Hero

“The first thing I can remember is my mother’s warm breath when she kissed my cheek, when she held me for the first time. She was crying, I remember that. My infant eyes looked around and found my father. His hair, it was the first thing I saw, his eyes were next. The bright blue blended beautifully with his hazel eyes. I remember he saw me with such pride.
‘My son, my first son,’ he said warmly. His arms were so strong, I remember I smiled. He laughed and held me closer to his chest. His eyes turned to my mother and he could not have looked happier than he did at that moment.
‘He’s perfect, absolutely perfect,’ he said to my mother. I remember looking at her and seeing her beautiful smile. My mother really was a fallen vampric angel, if you can imagine one. Her sweaty golden hair fell around her like a gentle halo, showing purity beyond that of any saint you could picture.
‘I’m glad you approve, my husband,’ she remarked passively. Her voice was like that of soft bells tinkling against each other, and sweet as honey. My father looked back at me and cradled me close, as if he was afraid I might disappear from his arms suddenly.
‘His name…will be Larro,’ he stated. I remember smiling at the name, like it was my destiny to be christened that. ‘Larro Van Evolavish, after the guardian of the sufferers. I have faith he will uphold it perfectly.’
‘As you wish,’ my mother remarked quietly. Although I was new to the world, but a few hours known to it, I already understood what was happening even though I did not understand what was being said.
My parents had a three other children in the course of my childhood, two daughters, Maritsa and Laurie, and one other son, Lavin. My father was not rich, nor my mother. We sometimes had no sustenance to keep us fed, nor any warmth to guard against the rigid cold that persisted most of the time. I know what you are thinking; we are vampires, we only need a little blood to keep us fed. Such is not the case when you lived where we did. As I have told you, I don’t remember where I was given birth or where I come from, only that it was cold…and isolated.
I later learned that my father’s marriage to my mother had caused them to be shunned from the vampire village where they had resided previously, and they were forced to move to a deserted cabin in the mountains. Even though we lived a hard life, my parents never quarreled or even disagreed with one another. They were the fairy tale romance, even if they had no castle to live happily ever after in.
My father went out each night and returned each dawn from hunting. We drank from the blood of animals, never did we have human blood. My father did not wish to travel so far to have a luxury that we did not need. He believed we were fine with living off of what the gods saw fit to give us. My mother, as usual, agreed.
When he was out, my mother home schooled us as best she could. We were taught the basics; reading, writing, language, and a few mathematical skills. She was not extremely learned, but she was the best teacher we could ask for. I found a passion for reading, but there were precious few books within our humble abode. The ones we had I went through like nothing, but I was not satisfied. My mother saw my appetite for reading and addressed my father about it, but there was nothing he could do. He could barely provide food for us, let alone a luxury such as books.
‘We cannot afford to spend our Shiles on books, Alana,’ he said, pain in his voice. Shiles were the form of currency that the vampires used, I remember that much. ‘The best I can do is cut some tree bark and let him use that as writing material, or you can write things for him. Will that do?’ he asked, a plea in his voice. He hated to see my mother upset, and vice versa.
‘I can make do with that,’ she replied. I sat with my siblings near the warm hearth as the snow raged outside, rocking our small, three room house like a stack of glued together cards. She turned her pale eyes to me with sorrow and regret, watching as I rocked my sister in my lap to soothe her fears of the storm outside. My father caught the glance and sighed heavily.
‘There is…one other option,’ he said at length. She turned back to him, her eyes attentive and attention focused. He sat down at the small table he himself had crafted for her to teach us children at. He reached out and clasped her smaller hand in his rough one as he looked into her face.
‘We could send him away,’ my father suggested quietly. My mother said nothing, but waited for him to continue. ‘I know of a man in a distant village, who has traveled the world and seeks a pupil. He requires no fee or payment, but only requests that he be allowed to keep, the student until he deems it sufficient to return,’ He said all of this with great patience and weight as he regarded my mother carefully. She was silent for sometime before speaking.
‘It is Larro’s decision, he is the one who should choose,’ she said quietly. My father’s hazel eyes traveled over to me and he beckoned me closer. I set my youngest sister Laurie down and approached them.
‘Yes father?’ I asked softly. I remember that I was still but a child, perhaps only eight. He leaned forward and held my head softly, cradling the back with his calloused hand.
‘You wish to continue learning, right my son?’ he asked gently.
‘Only if you desire me to learn further, father,’ I replied. Deep inside, though, I was fighting a hard battle. I did want to learn more about the world, but not at the risk of my parent’s pain. They were all I had ever know in my short existence, and had been so loving and gentle with me that it would rip me apart to hurt them by leaving. My father must have seen this, or read my thoughts, for he leaned back and gazed at me for a long moment.
‘Larro, your mother and I want you to be happy and to leave this fruitless existence one day,’ he explained. ‘You will have to leave sometime, and make your own way through life. We can only show you so much from this hermit lifestyle, you must venture out one day and find your own path to walk.’ I looked up into his warm eyes and saw nothing but the truth. I hesitated once again before speaking.
‘Father, I do wish to leave,’ I began quietly. ‘My heart and mind tell me there is more out there in the world than what you and mother are able to provide for me, but I do not wish to abandon you for my own ambitions. I will leave when you both deem fit for me to do so.’ My father smiled, a smile that I will never forget. He could not have looked more proud than he did on the day he held me when I entered this world. My mother smiled as well, and there were blood tears in her eyes. They looked at each other and the love between them was like none that I had ever seen.
‘He’s ready,’ my father said to her, to which she merely nodded.
‘And so are we,’ she replied. Before the new moon had risen, a man came to visit us. I was in awe at this, for I had never seen another vampire outside of my family. My father sat with him in our living room, I guess you would call it. It was little more than a few hides and a chair for my mother to sew our clothes. The fireplace was burning bright and my siblings and I were outside. It was a dark, clear night with a cool breeze blowing. It must have been the end of autumn, for the trees were shedding their leafy plumage in preparation for the coming snow.
My mother was watching us nearby, sewing a new shirt from wool. When my father killed an animal, he gave the hides to my mother so she could make clothes for us. Sparse as they were, they kept us warm in the wooded cold. The stranger and my father were inside the house for a long while before he departed. We all looked up from our play to watch him go. My father stepped out and looked at my mother from where she was sitting on a stump nearby.
‘It’s done, he leaves next week,’ he explained. She looked over at me and smiled, but this was a bitter sweet smile. He followed her gaze and beckoned me over. I let my brother Lavin down off my hip and went over to stand before him. He picked me up in his arms as if I weighed nothing. He leaned forward and kissed my temple as I tucked my head under his chin, like I had done so many times as an infant.
‘Are you pleased, Larro?’ he asked quietly. I nestled closer to his strong frame and closed my eyes.
‘I am, father. Are you?’ I questioned. I could feel him smile as he held my tighter.
‘Yes, I am. You will be better off than you are here, you will have a chance to make something of yourself. You are our shining hope, and our brightest star, Larro. I know, you will be taken care of and you will flourish with this new life given to you. Your mother and I have done the best we can, but our best is not good enough. This man will give you all we cannot, and, perhaps one day, you will find your way back to us.’”

Lane paused here as he took a deep breath, his trembling figure still lying under that of Falcon’s. The Slayer pulled him up to the head of the bed and held him against his chest, wrapping his arms safely around him. He knew the dark haired man was listening intently, and he had his full attention. A broad hand stroked the blue locks resting on his chiseled chest.
“Would you like me to get you some blood?” he asked quietly after a long pause. “You haven’t been fed all night.”
“If is not too much trouble, I would greatly appreciate it,” Lane replied softly. His stomach, at the mentioning of sustenance, growled in approval. Falcon gently laid his head on the pillow as he climbed off the bed and went to retrieve a bag of blood. Lane was quiet as his mind sorted through the distant memories, remembering the fateful day that he left his parents.
Falcon returned with not one, but two bags as he lay back beside his companion. The starving vampire took one and latched onto it greedily, sucking it dry in mere seconds. The Slayer handed him the other and waited patiently as he finished that one off as well. Lane set the bags aside and moved back to his position on the man’s chest, resting his head right over the beating heart. He turned and kissed it lightly.
“Shall I continue, or have you heard enough?” he asked quietly. Falcon resumed stroking the silky locks again as he wrapped the other arm around his ward.
“Please, continue. I want you to tell me everything,” he answered. Lane took a deep breath and began where he had left off.

“After my parents discussed the arrangements, they explained to me what would be happening. I was to leave in seven days, and I would not be allowed to know where I was going. They did not want anyone to know where they resided or where I came from. I can see now, why they did this. In case I was ever captured, they would not be able to find my family. You can see how well it worked, as you have already tried to get that information I don’t posses. I still, to this day, don’t know where I come from or where my family is.
The day before I was to be taken from them, they spent the entire night with me. I was given instruction on manners, learning, and endurance. They wanted me to be as prepared as possible for this new life I was about to undertake. My siblings were sent to bed while the moon was still yet visible. I bid my sisters and brother a tearful farewell and kissed them each good night. My parents sat with me in the living room and ate a hearty dinner with me. Father had slain a deer that evening, so we feasted on fresh warm blood all night. When the dawn approached, they bid me to take a draught so I would sleep through both the night and the day while I journeyed.
‘We love you son, and we will never forget you,’ he said as he rocked me to sleep. In my state, I still remember when the man came and took me from my parents. He took me from my mother’s arms as they spoke in low voices.
‘If you promise to take care of him, I’ll let you take him.’ It was my father who spoke.
‘You have my word, my Lord. The boy will be in the best of care, and your reward will be great.’ There was a great sigh that followed from my father.
‘I’m not pleased about any of this. He’s my first born, and his mother’s favorite. I’m not even sure he’s worth what you’re offering us…but sadly, we have no choice.’
‘I realize how much he means to you, my Lord, but rest assured that nothing will befall the boy. You have my word.’ Those were the first words my new master spoke that I remember. I know that I didn’t like his voice or trust it, but I was unconscious. There was nothing I could do. I later found out that, in return for taking me as his student, the man had paid my parents an incredible sum of money to compensate them for their ‘loss.’ I know that I was asleep for nearly four days, as seems to be my magic number, before I regained any sort of consciousness.
When I did come to, I was lying in a bed in a large room. There were lavish bed sheets and fabrics that I had never seen before. I remember that I was dressed in nothing but a pair of silken pants. I sat up and groggily looked around, noticing the large, elaborate pictures decorating the spacious walls. It was dark, but I was perfectly adapted to seeing in such conditions. In addition to being a vampire, I had also developed a hypersensitive eye to light because we only had meager candles made of animal fat to lighten the house.
‘So, your awake, finally,’ The voice came from my right and I snapped my head to it. A handsome, well dressed vampire was sitting in a large, cushion arm chair beside my bed. He watched me with golden eyes that seemed to light up his face like the morning sun. I stared at him for a moment before I recognized him as the man who had taken me from my parents. I pulled the covers up around my chest a little as I gazed at him.
‘Yes, I’m sorry I’ve slept so much,’ I said quietly. I looked around the room once again before looking back at him. He leaned his head to the side slightly to look at me curiously. ‘I’m sorry, but where am I?’
‘You’re safe, in my mansion,’ he said coolly. I didn’t much care for his tone, but I put it out of my mind as my being paranoid of strangers.
‘Where are we?’ I asked again. He stood and walked over to me, sitting on the edge of the bed. His white hand reached out to touch my hair, in admiration more than comfort.
‘We are in Italy, a country in Europe,’ he answered. ‘We are far away from your home. You belong to me now, as my fledgling.’ I shuddered at the thought of being so far away from my parents, but accepted it quietly. I knew of the place he spoke of, for my mother often mentioned it when she spoke of art. I turned my face up to him and studied him for a long moment.
The man that was to become my master had midnight hair, much like yours. But what drew me most to him were his eyes. They were golden like the sun and gave off an eerie glow. I remember feeling like if I looked too long into them I might burn up or go blind. He seemed to read either my thoughts or my face because he smiled and chuckled.
‘Yes, my eyes are rather intriguing, I know,’ he said. He withdrew his hand and sat up straight. I watched him as he stood and walked to the door of the room. ‘You need to feed, and then you need a bath.’ He was right, I was hungry and I did smell a little. Baths in my family were hard to come by, since the river was usually frozen except for in the summer. I watched him as he opened the door, flooding light into the room from the hallway. The light was like nothing I had ever seen before, for it never wavered or flickered. Until that day, I had never seen electricity or even heard of it. I started and jumped out of the bed. He turned and chuckled at my surprise, pausing in the doorway.
‘Come on young one, this way.’ He led me out of the large bedroom and into a long hallway that soon opened up into an extravagant balcony of a second story. I marveled at the lights coming from the ceiling, and wondered at their lack of burning the material they touched. He saw my wonderment and chuckled once again.
‘It’s called electricity, I’ll tell you more about it later,’ he explained. He led me down the winding stairs to an even larger kitchen. I stopped at the entrance and marveled at all that met my sight. An island bar, a stove, microwave, sink, dishwasher, refrigerator, all of which I didn’t know the names to at the time. He walked over to the stainless steel fridge and opened it to pull out some packages of blood, much like you. He turned and beckoned me closer as he held out the bags. I knew not what to do with them, so I bit into them and sloppily drank the blood. He laughed at my childish eating and leaned on the counter.
‘So you have something to call me, my name is Viprishka Almanto, but you may address me as master or Viper,’ he said with a smile. I quite liked it, so I smiled back, which must have looked hellish for my face was nearly dripping with the after effect of my feeding.
‘Yes sir,’ I answered. ‘Thank you for the blood, it is the best I’ve ever had. What animal is it from?’ He laughed again as he grabbed a paper towel and leaned down to clean my messy face.
‘Humans,’ Viper replied. I looked at him curiously, never having heard of the word. He smiled and stood erect again. I was becoming quite charmed by the smile, but still unsettled by his eyes.
‘I’ll explain all in good time. For now, just enjoy and get cleaned up.’ I nodded and followed him back up the large staircase. He led me to a bathroom that must have been the size of my parent’s house. It was beautiful, with white marble floors and a bath tub the size of a small pool. Viper stopped and looked at me with a smile.
‘I shall bathe with you this time, for you don’t know how to operate anything or even wash yourself properly,’ he said. With that, he began to undress and start the water. He stood again, having disrobed down to his boxers. I slowly did the same, but I had only the pants to take off before I was standing naked in my own skin. Viper smiled at me and climbed into the filled tub, beckoning my in. I did as I was told and slipped into the water.
Never having felt hot water on my body, it startled me and I nearly jumped out of the steaming tub. Viper laughed and grabbed me gently to pull me back in.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said in my ear. ‘It’s not going to bite.’ He playfully slashed a little water in my face and I giggled. Viper pulled me close and began to wash me. His body was firm against mine and he breathed his warm breath in my ear as he continued to wash me. I felt a strange sensation take hold of both my mind and my body. It felt good, what he was doing, and I didn’t want him to stop. My head rested back on his strong shoulder as he began combing his clawed fingers through my tangled hair.
‘You’ve never owned a brush?’ he asked in my ear.
‘The only one we ever had was my mothers, and it was too fragile to use on anyone’s hair but hers,’ I explained as my eyes shut. He carefully pampered me and thoroughly washed my body. His fingers, I remember, were gentle and calloused, but I enjoyed the feel of them on me nonetheless. He washed every inch of me, and I do mean that. I gasped when he touched me in certain areas, receiving only his chuckle as a reprimand.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll work on that later,’ he murmured. His tone was no longer soft, but it carried mischief in it. I didn’t understand what these things were. When I got out of the tub, finally, I realized he was staring at me. I cocked my head at him as I wrapped a towel around my body to dry off, but he gave no inclination as to what he was thinking. He promptly got out himself and walked over to me. I was surprised pleasantly as he scooped me up in his arms. He carried me back to my bedroom and laid me on the mattress, still wrapped in only a towel.
‘I’ll get you some clothes,’ he said. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of silken boxers like the ones I had been wearing and told me to take off the towel. I unwrapped myself from it and discovered that I had an erection. I gazed at it in wonder, for I had never experienced anything like it before. I looked at Viper for an answer, but he seemed to have forgotten the clothing he was holding and was likewise staring at it.
‘What is this? What’s happening?’ I asked, worried that something in the human blood had caused this anomaly. He walked over and sat where he had been originally, but he now looked at my face with an almost hungry look. I shivered but did not dare look away.
‘You want me to fix it?’ he asked. I didn’t know how to answer that, so I swallowed and stayed silent for a moment. He waited but still had that hunger in his eye. I had no reason not to trust him, for he had been kind to me and had done nothing for me to fear him or his intentions.
‘Tell me how to fix it, if you cannot,’ I said shakily. He smiled wickedly and I swallowed again.
‘I can fix it, easily,’ he replied. I nodded and lay back on my elbows, exposing my naked body to him completely, not knowing that it would only fuel his hunger.
‘Please?’ I beckoned. He reached down and gently laid his hand on my chest. I shuddered at the sensations that shot through me and inhaled sharply. He let his clawed hand slide down do gently trace one of my nipples and to tug at it. I gasped and tilted my head back, still supported by my elbows. He leaned his handsome face down and took the other into his mouth, wrapping his warm tongue around it. I moaned and fell back on the mattress completely. Viper’s free hand slithered from my stomach down to my erection. I gasped as he wrapped his hand around it and began to slowly stroke it.
He sucked at my nipple for a minute before moving over to the neglected one. I arched into his palm, trying to get more friction, but he held me at bay. Before I knew what had happened, he had covered my body with his and was pulling my legs over his hips. I didn’t know what to do, but it felt so good I didn’t want to object. I felt something press against my backside, but put it out of my mind for the moment.
His hand picked up the pace as he moved his mouth to my neck, biting just under my ear. I cried out and rocked harder into his hand, wrapping my thin legs around his broad hips. I felt him begin to thrust with me, even though he still had on his wet boxers. It was then that I realized what that thing against my back was, but I was too lost in the feeling to care. After a few more strokes of his hand, I released between our bodies. Ecstasy flooded my entire body and I struggled for breath. Viper panted in my ear and ceased this own thrusting, but I could still feel his own erection pressing against me.
He stood after a moment, leaving my limp body on the bed sheets to recover.
‘I think that we should end all nights like this,’ he suggested, but by his tone I knew I could not argue. He said not a word as he left my room to retire to his own.
The next few months passed in that fashion; with him jacking me off every night, and then retreating to his room to do the same to himself, I imagine. As soon as I woke up, my lessons began and as soon as I took a bath, he would ‘tuck me in’ as he called it.
One day, about six months into the teaching, he changed things up. I took my usual bath and waited for him to come into my room. He came in, but had a bottle of something with him. I looked at him curiously, but he didn’t offer an explanation. I put it out of my mind as I settled back onto the sheets to receive him. He set the bottle beside the bed and climbed on top of me. I was already hard for him, as was expected, but I noticed something new. He was completely naked. Viper had never come to me naked before, he always wore a set of boxers or loose pants, so this was new.
‘Why are you undressed master?’ I asked quietly into his ear. He leaned over me and pressed his forehead to mine, forcing me to stare into his glowing golden eyes. He settled over me and I spread my legs to accommodate him as I gazed curiously into his eyes.
‘Because tonight, I’m doing something different,’ he said shortly. His breath smelled of something I couldn’t place, but I recognized the scent of alcohol. I swallowed and nodded in acceptance, foolishly trusting him as I did back then. He moved his face to kiss me, another thing he had never done. I stared at the ceiling, recalling that this was something only my parents did, and in total privacy. His tongue pushed past my young lips and into my mouth. I recoiled at the taste of what I now know as whiskey, but didn’t dare rebuke him. His tongue tried to excite mine to respond, and I did so clumsily. His erection twitched against my naked thigh, signaling he was aroused and ready for action. I didn’t know what to do, how could I? So I let him do as he wished. He broke away to slide his hand down my front to play with my nipple, as he was so fond of doing. I moaned, loving the attention. His mouth went to the other as his free hand sought out my cock.
I moaned louder and arched into it. He began his stroking motions and I arched to meet them every time. His mouth bit lightly and I cried out in pleasure as he picked up the pace. After a few more strokes he stopped altogether and I opened my eyes to look at him questioningly. He gave me a quick kiss and reached over to grab the bottle.
‘What is that?’ I asked breathlessly. He paid me hardly any mind as he coated both his fingers and member with the substance. His eyes found mine and he once again sought out my mouth. I gave him complete access as his hand reached down between my spread legs to push at my entrance. I gasped into his mouth in shock, but he pushed in anyways.
‘AH! Viper! It hurts!’ I begged. But all he did was growl and continue to push the digit in. I whimpered and pleaded for him to stop, but he seemed to have turned off his hearing. Soon, his finger was rocking in and out of me at a pace I could barely keep up with. I cried, I remember, but as soon as he hit that spot inside of me, a whole new sensation rocked my world. I remember my body spasmed twice before I lost it. That’s when he decided it was the right time to rape me. I remember he entered me and my body was ripped in half, it felt like. That lubrication did nothing for me, but the screaming seemed to excite him more. That man tore my body apart, Falcon, I swear he did. There was so much blood, I thought I was going to die. He clasped over my trembling body, exhausted from his ordeal, I guess.
‘That was good,’ he muttered to me. I shuddered as he sat up to look down at me. His golden eyes were so animalistic, it scared me to even breathe. He looked at me for a long time before getting up and going to the door. He didn’t say a single word as he left, only shut the door and locked it. I curled up on my side and cried through the entire day. I was so scared. I had never been in any pain that even came close to what I had just endured. But that night set off the chain reaction. He raped me every night from then until the day you killed him, unless I was too weak, or near death, to respond. I’ve already told you all the torture methods, I don’t want to go into that now. But that’s my story, in short.”
Falcon remained silent as the tired vampire lay on his chest quietly. Lane let his eyes drift closed, but didn’t fall asleep. He trained his ear on the man’s gentle heartbeat as they lay together.
“Some story,” he said finally. Lane ‘hmmm’ softly in response. Falcon’s hand came up to gently stroke his hair once again. “So you’ve been raped and tortured since you were eight, have never had any pleasure since then, and bear no feelings of revenge against the world for doing you this injustice?” he asked in near amazement. Lane chuckled softly and kissed the broad chest again, keeping his lips pressed there as he opened his eyes to gaze at him.
“No, I’ve had pleasure since then,” he murmured. Falcon’s eyes left the wall he had been gazing at and turned down to look into the emerald ones staring at him now. He tilted his head on the pillow to watch him.
“Oh, so you do sleep with your victims,” Lane laughed heartily and shook his head.
“No, Falcon got too jealous when they hit on me. I’ve never been with anyone but him,” he said. His smooth voice carried an air of pain and loss. Falcon seemed to soften, but Lane wasn’t sure or ready to assume anything about the Slayer. He did, however, lean up to meet him when a kiss was offered.
“So where did you get your pleasure from then?” Falcon asked quietly. Lane smiled and leaned up to where their lips were just an inch or so apart.
“From you.” Falcon quickly closed the distance to give him a deep kiss. The vampire parted his chapped lips to let the silky tongue slide in. They danced together for a moment before Lane pulled away to smile at him. Falcon leaned down and touched their foreheads together as they looked into each other’s eyes.
“How can you get pleasure from me? You forget I was one of those who tortured you in that room. You should hate me, loath me, be plotting ways to kill me, not that you could,” the Slayer remarked. Lane smiled again and rested his pale cheek against his shoulder.
“Because you’re the first person to care about me like this,” he explained. “You don’t seek my pain for your enjoyment. You care about me, you ask what I think and how I feel, and you are the first person to kiss me and not ask for anything more than that.”
“I can’t ask for more, I’d be shunned, probably hunted by my family,” he muttered. “Being a Slayer is all I’ve ever known. They are my brothers, my sisters, my family. I have lived by their laws all my life, since I was found on their door step. If I were to sleep with you…or be intimate with you in any way, I would be a traitor in their eyes.” His voice seemed to fade away in Lane’s thoughts. It physically hurt him, to know that the man he was beginning to care about so deeply, would never be able to be with him.
“As it is now, I’m breaking our laws by even holding you like this. Let’s not even get into the details about me kissing you like I have been,” he finished with a bite in his voice. Lane flinched inwardly, curling his fingers softly on the shoulders of his host.
“I understand,” he replied quietly, at length. He gently disentangled him from the dark haired man, sitting up on the bed facing away from him. “Your family is far more important to you than some pain in the ass vampire you have to babysit because of a lost bet.” There was no malice or sarcasm in his hollow voice, only acceptance. He slowly moved to the edge of the bed and sat there, his back to Falcon. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, his head bent. A hand was laid on his back that could only belong to the man he was falling in love with.
“You aren’t a pain in the ass, but this stupid situation is,” Falcon whispered in his ear. His warm chest pressed against the cold back, causing Lane to let out a sigh of comfort despite his emotions. He turned his head slightly to the warm breath on his sensitive ear.
“I promise I won’t hurt you…but I can’t give you what you want.”