Page 14 of Monster's Obsession

And how could I use this to my advantage to get closer to her?

* * *

Daruka and Selinadid not come down to dinner together. And neither was Daruka in her uniform, which meant the moment she tentatively stepped foot into the dining hall, Mrs. Caldwell swooped in on her, quietly chiding her and demanding she go back upstairs and not come down again until she was dressed properly.

Daruka pursed her lips, plucked a passing student’s plate out of their hands, and promptly strode from the hall.

Unsurprisingly, she did not make a reappearance.

My roommate did, though, yawning widely and slumping down on the bench next to me. No idea why he bothered. All he ever ate were the specialty smoothies the kobolds made for those students who couldn’t eat regular food or needed something special in their diet to keep them alive.

Well, I was reasonably certain he got his meals while he was out all night, but I never asked because I really didn’t want to know.

“Hey, man,” Poe said in between smoothie slurps. That was one seriously bloodred smoothie.

Gross.

“Buddy of mine says you’ve got the inside scoop on getting over to Liverpool without being detected.”

“I don’t know about that, since I was caught just today, as a matter of fact.” Although if Mrs. Caldwell hadn’t been there to pick up Daruka, I was certain I wouldn’t have been caught.

“What’s that? Your first time in six years?”

He wasn’t wrong.

“And did you even get in trouble?”

Actually, now that he mentioned it, I hadn’t been summoned to the headmistress. Was that an oversight? Normally, when students were caught breaking rules, they were, at the very least, reprimanded by the formidable and intimidating headmistress.

“Exactly,” Poe said when I didn’t respond. “So help a guy out. We’ll pay you.”

Payment definitely made the offer tempting. I was always on the lookout for quick ways to make a few bucks. Elves didn’t have a form of currency; everything operated on a barter system. Which meant I never had enough greenbacks.

“Why do you want to go to Liverpool?”

“One of the guys has never drunk from a human. Can you believe it?”

I shrugged. I knew as much about vampires as my roommate had told me over the years. “What does he do for sustenance?”

Poe waved his long, elegant fingers. “These smoothies help, a little. Beyond that, well, all beings carry blood in their veins. And they all taste different. Remember, I told you that elven blood is delicious, while demon blood is disgusting?”

That wasn’t how he’d put it four years ago, but I got the gist.

“Human blood is…I don’t even know how to accurately describe it. Orgasmic. That’s the best way to say it.”

“Damn. So why don’t you drink human blood all the time?”

Poe rolled his eyes. “Humans aren’t nearly as amenable to someone stabbing their fangs into their veins as supernaturals are.”

“I hadn’t realized you asked permission first.”

“Some of us don’t.” He wrinkled his nose. “But most of us aren’t savages. We prefer our dinner to be a willing entrée. Always makes it taste sweeter.”

“Huh.”

“But there are ways to convince humans to be willing participants. While none of us could ever compete with a lust demon”—he winked—“most of us are very good at the art of seduction.”

“So you seduce your, er, dinner, and then feed from them? While you’re fucking them?”

---