His eyes glowed brighter as her words began to stammer. The effects of preying were beginning to take hold of her. Just another minute or two and she’d be his. Would he drag it out? Tasting her skin and enjoying it that way? Or get straight to that lovely rush just beneath the surface? The tips of his canines were already getting sharper at the anticipation of a feeding, but they hadn’t started to elongate just yet.

He chuckled when she took a step back and he made sure not to follow her, though he didn’t let the strand of her hair go. It extended, showing the lengthened distance between them, and he could no longer help himself as he brought it up to his lips. “Quick you say? That almost sounds like a challenge,” he said in a teasing tone before kissing the lock of hair at his lips. His fingers trailed up it as he took a few slow steps towards her.

“To always carry the sun with you, is that to say it’s a part of you? Down to your bones? Flowing through your veins…?” His muscles began to tense, wanting nothing more than to spring upon her, hear and feel that pop of flesh. But no, he was so close, so close! The hunt was a thrill on its own to be sure, but this masochistic slowness had its own benefits. Her taste would be all the sweeter for drawing it out.

“Yes, humans are able to go out in the day,” he admitted, chancing another step towards her even if it meant leading her deeper within the cave. From the shadows the glow of his eyes was that much more prominent. “I came here to hide from an enemy…” he answered, which wasn’t entirely untrue. The sun was one of, if not his greatest, enemies after all. How ironic that shortly he’d be feeding from one of its guardians.

Those eyes…Even though her instincts were trying to urge her to run, she found herself almost lost in Jakobi's lovely red irises. She'd never met any human like him before. If this was what humans were now maybe they weren't so bad? As he spoke, kissing the lock of hair, she could almost feel the world slowing down around her. Was she in a hurry to leave? No, she could wait, just a little longer…She hardly even noticed that they were slowly moving farther and farther into the darkness. As he continued to speak, she murmured, "…Through my veins…yes…" Aurelia could hardly understand what she was saying, and although deep down she was panicking, she was now in a calm trance, stuck in the man's intense gaze. 

"Enemies…" She echoed, lightly pondering what he could mean. What enemies could someone like him have? She could almost feel his presence wrapping itself around her, pulling her in, but she wasn't resisting. She had never run into anyone like Jakobi before, and she was wholly unprepared. With a slight pang of confusion, she realized that they were much further in the cave than before. When had that happened? Her dark brown, almost black skin showed her that there wasn't much light here at all. Her body was confused, as normally she would be out basking in the rays of the setting sun. The confusion was apparent in her expression, and she barely even registered that the vampire was also closer to her. How odd!

His bottom lip slowly pulled under his teeth, having to literally bite himself to keep from doing so against her. The lock of hair was forgotten, he instead moved that hand down to her hip and slowly slid it around to hold her lower back and pull her closer. She was being taken in, that was obvious, but he never knew when her survival instincts might kick in and wanted to at least have a grasp on her. Playful banter or not, nymphs were very fast and agile. He himself was also light on his feet, but if he got too caught up in that type of hunt, he might lose himself to animal instincts. What good would she be to him later if he ripped her to shreds? No, he wanted her whole, he wanted her accessible should he desire her taste again.

Sunlight in the veins? It was so dangerous he couldn’t help but be intrigued. If her blood didn’t harm him then he could only imagine the energy and strength she would give him. His other hand moved to the nape of her neck, gently brushing her hair back to better expose it before softly gripping there and smiling, “Yes,” he nodded slowly, “Enemies.” Her skin had shifted, becoming much darker than it had been when they were at the mouth of the cave, and he couldn’t help himself as he dipped his head and let the tip of his nose run down the crook of her neck to her shoulder. Her scent was heady, and despite himself his fingers curled on her as if she were about to mist away from his grip.

“How does your skin do that Aurelia?” he asked, letting his lips just barely brush against her now darkened flesh. It would be so easy, right now, to force her head back and sink into her. She wasn’t even fighting him, had she never been around a vampire before? How lucky for him and so terribly unfortunate for her. There was still that chance that her blood could harm him, but rather than chase him off it compelled him to try: like standing on the edge of a cliff knowing full well you could plummet to your death, but being addicted that euphoric rush.

Aurelia let out a gasp as Jakobi pulled her closer, but she couldn't work up the strength of mind to resist. The embrace felt inevitable, as if this entire encounter was leading to this one moment. She shivered as he brushed her hair back, as if he was looking for something. She could barely understand what was happening. What were these sudden feelings washing over her? Why did she feel so comfortable in this stranger's arms? She felt limp, and yet there was some sort of powerful force within her telling her to stay up and keep the embrace going. 

The nymph's mind cleared a bit as she questioned it all. Why was she standing here? She needed to be out with nature! How had she gotten to the point where this man almost seemed to have trapped her? "Jakobi…?" She murmured, now only half in the trance, "What are you doing…?" However, as she heard what he said, feeling his lips lightly graze her skin, she shivered again, falling back into the trance, replying, "A gift from the gods…" She almost sank into his arms. Her legs were shaking a little, as if she was growing tired…Would it be so wrong to just relax here? Surely it wouldn't hurt…

His lips gently pressed to the soft flesh at the crook of her neck, enjoying the warmth of her skin but also the rush just beneath. His lips stayed close, brushing so softly there as he answered her in a tone soft as a butterfly’s wing, “I’m enjoying your skin,” he answered honestly. So, the gods had gifted her this shifting pigment? Was it for her own protection, camouflage maybe? If so, it wasn’t doing much at keeping her very safe.

He chuckled quietly as his fangs slowly elongated, “Well, their gift was very well suited.” And then his fangs slowly sank in, soon his mouth was filled with the warmth of her blood. He gripped her tighter, nearly crushing her body to his as his lips pressed around the puncture marks. Her blood ran down his throat, and he greedily took deep draws. His eyes fluttered closed, the usual euphoria overtaking his senses.

This though, this was different. He’d tasted nymphs in the past, but their homes were grounded here to Revaliir. Aurelia was different: her blood sang with the sun; the feeling was nearly overwhelming. The hand at the other side of her neck slowly slid up until his fingers were deeply woven into the dark locks of hair at the back of her head; forcing her head to tilt and expose herself to him even more.

He knew well that his breed of vampire elicited a pleasurable experience for the victim, but that didn’t mean that fear would stay eradicated: even if she found physical satisfaction from being fed on, there was still a very real risk that fear would outweigh that. That meant he had to drink as much of her as he could…but wouldn’t kill her. He knew he’d have to pull away from her soon, yet his lips kept their lock at her neck as his fingers twisted deeper into her hair.

Enjoying her skin? How interesting. She did not know that there was anything unusual about her skin other than the color shifting. What was there to enjoy while they were in the dark? She almost came up with the strength to ask him, what he meant, but then a horrifying sensation overcame her as she saw with her own eyes the man sink his teeth into her. An immediate flight response began inside of her, but it was almost as quickly countered by a sudden rush of pleasure and contentedness. It felt…so fulfilling…She could almost forget what he was doing…She let out an unintentional sigh, a lazy smile making its way onto her even as her body tried its hardest to overcome the sensations. It was as if her entire body was being bathed in the pure light of the sun. If Jakobi hadn't been holding her tightly, her knees would have buckled. "Ja…" She gasped, trying but failing to say his name in a sort of minor protest. 

Even as the pleasure coursed through her veins, Aurelia couldn't help but feel small tendrils of pain snaking their way up to her scalp, as he grasped her locks with a sort of savage strength she would never have expected. Even though her resistance felt like it was weakening, she focused on that pain, trying to block out the feelings that were leaving her docile in his arms. After what seemed like eons but may have only been heartbeats, she managed to bring a hand up and weakly clasp onto Jakobi's in her hair. She didn't have the strength to resist any more, but she could at least let him know she was still there. She didn't know if this would do anything, but maybe it would. She could only try. Her vision began to fill up with spots as she could almost feel the light begin to lose its grip on her. She knew if Jakobi didn't stop she'd lose that connection for good. She supposed that would mean her death, a concept she had never really considered before.

He felt her body slack in his arms, but of course kept her held up against himself to keep her from dropping to the ground. The more he drank from her, the deeper his breathing became until his expression weakened. True that he was feeding from her, making her prey to his predator, but he was such an addict to his bloodlust that his control was starting to dwindle. A soft moan escaped his lips, flooding along her neck to intermingle with the taste of blood.

Suddenly he felt her hand grip at his, that alone was enough to lead him back towards his senses. Any illusions she’d had of him being human were definitely gone now, but he’d had his taste of her and that made it all worth it. The starts of his name passed from her lips, and he kept her pressed between himself, but also pinned her towards the wall. It was time to pull back, he could feel her life draining dangerously fast. Her blood though, it was so powerful, so different from others. He’d been teasing her, but now he really did believe aspects of her were from the gods themselves.

With a light groan of frustration, he pressed his tongue to the marks at her neck: affectively healing them enough that no more of her blood would be lost. His tongue ran along her neck, collecting any stray drops that may have escaped. His fangs were still sharp: the urge to sink them back in still just as strong, but he forced himself not to. That didn’t mean he let her go, and it certainly didn’t mean he’d stepped away from her.

What would be the smartest thing to do? The cave was so dark, while that meant nothing to him since he could see perfectly well in the night, it was a sign that sun was completely set. The red glow of his eyes illuminated the side of her neck up to her jaw. He followed that glow with a trail of his lips before quickly pulling his head back. No. He couldn’t get sucked in, not if he wanted the chance to feed from her again.

“You trust too easily…” he murmured, his lips softly moving against her ear before kissing the delicate skin just under her earlobe. He’d expected his tone to be mocking, as it usually was to prey, but while her blood was quite delectable, it was almost too easy. She was too naïve to the world it seemed, or at least the evils of it. Maybe this would be a kind of lesson.

The feelings of pleasure abruptly began to slip away as Jakobi removed his fangs from her, but she still shivered one last time as he kissed her behind her ear. What had just happened? She felt…drained…weak…it was almost as if she wasn't…there really. The only reason she didn't collapse to the ground was the wall he had propped her up against. Why had he done this to her? Was this some sort of base need, or something malicious? Even now his red eyes were like a beacon to her, but now she wasn't drawn to them. Were they meant for someone else next? "What…?" She managed to get out, her normally bright hazel eyes almost dimmed, as if the light within her was as well. This couldn't be a human, could it? "What are you?" She finished, using the only bits of strength she had to take a step to the side. She still had a hand on the wall to keep herself propped up, but she was placing most of her weight on her legs without issue, although they still felt as if they were only half-working. She prayed that the gods would give her the strength of her kind back. She did not know how long this feeling would last. 

She hadn't even trusted him, had she? He was just another traveler passing through, right? Why would a simple traveler want to…drain her like he had? In her dazed state she could hardly comprehend anything about the situation. Another thing came to Aurelia's mind though, amd she took another step back. If he could do this to her once, what could stop him from doing it again? He had practically seduced her with a glance and a few kind words. Surely if she wasn't careful it would happen again. Regardless, she wanted answers. Gods know she didn't have enough based on the situation at hand.

She pulled back from him, as much of a struggle as it was he didn’t try and bring her back, and instead removed his hands from her. It appeared as though she had enough strength to keep herself held up, but despite the feeding coming to an end his eyes still had their hunter’s edge as he watched her. Bringing one hand up, he used the back of his wrist to wipe away any remnants of her blood from his lips and then proceeded to lick the traces away, “I’m not a human.” That much was obvious.

“Just how much experience do you have with the outside world?” he asked with an arch of an eyebrow. Was it possible that she’d yet to encounter a vampire? And then there was a new question all together: did she even know what a vampire was to begin with? What a dangerous way to learn of the species.

He chuckled, his eyes watching her as she attempted to regain even more of her drained strength. It would be a little while before she was back in full force, at least that’s what it had been like with other nymphs. Lucky for her she wasn’t a human or she’d be off her feet for at least another day with hardly anything to do other than crawl to water. “I’m a vampire, you do know what those are, don’t you?” His voice, while still holding the lace of allure, was gradually shifting to a patronizing mock.

“I guess I didn’t technically lie…After all, I never claimed to be human. Though to be honest,” he sighed, irritated at the memory of his former self, “I was human at one time.” He took slow cautious steps towards her, making sure that his palms were easily seen in an attempt to show that he was finished feeding on her. For now. His lips spread into a wide smile, “No offense was meant, but it’s been over a day since I’ve fed, and you came right to me…”

Aurelia began to feel a bit of strength return to her mentally as Jakobi was clearly not going to act nice. "I am here to commune with nature!" She snapped, glaring at the 'vampire,' "It's not my fault if most of you non-forest creatures don't go around during the time I'm awake!" She knew she wasn't the most in touch with many things, but she wasn't stupid, and she resented how this total stranger was so clearly mocking her. At his next question, she had to think for a moment, sheepishly murmuring, "I've only heard the vaguest of stories from travelers. When you live as long as I have it all somewhat filters out I guess…"

Aurelia stiffened as Jakobi began moving in her direction again. He was really pushing it with what he was saying. She balled up her fists. She didn't look very intimidating, but she was more furious than she'd been in a while. She frowned for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, she decided to risk it. She raised her hand and slapped the man, yelling, "How dare you? I am a servant of the gods and you come here and defile me? You're sick!"