Hypnotic - 2. Chapter 2

"It's not noon yet, are you hungry? I could order some breakfast." Dav smiled when my stomach growled. "Sounds like you're ready to eat something. I skipped dinner last night; I could swallow a whole ham I think."

I stared at him in shock, wondering if he could do that. Carthera had traits from their animal kinds; I had seen his fangs. Unhinging his jaw would just be freaky though it might help when... I felt my face grow hot as I blushed. Gods, I was becoming Matthew.

Dav laughed quietly. "You should see your face, Ellis," he said, his voice hissing a little.. "I can't eat a whole ham in a bite."

I turned my face into the pillow, hiding my face in embarrassment. His hand stroked my hair. I know people say whatever I think shows on my face but for him to have seen me thinking about sex with him? Maybe he didn't understand what the blush meant. If there was a god watching out for me, he wouldn't have figured out what I was thinking.

"Wait, how did you know my name? I didn't tell you." My head shot up. "Can you read my mind?"

Dav burst out laughing again. "Really? You think that’s something a real person can do?"

"Oh god. I'm not usually this stupid." I groaned and buried my face back in the pillow.

"It's okay, you are probably still a bit fuzzy from yesterday, I won't hold it against you. Matthew told me last night."

I sighed; I did still feel a bit out of it. It was taking longer and longer to recover from my headaches. I needed to call Dr. Bakier again. I really didn’t want to though.

"So, does a full breakfast work for you? Juice, coffee, tea?"

I peeked at him with one eye to see if he was still smirking at me. "I don’t like to eat too much in the mornings. Could I just have a muffin and orange juice?"

He smiled. "Sure, what kind?"

"Poppy seed."

Dav got up and went into the living room. I heard him on the phone as I sat up carefully. I was still a bit dizzy but the sugar in the food would help. My hands shook as I pushed back the light blankets. I gasped when I looked down and realized I didn't have any pants on. Dav rushed back into the room.

"What's wrong? Is your headache coming back?" His hands were on my shoulders and he pushed me back gently. "Lie back down."

He still had clothes on. Black lounge pants and a white tank top to be exact, so he'd changed sometime in the night. I shook my head slowly. "Where are my pants?" I asked faintly.

"Oh." Dav reached over and snagged my jeans off a chair where they had been neatly folded. "You kept mumbling about how uncomfortable you were and tugging on them. I figured you'd sleep better with them off. You should lie back down though, you’re really pale."

He looked straight into my eyes and I was mesmerized by the yellow of his eyes and the slit pupil. He had snake eyes and when he looked at me like that I couldn’t help but freeze. Maybe it was instinctual.

"Sorry," he said as he looked away. "I know it makes people uncomfortable when they see my eyes."

"No, I like them," I said, wanting to reassure him. "I think they’re... fascinating."

His mouth dropped open in shock and I could see his fangs. Slender white points extended beyond his other teeth."Don't those hurt? How do you close your mouth?"

"They fold up, like a regular snake.” He studied me, a quizzical look on his face. “Really, I doesn't freak you out?" The words held a hope in them that I didn’t quite understand.

I shook my head. Sure, it had been a shock when I woke up and realized he was a Carthera and a Snake. They had really bad reputations since they were unlike the other clans in almost every way. They were also loners. The only species that didn't band into clans, I had only heard about them living outside clan lands. Dav seemed to be unique even among his unique kind.

"I've always had a thing for snakes. I think they're amazing creatures but they have a really bad reputation. I think that is part of why your kind is shunned by other Carthera and humans alike. It's only logical to fear a creature that has the power to kill you, I guess."

As soon as those words popped out of my mouth his eyes went cold. I clapped a hand over my mouth and wished I could take them back. I didn't mean it like that, not at all. I could understand how others could fear him; though I wasn’t afraid, I was angry with myself for what I said, without meaning to. His lean face and high cheekbones somehow matched the icy chill in his eyes. I swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry. Really, really, sorry. You've been nothing but kind to me and I insulted you. I didn't mean to, I swear," I was whispering, unable to look away.

The anger in his voice was almost palpable. "We are not responsible for the perceptions of small minded and fearful people. A lion could kill you just as fast as a snake, there are fish as brightly colored and even more poisonous than the deadliest of venomous snakes and yet they are what people choose to fear. Then, because I have some of the same traits as my clan animal I am labeled as dangerous, deadly, someone to shun or drive away."

My nausea was back; my stomach sent roiling by my anger at whoever had caused the pain that now out shone the anger in Dav's eyes. There was more beyond this than my careless words. I wanted to reach for him but he stepped back when I tried.

"No, don’t touch me. I wouldn't want to scare you or let you sully your pure human hands touching something as horrible as one of my kind."

"I'm not like that!" I insisted. I stood up from the bed, reaching for him again. Unfortunately, I had misjudged my recovery and the dizziness left over from my migraine made me stumble. My outstretched arms flailed as I began to fall.

My arms were caught and I was pulled into that warm chest, the same one I had been held against as Dav comforted me all night. My face was against the bare skin of his shoulder and I could smell the dry, musky scent of his skin. I realized where I had smelled it before; in the reptile house at the zoo.

"Be careful Ellis! You're still not well," Dav said sharply. "I told you to lie back down." His angry tone was at odds with the careful way he sat me back down and then pushed until I lay back on the pillows. I reached up and captured one of his wrists when he tried to pull away.

"Don't go. I'm really not like those people I mentioned."

I reached up with my other hand and traced a single finger along the line of his jaw. Staring into his exotic eyes, my voice was husky as I spoke, "I don't mind your eyes or your fangs. I'm not afraid that you'll bite me or hurt me. You had your chance; if you were going to you would have last night." I let him go, too dizzy and weak to hold on for so long. I had to make sure he didn’t think I thought he was a freak or anything.

Even if I wasn’t so sure why I felt such an overpowering need to reassure him.

"I'm strongly... attracted to you. More than I have been to anyone before," I admitted. I just knew I was blushing. The thought of his fangs was actually a turn on for me, but I sure wasn’t going to share that right off. I had to make him believe me that, while I didn't understand it, the feelings were there.

Dav's eyes widened.

"Oh shit!"

That was not the reaction I hoped for. "What's wrong?"

His eyes were round, the slits in his eyes narrowed to a tiny black line. He jerked a hand between us, the movement oddly fluid. "This... this thing between us. It has to be--"

A knock at the door interrupted him. I was desperate for him to finish what he was going to say but he just shook his head, his mouth folding into a thin line. He exhaled noisily.

"Give me a minute please."

I watched as he walked out of the room. It was as if every joint in his body was oiled; when he moved it was like he glided. His lounge pants were loose but his tank top molded to his body. I could see the muscles in his back and shoulders flexing as he moved. He wasn’t bulky but had lean, corded muscle. I wasn't fooled, I knew how strong Carthera were.

I wasn't sure about Snakes though. I could hear their voices murmuring at door, Dav and whoever he had called for breakfast. There was a moment of raised voices and then the sound of the door shutting. The smell of bacon filled the air as Dav came back into the bedroom carrying a large tray.

"How does," he produced the bag with a flourish, “Temptations Bakery sound? I've been told their food is amazing. You can even eat in bed."

My stomach rumbled. "Sounds good." I shifted so that I was sitting up more against the pillows. Dav set my cup of juice down on the bedside table and then went around to the other side of the bed and set down his coffee. He crawled onto the bed and put the bag between us before he grabbed his coffee with a sigh of pleasure.

"Well, go ahead," he said, "eat."

I opened the bag as he sipped his coffee. There was a bagel, a danish of some sort and my muffin. I pulled it out and offered Dav the bag.

"Want one?"

He shook his head and swallowed, lowering his cup, holding up his own bag that had the bacon smell. "No, I don't eat as often as humans and I don't like a lot of carbs. I thought you might like something more than a muffin so I ordered a few things. This will be enough; I'm not so hungry that I can't wait for dinner since you didn't want to have a full breakfast." He cocked his head to one side, looking at me. "You seem to know a lot about my kind, more than most humans."

I waited for an actual question but apparently one wasn't going to be coming. I shrugged. "I guess I do."

I peeled the paper from one side of my muffin silently, taking a bite. It was moist and soft but there was a slight crunch from the almonds and the poppy seeds. I savored the bite.

"Mmm," I chewed slowly and then swallowed. "This has to be the best muffin I've ever tasted. I love Temptations." I took another bite, leaning my head back on the pillow to enjoy it. I didn’t miss the heated look Dav shot me.

"You're not going to tell me?"

I glanced over at Dav. "Tell you what?"

He sighed and ran a hand over his short dark hair. "I know you know what I mean.”

I just grinned at him.

He shook his head. “I'd love to hear why you know so much about my kind. Tell me?”

"A lot of humans know about Carthera. Most of our generation has grown up with your kind, gone to school with them, work..." I trailed off with a small smile. Maybe he'd buy that.

Dav put down his cup and turned to face me. He folded his legs in some sort of contorted position that looked painful as he stared at me steadily. "You're avoiding my question. You know things that are real." He stressed the last word, drawing it out.

I raised my eyebrow at him, nibbling at the edge of my muffin. I met his stare, enjoying teasing him until he looked away.

"There!" he said, "stuff like that. There are so many bad rumors that swirl around Snake Carthera that even others of our own kind don't trust us. We are so ‘vicious’ that most won’t even look me in the eye.”

"Velaku trusts you," I pointed out. “He’s the leader of all the clans, so obviously not everyone feels that way.”

His mouth dropped open. "Wait. You know... Velaku?"

I nodded. "I do. I helped treat his mate, Natham, last year at the hospital. I think the big guy freaked out most of the nurses so I volunteered to work with him. I just knew he wouldn’t hurt me. I put in a lot of hours over those days. I met Dr. Pannar then. He was so impressed with my comfort level with you guys that he offered me a job." I shrugged. "I've worked with a lot of different Carthera since then and I have access to all of the medical files with your species information."

"Our kind let a human treat them?"

I held out one hand, flipping it a little back and forth. "Sometimes. Sometimes they kick up a fuss but it's better to have me there for when Dr. Pannar needs help in the clinic than to have to go to a human hospital. I've only been hurt a few times."

That got a reaction. I felt my eyes widen as Dav's face darkened.

"They hurt you?" he hissed.

His hands balled up into fists.

I balanced my muffin on my leg and placed a hand over each of his. I could feel the tension running through his body. I just barely curled my fingers over his hands as I stared in his eyes, holding them lightly and breathing in and out to a count of five until he unconsciously began breathing with me. His fists loosened and he blinked slowly.

"What did you just do?" he asked.

"I noticed that some kinds of Carthera can almost sense mood through touch. Maybe you have more nerves in the skin or your other senses help once you focus, I don’t know. Plus breathing like that helps calm everyone. It's something I've been doing to help calm down my patients, when they let me."

I let him go a little reluctantly, and then picked my muffin back up. "I know a bit about Snake Carthera, but mostly medical or physical information. I asked Dr. Pannar about your kind, it made me curious that his files were so lacking in information. I've always wanted to know more."

I had answered his question. Now I figured it was time for him to answer mine. I picked up my muffin and peeled back a bit more of the paper, taking a big bite. Washing it down with some juice I waited. When Dav just smirked at me, I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, are you going to tell me more about yourself or not?"

Dav picked his coffee back up and took a drink. I was pretty sure he was just trying to drive me crazy but I could have told him he didn't have to do anything for that. My skin still tingled on my palms. I wondered about the sentence that had been interrupted earlier when our food arrived. I knew about Carthera mates, how they had one destined for them, somehow, and it only took a touch to know that person. Sometimes Carthera even mated with humans. Snakes though... they seemed to defy most of the main characteristics the other clans shared. I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just the fact that I found him to be sexy as hell based on my own personal fantasies and not something more.

"Well, my name is Davis Retic, you know that." He smirked.

"I'm thirty three; I think I was born sometime in late summer. Uhh... I'm a shade over six foot; I weigh a hundred and seventy five pounds. I own the club downstairs where you puked and ruined my favorite pair of Italian shoes last night."

I blushed when he said that and tried to apologize but he just kept talking over me.

"I don't like sweets or carbs much but I love meat and vegetables. My favorite dinner is roasted chicken breast with steamed asparagus. Coffee, of course," he lifted his cup, "but black, none of those froofy six dollar overpriced things. I don't drink alcohol at all, my favorite book is Dune, and I don't have much time for TV but I do like a good comedy or science fiction movie sometimes."

He paused, took a sip of his coffee and raised one eyebrow as he looked at me. "I do like hot, sweaty sex with men and women but mostly men. Do you want to know my favorite positions in bed too or would that too much information?"

I burst out laughing. It took forever to catch my breath and the room spun a little. I slumped back against the pillows. "Well, that wasn't what I was expecting you to tell me but I bet I know more about your likes and dislikes than anyone else now. I don't see you as the type to have many close friends."

"Is that what you want to be? Friends?"

I shrugged a little with one shoulder. "That would be nice." I looked up and bit my lip. His eyes were focused on where my teeth worried at my lower lip, making it bleed a little. He looked hungry but maybe it was just the smell of the blood. I remembered the soft feel of the skin on his face and my fingers tingled with the urge to touch him again. I wanted more than my hands on him. I really wanted to nibble my way from his lips along that angular jaw line to his neck. I wanted him to feel what I felt.

"What if I don't want a friend? What if I'm happy with the ones I have?"

My heart sank. I closed my eyes, the cup of juice in my hand shaking a bit. I couldn't let him know how much those words hurt. I had some pride. I raised the glass to my mouth and drained the cup, tipping my head to get the last bit. A little dribbled out of the corner of my mouth and I licked at it.

Dav leaned forward and I froze. Just inches from me he whispered, "What if what I want is a mate?"

"Uh..." Think, think!

"What if I think you're my mate, Ellis?" The hiss of my name from his lips sent a shudder down my spine.

"Uh..." Oh my god, I'm an idiot. I struggled to say something, do something. "You... You think..."

"I'm pretty sure," he said. His tongue shot out and licked my lip. "You missed a drop. Hmm… you taste good."

My breath caught. I stared at his mouth, his fangs peeking out.

"I ache to touch you. I want to bite you until your whole body goes limp and you cling to me as I take you,” he said seductively.

My breath shot out of me in a groan. Too much of his venom could kill since it was a paralytic. A small amount would only make my body his for the taking. Rumor said it could stop the gag reflex too. The thought of being under him, helpless, trusting him not to hurt me as every nerve in my body lit up from the venom made me shudder and close my eyes. I waited for him to close those last inches and take my lips.

"Shit, I've scared you now." He sounded upset.

My eyes shot open. He was moving away and the desolate expression on his face was more than I could bear. My hands shot up and out and I grabbed his face, stopping him.

"I'm not scared Dav," I breathed, barely above a whisper, "I'm wondering when you're going to kiss me."

His pupils dilated, the slit widening as his nostrils flared. He leaned forward, watching my reaction closely.

My lips parted.

We met and it was like everything else faded. My world shrank down to the soft lips and mobile tongue that licked and sucked at my mouth. I opened wider, moaning as his long tongue stroked into my mouth, probing every inch until all I could taste was him. His fingers stroked my face as he pulled his tongue back into his mouth, curling around mine and drawing it out. I took my time caressing him back, stroking his fangs and scraping my tongue against the tips.

He groaned and I felt him pushing me back against the pillows. His chest lay against mine and I was sure he could feel the way my heart pounded, threatening to burst out of my chest. Nothing had ever felt as good as the way he touched me. It was better than anything else I’d ever done and all we had done so far was kiss.

His mouth left mine and I panted as he kissed my chin and down my neck. One hand stroked down my chest and stomach to lift the edge of my shirt. His fangs scraped my collarbone just as his hand reached my nipple. I whimpered and arched into his touch as my head fell back.

His head came up. "Like that, baby?" He pinched the sensitive tip and licked my ear, nibbling on the sensitive lobe.

I whimpered as he probed the inside of my ear with his hot tongue, shuddering as pleasure shot down my spine.

He pulled back as his hand slid out of my shirt. His lips ghosted over mine and I strained to reach him but his body held mine down.

"Please," I whimpered.

"Tell me." His tongue traced and licked at my lips.

"I like it when you scrape me with your fangs," I opened my eyes and pushed up, rubbing my chest against him "I like it a lot.” I panted, my eyes caught in his as I begged him, “Touch me, please."

His smile was predatory and I couldn't breathe as his head lowered. The anticipation of what he was going to do had me on the brink of orgasm and we were both still mostly dressed. I felt the scrape of his fangs down my neck and my hands came up and locked into his shirt at his back, holding him close so he couldn't pull away again.

He paused where my neck and shoulder joined, pressing a hot kiss to the sensitive spot. I shook a little as the tension rose. I felt a faint trace of fear but it only made me hotter and hornier. I swallowed convulsively.

"Do it," I said as I turned my head to the side to give him more room. "Bite me."

I felt his mouth open and froze, waiting for the tantalizing pain as those needle sharp teeth pierced my skin. I closed my eyes, needing it. Needing him. I didn’t know what to expect, not really, but I was sure about what I felt.

I really didn't expect the pounding on the door that interrupted us just as he was about to strike.

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