Knox was glad that Flint was less pushy than the vampires.
He figured it might have been a dragon thing, taking things at face value. Knox said he was fine, even though he obviously wasn’t, and Flint acted like he believed him. For the first few days, Knox slept in Flint’s bed while the dragon took the couch, and tried to figure out what the hell had happened. The puncture wound had healed up almost immediately from Nash’s saliva, leaving nothing but two faint scars, but the same couldn’t be said for the bruise further up his forearm. It turned a dark purple almost immediately and was sore to the touch.
Knox was admittedly shaken up from the whole ordeal. He had made it clear that he didn’t want to be bitten, and the emotional manipulation (quite literally, as that was August’s power) had fucked with his head. Then there was feeling August’s emotions while he was in bloodlust. Knox shivered from just the thought of it, the amount of rage and need to hurt that consumed vampires. Surely, they didn’t feel like that all the time? How could they resist their instincts if so?
Evenutally, he’d had to get out of Flint’s bed and go to work. Flint had accompanied him the first night, but the dragon was even more grumpy from the late hours and lack of sleep that he had been scaring customers away from glaring at them while they told Knox which pump they were at.
He did his classwork online and tried to avoid touching Flint’s stuff. Now that he’d spent more time in the dragon’s den, he learned that the shifter spent a fair amount of time going through and dusting stuff. He seemed to enjoy it, even occasionally humming to himself. It was endearing, if a little odd.
Knox even called his mom.
“Hello?” His mother’s voice was whispy, as most Nymph’s were, like it might get lost in the wind if it blew hard enough, “Knox?”
“Hey, mom.” He cleared his throat. Talking to his parents was always awkward. What was he supposed to say, “I was just calling to check in.”
“Your father and I are doing fine.” She replied, “Is something wrong with school?”
“No, everything’s fine. I’m doing well in classes.”
“I received an email stating you changed to online courses.”
“Yeah, I still learn all the same things, it’s just a little easier you know?”
“No, I don’t,” It was silent for about ten seconds, “but if it eases your hardships, then that is good. Why did you call?”
“Just to check in, like I said. We haven’t talked in a while.”
“We have not. Your father is out. Would you like me to contact him?”
“No, no that’s okay. I just uh, wanted to make sure everything is good with you guys.”
“Everything is fine.”
“Right, that’s good. Uhm, I have a question too. I just… do you or dad know anything about vampires?”
“…Why are you asking me that?”
“Oh, I just heard that there was a nest near campus. I just wanted to know about them in case I ran into one.”
“I haven’t met many vampires,” His mother admitted, “they tend to keep to themselves.”
“Oh, so I probably won’t run into them then,” Knox laughed nervously, feeling sweaty. He hated talking to his mom, “Sorry for asking.”
“I will find some text on them when I am in the market tomorrow and send it to you.”
“Okay. Thanks mom.”
“Yes. I will see you during the gift giving festival.”
She hung up before Knox could tell her it was called Christmas.
☾ ⋆*・゚:⋆*・゚:⠀ *⋆.*:・゚ .: ⋆*・゚: .⋆
It was early in his shift, but Knox still felt tired. One would think with the sudden online courses that he would be more well rested, but Knox found he was somehow more sleep deprived without the presence of a fixed schedule. There was nothing he could do about that though, as he leaned sleepily against the counter, uncaringly ringing up customers overpriced snacks and lottery tickets. One couple who seemed overly into each other bought those sketchy sex pills behind the counter, which might’ve been the only interesting thing to happen in the first hour of his night.
The second went the same, at a snail’s pace, and so did the third. During the fourth hour, a man came in. Knox noted absently that he was quite handsome, as he told him which pump he was at and how much money he wanted in gas, and the man left without further incident. Same with the next beautiful woman, and the two customers following. They each got twenty dollars’ worth of gas and left. All were equally attractive and moved with a grace that Knox’s sluggish brain couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t until the fifth man walked in that Knox realized they were vampires.
His heart picked up, beating harder in his chest. As if the sudden change in his vitals was a beacon, the vampire’s eyes locked on him, like a predator honing in on prey. Knox almost wished he had remained oblivious for a little while longer, ignorance was bliss.
He wasn’t feeling so blissful right now.
“Hello,” He cleared his throat, trying to act as normal, “How can I help you?”
“Just looking for a bathroom.” The vampire smiled. His fangs weren’t out, but his canines looked pointy anyway.
“Over there.” He gestured to the restrooms on the other side of the store. He watched the man’s head as he disappeared into the small hallway containing the restrooms.
Knox didn’t think as he pulled out his phone, dialing the first person his panicked brain could think of for help.
He picked up on the first ring, “Little one?”
“Valentine.” He breathed, trying to keep his voice even, “I thought you said you were going to visit me tonight.”
“What?”
“Haha,” He chuckled nervously, keeping his eyes on the hallway, “I knew you’d forget. I’m working tonight, remember? Come visit me before I die of boredom.”
He was glad that Valentine had been living for a long time, and caught on quickly, “Ohh, I’ll be there soon, don’t worry.”
“Don’t keep me waiting.” He tried to sound flirty, but Knox was sure he sounded as if he was seconds away from a panic attack. He felt like his heart might burst out of his chest at any moment.
Minutes crawled by, and the vampire remained in the bathroom. Surely, they had heard his conversation with Valentine, and that had scared them off. Hopefully.
He would never be so lucky though. Seconds after the thought had crossed his mind, the vampire exited the bathroom. They stalked the short aisles for a few moments, before grabbing a bottle of wine out of the cold case. Knox briefly entertained the idea of making a break for it, but he’d never outrun a vampire, and there were at least four more outside.
“You ever had this one before?” The vampire sat the bottle on the counter to be scanned. Knox has to force his eyes to focus on the words on the label, briefly reading over the cheap cabernet that was probably the best of the meek selection the convenience store had to offer.
“Yeah,” he lied. He didn’t like red wine, “It’s not bad.”
As Knox reached out to grab the bottle, the vampire grabbed the collar of his work uniform, pulling him halfway across the counter. The wine fell to the side, rolling off the counter and crashing onto the floor. The vampire didn’t even flinch at the loud noise.
Knox was too stunned to do much more than stare into the eyes of his predator. Raging red eyes that seemed to glare into his soul, scrutinizing over his face with an anger that he couldn’t understand. “You’re not even that handsome. What do you have that the rest of us don’t?”
The question seemed rhetorical enough, but the vampire didn’t say anything more. Knox managed to stutter out a “I-I don’t know-“ before the vampire scoffed and pushed him away. He bumped into the wall of cigarettes behind him, knocking boxes to the ground before he managed to steady himself.
“Pathetic.” The man spit out, “Here I was, expecting to get a glimpse at the human that charmed one of the most elusive nests of our species. Instead I just see a mediocre human, undeserving of the opportunity presented to him.”
“I don’t believe that is for you to decide; whether or not he is worthy of our affections.” Knox could have cried from relief at hearing Valentine’s accented voice. He hadn’t heard it in weeks, not since that day, but the sound of it now filled him with familiarity, the comfort of a long-time friend with too much time between them.
“Valentine,” The vampire turned. Knox could see the corner of his smile, and it was enough to know it was dripping with poison despite the respectful tone, “We were just here to check out your new pet.”
“He is not a zoo animal to be looked at,” Valentine assured as he approached, glass crunching under his loafers. He was in a thick cardigan layered over a button down today, meaning he must have been home when Knox had called. “And I’m sure he doesn’t appreciate being harassed at work.”
“A strange thing that you allow him to work here.”
“I don’t allow him to do anything. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Hardly.”
“Hmm, a shame,” Valentine did not seem particularly sympathetic. “I would appreciate if Mr. Jameson wasn’t visited in the future. By you, or anyone in your group. I’m afraid I’ll have to take legal action if this happens again.”
“We meant no harm, of course.”
“Of course not,” Valentine agreed indulgently, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions and the like. I think it’s time you leave.”
The other vampire left without another word.
Then they were alone, under the buzzing fluorescent lights with the smell of cheap wine scenting the air. Knox turned and went to the small back room of the store, picking his way through the cleaning closet in search for the hazardous spills kit. Valentine was still there when he got back to the front.
“Thank you for contacting me when you were in danger.” Valentine watched as he sprinkled the absorbent sand to soak up the wine, hand twitching as though he’d like to help. “You look well.”
Knox was sure that wasn’t entirely true, but maybe it was hard to look any worse than his haggard, sleep-deprived self typically did. He shrugged in response, unsure of what to say. His hands were shaking as he swept up the glass, and he was sure if he wasn’t wearing the appropriate PPE he would have cut himself on the shards. He had missed Valentine with a deep ache in his chest, and that feeling doubled with seeing him again.
“Can I take you to dinner tonight?”
Somehow the question surprised him, though it shouldn’t have. He looked up to Valentine, his startling eyes soft and vulnerable. Knox swallowed thickly, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Just one meal,” Valentine pushed, “I’ve missed you, little one.”
He found himself nodding, even though he knew it would never be just one meal, not with these vampires. “I get off at seven.”
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