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heartbeatan · 1 year

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The Art of Revenge (Chapter 9)

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Chapter 9

First, Jungkook was on top of you, kissing you tenderly in a session that was passionate but unrushed. His palms were dipped underneath the hem of your shirt, and were warming the squishy skin of your sides, while his thumbs brushed over the contours of your ribs.Your knees were pulled softly up to straddle around his hips, and your hands passed gently over his biceps, his shoulders and into his hair.

After minutes of heart teasingly sweet making out, he sat up and started pulling your shirt upwards towards your head. You crossed your arms over your torso, grabbed the hem and helped him peel it off you. He then reached for his shirt and did the same. He took a moment to pass a hand over your naked belly, and looked at your form with that appreciative and mesmerized gaze of his that had your head and your heart singing with warmth.

He leaned over you, catching your lips once more as his fingers began to pull apart the fastenings of your denim shorts. Sometimes, you love the feeling of his fingers undressing you more than you liked the feel of his body grinding against you. Those small touches over your clothes were sometimes like the microgasms to an orgasm. They were a promise for a finale, and thus, were just as arousing and sensual.

When he was done with the zipper, he sat up again and hooked his fingers into your waistband. You shimmied your hips as he stripped the shorts from your body, taking your panties along with them. You crossed your arms over your chest, grabbing the elastic of your slip-on bra, and pulling it too off your head.

Your skin began to tingle with the need to feel him against you. At any other time, he would stretch his strong body long to cover yours, and you would moan into his mouth as you appreciated how soft and smooth he felt naked against you. But this time, he didn’t - even though you could see that he wanted to. This time, he crawled out from your thighs which caged around him, then climbed off the bed to stand next to the nightstand. You watched him adoringly, drinking in his tall, broad, sculpted form as he pulled his pants off of himself, then opened the nightstand, and retrieved out the unused paints and long brushes. You laughed when you realized how prepared he was for this.

“We’re gonna make a mess of the sheets if we do it here,” you mused.

“Fuck the sheets,” he said, his voice low, and his tenor emphasizing how much he didn’t give a fuck about any sheets. He wanted nothing but you. And that knowledge made you smile as you bit down on your lip, and caused your legs to shuffle into new placements as your nether regions sung.

He placed the containers of paint beside you, then returned to his rightful place between your legs. He reached over and grabbed a pillow, then ordered you to lift your ass so he could stuff it under your back. He then grabbed you around the thighs and tugged you harshly against his groin, so you felt the stiff length of his erection long against your folds.

It was a tantalizing feeling. Hot, and arousing to have him pressed against you like that, but not grinding against you, or slipping in and out of you. But the contact - because the connection wasn’t necessarily about actively inducing pleasure - felt incredibly intimate. Like last night - after you both had come - when he didn’t retreat from you, and instead held himself inside you while you kissed and flirted and caressed each other. That sort of intimacy that came before you felt him growing hard inside you again, triggering you to fuck once more before bed.

Jungkook picked up the first container, the green one, and began inspecting the label.

“Green apple,” he announced.

“Maybe we should test each one out first?” you suggested, pushing yourself up from the mattress so you could sit in front of him. “I bet at least one of them is disgusting.”

“Good thinking,” he nodded.

You took the first initiative, sticking a finger into the paint - just a tiny amount since in your experience, things that were green apple flavored, but weren’t a green apple, were often terrible. You drew a small swirl just above his nipple, sensing how he licked his lips as you did. You then leaned forward, flattened your tongue, and laved over the paint in a long caress, now sensing the way air was rumbling in the back of his throat.

You sat straight again, tsking your tongue and your lips as you assessed the foreign flavor on your tongue that wasn’t the flavor of Jungkook’s skin. Then your face soured.

“Yeah,” your body shivered violently in response. “That’s rank.” You then shot your finger up in between the two of you. “Get it off.”

Jungkook’s face split into a wide, amused smile. He wrapped his hand around your wrist, then pulled your finger into his mouth - deep into his mouth - tightening his cheeks and tongue around your digit as he pulled and licked the green apple hell off your finger.

He looked thoughtful as he too assessed the flavor, then his jaw tensed and his nose scrunched as the bitter aftertaste hit him too.

“Mm mm,” he shook his head. “You’re right, that’s nasty. Let’s put that one away.”

He twisted the container closed and tossed it aside, while you reached for the pink coloured one. Strawberry. You didn’t have much hope for its flavor after the last fruit had been botched, but it was a pretty color and, well, sometimes you could be shallow like that.

Jungkook was more confident. He sampled first this time, and even used a paint brush.

“Lean back,” he said, and you did. Weighting yourself over your palms pressed into the mattress behind you, you angled your body so he could see more, and you pressed your junctions a little tighter together. With a healthy glob now brightening the muted color of the bristles, he drew a long, slow, wide line, starting at the base of your collar bone and tracing downward over your breast.

“Mmm,” you closed your eyes when the bristles painted over your tight and hardened nipple. The paint was cool, and the brush tickled, and it sent shivers through your system, enough for your hips to spark against his. You moaned again when Jungkook’s hot, wide tongue laved over the underside of your breast and began to lick upwards, over your nipple and towards your collar bone as he trekked the path he had drawn.

You really hoped Strawberry was gonna be the winner.

“It’s good,” Jungkook said after a moment of letting the flavor marinate.

“Yeah?” you asked, since he didn’t sound overly convinced - but then again, this was body paint, not a five-star restaurant.

He shrugged and nodded. You took the brush from him, then painted a line over the cording of his neck, twisted your fingers through his hair to stretch him long for you, then you too dove in with your tongue, and carefully tested the product for yourself. “Yeah,” you nodded after a moment passed. “It’s good. Let’s try a few more.”

That’s how the next while passed. You made a game of sampling each of the flavors. Sometimes, you'd round back to ones you already tried (accept the green apple) just incase you forgot; sometimes, you'd question if something might taste better if it was painted over another part of the body; and sometimes, you'd have an unfortunate mistake in which too much paint was used, and would need immediate oral cleanup.

The back and forth was fun, and sexy, and even though you were in a constant state of arousal, you sometimes forgot that what you were doing wasn’t just a game - it was supposed to lead to sex. Between the stolen kisses, there was just too much laughter and teasing and playful competition as you rolled your ways over each other and over the mattress, and fought for the brush and the canisters of paint. But eventually, things between you did heat up - first with Jungkook painting a long, snaking line of chocolate brown over your upper and inner thigh, then taking his sweet ass time to lick the remnants off you. By the time he was done, you were so wet for him that you thought you’d come on the spot if he flicked your clit even once with his tongue. But instead of eating something other than body paint, he grabbed a hold behind your knee, tugged roughly on your hip, and flipped you over so you were face first into the soiled sheets, and your ass was high and your pussy was throbbing in the air.

Minutes later, you were sure that every inch of your back and backside had been painted and licked by Jungkook, and you were also sure you were going to fucking die if he didn’t fuck you soon. You wanted him inside you so damn bad. No… you needed him inside you. And he damn well knew it. Your limbs were practically vibrating when he finally dragged his cock hard over your wet folds, and teased your entrance and clit with its dripping head.

“Please,” you begged him with a shaky breath, grinding yourself backwards and into his hips. “Please I need you, baby.”

“Yeah?” he said, and you could hear the mock in his voice. You hadn’t completely figured out his lexicon, but you knew that tone meant he either wanted to hear you beg again, or he was planning on torturing you. You prayed for the former, then swiveled your hips against him as you plotted how to ensure it was the former.

“Please, baby,” you let out an exaggerated groan. “I need your big dick inside me. I’m such a slut for it.”

You felt his dick twitch against you, and you smirked knowing you had tapped into his right frequency.

“Yeah?” he asked again, his voice a little deeper, and his hips now waving along with yours.

“Yeah, baby. You feel so good inside me. Your cock is so big.”

A heavy hand slithered its way up your spine, then snaked itself into your hair. His chest was then hot against your back, and his shallow breaths were now panting over your neck. “Yeah? You like my dick?”

“Yes,” you whispered, “I fucking love your dick–” you edged him on, your breath hitching mid-sentence when you felt his palm warm over your breast, “I need it.”

His hand then left your tit, and smoothed southward to play with your clit. Your back arched, and he pulled tighter on your hair to hold you bent just like he wanted. You could now feel the head of his cock teasing the entrance to your chamber, and as you continued to wave against each other, you became manic waiting for the wave that would have him buried deep in your guts.

“You need me?” he asked after another false pump that had you nearly crying.

“What the hell is this, twenty questions?” you blurted out, instantly regretting it, like your words might scare his cock away.

Smack! his hand clapped down on your ass, and you yelped - then you screeched as he slammed his cock deep inside you.

Whereas the foreplay with the paints was just that - play; the fucking was just that - fucking. Every punch of his hips felt like a slaughter to your senses. The sounds of his damp skin clapping against yours echoed off the vaulted ceilings of his bedroom. The wood of the bed and the springs of the mattress were creaking and whining with every downward stroke and upward pass.

When he flipped you back over, spread your legs wide, and thrusted himself into you again, the crack of the headboard against the wall joined in on the symphony.

“Ugh… ugh… ugh…” Jungkook’s groans became rhythmic and throaty, as opposed to your cries which were sporadic and pitched. You wrapped your arms tight around each other, sunk your fingers into each others skin, and fucked each other rough and dirty all the way to the top of the mountain.

“Come with me,” you murmured through your closing throat when you began to see the stars. “I’m gonna come.”

“I will, baby,” he groaned, then buried his face in your neck as he pumped himself harder and faster into you.

You sensed the moment he passed the point of no return. He threw his head back as his eyes rolled into his skull, and his breathing fired out of him in hisses as rapid as bullets.

You were right there with him, and the erotic feel of him coming undone inside you was enough to make you burst.

“Ugggghhhh,” he keened when he exploded - then he sobbed like he was in pain when he felt your climaxing inner walls begin to clench and flutter over his coming dick. You twisted your fingers through his scalp, pulling painfully on his locks as you tried to hold onto your sanity. Your foreheads pressed hard together, like they were battling for space and dominance. His arms twisted around your body like he was trying to cement you to him. Everything about you both wanted to be closer… wanted more.

When you were done riding the violent waves of ecstasy, Jungkook, reduced to nothing but dead weight, collapsed on top of you, and you morphed into a puddle of ooze beneath him, waiting for the return of your soul from the heavens.

“Oh, fuck, Y/N,” Jungkook gave a loud, and resounding sigh into the pillow behind your head which he was currently suffocating himself in. “Just fucking stay forever,” he said comically, prompting you to chuckle breathlessly.

“Uh, shit,” you purred as you palmed your forehead then brushed some flyaway strands off your face. “That was awesome. You're a great accounting partner.”

It was his turn to chuckle, and even the throaty, fucked out way he did was a turn on. He pulled his face from your crook, then dove in for a “thanks for letting me come inside you” kiss. You tugged on his hair, although less painfully than you had prior, and held his face to yours - prompting him to turn this kiss into yet another makeout. He was still inside you, and now, you had a goal of keeping him right the hell there until he was hard again. You craved that feeling of that subtle rise taking place inside you. It had been such a rush the last time.

You didn’t make it that far, however. In fact, you didn’t even make it close before you were interrupted by the sound of a car crawling up the gravel driveway. Jungkook pushed himself up on his elbows, and squinted towards the window with a confused and annoyed expression clearly painted across his face.

You couldn’t see the driveway from the angle you were at - the room was too elevated above the earth to see it from the bed - but your gaze instinctually followed the obvious sound of two car doors opening and slamming. “Did you forget about a client or something?”

“I… don’t think so…” Jungkook said slowly. “Maybe Colleen left something?”

You whimpered in protest as he slipped himself out of you, and he gave you an “I know” grimace as he went in search of his pants. You did the same, since you didn’t want to be hanging out stark naked in Jungkook’s bedroom while he had guests roaming the house.

As you struggled to slip your twisted bra over your back, a now dressed Jungkook went to the window to inspect.

“No fucking way,” he cursed.

“What?” you called to him - wondering if maybe your father had actually alerted the national guard and they had found you.

“It’s them,” Jungkook almost laughed in disbelief as he spoke. “Chris and Stephanie are here.”

Go to Chapter 10.

#bts smut #jungkook fanfic #jungkook smut #bts fanfic #jjk x y/n

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interdimensionalburnout · 4 months

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m!a: animate crystal bird, like the stone sculpture in your reblog, shows up on your nearest surface in a little wooden box filled with straw. it is impervious to everything (yes, even that!) and loves you unconditionally. enjoy! (colors and such are up to mun)

>>You never could get the hang of reading anything past the "m!a:" The multiverse likes making it a surprise, what kinda rare hell is usually in store for you; Mar told you how to get around it once, but you don't have the same knack for it. Instead, a little wisp of gray light seems to drip, horizontally from the silvery surface of your monitor. It's dim, and looks more like floating mercury than actual light. As it flies past your chest and towards the open space on your desk, next to the pot you ate lunch out of, you breathe a sigh of relief and instead content yourself to the show.

>>The little blob of light sets itself down upon the clean, dark-brown wood of your desk, forming into a foamy-looking egg shape. Once it's settled into that shape, the whole thing suddenly flashes bright-white, and when the light has faded, the egg-shape is now a proper egg with a perfectly-reflective, black shell. Your eyes are wide with childlike wonder, getting an eyeful of something new and amazing, whatever comes out of it. Unable to contain your curiosity, you touch the shell, with your organic left hand of all things, and the shell immediately begins to peel away into long, thin strips of paper.

>>As the paper strips fly away, like shiny streamers at a party, they vanish into nothing, leaving behind a fat baby. A fat baby bird, seemingly black, but only from within the core of its stony body. The very core of the little bird sculpture seems translucent at its outermost edges, with a sleek, sharp beak and simple, round eyes carved into its body. The little thing springs to life, from a huddled-up sleeping position, bounding to tiny, thick little feet that end in truly powerful little thighs; you look it over, unable to identify wings and too distracted to as its head tilts this way and that in line with your own.

>>The little thing is an incredible animated statue, truly beautiful and based off that sculpture you must've reblogged (later, you'll find the text of the ask legible, and get the full scoop). It takes a few wobbling steps, marching with a testing gait until it has a sense of its own physics. Satisfied with its apparent grasp on motor function, the statuette-bird wobbles its way towards you, and on impulse, you scoop it up in your mechanical hand. The dull, black core of the bird seems to make contact with the ambient, aquamarine light that emits from your palm, accepting this new hue in an instant. The black color takes on a wonderfully-similar hue, the light-borne pigment seeming to spread like food-coloring within all anew as the white lines that highlight the contours of its face glow neon-blue.

>>You're squealing with delight at this, spending the following minutes of your day, changing the color of the light-source in your hand and revealing as your new bird-friend changes colors with you, casting flecks of moving color across the room as you up the luminosity. You nearly forget to answer the ask, nearly forget to thank the anon. Nearly:

OMGNONNIETHISTHINGISINSANELYCOOLYOURTHEBEST

#IC #SaintworksLore #Not Viewable ICly #((Anon I love you this was soo fun to write

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kirnet · 1 year

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Don’t Wake the Ancients - Chapter 11

read on ao3 | previous chapter | next chapter

injury/ gore warning (visible bone, burn injuries, impalement)

“Detective?”

Death cold hands skimmed the underside of Dorotea’s jaw, tilting her head this way and that. Pain shot from her neck down her spine, making her aware of the contour of every single vertebrae. A gravely moan escaped from somewhere in her body.

Murphy sucked in an excited breath. “You’re alive!”

Was she? This couldn’t reasonably be called life. The very earth seemed to be calling for her beneath the uneven floorboards, urging her to accept gravity and fall into the depths. She groaned again, every minuscule movement starting a pulsing wave of agony. Murphy entirely ignored her, too enthralled with his own success. He hopped back, dropping her head against her chest.

“It worked! It actually-“ Murphy stilled his soaring hands that had come to land in his tangle of hair. “Of course it worked. I knew it would.” His mouth split like a wound across his face. “Now to test it.”

Dorotea tried to summon any lasting bit of strength to bat him away, but Murphy paid her no mind. With insulting indifference, he undid the belt looped around one of her wrists, pulled her arm free, and tugged her hand to his mouth.

The prick of his fangs entering the back of her hand was not comparable to any of the rest of the pain she felt, but Dorotea hissed nonetheless. His fangs sunk deeper, cutting through her skin like a hot knife through butter. He drew back, his pale eyes twinkling in amazement as scarlet welled up from the holes. Before any could run off to the floor, Murphy slowly ran the flat of his tongue over her hand.

“Oh.” Dorotea’s stomach roiled in disgust as he went back for seconds, practically purring like a cat in a sunbeam. The hairs along his arm raised as his pupils dilated, swallowing his arctic eyes to total black. With great trembling effort, he brought her hand back to the arm of the chair, the stripe of saliva freezing as it met the cold air. “Detective, you and I are going to become very close.”

“Fuck you.” Murphy hummed a laugh and held her arm down again as secured the belt. Then he stilled, his breathing stopping, and waited, his ear cocked to the side.

“Wait here,” Murphy commanded, pupils aglow as he stalked silently forward and disappeared into the surrounding darkness.

Dorotea strained her neck forward, desperate to catch any sound that Murphy might have heard. Was Unit Bravo here? Did they follow her scent already? Or was it just some poor wanderer who was about to get the fright of their life?

Only the creak of the old building tried to answer her.

She glanced around, trying to calm her frayed nerves enough to time Murphy’s absence. The immediate space around her was the only thing illuminated, but if she had to guess, the room went on for a bit farther than that. Two strips of metal cut across the room just underneath and behind her, her chair tied down to them. Cart tracks? Maybe a head house at a coal mine? Some sort of warehouse?

That wasn’t good. She knew the area around Wayhaven well, but she had never been here, she was sure. What industrial structures in the area did she not know about? Probably more than a few, though it was possible she wasn’t even near Wayhaven at all.

Freezing every other second to listen for Murphy, Dorotea jostled in her chair. The rolling tray table was next to her, and her wrist restraint was slightly loosened from Murphy’s distraction. Maybe she could just-

No, no good. It was still too tight to pull out of, though at least some circulation was returning to her fingertips. Something metal groaned from somewhere outside of the room.

Dorotea chewed her lip. She had to get out of here while she had a chance. She might only get a few yards, but if she had learned one thing from Captain Sung from her time at the station, her ability to dig her heels in and refuse was incredibly annoying.

Annoying kept Murphy focused on her rather than another potential victim. She forced her mind to repeat that mantra over and over while her body protested. Dorotea wiggled in her chair. The bindings that kept it tied to the tracks held.

Fuck this. If the asshole who had ripped his fangs through her town wanted her to wait here she would do anything but. She grit her teeth and thrashed, the IV needles tearing deeper into her flesh.

Something snapped, and Dorotea was falling before she realized it, the collection of drips and trays coming with her.

Pain returned to her after the daze cleared away. The metal IV stand banged against her head as she tried to rotate over the tracks like a snail caught in a line of salt. Parts crumbled to dust beneath her, leaving sprinkles of rusted sand. She scooted forward, cheek pressed against the floor, and strained her fingers out.

There! The tips of her middle and forefingers caught around something. With small movements, she pulled the pen into her grip, careful not to drop it. She maneuvered it back until she held her thumb securely against it, the cap pressed the belt looped around her wrist.

With great urgency and greater caution, Dorotea shimmied the pen underneath the prong. Once it was far enough, she adjusted her thumb and pulled her hand back as far as she could, using the pen as a lever to open the buckle.

The first time didn’t work, nor the second, but on the third try she managed to pry it open. She would have hollared with pride if the needles still weren’t snaking around under her skin. She tried jerking her wrist back, but the leather still remained stuck on the prong, even as it continued to drift away from the buckle. After a series of quick breaths, Dorotea lunged forward, the lurch allowing her to grab the end of the belt with her teeth before she had to snap back into place. She tugged, and all at once the prong popped free. It was easy after that to throw her arm about, the belt falling away with nothing to secure it.

“Yes!” No need to be quiet after all that; if Murphy hadn’t heard the crash of all of his equipment hurling to the floor then he wouldn’t hear her squeaks. She undid the rest of her bindings with her free hand and pulled the needles from her arm with a gasp.

Using the IV stand as a support, Dorotea hobbled towards the counter, her gnarled feet unable to feel the splinters. There were more loud bangs in the distance. She collapsed against the counter, her numbing hands reaching for a collection of rags. She stuffed one in her mouth, poured alcohol over another, and bit back a scream as she disinfected her wounds. As well as she could on herself, she bound the bleeding gashes on her arms and her ankles. Murphy had bandaged the hole in her hand, so there had to be some actual medical supplies somewhere, but Dorotea didn’t want to waste precious seconds looking.

Something tapped against her shoulder. “Hey.”

Dorotea screamed like the devil had found her, scrambling back against the counter and blindly grabbing at a beaker to throw.

“Woah!” Farah stepped back, her hands raised in surrender. “Easy, cher. I’m here to get you out.”

“Farah?” Dorotea shakily set the beaker down and reached out.

She laughed as Dorotea’s hands pinched at her cheeks. “All real. I’d tell you that I’m a symptom of your blood loss, but I think you’d actually die on me if I did.” The vampire seemed uninjured, though her usually sparkling eyes were dulled.

“Are you hurt? Is that-” Dorotea winced as a metallic screech echoed through the air. “Is everyone here?”

“We’re fine… mostly. Adam, Morgan, and Nate are taking on Murphy while I get you outta here.”

A spark of hope ignited in Dorotea’s chest. “They’re bringing him in now?”

Farah coughed into her hand. “It’s a work in progress. He’s pretty strong, stronger than any vampire I’ve ever run into. Nate thought he might have-“ she waved vaguely at Dorotea, “-you know, but-“

Dorotea grimaced, a foul taste settling in her mouth. “He did.” She raised her pockmarked hand. “But he barely drank anything. Is it really that bad?”

The expression on Farah’s face said it all. “We should really go,” she insisted, carefully taking hold of Dorotea’s arm. “Adam did that thing with his jaw when he told me to get you, so you know he’s serious.”

“Wait.” Farah could have lifted her off if she pleased, but she humored Dorotea when she grabbed at the counter. “Three agents are already getting their asses kicked? You need to go back and help them!”

“What we need is your blood as far away from Murphy as possible,” Farah countered, uncharacteristically sober. “The last thing we need is for him to get any more of you.”

There was a strong logic there, but Dorotea couldn’t get her stomach to settle. If they didn’t subdue Murphy here (or if, God forbid, he killed an already weakened member of Unit Bravo), he would escape. The cycle would repeat in small town after small town, a mindless Dorotea in tow. “You used fire as an example when I woke up at the Agency bunker.”

Farah blinked and shifted her weight. “Huh?”

“I have resistance to supernatural powers, but a fireball will still burn me, yes?” Dorotea grabbed the last bit of rubbing alcohol and poured it into a beaker with a thin neck. Then she threw some of the cupboards open, knocking their contents over as she searched. “It was a specific example. I’m guessing you have experience with that?”

“Oh, yeah. Back in the Echo World.” Farah winced as she recalled the memory. “Hurt like a bitch. Took a full day for my skin to grow back.”

“I need dish soap or something like that. Please,” Dorotea added when Farah continued to blink at her. The vampire bounced into action, throwing the remaining cupboards open with abandon. “So fire is enough to incapacitate you without killing, right?”

Farah handed her a tiny plastic bottle half filled with soap. “Yeah, but why…” She trailed off, watching as Dorotea squirted some of the soap into the beaker, swirled it around, and stuffed one of her used rags into the neck. Her mouth rounded. “Oh!”

Dorotea tapped her fingernail against the unlit Molotov cocktail. “You need to get back to your team. You take this and light it when you’re ready, but you have to be careful of-“

She was being pulled forward before she could finish, the whiplash almost sliding the bottle from her grasp. Dorotea cradled it to her chest as Farah pulled her into the dark. The wooden roof sloped lower, feeling like it was about to graze the top of her head. They wove through the support pillars, careful not to trip over the gnarled cart tracks. The solid thunk below their feet suddenly changed to a hollow echo.

Seconds after they started to move, the wall behind them exploded open. Murphy shook splinters and snow from his hair. He stared down at the collapsed pile of furniture where Dorotea had just been bound. “Detective!” he bellowed.

“Shit!” Farah turned abruptly to the side, following a branching set of tracks. The ever-narrowing corridor opened up into a wide room. Farah unceremoniously threw her behind a group of rotting canisters and kept going.

She flew into the ground a moment later, her teeth plowing into the decaying wood. Murphy sat on her back, his hand fisted in her hair. “Another one of you?”

Dorotea pressed her back against the rusting metal, one hand clamped over her mouth to silence her breathing.

“Let her go!” Nate emerged from the corridor Farah and Dorotea had just run through. The shadows swirl towards him, obscuring everything but his glowing eyes.

Movement flashed, and two figures sped towards Farah. Murphy caught Adam’s lightening fast fist in his palm without even looking. He held down, and using Adam’s inertia, rolled onto his back and kicked him up into the ceiling. With Morgan he just ducked to the side, blowing off her attack entirely, before striking the flat of his hand against her chest. She sailed back, her back colliding with one of the pillars just beside Dorotea. Dust rained down and caked in her hair.

Morgan coughed, small droplets of blood flying onto the floor, but she just wiped her mouth and shakily got to her feet. She tensed slightly, gray eyes trained straight on Murphy, refusing to look at Dorotea. Nate jumped in to give Farah an opening to wiggle free, but Murphy picked her up by her ankle and swung her into him with a gleeful laugh.

Praying that Morgan was just purposefully trying not to draw Murphy’s attention, Dorotea removed the hand from her mouth and made a snapping motion with her thumb, brushing it over the knob of her pointer finger. The corner of Morgan’s mouth pulled down ever slightly, but she reached into her jacket pocket as she strode forward, tossing something metallic aside before she leapt back into the fray.

Dorotea scrambled for the lighter, the filigree worn under her fingertips. She risked a glance over her shoulder. Morgan and Adam had a grip on one of Murphy’s arms, veins straining against their skin as they fought to hold on. Nate dove low, throwing his whole body weight against his legs. As Murphy toppled over head-first, helped by Adam’s hand pushing against his back, Farah appeared out of nowhere, a flash of light in her hand. She drove the stun gun into his neck.

Murphy convulsed, and Adam reached for something in his pocket. Before he could grab whatever it was, Murphy threw him off with a roar. Adam recovered quickly as the rest flew back. He jumped forward, sweat glistening on his brow as he cracked his fist across Murphy’s jaw. He did it again and again, technique thrown to the wind as the desire to maim took hold. His knuckles bled, occasionally cut as they came into contact with Murphy’s fangs, but they knit themselves back into raw new skin before the next strike.

Taking advantage of the onslaught, Dorotea crawled around the edge of the room, careful to always stay behind a rusted barrel or a crumbling mine cart. This was a coal mine, she was more than certain. It probably had been out of service for over a century. She ran a finger over the side of the cart she sheltered behind, frowning as soot coated her fingers. Maybe it was just dirt or mold or whatever had taken hold of the structure, but there was a decent chance that coal dust might be in the air, especially now that the vampires had rammed into every available surface.

For a wonderful moment, Murphy staggered, but then he caught Adam’s wrist and turned. The snap of bones echoed through the room, and Adam bit back a scream as his arm bent in the middle at a perfect ninety degree angle, the glint of bone protruding from his pale skin. Nate dove in the middle with a shaft of rusted metal as Adam pulled himself free, interrupting a strike that would have caved the side of Adam’s skull in. The gasp that escaped from Dorotea’s mouth was entirely involuntary, and she quickly stuffed her fist into her mouth as she caught sight of Murphy’s vicious smile. Morgan and Farah attacked at once, both wielding chains that they had found somewhere in the structure as Adam took hold of his arm, clenched his jaw, and wrenched it back to the correct angle.

They were losing, Dorotea realized. Badly. Murphy turned the chain onto Morgan, sinking the hook at the end deep into her calf. Adam’s injured arm slowly wriggled itself back together, but his knuckles remained bloody, refusing to heal. Nate and Farah panted as they danced back and forth in perfect coordination, pestering Murphy so his attention wasn’t on the healing vampires. Farah ducked out of the way as Murphy hurled a jagged timber at her, almost turning ethereal as it breezed past her head, but it caught Nate in the shoulder, pulling him back and impaling him against one of the columns. Murphy rolled his shoulders, eyes peeled for what direction Farah might emerge from.

But, fuck, Murphy had staggered once. He looked untouched, the only indication that he was caught in a battle for his life the debris that littered his mane of hair. But if Dorotea focused she could swear that he was favoring his left leg a little more as he turned in easy circles, ready to pounce. Or maybe she was just praying she did. Either way, he was getting weaker, she had to believe it. But Unit Bravo wouldn’t survive long enough for her blood to leave his system.

She held the lighter with white knuckles. No, she couldn’t light it in here. If there was fine coal dust in the air then, well, you didn’t need Dorotea’s understanding of reactions to know how awful that would be, not if you were from a coal town. It might not prove fatal to Murphy or Unit Bravo, but it would be to her, and the goal was to leave here with her flesh still on her bones. Maybe they could take out some columns, collapse the roof, try to trap him underneath. Or maybe they could lead him outside far away from the swirling black powder in the air. But how to communicate that without giving it away?

Bored of waiting, Murphy picked up a splinter of wood and stalked towards Nate, who was still nailed to the pillar. His shoulder had started to heal around the wood, trapping himself as he struggled to pull himself free. “As the first witnesses of my achievement, I’m truly sorry to say that I can’t let you leave here. Don’t worry, you won’t be the last.” Morgan growled and surged forward before crashing to the ground, her leg buckling beneath her as her slashed tendons attempted to heal. Some structure looked to have returned to Adam’s arm, but it still hung limply as he scrambled forward, eyes wide.

Dorotea had to do something. She had to light it. No, no, that would just injure everyone, Unit Bravo more than anyone. She needed to flee before he realized that she was still here. But she couldn’t just abandon them! What should she do, what-

“It’s me.” Farah’s hand clamped firmly over Dorotea’s mouth. She let go only when Dorotea relaxed. “I’ll take these. You get out of here. Run and don’t look back.”`

Dorotea allowed the lighter and bottle to be pulled from her grasp as Murphy poked the edge of the stake right above Nate’s heaving chest. With a thunderous cry, Adam charged, tackled Murphy, and sunk his teeth into Murphy’s shoulder.

Everything happened so fast. Morgan managed to get to Nate and pulled the wood free from his body. Farah disappeared, the raised hairs on Dorotea’s neck the only indication that she had been there. Adam and Murphy rolled around, hissing and biting and spraying blood in all directions. Dorotea needed to move, and she tried, but Adam’s injured arm could only hold on for so long. Murphy shoved him off, Adam taking a massive chunk of flesh with him, and for the first time something akin to worry entered his expression.

Blood pooled at his feet as Murphy staggered away, drenching his clothes. His whole left shoulder was gone, leaving only jagged chunks of meat and visible bone. More gore splashed out with every breath. All color drained from his face.

His red eyes turned on Dorotea.

“No!” Terror gripped her throat as she tried to fling herself back. Murphy raced forward with blinding speed, his sticky viscera splattering across Dorotea’s face. She pushed her arm out, to hit him or push him or whatever instinct tried to do, but Murphy grabbed her elbow and pulled her forward. Dorotea could only release the contents of her lungs as Murphy sank his teeth into her neck and ripped.

Every last bit of pride, confidence, and hope tore themselves from Adam’s heart as he watched Murphy bite into the Detective. Her eyes immediately went glassy, and he prayed that shock might dull whatever agonizing pain she was feeling right now. The glistening hole that had been Murphy’s shoulder filled in, first supple muscle and then pink flesh, until he was fully healed, looking just as he had when they had first engaged him. He held her there for what seemed like an eternity as Adam’s aching body struggled to respond.

The progress to his arm had halted, paused when Murphy had wrenched himself free. He spat bitter blood from his mouth and ignored the burning tingle of his nerves. Now Murphy was just drinking, but if he surged in and ripped him away…

Movement in the corner of his eye. Farah held a clear bottle and Morgan’s lighter for some reason. It wasn’t until they made eye contact did he notice the rag stuffed in it. He understood, the bond of years of fighting together stronger and quicker than any set of words. Adam pulled the syringe of DMB from his pocket and held it out. Someone, Nate, from the feel of his fingertips, snatched it and dashed away.

He raced forward the moment Murphy pulled away with a sickening squelch, his wide smile coated in scarlet. Blood spurted from the two long gashes across the Detective’s neck as she started to fall, all strength sucked out of her. Murphy widened his stance, confidence buzzing through every one of his movements as he braced for Adam’s attack.

It never came. Adam dove low, scooping the Detective’s ragdoll body into his arms before she could hit the floor. The lighter clicked, and Adam could hear a distinctly Farah “Ha!” as she lobbed the Molotov cocktail with all of her might.

The glass shattered against the side of Murphy's face. Adam only had a second to revel in the sight of sticky globs of fire catching his skin alight before the very air exploded.

Reflex kept his arms wrapped tight around the Detective as they crashed through the walls and erupted into the crisp night. They hung for a second before his stomach lurched and gravity pulled them down; the part of the coal plant they had jumped from raised on stilts. They rolled through the snow. It soothed the burning blisters of his back, steam rising from his skin as they came to a halt.

Adam was certain that Morgan and Nate had sheltered beforehand, probably privy to Farah’s plan precious seconds before he was. Another explosion rocked the building, this time at a structure built directly into the hillside, as Adam wondered where there was to even shelter. Then all thought evaporated from his mind.

The Detective’s head was cradled to his chest, just under his jaw. He pulled up, practically laying on top of her, his arms braced on either side of her head. Sweet rivers of nectar poured out from her neck, staining the snow.

Her teary eyes were frozen wide, staring at his gore stained mouth. Her breath came out in frantic, uneven gasps, blood bubbling over her lips and down her cheek. Smoldering holes dotted her clothing, exposing the growing blisters underneath to the elements. Her hands had a vice grip on the remains of his shirt, clutching it with a ferocity her frail body shouldn’t have been able to manage.

Centuries of training and discipline were the only things stopping him from collapsing his weight down on to her. They were only mere inches apart. Adam’s gums itched as his fangs grew, piercing his bottom lip. He could sink down into the tantalizing aroma, let it envelop him as he licked the trail of blood at the corner of her lips down to the gashes in her throat. He could bury his face in there and drink in a way he had denied himself for so long.

Adam wanted.

He lowered a fraction. The Detective gurgled and tried to wriggle without any success. Adam knew he had to stop the growing tide of red haloing her or she would be nothing but a husk, but an iron will was the only thing stopping him from giving into his impulses. If he moved, she would die in another way.

God, she probably thought he was Murphy. And why wouldn’t she, with the same bloody smile and hungry light in his eyes.

Adam was better than this, he had to be. After so many centuries of denying his every desire he had to be better than the human he once was. Not selfish, not prone to pitiful tantrums over greed and pride. He needed to close the floodgate in her neck.

The forest watched on in silence as the crackle of flames continued.

Plop. Plop.

A drop of water rolled from Adam’s forehead to the tip of his nose, and then another, until a torrent of rain beat against his steaming back. The storm pelted against the snow, driving it into the soil. The blood began to wash away.

That was all Adam needed. He ripped the shreds of his shirt off with one hand and pressed it against the ribbons of her neck, unsure whether the pressure was bruising or too light. “Detective?” He put his weight on his haunches and cupped her jaw with his free hand. She tried to jerk away. “It’s just me.” His voice grated against his throat, unused to words spoken so softly. “It’s Adam.”

Some clarity returned to her vision as she continued to choke on her own blood. “Detective, keep your eyes on me.” Her grasp around his arms loosened. “Detective? Dorotea?”

There was the sound of movement, and Adam spared a glance up for only a moment. Murphy tried to stomp through the snow, whole sections of his almost naked body burned black. A singed Morgan appeared from the shadows and tackled his legs. He hit the ground right as Nate emerged, the tip of the syringe shining like a star in the night. He mercilessly jabbed it into Murphy’s neck, the needle almost coming out the other side. Murphy convulsed, foam flecking his lips as Nate pushed the stopper down.

“Keep your eyes open,” Adam gently commanded when they threatened to flutter close. Dorotea continued to wheeze and gurgle, and Adam adjusted so that he blocked most of the rain from falling onto her face. “Focus on me and my voice, nothing else. You are going to be fine, Dorotea, alright? You will make it through this.”

He never stopped his coos and whispers, his thumb drawing circles into her round cheek. Anything to keep her awake and receptive. She shivered under his hands, growing colder by the second. The gray of Adam’s shirt was now fully dyed crimson.

Snow and leaves crunched behind him, barely audible over the rain and the sound of his own voice. There were shouts, but Adam refused to look at anything that wasn’t Dorotea’s weakening gaze. “Hold on. Hold on.”

He almost swung and shattered the knees of whoever touched his shoulder. “Don’t you-“ The Agency medic frowned down at him. Three more appeared with a stretcher. Adam hunched protectively over Dorotea, his hands never leaving her skin.

“Commanding Agent.” The three medics stayed a pace away, shifting their weight warily. The one touching his shoulder lowered their tone. “She needs treatment. Now.”

With great effort, Adam unfurled from her. He held her neck even as she was lifted up, his fingers reaching out as she was whisked away into the back of an ambulance. Farah stood next to it, talking hurriedly with an agent, her whole front a myriad of festering burns. The crowd of agents parted as Nate and Morgan trudged through, a corpse-like Murphy hanging limply in between them, his knees dragging through the mud. They threw him into the back of an armored van with little ceremony.

Another SUV rolled up, almost colliding with a tree. Agent Langford fell out of the driver’s seat, her hair instantly turning dark under the rain. “Where is she?” she cried, her ankles wobbling as she tried to walk through the melting snow. Adam rose and caught her as she stumbled.

“The ambulance. Go,” Adam rasped, nodding his head towards the growing swarm of Agency vehicles. Agent Langford opened her mouth to argue, but he silenced her with a look. “Go. We’ll handle Murphy. She’ll need a familiar face.”

Agent Langford nodded, her teeth clamped down on her lip to keep it still. She ran back into the woods and disappeared into the back of the ambulance before it lumbered off into the trees.

“We did it,” Nate breathed beside him, the smile apparent in his voice, “How is she?”

The rain dotted Adam’s eyelashes as he watched the space where Dorotea laid, her outline apparent in the slush.

He didn’t answer.

#blood magic woohoo!#also yaya last chap before the epilogue :D #this serious is over 60k words now. what #twc #dont wake the ancients #dorotea langford #my writing

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pranay-234 · 10 months

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Japan Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market: Insights, Trends, and Industry Forecast 2023-2032

In the land of technological marvels and a commitment to precision health, Japan Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market stands as a testament to innovation at its finest. As we delve into this dynamic landscape, we uncover a tapestry of advancements, challenges, and a future where diabetes management is seamlessly woven into the fabric of daily life.

𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 : https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A109105

Technological Prowess:

Japan has long been revered for its technological prowess, and this extends to the healthcare sector. In the Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market, we witness a convergence of cutting-edge technologies aimed at placing innovation at the fingertips of individuals managing diabetes. From smart glucose meters to wearable devices, the market reflects Japan's commitment to offering solutions that are not just functional but seamlessly integrated into the lives of users.

Precision Health Paradigm:

Japan's healthcare system has embraced the precision health paradigm, and Point-of-Care Glucose Testing plays a pivotal role in this approach. The emphasis on personalized and accurate health monitoring aligns with the nation's cultural commitment to meticulousness. Individuals are empowered to take charge of their health with real-time glucose data, fostering a proactive approach to diabetes management.

Cultural Acceptance and Adherence:

Cultural nuances play a significant role in the success of healthcare interventions, and Japan's cultural acceptance of technology enhances the adoption of Point-of-Care Glucose Testing. The meticulous nature of the population aligns with the need for precise and instant glucose readings. The market thrives on the cultural adherence to health-conscious practices, creating a fertile ground for innovation.

Market Dynamics and Challenges:

As with any thriving market, Japan's Point-of-Care Glucose Testing sector is not without its challenges. Balancing technological advancements with cost-effectiveness, ensuring widespread accessibility, and addressing regulatory considerations are areas that demand strategic navigation. However, these challenges are viewed as opportunities for further refinement and collaboration within the industry.

Patient-Centric Approach:

The patient-centric approach is a hallmark of Japan's healthcare philosophy, and it echoes in the Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market. Solutions are designed not just as diagnostic tools but as companions in the individual's health journey. Seamless integration with healthcare providers, data-driven insights, and user-friendly interfaces characterize the patient-centric ethos that defines the market.

𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐰 : https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/japan-point-of-care-glucose-testing-market/purchase-options

Integrated Healthcare Ecosystem:

Japan's commitment to an integrated healthcare ecosystem is mirrored in the Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market. The synergy between technology companies, healthcare providers, and regulatory bodies creates an environment where innovation is nurtured, and solutions are seamlessly integrated into the broader healthcare landscape. This collaborative spirit positions Japan at the forefront of healthcare innovation.

Comprehensive Product Portfolio:

The Japan point-of-care glucose testing market boasts a diverse product portfolio, with a primary segmentation into lancing devices & strips and blood-glucose meters. The latter category further delineates into specific brands such as Lifescan one touch ultra & Lifescan one touch verio, Accuchek Aviva Plus & Accuchek, FreeStyle Lite & FreeStyle precision neo, Contour Next, and others. This nuanced segmentation ensures that consumers have access to a range of products tailored to their preferences and needs, fostering a competitive and inclusive market.

Application-Focused Segmentation:

The market strategically addresses the distinct needs of individuals by categorizing applications into type-1 diabetes and type-2 diabetes. This application-focused segmentation recognizes the unique requirements of each diabetes type, allowing for more targeted solutions. By tailoring products to specific applications, the Japan point-of-care glucose testing market aligns with precision health principles, ensuring that individuals receive personalized and effective glucose monitoring tools.

Diverse End-User Accessibility:

To enhance accessibility and cater to the varied healthcare settings, the market is segmented based on end users. This includes hospitals & clinics, home care settings, and others. The diverse end-user segmentation reflects Japan's commitment to making point-of-care glucose testing accessible across different healthcare environments. Whether individuals prefer the convenience of home care or the comprehensive support of hospitals and clinics, the market ensures that glucose testing solutions are readily available where needed.

Future Horizons:

Looking ahead, the future of Japan's Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market holds promise. As technology continues to evolve, we can anticipate even more sophisticated and user-friendly solutions. The integration of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and perhaps even predictive capabilities is on the horizon, promising a future where diabetes management is not just efficient but anticipatory.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭? 𝐈𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 : https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/109589

Conclusion:

Innovation at your fingertips is not just a tagline; it is a reality unfolding in Japan's Point-of-Care Glucose Testing Market. As the nation continues to lead the way in technological advancements, the marriage of precision health principles with diabetes management paints a future where individuals are not just patients but active participants in their well-being. Here's to a Japan where healthcare meets innovation, and diabetes is managed with the touch of technological excellence.

About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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blogsofmajormeds · 2 years

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Buy Diabetic Products Online | Test Strips, Lancets & Glucometers | Major Meds

Diabetes is a chronic condition that requires careful management to maintain a healthy lifestyle. One of the most crucial aspects of diabetes management is monitoring blood sugar levels regularly. With advancements in technology, it is now easier than ever to keep track of blood sugar levels with the help of diabetic products such as test strips, lancets, and glucometers. If you are looking to buy these products, you can now conveniently purchase them online from Major Meds, a leading pharmacy in the United States.

One of the most popular diabetic products available at Major Meds is the Contour Next Meter. This meter is designed to provide accurate and reliable blood sugar readings, making it an essential tool for diabetic patients. The Contour Next Meter is also easy to use, making it an ideal choice for those who are new to blood sugar monitoring. With its compact size and user-friendly interface, the Contour Next Meter is a convenient option for both at-home and on-the-go blood sugar monitoring.

When you buy diabetic products online from Major Meds, you can rest assured that you are getting high-quality products that are safe and effective. The pharmacy sources its products only from trusted manufacturers, ensuring that you get the best value for your money. Additionally, Major Meds offers competitive prices on all its products, allowing you to save money on your diabetic supplies.

In addition to the Contour Next Meter, Major Meds also offers a wide range of other diabetic products such as lancets and test strips. These products are designed to work seamlessly with the Contour Next Meter, providing accurate and reliable blood sugar readings. When you buy these products together, you can be confident that you are getting a complete blood sugar monitoring solution that will help you manage your diabetes effectively.

Don't let diabetes control your life - take control with Major Meds. Our user-friendly website allows for easy navigation and hassle-free shopping, so you can spend more time focusing on your health. Our products are all sourced from reputable manufacturers, so you can trust that you are receiving high-quality items.

In conclusion, if you are looking to buy diabetic products online, Major Meds is an excellent choice. With its wide selection of high-quality products, competitive prices, and reliable customer service, Major Meds is a leading provider of diabetic supplies in the United States. Whether you need a Contour Next Meter or other diabetic products, Major Meds has everything you need to manage your diabetes effectively.

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hippiegirltravels · 2 years

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Contour Next Blood Glucose Monitoring System - 1 kit new.

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diabeticcorner · 6 months

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5 Benefits Of Using Ascensia Contour Plus Test Strips For Diabetes Management

Managing diabetes isn’t hard enough although you need proper care. When it comes to diabetes care, you must have diabetes management tools in hand when you need them. Visiting a clinic may not be convenient all the time. In this prospect, reliable Ascensia Contour Plus Test Strips can be helpful.

Elegant Ascensia Contour Next Test Strips are especially known for their accuracy, convenience and reliability. It can give you several benefits to monitor your blood glucose levels.

Benefits Of Using Ascensia Contour Plus Test Strips-

Unmatched Accuracy for Precise Blood Glucose Monitoring-

The improved Ascensia Contour Test Strips make testing blood sugar levels fast, easy and accurate. They are designed with cutting-edge technology that allows you to make the right decision and take care of your health properly. You can get real-time information about your blood sugar levels.

Seamless Integration with Ascensia Contour Plus Meters-

These test strips can be used with Ascensia Contour Plus Meters. Contour Test Strips feature a unique flip-top bottle design that opens and closes easily - perfect for users of all ages. It allows for hassle-free testing so you can focus on your health without the added stress.

Rapid Results-

Ascensia Contour Next Test Strips offer accurate and quick results to the users. People with busy lifestyles can make the most out of these test strips. Monitor your blood glucose levels anytime and anywhere.

Enhanced User Experience-

These advanced test strips can deliver the best user experience. The strips are kept fresh up to 6 months after opening due to a patented bottle design with built-in desiccant. A window on these blood glucose test strips makes it easy to see when the strip fills with blood. With an easy-to-use design and easy-to-read display, users of all ages can efficiently use these test strips.

Cost-Effective Solution-

Managing diabetes is a hefty affair that may hit your financial burden. However, using these Test Strips can ensure a cost-effective solution for long-term diabetes management.

Tips For Testing-

Make sure about the patterns in your blood sugar readings and vary the times that you test.

Consider testing pre and post-prandially (before and 2 hours after the first bite of your meal). Do this for each meal to learn how your body is reacting to your food, exercise, stress, medication, etc.

Test at bedtime and the next morning to see what occurs overnight when you are not eating for several hours.

Moreover, the benefits of using Ascensia Contour test strips are undeniable. Looking to buy Ascensia Contour Plus Test Strips online? Visit our website today!

Original Source: https://www.diigo.com/item/note/7rcx9/h6xr?k=b0cc0ee24b255d41526cf99f41754720

#Ascensia Contour Plus Test Strips #Ascensia Contour Next Test Strips

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tonkibrazil · 2 years

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Contour next one battery

CONTOUR NEXT ONE BATTERY MANUAL

laboratory method for blood glucose concentrations, specifically: 99.3% of results within ☑0% for blood glucose concentrations ≥5.55 mmol/L, and 98.4% of results within ☐.56 mmol/L accuracy vs. CONTOUR® NEXT LINK 2.4 meets ☑0% accuracy vs. More time in range – Accurate results help you make better insulin dosing decisions, reducing the risk of low and high blood sugar.Optimized performance of SmartGuard™ technology – The power of SmartGuard™ technology depends on reliable, accurate sensor measurements.With the MiniMed TM 670G, the Auto Mode feature automatically adjusts your basal insulin every five minutes based on your CGM sensor readings.Precise calibration of your CGM sensor 3 – A highly accurate blood glucose meter is essential for CGM sensor calibration and reliable CGM performance.Optimize the MiniMed™ 630G and MiniMed™ 670G system with the highly accurate CONTOUR ® NEXT LINK 2.4. The highly accurate CONTOUR ® NEXT LINK 2.4 meter allows you to confidently calibrate your continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor, the power behind SmartGuard™ technology. With the linking meter, you don’t have to worry about mistakes from entering results in manually, which helps you avoid incorrect insulin dosing and potential low and high blood sugar The meter saves you time and effort by wirelessly sending your blood glucose results right to the MiniMed™ 630G and MiniMed™ 670G. This is the only meter with this feature.Ĭlick here for additional specifications.

CONTOUR NEXT ONE BATTERY MANUAL

Remote Bolus Feature – This exclusive feature allows you to send a manual or preset bolus dose directly to your MiniMed™ 630G or MiniMed™ 670G* insulin pump from the meter for convenience and discretion.Second-Chance ® Sampling – Let’s you apply more blood to the same test strip within 30 seconds if you didn’t get enough the first time.Highly accurate – Accuracy within 10% of lab readings, 1 exceeding industry standards 2.Seamless integration – Blood glucose readings are wirelessly transmitted to the MiniMed™ 630G and MiniMed™ 670G.The CONTOUR ® NEXT LINK 2.4 is a key component of Medtronic’s MiniMed™ 670G, the world’s first self-adjusting insulin pump system.ĭiscover the world’s first self-adjusting insulin pump system.Īn easy-to-use meter with advanced features

#Contour next one battery

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stickylong · 2 years

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Contour next one battery

CONTOUR NEXT ONE BATTERY FOR FREE

Coding: Make sure that the one you choose is clearly marked as a “No Code” device.Size of meter: Do you need one that’s small and easy to carry on the go? Or do you prefer a larger version that’s easier to hold? Does it have a large, easy-to-read, backlit display?.Choose one that’s simple to use and offers alarm reminders, as well as hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia alerts. Ease of use: If your glucose meter is complex to use, chances are you won’t test as often as you should, which defeats the purpose of a glucometer.This small sample size minimizes waste of test strips and allows for a more comfortable lancing depth. Many of the meters on our list required no more than 0.6 microliters. Sample size: Smaller is better when it comes to required blood sample sizes.Make sure it’s FDA-approved and clinically validated. Accuracy: Since your glucose meter reading affects insulin dosing and treatment decisions, an accurate and reliable glucometer is crucial to your health.When choosing a glucose meter, there are several things to consider. While we work hard to provide accurate and up-to-date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Health does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Health. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. This compensation comes from two main sources.

CONTOUR NEXT ONE BATTERY FOR FREE

To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Health site. The Forbes Health editorial team is independent and objective.

#Contour next one battery

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teststrips4cash · 5 years

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Turn your extra unopened unexpired diabetic test strips into cash up to 40 dollars a box for some brands!

#diabetes #type1 #type2 #insulin #test strips #diabetics #accucheck #aviva plus #test strip #onetouch #ultra blue #verio #mo #50ct #100ct #bayer #contour next #7311 #7312 #7090g #7080g #freestyle lite

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thenycbratzdoll · 3 years

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My Everyday Makeup Routine🤎🥥

In my eyes makeup is a form of art. It’s fun to me and it enhances my features. It completes my whole look for the day. With makeup there’s endless outcomes, it’s personal to you, and it doesn’t matter with what others think about it. Never let someone make you feel bad about the amount you put on, it’s your happiness!! I’ll stop the cheetah chatter and tell you guys my 2021 makeup routine atm, enjoy!!🤎🤎

☾ First step: Eyebrows

ʚĭɞೃ Eyebrows are very important to me. They’re always done, always slayed, bad eyebrows= sad lashanti and it throws off my whole look. Having good eyebrows ties in the whole look and make it easier to work with the rest of my steps in my makeup routine. I prefer to use pencil over dip brow since it’s faster and easier in my opinion. I go in with the brand ruby kisses in the shade black brown. You can buy this at your local beauty supply store.✨ ʚĭɞೃ

☾ Next step: Foundation

☾ Foundation type: Skin tint

ʚĭɞೃ Guys! I know y’all heard about this all over instagram. The fenty beauty eaze drop is amazinggg. It’s light weight, and covers your trouble areas with one layer!!. It looks super natural when you apply it to your skin with your fingers or brush, what ever you’ll like to use, but i prefer to use a flat angled brush. I use the shade 21. It’s perrrfect for the hot weather.☀️👒 ʚĭɞೃ

☾ Next step: Concealer

ʚĭɞೃ When it comes to concealer, the L.A girl pro concealer is my bestie. She gets the job done!! I highlight certain areas of my face such as my eyes, chin, forehead, upper lip, and the bridge of my nose. I also use it to shape/ clean my eyebrows. I use the shade toffee while doing these steps. When I want to be more natural or just in a rush, I use the L.A girl concealer in the shade toast which is close to my skin tone. I use it to cover up my problem areas and clean up my eyebrows on more chilled relaxed days. Lastly, I when I decide to test my make up skills I use the L.A girl pro concealer in the shade mahogany to contour at the moment, and it honestly works super well. ʚĭɞೃ

☾ Next step: Eyes

ʚĭɞೃ When it comes to the eyes I love to keep it neutral( i’m in love with colorful eye looks though). My pallet of choice is the two faced chocolate gold pallet and I go in with the shade “so boujee”. It compliments my eyes and skin tone so well!! ʚĭɞೃ

ʚĭɞೃ After i’m done applying my shadow I go in with too faced better than sex liquid eyeliner. I recently got back into doing winged looks that compliments my eyes. The cat eye winged look is my go to style!!. When i’m done with this step I go in with a eyeliner pencil in black to tighten my eyes. I go in with a regular beauty supply store eyeliner, but the urban decay pencil eyeliners are amazingggg. ʚĭɞೃ

☾ Next step: Lashes

ʚĭɞೃ Y’alll, my look isn’t completed without the lashessss. I use the too faced better than sex mascara to bring out my lashes. Before I talk about the lashes I use there’s this amazing glue I have to put y’all onto. My favorite lash glue is the kiss adhesive strip lash. You can get this from your local beauty supply store!! It keeps your lashes on alll day and doesn’t lift up. When it’s time for you to take them off, it comes off easily and doesn’t take your actual lashes with it. Now!! onto the lashes. I use Alicrown lashes from amazon. They’re fluffy mink lashes and comes in 10 pairss. ʚĭɞೃ

☾ Next step: Highlighter

ʚĭɞೃ I’ve also been getting into highlighters recently and figured out places that helps bring my whole look together and compliments me. I love applying highlighter under the arch of my eyebrows, the bridge of my nose, and my cupid’s bow. This combination is beautifullll y’all!! My highlighters of choice are juvias palace in the shade “Nefertiti”, fenty beauty diamond balm in “how many carats?!”, and glossier holascope in the shade “topaz”. It all depends on how i’m feeling that day. ʚĭɞೃ

☾ Last step: Lips

ʚĭɞೃ I loveeee lipgloss and lipliners. I’ll either go in with a liner and clear lipgloss combo, lip liner and tinted lipgloss, or just tinted lipgloss. I’ve been lighter with my lips for the spring and summer season. I’ve always go with a brown or purple tinted lipgloss. My top glosses of choice are NYX butter gloss in the shade “cinnamon roll” (I apply this gloss by it self), Milani gloss in the shade “whatever” (I either apply this by itself or with a lip liner from NK makeup in the shade “brown”), MAC dazzle gloss in the shade “Extra amps” (by it self) and ruby kisses jellicious lipgloss in clear with lip liner from NK in the shade “cappuccino”. ʚĭɞೃ

ʚĭɞೃ I hopeeee you guys enjoyed the reading, thank you so much for reading and tell me y’all favorite part of y’all makeup routine (even if it’s simple).❤️🍉🍒🌹 ʚĭɞೃ

#makeup #my upload #mac cosmetics #fenty beauty #nyx #too faced #glossier #self care #soft glam #makeup routine

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kirindensetsu · 3 years

Text

The Making of Fubuki

((Reposting from Den of Angels workshop thread because I wanted my friends to be able to see~))

After years of pining after dolls I couldn't afford as a broke teenager, my first BJD was a Bobobie Sprite I purchased for my 18th birthday. Unfortunately, she didn't live up to my expectations and I never really bonded with her. Her face was cute enough, but the Bobobie body lacked the grace and posing ability I imagined for the Unseelie faerie I'd been daydreaming of for years. Sueding and wiring didn't help, blushing and tattooing highlighted her blockiness, it was a mess. I packed her away and tried not to think about my disappointment for 12 years. In the meantime I learned to build and paint resin garage kits, inherited one of my sister's dolls, bought some others, took anatomy & physiology in college, and did a couple extensive restorations and full-body modifications. I was sure I had thrown her away at some point as a failed project, but last weekend I found her tucked away in a doll bag I thought was empty. Having just finished substantial mods on a Dollshe body, and awaiting an unfinished Unoa kit for my birthday in September, I decided that I owed it to her to try again. Doll nudity below the cut, looooong post--

My Sprite was originally going to be a pooka with golden eyes and extensive woad tattoos. The golden eyes are incredible, so those are staying, but she's now going to be a blue oni to fit in with the rest of my collection. My plan is to do extensive additive epoxy work, and then to use Krylon Fusion to give everything a unified finish. The goal of the project is to reduce the... idk, STRAIGHTNESS of the old Bobobie body. I was never going to be happy with it, the lines were all far too rigid.

Head: Modified mouth for a wider, smirking smile. Magnets added to headcap (old Bobobie used an S-hook iirc; I did this part back in 2008). Forehead drilled for 3mm brass rod armature, and epoxy used to sculpt horns over rod. Bust: Substantial subtractive modifications to breasts, which involved removal and readdition of nipples. Addition of epoxy clay to back and shoulders to give a more curved body line in profile. Deepening of shoulder sockets with 18mm eye bevel, followed by sanding to make shoulders narrower. Waist: Reshaping of upper torso joint into sphere for smoother range of motion. Subtraction of resin in back and addition of epoxy in front to enhance lumbar curve. Hips: Substantial reshaping of lower waist seam to more naturally follow the pelvic girdle. It reminded me of granny panties before Added epoxy to butt, again for lumbar curve. Thighs: Suwariko joint mod (cut the thigh and added a PVC insert to enable swivelling at the hip). Added epoxy to make her thighs look less straight. Calves: Removed 1cm of length at the ankles and rebevelled the socket. Removed resin at the ankles to bring them in, and added epoxy at the calves to make them curvier. Feet: Sculpted little claws, which were cute, and then decided the feet needed to be 5mm longer. Cut across, drilled and pinned with brass rod for structural strength, gap filled with epoxy clay. I also modded her feet to have defined arches and balls back when I first got her. Alas, spitting into the ocean. I added S-hooks, but did so by drilling the ankle and inserting brass rod to form the axle for the hook. Arms: The proportions on her upper arms BOTHERED me! they were so SHORT! and I only just figured out that's what I hated about them last week! I added 5mm to the upper arms by cutting them in the middle and using SteelStik to make a structural repair (plumber's epoxy putty has a shorter open time but far greater structural strength than artist's epoxy clay). Sanded the heck out of the wrists to give them a more delicate taper. Hands: Beyond salvage. The hands were my least-favorite part of this sculpt. I tried to bulk them up to look less spidery but it was just too difficult... I've ordered a different pair of MSD hands which will have claws added, and then when everything is painted it'll all match. Thanks for reading this far! Here's a preview of what her golden eyes look like next to Krylon Fusion in Antique Blue.

((first progress post)) I think I'm mostly done adding epoxy clay (at least where it'll show; presumably the wrist sockets will require tweaks to fit the new hands), so now it's time for finish sanding. I start with 60 grit for shaping, then switch to a 120 grit sanding sponge. To check for scratches, pinholes, and inadequately feathered edges, I apply a wash of diluted acrylic paint. Once the paint has dried, I scrub the piece with a nylon scouring pad. Paint remains in the surface irregularities.

All sanded with 220 grit. I don't think I'll be going higher than 400 because I want there to be some tooth for the paint.

Any pitting in the epoxy clay that can't be sanded out is marked with a Sharpie and will be patched with Tamiya spot putty.

I did a test spray of the Krylon Fusion on the headcap and it's fantastic! Holy cow is it *poisonous* tho, I'm used to working with volatile chemicals but this was something else. Get OUT OF THE AREA between coats and leave it outside until it stops outgassing, not just until it's ready to handle.

This test piece is four light coats sprayed 1 minute apart, allowed to cure for 4 hours, and then wetsanded to remove the spray texture. It's pretty sturdy but I will wait several more days to see how it continues to cure before experimenting with matte sealants. ((progress update 2))

Haven't done much but sand-and-fill-and-sand-and-fill, but my 14mm beveller came in today so I can start deepening her elbow and ankle sockets. Added some epoxy clay to the insides of the eyewells so 14mm eyes will fit with no gap. I need a needle file to clean up the corners of her mouth... Monster feets! Nails on the right came out better than the left, still need to feather-sand everything.

Elbows progress. The early Bobobie elbows are I guess /technically/ double-jointed because the joint is a sphere with two slots, but I thought I could do better than that. You can see epoxy clay spliced in to make the sphere into a peanut: this isn't a structurally sound repair unless you pop it apart and drill/pin/glue-epoxy it back together.

View from the back. By keeping the joint heads spherical with no elbow-shaped detailing, there's some rotation as well as flexion, which I like.

Touching her face with one of her old hands. I hope the new ones come soon!

((progress update 4))

In good news, these parts are all ready for paint! It's really hard to do prepwork with no filler primer, hope I didn't miss any spots...

In less good news, her new hands arrived and they are... very smol ;u; I forgot that the new trend for slim minis means that everyone has TINY LITTLE HANDS.

They are, however, beautifully sculpted and a good 3D reference for what needs fixing and how. Bobobie palm is very short relative to fingers: I made a transverse cut behind the knuckles and added epoxy to lengthen More curved volume across the back of the hand: Not necessarily realistic, but looks a little cuter, plus it makes the transition into the cylinder of the wrist look less stylistically jarring. More defined joint angles: Some of these I did via cut-and-thermoform repositioning, mostly I'm aiming to fake it by building up and carving away at the weird smooth curves. The fingers are just TOO SKINNY: But obviously I'm not going to squish rice-grain-sized blobs of epoxy to the fingers, right? It's too fiddly, it doesn't want to stick. What's the solution? Brace for a truly hideous WIP image--

"AAAAAAGH WHAT IS THAT DARK GRAY MESS" it's JB Weld epoxy! It's like load-bearing, slow-curing modeller's putty! Slathering putty onto an armature and then carving it away to refine the shape is how anime figure artists make hands and detailed hair. I was thinking about it from a polymer clay technique/perspective so I missed the obvious solution. Hand in the foreground has more layers than the hand in the background, every layer gets the shape a lil closer. ((progress post 5)) Parts set up on sticks so I can handle them without touching...

... and after 4 light coats!

Closeup of the head, lil' glossy because it's still drying. For the deeper areas like the joint slots, mouth, and the crannies of the ears, I'm going to have to decant some of the paint into a jar and apply it with a sacrificial brush.

((progress post 6)) I return from Depression! I finally finished sanding-and-spraying the Krylon Fusion coats, gave her a last polish with microfine to even out the texture, and have started blushing her. I'm using a mixture of Tamiya X-series acrylics applied via airbrush for basic contouring, then I'll go back in with pastel to add warm tones and details.

Fun discovery: in an attempt to cover some accidental overspray, I tried spraying the Fusion directly into the paint cup of the airbrush and using it to "erase" back to the base color. I'm NEVER using this product straight from the can again, it goes on so smooth and gorgeous from the airbrush! No orange peel or bubbles to sand away. I'm seriously tempted to get a can of pink and try blushing with it.

((progress post 7)) Doing a faceup over a spray-painted substrate is HARD I want to CRY. I talked about sanding out the spray texture to get an untextured surface, right? Welp, didn't/couldn't sand well enough in the corners of the mouth and the folds of the eyelids, so it's crusty-looking with pastels over it and now there's nothing I can do about it that doesn't involve stripping down to resin and starting again.

((final post)) Sueded and strung!

I didn't take pictures of the sueding process because I was using Barge Cement and it is messy and time-sensitive. I used masking tape to make templates of her joints, transferred to some thin gray lamb suede I found on eBay, and glued it fuzzy side out. The suede was thicker than real pliver, more like the thickness of silicone KIPS discs, but I think it worked out without too many fit issues. The trim store had 3.5mm elastic in a beautiful slate-blue color that I thought would look nicer in the joint slots, so she's strung throughout with thicker elastic. Some more poses to show off the functional mods~ Suwariko joints let her sit crosslegged, and more mobile wrists let her put her hands into the pose.

A more ball-and-socked shaped contact surface at her waist lets her slouch at a full range of angles instead of being locked into two.

With longer upper arms, she can reach the ground in this pose! You can also see how the modded waist joint lets her cock her hips.

She could always stand with locked knees. I think she needs some wire in her legs to let the suwariko joints hold their rotation against gravity, but I'll see how the elastic tension settles in first.

A parting shot out the snowy window. We've been having a hard time picking between a few names for her, but I think this settles it. Welcome back, Fubuki~

#making-of-fubuki #doll custom #bjd #bobobie

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nosferatvpussy · 4 years

Text

distorted lullabies [chapter XVIII]

Word count: 4,365

Warnings: reader is still at Dracula’s *shrug*

Pairing: Dracula x reader

AO3 link | masterlist

A/N: 1. I'm not posting the chapters as consistently as I'd like to because work has been really time consuming lately and when I do get time to write I'm too exhausted to think up of anything coherent. Holidays are approacing and my workload has only increased so I don't know if I'll be able to post chpt 19 in December. I'll try but I can't guarantee anything. If that doesn't happen, then I wish all of you happy holidays. [edit: I slipped, and accidentally uploaded a version where the reader has a name (she does in my doc). Apologies, everybody. It’s fixed now.]

__________________________________________

Dracula carried me to the bathroom. I stifled a giggle as soon as we crossed the threshold. It was either the biggest bathroom I had ever seen or I was shrinking. The walls were black marble with white and grey veins. Heavy curtains like the ones in the dining room covered a wall. Light peeked from under it. I supposed there was a big window there so that one could admire London’s skyline from inside the oval bathtub placed near it. Across from the sink countertop and a large mirror, stood the shower separated from the rest of the room by blurred glass.

He lowered me near the bathtub, murmuring for me to open the faucets. Keeping one arm around his neck, I reached and opened them. As the bathtub filled, Dracula held me under his shower to let the water wash off the blood. He stripped me of the rest of my clothes. When I swayed on my feet, he enveloped me in a hug to keep me steady. Drowsy, I buried my head on his chest and closed my eyes.

Hot water embraced my whole body and I opened my eyes with a start as I was carefully lowered into the bathtub with him. His fingers kneaded my scalp and tugged softly on my hair as he washed it. The contours of my body were touched with the sole intent of cleaning it. After so much of moving me around, of raising my limbs and tender touches, I fell still, lying on him with my cheek on the crook of his neck.

Submerged in water and in deep silence, I was suspended in a veil of sleep and wakefulness, threading between the two. For a moment I wondered if I was not dreaming. If perhaps I fell asleep at some point on the tube from Covent Garden to Knightsbridge and dreaming of peace in the arms of Count Dracula was the illusory result. As a test, I squeezed him lightly. He squeezed back.

Not a dream.

This was real. Everything that had just happened was real. There was no bond. My will was my own. I had a bite on my neck. Mallory had one and so did Diana. I was his. He said he was mine.

Was this peace?

I shivered.

“Are you cold?” I heard his voice deep inside his chest, the rumble it made inside his ribcage. It was quiet in there, except when he spoke.

“No.”

“You’re shivering.”

“Maybe the water is getting cold,” I mumbled, pressing my eyes closed. This was peace. Peace, I insisted.

“The water is still hot,” he said. He pushed the hair that clung to my neck and I flinched at the slight soreness there but relaxed as he stroked the skin gently. “I may have taken too much.”

He moved beneath me. I opened my eyes with a sigh as he sat up and leaned his back against the tub. His legs parted my own and he pulled me up to straddle him. I felt his length grazing my inner thigh. I was briefly distracted as I remembered his size stretching me but Dracula made a brusque movement with his hand that pulled my mind away from that. A dark carmine line appeared above his collarbone.

“Drink,” he beckoned.

I spared the blood a glance before fixing my eyes on his face.

“You’ve already given it to me.”

“You need more.” He held my cheek, drawing me closer. “You’re weak. It’ll help.”

I shook my head. Blood started sliding down the hairs on his chest. It glimmered. My mouth watered.

“I’ll be fine,” I insisted, forcing myself to look up.

“Y/N,” he hissed my name, and like some sort of spell it wrapped around me and tightened, “you’re pale and shivering.” Dracula knitted his eyebrows as he evaluated me. The hand he had on my cheek coiled behind my head. “Drink it.”

My stomach fluttered. I gazed at the carmine sliver. Watched as it reached the bathwater and blossomed like red tendrils until it faded into pink hue.

“Later, perhaps,” I said. I covered the cut on his neck with my hand. He frowned. “I haven’t eaten anything in hours. Food will make me feel better.” He continued staring at me, as if he was waiting for me to give in under the weight of his gaze. I dipped my hand underwater and pulled the drain stopper. The water gurgled as it started draining. “Help me out of the tub? I don’t think I can stand up on my own just yet.”

He nodded, the crease between his brows deepening. He pulled my arms around him and tied my legs around his waist before standing up. Water sloshed in the bathtub and dripped from our bodies in a sudden cascade of sound. I shivered again and held him tighter, seeking some warmth from the stark change of temperature. I flinched instinctively when he went to sit me down on the sink countertop, expecting the marble to feel cold but it was the furthest thing from it, and I relaxed.

“There's a heating system in the entire bathroom,” he explained as he reached beneath the countertop and retrieved a pile of white towels. “The floors are heated, too.”

Sitting atop the block of solid marble, I matched his height and had no need to bend my head to look into his eyes, which was a relief with my sore neck. The cut he had opened above his collarbone was gone.

I took two towels from him; one for my hair and another to dry myself off. He smiled faintly as he tied a towel around his waist. Carefully so as to not pull at the wound on my neck, I wrapped a towel around my body as if it was a cape. I eyed the second towel next to the copper sink. Dracula took it and started drying off my hair. “Thank you,” I said in a relieved smile that he seemed to understand without my needing to ask for help.

Taking strands of my hair with the towel, he pressed them to soak up the water. At times he rubbed the towel on my scalp. His own hair looked black instead of dark brown as droplets of water dripped down to his nose. One drop landed on his lip. It hung from his cupid bow, undisturbed. The drop grew fat as tiny particles of water coalesced around it. Even so, it sat still on the curve of his mouth. I glanced up at his eyes. He was too absorbed in drying my hair to pay it any mind. I leaned closer, intent on catching the drop before it fell, but strands of my hair fell like a curtain in front of my eyes when he used the towel to rub my head again and I huffed inwardly.

I blew the hair away from my face. It fell over my eyes again.

“No fussing,” he said, as he swiped the hair away with a flick of his hand in the towel.

As if the drop on the curve of his mouth had grown heavy, he pressed his lips together and licked it. Apparently satisfied, he tossed the towel to the side and picked up a small comb from under the sink.

“That won’t detangle my hair,” I told him. “I have a brush on my purse that I use.”

He nodded and left the bathroom, leaving a trail of wet footprints in his wake. I adjusted the towel on my shoulders and turned to have a look in the mirror behind me. I pressed my lips together and bit them lightly to bring some colour back to them. They remained pale. I tipped my chin to try and have a look on my new bite when Dracula returned, my hairbrush in one hand, and a chair from his dining table in the other.

“Sit and I’ll brush your hair for you,” he said as he placed the chair in front of the sink. He extended a hand for me, but I ignored it and set my feet on the ground to make sure my legs could keep me up. They wobbled but did not bend. Dracula watched me with a raised eyebrow, hand still extended in case my knees failed me but made no other movement to help as I took a step towards the chair and sat down.

Hugging the towel close to me, I stared at Dracula through the mirror as he started brushing my hair from the tips. He held a strand close to my roots as he got rid of a knot. He didn’t tug on my hair once.

“You’ve done this before,” I said as he swiped the brush through a detangled strand.

“Brushed a woman’s hair?” He asked, without raising his gaze to our reflection. I nodded. “My late wife enjoyed having her hair brushed, and she enjoyed brushing mine. I wore my hair long back then.”

“And Lucy?” The name left an acid taste on my tongue. Dracula continued brushing, unbothered. “Do you brush her hair, too?”

I held my breath. I’d asked the question on impulse but I was glad I had.

“No. She didn’t like having her hair touched by anyone other than herself.”

“Didn’t? Past tense?”

He regarded me with amused eyes.

“I grew tired of Lucy.” He moved to my right to brush that side. “I won’t be seeing her anymore.”

I tried smiling but it took effort to pull my cheeks up. The smile looked more like a wince. The news that I was the only one now should have made me happy.

He was mine forever, as I was his. He’d said so.

Our deal was over. There was nothing left to wonder about. But wonder I did. Wondered about red silks, sharp teeth and iron in my mouth; about crazed eyes and red becoming pink.

I drank my own blood and delighted in it; drank his blood and salivated at the thought. I lived a world of cravings in that dining room and satiated them all at once. And they were my cravings, all mine, not his, not a bond. Without a bond to shield me, I was peeled.

Was this myself?

“What’s on your mind?,” he questioned, fingers working carefully to untangle a mass of hair that not even the brush managed to work through. The feeling of those same fingers in my mouth invaded my thoughts and my tongue rubbed the roof of my mouth in remembrance. “Are you having regrets?” I stared at his face in the mirror, trying to capture his eyes and read his thoughts on them, but he kept his gaze locked on his task. “About giving in to me? A little horrified at your choices? I did bite your friends, and nearly killed a few of them, perhaps now you’re questioning yourself. How is Mallory, by the way? I trust that she’s making a steady recovery.” I kept silent. “I’ll take that as a confirmation. If you are having regrets, Y/N, and wondering if you can get away, I’ll discourage those thoughts right now. I will hunt you down, especially after we–”

“No.”

He stopped brushing at my answer and met my eyes.

“No?”

“I’m not regretting anything.”

“Really?” His eyebrows went up, as if he didn’t believe me.

“Stop needling me.”

“Then explain why you didn’t drink my blood.”

“I did drink–”

“When I offered you not less than 10 minutes ago,” he interrupted. His lips were thin with impatience. “I would like to understand why.” He swooped my hair to the side, exposing the bite on my neck. “Are you scared?”

I wished that we were on the bathtub again, in silence and in peace. But the peace was a mere illusion. I knew we would come to this. He would question me and test me. He always did.

“Yes, actually,” I said through the knot on my throat. His jaw clenched. “I am scared. But not of you. I fell in love with you, despite–” he opened his mouth to say something “– no, let me speak. Despite what you’ve done and all that you’re capable of, I fell in love with you and I don’t regret it. But I’m scared of myself and what I can become.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m human. A normal one, I always thought. I shouldn’t enjoy the taste of blood. I shouldn’t enjoy being covered in it. But I did, I do.” My lip trembled. “What does that make me?”

He grinned.

“Perfect.”

“I’m serious, Dracula.”

“So am I.”

“Please, make an effort to help. I’m this much away” –I measured with my thumb and forefinger– “from losing it.” He laughed. “I want to be with you but I’m not sure what being a vampire means.”

“You proposed a deal to find out.”

“Yes, but I wasted it, didn’t I? Between being confused about you and then the Foundation… There’s not much I know.”

“Then ask.”

He resumed brushing my hair as he waited for a response.

The face staring back at me in the mirror was my own. Would I have recognised myself covered in blood? Would I think it was a pretty image as Dracula thought?

I imagined fangs in place of my incisors and canines, and screams of horror as I bore down on some pretty girl who begged for her life. My own laughter ringing in my ears. Death on my skin. And hunger, so much hunger.

I blinked several times to clear my head. This is my face now. Clean, human. My teeth blunt, chewing on my cheeks.

“Will I have to kill people?” I asked, unable to take my eyes away from the stranger in the mirror.

“You’ll want to.”

“How do you know?”

“Believe it or not, I am over five hundred years old and have had incredible amounts of practice in this matter,” he said, smiling at every word. “You’ll want to kill, and you’ll dream about it.”

“You were a killer long before you became a vampire. I won’t take your word so quickly when it comes to killing.”

“That is true. I’m very good at killing, always have been. However, I maintain my word. There is an urge for death that comes with the thirst for blood. It’s inevitable. I’ve seen it with all my little experiments.”

“But do I have to?”

“No, darling.” He gave me a reluctant smile. “You don’t have to. You can keep pets, if you like.” The way he raised one eyebrow told me we weren’t talking about the fluffy kind of pets.

“Like you did with Renfield?”

“Renfield wasn’t a pet. Lucy, perhaps,” he shrugged, as he brushed through every strand of my hair to make sure they were completely detangled. “I’ve only drank Renfield once, you see, so he doesn’t qualify. Pets are good for when you need to be discreet–”

“Which you aren’t,” I quipped.

“– but it is fun.” He concluded, chuckling at my cheeky smile. “You can keep them alive for as long as you need them. Keeping more than one at a time is key for variety and to not tire them out, but it gets old fast. Eventually you’ll wonder how it feels to have a pulse slowing down between your teeth, to consume life and watch death take its place.”

“I may wonder, but I won’t act on it,” I muttered. Dracula raised his eyebrows, eyes sparking. “I won’t,” I repeated more strongly this time.

“Of course, darling,” he said, running the brush on my hair a few more times. “Done.” He rounded the chair and placed the hairbrush on the sink countertop. Standing in front of me, I noticed that the tips of his hair, pointing everywhere, were already drying. It was charming seeing him like this. He was always extremely composed every time I saw him. His chest hair was almost completely dry but the trail of dark hair leading to his belly button still had some beads of water. Earlier, he hadn’t allowed me to touch him and between ripping my clothes off and biting me, I hadn’t gotten a good look at him. “I'll order you food and if you still feel weak afterwards, you’ll drink my blood.”

I looked up at that, blinking as my brain worked to process what he said.

“Maybe you should reword that and add a question mark at the end of that sentence.”

“It wasn’t a question.” He grinned. He scooped me up in his arms as if I was child. My protests were choked back in a yelp at the suddenness of the movement. The world glassed over for a second. I laced my hands around his neck, glaring at him. “If I have to hold your mouth open and make you swallow, I will. I can’t have you strutting around weakened.”

“You were asleep for the past century but it’s time you know that we have advanced in many ways and now we have something called iron supplements ,” I told him as we left the bathroom. “You see, it comes in a tiny little pill and I take it 2 or 3 times a day–”

“My blood will have the same effect, if not better.”

“A while back you told me too much of your blood could affect me,” I prodded, gaze locked attentively on his face. I wasn’t taking notice of where he was taking me, so when he suddenly sat down, cradling me in his arms, I found myself grabbing onto his neck in fear of falling off. Turning my head, I saw large, fluffy pillows in a dark grey bedding. His bedroom. Decor kept the same palette as the rest of the penthouse. The only light on came from behind the black headboard. “How?”

He moved me so that I could completely lean my weight on the arm he had on my back and my behind fit nicely on his lap. My towel slipped up near my knee, exposing one of my thighs. I tried crossing my legs to emulate some sense of decency but Dracula’s arm tucked under my knees had me in a steel grip. Again, I tried moving my legs, subtly nudging his arm, but he didn’t let go.

“To be quite honest–” he began slowly, catching me in his gaze “–I’m not entirely sure what the effects can be on someone willing.” He released one of my legs and as I tried adjusting myself on his lap, I felt his hand on my thigh, caressing up and down. A lazy caress, almost absent. “My brides were rather limited on that front.”

“Tell me about them.” I asked. “When we broke into the Painted Hall, you mentioned you weren’t very successful with most of them. That they were nothing but shadows.”

“Must we reminisce?” He squeezed my thigh at the question.

“We must, yes. I need to know, and I need some assurances that I won’t become like them.”

“You won’t.” His lips thinned, and I touched them with the tips of my fingers. They softened.

“You can’t be sure,” I said, tracing his cupid’s bow and glancing up at those black eyes. I felt his lips stretching in a smile and I let my hand drop to his chest.

“I can.” He watched as his hand disappeared under the towel in his incessant caress. For a moment his hand slipped to my inner thigh and my breath hitched. His hand reappeared from underneath the towel and continued caressing me, apparently oblivious to my arousal. “None of them gave me their consent. Or loved me.”

“And those things make a difference?” I asked, a little breathlessly.

He followed the contours of my leg until my knee then again to my inner thigh. Up. Closer to where I was growing wet. His hand lingered between my thighs for a moment. A pulse started down low. He retreated a third time, and I choked back a whine.

“Oh, yes, of course they do,” he said in a solemn tone, brows furrowed. “If you keep a flower caged, but give it water and light, do you think it’ll thrive as a wild flower does?”

“No.” The word was barely audible, and I shook my head to the sides to add to it.

“Correct.” His hand traveled up, and this time nudged my thighs to open. My fingers on the nape of his neck flexed. My heart beat at my center. At my throat it tried to break free, and gush as blood does. “I will not keep you caged, and everything you need I’ll give and you’ll take.” He frowned. “ In love. What a stunning concept.” I felt the warmth of his fingers hovering, a near touch, almost ghostly. I arched my back in invitation and rose my hips to find an ending to this teasing. “Stay still. I’m trying to have a conversation.”

“Are you?” It came out in a smirk.

“Yes. You wanted answers, I’ll give them to you.” Air left my lungs in a shaky breath as his fingers finally touched me. Probing me, as in an examination. Fingertips slid over my entrance, soaked as it was, gathering some of the slickness to continue his exploration. “My last experiments were my better ones,” he continued in a conversational tone. “They weren’t obedient to me. Always ruled by hunger and desire to kill, they lost themselves, but they kept their appearance. Their body didn’t die but their minds did. They never consented or asked for immortality, and they fought me, oh how they fought me at first.” As he talked, his fingers never stopped moving but they were just exploring, seeking to perhaps memorise its details, lingering in a spot he thought interesting as he observed me, serious as ever. “But they soon learned I was their only source of food. I fed them bite sized meals–” he smiled, and dipped a finger in. Fearful that he would stop, I managed to keep my body still. A gasp escaped anyway but it didn’t seem to discourage him as a second finger joined with ease and I closed my eyes at the feeling. His fingers were much thicker than mine, and longer. He hooked his fingers up, and kept them there, simply putting pressure. If I rocked my hips in just the right way they would pump that precious spot. But I didn’t. I wouldn’t bear it if he stopped. “... but the effects faded quickly. Are you listening?”

I nodded, my lip quivering. He started withdrawing his fingers, so I hurried on, “Y-yes.”

“Darling,” he murmured, dipping in again and this time pumping up, “what did I just say?” A moan was my reply. I looked up at him, hoping that he would leave it be, but the twinkle in his eyes told me he wouldn’t. He was having too much fun. “Answer me.” Suddenly, his fingers were gone and he gave me a light slap on my dripping folds. My hips jerked in surprise. The second slap was less delicate than the first, making me yelp, and left a stinging pain. He soothed it by rubbing my clit, which felt all the more sensitive after being mistreated. “Let me know you were paying attention or I’ll stop.”

“Y-your blood, you gave it to them sometimes.” I said through my teeth, shutting my eyes with my all strength to try and concentrate. Another light slap. “They begged for more than scraps, more than–” I couldn’t utter the word ‘babies’. “Your blood made them more coherent and–” two of his fingers entered me again. A reward for speaking, I guessed. I needed more, and I forced myself to continue. “–and stronger. But it didn’t w-work for long.”

“You listened. Good,” he praised. At some point I had put my hands in fists to try and remain unmoving, but as those fingers hooked up and the palm of his hand pressed up against my clit, I grabbed onto his shoulders to keep myself steady. Wetness spread down my thighs and buttocks as obscene sounds filled my ears. Pressure built as he rocked his hand. “It didn’t work because they were failures from the start, but, you are perfect. Look at me.” I opened my eyes, and saw myself reflected in the darkness of his. “You’re mine. My bride, my lover.” His fingers inside me beckoned me to come to him. I resisted, and by doing so I started shaking. “My blood is yours to drink. You will become more of what you already are by drinking it, that’s all. Now, move with me.”

Striving for breath betweens moans, I buried my face in his chest as I arched my back and moved my hips to meet his upward thrusts. His palm pressed harshly as I fought to accompany each rub. My body seized, losing the delightful cadence that Dracula and I were making, but even as my hips bucked and my legs contorted and quaked, he continued moving his hand to press and rub until I felt lightheaded. Pleasure uncoiled, and snapped like a whip, tearing gasps out of me, and then surged in a wave of torpor.

I collapsed in his lap and, withdrawing his fingers, he gathered me up in a near hug. I watched as he raised his hand, embarrassingly soaked, and put two fingers in his mouth. I was still breathless, but I forced my body to straighten up and grabbed his face, burying myself in his lips and tongue to savour my own taste.

“Greedy,” he chuckled when I pulled back with my chest heaving. “I’m well fed, for now. But you’re not.” He rose where we were perched and laid me on the bed. “I’ll order something for you to eat. Sleep in the meanwhile.”

My eyes shut of their own will as the pillow cradled my head. I felt Dracula taking the towel off of my body and covering me with a blanket. As I drifted to sleep, I heard myself saying, “I’ll drink you.”

There was no response.

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