The shadows of the night stretched across the dense pine woods, darkness shrouding in every possible nook and cranny. A young vampire perched herself on a tree trunk, watching the far away village with curiosity. "Something's changed." she murmured to herself, her wide and reddish-pink eyes glittering with curiosity. The town looked decent, even with there being noticeably fewer houses than before. Now, however, the remained houses seemed larger. Yes, there were still plenty of farms, but now it appeared as though the town was comprised of wealthy aristocrats.
'Is he still here?' came the vampire's next worried thought. 'He wouldn't leave me, right? Not without saying goodbye first?' she held onto the mighty pine tree a little tighter, accidentally sinking her clawed fingers into the soft bark. 'Sugarbeets.' she cursed when she noticed, yanking them free from the displeasurable sap. Jumping off the tree, she transformed into her bat form and rose herself into the sky. Now the village was nothing but a tiny speck of light in the dark forest. The moon hung low in the sky, it's full face a milk-colored stone amidst the dark sapphire and navy expanse. 'I should check, just in case.' she considered it. The only thing stopping her from going in there and turning every building upside down was the simple fact that she was a vampire, and vampires-- in the eyes of humans-- did not deserve a warm welcome. 'I'll probably get a stake through the heart if I tried.' a sad squeak flew from the gaps between the jagged bat's teeth.
She flew in place for a while, then it became too much to bare, and she flew down to the village. 'I have to try.' she tucked in her wings as the wind whistled past her ears, 'If I don't try, then I might not see him again.'
She spent the past three hundred years of her life alone, she'd rather not lose contact with the one person who dared to show her compassion.
She flew swiftly through the town, weaving around each house and fence until she found one towards the outskirts. It was large and black, with brilliant hints of red and white in the wood. It looked like a wealthy farmer's house. She would've flown right past it if it weren't for the outline of a bat carved into the roof, only seen thanks to the courtesy of her darkvision. The vampire landed carefully on the roof and crawled over to where the bat's ears would point. On the side of the house, between the bar's ears, was a balcony with a wooden door. The bat turned back into her humanoid form and jumped down onto the balcony, curious and cautious. There was a note on the door, reading Come inside, Belle. I'm waiting with your favorite.
There was a little heart with tiny bat wings drawn on it, and it made her own heart soar. Beating or not, he was the only one who could make it fly. 'He is here!' Belle smiled big and wide, her fangs glittering in the moonlight.
Without much hesitance, Belle opened the door, felt her invitation being verified, and nearly skipped inside. The door closed behind her, but Belle didn't pay much attention to it, her eyes widening at the sight inside.
The entire room, as big as it was, was done up in red carpets and curtains, a nice accent to the black walls. There were candles lit all around, surrounding a double-sized twin bed with white and red covers. The entire room smelled of cinnamon apples, and while it was odd, it was cozy. And there, sitting by a desk, their hand sweeping over a basket of gifts, was the man she had been aching to see. Mason smiled warmly at her and stood up slowly. "Hey." he greeted her, opening his arms up in an offered hug. "Hey." Belle smiled back, then went over to him quickly and threw her arms around him. "I've missed you so much. I was so worried when I saw the town." Belle admitted, her head nuzzled into his chest. "I missed you, too. It's been a while. I was starting to fear that..." Mason admitted, trailing off on a path that he really didn't like taking. "No, I'm not that danger-prone." Belle smiled a little playfully, earning herself a chuckle from the human male. "I am more than delighted to see that you're okay." Mason hugged her a little tighter, feeling around her sides as if checking for damage. Belle didn't think much of it until he brushed past her ribs in a confirming gesture. Mason used a free hand to lift her chin up so they could see each others' eyes. "Have you been taking care of yourself?" he asked with concern. "Of course I have. Why wouldn't I?" Belle tried to assure him. Mason seemed to have taken that quietly, settling instead to turn them both using the hug. He gestured to the basket again, "I've collected some gifts for you. I know you'll like them."
Belle looked at the gifts. Many were trinkets, varying in physical value, but meaning the world to her. The ones that were different were small letters and fresh snacks. The snacks are what she would have to dine on soon, not that they provided her with nutrition, but because she liked the taste of them. "Thank you, my love!" Belle hugged Mason tighter, "I love them!"
"Hep! They're not free." Mason stopped her, earning a confused look from the vampire. He then pulled his hair back from his neck and tilted his head. Belle's smile dropped completely. "Mason, I can't--" she tried refusing, to which he interrupted. "When's the last time you fed? I know you don't like taking drinks from strangers." the tall male frowned.
"Mason, really, I don't need it."
"But I need it. I need you, and I can't keep you with me if you wither away in my arms."
A long, silent moment.
Belle sighed deeply, then slowly stood on her toes while pulling him down to her height. Belle made sure that his neck was clear of anything, then opened her mouth wide and punctured his neck with her fangs. She felt him flinch when she did, but as soon as the taste of his blood flooded her senses, she forgot about it.
Her feeding had started off slow, the suppression of the feral, greedy part of her being easy for the most part.
Then it got a little more difficult to keep under control. The feral side itched and clawed, telling her to take more and forcing her to drink faster. Mason's breathing had picked up at that point, and he stumbled backwards onto the bed. Belle landed atop him, but didn't even notice the change, and continued to feed from him.
Then the feeding got a little frantic. Belle bit harder, and franks as much as she could, her control of the situation starting to slip. "Belle? Hey, B--Belle?" Mason tried to calm her down and get her attention. He almost yelled when a sharp pain stabbed at his neck. "Belle." he whispered into her ear, "It's okay, love. Slow down."
He felt the vampire's actions falter, and heard her breathe in deeply.
The feeding was slow again, and Mason held Belle close to him, ready to start talking if that happened again.
°○•●🦇●•○°
Belle was cuddled up against Mason's side, apologetically nuzzling into him. The man was sound asleep, having been double-tired after she finished feeding off of him. "I'm sorry." Belle whispered into him.
Belle made herself stay with him until he woke up, as it was the least she could do after harming him like that. Unfortunately for her, though, she hadn't realized that the sun came up sometime beforehand.
When Mason did wake up, though, it was the first thing that he noticed. "Belle? What are you still doing here?" he asked worriedly moving to encircle his arms around her. Belle blinked tiredly at him, "What do you mean?"
"The sun is up. You can't leave until it goes back down."
"Oh..." Belle winced, but seemed too groggy to really care, "Oops..."
Mason chuckled. "That's fine. I don't mind seeing you a little while longer." he nuzzled her head with his. He noticed Belle's tiny little smile at that. "Good, because I'm resting." Belle stretched a little and settled into him again. "I can't stay in bed all day. I have to make myself look presentable for the public." Mason said, actually being for real. "Public, shhhmmublic... You're good-looking no matter-- matter what..." Belle was interrupted by a yawn. "I don't know about that, Belle. Your opinion would be a little biased." Mason chuckled. "So?" Belle yawned again after her response. Mason chuckled again, this time a little harder. "Shushhh, I want my nap." Belle groaned softly. "And you'll have it, my love." Mason said softer, stroking her back gently. "Thank you." Belle mumbled. Mason smiled and kissed her atop the head, "Anything for you, Batty."
