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felt. My faint purring was part in agony, and part in gratitude. 

He never complained about the meat after that.

---

He allowed me to sleep the rest of that day. When I woke that evening, I found him… different. He was not the same “Baze” he had been that morning. He seemed more…
He seemed… less.
He was sitting in the parlor, a fat glass of cognac in one hand. He was staring into the false fireplace with dark concentration. When I spoke his name, he raised a hand to me. He did not bother to meet my gaze.
I sat on the floor beside him, my innate grace betraying the pain that still lingered from my punishment. I looked up at him hopefully, resting a hand softly on his forearm. He ignored me.
In the half light, I could see his hazel eyes had lightened somewhat. I could see that his pupils were no longer perfect circles. 
“Baze.”
As he turned to look at me, I saw the irises darken to their normal shade, and his brows relaxed. “Hey, Fress.”
“Are you hungry?”
He sighed, looking back at the fireplace, his countenance softer and more familiar. “No… still kinda full from breakfast.”
“What did you end up having?”
“You know, it’s weird… I forget. I just know I haven’t been hungry all day.”
He wiped unconsciously at his mouth, and this action for a moment exposed his newly-grown fangs. They had not receded with his partial change that morning. 
“I don’t feel tired, either.” he mentioned, in passing, and sipped his cognac.
I sat with him, in thought, for several minutes. I wondered if he would start feeling the thirst himself. I wondered if I had caused a permanent change in him.
I wondered if, perhaps, something else was trying to rise to his surface… and claim dominion of his body.
I was tempted to ask how much of the ordeal he remembered… but it was a worn question. He never seemed to remember much. Airuhmm wouldn’t let him, just yet. I had a suspicion, though, that he remembered clearly the flavor of the event. At least, that I had done something out of order… and that he had rightly

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corrected me. I sensed a dark satisfaction in him, as he gazed into that useless false fireplace, swirling his drink in his palm.
I felt the urge to please him… just to get him to smile. Get him away from his train of contemplation.

“Let’s get out of this house. Let’s go see a movie, or go out dancing. Let’s just get out of he-”
I winced when he swiftly rose his hand, fully expecting him to lash out at me for speaking out of turn. He was merely straightening his sleeve, though, and was giving my suggestion some thought.

“That sounds great. Why don’t you go get ready? I’ll just go change into my new clothes… oh, that’s right. They’re gonna take a week to ship, aren’t they? I guess you want me to just waltz out into the world wearing nothing but a robe?”
I breathed a sarcastic chuckle. “Right, sweetness. In fact, why don’t we both go naked?”
For a wonder, he actually smiled. It warmed me, that careless spreading of his lips. 
“Why go out at all, then?” He reached over and pulled aside the shoulder of my blouse. It was probably meant to be playful, but it felt… mean, almost. I pulled the fabric back in place, my smile withering. 
“I think we’ve had enough of that for now.”
“I’ll tell you when we’ve had enough.” His tone was kind, but there was a growl beneath it. I saw his eyes shifting colors again…

“Basil…”
“You call me Baze.”
“Baze, then… forgive me if I’m out of line, but I think you’re being a bit abrasive.”
“Oh, you want abrasive? ‘Cause I can give you abrasive…” he started to rise, I shrunk away from him with a grimace.
He stopped himself, sitting again. 
“I’m sorry… I don’t know what’s wrong with me… I’m just… God, I’m just so angry... and horny, too, at the same time.” He laughed, but there was no humor in it.  “My dick should be chaffed by now, but I just…” he growled hungrily, “I just want more.” 
“Well, maybe you just need to give it a rest. Just calm down a bit and relax. Just for a few days. It will subside.”
His head snapped around, and now his eyes were that unsettling golden-orange; his pupils were thin lines creasing the bright metal of his inhuman irises. 
“I don’t want it to subside. I want more. I want you. I want… I want to drink… to consume…”