Breathe, Desmond, BREATHE! he mentally shouted at himself as she was so close, as she took a step away from him he took a step towards her, mainly because he'd been starting to lean down to kiss her at that point, but at she took another one, and then another he finally crumpled to his knees, gripping the ground a little with his black gloves as he struggled to get his breath again. She was intoxicating him and she had no idea about it. He stared down at the ground, not answering her question as to whether or not he was okay, for at the moment he was not certain. He paused as he looked at her, stopped not more than a few feet from him, looking down at him with a worried expression upon her face. He tried to force a smile on his features, but it was something that was all too clearly forced as he took in a slow breath.
"Half breeds..." he said simply, "Dhampir... if they are forced to drink human blood, become enticed by it. Even more so when it is someone that they care for deeply." he said softly, trying to explain to her what was going on. A part of him didn't even register how embarassing a thing he had admitted to her until it was too late for him to take the words back. Grimacing a little, he reminded himself that she had actively spurned his advances, as he had wanted her to, when they had first met. She had someone, and she did not truly need to be burdened with the knowledge of how he saw her, what he felt when he looked at her. He bowed his head a little as he stared at the ground some, and forced himself to rise, trying to regain some of his dignity.
"I'm sorry, Beth. You did not need to be burdened with that, but it is important for you to understand so you don't put yourself in harm's way. During the day, my powers are dormant, and so I do not feel any of the bloodlust. But at night..." he trailed off and looked away from her, closing his eyes tightly as he stumbled a step to the side and gripped a tree. She would not understand how incredibly hard it was for him right now not to close the distance between the two of them, to take her into his arms. He could feel bark starting to crack beneath his fingers as hard as he gripped the tree and finally he dared to look at her once again, immediately feeling his body try to drag himself towards her.
"You should go inside... please... I need to make certain that you are safe, Beth..." he pleaded with her, an anguished look upon his features.