Black Blood

My ice begins to melt as Novak’s lips move against mine. My first kiss was with Christiaan at our wedding and I have known nothing else since. This kiss is completely different from any I’ve ever had. Even the kiss at my wedding was not entirely voluntary. This one I agreed to, this one I wanted. That detail alone makes this whole sensation different from the kisses I have shared with Christiaan. The way his lips move over mine is soft and tender.

I realise that the situation is strange. I have just caught Novak with Zora and now I am kissing him. Somehow it feels wrong, but also not. It’s not my first kiss but somewhere it feels like it. Right now, I don’t care if I just caught them or if I’m still officially married to Christiaan. All that matters to me now is Novak and his lips against mine.

The kiss slowly accelerates as Novak moves his hands to my sides. He pulls me a little more against him. Automatically I do something I’ve never done before, wrap my arms around his neck. My fingers slide along the back of his head to his hair, feeling through the soft locks.

Novak deepens the kiss a little by pressing his lips closer to mine. Tingles go through my body that I didn’t know I could get. I feel completely relaxed and almost don’t dare admit that I am enjoying this moment. His lips feel nice against mine, I feel free to move however I want and not forced to adopt another position.

His tongue slides along my lower lip. I partly recognise this gesture from what Christiaan did. He forced his tongue between my lips, this is more like asking for permission. I slowly open my mouth and allow Novak to do so. His tongue slides along mine in a quiet and unforced way.

I sigh softly against his lips and feel his lips lift to a small smile. My body tingles. I slowly begin to lose myself in the kiss. My breathing begins to become more irregular as the kiss progresses. My hands begin to get more entangled in his hair. Novak’s fingers begin to push harder into my sides.

I am finally the one who pulls back and looks at him panting. His blue eyes have changed colour. Orange-red has taken over his irises. I have never seen his vampire eyes until now.

I’ve hardly noticed Novak being a vampire anyway. I’ve been hanging out with him for a few weeks now and I’ve noticed very little of his vampire side. I know from books that vampires can go several weeks without blood before they start showing symptoms. I either didn’t notice that he was drinking or he really didn’t.

Before my eyes, his eyes begin to return to their normal blue colour. He blinks his eyes a few times until all the red glare is gone. He gently grabs my wrist and removes my fingers from my lips. I didn’t even realise I had them there until he makes this move.

His blue eyes peer into mine as he has one hand still on my side and grabs my hand with the other. I would describe this as my first kiss. This was nothing compared to everything I did with Christiaan. This was soft and nice. I felt relaxed and at ease.

‘How did you like that?’ Novak asks softly.

‘Different.’ It is the first thing that comes to mind. Only after I have said it do I notice how stupid it sounds, meaningless. It doesn’t surprise me that my answer makes Novak laugh.

‘Let’s see that as a good thing,’ he says, smiling. His hands leave my body before he takes a step back. I immediately don’t know how to hold myself anymore. I fold my hands together in front of my body. I am suddenly very aware that, apart from my underwear, I am not wearing any clothes. Novak walks unashamedly to the bed in his pants and turns over the clean sheets.

‘Will you lie with me now?’ he asks with a smile. I sigh deeply. This situation is somehow strange and feels familiar at the same time. Despite the fact that we’ve just kissed, I’m in my underwear and Novak asks me to lie in a bed with him, I don’t feel like he wants anything from me, which is something I’m still not entirely used to from men.

Novak looks at me expectantly while he stares at me with the blanket in his right hand. He asks but we both know my options are limited. It’s either sleep with him in that bed, or on the floor, or not at all. I put my little bit of awkwardness and automatic fear aside as I begin to walk to the other side of the bed. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Novak smile contentedly before he holds up the covers and takes a seat under the sheets.

I lift the covers for myself and lie down next to him. He opens his arms to signal me to lie against him. We did this once before, the first night we were in that tent. Last time, I hesitated and found it terrifying, but this time I come into his arms without a doubt. I place my head on his chest while he lies on his back with his arms around me.

We are silent. I listen to his steady heartbeat. His fingers gently slide over the bare skin near my ribs. The warmth of his body and the blankets make me feel completely at ease. The hairs of his legs slide along my leg as soon as he lies down. He gently takes my hand from his chest while lifting it in the air. His fingers play with mine. Both of us have our eyes hanging on our fingers, looking up at the ceiling.

‘I once heard that Night Riders can send air, is that right?’ he asks in a whisper. His fingertips are against mine, holding my hand up in silence.

‘Yes, that’s right,’ I reply softly. I’m not used to talking to anyone about my magic.

‘Do you want to show it?’ he asks softly. I lift my head to look into his blue eyes. They are relaxed and expectant, he means it. I’ve never shown my magic outside of Nora, Tristan and Viko. I haven’t used it in a long time, apart from escaping the castle. I lay my head back on his chest, letting the pent-up air slip out through my nostrils.

‘Yes,’ I answer his question in a whisper. Slowly, I remove my fingertips from his. He puts his hand on his stomach. My fingers begin to move in a wavy motion. First my little finger moves forward, then my ring finger and so on until all my fingers make slow undulating movements.

After a few waves, my fingers stop moving and I only move my wrist in circles before making a quick movement in the air towards Novak. His blond hair is pushed up in the air while a small gust of wind slides along his face. I smile as I see his eyes follow his hair. It is a short gust of wind and certainly not hard but good enough to show how my magic works. I lower my hand to his chest again.

‘Cool,’ he says. I start laughing and push my head into his chest. My action makes Novak laugh too before he wraps his arms around me again.