Chapter 215 - Connection

Hope, inevitable, good beginnings, bad ends… I had a feeling I knew now what JJ meant. The way he expressed it was so strangely enigmatic, but then, the entire situation was unusual. For both of us, and in many ways.

The understanding lit a new flame inside of me, and it made me make another step towards JJ. A soft smile spread across my lips. "If that's so, then I'm glad you saw that light. A person needs hope to live to his fullest, or they'd keep worrying about the bad ends of all things. Say, humans. We, they, are fragile and can die at any moment, but everyone has hope that they will live to old age or maybe even forever, whether or not they think about it outright."

This time, the smile JJ gave me had that humour and liveliness I loved in him. "Vampires also die sometimes. It's true that one can't fret about everything if he wants to live his life to the fullest. For centuries, I thought I had it in me. It's a surprise to realise that I've still been wrong… Then again, the hope that was on my mind most at all—here and now—is a much more solid thing."

This time, it was he who made a step towards me. "You know, ma chèrie, I suddenly remembered the words of your teacher. "If we were immortal, we'd have time to achieve anything," he said. I agreed with him then, but I never thought that it would apply to me, and like that. That, despite all my efforts not to…" JJ let out a breath. "I would fall in love."

My heart caught in my chest. The smile that appeared on my face made my cheeks hurt. "Really?"

He laughed. "I have no reasons to lie to you, do I? We both know I'm not that cruel."

"I…" I swallowed. The words that once threatened to leave my mouth on their own accord now suddenly stuck in my throat. "I love you too. But, ah, I suppose you know that already. You and your vampire eyes see everything."

I made another step forward. Now JJ was just arm's reach away, and I saw his eyes reddening again, and staying like that. But when a first flash of hunger passed, there was only gentleness inside. "You tempt me, ma chèrie." He made a deep inhale. "I scent a hint of blood on you. Did you scrape yourself on your way?"

Now that he reminded about it, my cheek began to itch like mad. I forced myself not to reach towards it, but it required a lot of effort. "I didn't notice a mosquito in time, and by the time I slapped it, it must've drank a litter of my blood. It was all over my face."

"This is absolutely terrible," JJ said in a deadpan voice, leaning closer to my face. "It's good for this mosquito that it's already dead, or I would've hunted it and killed it in most gruesome ways for stealing from my most delightful and delicious blood source."

"My protector… I would've been lost so many times without you," what started out as a continuation of a joke became an absolute truth when it left my lips. I looked JJ in the eyes and put my hands on his shoulders. "I can't stand looking at you so hungry. Just have a drink."

He didn't have my blood like that—from vein and in big qualities, that is—ever since that first time I fed him after Christina's attack. There was no particular reason for it, except, I supposed, for my stubborn fears and JJ's worry about how making me lose too much blood too often might harm it in long-term.

"Thank you." JJ began to unwind the scarf I had on my neck. "I will numb the pain. Or, if you are open to it now, I can make it a pleasure…"

When my scarf was off, and the icy wind put goosebumps at my skin, I hurried to open the collar of my jacket. "Doesn't matter, just hurry, before I turned into an icicle. Or caught a cold. You know, Ghost told me that common cold is one of the hardest illnesses to heal, because it's so vague. There's rarely a single bacterium that causes it." I was babbling now.

"This is fascinating." JJ's hands rubbed up and down my arms in a soothing gesture. "But you have nothing to fear."

Then, before I could babble more, he leaned over my neck and bit down. Just like that first time, I felt a sharp sting of pain, but in the next moment, it disappeared. Unlike the first time, though, this wasn't the end of it.

I felt reality melt away. There was only one thing in the world besides me, and it was him—a familiar presence. I could recall his voice, and to have him there with me made me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, and now I knew that this was because I loved him.

This time, there were no sounds and no need for them. The connection that I felt now was so much closer and more pure, and a thought alone was enough. The other person wanted me to feel good—and I did, just from having him there. More than good—I felt amazing, more than ever, from just being able to share this connection. I conveyed them to him, and he responded with the same joy.

We held together amongst the shared bliss, until with regret, the presence left me and the reality was back at its place.

I was still standing in JJ's embrace, feeling both colder and hotter than before. He licked my neck, softly and sensuously, before gently kissing the spot and moving away. When I raised my eyes at him, his face looked fresh again—not gauntly pale, just normally pale.

"I have to say, this wasn't exactly what I imagined when I thought about magic vampire bites," I said, feeling a little dazed from blood loss. "If this is the same for everyone else, then I'm going to feel jealous."