Deprived

Chapter 40 - Rules and Reminders

Silence reigned inside the room after the feeding, only interrupted by their steady breathing and the sounds of people outside.

Even though the feeding had at least been an hour ago, Xavier could still taste Jesse's blood. Lips tingling at the mere memory of the flavor that had burst apart on his tongue.

That small gulp of blood, a short feeding compared to most, was all it took for Xavier to realize just why other Improba so desperately sought out Deprived.

The taste had been unlike anything Xavier could've dreamed of. Sweet but not overwhelmingly so, a simmering spice hidden underneath the warmth that made him shiver as soon as his fangs had pierced Jesse's skin.

In the back of his mind, there had been that instinctual need to bite down harder. To cause more blood to flow down his gullet, to drink deeper, more.

Instead, Xavier had done everything he could to make Jesse as comfortable as possible with their first feeding. He could only imagine how much effort and courage it had taken the young man to simply offer his wrist.

And knowing what had happened to Jesse had instantly put a firm leash on the instincts of the Improba species. No matter how much his throat burned, how it felt like he was slowly burning from the inside out, he would never force Jesse for anything beyond what he was willing to give.

Which is why he took longer to prepare before feeding, no matter how much his throat had burned at the impeding meal. Had lapped at Jesse's skin, tongue coated with his venom to sedate his skin.

By the time that he gave his skin a slight bite, his fangs sank in effortlessly, painlessly. Xavier had felt a spark of pride at a job well done when he saw the confusion on Jesse's expression, as the Deprived inspected where he had been bitten.

But that spark of pride and satisfaction was instantly swept away with disgust and anger. There was only one reason why Jesse had been so confused at the numbed area, at the lack of gauging wounds.

Undoubtedly the Improba who had fed from the Deprived never cared how deep they bit, how much pain they evoked. Xavier nearly snorted at the thought and shook his head. Of course they wouldn't; they thrived off the pain they caused in others.

They would've went out of their way to bury their fangs as deep as possible, grind against bone as they snapped down and tore flesh, muscle and nerve without a care.

While Xavier had drawn out blood slowly, careful to not collapse Jesse's veins during his feeding... He shivered with disgust, tracing over Jesse's back as he huddled closer to him.

No wonder the young man had thanked him after the feeding. Undoubtedly his late mate had fed from Jesse prior to the kidnapping but that memory of gentle feedings had been erased, buried underneath countless of brutal feedings that happened before, during or after the Deprived was raped.

A Deprived's entire existence was focused on pain. Every good memory they ever had was tainted, twisted and warped into a vile, despicable thing best forgotten.

Jesse didn't thank him for feeding and alleviating his thirst, and Jesse's worries about Xavier's health. He had thanked Xavier because his gentle feeding had undoubtedly reminded him of the good times with his late mate.

Silence stretched but not uncomfortably so. Both of them were lost in their own world and musings as Xavier's fingers gently caressed through Jesse's hair, smiling when he slightly leaned into the gentle scratches.

A sigh left Xavier as he realized he still had work to do. He had questions to ask the other Improba on the team, check up on the progress of the rest of the Deprived and make sure everything in the compound was running as it should be.