aloud. "She could have explained."

"It was difficult for her not to, I'd imagine," he replied. "But she couldn't complicate the issue. This is between us and no one else, you will either trust me or you won't."

"What if I say no?" I asked him with a hard swallow.

"Then I'll return you to the Duchess and look for another host." The Count stared into my eyes. "No one will punish you," he said and I believed him.

I opened my eyes and licked my lips, closed my hands into fists and wiggled my toes. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I searched for Tristam inside me, but I found only the steady beating of my heart and a strange, wonderful understanding of the world around me.

"Ransom," I said without rising. I knew he would be nearby; we'd been through so many battles together. My oldest, most trusted friend.

"My Lord?" he replied immediately.

"I need a uniform," I told him. "Instruct Captain Heath to prepare the memorial service for Tristam. I've already given him the details."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Colonel Prouel, you may return to your duties."

"By your leave, my Lord." She would return to Talis and report on our successful union, Tristam and me.

"Captain Jeejet."

"Lord Admiral?" the cat-like alien purred and he was of a race known as the Kerleth. A fine species with a martial heritage, the Empire had fought a bloody war with Jeejet's ancestors only a thousand years previously. It had been a good fight and I remembered it fondly.

"Thank you for your company," I told him. "My compliments to your commander."

"Of course, my Lord." He left us quickly and I sat up slowly, looking down at a naked body that was familiar and alien all at once.

I couldn't separate myself from Tristam. He didn't speak to me. I heard no voices in my head, there were no urges or desires I felt to be unnatural or not entirely my own. The overwhelming sensation was that I'd woken up to an existence that had been mine all along, although clearly that wasn't the case. But I couldn't define a before and after, not without making the conscious effort, and my memories stretched back thousands of years.

Every host that Tristam had ever had lived in my thoughts. I knew their lives as well as I knew my own. I knew their worlds as I knew Earth. My only reservation, if I could be said to have one, was my age. Fourteen seemed too tender, my current life too fragile for the responsibility with which it was now burdened. This wasn't unusual, however, and I'd been joined with hosts as young as twelve in the past, and never older than seventeen or eighteen as a human reckons time.

When a mind is too old, too fixed and rigid in its personality and understanding, the joining becomes much more problematic. This boy, me, proved to be everything Talis had promised. We were seamless, the alien and myself perfectly joined, and I looked at Tristam as he lay lifeless on the bed near mine. He had been a good friend and a strong ally and I would miss him dearly.

"Not a bad fit, eh?" I smiled at Ransom as I fitted the scabbard of my saber to my belt.

"Not bad, my Lord," he agreed. "Do you still remember how to use the blade?"

"Why?" I picked up the naked sword from the bed. "Are you looking for a lesson?"

"First cut?" he offered, drawing his own sword and one of the blue technicians froze with his silver eyes nearly as wide as his mouth.

"As you wish, old friend." I chuckled and the sword felt heavy in my hand as I cut the air, backing away from the beds to find more room.

"You look slow," Ransom decided, tapping the flat of his blade across his chest. "Perhaps a rapier..."

"For such a large target?" I smiled and took a casual en garde position.

We were at odds with each other, my saber being of the lighter, fencing variety. The flexible blade had a single cutting edge and a razor sharp tip, an arched guard covering my hand. Ransom, being so large as he was, enjoyed the cavalry saber, a heavier sword which comprised a rigid, curving single-edged blade and a thicker, unguarded pommel.

We danced around each other, this black giant from a populated moon in the star system known as Sirius, and the small Earth boy who had never held a weapon in his life. He had me at a serious disadvantage, but not because of our difference in size. Nor were our relative skills balanced in Ransom's favor, but knowing a thing and doing a thing are very different from each other. My mind knew what to do, but my muscles had no memory and I did move slowly, even clumsily.

I lunged and he parried easily, turning his sword with a riposte that I barely avoided. Ransom advanced steadily while I circled around him, striking at his thighs and hips, as he stood much taller than me. Raising my sword would only tire me that much faster and by keeping him low, I hoped to pull him off balance. My body couldn't keep up with my brain, however, and I suffered a thin, red cut to my left thigh after only a few minutes.

"Hmph." I shook my head in frustration as we caught our breath.

"Thank you for the lesson, my Lord," Ransom told me and I had to smile at the man.

"We'll have time enough for practice," I reminded him. "You owe me a new pair of breeches. Where did that doctor run off to?"

The computers had already informed anyone who needed to know that Tristam and I had been joined. This wasn't a common occurrence by any means, but not unexpected given the old man's failing health. Perhaps the only thing unusual about it was the timing, coming so soon after Talis had found a new host in the Earthling named Kelly. Our race didn't usually switch hosts so proximate in time and only very rarely with the same species, but circumstances dictate necessity, not the other way around.

"My Lord Admiral," Srah breathed, kneeling as soon as I'd entered my room and stepped between the columns. She knew.

"Orion?" Marcia remained standing, tilting her head and pulling a lock of brown hair from her brown eyes. She did not.

"Stand up," I said, reaching for Srah's beautiful face. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"Forgive me, my Lord." She swallowed hard and kept her eyes down. "I thought you would want to explain it to her."

"Okay," I sighed. "It's alright. I'm still me."

"I don't know about these things," she whispered. "Do you still want me?"

"What's going on?" Marcia asked. "Why are you dressed like that? You've got a sword now?"

I didn't answer Srah, but pulled her into a kiss. My hand held the back of her head, soft and smooth and so completely hairless. Part of me, the alien part, relished that moment like a long, cool drink after crossing a desert. It had been many years since Tristam had sampled a young woman's charms and I felt a rush of desire not entirely my own, but mine entirely.

Srah's tongue teased mine and I reached between us, pulling up her shift to find her penis already growing stiff. I held her in my fist, pulling and squeezing while I caressed her sweet mouth. My own erection ached and I felt the warmth of adrenalin speeding my heart and stealing the breath we shared. I pulled her against me, crushing Srah's breasts against my thin, adolescent chest as I grabbed her ass with both hands.

Yeah! I couldn't wait to grow into a man, but I wouldn't trade the slow journey for anything. I'd found a new appreciation for time and how quickly it can pass. That, for a fourteen-year-old boy, was perhaps the thought most alien to my nature. I'd always imagined that I'd live forever and now I knew the truth of it.

"What about me?" Marcia pouted and I chuckled, breaking my kiss with Srah and licking my lips.

"I have to tell you something," I said. "But it's gonna sound a little ... weird."

"What?" She gave me a funny look as I let Srah go.

"Chair." I pointed at a spot and a few seconds later I sat down. "Take off my boots, Marcia. Srah, prepare a bath ... and take off your robes, both of you."

"What's gotten into you, faggot?" Marcia teased me, pulling her shift over her head.

Srah stared at us, blinking nervously and probably thinking I'd punish Marcia for insulting me. I was grand-nephew to the Emperor himself now and an heir to the throne, although seventeenth in line hardly counted for much. Sixteenth, now that Talis had murdered our cousin Horus; I'd never liked him very much. Even so, it would take a miracle of biblical proportions to elevate me so high and the aliens didn't have a bible, or a god for that matter. The Empire was our only religion and eventually it would become Earth's as well. I hoped Jesus wouldn't be too angry.

"An alien," I replied with a smile for Srah, letting her know I wasn't going to be angry with either of them for a little teasing.

"What?" Marcia dropped her shift to the floor and I suddenly found a new admiration for her new body.

Thoughts and memories filled my head and while I knew they weren't mine, I remembered well the pleasures to be found between the thighs of an attractive young woman. Marcia's flab had turned to muscle, smooth and well toned, with real definition in her flat tummy and legs, even her shoulders. Perhaps that's the reason I found her attractive, not so much because Tristam had loved women, but because of her strength. Strong women, I decided, were very interesting to look at and I'd always liked her anyway. We were kindred souls.

"There's an alien inside me," I repeated, gesturing at the floor in front of my chair. "Kneel here and take off my boots."

"Uh, what kind of alien?" she asked, kneeling almost reluctantly and I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. I was acting differently, but it couldn't be helped. I'd grown up.

"I'm the world's oldest eighth grader," I said with a grin. "Um ... This old man, his name's Tristam, was dying, see? But inside him was one of the aliens who rule the Empire."

"You mean like that Duchess?" Marcia grimaced as she tugged on my left boot.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Exactly. I'm her cousin now."

"You are?"

"Well, her third cousin, technically," I shrugged. "But we've been best friends forever, so..."

"You and the Duchess?"

"Kissing cousins sometimes," I said with another grin, wiggling my eyebrows so she'd get the point.

"You fucked her?"

"A long time ago," I said. "She's kind of hot though. You know she's got a dick, right?"

"She does?" Marcia's eyes got big. She'd never met Talis and Ellicent only briefly.

"I guess you didn't!" I laughed. "Her name used to be Kevin. I don't know the whole story, but she's a lot like me, I think. Anyway..."

"She's a fag?" Marcia laughed then and I nodded happily.

"That's why she's with Christian," I said. "Let me finish, this is way cool."

"Okay, okay..." Marcia grabbed my left boot as Srah fussed over the bath.

"So this alien guy needed a new host, that's what they call it, and Talis picked me, except it wasn't up to her and..."

"That's why she kept you?"

"Yeah," I said impatiently. "Wait, check this out ... I'm a count."

"What?"

"Seriously. I'm Lord Admiral Orion, Fifth Earl of Pleiades and High Marshal of the Spinward March," I told her with a smile. "How's that for awesome?"

"What's all that mean?" Marcia giggled as she got my boot off and set it aside with the other one.

"I govern all the systems in the Pleiades sector, for one thing," I explained. "That's over a hundred star systems and thirty-seven of them are inhabited."

"So?" She shrugged and I stood up so she could undo my belt.

I caught Srah smiling at us as I'd begun to sound like my old self and I stuck out my tongue at her.

"What do you mean, so?" I frowned at Marcia. "That's like thirty-seven Earths all by itself! Not to mention all the resources."

"Oh!" She made a face, setting my belt and sword upon a table growing out of the floor nearby.

"But that's not the best part," I told her. "I have a fleet too."

"A fleet of what?" she asked, unbuttoning my breeches while I unbuttoned my tunic.

"Spaceships!" I rolled my eyes. "What do you think? I'm the Marshal. I chase pirates and enforce customs, track down slavers and black marketing, illegal mining, smuggling ... You name it, I'm stopping it!"

"You're only fourteen," she said with a giggle.

"I know!" I laughed as well and my hard cock sprang upward as she pulled my pants down, slapping her on the chin.

"This is a nice surprise." Marcia wrapped her hand around my dick. "Does this mean the alien likes me or are you just happy to see me?"

"Grab my pants," I told her as I tried to step out of them and she giggled, letting go of my cock.

"There," she said, tossing my pants aside and I shook my head at that.

"Marcia!" I sighed. "That's my uniform."

"Sorry!" She made a face and I watched as she folded my pants and put them on top of my tunic.

"You're going to have to learn how to be a good slave girl," I told her truthfully. "I mean, I know we're best friends and all, but..."

"But what?" She narrowed her eyes.

"You're still just a slave," I said, grabbing her head and pulling her open mouth onto my erection.

"Ummph!" She would have frowned if she could, but only for a second and I wasn't giving her the chance.

"I need to cum bad," I breathed, smiling at the sensation of her tongue washing over my cockhead. "And I really wanna fuck your mouth, Marcia."

Srah sat on the edge of the steaming bath, stroking her own long, brown prick while she watched as I pushed my cock completely inside Marcia's soft mouth, practically melting with the raw pleasure of it. Her hands went to my waist, squeezing me as she suckled noisily. How many times had the girl begged me for just this sort of attention? Now I could give it to her. I wanted to throw her on the floor and drive my cock inside her slutty hole. She'd been fucked so many times...

"Have you fucked her yet?" I asked and Srah shook her head.

"Do you want me too, Master?"

"Yeah," I breathed. "Fuck her while she sucks me off. I want to watch."

"Hmmm mmmph!" Marcia agreed, lowering her shoulders and putting her hands on the floor so Srah could fuck her like a dog.

She wagged her ass invitingly as the sexy brown alien took her place behind Marcia. I held her head with both hands, digging my fingers into Marcia's hair and massaging her scalp. Her lips slid back and forth along the shaft of my cock quickly and I was just long enough to tickle the entrance to her throat. Soon, I thought, I'd have enough cock to really make her work and the idea of stretching my pretty slave's throat made my balls ache with the need for release.

I'd had sex with Marcia and Srah that morning before joining the Duchess for breakfast, but Tristam hadn't fucked anyone in a long time. His illness and especially the treatment of it had crushed his desire as much as his ability, but I remembered the joy of his past conquests. He'd fucked Ellicent, taken her virginity in fact, and the Riavean wasn't nearly so young as she appeared, nor so sexually indifferent.

I remembered sliding my cock between her lips, past those long, curving fangs with a delicious shiver of eager trepidation. It was dangerous to fuck one of her kind, not so much her mouth, but letting the woman embrace me ... She had more in common with vampires than mere appearance and it wasn't unknown for Ellicent's male lovers to find themselves feeding her desires in more ways than one. Most recently a certain Admiral Heward had found himself the victim of an exquisite assassination in the young woman's arms; such was the price of treason and I'd shed no tears for him.

But how well I recalled the pinch of her teeth in my neck, the sticky wetness of my own blood seeping from her lips to stain the pillow beneath me. She wouldn't dare drain the life of a noble Lord, at least not without permission from her Mistress, but she could have. It hadn't been within my power to stop her, not with Ellicent's sex clasped around my manhood, pulling and squeezing, driving me to cum inside her. The effort pushed my heart to beat strong and fast, rushing the blood into her hungry mouth. And what willpower she possessed! To stop in the middle of our orgasm and bring her rusty mouth to mine, sharing the lifeblood she'd stolen so easily.