Page 24 of Rock Hard Alien

“I don't know what that is. And it's probably just a story. Gharrgoils don't drink blood. We use our fangs in battle to rip out the throat of our enemies. I shouldn't have wasted our time with this old tale.”

He hung his head and stared at the mug of hot chocolate. His hand had frozen around it, stone against porcelain. He'd never get to drink it now.

I had to help.

I ran over to the kitchen and grabbed the first sharp knife I could find. I pricked the tip of my finger until a drop of blood gathered on my skin.

“What are you doing?” Cairn asked. His voice was so weak now.

I rushed to him. For a moment, I debated where to smear the blood, then decided on the left thumb that it had all started with. I turned my hand and let the blood drop onto his stone skin. It should have pearled off, run down to his palm, but instead, it disappeared into the skin, leaving no trace on the surface.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes,” Cairn croaked. “And I felt it. Something happened.”

“Can you move your thumb?”

The strain was visible on his face. “No. I'm sorry. It didn't work.”

“Maybe it wasn't enough.” I gripped the knife tighter, readying myself to cut deeper. But what had he said? The chief had pierced his mate's lips with his fangs. That meant the blood had ended up in his mouth. Maybe my vampire-theory wasn't so outlandish.

I squeezed my finger until another drop of blood appeared on my skin. I held it to Cairn's lips.

“Lick it.”

“Are you sure?”

Even now, he was still trying to protect me.

“Do it. Now. Before it's too late.”

His lips gently closed around my finger. His tongue swept across my skin. It was rougher than what it should have been, like that of a cat. Normal for a gharrgoil or a sign of petrification?

He groaned softly. His tongue swirled around my finger, searching for more. Fangs pressed against the inside of my finger. That was going to hurt. This was the wrong place for it. I'd read enough vampire novels to know that.

“Wait. Bite my wrist.”

I pulled my hand back and positioned my arm at his lips.

His eyes met mine. He searched for my permission.

I gave it gladly.

He never stopped looking at me as his fangs pierced the delicate skin on my wrist. I gasped as a sharp pain shot up my arm. I bit my lip to stop myself from making a sound. I didn't want him to stop. He needed this.

The first suck made all pain disappear. A strange warmth erupted from my wrist, spreading through my body in an instant. It curled deep inside my stomach like a happy, purring cat, before the warmth reached places that should have been very, very unaffected by an alien gargoyle biting me.

His tongue dragged over the bite. Rough, hot, followed by another pull of his mouth that made my knees weaken.

Cairn groaned against my skin. I clearly wasn't the only one feeling the heady effect of the bite. Part of me wanted to grind against him. I pressed my thighs together. That only made it worse.

He pulled me onto his lap. I opened my eyes just long enough to see that his hands had returned to normal, then closed them again and gave in to the sensation of absolute bliss.

A low sound escaped me.

Cairn released my wrist immediately. His fangs slipped from my skin, leaving two small wounds surrounded by smears of red.

“Did I hurt you?”