*Rafe*

Exiting Ainslee’s room, I am tempted to reach out and take her hand. I want to show her that I care for her because I know she is having trouble trusting me, and I can’t blame her. Kissing her, feeling her body on mine, the scent of her, all of that has left me wanting more. I could’ve consumed her right then and there—not in the sense one usually means when speaking of vampires, but I could’ve claimed her for my own.

Other species seem to think that vampires have both an insatiable lust for blood and a craving for sex. Both of those sentiments are generally false. We...