Graham couldn?t remember eating the hamburger and fries, though the
rumblings in his stomach had ceased.  He didn?t recall taking off his
clothes, yet somehow he knew that they were laying in a neatly folded
pile beside the bed.  He didn?t even realized he had gotten into the
shower until a spray of cold water pelted him back to awareness.

He shook himself like a dog and adjusted the water temperature, honestly
not certain if he appreciated being jolted out of the pleasantly numb
haze he had found himself in.  Arms out to brace himself against the wall
of the shower, he bowed his head and let the now warm water cascade down
his back.  The steam and heat trapped in the tiny room surrounded him
like a cocoon.  It was nice.

Graham had no idea how long he stayed there, letting the warmth seep into
him, trying to thaw the ice in his bones.  Trying to make some sense out
of what was going on in his head.

He knew it wasn?t the time to fight.  Now was the time to do as he was
told.  It couldn?t be that hard, after all, that?s what he had done for
his entire adult life.  Follow orders.  Don?t question, just obey.

Suppressing a shudder that wasn?t entirely caused by the rapidly cooling
water, Graham turned off the faucets and pulled back the shower curtain.
He stepped out of the shower and, still dripping, walked back into the
bedroom.

Xander was already waiting for him, leaning nonchalantly against the door
to freedom, holding a fluffy purple towel.  Graham stood by the bed and
waited as gold flecked eyes eagerly raked over him.  Any other time and
the human would have been blushing from head to toe over being exposed
like that, but now, embarrassment wasn?t high on his list of priorities.

The vampire came towards him, a half smile quirking its lips.  It slowly
circled the mortal male, anticipation building as its eyes roamed freely
over Graham?s skin.  Finally, it unfurled the towel and moved in closer.
Graham stood stock still as the vampire gently dried him.  The unexpected
tenderness unnerved him, just, as he suspected, it was supposed to.  Keep
him on edge.  Keep him guessing.

But Graham refused to react.  He wasn?t going to be lulled into thinking
this was anything more than some sick, twisted game.  And somehow,
knowing that they were only designed to mentally, and emotionally wear
him down, the soft touches were easier to take.

Xander let the towel fall to the floor and stopped to once again admire
his new pet.  If there was an ounce of fat anywhere on the Marine it had
to be between his ears.  And, every sculpted inch of that amazing, Greek
god body belonged to him.  Xander moved in closer, putting a hand on the
back of Graham?s head to keep him still.  There was still a recoil,
however, though not much of one.  Just the slightest flinch.  The
Marine?s will may have been made of iron, but his body was still human,
and he couldn?t help but react when a predator nuzzled into his neck.

What a lovely, interactive work of art.

Xander rested his face against the man?s heated skin.  He breathed in
deeply and was rewarded with the heady scent of a healthy, human male.
It was intoxicating.  He burrowed deeper into that crook between neck and
shoulder, staying there for a moment, and then slowly licking up the
carotid artery.  The vampire continued lapping along the pulse point, the
rhythm of Graham?s blood echoing through his own body.  Maybe... maybe,
he could just... take a taste?

It was so close.  Just a sip.  One... little...

No.  No, he was going to be patient.  He was going to wait.  Regardless
of how good the blood would taste now, it would be even better from a
willingly bared throat.  But, there was no more time for dalliances.
Xander pulled back, his eyes more yellow than brown.  ?Lie on the bed,
face down, arms up by your head.?

Graham hesitated for a moment, blue eyes trapped by shimmering golden
ones.  As a child, watching various nature programs that were more
violent than most prime time series, he always wondered why the rabbit,
when face to face with a snake, didn?t just run for it.  Hop, hop, hop
away to safety.  The Marine never thought he would truly understand the
why behind that.  Of course, he also never thought he would one day be
empathizing with the rabbit.  It was something about staring into the
eyes of a creature that could kill you with one strike.  It had to do
with knowing that, stripping away the complexities, you were just a
meal.  Food.  And, this thing in front of you could swallow you whole
without blinking.

But Xander did blink.  His control returned, and with it, the rather nice
honey brown irises.  The spell was broken, and on shaky legs, Graham
crossed to the bed and took up his potion.

Xander couldn?t help but grin.  All for him.  There were so many
possibilities.  But, first, he had to lay the groundwork.  All he needed
for this round had already been placed on the iron table by the bed.  It
wasn?t much, the ropes and chains were still out in the main part of the
apartment, but Xander had decided that before he made that body scream,
he was going to make it sing.

The vampire quickly stripped out of his clothes and grabbed the innocuous
looking little bottle from the table.  He climbed onto the bed, and
straddled Graham?s thighs.

It took everything the Marine had to remain still as that chilled body
touched his own.  Not that thrashing about would have done him much good
with the vampire?s weight pinning him down.  Maybe that was the very
reason he felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to get away.  Something long
buried had reared up in the most primitive part of his brain and demanded
why he wasn?t at least *trying* to do something.  Fight or flight.
Graham gritted his teeth and defended his actions to himself.  This was
the only way...  The human?s rationalizations were cut short by a gasp as
something cold was drizzled onto his back.

The vampire recapped the bottle then set it to the side, knowing he was
going to want to use more later.  For a moment he simply watched as the
oil ran its natural course over the surface of Graham?s back.  He then
gathered some of the substance into his hands and began rub against the
Marine?s knotted muscles.

Just another part of the game.  Graham?s fingers dug into the comforter.
Did the vamp really think he?d be taken in by this?  That he?d forget
just what kind of creature he was really dealing with?  At first, Graham
had no intentions of giving in.  He tried to stay tense and unyielding.
But with those preternaturally strong hands rubbing and kneading his
tired back, it was a loosing battle.  The Marine began to relax, despite
himself.  He knew it was wrong.  That this was just one of the vampire?s
tricks and he was falling right into it.  He knew it, but didn?t care.
Was too damn tired to care.

Xander found himself actually liking his task, and more so, what it had
accomplished.  The man beneath him was calm, relaxed.  His bare, oiled
back glistened in the light, and for the first time Xander wished he had
paid attention in biology class so he could name each of those
beautifully defined muscles.  His fingers drifted aimlessly over the
flesh.  So warm.  And, if that?s what the outside of the man felt like,
then the inside...  Xander scooted back a little.  He licked his lips and
while one hand still made nonsense patterns on the small of Graham?s
back, the other reached for the bottle.

Graham barely registered when the vampire?s hands left his body, but he
certainly did notice when more of that cold liquid was poured onto him.
He squirmed as he felt it run down the cleft in his ass, then immediately
stilled as he felt fingers follow the same path.

The change in the man beneath him was almost palpable, not that Xander
especially cared.  Not when his finger was resting against Graham?s
entrance.  There was still no movement on the part of the human.  After a
moment Xander added pressure and the very tip of his slick digit pressed
into Graham?s body.  That got a reaction.  The vampire smirked as muscles
clenched tight around the invader.  Just to show the Marine what he
thought of that response, Xander pushed  in even further, relishing the
tiny gasp of pain he produced.

Relax.  Relax.  Relax.  Graham took a few deep breaths, trying to calm
himself, knowing that that little sliver of pain was only the tip of the
iceberg, and the vampire wasn?t going to stop now.  With one last
shuddering exhale he made himself accept it.

Satisfied that his reprimand had been understood, Xander played a bit,
twisting his finger, rubbing the tight ring of muscle.  The inside of the
human felt like molten velvet, soft and heated to a balmy 98.6.  Or,
possibly, higher.  In contradiction to the seemingly relaxed state of
Graham?s body, his heart was racing along.  His body temperature had to
be rising.  Pretty soon, Xander was certain he wouldn?t even be able to
touch Graham without being burned.

The vampire almost moaned at the thought.  And, suddenly, he decided that
he just couldn?t take it anymore.  The waiting.  He couldn?t stand it.
Hearing that heartbeat, feeling that warmth, it was all just... too damn
tempting.  He moved back further, resting his weight against Graham?s
calves, and leaned over so that his face was hovering just above the
mortal?s delectable ass.  His fangs dropped.  Just a little taste...  He
kissed the smooth firm flesh first, then he let his teeth sink into the
skin.

Xander felt Graham?s body jerk as the human?s blood rushed into his
mouth.  It should have been heaven, that first taste of Graham?s very
life, bittersweet and copper on his tongue.  It should have been...

The vampire?s body was reacting before his mind could finish processing
what had happened.  He leapt off the bed, spitting and retching, trying
to get the tainted substance out of his mouth.

Confused, and instantly wary, Graham watched the display.  Questions flew
around his head, but those were pushed aside by the opportunity that
presented itself.

The vampire was distracted.

There was no inside lock on the door.

Graham rolled off the bed and into a crouch.  His plan didn?t consist of
anything more than ?try to get to the door? and ?try to get out the
door?, but it would have to do.  There would be something to fight with
on the other side, he just knew it.  Unfortunately though, before he
could go any further, an animalistic growl stopped him in his tracks.

Xander was pissed.  His mouth felt like it was coated with the foul
tasting sludge.  The only other time he could remember sampling anything
as remotely vulgar was when, shortly after he was turned, he made the
mistake of trying to feast on one of Sunnydale High?s football players.
The results weren?t exactly the same, but they were close enough for
Xander to have realized what was wrong.  The perfect body came with a
price.

The human mask was completely gone now, lost to almost blinding anger.
His voice came out as a low, accusatory hiss.  ?Steroids?!?

Graham blinked.  ?What??

Another hiss. ?You?re a user?!?

?I?m not-?  Graham never got to finish.  He barely had time to register
the fact that Xander was moving before one of the vampire?s fists cracked
against his jaw.  Pain exploded across the side of his face, but the
first blow was nothing compared to the second... and the third... and the
fourth...

It was too fast.  Too savage.  Graham never stood a chance.  He still
tried to fight back, still tried to protect himself, but it was useless.
The vampire was enraged, in a frenzy.  And, in the end, all Graham could
really do was gratefully slip into a stupor.  His mind only grasping onto
snippets, like a broken film reel.

Yellow eyes, like a big cat?s.  Feral.  Beautiful.

The sound of something cracking.

Pain.

Blood in his mouth.  Coughing it up.

Arms around him, lifting, being thrown.  Hitting the bed.

A full mouth, distended from covering the fangs behind it, twisted,
cruel...

Cold fingers pressing into his hips, lifting them upwards.

More pain.  Deep.  Ripping him open

Everything hurt.  So much...

Then... nothing.

**********