“He opens the golden vial, dripping the liquid onto his thumb, still red with blood.
"Open your mouth," he commands.
"Wh-what?"
"It's honey."
"Oh." My lips tense, swallowing hard before I part my mouth.
He draws it open wider, generously placing his thumb onto my tongue. I recoil as the sweetened blood hits my taste buds. It doesn't have an iron tinge like human blood. It's dark and heavy. Like a current of wine. Cigarette smoke. Bitter orange peel or unripe fruit. What disgusts me more is how much I want it. It possesses me, and I let his thumb linger. He grins.”