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“Never drink from the same person twice.”
It was the first lesson any fledgling learned, and Briar was no exception. She’d learned it the day she turned, sitting on a faux leather couch in a dirty apartment with a half-dozen other leeches. She’d fidgeted and twitched with hunger as a goateed dirtbag named Mike explained her condition.
“That’s the fastest way you can completely fuck your life up.”
“Why?” Briar dug her nails into her thigh, struggling to focus.
“You remember Jules?”
Briar shook her head.
“Exactly. He ran with us a year or so ago. Until one night when he got desperate enough to be stupid and took a second drink from his roommate.”
“Dumbass,” one of the others mumbled solemnly, shaking her head.
“Yup.” Mike stroked his goatee. “He spiraled from there. Drank a few more times, started stalking his roommate, got a restraining order, and ended up kidnapping the fucker and fleeing to New Mexico to live in the desert. Cops caught him before he ever got there. Sent him to a research lab he’s never getting out of.”
“Why’d he do that?” Briar was running out of patience. She’d only stuck around with these losers because they said they’d feed her, but here she was, miserable and still unfed.
“We’ll show you.” Mike turned toward the bedroom door and shouted. “Ricky? Good to go?”
“Uh-huh.” A tall, greasy man entered the room. He covered his pot belly with a band tee and the top of his head with rapidly diminishing scraps of hair.
And he was human. Briar could smell that, even though she wasn’t used to her newly heightened senses. Her eyes shot to him and didn’t waver as soon as she realized it. The hunger within her raged to life, spreading beyond her stomach to encompass her entire body. She felt like a coiled spring, a true predator ready to strike.
The other leeches laughed. “Oh yeah, she’s got the thirst. Ricky, this is Briar. She’s new. You’ll be her first ever meal.”
Ricky nodded his square head eagerly and rolled up one of his sleeves. “Cool. She’s hot.”
“You know it. I’ve got good taste.” Mike gestured toward Ricky. “Alright, Briar. Go for it. Take it slow.”
Briar was on the man before Mike could finish his sentence, springing out of her chair and piercing Ricky’s meaty forearm with her stubby fangs. She didn’t care how gross he was, or about the objectively shit state her life was in. All that mattered was sating her hunger.
Blood flowed into her mouth, the hot metallic liquid coating the inside of her throat as she greedily sucked and gulped it down. The taste was incredible. Warm, salty, metallic, and full, with a flavor that only deepened over time and drew her in further. It was an upper and a downer all at once, pure pleasure filling her with energy and erasing all the tension in her body simultaneously. The blood was as heavenly as Briar had known it would be. What she hadn’t expected were the emotions.
She could taste the way that Ricky felt—his arousal in the moment, the many mundane frustrations of his life, his loneliness, and feelings of inadequacy. They hit her hard, one after the other, causing her eyes to well up with tears even as she kept drinking. Ricky was so kind and generous and sweet. He’d offered her blood without question, asking nothing in return. And yet people—women in particular, it seemed—ignored and overlooked him. It wasn’t right.
Briar would change that. She’d help bring Ricky out of his shell, show the world what a special man he was, and help him cultivate his inner and outer beauty. There was a handsomeness in his features that, yes, wasn’t immediately obvious, but as Briar considered it now, she recognized regardless. He was an honest man with an honest face, and she imagined he could fuck with the stamina of—
“That’s enough for one sitting.” Mike grabbed Briar’s shoulders and pulled her away. She growled softly and resisted. “Enough, Briar. You don’t want to hurt him, right?”
Her eyes went wide, and she quickly pulled away. She didn’t. Ruby droplets pooled on Ricky’s arm where she’d bitten, collecting and then sliding down his forearm. Briar watched them as they went.
“Now lick the wound,” Mike instructed, still holding onto her shoulders. “It’ll close up. Something in our saliva.”
Briar gladly obeyed, lapping up the last few drops of blood as she gazed up happily at Ricky’s face. He was really turned on now. She could see and taste it. And why shouldn’t he be? Arousal was the least she could offer in exchange for him being so good to her.
The wound healed quickly. Before Mike could stop her, Briar wrapped her arms mostly around Ricky and kissed his adorable full cheek.
“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear.
She could hear the others laughing around her, but barely registered it. They didn’t matter. They didn’t respect Ricky, the assholes. They could fuck off for all she cared.
Mike grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Ricky, putting his hands on either side of her head. Briar squirmed and snarled under her breath. “Yeah, you’re rolling in it. You feel that? You’re a parasite now, and your instincts are screaming at you to cling to your new big, juicy host.”
Briar shook her head furiously, her short red curls whipping around her face. “No! No. You don’t get it. You don’t see what I see.”
He ignored her. “One drink and the bond only lasts around eight hours. Two and it’s closer to a week. Three, you’re totally fucked. Never forget it.” He dropped his hands and walked away.
“That never stops being super hot,” Ricky mumbled, swaying back and forth with a big goofy smile on his face.
Briar blushed and smiled back.
“Fuck off, Ricky. Go back to your room,” Mike snapped.
He did.
“You shouldn’t talk to him that way.” Briar leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. Everyone else in the room was watching her and grinning at each other like this was the funniest thing in the world. “He deserves better. He’s sweet.”
The other leeches started laughing again.
“We’ll see how you feel about that tomorrow.” Mike settled back into his armchair, throwing one leg over an armrest and spreading his lanky body out. “Anyway. Point is, you feed once and you can still fight the instinct, get the fuck out and hopefully never see whoever it is again. Twice and it gets a hell of a lot harder to avoid going back for more. And once you go off the deep end, you’re liable to do crazy shit.”
Mike was right, of course. By the next night, Briar recognized that Ricky was a gross pervert and was pissed at Mike for humiliating her. She didn’t stick with that crew for long.
But she did follow their advice. She’d use her days off from her night shift at a convenience store to go out to a bar, find someone, feed on them, and get away as fast as possible. She smothered the bond before it could ever develop, keeping her friends few and far between to avoid the temptation of double dipping. She was safer that way. She wouldn’t let the bond control her.
***
Briar exited the bus into a wall of pounding rain, holding her jacket over her head to delay the time it took her to get soaked to the bone. She really shouldn’t have been out this late. It was 3 AM; Reena was almost certainly asleep by now. Waiting until the next night was the smart choice. Would help to clear her head a bit.
Briar walked past the bus stop, ducking beneath awnings for shelter as she made her way down the street.
She’d fucked up. Badly.
Reena had thrown Briar for a loop from the start. Briar always felt awkward around gorgeous women, and Reena’s refined air, impeccable dress, long legs, beautiful little mouth, high cheekbones, and…she was stunning. Not eerily perfect model-stunning, just so perfectly herself that Briar reveled in being able to look at her. It felt like a privilege. And Reena was sweet and approached Briar at the bar, which women almost never did, and listened to her and asked questions and showed interest in her and had known Briar was a leech before she’d ever told her and offered to give blood to Briar, which nobody had ever done before, and the whole experience made her feel comfortable and validated in a way she never had before.
But when Briar had fed on Reena, she’d glimpsed the darker desires behind that kindness. Reena wanting to control her. To see her in pain. To draw her in closer. If Briar had wanted to play it safe, she should’ve left right then. But the blood was delicious, the bond was kicking in, and God knew she couldn’t judge others for their unusual desires. The sex was free of red flags, too. Did Reena give her some scratches and bruises? Sure. Nothing major, though. And she apologized for that in a really sweet way. They had a lovely night together otherwise, talking the hours away until Briar’s first fuck-up became apparent. She’d lost track of time. She ended up having to wait out the daylight sleeping in Reena’s closet. An entire night spent in the presence of her bond. No time to clear her head.
And when she’d emerged the following evening, she’d fucked up again. Reena was all over her from the get-go, and instead of excusing herself and getting the hell out of dodge, Briar had returned her affection. She’d been doomed from there. You simply didn’t make out with a partial bond without taking a taste at some point. Not when you were hungry. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Briar struggled to see the house numbers on the rowhouses through the rain, squinting as the frigid liquid trailed down her hair and face. One more block to go. By the time she made it to Reena’s building, she’d look like an absolute soaking mess. She hoped Reena wouldn’t mind.
Not that it mattered. This wasn’t a date or pleasant house call. Briar was going to go to Reena’s apartment, set the record straight, and leave. Something about the night before didn’t sit right. Briar had been clocked as a leech before, but never so quickly or in a space as dark and crowded as a club. And if Reena knew what Briar was, why’d keep her around as long as she did? Maybe she was naive. Maybe she had an ulterior motive. Whatever the case was, Briar had to figure it out. Sure, it’d be easier to stay away, but…that wouldn’t do. Not knowing could be even more dangerous than going back. And if Reena really hadn’t done anything untoward, then Briar owed Reena an explanation for why she had to disappear after Reena had been so kind and good to her. So either way, this was the right move.
Briar caught sight of a house number a bit too high and doubled back. She was sopping wet by this point, her clothes and hair weighed down and stuck to her body. Once she found the right building, she vaulted over the low gate and shuffled up the steps to the door. The buzzer was right in front of her. She stared at it.
She could just leave town. Go far away and sleep off the bond. That would be best for both of them. She didn’t want to end up like Jules. She couldn’t put Reena through that. It’d break her heart. Leaving tonight was the safest, best choice and nothing Briar told herself would change that.
She hit the button for Reena’s apartment.
She’d leave town. She’d have a five minute conversation—maximum—with Reena and then go. Maybe she wouldn’t even go up to Reena’s apartment. Well, maybe not that. That was sort of the whole idea of buzzers. But she wouldn’t go inside the apartment. She’d stand in the doorframe or something.
“Who is it?” came Reena’s smooth, silky alto from the buzzer box a moment later. She sounded awake and unhurried. Her composure was admirable.
“Briar. I…can I please talk to you? For a minute?” Briar shoved her hands into her pockets. This was so dumb. She was so dumb. But she had to go up. There was no other way. She needed this from Reena. The closure.
The door buzzed a moment later and Briar slipped inside, dripping all over the carpeted floor as she made her way up the stairs. Even if she hadn’t remembered Reena’s apartment number, she could have found it following her scent. Briar breathed deeply as she stepped onto the third floor, her heart fluttering.
That was the bond. She knew it was filling her with anticipation, excitement and anxiety over what Reena thought of her and if she’d be happy to see her again. That awareness was Briar’s greatest strength, though. The bond took control when you denied or ignored it. Briar was doing neither. She knew the bond was making her legs shake and her heart ache as she stood before the door to Reena’s apartment, and that knowledge gave her the strength to resist.
Briar squeezed her eyes shut and planned out what she’d say. The quicker and simpler, the better. Something along the lines of:
“Hello. Last night was lovely. I had a great time with you. You’re a beautiful, special woman.” Get to the point. “I’m sorry I ran away. But I can’t see you anymore. For now.” Forever. “Forever. I’ve formed a strong blood bond with you. Sticking around would be dangerous for both of us. Too dangerous. Leeches can do crazy things under the bond, and I don’t want to put you through that. Unless…” No unless. “That’s all. Goodbye. I love you.” Fine.
The speech was good enough. Briar had a plan and a reason to be here. She was ready.
She knocked on the door.
Reena opened it.
She was radiant, even at 3 AM in a simple white blouse and pair of sweatpants. Her dark hair glowed healthily, neatly framing her delicate face. One of her hips was cocked to the side, effortlessly cool and sexy. Briar was glad she’d even agreed to meet with her again. She was lucky.
Reena looked Briar up and down and broke out in a big grin. “Wow. You’re really here.”
A small puddle of rainwater was forming on the welcome mat between Briar’s feet. She pushed a few wet strands of hair out of her face and tried wiping the water off on the seat of her pants, only for her hand to come back wetter. “Um. Hey.”
“Hey yourself.” There was laughter in Reena’s eyes; sparks of life that spoke to the contagious joy in everything she did.
“I…I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
“Alright. Let me grab you a towel and dry clothes and you can come on in.”
“Um, actually—”
The door shut. Briar stood in front of it for the next minute or so, shifting her weight from foot to foot and trying to keep her hair out of her face. She had to look terrible. Why did she come like this? Reena was right to laugh at her.
Reena opened the door wide this time and tossed a bundle of cloth at Briar. “Here you go. Come on in.” Once again she walked deeper into the apartment.
Briar had to follow her. Clearly she didn’t want to chat in the doorway, and Briar had things to say. She wouldn’t change her clothes, though. She was about to leave anyway.
Standing at the edge of the living room carpet, Briar cleared her throat and started her speech. “So. Last night was really good, and—”
Reena reached the kitchen island and turned to face Briar, her dextrous torso twisting in a way that emphasized her shapely shoulders. “Ah ah ah. You’re dripping on the hardwood floors. Go. Change.” She pointed toward the bathroom.
Briar went. It’d only take her a moment. She stripped off her wet clothes, hung them over the shower rod, and put on the shorts and tank top Reena had given her. Both were a little too small. Briar’s small breasts poked out on either side of the words “Love Me” written on the pink top. She frowned. Not exactly her style. Whatever.
Reena was waiting for her on the couch when she came back, dark brown cocktail in hand. Ice clinked in the glass as she brought it up to her light pink lips. “Cute look.”
Briar looked away. If she’d had more blood in her body, she would’ve blushed. “Thank you.”
Reena patted the couch next to her. “Come sit.”
Briar froze for a second. Getting closer was a bad idea. It meant Reena’s scent getting even stronger. It meant not being able to focus on anything but the possibility that their arms or thighs might brush against each other and Briar might feel Reena’s warm, soft skin. But she didn’t want to be rude. Besides, she was already walking over to sit down.
Reena smiled, her elbow resting on the back of the couch as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “There. Much better than being cold and wet, yeah?”
Briar nodded and swallowed hard.
“So what’s up?”
The words wouldn’t come. Not the way Briar wanted them to. She opened her mouth to say goodbye, imagined how it might disappoint Reena, imagined how it’d feel to be without her forever, and then the pain in her chest made her close her mouth. After going through that process a few times, she finally spoke.
“I had to see you.” Solid start. Basically part of her original speech. Or could have been, anyway.
“Mhm?” Reena took another sip. She was so patient with Briar. So considerate, getting up so early in the morning to talk to her.
Briar rubbed her fingertips against the surface of the couch as she forced more words out. “I…when you drink from someone, you feel a lot of really strong feelings. Even more when you do it twice. And I drank twice. From you. Last night. And this evening.”
“What kind of feelings?” Reena was staring straight at her. Briar could get lost in her hazel eyes forever. They were so bright.
Briar squirmed in her seat, looking anywhere that wasn’t at Reena. A surreal still life painting on the wall. A tall, overfull wooden bookcase. A standing lamp that contributed to the room’s warm orange glow. “Strong feelings. Really strong feelings. So strong I can’t…but good. Positive feelings.”
Reena let out an exaggerated gasp and put her free hand to her chest. “Briar! Are you trying to confess your love to me?”
Briar winced, closed her eyes, and jerked her head up and down.
“Say it.” Reena’s voice was firm. Eager. It gave Briar hope.
“I love you,” she whispered.
There was a long, agonizing pause. Then Reena put down her drink and reached out to hold Briar’s hands.
The leech’s eyes opened wide as her heart soared. This was better than she ever could have imagined. She didn’t have to leave after all. They could find a way to make this work. They could be together.
“Look at me, Briar,” Reena commanded softly. Her name sounded so sweet on Reena’s tongue.
Briar made eye contact with her love, ready to lavish her with well deserved praises and to throw herself into her arms.
Reena examined her face closely for a moment. “God, it’s really true. Perfect.”
There was a sudden click , and with it a burning sensation shooting up Briar’s wrist. She flinched and looked down to see a metal band around her wrist. Silver.
Briar recoiled to the far end of the couch and pulled at the bracelet with no success. It was—there was some kind of lock on it. She couldn’t get it off. But why…?
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Reena cooed. “Just a precaution. I don’t want you getting desperate on me at full strength.”
Silver didn’t just hurt leeches. It dulled their senses, slowed their reflexes, sapped their strength and clouded their minds. Briar forced herself to take a deep breath. This was fine. Reena knew how volatile the bond could be and wanted to stay safe while she was with Briar. She still wanted to be with Briar. That made the silver worth it.
“Okay.” Briar rubbed at her shackled wrist, trying to avoid the metal with her fingers. “Okay. I understand. Thank you.”
“Happy to help.” Reena winked. “Let me ask you something: Is your love always this cheap?”
Briar frowned. “What?” She felt like she was moving and thinking in slow motion. The silver was clouding her mind. But Reena wanted it. And was right to. So that made it okay.
“One night together plus a couple extra drops to get you like this.” Reena leaned forward, watching Briar closely with fascination. “Even less than I expected.”
Briar pouted. Reena didn’t believe her. Or wasn’t impressed. The thought of it twisted up Briar’s insides. She couldn’t bear it.
“It’s real!” She scooted back toward Reena, tentatively reaching for her hands again. “I promise. I’ve never done this before, Reena. You’re special.”
Reena pulled her hands away at the last second, wiggling her fingers just out of reach. “Oh, I know it’s real. I mean, look at you. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t cheap. You’d love anyone who gave you a second suckle at a vein.”
This wasn’t right. Briar shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It didn’t work. She needed to leave. She’d prove her love really meant something, and then she’d go. “It’s not like that. I’ve never drank twice before! You were the first, because…because you’re unlike any other woman I’ve ever met, Reena. I love you for who you are.”
Reena scoffed. “What’s my last name?”
Briar stared at her blankly. “Um.”
“Where am I from? What am I passionate about? What are my ambitions?”
Briar sank lower into the couch with every question. “That doesn’t…I don’t know.”
“I’ve read a lot about the blood bond. More than enough to know that deep down, you see me as a meal ticket.”
“No!” Briar slid down the couch far enough to fall to the floor, getting onto her knees in front of Reena. “Please!”
“‘No!’ ‘Please!’” Reena mocked. She looked down upon Briar imperiously, her legs spread. “You know I already have a girlfriend, right? Who actually knows me and likes me for more than my bodily fluids? You think I’d give her up for a sad little mess of a leech like you?”
Tears fell down Briar’s face. It was all too much. She was feverish with need now, hot and trembling. Need to tear her heart open and bare everything she felt. Reena was right, after all. Her love was cheap. The instincts of a parasite, not the genuine affection of someone complete. But it was all Briar had.
“You don’t have to give her up,” Briar mumbled, looking down at the white carpet. “I would never do that to you. I…I know my love is cheap. But…” Her voice trailed off.
“But?” Reena was hunched forward now, hanging on to every word. Her lips were millimeters away from forming a triumphant smirk.
“But it’s all yours. To do with as you please, or…or to reject. I’d do anything.” Briar hung her head.
It was never really her place to decide if she left town or not. Reena was part of her now. She’d decide if Briar was allowed to stay and devote herself, or if she had to go and be incomplete without her. Whatever made Reena happy. Surrender was painful, yes. Knowing rejection was possible ate Briar up inside. But this was the only way she could prove her love.
“Interesting.” The triumphant smirk emerged in full force, a perfect fit for Reena. She deserved triumph. “All mine.” She leaned back into the couch and crossed her legs.
Briar peeked up at her. “If you want, I can—”
“Stop talking.”
She did. The room was silent for a while as Reena tapped a finger against her chin in performative thought. Briar sat absolutely still on the floor, resisting the urge to scratch at her bracelet or adjust her tight clothing.
Reena finally rose from the couch. “Well, okay. I suppose you can stick around.” She drew out every word, punctuating them with sighs and looking off into the distance. “I guess I’ve got a few projects you’d work for.”
A wave of relief washed over Briar. She didn’t have to leave. Reena had use for her. Briar savored the feeling, focusing on it over the burning or the fog in her thoughts. A shiver went through her, excess excitement pouring out in waves.
“Speaking of. I’ve got a project we can start now.” Reena flicked the strap of Briar’s tank top. “This comes off. Back soon!” She strode out of the room. Briar was happy to see more of a bounce in her step than before.
Briar hurried to obey, pulling the top over her head and exposing her pale, lightly freckled chest.
“You and I are going to have a lot of fun together, leech.” Reena came back with a towel thrown over her shoulder, a small key in one hand, and a black plastic carrying case in the other. She walked right up to Briar, pushing her down when the leech tried standing. “Nope! Down. Arms out.”
Briar obeyed, smiling up at Reena. She was so pretty. So good to Briar for letting her stay. So kind and generous. “Thank you. I love you.”
Reena snorted as she unlocked Briar’s cuff. “I’m aware.”
Briar felt the difference as soon as the silver stopped touching her. Everything grew sharper, from Reena’s warm, comforting scent to Briar’s memory to every little imperfection in the glass coffee table beside her. Clarity of thought only strengthened Briar’s feelings. She was making the right choice. Any choice that led to her being with Reena had to be correct. She idly squeezed and rubbed the red skin on her wrist as Reena laid the towel down on the floor.
“On your back!”
Briar lay down, shifting to be as close to Reena as possible. She brushed the back of her hand against Reena’s knee. Reena didn’t react. She was busy retrieving what looked like a large needle from her case.
Briar blinked.
It didn’t just look like one. It in fact was a large needle.
“Reena?” Briar frowned and started rising to a seated position. Reena stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“Yes, leech?”
“What’s that for?” Briar’s voice quivered slightly. Needles made her uneasy. A stupid fear for a leech, but…she’d spent a lot of time getting poked and prodded after her diagnosis.
“We’re giving you some new piercings!” Reena declared happily as she sterilized her hands and equipment.
“O-oh. Um. Why?”
“They’ll look good on you,” Reena replied nonchalantly. “And I want you to look good.”
Briar shifted uncomfortably on the towel, clenching and unclenching her fists. “I…I don’t think I want that.”
Reena turned to gaze right into Briar’s eyes. “You don’t want to make me happy?” A harsh note entered her tone.
“No! No. Not that, Reena, of course I want to make you happy.” Briar turned onto her side to grab her lover’s legs in an awkward half-hug. “The piercings, I mean! I…”
Briar stopped. Reena really wanted this. And she’d given Briar so much already. She deserved so, so much in return, and Briar wanted to be the one to give it to her. To see her face light up when she got what she wanted. She wouldn’t let a minor fear get in the way of that.
“...Nevermind.”
“Great!” Reena lifted a leg and gently kicked Briar onto her back. She started flicking and pinching Briar’s light pink nipples, clinically teasing them to hardness. Briar let out little gasps of pleasure regardless.
Reena ignored them. “I’ve got a nice pair of barbells picked out for you. Sterling silver.”
Briar’s heart sank in horror. “ What? ”
“You didn’t think we were done with the silver, did you?” Reena leaned over Briar’s prone form, making neat little dots on both sides of her nipples with a marker.
“I don’t need it, Reena,” Briar pleaded, digging her heels into the carpet to inch away subconsciously. This wasn’t…it would burn forever, she’d lose any physical benefits of her condition…she couldn’t do it. It was too much. “I won’t let the bond take over, I’ll treat you so well, I want the piercings! I do, I promise, I really do, just not the silver, please don’t give me the silver Reena.”
Reena straddled Briar’s torso, pinning her limbs to the ground so she could continue her work uninterrupted—sanitizing her nipples and holding them steady with a pair of cold metal clamps. “Sit still. I’m not doing this to keep you pliant, silly leech.”
“I’m doing this to hurt you.”
Briar felt the needle press against the side of her nipple.
“ Get the fuck away from me!” she screamed, thrashing and sobbing in a blind panic. Her fangs extended on their own, and a surge of strength allowed her to slip out from under Reena. Briar entered a low crouch, eyes darting around the room.
“Okay, okay. Take it easy.” Reena raised her hands.
Briar let out a sad little snarl.
“Aww. Come on, sweetheart,” Reena cooed. “Come back. I know it’s scary. But you can do this for me.”
Briar couldn’t. She needed to escape, to go anywhere that wasn’t here.
Reena approached and cupped Briar’s cheek with her hand. Briar flinched, but didn’t move. They locked eyes. “This is what our love is, Briar. We were never going to have romantic candlelit dinners or exchange Valentine’s Day gifts. I already have a girlfriend for that. One I love very much. A human girlfriend, not a leech.”
Her voice was so soft and sweet, her touch so gentle, that Briar automatically started to calm down. It didn’t make Reena’s words any easier to hear. She was right, of course. Leeches didn’t get the things that lovers normally did. They were too volatile, too feast or famine—literally—to ever be the kinds of partners humans wanted to settle down and commit to. Briar had just hoped…she’d been foolish. She hadn’t understood her position.
“What I don’t have is a thing of my own to hurt. That’s why I went looking for a leech. Someone who’d be happy to take any kind of love I had to offer.” Reena smiled and brushed a tear off of Briar’s face with her thumb. “And when you slinked back here soaking wet in the middle of the night, I knew you were the one. You’re perfectly desperate, Briar.”
Reena kissed her on the forehead.
Briar winced. That was her, wasn’t it? A kicked dog returning to its master. Effortlessly baited into strengthening the bond because she was just that pathetic. Fucking her life up in search of the thrill of being wanted.
And yet she was wanted. Reena didn’t care how wretched she was. Reena liked that about her. And Reena wouldn’t let Briar tear herself apart with obsession and longing. She’d made plans for them. Briar would be a thing for her to hurt, not to break. She’d be Reena’s thing.
Briar hugged the human as tightly as she could.
“Okay,” she said simply. It would be hard, but she would get the love she needed. Guilt replaced her earlier panic. She’d yelled at Reena. Cursed at her. How could she? “I’m sorry I snapped. I…I should’ve known.”
Reena hugged her back, her nails digging ever so slightly into Briar’s back.
”You’re forgiven, little leech,” Reena whispered in her ear.
They stayed like that for a few long, wonderful moments until Reena finally broke the hug, still holding onto Briar’s shoulders. “Now, I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
Reena ran her hands up and down Briar’s bare arms soothingly. “Ask me for the piercings.”
Briar tensed, another wave of fear locking up her muscles. But Reena was still there holding her close. And she wanted it, which meant Briar had to want it too. To be a good thing for her.
“May I please have the piercings?” Her voice came out tiny and unsteady.
“Beg for them.”
Briar shook as a sob wracked her body. Reena inhaled sharply, her eyes filled with desire. She held onto Briar’s arms a bit tighter.
“P-please, Reena. I…I need the piercings. I need you to hurt me and keep hurting me until you’re satisfied.”
Reena bared her teeth in delight, then suddenly slapped Briar across the face. Briar yelped. Reena giggled. “Oh, you’re too perfect. Yes, my sad little wretch. You may have the piercings you so desperately desire. Let’s stab some holes in you.”
Briar blushed with pride. Reena kicked her in the face to get her back down on the floor.
“So kickable!” Her movements were broad and full of joy as she retrieved her clamps and needle, carefully arranging them on Briar’s left nipple.
The leech tensed in spite of herself.
“Okay! Here we go.” Reena jabbed the needle toward Briar’s nipple, only to back off at the last second. Briar flinched and cowered, covering her face with her hands. Reena effortlessly pushed them away.
And then she feinted with the needle again. And again. And again, until Briar was a trembling, nervous wreck, moaning “no, please no” repeatedly as if it were a mantra, tears rolling down her—
There was a small pinch, then white hot pain shot outward from her nipple. Briar let out a screech that turned into a hiss as the feeling settled into a throbbing, pulsing ache. Reena made a few quick motions with her fingers, and then it was done.
“There we are! So pretty. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Briar let out a choking sob and shook her head. “N-n-no.” She glanced down at the simple barbell. She could already feel the burn of the silver.
Reena looked down at her with an expression of smug contentment, brushing a lock of hair away from Briar’s sweaty, pale face. “And what do we say to people when they give us what we beg for?”
“T-th-thank you, Reena.” Briar wanted to curl into a ball and disappear. She wanted to throw herself at Reena’s feet and beg her to stop. She wanted to take everything else Reena had to give and show how good a thing she was. She was floating on adrenaline, her vision tunneling in on Reena’s beautiful face as Briar sweated bullets and fought back nausea and faintness.
“And the best part is, we’re only half done. Isn’t that great?” Reena turned back to her piercing kit.
“Nnnnggg,” Briar moaned.
“Oh? You want a thicker needle? Well, okay, if you say so!”
Briar clenched her teeth. ”I don’ wanna,” she whimpered.
“Yup! I know.” Reena withdrew the second needle, displaying it proudly. Briar closed her eyes. “Frankly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Reena stabbed her other nipple.
She was slower this time. More deliberate, pushing the thick needle through slowly to catch on as many nerves as possible. The harshest highs of the pain lingered, leaving Briar to claw at the carpet fibers and let out a long, hoarse scream for what felt like forever. The world outside of the moment ceased to exist. Briar reached for Reena, desperate to cling onto the one person that mattered most. The person who was causing her so much suffering. Reena batted her arms away with her elbow and finished putting the piercing in.
When she withdrew the needle, it felt like she withdrew a portion of Briar’s life force with it. The leech went limp, swirling in a world of pain and adoration.
“Thank you, Reena,” she murmured, high on endorphins, the bond, and the silver. “You’re my everything.”
Reena leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m aware.”
She cleaned up quickly and efficiently, doing another round of sanitization before picking Briar up and half-carrying her over to the couch. She set the leech’s head in her lap and started stroking her hair.
Briar luxuriated in the soft touch. It made the pain worth it. The pain made the pain worth it, too. She wiggled to push her head further into Reena’s lap. Reena rolled her eyes, but indulged her.
“These look good on you,” Reena mused, squeezing Briar’s tit.
“The silver burns.”
Reena nodded. “Good! A permanent reminder of me.”
Briar sighed dreamily. “I’m never going to stop thinking about you anyway.”
“God, you’re so pathetic.” Reena ruffled her hair and hummed. “You’ve gotten me all worked up.”
Briar cracked open an eye. “If you want, I can—”
Reena barked out a cruel laugh. “Are you kidding? Not going to happen. You’ll be lucky if I ever let you stay in the same room during.”
Briar shrank away a bit at that, but not too much. She’d been expecting something like it. That was for girlfriends and humans. Not for leech things. “Yes, Reena.”
“Speaking of rooms, the closet’s yours for tonight. Maybe for the foreseeable future. I’m not sure. Have to check with the partner.” Reena poked Briar on the nose. “I’ve got so many fun ideas, leech. Getting rid of your name. Shaving off all your hair. Training you to crave your beatings. Tearing you down. Building you up. Shaping you. Making it clear to the world that you’re a thing and not a person. And all on the back of a few little drops.”
Briar turned onto her side to bury her face in Reena’s lap. It all sounded scary. Then again, so had the piercings. And those had turned out okay, right? All of it was how Reena showed her love.
“Speaking of…” Reena deftly sanitized a patch on her upper arm and drew a little blood with the third needle she’d grabbed. She grabbed Briar by the chin. “Open wide, leech. Time to fall in love all over again.”
Briar beamed up at her as the blood dripped onto her tongue.