Chapter 3

When Nikola woke up, he was all alone in his room. The vampire must have moved him at night. The smell of his cologne lingered on Nikola’s pillows and sheets. He had the sudden urge to throw them away. But he had promised that the vampire will be allowed to sleep, and he prayed to God it would be just that, with him every night, so he will have to get used to it.

As he got up, he felt slightly nauseous. He felt like last night he had had a Stockholm syndrome episode. Otherwise, he couldn’t explain to himself how he had managed to find any comfort in that dead thing. One thing he could be grateful for, if indeed the vampire held his word, was his promise to be gentle, even if it was faked.

He himself wasn’t too keen on provoking the thing anytime soon. But if he could indeed get away with saying no from time to time to his demands because he honestly didn’t want to do as bid anymore, then all the better.

After completing his morning routine, he stilled himself and went downstairs to face the vampire. Said man was waiting for him on the kitchen table and was lazily reading a book, which he put down once he noticed that Nikola was nearing him.

The vampire didn’t say anything as Nikola took his place and distractedly mixed the yogurt with the strange syrup. On instinct, he took his coffee and sniffed it. Not noticing the metallic scent, he guessed that the vampire was holding on to his word. Then he saw the picture in the coffee and raised his eyebrow in question at the vampire, who simply smiled at him and winked.

Shaking his head, he took a sip and noticed that there were herbs in his coffee as well as his food. He felt like how a chicken would feel if it was ever marinated alive. Slowly he ate his food and drank his coffee. Once he was done, he took the dishes to the sink and washed them. Then he turned towards the vampire and stared at him without a word. He did it for some time before he gulped and approached him.

“Thank you for the breakfast. Would you like to have yours now?”

He tried to be polite, as a happy vampire would probably manage to get some of his blood without hurting him. He hoped.

“Why, thank you for offering. Let’s go upstairs, and we can use the bed as a good kitchen table for me. I have the whole day planned out in front of us. You’ll like it.”

Reluctantly, Nikola followed Dimitri to his bedroom and allowed himself to be laid in the bed. Instead of going for his neck as he feared, the vampire took his wrist in his hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed him gently over his veins, and then he sunk his fangs into the flesh below.

While the vampire fed, his other hand played with Nikola’s hair. Once he was finished, he peppered the puncture marks with kisses, and then he moved Nikola’s hand to his own hair.

Nikola had to admit that the vampire’s hair was surprisingly soft. He was at a loss for what to do. On the one hand, he was sure the vampire wanted him to play with his hair, just as he was playing with Nikola’s. On the other, he wanted to avoid encouraging this sort of behavior with the other man.

“Don’t you like my hair, Niki?” Said the deceptively calm Dimitri as he moved his head further into Nikola’s hand. Just as he did so, the man made to move it away, but with his lightning fast reflexes, Dimitri sized his hand again and secured it in his hair once more.

“Come now, pet it. It won’t bite you. Don’t I have a right to comfort, darling?”

“Why are we playing this game now, Dimitri?”

“Because its fun and I liked our kiss yesterday. I’ll tell you a little secret, I’m buttering you up for another one. Now pet my hair, or I’ll bite you.”

And so, Nikola absentmindedly gave the hair beneath his hand a few strokes. Once he figured out that he was getting his way, Dimitri let go of Nikola’s hand and pressed them flush together, burring both his hands in Nikolas hair and weaving his fingers in and out.

“Keep petting, hold me with your other hand. Just like that. Good morsel. This feels nice and gentle, no? See how good it can be to be with me. Are you feeling relaxed yet?”

“No. You are playing some sort of game. Won’t you at least tell me the rules of it, so it's fair?”

“Mmm, rules. Why should there be rules? Aren’t I forward enough that you can’t see what I want?”

Dimitri moved even closer to Nikola and hovered his lips millimeters away from the other man’s.

“I want to get a good taste of that yogurt I fed you from the inside of your mouth. I want your hand to grip my hair. I want for you to fight me back. But you won’t, so I do what I want with my first two wants, and the third I’ll leave for when you tire of me. And believe me when I say when I find a home I like, and I very much like your apartment, I stay there for quite some time. Tell me, for how long are you going to keep letting me do what I want without blowing up in my face? And what happens when I stop playing nice again? What then, darling?”

Nikola exhaled slowly and stared in the other’s eyes. His mind couldn’t comprehend just what exactly did this creature want from him. It couldn’t be just sex, could it? There was no way the vampire will stop at that. He would take and keep on talking until there was nothing left.

Then something clicked in his brain. Caine had loved his bride, even though he enslaved her with his blood. It wasn’t real love, but Caine didn’t know that, as he was cursed not to know love. What if he could stop playing the victim and get some control over his life? The vampire would surely leave him eventually, but what if there was a way to survive until then and remain as free as someone in his situation could be?

With his decision made, he leaned in and captured Dimitri’s lips for a change. His hand moved away from the man’s hair and to Dimitri’s waist, where he held him gently to him. Before long, Dimitri was looking at him with distrust.

“What are you doing?” Said the blonde with a growl.

“You asked what I will do when the time comes. But you didn’t know that the time came yesterday when you nearly raped me. I’m giving you what you want, consider yourself spoiled rotten.”

Nikola continued to stare in Dimitri’s eyes as he kept on kissing him, but the blonde wasn’t returning the gesture.

“I said, don’t fake anything with me! This is dishonesty!” As he uttered his last words, his hands flew back in Nikola’s hair, and he forcibly tore him away from his lips.

Nikola chuckled and licked his lips before getting his face as close to Dimitri’s as possible, not minding the painful grip on his hair.

“Oh, but I am being honest with you. I just lost hope I can get out of this at all, so I decided to enjoy myself a little. You’ve been offering yourself on a silver platter, why shouldn’t I take you for as long as you let me be alive? Dimitri, I’m tired of your games and want to start one of my own, won’t you let me? I’ll even tell you rules to keep everything nice and clear and give you a chance to win. Doesn’t that sound good?”

The grip on his hair loosened, and Nikola used the opportunity to get close to Dimitri again. He kissed him on his lips, but the confused blonde didn’t respond to his advances once more.

“You see, Dimitri, my game starts with affection. Sure it will be faked in the start but if you replicate it could become genuine. Then after the affection comes passion. The thing you’ve been trying to fake at me between threats but actually know nothing about, since you were probably a virgin when you were, what was the proper term? Ah, yes, embraced. And…”

Nikola stopped talking as Dimitri was gripping his hips and hissing angrily in his ear.

“Virgin? What if I was?! Who are you to teach me about such basic things for a Toreador? Didn’t you say you can never love me? Because your little game has a name, and it's love! And I want love, morsel, true. But I want real love.”

Nikola laughed in his face and nuzzled their noses together.

“You know now that I lost all hope, your anger is kind of cute. If only you weren’t such a brute as to back it up with a bite or painful tugs in my hair, I might have even forgotten that it is you I’m offering the “sweetest nectar” that you want so much. You either get this or we are going to have, and that is judging by your expression, really painful sex for me. But then the game is over and you lost. So, what will it be? Will you play?”

An evil smile stretched onto the usually handsome face of the vampire, and he calmed down. He leaned in and begun responding to the kisses he was getting.

“Fine, I’ll play your little game. So, Niki, what are the rules?”

“Simple, there is just one. When you start getting horny around me, I’ll indulge you but on my own turns. Do you want a kiss? Be gentle about it. Do you want sex? Get me in the mood without threats. You want us to just hold each other and just take comfort in it? Then just ask for it. I’ll comply as I have complied with everything, but I’ll actually put some emotion behind it. And the more these emotions pile up, the more you will like it. Basically, the rule is that you act like a normal lover from now on. Do you like it? No? Then you lose, Dimitri.”

“I hate losing. You want a normal lover, but I told you already I can’t be what you want. I won’t fake anything for you. I demand you love me unconditionally right now, or the sex will really teach you the meaning of painful.”

At that, Nikola exhaled angrily and pushed himself as far away as he could from the damned leech.

“When have I ever given you any conditions but this one? Or are you going to start forcing me to drink your blood? I read that three times, and the effect that you are looking for will be yours. But tell me, how many of your ghoul toys have turned on you because you get easily satisfied with crumbs?”

“ALL OF THEM!” Screamed Dimitri in his face and began to shake. “All of you mortals are the same! Soon you will demand I take care of your every whim! And I, fool that I am and as you said satisfied with crumbs, will indulge you until you turn on me as well. I refuse to see you turn on me! You are supposed to be innocent and caring! You make candy, for Pete’s sake! And yet even you set me rules! Why can’t I just be loved without effort on my part? I didn’t turn you into a ghoul, so you can show me how it’s like, but even you…”

Dimitri pulled Nikola’s head into his nape and as he gripped the pillows to the point of them being nearly shredded, he screamed his frustration. It was somewhat heartwarming to hear this scream of confusion and genuine anger from the blond. It gave Nikola a slight satisfaction.

Instead of cowering in his captor’s arms, he began laughing. It was a mocking, yet sweet sound that made Dimitri throw an abused pillow towards the wall.

“How do I show you how its like when I’ve never been in love myself? I just know how it's supposed to be like. I’m 25 and a workaholic, do you honestly think I have the time to go dating? Its ironic really, but you are my first kiss. Now that you know this embarrassing detail about me, feel free to rid me of my misery and kill me now.”

Another pillow followed the previous one, and Dimitri started to tear the sheets beneath them. Once they were torn to shreds, he coughed and cleared his throat.

“Are you telling me I’ve been drinking virgin blood all this time, Niki? And there is a way for me to check, so I better not detect any lies from you.”

“It’s not a lie,” laughed Nikola heartedly. “You Toreadors are supposed to be the personification of sin, but you can’t even seduce a virgin. Are you new to this vampire thing apart from…no…wait, I remember? You said some ghoul popped your cherry. And tried to stake you afterwards, hilarious!”

As the Bulgarian continued to laugh like mad, Dimitri buried his face into Nikola’s hair and inhaled his scent a couple of times.

“Damn, you really haven’t slept with anyone. I fucked up. If my sire finds out about this, … stop laughing! I command you to stop laughing!”

Not being satisfied with being ignored, he tore himself from the still laughing Nikola and got off the bed. This didn’t serve to change anything, as Nikola was now gripping the sides of his stomach while laughing.

Meanwhile, Dimitri began searching for  not torn sheets. He found some silk ones, surprisingly enough, and put them on the bed, after which he collected the torn sheets and left the room to throw them away.

When he came back, Nikola was smiling at him, laying on the silk sheets and having retrieved the pillows back onto the bed. He patted the space next to him on the bed and winked at the vampire. Dimitri had half a mind to storm out of the room, wait for the night to come murder Nikola and then find some other prey, but he was strangely warmed by Nikola’s happy smile.

Now that the brunette wasn’t laughing at him and his prowlers, and looked genuinely cheered up, Dimitri kind of liked that look on him. With a suspicious gaze, he moved to lay down on the free space, only for Nikola to cuddle up onto him.

“Would you like to talk about…”

“No!”

“How about your anger management problems and how you…”

“Drop it, morsel, I’m warning you.”

“So did you like cooking up my virgin blood these past days? Do you mind cooking for me only in an apron tomorrow, so you can live up to your Toreador nature?”

His sentence wasn’t stopped as Dimitri was outright gaping at him. He was about to get out of the bed again when Nikola hooked a leg over his legs and then got up himself only to straddle him as he sat comfortably in Dimitri’s lap his hands roomed over the vampire’s chest, and then he lowered himself and rose himself, rubbing their members together.

“Should I talk dirty to you right about now, Dimitri? You’re getting my ass just like you’ve wanted these past few days. Are you enjoying yourself finally? Because I can assure you I’m not faking my reactions or emotions right now. If you don't play the game by the rules, then I won’t follow the general progression of how this is supposed to go and skip a few steps. They are vital for me to win, but you don’t deserve them anyway.”

At that, Dimitri rose himself and gripped Nikola, moving their hips through their clothes in rhythm to Nikola’s grinding.  

“Morsel, where is this sudden bravery coming from? Will it evaporate once I take your clothes off and take you? How will you, mmm, react then when no clothes separate us, huh? But do I like it when you fight back.”

“How about we find out,” said Nikola and took off his shirt and threw it on the floor. After that, he unzipped his pants and was about to take them off too when he was suddenly pinned to the bed beneath the vampire.

His naked chest was suddenly papered with kisses, and Nikola giggled as if drunken as Dimitri managed to find his ticklish spots. The vampire didn’t stop his kissing and sucking even for a moment, undisturbed by the other man’s antics.

As he was kissing, he lowered his hand and sneaked its way to grip Nikola’s member and start stroking it. That resulted in the giggles turning into silent gasps for air and moans. Much to Dimitri’s surprise, Nikola started tugging at his belt and once he unlatched it, he took it off and threw it on the floor near his shirt. Then he proceeded to surprise him further by unzipping his jeans without prompting and in the practically shocked state that the vampire was in, he allowed for his jeans to be taken from him and to follow the belt and Nikola’s shirt.

“Are you taking off my pants or are you just going to play with my cock, Dimitri.”

“You know, Niki, for a virgin, you’re very forward in bed. I’ll enjoy devouring you.”

“Pff, as if you will be doing the devouring this time. I will,,,ah, don’t squeeze. You’ll make me come too soon. Stop wanking me off and get me naked already!”

“Are you…demanding it of me? Niki, that’s not how this goes. You are soft and shy, and I’m bad and mean, and this is your first time. First times are special, darling. We can’t rush. There’s nothing wrong with you getting a few more orgasms than normal, ah, there it is. Your first time coming for me when you haven’t come for anyone else. The first time of many.”

Nikola send Dimitri a dirty look as he was allowed to get his breath under control. So much for clean sheets. And silk would be a bitch to get semen out of. Did he have other sheets? Would Dimitri buy new sheets or leave him to bleed out in the semen covered ones? He really hoped the vampire would let him safe some face.

Just as he was considering complaining about the number of clothes still on him, Dimitri got up from him and took of his shirt, and down to the floor it went. Then he made a show of rooming with his hands all over Nikola’s chest before finally freeing him of his pants and boxers. After which, he took of his own boxers and positioned himself between Nikola’s legs.

“So, Niki, any last words as a virgin?”

“Yes, bite me.”

And so, Dimitri did, it was a soft barely painful love bite just over the two puncture marks on Nikola’s neck, not strong enough to break the skin. Then he placed his fingers over Nikola’s lips.

“You’ll have to lubricate my fingers. Unless you have some lube?”

“I do have some, actually, its in the bedside drawer. I’d rather not have your fingers inside my mouth, you might get rough with me, and then I might bite down on accident, and then you’ll have a junky on your hands. I’d rather not die a junky.”

“What is this about dying during sex? Niki, you’re killing the mood,” realizing he had made a pun, Dimitri chuckled to himself as he searched for the lube.

“Well, that is what is waiting for me after you get what you want, isn’t it? Oh, sure, you did promise that as long as I act nice I’ll survive, but you’ve broken so many of your promises I won’t be surprised if you slit my throat just after you’ve come. If you can come at all as a vampire.”

  “I’ll have you know that I’m using the breakfast you supplied me with to keep everything responsive and operational, so yes, I can indeed come. And if I promised to spare you, then I’ll spare you. Let’s just relax and have our fun, my pretty Niki.”

Having finally found the lube and having coated his fingers with it beforehand, Dimitri gently massaged Nikola’s entrance before he placed one of them in. Then his other followed, and when Nikola was a meowing mess underneath him, he finally placed the third finger.

He stretched the brunette for quite some time, to be fair, he was enjoying himself just playing with and kissing his prey, so he forgot that for a virgin the stimuli were a bit too much, and he was broken out of his little game when Nikola came into his arms again.

Normally, Dimitri would have waited for Nikola to regain his bearings, but he took out his fingers out of him while the man was still panting and entered him instead and began to gently rock them both back and forth.

“How do you like our little game now, Niki? Are you having fun skipping all the caring and going straight to passion?”

“This is not passion, merely lust. If you were maybe more experienced in, ah, don’t do that, Dimitri biting me like that hurts. You can’t just use violence every time I say something you disagree with!”

“Why not, it shuts you up before you get a big head. And don’t be a baby, baby. It doesn’t hurt that much. Now this,” he said as he went dipper into Nikola and raised the man’s legs to wrap them around his waist. “Is going to hurt until you get used to it.”

They spend the reminder of the day coiled around each other and having sex and after the umpteenth time after Nikola asked he was finally allowed to ride Dimitri. Once finished, he collapsed on top of the vampire with a satisfied smile on his lips and wrapped his hands around him. Truly, if Dimitri was going to kill him now, it was better that Nikola at least wasn’t a virgin anymore.