He was on the third page of results before he found a site that looked legit enough to give a real answer. There were testimonials from people who’d served as blood pets. As he scrolled down the page, he saw a forum for blood bunnies.
“What the heck are blood bunnies?” he whispered curiously as he clicked. The answer came pretty quickly. Blood bunnies were people who chased after vampires, hoping to be bit and get a shot of their pleasure venom. There were lots of comments from these blood bunnies, from bragging to hopeful to disappointed.
I met up with this hot vampire the other night. I was feeling it but their bite was as dull as dishwater.
I followed a vampire into a Burger King bathroom the other night. His pleasure venom had me so turned on I went home and flicked the bean for an hour.
After seeing other mentions of a pleasure venom, Ji-Su clicked back to the main page, hoping to find an explanation. He found it on a FAQs page.
A vampire is able to release one of two venoms along with their bite. Each venom serves a different purpose. Thepain venom causes both intense burning pain in the subject and temporarily paralyzes the general area of the bite. The pleasure venom enhances arousal but only if the human feels attraction to the vampire delivering the bite. The vampire can also withhold these venoms and deliver a bite that has no accompanying side effects.
According to this site, he hadn’t imagined it. Hehadbeen turned on by Raul’s bite. But only because Raul had released his pleasure venom. For whatever reason, he hadn’t done so tonight. Ji-Su wondered why. Was the first time a mistake? Had he released it by accident because he’d gone too long without feeding? Or maybe out of habit because he was used to biting someone else.
Ji-Su realized he didn’t even know if Raul had a lover. For the first time, he recalled the man and woman Raul had been at the dinner theater with. Here he was lusting after the tall, handsome vampire, when for all he knew, Raul had someone or several someones he was involved with.
He would have to ask. He wouldn’t bring up the pleasure venom—that was too embarrassing—but he had to know if Raul was involved with someone. Although his attempts at flirting had been barely noticeable blips, he’d stop them altogether if the vampire had a lover. He might be insanely attracted to Raul, but he respected other people’s relationships.
Ji-Su shut down the laptop and closed it with a quiet snap. He had his answer. Too bad it had brought up more questions.
Chapter 15
Ji-Su sat at his usual spot in the kitchen. The room was empty as it always was during their assigned feeding time. He looked at the big clock hanging on the wall. Three fifteen. Raul was never late. Maybe something had held him up at one of the casinos.
Over the past two months, he’d settled into a routine at Raul’s. Once his gaming system was set up, he went back to practicing regularly with his team. He streamed often. Every night, he shared breakfast and dinner with Raul. Often, Burke or other members of his staff joined them as well. Sometimes he took short walks on one of the ranch’s trails to get exercise. And he continued to feed Raul once a week.
Every Wednesday at three o’clock on the dot.
Ji-Su knew he should be happy. He was safe. He was doing his dream job and fulfilling his contractual obligation to Raul. His first couple of payments had dropped into his account right on time. But there was a vague sense of dissatisfaction hanging over him that he couldn’t shake.
Raul was always polite and attentive whenever they interacted. But the attraction he’d sensed between them was gone as if it had never been. The flirting from that long ago night at the dinner theater was a distant memory. And the feedings. The first one in Raul’s office was intimate, nearly sensual. But now, they were so...impersonal.
They weren’t as bad as they’d been with Cedric, where he’d felt more like an inanimate blood dispenser than a human. WithRaul, it felt like a transaction. Whenever Raul bit him, Ji-Su almost wanted to ask if he’d found everything okay and ask him to sign up for the discount club, as though he were a retail store associate ringing out a customer.
He missed the way Raul had fed from him that first time, with a tight hug, lips hotly pressed to his throat, and soft moans sliding into his ears. He hadn’t yet asked if Raul was involved with someone, chickening out every time he had the opportunity to do so.
Ji-Su sighed. Maybe he was hoping for too much from Raul. He’d never been promised a relationship beyond blood patron and blood pet. And Raul was a caring and protective man by nature. His actions helping Ji-Su were probably simple kindness and he’d read too much into them. He needed to forget about that first bite and their brief intimacy the night of the storm. On the ranch, Ji-Su had everything he needed and more. He would be thankful that he was safe and paid and stop worrying about Raul’s kisses.
He looked at the clock yet again. It was three thirty. By now he was concerned. Taking out his phone, he sent his blood patron a text.
Is everything okay? I’m waiting for you in the kitchen.
A few seconds later, he saw that Raul had read his message. He sat there, staring at his phone screen, waiting for a response.
TONIGHT RAUL WAS ATthe Syndicate’s flagship casino, the Grand Colorado. Wyatt, one of their whales, had come up from Texas to host a private party—something he did a few times a year. The high roller had brought a large entourage with him and invited several locals as well. Everett was also there, this time minus Solan, to keep an eye on the Syndicate sex workers in attendance. Raul always attended Wyatt’s parties for a couple ofhours before he got back to his busy schedule. The Texan—rich in oil and beef—dropped enough cash that it would be downright disrespectful not to have the head of the casino stop by and socialize. And he liked Wyatt, so it was no hardship to spend an hour or two with him a few times a year.
Their large, somewhat rowdy group was ensconced in a party room high above the casino main floor. The front wall was one-way glass that let them watch the gambling below while keeping their own shenanigans private. They were playing Texas Hold ‘Em, drinks were flowing, and smoke from the Cubans Everett had shared hung thick in the air. Wyatt was starting to get a little red in the face, his black Stetson tilted far back on his head.
“Luke, get over here,” he called out jovially.
A long-limbed brunette human with a healthy tan immediately came over and stood next to Wyatt.
“Mr. Everett, would you like a taste of one of my blood pets? They only eat the best: gourmet dishes prepared by a master chef, Texas beef raised right on my ranch, and fresh fruit. And I don’t allow any of them to smoke or drink. All that good living makes their blood taste like ambrosia.”
He gave Luke a little push on the ass and the human started toward Everett.
“No.”
The sharp word from Everett stopped the blood pet in his tracks.