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“Two
months, two weeks and two days.”

“When does Le Diable Amoureux start?”

“Next week.”

“I want to see you dance.”

“I will gladly put a ticket aside for you. We’re doing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland next. Have you seen it? It’s newer. I think this will be the first time it’ll be performed here.”

“I have it on DVD. Are you going to play Jack and the Knave? You have that raw energy that Nikolai Zelenko
does.”

“If I had my way I’d be the White
Rabbit or the Red Queen, but Tristan has his vision. A vision that includes me as the Knave.” He sounded like he was pouting, I couldn’t help but to let a lazy smile slip over my lips.

“You’re too sexy to be a bunny,” I murmured out, my eyelids were starting to grow heavy.

“And you’re not stuttering
.”

“I’m too sleepy to be nervous.”

“I make you nervous?” His voice was so soft, it was like he was trying to lull me to sleep.

“A little. I haven’t been with anyone since Garrett. I keep waiting for you”—I yawned—“to figure out that I’m not enough.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Deductive reasoning. I’m shy, I’m quiet… I’m not enough of a person
for anyone.” I heard a beep like the call ending and blinked. Peeling myself off of the floor I checked the phone. Call ended mocked me.
Your sleepy confessions are worse than your drunk confessions. You should have kept your mouth shut.
I panicked for a moment, but as I went to go check to see if he had driven away there was a knock at the door.

The loud thuds rivaled Leslie’s knock. With a groan, I snatched my white satin robe from the back of the bathroom door and pulled it on, wrapping it around me. I was slow to unlock the door, mostly because I was fairly delirious with sleepiness. Mind shattering orgasms have a habit of doing that people.

Peeking through the peep hole I had to blink twice. Aleksi was on the other side. I hastily took off the chain and unlocked the door. He entered without another word from me and latched the chain and locked the deadbolt before even acknowledging me.

“Let’s take a shower,” H
e purred as he grabbed my hand lead me through my apartment to the bathroom. I let him.

“What about…” I trailed off and didn’t finish my thought.

He stopped and turned to face me. “Nothing is more important to me right now than showing you that you’re more than just enough of a person
for me.” Reaching up with those artful fingers to held my face in his hands and pressed his forehead to mine.

“I’m six seconds from passing out.”

“I’ll hold you up.” H
e smirked out as he released me and took my hand again. He turned on the hot water and stripped out of his clothes. I reached for the sash of my robe and he shook his head and my fingers stilled.

Once he was naked, I stared as though I had been lobotomized.
Not a completely inaccurate observation, Autumn
.
I was used to male dancers’ bodies. Garrett was not my first ballet dancer, but Aleksi was art made flesh. I had seen him shirtless before, he often rehearsed without a shirt. This was, however, the first time I was actually seeing the whole package and I was speechless. The smug look on his face showed that he was very aware of the effect his body had. His body was fatless, every muscle lean and defined. He also had very little body hair. He had absolutely no chest hair, and he didn’t even have that trail that led up his to his belly button. The hair on his legs was fine and thin, and between his legs his pubic hair was short—He only had a dusting of it. And then there was Him or rather his cock. It was possibly larger than I had imagined it being and this was when it was soft. I swallowed as my mind raced over the possibilities of how it felt inside me, in my mouth, between my breasts, in my hand… the possibilities were endless.

Once I got over my dumbstruck faze I shifted into full on ALEKSI IS FUCKING NAKED IN MY BATHROOM faze. A broad smile slipped over my lips, and then he reached out and pulled on the satin sash holding my robe closed. My smile fell and I moved to cover myself.

“Autumn,” He chided. “Must I put you over my knee?” He teased and I dropped my hands and shrugged off the robe. Admittedly the thought titillated me. I wanted him to punish me, I blinked at the realization
.
It’s because he’s turning you into a pervert.
He helped me into the bathtub and pulled the shower curtain closed. We showered together in silence. But once he was clean he pulled me into his arms. I was still covered in soap, but he still clutched me to him. My back was to his chest and his arms around my waist holding me tight against him. “My lovely, Autumn.” He purred nuzzling against me. My eyelids grew heavy again and I sighed happily. There was something about being in his arms which just felt right, and comforting.

After the shower he made sure I brushed my teeth, and then he used my toothbrush and brushed his. I continued to stare like a crazy, but there was something obscene about a vampire brushing their teeth. With his teeth finished he asked me where I kept the spare sheets. I showed him, and he took out
two blankets and towels. The blankets he hung over the windows and the towels he stuffed under the door. By the time he
finished, I was practically falling over.

“And now we sleep.” He snickered softly as he watched me slide into bed. He joined me and pulled me close again, trapping me with his strong arms. “Never think you’re lesser than anyone, Autumn. There’s nothing wrong with being quiet or shy. You’re not less of a person for it, you’re just more reserved.” I swallowed at his words.
See! You should thank me!
“Composure is a good thing, your composure is why I’m drawn to you. There’s complexity in silence. I used to be the same way.” He sighed and took my hand, pressing it to his chest above his heart. Our heartbeats were in complete sync. “Never say that you’re not enough of a person again. You don’t have to be an extrovert to be a person. And if that isn’t enough, well you’re enough of a person to make my heart beat. Literally, you accepting the mark willingly is what has made my heart beat again.”

I looked up at him and he kissed my cheek and squeezed me to him, and I felt my eyelids droop.

“She’s going to be pissed
.” I murmured.

“We can deal with her wrath, Gregory is gone. But I can’t deal with you thinking so lowly of yourself.” He started stroki
ng my hair. “Sleep.” That word from him was the thumbs up for my consciousness to let go and allow sleep to suck me under.

Nothing is worse than having a dream so
vivid that it seems real. I dreamt of Dracula and of being that blonde, milk pale version of myself. I dreamt of tattered linen, of chains and of Dracula’s fangs. The entire dream felt like falling, even the ending when I crumpled to my knees shot with an arrow. He loomed over me, and I whispered for him to drink me. He cried red tinted tears as he held me in the snow. He was reluctant, but I demanded and in the end he gave in. I felt myself die in the dream, I felt him suck the life from my body and with it… something else. The death was quiet, and that quiet death brought me into consciousness.

Groaning I opened my eyes and looked around my room. It was almost pitch black, but my alarm clock said it was 10 am. I laid in the darkness and thought about the dream. Was Maria who gave Dracula his power? Did drinking her blood make him super-omni-vampire? Or was it that he killed her? I scooted to roll out of bed and was stopped by a solid object blocking my path. Then, and only then did the night before come back to me. I had never slept next to a vampire before.

I poked Aleksi, only to hear a soft low growl come from him.

“Go back to sleep,
” He groaned, his arm falling over my body, trapping me.

“Some of us aren’t nocturnal creatures.”

“Mhm, I was supposed to be at
class and rehearsal. We were on the stage today.”

“Won’t they be suspicious?” I asked nuzzling against
him. “Your car is still here.” I placed my hand against his chest, he was starting to cool.

“Mm, we can deal with the consequences, Gregory is gone. He can’t force Elizabeta’s hand from his territory. And if Kendra complains I’ll just turn her.”

“She’ll probably look at it as a reward.” My words brought a dark chuckle from his lips, a sound I wasn’t certain I liked hearing.

“I would make it very clear it wasn’t a reward.
Though, I think I’m going to thrall her regardless,” His voice was calm and oh-so-cool. But there was something about it which made me uncomfortable as I recalled Lyra who was Elizabeta’s thrall.

“What’s a
th-thrall?” I inquired as I placed a kiss on his chest, he shivered.

“A thrall is a human who is completely bound to a vampire.”

“Like a servant?”

“No, as a thrall Kendra would have no will of her own. She would be completely my puppet in every single
way like Lyra is for Elizabeta.”

I fell quiet and moved to pull away from him, my retreat was blocked by his hand on my back, holding me securely in place. Neither of us said anything. To me, it seemed like a Thrall would be exactly what someone like Aleksi would want. Someone who would serve him unquestioningly. Someone who wouldn’t stammer, stutter and pull away.

“Thralls are no fun
; and he suggested I turn her, so I probably should,” He sighed out with a half growl.

“But I thought you liked control?”

“Oh, I do, Autumn my ve
ry own darling. But if someone cannot say no, their submission just feels empty to me. Punishment is half of the fun, I look forward to the first time you cross me, and all of the different shades of pink, red and purple I’ll turn your flesh for it. As well as the forgiveness you’ll beg from me. And the absolute look of ecstasy on your face when you realize you craved the pain and correction,” He whispered into the darkness as I pressed my knees together. That was exactly what I wanted ever since I knew it was an option.
Because he’s turned you on to deviant sex.
He pressed his hips forward against mine. He wasn’t hard, but I suspected that had a lot to do with why his body was rapidly cooling. I could feel his pleasure mixing with mine, I couldn’t have stopped the soft moan that escaped my lips if I wanted to.

Thud. Thud. Thud.
Aleksi sighed exasperatedly as the door to my apartment thumped. I could almost see him rolling his eyes as his hips stilled. He huffed again and released me. Without a word, I slid out of bed and walked to the door. I slipped out into the common room and blinked into the harsh light of day. It was before noon, and my eyes burned from the light coming in from the windows.

Thud. Thud. Thud.
They knocked again and I peeked through the peephole to find something I wasn’t expecting. Standing in the hall outside of my door was a woman I didn’t know. However, I did know her eyes. They were large and that same shade of cerulean as Aleksi’s. Her skin was white pale, and she had a pink parasol in her hands.

“I know you’re in there,
” She called in a soft little slip of a voice. I slowly unlocked the door and opened it.

“Hello, can I h-help you?” I asked pulling my robe tighter around me. Her answer was a sweet little smile. She looked like a kewpie doll with her huge blue eyes,
small, perfect cupid's bow mouth, and adorable little nose. It was also obvious that she was a vampire.

“Yes, I believe you can. You’re Autumn, right?”
She asked as she smoothed her dark tresses which were pulled into a high bun. Her hair was also the same shade as Aleksi’s. I nodded slowly. “Good! Aleksi!” She yelled his name. “I saw your car out front, you can’t hide from me!” She shouted into the apartment. I stepped to the side so she could enter, and enter she did. “You have a lovely place,” the adorable vampire commented as I closed the door.

Once she was in the apartment, I was able to get a better look at her. She wasn’t as interesting as what she wore. The only thing visible on her was her face. Her hands were covered in white leather gloves, and she wore a pale pink turtleneck which climbed all the way up her neck. The care she took to cover herself was admirable, but there were areas you could tell the sun had gotten at. Some of the skin on her jaw was reddened like it was suffering from a bad sunburn.

“Brother!” She called out in that sweet, adorable little voice. “I know you’re in here brother!” She moved around my apartment like it was her own, I could hear Aleksi moving on the other side of the bedroom door. Sister? I thought he was abandoned at three, how could he have a sister
.
She is probably just another vampire of Elizabeta’s.

“Are you a dancer as well?”

She turned at my question and stared at me, answering me with a nod.

“I’m one of the other
Principal Dancers. I was even an Étoile briefly in life, that’s the French version of a Prima Ballerina. However, they don’t let us keep those titles once we’ve been turned. All it is now is a footnote in the program.” Her sweet voice turned bitter briefly and the smile fell from her face for a moment.

“Is Aleksi really yo—” I stopped as the door to my bedroom opened. Aleksi stood in the doorway clothed and with the hood on his coat drawn.
You’re being rude! Close the curtains.
I rushed over to the wall of windows and pulled the shades down and closed the heavy brocade curtains.

“Thank you.” T
he girl responded as she sat on the edge of my sofa and rooted around in her pink leather purse. After a moment, she pulled out a bottle and tossed it to Aleksi, who caught it and squeezed a generous amount of the thick, white, paste-like substance out into his hand. “I saved you, Brother. You would have been proud of me.” She beamed at Aleksi, who only glanced up at her for a moment before he started smearing the paste on his face, chest, and neck.