A SEALED FATE: Ruby Encrusted Cages (BTS)

Some Sort of Coping Mechanism

His suit was no doubt made from the finest of fabrics, tailored to fit his body in every possible way. And the deep red most definitely looked very pretty on his pale skin.

Interested and still incredibly drunk, you turned to him with a wide grin.

"You're hot." You slurred, wiggling your eyebrows at him. The stranger smirked at you, before he snapped his fingers at the bartender. The man behind the counter immediately bowed to him, before he filled a glass with a thick, red liquid and pushed it over the bar to the man beside you.

"That was rude." You mumbled, wrinkling your nose. "You could have at least said please." You took another swig of your bitter drink, frowning at the taste again.

The man examined your face for a moment, his eyebrow raised. Then, he turned to the bartender, and in a low voice, murmured "Thank you".

The bartender stiffened and bowed again, before scurrying away to tend to someone else. The strange man turned back to you, and you gave him a drunken, encouraging smile.

"There you go." You said happily, patting his arm. "Manners go a long way here, my friend."

The man smirked again, taking a sip of his drink. As he licked the residue away from his lips, you caught sight of the white fangs in his mouth.

"Does blood taste good?" You asked, resting your chin on your hand as you stared up at him. The handsome vampire looked shocked for a moment by your question, before he gave you a large grin.

"Well, darling. Why don't you try it?" He asked, pushing the glass towards you. You stared down at it, wondering if it was truly okay for a human to taste blood like that.

While blood was ethically sourced by donations and paid blood drives, it still felt wrong for you to be drinking it when there was really no excuse for you to do so.

"Don't be shy." The man beside you cooed, his dark eyes glinting. They were so red...

He lifted the glass and pressed it to your lips, his eyes not leaving your face once as you slowly parted your lips and allowed the thick liquid to enter your mouth.

The taste was alarming, different. You pushed away his hand and coughed lightly, some of the blood spilling onto your lips and chin as you tried to swallow the rest.

Suddenly, the image of the boy flashed into your mind again. This is what his blood would taste like. Your mind morbidly told you. Before you could heave in horror, the man was grabbing your chin and licking the blood from it, before he planted his mouth onto yours.

Shocked, you tried to pull away. His grip was tight as he lapped at the blood still on your lips. Slowly, you began to melt into his lips as he began to work them against yours. It was certainly a welcome distraction.

It just felt right. His lips were lush and soft, and surprisingly warm for a vampire. The kiss was slow, and you felt heat quickly pooling into your core as he swiped his tongue across your bottom lip.

This instant reaction was...different for you. Even severely drunk you. What was it about him? Dully, you wondered if maybe he was a vampire who had powers. Had he messed with your brain? You didn't care very much though. Whatever distracted you from the horror of the campus tragedy.

You allowed him in instantly, welcoming the very hot distraction from the thoughts of the dead boy that you had slept with not too long ago. You didn't try to fight for any kind of dominance as he explored the inside of your mouth.

You moaned into the kiss and pulled at his suit jacket, trying to get closer to him despite the awkward position thanks to the bar stools. But suddenly, just as the kiss was growing impossibly deeper, he was ripping himself away from you.