Two months and three weeks later…

“I’m thirsty all the time. My breasts have grown. At least,” Lily unbuttoned her blouse and opened it, exposing her chest, “I think they have.”

Ceri’s eyes were drawn to the female’s boobs. “I’m sorry.” She made a face. “I’ve never seen your breasts before, so I have no idea if they are bigger or not.” She shrugged. “Your nipples are dark though. That could be a sign.”

“They feel achy and tender at times, tingly at others.” Lily cupped her breasts, giving them a squeeze.

“It is very early days yet.” Ceri smiled. New life was to be celebrated. She hoped with all her might that Lily was indeed with child, seeing that this female was one of the few with a pelvis wide enough to birth an infant. “We will know soon enough. You will be able to take a pregnancy test at about six weeks.”

“Those aren’t always accurate when it comes to vampire pregnancies though?”

“I’m afraid not. You get false negatives but never false positives. You might be lucky enough to get a positive early on. Then you’ll know for sure.”

Lily frowned. “I hope so. Otherwise, I will have to wait three months before a heartbeat can be detected.”

“Yes, that’s the other surefire way to know. I’m sorry,” Ceri added when she saw Lily’s frown. She felt sympathy for the other female. “Vampire young grow very slowly for those first few months and then very rapidly for the last few. You will have to wait between twelve and fifteen weeks before a heartbeat can be detected. Females have reported nausea, heightened appetite, strange cravings. You may have spotting at around five to six weeks. That is the fetus nestling into your womb lining. Then there’s fatigue, mood swings and possible headaches. The biggest giveaway is that you won’t have your menstruation, but—”

Lily moaned. “Not another ‘but’.”

Ceri nodded. “Unfortunately, this isn’t an exact science. Symptoms can vary from female to female. Some females continue to have their menstruation throughout the pregnancy. Mostly though, your menstruation will stop or become very light.” She pulled in a deep breath, suddenly realizing she hadn’t had her own menstruation in a while. The last one was much less than normal. How long had it been? Too long? It was a pain in the ass that she still got her monthly bleeds even though she couldn’t actually become pregnant. All of the hassle and none of the rewards.

“Did you hear what I said?” Lily asked.

Pull it together, Ceri. “No, sorry, please repeat the question.” She forced herself to smile.

“I said what about instinct? Stuart and I have been trying for almost a year and this is the first time I actually feel pregnant. I can’t explain it, I just do.” She put a hand to her belly.

“Some females have reported having this instinct you talk of, where others have been completely clueless.” She reached forward and squeezed Lily’s arm. “I really hope you are with child. I couldn’t think of nicer people. You and Stuart love each other so much. You’re going to make fantastic parents.”

Lily beamed. She nodded.

“Try not to feel too disappointed if you’re not with child though. You guys can keep trying. Vampire females don’t become pregnant easily, but it will happen. You need to stay positive.”

“I will.” Lily smiled. The female stood up. “Thank you for listening and for being so supportive. It’s such a pity you can’t have young, you would’ve made a wonderful mom.”

Ceri felt that familiar squeezing inside her chest. She smiled at Lily. “Let me know as soon as you hear anything either way.” She didn’t want to be pessimistic, but she also didn’t want the female getting her hopes up just to be dashed.

“I will.” They said their goodbyes and Lily left.

Ceri glanced at the clock on the wall. Best she hurry, she was meeting Drago for lunch. Ceri straightened up her desk and hung her lab coat on the hook at her door before heading out. She was meeting him in the gardens. They often had a picnic-style lunch on one of the benches overlooking the lake.

It was nice to get outdoors. She didn’t get out enough, always stuck between the four walls of her office. Drago was already there, already waiting for her.

His eyes lit up as soon as he saw her. He was holding a paper bag on his lap. Her mouth watered at what she hoped was inside. “Did you make me one?” she asked, eyeing the bag.

“Did you bring a vein?” He narrowed his eyes, glancing down at her wrist.

She narrowed her eyes back at him. “What do you think?”

“I’m starving.” His gaze was still locked on her wrist.

“But you drank yesterday.” Then she realized something. “Wait a minute, you said you took a female home last night, didn’t you drink from her?”

Drago looked sulky. “I tried to drink from her, but I much prefer your blood. I’ve developed a serious taste for it. Now, I’m really hungry, like super hungry.” His irises looked red-tinged. They shouldn’t be. Only if he was starving would his eyes be that color. Drago wasn’t starving, or angry or turned on.

Ceri held out her arm and watched as he sank his fangs into her and drank. Drago groaned as he swallowed his first gulp and groaned some more on the next pull. The groans were followed by loud gulping swallows. “Um, that’s enough,” she said after about a minute. Then she tried to pull her hand away. “Drago,” she said in a stern voice.

He seemed to suck even harder. There was another pinch. Instead of stopping as she asked, he was making a second set of holes in her skin.

“Drago stop!” she urged, trying to pull her arm away. “Stop!” This time she shouted.

Nothing.

Well, not nothing, he sucked again. He ignored her flat out. Ceri whacked him on the side of the head. Hard. Drago finally let go, clutching a hand to the side of his face. “Hey, what was that for? I was about to let go.” The sheepish look on his face told her that he probably wasn’t.

“What the hell was that?” Her voice was stern.

“I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me.”

“No, really, what’s going on with you?”

He shrugged. “I’ve always enjoyed a wide variety of blood types. A wide variety of veins in general.” He cast his gaze over the lake. Two pairs of swans floated on the crystal surface. Yellow beaks, curved necks, white plumes. Majestic and beautiful.

“What you’re trying to say is that you’re a male slut?” She smiled.

He shook his head for a moment or two before nodding. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” He chuckled.

She did too. “What was that then? It was like you couldn’t stop there for a moment.”

“I don’t know!” He sounded frustrated. Even raked a hand through his hair. “Lately, I’ve only wanted to drink your blood. I don’t enjoy other females anymore. I’ve tried with four others just in this last week. Their blood tastes flat to me.” He shook his head. “Completely flavorless, almost like I’m drinking…” He shrugged like he was unable to come up with the right word.

“Water.”

“Yes, exactly. Their blood doesn’t sate me, not in the way yours does.” Just like she had felt about Bay. She had struggled after he left. Things had improved day by day. Little by little.

Then Drago looked at her funny, cocking his head. “You are one to talk though.”

Ceri frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You have the opposite problem. You haven’t had anything to drink in almost two weeks.”

She snorted out a laugh. “Rubbish. That can’t be true or I’d be freaking out ‒ fangs, red irises and all. I’d have attacked someone long ago.”

“It’s been two weeks. I assumed you were getting blood from someone else.” He looked at her funny. Like she had just grown a third eye in the middle of her forehead or something. “You are getting blood elsewhere aren’t you?”

She shook her head. “No, but you must have your timeline wrong. I drank from you just the other day.”

“Those two or three sips hardly count as drinking.”

“Of course they count, and it was more than two or three sips.” It had been, hadn’t it? Yes, it had, why was she even second-guessing it? “Did you bring the sandwich?”

“Yes, yes!” he pretended to sound bored. “Ham and mustard on fresh white bread.”

She nodded, positively salivating at the thought of sinking her fangs into the sandwich. “Please tell me you put a good couple of layers of ham on there?”

“I laid the ham on thick.”

“Good!” she groaned. “And what about the pickles? You put pickles—”

“Yes! I put a couple of pickle slices on there was well.”

“Thank you so much.” Ceri hugged him. “Now hand over the food,” she said as soon as she released him.

He handed her the bag, which she made quick work of. “What about you?”

“I already ate.” He winked at her.

She unwrapped the grease-proof paper and sank her teeth into all that was delicious in this world. Moaning around her food as she chewed.

“Vampires aren’t supposed to enjoy solids that much.” Drago looked disgusted.

“Says the male who has developed bloodlust but only for his best friend’s blood.” She took another bite and closed her eyes, savoring the taste.

“Do you still think about him?” Drago asked.

“Who?” Ceri knew exactly who he was referring to.

“The dragon. Do you think of him? Miss him?”

“Why do you ask?” She didn’t want to talk about this.

“You haven’t been anywhere near other males. It’s not healthy. I was wondering if it had something to do with the dragon.”

It had everything to do with Bay. She had made progress though. Serious progress. She didn’t crave his blood anymore. Not like she used to, but she did think about him often. Several times a day. “I sometimes think about him,” she played it down. “I wonder what he’s doing.”

“Do you think your blood cured him?”

Most days she hoped it had. She had the odd selfish day where she hoped it hadn’t. The thought of Bay with other females didn’t sit right with her. It made her feel jealous. It made her feel sad. It made her long for something that she could never have, was stupid to even think about. “I don’t know. I hope for him that it did.”

“I don’t think so. Vampire blood has healing qualities but only on a fresh injury.”

She shrugged. “It was the only thing I could think of. You never know…drinking from him did the trick when it shouldn’t have.” She took another bite of her sandwich, noticing that there wasn’t much left. “You didn’t make me two, did you?” Ceri looked back in the bag, finding it empty. Then she made a sad face at Drago.

Drago shook his head. “And on that note, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, as a friend.”

Ceri quickly swallowed down her mouthful of food. “That sounds ominous.”

Drago shook his head again. “It’s nothing bad. Nothing terrible.”

“Okay, now you’re making me worried. What is it?”

“You know I think you’re gorgeous right?” He raised his brows.

“Yes,” she sounded skeptical. How could she not?

"Well, you've been eating a ton of food lately. Like, every time I look at you, you're eating and it's starting to…well…it's—”

“Are you trying to tell me I’m fat?” Her clothing had been feeling tight of late.

“Not fat, no. Just,” he shook his head, “you’re bigger than you were. All of this eating isn’t healthy. Your food choices also leave a lot to be desired. Sandwiches,” he pointed at the half-eaten one in her hands, “red velvet cupcakes, steaks the size of my face.”

It was all true! Eating made her feel better. Eating had helped her with her dragon blood cravings. It had become a ‘thing’. Her thing. Her clothing was tight. Most of her jeans didn’t fit anymore. There were one or two dresses and other items that had followed suit. Her boobs had started to bounce when she did anything other than walk. They bounced and juggled so badly that she had started to think of wearing a bra. She sighed. “I have been using food as a crutch.” She nodded, looking at the swans as they glided across the lake in pairs. “The whole thing with Bay made me a bit depressed. That, and lonely. I’ve never felt so alone. Food helps ease that. I’ll go on one of those human diets. I’ll talk to Tanya about it. Although I don’t want to bother her, seeing as she’s due to have her baby in the next couple of weeks.”

“Google healthy eating then. I’m not trying to be nasty or anything. It’s just something you need to be aware of. I happen to think you look amazing.” His gaze slid to her breasts.

“You are not checking me out.”

He cleared his throat and sat up straighter. “Of course not!” he said too quickly. “What I’m trying to say is that you are gorgeous and have become curvy and even sexier, but all this eating isn’t healthy.”

Drago had to work hard to keep his physique in top form. He was meticulous about what he ate, so it was only natural that he would notice and say something to her. Then he grinned. "I'm sure it's all the food that's making your blood taste so good. Once you're on that human diet thing, I won't crave it as much."

“I’m sure you’re right.” She took another bite of her sandwich.

“Hey, I thought you were going to go easy on those.”

“I will.” She nodded. “After this.” The grease-paper crinkled as she held up what was left of the meal. “I’ll talk to Tanya or Google a healthy eating plan. I’ll figure something out and start the diet tomorrow.”