Heirot

Vlad nodded. "That will be best. You can forego sleep if you choose, but your mind requires rest, even if your body doesn't." He peered at the man's expression thoughtfully. "Well, what do you prefer? Hanging upside down, or sleeping in a coffin?"

Talon blinked at his master, red eyes narrowing. "What do... you prefer?" he asked slowly, testing. Hanging upside down seemed awfully exhausting to Talon.

Vlad threw his head back and laughed. "Well, just between you and me, beds are more comfortable."

Talon frowned at Vlad, striking the vampire in the arm. "Yes, beds are more comfortable, ass hole," he muttered, reaching with his hands to tie his long silver hair back with a leather cord. "Well, a bed would be nice to rest on, but I'm not sure its entirely safe. If I get hungry again, paper thin walls won't stop me from killing our neighbours."

Vlad nodded. He had good instincts. It made him optimistic, and also concerned. Talon would learn quickly, but he wouldn't get the luxury of the naivete most New vampires showed. He was too smart to not know the risks.

"I will be awake beside you, and you will harm no one," he said, resting a hand on Talon's shoulder. "No more lessons or tests tonight. I promise."

Talon let out a relieved sigh. "In that case, I know a good home away from home," he muttered.

Talon led Vlad to a small inn a couple of streets over. There were some... colorful women lounging out front. As they stepped closer to it Talon leaned in towards Vlad. "Its not a brothel," he added. "But, if a travelling man does have the desire he can purchase the women out front."

As they neared the door a pretty girl with long curling blond hair stood up from her seat. She swayed over to him. "Haven't seen you around here lately m'lord," she mused, placing a hand on his arm. Talon blanched, his teeth setting tight. He could feel her pulse in the touch.

"I've been out of town," Talon whispered, shifting away from her touch.

"Don't you want some company? I've missed your visits," she frowned.

"Not tonight, I'm sorry. We just need a safe place to sleep," he admitted, stepping further away. They light catching his red eyes.

"You're..." Her breath caught in her throat.

"Good night, Clara," he whispered, moving inside the inn.

"Yes. Good night, Clara," Vlad purred, putting his arm possessively around Talon's shoulders as they walked past her. His red eyes gleamed at her playfully. Apparently, Talon was familiar enough to this place that the innkeep didn't even have many questions for them. He just dug out Talon's key and sent them on their way. "Clara?" the dead king smiled broadly as they unlocked the door to their room.

Talon glanced to Vlad as he unlocked the door. "Don't tell my sister, I'll never hear the end of it," he muttered. "Clara is the only one. Well, sometimes Julia, but only every now and then." Why did he just say that? Talon felt like he couldn't keep anything from Vlad, things just kept spilling out of his mouth like he had to tell Vlad the truth about, well, everything.

Vlad smiled and patted him on the back. "Alright, heartbreaker. Apparently I'll have some more interesting skills to teach you about, too. Ah, my innocent brother is a man about town," he gushed in pretend horror.

Talon stepped in the room, eyeing Vlad with a perplexed expression. "Skills?" he asked with a smirk. "If I had anymore skills I think Clara would turn borderline stalker." He chuckled darkly, going to the window and looking out. "I'm not entirely sure how you can teach me skills that would be helpful in that area."

Talon went to the bed and sat down with his back against the headboard. He could hear all the sounds in the inn. The snoring, the wood creaking, the moans, the rush of pulses. He concentrated on trying not to hear any of those things.

Vlad sat down on the bed next to Talon. "Believe me, Talon," he murmured sweetly. "There are some perks to this gig." His voice reached into his mind like a carress. It was impossible to feel it as anything else, like something warm brushing against his innermost secrets. If I bit you right now, in that one act, I could show you a better time than Clara ever could.

One of Talon's eyes popped open, red and gleaming. He blinked his eyes open, tilting his head at Vlad, swallowing. "Wouldn't that be considered cheating on my sister?" he asked with a smirk, trying to cover up his odd desire to try it. Why did he want to try it? Why did someone biting him suddenly sound so appealing? What the hell was wrong with him?

Vlad's lips curled upward in a dubious smile. "Now Talon," he purred, leaning in close to the man's face. His movements were effortlessly seductive, like it was no longer something he had to put any effort into. "Cheating? Without going into more detail than you want to hear, let's just say that for me, this is nothing in comparison to what I share with Tenele. Although to you, it will probably be more intense than anything you've experienced." His breath blew along the man's neck. "Curious?"

Talon swallowed harder, glad he had no need for air. He was afraid to breath. He closed his eyes, thinking that if he did that then he could just ignore Vlad. But, he couldn't. Vlad's presence was there, hovering close to him. He could feel the eyes boring into him. "Ah, damn it," he hissed, eyes flashing open. "Once. That's it. Just once, and then we never speak of it again, okay? No one, understood?"

"As you ask, my Blood," Vlad smiled. He leaned over the man on the bed, one arm under his lower back and the other hand pinning his shoulder to the mattress. His grip was strong and controlling. He bared his teeth and grazed them along the man's neck. Then, with all the skill and magic he'd acquired over the past three hundred years, he slid his teeth into his vein and let his power pour into his body. It wasn't painless. In fact, it was a little rough compared to the approach he would have used on Tenele. But he knew it would be better this way, for a vampire.