"And I don't sparkle, and not a so-called 'vegetarian' vampire, and while I do admit to being a corner creeper, I don't spend my days trying to control the women I'm with. At least not as far as what they can do and who they can be friends with." Mind control didn't count, because he only used that when he needed to feed. "The fashion sense is a definite bonus, though."
He nodded his understanding. That was true. Pretty much all non-humans got a shit deal when it came to popularity and companionship. "I suppose that's the balance there. We get these special strengths and powers to use at our will, but we sacrifice the number of connections we have with people." The dulling of her wings was easily noticed in the relative darkness of the basement. Elliot could only assume it had something to do with her mood.
Elliot nodded, both at what she said and at having his assumption confirmed. "Maybe a little depressing, but no less true."
He chuckled when she continued to call him Count Chocula. "Looks that way, Bug Lady." A smirk as he added, "Oh, I do consider myself lucky for that. Wouldn't want to tell my friends a girl with butterfly wings broke my jaw."
"One hundred and twenty-nine," he answered, glancing up at her to add, "and I don't consider it rude, but some other vampires I know might. You're just lucky you're asking me." The irony of turning her previous phrasing about him being lucky he was super strong, back on her, made him grin.
Elliot tracked her movements as she tied her hair out of the way of her neck and then rose to her feet. Was she a fool, or did she simply trust too easily? Either option was equally dangerous, so it was indeed a lucky thing for her that his intent wasn't to kill.
He closed the distance between them, tilting his head down to hold her gaze. While one arm slid around her waist, the other hand snaked up her back to rest at the nape of her neck, both intimate gestures meant to hold her in place. "It'll hurt at first," he explained, wanting to prepare her in case she decided to scream and reveal their hiding place to the hunters camped outside. "But once you get past that, it feels almost like sex."
His fangs came out, and he added, "Don't be afraid," before dipping his head and sinking those two sharp points into her neck and drinking deeply.