"Luna," Elijah said as she laid on the couch, currently breathing softly as a wet rag settled over her eyes. He kneeled down. "How are you feeling?"
"Not good..." she replied; tone cracked with pain. "My head hurts."
"Then maybe you shouldn't have chugged an entire bottle of whiskey in one sitting," he replied, smirking. "And maybe you shouldn't have refused to drink blood when you were drunk off your ass. It would've sobered you, and now you're having a hangover."
"Lijah is incapable of hangovers," she said cutely. "Therefore, Lijah does not know how much I hurt."
"I can guess," he stated.
"But he does not know."
He smiled, staring down at her. "Someone's in a bad mood."
"I is in pain!" she complained. "Luna hates pain!"
"And apparently 'Luna' is talking in third person now," he stated in amusement.
"Urg," she said, shaking her fist at him.
"And she's emoting," he said.
"The great and powerful Luna will steal your favorite steak..." she paused, "when she can move without vomiting."
Elijah chuckled. "Are you willing to drink blood now? It'll help."
"Without vomiting," she replied. "I will regurgitate the blood."
"Yes," he replied, rolling his eyes, "like how you ate a very expensive dinner and it all came out..." he narrowed his eyes, "on my favorite shoes."
She waved her hand dismissively. "Buy new ones."
He gave her a look. "They were expensive."
"But you can handle expensive," she told him. "Don't lie to me, Lijah. I've seen you toss money in homeless people's faces just to watch them scramble for it when it flies. It's amusing to you."
"You're amusing to me," he answered.
"Suffering is amusing to you," she replied, sputtering her lips. "And right now I is suffering."
He smiled and leaned forward. "Then maybe you should drink blood and you'll feel better."
He lightly picked at the rag covering her eyes, and exposed one a little.
She hissed at him and smacked his arm away, pulling it over her eye again and rolling away from him.
He laughed. "What are you, a cat?"
"Luna is more superior than cats," she replied.
"A snake?"
"Snakes are overrated."
He smiled. "A bat?"
"I am vampire. Not shapeshifter."
He just leaned forward and lightly pecked her neck. "Needy?"
"Yes, if you want me to puke all over you."
He sighed then and stepped over to a fridge, and he kneeled down while opening it, hearing Luna moan in pain and shift again.
He just pulled out a fresh bag of A+ blood, knowing it was milder out of the eight types, and he closed the fridge door and stepped over to Luna.
"Okay," he said, slipping his hand under her back, "come on. I got you, baby."
She cried out in pain as he lifted her, but he just slipped under her and guided her to his chest, and she settled against him, moaning in annoyance.
"You feel sick?" he questioned. "Don't puke on me."
She just snuggled closer. "No...."
He just smiled and adjusted the eye-shield more over her. "You ready?"
"For what...?"
He just pressed the straw of the blood bag to her lips, and she gasped, drawing back.
He kept her in place. "Shh... drink, Angel."
She wrapped her lips over the straw and started suckling it into her mouth, and he smiled down at her as she started drinking harder.
"Whoa, there," he said, lightly brushing his fingers through her hair, "slow down, Tiger." When she listened, he smiled. "Good girl."
She kept drinking, and he noticed her expression ease.
He lightly ran his finger under her eye. "There, better?"
She nodded, continuing to drink.
He just pulled the cloth from her eyes and set his cheek on her head. "There's that beautiful face."
She gazed up, mouth full. "Cringy."
"Oh, you like it," he said, pushing her back down so she'd continue drinking. "Don't complain."
She made a small giggle and listened.
When she finished drinking, she set the bag in her lap, and Elijah let go of it.
She just pulled up and straddled his lap, and he smiled up at her as her teeth remained extended.
Luna just leaned forward and lightly bit the side of his neck, and he winced, breath catching.
She remained there for a moment, not sinking her teeth in deeper, but just sat there.
Elijah stayed in place when he felt a little drop of blood slide down his neck.
She drew back then, smiling slightly at him as he watched her curiously.
But she just ran her tongue along her extended canine, and stared into Elijah's eyes.
He smiled. "What are you planning, Sweetheart?"
She just leaned forward and licked the blood off the wound, making Elijah tip his head back as a sudden pleasure rumbled through him.
She just licked again, and again, relishing in the taste of his blood, but she kept herself under control.
And then she drew back, smiling at him.
He watched her through lowered lashes.
"Your blood's tasty," she told him, lightly running her finger over the wound as his immortality kicked in, and it started sealing shut.
"You did that without my permission," he stated.
She just gazed up, shaking her head. "I would never hurt my Lijah."
"I can see that," he stated, brushing his thumb under her eye. "You had complete control over yourself. It's fascinating, really."
She stared up at him as he cupped her cheek. "What's fascinating?"
He smiled. "That a girl like you, so impulsive and murderous, would have such control over herself with me."
She shuffled closer. "Did it hurt?"
He shook his head no.
She smiled slightly. "Do you want me to do it again?"
He smiled and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, drying the blood that stained the skin red.
"Wanna do something with me?" he said.
She gazed up, teeth slipping back into her gums. "What?"
He just pressed a kiss to her head, whispering, "Go get your swimsuit on. Meet me at the front door."
Her eyes sparkled, and she hopped off him, running off to her bedroom.
Elijah chuckled. "The moment I say... swimsuit she prances off like a fricking ballerina."
About five minutes later, Elijah stood at the front door, typing on his phone while waiting for Luna.
He got his swimsuit on and caught two towels, throwing them over his shoulder, and now was searching on his phone for new notifications.
But the bathroom door opened, and Luna came running out with her cute little one-piece and a duck floatie resting on her hips.
Elijah smiled. "Sweetheart, we're going to the springs. You don't need the duck floatie."
"But I can't swim," she said.
He gave her a look. "Honey, it's three feet deep."
She made an impatient noise and slid it off, kicking it to the side and waddling over to him.
He just chuckled and opened the front door, and she ran out before him, jumping in place outside his porch as he went to lock the door.
"I wanna swiiiiiiimm!" she yelled. "Come on! Come on! Come on!"
Elijah just gave her an amused look before slipping the keys into his pocket. "Patience, Angel."
"Patience is for wussies!" she yelled. "Come onnnnnn!"
He just rolled his eyes and stepped forward, and she started skipping further into the forest.
He followed behind her, smirking.
She skipped all of the way, and for some reason, she had enough energy to skip for ten minutes, and they ended up at the springs.
Luna giggled happily and hopped in without a second thought, and Elijah chuckled when she broke out from the water and laughed, splashing around.
He just set his things on the side and pushed his keys under the towels, though he just dove in after her, making Luna squeal when water rained down around her.
Elijah popped up then, sliding his hair back as the water streamed off his strong arms and stiffened abs, raining down into the water.
Luna stared at his chest as the water glistened among his tan skin.
"Admiring me, Sweetheart?" he inquired, and she gazed up.
A hot blush settled on her cheeks, and she pursed her lips, looking down.
Elijah just launched forward, and she squealed, scrambling back as he dove into the spot where she originally was.
She stared as he popped back up like a predator in the water, smirking at her.
And he dove for her again, Luna yelling out when she flopped backwards, doing some sort of unneeded summersault and swam away from him.
But she burst out from the water, gasping, and Elijah rose slowly a yard away from her, making her blood rush.
He yelled out and came at her again, but this time, she was prepared.
She dove under and sprung off the floor, keeping her hands at her sides and her feet together.
She shot toward the wall like a bullet, finally making it, so she spung out from the hot spring and into another.
She quickly swam to the other end, gazing up at Elijah as he stayed half-under the water at the other spring.
His eyes peaked over the wall in between them, and she could feel him smiling. "You think that's enough to stop me?" he said.
The blood in her ears roared, and she stared at him, heart thudding hard against her chest.
She hadn't felt this scared since she met Elijah... Well... she felt scared, scared but not excited scared.
Elijah sprung out of the water, making her yelp when he collided with the spring she was in, and she shot off the floor again, but the floor slipped, and she fell into the water.
She broke out again, gasping, but when she gazed up.
Elijah was right there.
Inches from her face.
Her lips parted as she took little gasps, but he just smiled darkly, tipping his head to the side.
He caught her shoulders before she could run, and she stilled gazing up.
He slid his hands down to her hips, smirking. "Going somewhere?"
And suddenly she was airborne, screaming as her arms flailed, and finally she clashed with another spring, falling to the floor of the pool before she sprung up, breaking through.
She gasped and stared at Elijah who was three pools behind her.
"That was mean!" she yelled.
He only smirked. "Then don't let me catch you."
When he started toward her again, Luna scrambled toward the other side of the pool.
But she glanced back, finding Elijah swinging over the wall from the first pool to the second.
She got an idea.
She decided to remain in place as he came at her, watching him as he occasionally glanced in her direction to see if she moved yet.
She didn't.
He then swung over the second pool to this one, and her lips parted as he smirked and came at her.
But she planned something else.
Luna just dove under when he was a couple yards away and darted around his form.
After she found herself behind him, she sprung out from the water like a hungry fish and tackled Elijah.
He yelled out and fell forward but caught himself.
He then glanced back at her as she latched onto him from behind; feet locked around his stomach and arms wrapped around his neck.
She bear-hugged him from behind.
Elijah just smirked at her.
She set her cheek on his head. "I win."
He only rolled his eyes, and leaned back. "Oh, no! I'm falling!"
She squealed and let go, collapsing into the water and quickly swimming away.
But her ankle was caught, and she was suddenly dragged backwards.
Before she breathed any water in, Elijah pulled her out and guided her to a standing position.
She stared at him in shock.
He only smiled—kindly, this time. "Come on."
He guided her to the edge of the pool, where a rock sat, and he just sat down onto it, opening his arms to her.
Her eyes lightened and she sat on his lap, huddling close with him.
Elijah smiled and set his cheek on her head. "I love you."
"More than yourself?" she asked sweetly.
"Don't push it," he said then, smirking.
She just giggled.
"Yes," he replied, making her gaze up to find his eyes soft, "yes, more than myself."
A/N
Did you like this chapter?
We are almost halfway into the book, phew. Anything you want to see?