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“Damn, you’re getting too good at that! You almost made me tear your clothes off!” she purred.
Henry nodded to her with a gentle smile. They hadn’t been… intimate since that night in the hospital. The night he lost control of his heat and changed her and her friends forever. He knew she was frightened to do more than kiss, and that made him sad. She was the one who most resented the change, though she was coming to terms with it recently as it was so useful for her becoming a doctor, and ultimately, a surgeon.
“I love what you’re doing with your hair,” he said, his voice still a little rough.
Her eyes flashed to his as she saw how he was restraining himself. Her gaze softened, and she smiled as she primped her hair just a little. “Yes, I love it almost as much as Sandy loves hers. Now, if I could just get Kesini to stop playing with it.”
Henry chuckled as he pictured the blonde locks playing within the mane of dark curls.
Dayshia took a step towards the living room, then stopped and sniffed the air. “Wh-what smells so good?” she sighed. Sandy and Michelle must have been sneakily listening in as they immediately came back to the door to take a whiff themselves.
“Is that flowers?” Sandy said, with a happy smile.
Henry pointed to the candle. “Tish found this beeswax candle.”
Michelle looked at him, curiously. “Beeswax candles don’t have a scent.” He just shrugged, so the ladies moved into the living room to question Tish on it. Henry smiled as he saw Dayshia’s hair begin to move seemingly on its own. Sandy needed to drop her glamor so the other guests could see her mischievous hair coming.
There was another knock, and Henry opened the door to see his first guests from outside the building. Sigrid and Meixiu smiled back at him as they graciously accepted his gesture to enter. It was almost June and a warm spring, so they hadn’t worn outerwear. He took in the dramatic contrast between the two women. Sigrid’s powerfully muscled Valkyrie body was beautifully enhanced by a lovely green mid-thigh dress that flattered her long, muscular legs. Meixiu’s slim, long-limbed Vampire frame was wrapped in a long, flowing white gown with a red sash. The almost dainty impression belied the strength in Meixiu’s petite body.
Sigrid stepped close and got a warm bear hug from Henry. She felt so good in his arms, and she was enjoying the hug as well. “What smells so good?” she asked when she looked around.
Henry stepped aside and pointed to the candle, then to the end of the hall where they could hear Tish talking about the candles. With a grin, Sigrid slipped off her shoes and put on a pair of guest slippers before moving to join them.
Henry saw Meixiu was watching him with a slight smile on her lips. He noted she seemed a little weary. After giving her a hug, he held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded bashfully and glanced down the hall to ensure Sigrid wasn’t within earshot. “Yes, I’m just a little worn out from my nightly patrolling.”
His smile dropped. “Patrolling?”
Her smile slipped too. “I’m hunting the serial killer.”
Henry’s eyes went wide. “Meixiu! You shouldn’t be putting your life in danger!”
She reached up and touched his lips with her fingers to quiet him. “I am not seen if I wish not to be.”
He looked at the slim girl and felt the slight tremble in her fingers. “You’re not feeding.” Her eyes widened in surprise at his accurate guess. “You can’t help anyone if you don’t help yourself first!” He leaned his face closer to hers and gave the Vampire a stern look. “Feed from me.”
Her eyes got a little desperate, so he knew she’d put off feeding for too long. She needed the blood to maintain her strength, and Henry’s blood was supersaturated with Wild Magic, which would greatly energize her.
He gathered her to him with her back to his chest and held his left wrist before her face. He could feel her trembling in his arms, then she gripped his hand and his forearm in her hands and brought the soft skin to her lips. She darted her tongue out to lick the inside of his wrist. Henry felt the area go numb, so there was just the briefest pinch when her teeth bit in. Then she placed her lips to the punctures and drank. It went on longer than he expected, but she finally paused then licked the wounds to activate her healing enzymes to close the holes. She rested her front teeth against his skin and took slow even breaths as the energy swept through her like a tsunami. When she released him, he had to keep her steady.
“I think I took too much,” she said quietly as she struggled to stay awake and on her feet.
He frowned, then scooped her into his arms, making her stare at him wide-eyed. “You need a little snooze. You can join the party once you wake.” Relaxing, her eyes immediately closed, and her head rolled in to rest against his chest.
He carried her down the hall, briefly coming into view of the living room, then turned right to head down the bedroom hallway to the master bedroom. He set her down on the Japanese bed he’d grown to love. This piece of furniture, he’d insisted on keeping in their bedroom. Tish got used to it quickly.
He slipped her shoes off, closed the door behind himself, and turned to see the group of ladies in the hallway watching him. He gestured they should return to the living room. He left Meixiu’s shoes by the front door then joined the others in the living room.
Once he got there, Sigrid immediately spoke up. “What happened to Meixiu?” Her eyes caught the slightly pink color on his wrist and recognized that immediately. “She fed from you?” she said in surprise.
“She looked a little tired, so I gave her a meal. She took a little more than she expected to. She’ll join us when she wakes,” Henry said, keeping the Vampire’s nightly activities private, for now.
Another knock announced more guests, so Henry used the excuse to escape further questions.
He opened the door to see Mahati and Kali Chandra standing there. Mahati looked dazzling in a royal blue and gold saree. Henry froze as he took in her gleaming, straight black hair cascading over her shoulders. Large, dangling gold earrings and delicate gold chains accentuated the elegant look. Her cinnamon skin tone seemed a little redder than usual as she fidgeted under his stare.
“Are you going to rudely gawk at us, or are you going to invite us in?” she asserted. Her full crimson lips were frowning once more as her dark eyes flashed.
“I-I’m sorry, Mahati! Please come in! You look amazing in that beautiful dress! Breathtaking!” Henry stammered as he gushed.
“It’s a saree, not a dress… but thank you,” the woman said, her tension replaced with surprised pleasure. Her lips now held a pleased smile. She moved forward, and Henry tore his eyes away to look to the younger sister. Once more, he found himself staring, as the young woman, who he’d only ever seen in baggy t-shirts and yoga pants, was also wearing a saree, but hers was black accented in gold and left the tight muscles of her midriff exposed. Her long black hair was teased up with only a few curls framing her lovely face. The whites of her dark eyes were accentuated by dark kohl make-up and seemed to sparkle with her amusement. The chain she usually wore between her nose and nipple was missing, but the impressions of larger piercings on both nipples were clearly visible against the tight fabric.
“You look– amazing too, Kali!” he finally managed as she moved inside. She demurely dipped her eyes to him with a satisfied smile.
Mahati turned back to face Henry a short distance down the hall. “It’s my understanding that for housewarming parties, it is customary to bring a gift. You refused this?”
Henry nodded. “We agreed to suspend that particular tradition this time. Your time and presence are enough of a gift.”
The woman nodded with another pleased smile and went the rest of the way down the hall to turn left and join the others in the living room. Her sister followed with a sly smile on her lips. He didn’t really understand Kali’s intentions, so he’d have to keep an eye on her. She seemed to enjoy shaking things up.
“Hi, Henry!”
He turned back to the open door and saw Mary Carston standing next to Roy. They were both wearing commando black, and he raised an eyebrow. Mary smirked as she looked down at herself.
“Yeah, Roy mistimed the duration of our training camp with his pa- with his team. We came straight here from there, so you get us in our combat gear.” Roy had the good grace to seem apologetic, at least.
“You two are welcome in any outfit,” Henry said with a smile. “Please come in!” He gave Mary a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek, then surprised Roy with a hug. They took off their combat boots and slipped on the slippers. Slightly shaken, Roy stopped by the candle and looked back at Henry. “Speak to Tish about the candle, but yes, it gives off the scent of a mountainside meadow.”Property © NôvelDrama.Org.
He heard the elevator ding and poked his head out the door to smile at Camila, Marisa, and Siobhan as they approached. All three looked gorgeous, but the mother and daughter Succubi exuded a little extra confidence. All three wore sleek, body-flattering party dresses, and they looked like they spent the day at a salon. The Succubi had a natural ability to dazzle the eye, but today they had a glow about them, which Henry knew was due to Friday’s… feedings. Both ladies had individually asked Henry for a recharge. Camila took him in her office, and Marisa surprised him with her request in his office. Both were fully charged. Henry’s face warmed as he recalled their appetite yesterday.
He forced his attention to Siobhan, which wasn’t too difficult as she was also stunningly lovely with soft brown eyes, a megawatt smile, and her long waves of gleaming mahogany hair. As she could now manage its length with some limited control over her link to Wild Magic, she’d begun to let it grow, and it now reached her mid-back. Its natural length reached her ankles, but he doubted she would allow it to be that long day-to-day.
Like Camila and Marisa, Siobhan had been upgraded by exposure to Wild Magic. She was a Selkie and now no longer needed to carry around her magic-infused pelt in a purse as it had become her hair. She only needed to will it to become her pelt to transform herself into her seal form.