Birds chirping roused Lucien awake as he basked in the warmth around him. Sunlight pooled in from the closed curtains and he blinked a few times to adjust to the bright light. It was difficult to abandon the soft blankets cocooning him, but when he couldn't wriggle himself out, he realized it wasn't just the blankets that had kept him toasty during the night.

He was nestled between Sebastian and Castor with all his blankets. Castor had his muscular arms wrapped around Lucien, his body resembling a portable heater with a small smile as he dozed peacefully on the pillow they shared. They were so close, that if Lucien truly wished to, he could have leaned in and kissed him. Of course, he'd never do such a thing to his friend.

On the other side of him, Sebastian had made his chest into a cozy pillow. Lucien reached down, his fingers tangling in the vampire's soft black hair, and brushing over one of his pointy tipped ears. In response, Sebastian let out a low rumble that resembled a purr.

Heartbeat hammering in his chest, Lucien experimentally touched his ear again to earn another similar purr. However, Sebastian shifted himself up from his chest and nestled his face against the crook of Lucien's neck. Unlike Castor's molten hot body pressed tightly against his other side, Sebastian was as icy as snow on a winter's morning. The contrast was quite pleasant.

Lucien had fully awakened the moment Sebastian pressed his hips against his. Nerves fluttered in his chest at the closeness and the taboo of the entire situation. His folks would murder him for merely speaking to a vampire. Instead of trying to move away or forcing Castor to wake up, Lucien traced Sebastian's strong jawline until he parted his lips to reveal a pair of sharp fangs. He should've pulled back. Yet curiosity bested him and he traced his finger along the seam of Sebastian's lower lip until his crimson eyes fluttered open in confusion.

"Good morning," Lucien whispered softly as heat flushed his cheeks.

"What the hell were you doing?" Sebastian hissed.

"Sorry, you were so close and I was just curious..."

Sebastian frowned. "Curious about what?"

"Your fangs," Lucien said. "What it feels like to be bitten."

"Is that so?" Sebastian leaned in, flashing him a predacious grin with sharp fangs. "It scares many of your kind to be bitten by us."

"I know." Lucien gulped, twisting his body ever so gently to come face to face with him. All the while, Castor continued to sleep behind them.

"As curious as you might be, you're still terrified too." Sebastian reached out to touch his face, his fingers caressing his cheek. "I can sense your fear. Your heart's pounding in your chest and your breathing is rapid and shallow."

"I'm not scared," Lucien said, despite how he trembled at the vampire's touch.

"No?" Sebastian brought one hand around the base of his neck and tugged his head back to expose his neck.

Icy nails brushed over his sensitive skin and Lucien whimpered at his touch, anticipating the sharp bite that never came. Instead, Sebastian pulled away with a teasing smile as he reached down for Lucien's hand. Although his lips weren't warm, they were oddly soft when Sebastian pressed them against his wrist.

"Do you really want to know what it feels like?" Sebastian asked.

Lucien nodded and a breathless, "yes" sputtered from his lips.

In a swift motion, Sebastian parted his lips and let his fangs elongate before sinking them into his tender skin. Lucien winced at the sharp pain, but it soon ebbed to a numb pulsing that felt weirdly pleasant.

Warmth seeped through his veins. Lucien's body relaxed against Castor as he savored the waves of pleasure that washed over him. Only when he arched his hips instinctively did he feel his arousal straining against his bottoms. Castor's warm breath suddenly on his neck as he stirred awake at the worst possible moment did not help at all.

"What are you doing?" Castor asked in a groggy voice.

Sebastian released his arm, licking the droplets of blood that trickled from the pinpricks in his skin. "Lucien was just giving me breakfast."

Lucien rolled away from Sebastian only to be confronted by Castor's mountain of muscles. "Morning?" He awkwardly avoided eye-contact with his friend. "Uh sorry, I just need to use the bathroom."

Castor slid out of bed to let him escape and he prayed to the Gods above that he wouldn't be interrogated by his friend about what he'd let Sebastian do. Lucien hadn't even bothered to grab his glasses on the way toward the door.

"That's a normal response for first timers, Lucien," Sebastian said as he rose from the bed, his lips stained with blood. "Nothing to worry about."

"What do you mean by first timers?" Castor asked.

Instead of answering, Lucien darted down the hallway and locked himself in the safety of the Vales' washroom. He turned the shower on to drown out their voices coming down the hall. Castor had literally warned him not to let a vampire drink directly from the source, and what the hell did he do? He offered himself up to Sebastian like a breakfast burrito.

After stripping down, Lucien stepped into the shower and let his troubles float away with the warm water that washed over his bare skin. As he stood underneath the waterfall of water, magical energy pulsed all around him. It was why he loved using their shower so much.

Once he finished up, he realized he had not thought things out too thoroughly when he escaped Castor's bed. A knock on the door startled him, and he hurried to wrap a towel loosely around his waist.

"It's just me," Castor called out. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Lucien unlocked the door and cracked it open.

Castor eased himself inside the washroom, carrying a fresh change of clothes for him, then closed the door behind him. "Brought you these." He placed the bundle on the sink's counter. "Now tell me what happened. Did he hurt you?"

"What? No."

"He didn't force himself on you or make you give him blood?" Castor asked.

"No, I willingly let him have a little of my blood," Lucien admitted as he adjusted his towel. "He never hurt me or forced me to do it."

"Where did he bite you?" Castor stepped further into the washroom, until he stood right in front of him. Warm hands touched his tender neck, gliding over his shoulders and down his bare chest. A patchwork of scars marred his pale skin. "And where did all these come from? Did someone else hurt you?"

"No, they're from magic training." Lucien cleared his voice and brushed Castor's hand away. "Charlotte never held back and neither did I."

Castor stepped back, eyeing his towel suspiciously. "Don't tell me you let him bite you down there."

"I did not." Lucien blushed as he held up his wrist. "This is where he bit me, you perv."

Castor folded his arms across his chest. "Didn't I warn you how dangerous it is to provide vampires with blood directly? And in my own bed, Lucien? Seriously?"

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever. Just get dressed and meet us back in my room." Castor huffed under his breath. "Don't do this ever again either. Giving vampires your blood directly has consequences. You're lucky Sebastian's a decent vamp because he could have killed you. I would have woken up with your damn corpse."

Shame scorched Lucien's face as he gazed down at his bare feet. "I'm really sorry."

Castor didn't respond, instead he walked out to give him privacy to redress. At least he was kind enough to bring him a change of clothes and his glasses.

When he returned to Castor's room, tension hung thick in the air. Sebastian sat awkwardly in his bean bag chair while Castor had his back turned to them both as he gazed pensively out his window.

"Lucien wanted me to bite him." Sebastian broke the silence. "I'm more than capable of restraining myself, and I'd never hurt him, so I don't understand why you're so upset."

"He's right," Lucien said softly. "I was just curious, that's all. You can't tell me you've never been either."

Castor moved away from the window with a look that Lucien could only describe as disappointment. It sent ripples of unease through Lucien's stomach. Instead of a confrontation, Castor merely walked past them both but paused at his door.

"You know why I'm upset about this, Sebastian. Don't play a fool's card with me." Castor sighed. "Come on, let's go before my folks wake up."

"Castor, I'm really sorry." Desperation seeped into Lucien's cracking voice. "I swear I won't give my blood away like that again, okay? Please, I don't want what I did to ruin our friendship."

Castor's expression softened as he came over to him and playfully rustled up his hair. "You haven't ruined anything. I'd just prefer it if you never did that again, especially not in my own bed." He cut a sharp glare toward Sebastian.

Once they made their way downstairs, Lucien had thought the drama for the day was over. Until Mrs. Vale's voice cut through the air like a knife from where she stood at the top of the stairwell. Her raven hair resembled a bird's nest, with ends poking out like little twigs. She'd donned a long silk crimson robe with their family's crest emblazoned across her chest.

"Castor Cornelius Vale."

"Your middle name is Cornelius?" Sebastian whispered through a small snort.

"Yes, Mom?" Castor gazed up at her with an innocent smile like everything was perfectly normal.

"Do you care to introduce me to your friend?" Mrs. Vale stepped down the stairs.

Castor tossed an arm around Lucien's shoulders. "Well, this is Lucien and he's been coming over here since we were kids."

Lucien swore that Mrs. Vale was going to set her son on fire.

"Sebastian Wraith." The vampire held his hand out for her to shake. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Your son allowed me to stay the night when I was injured and I'm much obliged to him and your family."

"Yes, it's nice to meet you as well." Mrs. Vale accepted his hand. "Although I wish it were under better circumstances. My son let you in through the front door?"

"Ah, no." Sebastian raked an awkward hand through his hair. "I came in through the window."

Mrs Vale frowned. "The window?"

Sebastian nodded. "Yes, in bat form."

It wasn't like Lucien could judge. He'd let Castor in through his bedroom window plenty of times before.

"We're going to have a very long talk about this later, Castor. No more sneaking vampires or anyone else through the window at night, got it?"

Castor sighed. "Yes, Mom. I won't sneak anymore vampires into my room at night. I just wanted to help Sebastian. He had nowhere else to go."

"I understand, and I know your heart was in the right place," Mrs. Vale said. "But next time, let either me or your father know about it. We'd have gladly let Sebastian stay in our spare bedroom."

"Yeah, okay. Anyway, what's for breakfast?" Castor asked as he made his way toward the kitchen. "I can fix us something since Dad's still asleep. "

Mrs Vale nodded as the three of them followed Castor. "Can I get you anything, Sebastian? I believe we have some pig's blood stowed in the basement fridge for summoning spells."

"Ah, I appreciate the offer." Sebastian awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "But I'm not particularly starved at the moment. Thank you for being considerate of my needs."

"He already had Lucien for breakfast," Castor muttered under his breath.

Lucien blushed as bright as a ripe tomato. "You don't have to say it like that."

While Castor cooked, Mrs. Vale brewed a fresh pot of coffee. Not wanting to stand around like a fool, Lucien offered to set the table and brought down some plates from the cabinet. Nerves fluttered in the pit of his stomach each time he made eye contact with Sebastian. He hadn't expected sharing his blood to feel so good. Despite how much he tried not to think about it, warmth drizzled through his body like warm syrup.

"Let me help." Sebastian took a stack of plates from his hands, icy fingers brushing along skin. "You should take things easy today, all right? I didn't take much blood from you, but do tell me if you ever feel faint or lightheaded."

"Yeah, of course." Lucien took a seat at the table, fiddling with his silverware as Mrs. Vale took her place across from him.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Vale whispered as she reached a hand out for him, gently touching his wrist where Sebastian's pinpricks were visible.

Lucien nodded. "I'm good."

Sebastian stood behind him, gently resting a hand atop his shoulder. "How do you like your coffee?"

"I know how Lucien likes his coffee, don't worry about it. I'm basically done here, so I'll get it." Castor quickly moved away from the stove to the coffee pot.

"I'm perfectly capable of getting it myself," Lucien said.

"Nonsense, like Sebastian said, you need your rest to keep your strength up." Castor handed him his black mug shaped like a mini caldron. "Besides, I know you like your coffee extra hot." Embers of fiery red twinkled around his fingertips.

"Thank you." Lucien smiled before taking a small sip of the scorching, soul-warming coffee.

Once Castor served them their food, he took a seat beside Lucien as they ate in silence. Sebastian had quietly sat down on the other side of Lucien, seeming to try not to bother them.

Lucien couldn't help but meet Sebastian's gaze every so often, sometimes turning his head away like a flustered schoolboy when he remembered how aroused he'd gotten from him merely drinking blood from his wrist. Despite how Sebastian had claimed that was a normal response, Lucien couldn't help but wonder if it meant something more. Surely he wasn't developing feelings for the vampire, right?