Burnt Sienna (Hemlock Grove // Roman Godfrey AU)

I Let Him Feed

I continued working at the White Tower and coming home to see Peter and spend time with him. It was a routine now. Roman and Peter hung out sometimes. Roman let me visit Nadia from time to time. Peter was way easier to talk to than Roman.

Soon, Hemlock Grove had an event celebrating the town's birthday. It was significant to the people, and I decided to go because I didn't really know a lot of people except for Peter, Destiny, and at the White Tower co workers.

There was far more small-talk than I wanted to include myself in, but overall, it was fine. There was singing and dancing, and lots of food stalls spread in the middle of downtown. After I had my share of fun, I looked around to see if I could recognize anyone who could drop me home. I went there by walking,but by the end of the night, it was both tiring and unsafe to walk back.

My eyes fell on no other than Roman Godfrey. Even in the crowd, he somehow stood out. I was surprised to see Roman was there. There were 27 other things a young billionaire could have been doing on a Saturday night than being at a town event. I mustered courage and walked through the disarray of people to reach him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Roman after I found him.

"Peter had told me you would be here."

"So?"

"He's turning tonight. Full moon," Roman said looking up at the sky. "I don't want you to go home alone. It's not safe."

So after the event, Roman dropped me home. He came inside, knowing Peter would not be here tonight, and he felt unsure about leaving me alone right then and there.

"Thank you," I told Roman.

"Don't mention it. When I leave, make sure you close all the doors and windows and dim the lights as much as you can, okay?"

I nodded.

It grew silent after that. Same old awkwardness.

Until Roman spoke up. "May I do something?"

"Um, it depends on what you're intending to do," I replied.

"Never mind," he shook his head.

"Roman, it's fine. Do what you wanted to do. Really," I assured him.

"Fine. Sorry in advance," Roman said. Woah woah woah. Roman Godfrey apologized. That's definitely a first. It made my heart skip a beat out of curiosity. What could he do that he would want to apologize for.

Roman took a blade out of a match box in his suit pocket and held it close to my shoulder. I knew now what he was about to do but surprisingly, I didn't get up or leave. I wasn't even scared. Instead I looked at him and nodded.

Roman made an incision into my left shoulder. It wasn't a very deep cut but enough to have blood immediately start running out. It stung badly at first, but that dulled when he placed his mouth and started to suck on the wound. The feeling was a combination of how it's like when you drink water after being thirsty all day and if someone stuck a large needle in you without warning. Both painful and satisfying. I was letting an upir feed on me at a werewolf's house. Couldn't get more magical than that.

I just looked as Roman lapped the last droplet of blood that came out of the cut before the clotting began. I don't know what happened next but I put my hand around his cheekbones and looked at him.

He immediately put his hands around my face and pressed his lips against mine but only for a second. I pulled away because tasting my blood on his lips felt very strange. Also because we grew close but weren't that close.

"Thank you for letting me feed. Your blood- it's weird. Like, it tastes like every other blood but it also has an unfamiliar element. Like your eyes," Roman explained.

I was confused. That's what Pryce said about my throwing up incident- abnormal. That's why Peter said he doesn't understand what I am. That's why Destiny made a weird face when she first saw my palm. That's what Roman sensed when he stopped me when we first met.

"Don't worry," Roman put his hand on my lap and squeezed it. "I didn't say that to stress you out." He then kissed my forehead, got up, reminded me to dim the lights and lock everything, said goodnight, and left.

I smiled because Roman Godfrey cared about me. And that was unusual- maybe even more unusual than whatever the heck was wrong with my blood and eyes and palm.

I got up to close the window when I saw Roman outside throwing up. It looked like he was throwing up the blood he just consumed. I quickly closed the window, pulled the curtains and went to the other sides to lock those windows too. I didn't want Roman to know I saw him. This boy drinks blood but mine tasted weird. And it made him sick. What was wrong with me.