closed my eyes and tried to focus on the feelings of the others in the room. It was the only way I could get through this without being completely turned on. I could immediately see how empathy would be a great thing if you were making love to your partner, but drinking from a human in front of a room full of judgmental killers was nerve-wracking.
Focus. No venom. How the hell do I do that? I remembered Angelica and the horror I felt when I was forced to drink from her. I didn’t want her to feel the sexual feelings that Jason had and I remembered praying while I fed. Pray! That’s what you do. Pray that he doesn’t feel it. I sent up a silent prayer to God to help me get through this and bit into his yielding flesh as I continued it.
Jason’s hot blood pumped quickly into my mouth and I tried to stifle my moan of pleasure. Damn he tasted good! I focused on the horror I felt when I fed from Angelica as I swallowed my next mouthful. Jason’s emotions told me that he wasn’t feeling the hard core lust that he had last time. By the fourth mouthful I was getting ready to pull back because I was afraid to drink too much when Ruarc’s voice told me to feed normally.
I sighed in relief as I fully allowed myself to enjoy the meal. Jason moaned as his hands became a flurry of activity in my hair, on my back, and then finally as he gripped and kneaded my ass. He pulled me down harder against his lap as he shamelessly rubbed himself against my center. My spandex pants were thin and the combination of his lust, the hard feel of him, and the taste of his blood became overwhelming. I jerked my fangs out with a gasp and struggled to control my need. I looked down into Jason’s hooded eyes and his ecstasy was plain to see. His breath suddenly quickened and I jumped up from his lap as he came. His emotions overtook me and I groaned as I felt my own body climax just as his did.
I leaned over and put my hands on my knees as the aftershocks trembled through me. Good God, I hope this Empath crap wears off soon. It was absolutely exhausting. No wonder Trey looked so drained at the end of every shift.
I heard a chair scrape the floor and looked up to see Oleif escorting a wobbly Jason out of the room. I worried briefly that I had taken too much blood.
“I’ve never seen anything like you,” Ruarc whispered and I glanced over at him quickly. He seemed to be studying me and I wasn’t sure if he had addressed me or if he had said it to himself, so I remained quiet as I got control over my emotions.
“Well, it’s very plain to see that she can control her venom output,” Hagan said, addressing his brothers.
“It’s never been done before.”
“How can she do it?”
“It’s not natural.”
“Aye, not normal at all.”
I listened to everyone speak and some argued back and forth. When I was able to, I stood up straight and took a deep breath. Ruarc silenced the room with a hand and I watched as everyone turned back to me.
“The Test of Intake is now complete. The subject was able to control her thirst around a human child, an adult, and also a vampire. She did not consume more than the safe amount and surprisingly, she drank very little from the child. She did not handle bagged blood well and that is curious, but not cause for immediate concern. The Test of Intake has shown that the subject can control venom output, which is unprecedented, and most importantly, that she can take on the powers of the vampires she feeds from. While this revelation is startling, I do not judge it to be a cause of concern because of the outcomes of the other stages. She does not show malice, and does not seem to hold a hate for us or our race. For those reasons, I judge that she has passed the Test of Intake. What say you?”
I felt the heavy stares again, but this time it was overwhelming now that I could feel their emotions too. Some were feeling better about my condition, while others were angry, untrusting and fearful.
“Aye.”
“Nay.”
It seemed the room was divided, but how divided, I could not tell. I