Page 59 of Grumpy Pucking Orc
Hmm. The deep cavities where the vampire’s original fangs retracted should still be there, or hopefully easily reconstructed if there was any damage. There were muscles involved in the retraction, though, and I wasn’t sure if they’d been torn or badly injured in the removal of the original teeth.
“Do you know if her glands are intact?” Vampires had two sets of glands, the most important of which was one that rendered their “donor” numb and in a state of euphoria during feeding. The other set of glands was rarely used. Ittransmitted the virus that caused the vampiric mutation. Turning a human was not often done, but I assumed Jaq’s mate would like to have the option if it was possible to restore either function.
Jaq blushed. “I know that the feeding glands are intact and still connected to the cavities. I don’t know if the glands that carry the virus are though. I’m not sure if she was old enough for them to have formed.”
I nodded, making some notes. The glands to transmit the virus tended to form between one hundred and two hundred years after the human was turned. It varied quite a bit depending on the siring vampire. The very few naturally born vampires had these glands upon birth, so from Jaq’s comment, it was clear her partner was a turned rather than born vampire.
“So cosmetic fangs at a minimum. Retractable if the muscles are still functional. And glandular attachment if possible.” I chewed on the end of the pen. “Would she want to use them to feed?”
From the diagrams I’d studied, fangs had a hollow cavity that drew blood up and across an oral/nasal space before allowing it to go down the vampire’s throat. The majority of the blood consumed was still directly from mouth to throat, but this cavity allowed a vampire an enhanced sense of smell and taste during feeding that added to the experience.
Jaq’s eyes widened. “Could…is that even possible?”
I smiled at her. “It’s notimpossible. All of this is going to depend on the damage done to her muscles, bone, and glandular systems, the technology available, and the surgical success. Ideally, I’d love for all of her functions to be returned, but we need to be realistic.”
“I know she’d be happy just having those gaps in herteeth filled,” Jaq admitted. “Anything else is a darned miracle. I’ve saved money. I’ll pay whatever you want to restore anything you can. And I’ll be forever in your debt. None of the other dentists have been willing to do this. When I heard you might be, I drove straight down here.”
“I’ll need to research this a bit in terms of what’s available,” I warned her. “And I’ll need to examine your partner to see if there are additional surgeries needed to prepare her for the implants. Would it spoil your surprise to bring her in for an appointment?”
Jaq beamed. “No. If you can’t make them retract, can you make them slightly longer than the usual canine teeth? She wouldn’t want them full length unless they can retract, but just a little longer would make her feel like more of a vampire, if you know what I mean.”
I completely understood. “Have the front desk schedule her for an evaluation appointment and ask them to prioritize it since she might need several surgeries and the implant fangs might involve a six- or nine-month manufacturing schedule as they’re customized. In the meantime, I’ll research what’s available. There have been surprising advances in supernatural dentistry, so I’m hopeful we may be able to restore some the original function.”
Jaq stood and extended her hand, shaking mine in a firm grip. “Thank you, Doctor Schooner. I’m thrilled to know there’s a reconstructive dentist serving the nonhuman population in the mid-Atlantic region.”
I continued my afternoon schedule buzzing with an adrenaline rush. Although my other appointments were all human patients, I’d received a shipping notification on Ozar’s specialized implants and was mentally strategizing different approaches for my new vampire client. At the end of the day, I was still high with excitement and energy.Staying a little late, I did some research in the office, then locked up and headed north to meet my friends at Abbey Burger.
Willa made us both laugh with her stories of a recent, disastrous internet dating encounter. Abby bragged about her niece’s latest field hockey win, and I told them about last night’s epic date with Ozar.
“Jesus, that guy is too good to be true,” Willa said.
Abby swatted her arm. “Don’t be a pessimist. Your internet match, Paul, might have been a loser, but there are plenty of amazing guys out there. And some of them seem to have green skin and tusks.”
Willa rolled her eyes. “Pollyanna. I’ve heard your dating and relationship stories over the last three years, and you can’t sit here and tell me that these good guys aren’t as rare as hens’ teeth.”
“I’d about given up,” I confessed. “With my track record, I was ready to spend the rest of my life as a single cat lady.”
“I think that would require more than one cat,” Abby commented.
I laughed. “I’m not sure Judy would share her domain with another cat. She barely shares it with me. But Ozar seems to have won her over. He got up early and fed her a bunch of my grilled chicken, then played a makeshift game of laser pointer using a mirror from my bathroom. She’s not snuggling up to him, but with this kind of progress, it’s only a matter of time.”
Abby raised her eyebrows and nodded. “The cat approves. That’s a good sign, especially because I know firsthand how prickly Judy is with strangers.”
“Wait…he spent thenight?” Willa asked.
Abby and Willa both squealed at my nod.
“And in addition to his efforts to win Judy over, he made me breakfast,” I told them.
Willa chuckled. “I’m guessing that’s why you weren’t at the gym this morning?”
“Obviously,” Abby chimed in. “You know she got quite the morning workout with Ozar. Maybe two or three workouts?”
Thankfully, our food arrived, and I didn’t have to answer that question, because the answer was yes. But as soon as the waitress left, my friends got right back to interrogating me for all the details. I thought about how to tell them enough without turning our dinner out into the recitation of an erotic novel.
“So, is the sex good?” Willa asked as she layered the lettuce and tomato on her burger. “He’s taking care of your needs first? He knows where your clit actually is and how to treat it right? There’s substantial foreplay before the zipper on his pants goes down?”
“Yes, yes, yes, and yes.” I sighed, thinking of how the sex with Ozar seemed to get better and better each time. Everything with Ozar was better each time. “It’s not just the physical, either. There’s this weird emotional connection that’s hard for me to describe. This all reallydoesseem too good to be true.”
