Desmond growled a little as he breathed in Beth's scent. He wanted her... he wanted to claim her, to protect her from himself, from anyone else. To make her his own so that he could keep her alive forever, so that she would be safe forever. She was something that needed to be protected at all costs, something that he needed to get right this time around. If he couldn't protect her this time, then he didn't know what he would do... but he had to protect her this time... this time. Beneath his fingertips his skin was like heated silk. He longed to have fingernails to dig into that flesh the way that he had felt Mari's digging into his own when she took away everything for that first magical... wonderful moment.
As she tried to scramble away from him she would feel his hand come up to grab her by the arm, his blue eyes staring through her for that one intense moment. He seemed so foreign then, another creature that was driven by something darker, more sinister. His blue eyes radiated the light that focused in them, and then blinked a little as a ray of sunshine lightly reflected the paleness of his features. His hands fell to his sides then as he let her go, tilting his head back a little as he leaned his head back and let a crimson tear slowly drop it's way down across his cheek at the knowledge of what had transpired, those heated moments. And to know that they were a part of him, a darkness of his soul... an infection inside of him. That a part of him wanted exactly what he had almost done...
Each of her words seemed stab it's way into his chest. Her confession about Danny made his cold eyes open, however, looking at her, staring at her with a hurt expression, wondering for a moment if she had done it for him. Was it really he who had ruined everything for her? Caused her to lose something precious in her life? But then she mentioned that Danny had called her stupid and Desmond felt the rage inside of his stomach roar like a great beast longing to be filled, the aftereffects of the blood slowly dying away. How dare that worthless sack of flesh say something like that about her... If it would not have hurt Beth... but it would hurt her...
But regardless of whether or not it would hurt her... there was still a reckoning to be had. Desmond could still remember his scent. Quietly blue eyes traveled to the window to look at the rising sun, knowing that he would hunt tonight...
Her comment about when it was right caught him off guard though, and he blinked a little, looking down.
"I... would not have any idea what makes it right for a first time. When I... back.. then... there was no such thing as really a first time so much as it was a commitment to someone that you loved. To do it outside of wedlock was akin to a death sentence... you could easily be stoned for such a thing. In some places just doing it was all that there was to really being wed. The person... she..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "It is not important that you know that story, in fact it is probably better you do not."
And then it was time to come clean. "I am... sorry, Beth. That was not me a moment ago. Dhampirs still have vampiric blood flowing through their veins. It... twists emotions. Magnifies them beyond what humans can only dream of... but it also perverts them as well. I would never... try to force that on you." he said softly, knowing that it was a half lie. If the sun had not risen... he easily could have raped her...