Copyright © 2020 Kaizer Wolf

Innocent Devil's Harem | Chapter 4-3: Distracting Ourselves to Cope

“Let’s go inside,” she whispered.

Sighing, I reached up with my hands to cover hers. “Alright…” I agreed quietly. “But, I don’t think I can do anything right now. I really need a shower. I feel dirty again, like last night.”

She nodded, kissing me softly on the back of my shoulder. “That’s alright. I understand. I’ll let you take a shower while I make lunch. Then, we can just talk for a while.”

“That sounds really nice,” I admitted. “Although, I’m kind of surprised you want to eat after all this.” Granted, I was honestly kind of feeling hungry myself.

“Well,” she began, kissing me on the shoulder a second time, causing a chill to run down my spine. “I think it’s because the guy was a murderer. I don’t feel bad about it at all. I mean, if anything I’m relieved knowing I’m finally safe for real this time. I strongly doubt there’s a third party involved.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “That’s highly unlikely. But even if that were true, I’ll come to your rescue no matter what. I promise.”

She buried her forehead against my back. “Thanks, Kai. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” I whispered, feeling like that statement was significantly more meaningful now.

After a deep sigh, she finally let me go, only to grab my hand, intertwining our fingers, and lead me into the house. True to her word, she gave me a short kiss on the cheek and then let me go upstairs to shower while she started on lunch.

It was really strange having her cook for me. I was so used to doing all the cooking for Serenity, and now I had a hot goddess taking care of me like I’d always done for my older friend. Honestly, it was kind of a nice change of pace.

I did love cooking, but what guy wouldn’t want such a ridiculously hot woman doting on them?

Not that Serenity didn’t dote on me in other ways. And honestly, I owed her everything, since without her I would have remained in foster care even after all this time, at least up until a couple weeks ago.

Once I was in the shower, I discovered that I didn’t need to do nearly as much scrubbing to feel clean again – a sharp contrast to last night. I suspected that the difference was due to Gabriella’s opinion of me. Or, more specifically, the fact that she wasn’t ashamed of my actions. Having her approval, as well as her acceptance and forgiveness, after what I’d done when I got hurt, all seemed to help alleviate my conscience more than I’d expected.

I honestly wasn’t sure what would have happened to me if my first time getting seriously injured had been before I met her, but I doubted it would have turned out well. How would I have coped without someone knowing about me and accepting me?

I shivered at the thought, knowing I would have absolutely refused to open up to anyone after that. I would have been far too afraid of rejection if they knew the truth.

Granted, I probably never would have gotten shot in the first place if this particular situation hadn’t developed. After all, most people seem to go their entire lives without getting shot.

Sighing, I turned off the water and got out of the shower. My body looked normal again, so I could see more clearly that there wasn’t even a scar on my shoulder from the bullet. The rapid healing made me wonder what would happen if I resisted the bloodthirst.

Would I uncontrollably seek out the nearest source? Or would I be able to stop myself before hurting someone I cared about?

For obvious reasons, I’d been pissed at the bastard, which I felt like was a major contributor in me giving into the impulse and losing control briefly, but it was hard to say. Honestly, as I thought about it, I realized I’d probably do it again – rip his throat out.

It was much more cathartic for me, in a strange way, compared to stabbing a knife in the other guy’s chest. I felt like the bastard got what he deserved.

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But still, that left the scary question. What would happen if I resisted indefinitely? Would I heal normally if I ate regular food and just toughed it out? Was it a requirement I drink blood? And did it have to be human blood?

Lots of questions, all of which were significant.

I needed to test it out sometime in a controlled environment. I could probably steal some human blood from a blood bank, or something, and then intentionally hurt myself to see how long I could resist the urge. It was far too dangerous for me to not know what would happen in the worst-case situation.

And if I ever hurt Serenity or Gabriella…

I’d never be able to forgive myself. Never.

Gabriella’s phone rang downstairs in the kitchen, snapping me out of my thoughts. Focusing on her, I listened for any signs of distress as she answered. However, surprisingly it seemed she was really happy.

Her tone was cheerful. “Hi, Serenity! Are you on break?”

“Yeah,” she answered. “Just checking in on you two. Is Kai’s phone off? I tried calling him, but it went straight to voicemail.”

“Oh, I’m not sure, actually. I don’t think he ever plugged it in last night, so it might be dead. I’ll ask him when he comes downstairs. I’m making us lunch, at the moment.”

“Oh, alright.” Serenity then sounded playful. “Trying to impress him?” she wondered.

I heard Gabriella’s heart skip a beat. “Umm, well, maybe,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure what he likes, but I know he at least loves meat, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong if that was an ingredient.”

Serenity laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. He’s not a picky eater anyway. I’m sure he will love whatever you make.”

“Thanks, Serenity,” Gabriella replied sincerely. “I’m really glad I met you, and not just because of Kai. There’s nothing like a near-death experience to make you appreciate the people in your life. So, thanks for being my friend. It really means a lot to me.”

“Aww, you’re so sweet. Ugh, you’re going to make me cry again.” I heard Serenity wipe her eyes over the phone. “I should probably get off. But I want to try some of your cooking when I get home, so save me some, okay?”

“Sure, of course,” Gabriella replied cheerfully. “See you in a few hours.”

After she hung up, I focused on getting dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. Once I was done, I headed downstairs to meet her in the kitchen. She was just pulling lunch out of the oven. Based on the aromas in the air, I was pretty confident I already knew what it was.

“Enchiladas?” I assumed.

“Yep!” she announced, without looking at me. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised you knew right away. I had a couple of different ideas, so I just searched around to see what ingredients were available. The only thing you didn’t have was cilantro, but it should still taste pretty good.”

“What are you going to eat?” I wondered, staring at her tight ass squeezed into her faded jeans while she scooped out a couple of enchiladas for me, placing them on a plate. It was undeniable that the dish had chicken in it.

“I’ll eat this, of course,” she replied, still focused on what she was doing.

Her response made me feel bad. “Oh, well…” My voice trailed off for a second. “I don’t want you to have to change for me. I’d feel bad if you stopped being a vegetarian.”

“It’s okay,” she replied. “I’ll still probably avoid meat, for the most part – primarily out of habit – but there are more important things in life than that.” She then paused, as she scooped an enchilada on her plate. “Or, is this about my scent?” she wondered, glancing at me for the first time.

I was about to respond, but she froze solid, the enchilada falling off the spatula partially onto the counter.

“What’s wrong?” I asked seriously.

She just gawked at me. “Damn! You look really good in black! Like, I want to jump you right now. Holy shit, you’re so hot!”

My body shifted instantly, shocked and embarrassed by her reaction. And I knew she wasn’t teasing – I could smell her arousal increase even as she spoke, with my sudden transformation making it even stronger as she saw the effect her words had on me.

Setting down the spatula, she abandoned what she was doing and began slowly approaching me provocatively, like she was about to pounce for real. Her scent was intoxicating, making me feel overwhelmed like I’d just taken some powerful drug for the first time.

My nerves were on edge now, my body beginning to tremble, to the point that I almost wanted to run away from her sudden intensity. However, I forced myself to stay put, my breathing shaky as I dropped my gaze and stared down at the floor.

After all, I did promise I’d let her do what she wanted with me.

She stopped only a few inches away, her visible upper chest flushed red as she gently reached out and wrapped her thin fingers around my wrist. I shivered at the warm touch, feeling goosebumps appear on my neck and arms as she spoke quietly.

“I think I’ve changed my mind,” she purred softly. “I want you for lunch instead.”

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, unable to respond.

“Are you going to let me?” she asked quietly, tightening her grip on my wrist.

I could barely nod. “I d-did p-promise,” I stammered.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, her voice becoming cheerful. “That’s right! I get to do what I want with you!” Her grip tightened even more, forcing me to gulp audibly. Her tone was suddenly low and serious. “So then, is this fine? Or do you want to tie me up instead?”

I shook my head, feeling like I was going to pass out. “This is f-fine,” I gasped.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Then I’ll give you one last choice, before you have to do what I say.” I glanced up at her to confirm she wasn’t kidding. She was absolutely serious. “Do you want me to take you upstairs to your bed? Or would you prefer I play with you on the couch?”

I closed my eyes, my breathing coming out in ragged gasps now. I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t believe she was truly serious. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Alright then,” she said, sounding a little haughty now. “My choice. Bed it is.”

And with that, she began tugging on my wrist, leading me upstairs.

Copyright © 2020 Kaizer Wolf