LINCOLN CROWNE
Vampire
Posts: 107
Age:
25
Occupation:
Emerald City Bartender
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Cassie Luanna
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Nov 26, 2024 19:06:13 GMT
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Post by LINCOLN CROWNE on Feb 13, 2022 19:52:08 GMT
 Dusk streaked the sky with purple clouds, the last of the pale winter sun tinting the sky lavender and amber beneath them. In just a couple of minutes the little sliver of the sun that continued to peak through the woods that surrounded the town would disappear and it would be safe to step out of the house. The last time the sun would leave him trapped behind closed doors for most of the day. A blessing Cassie was bestowing on him.
Linc hovered behind the front door, jacket and boots already on, waiting for the exact moment the last bars of light that spilled across the floor disappeared. He probably could’ve risked it ten minutes ago but if this was the last time he wasn’t taking any risks with it. They crept sideways another half inch before, so slowly he could barely see the change, they dimmed and winked out. The breath that rolled out of him and left his shoulder sagging with relief felt like it rolled up from his feet. It was time.
He stepped outside, hands shoved immediately into his pockets as he started the walk towards the centre of town and the shop Cassie’s boss had on the square. The pawn shop – like it was anything like the ones near the estate where his parents had traded in just about anything of value they could grub up. The Reids had all that tat out front, a disguise for the real business going on behind that heavy door and its shield of a heavy, red velvet curtain. Behind that curtain was everything they needed for Cassie to apparently fancy up a lapis ring for him. A fancy blue stone imbued with whatever flowed through her veins like the borrowed blood did through his.
Looking down at his hand, Linc curled his fingers into his palm, his thumb skimming the back of his index finger. The vampire version of the scarlet letter stamped on their foreheads. It revealed what you were but at the same time it gave you a freedom the turning had taken away. Wasn’t like he was gonna run straight out into the streets and stretched out half naked like he could finally bask in the light but just being able to step out the door when he wanted, to feel a little of that winter pale light on his skin after just a year without was gonna feel so bloody good.
The lights were a pale wash behind the thick curtains of the shop when he turned into the square. Others were still lit up, people bustling in and out of them at this time of day, but he only had eyes for Reid’s as he hopped off the curve and jogged across the street. The butterflies were taking off in the pit of his stomach. It just a ring, nothing to be nervous about but as a big, balled mass of fluttering wings they took flight up into his chest.
Closed. The sign was flipped on the door already but the door tinkled open as he pressed a palm to it. Linc half expected Nicky – he’d heard more about the bloke than he’d seen him – to step out from that back room but there were was no sign of him – or the brother and sister that supposedly made the place a family establishment. Linc frowned faintly, glancing around the empty shop. Should he have been here? The guru standing over Cassie’s shoulder to make sure that none of this went wrong when two kids – and he was counting himself in as one considering how little he knew even with Magnus playing at being part dad/part teacher – started playing around with all of this powerful mystical stuff.
Linc rapped his knuckles lightly on the counter as he stepped up to it, pressing his palms flat against the glass then. He looked down into the display unit, brow furrowing as he saw the black velvet trays of jewellery. Was this like one of those catalogue shops where you could pick through the items on sale before you put your request in. There were rings with all sorts of jewels. Fancy things his mum’s magpie eye would’ve gone to – big paste gems that would’ve taken your eye out. Plenty of blue stones, including a cobalt looking thing he was pretty sure was lapis in a simple silver mount. As a shadow shifted across the glass he almost yelped. ”Cassie.” Her name slipped out on a huff of breath, his mouth twitching into a smile as he looked up. ”Thought you’d be at the door waiting. Is everything … ready?” For that life shattering moment when the ring slipped on his finger and the curse to live in the dark was broken.
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CASSIE LUANNA
Witch
Posts: 186
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Oct 28, 2024 17:35:29 GMT
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Post by CASSIE LUANNA on Mar 7, 2022 17:18:49 GMT
 ━ climb that goddamn mountain ━
And yet, she was everything because of her death. Sure, the resurrection should’ve happened instantly and not a year or so later, but still. Did she owe it to them? Would she be this strong━or this free━if it played out the way it did? Was she ever gonna figure this shit out or just keep getting stuck in her head?!
But… Nicky made daylight rings for the vampire population, and he was kinda like her mentor now, so that said something about working with vampires. Sure, he still charged for them, but it was the fact that he even made them━or taught her to.
Cassie jumped when she heard the door chime, knowing it was probably Linc but growing nervous anyway. And it wasn’t the anxiety she usually got around him━her heart leapt into her throat, and she thought she might puke, whole body going rigid from fear━what if it wasn’t Linc? What if it was Niklaus or… or somebody else looking for some kind of favour?! What if━
Okay, scratch that. She peeked out from the back room, and it was just Linc. She would’ve started blushing if she wasn’t so looking so pale and kinda green-ish. Even ‘just Linc’ could be dangerous.
Stepping out and into the front room, Cassie wandered over to stand across from him, keeping a bit of distance even with the display case between them. She frowned, arms crossed over her chest━though that was more for self-soothing than an outward expression of irritation.
Nearly smiling when he smiled, Cassie quickly reminded herself that this was the problem. Linc had already almost bitten her once before, and she’d freakin’ encouraged him, too! God, why was she so stupid?
“You thought I’d just be sitting around, like, chewing off my fingernails ‘til I got to see you again?” Her words were a lot harsher than she’d meant them to be, and it almost pained her to hear them. Almost. She sighed and tried again━she was the one who offered, after all. “No, you have to be here for me to do the spell, and we’re losing sunlight. Um…” She didn’t want him to get any closer, but the sun was setting at the back of the store, and it was also the easiest place to do the spell. “Okay,” Cassie huffed, “Come around, we’ll do it in the back.”
Shifting to the opening in the counter, Cassie motioned for Linc to go that way and, without really waiting for him, she moved back through the threshold she’d appeared from. Leading him through past all the grimoires and magical stuff they’d collected (more Nicky than herself, obviously, but she still tried to contribute), she brought Linc to a large, solid door. There was a box nearby that she stopped at, plucking up the ring she’d set aside a few days earlier from where it sat beside the box. “I… saved this one for you ‘cause I thought it was nice.” Turning around, she finally faced him (and acknowledged his presence). “Do you like it?” The tiny smile came eventually, along with the gentle dusting of pink across her cheeks that’d seemingly been hiding under the surface this whole time.
LINCOLN CROWNE |  |
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LINCOLN CROWNE
Vampire
Posts: 107
Age:
25
Occupation:
Emerald City Bartender
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Cassie Luanna
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Nov 26, 2024 19:06:13 GMT
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Post by LINCOLN CROWNE on Apr 19, 2022 16:05:56 GMT
Looked like he wasn’t the only one tied up in knots about this. Cassie had appeared from behind the curtain dividing the cluttered from room of the shop from the back. Mrs Graham would’ve said it looked like she’d seen a ghost but there was more a hint of sickness about it, green around the gills. Almost the same way he’d been after Wesley had found him in the club that first time. His stomach churning like he’d bring up the dry sandwich that had been all he’d eaten that day, bread curling up at the edges, the mould cut off the hard heel of cheese. That sick mix of nerves and fear.
Linc shrugged slightly, half tempted to sniff at himself for the same stench of it now. His stomach knotting up like it was trying to hold that sandwich in again, fists curling in and out in time with that clench. If he hadn’t been turned he’d probably reek of anxiety, but then again if he hadn’t been he wouldn’t have needed it, he’d have just been a kid from the wrong side of the tracks coming to see a pretty girl who was probably way too good for him.
If, if, if. There was always something you’d lose if you tried to dial the clock back. That was one thing his parents had been right about when everything else that had come out of their mouths had been wrong. You got nothing for free in this world.
His hand flattened on top of the counter as he watched her drift close to where he stood at the counter. Nerves still tugged with every movement but a smile flickered despite her frown. Blue eyes ended up laced with concern as they ticked from the furrowed brows to the arms crossed over her chest. He huffed out an amused breath, shoulders rising and falling under the thin cover of his black t-shirt. ”Maybe. I don’t expect you to…” But she’d always been so excited about it before. Bouncing on her toes, a smile lighting up her face at the sight of him. This was … dour in comparison. Like she’d been muted somehow.
What smile there was broke as she sighed. Something was wrong. Was she regretting this? Linc straightened up, his shoulders stiffening as he nodded. So it was now then. He stared around the counter, feet dragging slightly. ”I should’ve come earlier then. I wanted to wait ‘til it was dark enough out that I would get caught.” A rogue sunbeam breaking through the trees or peeking around a building, lighting him up like a bloody torch in the middle of the square. One little ring was gonna change all of that. Still seemed like the other shoe was gonna drop on that but he’d seen the ring on Magnus’ finger, on Hector’s and Lawrence’s. It should’ve been solid. Should’ve, but Cassie suddenly seemed funny about the whole thing.
Teeth sank into his lower lip, Linc followed her past a bunch of stuff that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Hogwarts. He kept his hands in his pockets, avoiding reaching out to touch anything until Cassie was stopping, picking up a ring to show it to him. Finally a smile there a flush of colour rising to her cheeks. Linc reached out like he could touch it but left his fingers hovering. ”Yeah,” he huffed out, his smile breaking back out. ”Looks a little more modern than the stuff the others wear. You can tell Hector was a pirate alright.” All ornate and blinging, that stuff would look ridiculous on him. ”You’ve got good taste.” Except maybe for her taste in him but that was a conscience that always seemed to weigh heavy talking now.
Linc swallowed hard, the muscles in his jaw twitching as he glanced between the ring and the box it had been beside. They’d told him something about this but it was mostly still a mystery, all that witch stuff abstract enough to tangle up with all that Harry Potter stuff. ”How does all this work? Have I gotta go walkin’ out there with that?” His chin rose towards the small window at the back of the space, the door he imagined lurked behind another of those velvet curtains like they were in some musty old castle instead of a shop in the middle of a town that couldn’t have been more than a couple hundred years old at most.
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CASSIE LUANNA
Witch
Posts: 186
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Oct 28, 2024 17:35:29 GMT
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Post by CASSIE LUANNA on May 10, 2022 16:32:03 GMT
━ climb that goddamn mountain ━
Finally, in the back, she started smiling again━even though they were literally alone in a smaller space now. But his ring was super nice, and she really hoped he liked it━it was the only non-super-old-looking thing she could find, and Linc wasn’t old, not like Hector. He probs wasn’t even as old as Nicky, which was crazy and comforting and also sorta scary ‘cause older vamps had more control or whatever. Linc said it himself (which somehow wasn’t enough to keep her away).
Cassie’s smile only grew when Linc’s did, happy that he liked it, too. And despite all those nerves, she was even giggling at his comment about Hector and his pirate-ness. “Yeah, totally. They’re all old A. F. and it shows… even though it doesn’t.” She laughed again, and thought about meeting Linc in the middle to let him touch the ring, but his next words had her freezing. Was that a super arrogant innuendo about himself? Linc didn’t seem like the type, but all vampires were pretty much self-serving assholes (Klaus was at the top of that list), so maybe he was just getting there. Either way, Cassie frowned and sighed, letting her hand drop away from his with a muttered, “Sometimes. Not when it counts, I guess.”
She turned away, kinda sad that none of this could work out how she’d hoped. Maybe she shouldn’t have been helping a vampire walk in the daylight (the Ancestors would probably be super pissed), but she’d already made a promise, brought him here and picked out a ring━not to mention that maybe getting him out in the sun would distract him from Cassie. Plus, apart from all that, he was still really cute.
“No, I gotta… uh, lemme just…” Instead of bothering to explain, Cassie grabbed the curtain in front of the door. She paused for a minute, trying to look for somewhere to tuck it to the side, before ultimately giving up and just wrapping it in one big, loose knot. It hung awkwardly now halfway to the floor, but at least it was out of the way and revealing the back door. “Okay, be careful of the sun,” Cassie managed to add over her shoulder, giving Linc a second before she pushed the door open. Orange-y yellows and pinks bled in from the fading sun, casting a pretty glow into the rear of Nicky’s shop. It was pretty and kinda romantic, but the thought had her shifting into gear to complete the spell.
“The ring has to be in the sun for me to do it.” Cassie explained finally, bending to place the ring on the floor just inside the threshold. Standing once more, Cassie focused on the ring and breathed energy into it, closing her eyes to do exactly as Nicky taught her. Within a few moments, she puffed out a breath and grinned, proud of herself now. All the other times had been for practice, but this was kinda like a gift, and she felt good about it.
Scooping it up, Cassie pranced over to Linc with the ring, beaming brightly again. She grabbed his hand and slipped the silver band onto his finger, then squeezed his hand with her own. “Go check it out,” While still looking into his eyes, Cassie nodded over her shoulder at the open door, eager to see Linc step into the sun for the first time in who knows how long. Instead of letting another question linger without being asked━and knowing nothing about him━Cassie turned towards the sun, asking a quiet, “How… long has it been since you’ve been able to go in the sun?” Cassie couldn’t imagine that━it had to be totally depressing and set everything off balance when you already felt like shit about changing into something else. Which… sorta gave points to Linc (and the vampire species), ‘cause all of this had to be awful.
LINCOLN CROWNE | here comes the smoochy-smoochy  |
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LINCOLN CROWNE
Vampire
Posts: 107
Age:
25
Occupation:
Emerald City Bartender
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Cassie Luanna
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Nov 26, 2024 19:06:13 GMT
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Post by LINCOLN CROWNE on Jun 9, 2022 20:31:06 GMT
It’s fine. Obviously it wasn’t. He’d been hearing variations on that theme his entire life and not a single person had ever meant it. Wesley hissing it at him with that edge that told him he’d pay for whatever mistake he’d made later, Magnus saying it like the disappointment was gonna choke him, Mrs. Graham with that look on her face that made it clear she was just trying not to worry him (and there’d been plenty to worry about in those last months). Cassie saying it low enough he would’ve had trouble picking it out before. Now he heard it clearly and was left scrambling to try and pick apart the nuances his baby vamp brain couldn’t identify like the flavours in a pack of Skittles yet, not like the old ones could.
Apologies for almost souring the whole pack had slipped out and maybe they’d worked well enough. The smile was on Cassie’s face finally and it was reassuring. Much more of the not-like-Cassie-at-all and the knots that had already been in his belly might’ve sent him scuttling out the door. Magnus had pushed for him to get the ring, practically telling him it’d change his whole life. Problem was he’d heard Wesley use that line a hundred times before, right before he suckered people in and ruined their life. He didn’t wanna do that to Cassie, hadn’t wanted to drag her into any of it even if she’d muscled her way in right back in the first place.
Relief, or maybe reassurance, curled warm through him, as she helped him pick the ring out. A little huff of something approaching laughter, like the spell that’d held that weird mood in place had shattered. ”Gonna tell Magnus that,” he threatened lightly. ”He’ll love it.” She wasn’t wrong though, it only took a handful of words out of Magnus’ mouth to realise he was very much a man of another age. He’d have gone for something more ostentatious with – what did they call it? – chasing, some sort of ornamentation around the blue stone that was the key to all of this. Linc supposed it didn’t matter what it was surrounded with, not really, but this felt … right.
He looked up from it, caught the sigh and frown and his brows furrowed right back. This felt like a mine field that he didn’t remember walking into. ”Always seems it to me,” he managed, gesturing to himself with that anxious grin. Like picking him had proved it, instead of that choice being wrapped up in a thick coat of why? like it actually was.
Like I’m fine that was a statement he never quite got a straight answer to. Why him? Every bloody time something happened the words stuck in his throat.
The sigh plucked at those knots, relief tidal-waving in that this wasn’t some trial by fire thing. Having to run a sunlit gauntlet to get to the ring on the other side. Linc’s hands clenched lightly at his side’s still, his Adam’s apple bobbing as Cassie tied up the curtain that covered the door and warned him to prepare himself. ”Alright,” he said roughly. Blue eyes fixed on the floor, following the arc of sunlight as it started to bleed in, his toes just short of where the strongest light arced across the worn boards of the floor. The light that suffused the rest of the room was softer, like one of those summer nights when they’d played out on the estate until the sun had taken that final nosedive behind the blocks after threatening it for a good hour.
She set the ring down in that light, letting the sun spill onto the metal and that stone. Linc dragged his eyes up from it, watching Cassie, feeling something tingle over his skin and settle like a candle in the pit of his stomach as she pulled off the spell. Knowing someone was a witch and watching them Hermione Grainger up a miracle for you were definitely two different things. Linc grinned ear to eat as she scooped the ring up. Like some blushing bride at the altar – although missing the bit where he said I do and put the ring on her finger first – slotting the ring into place. He curled his hand around hers, feeling that squeeze of a fist around his throat for a second as he looked up at Cassie and then past her out to that last pool of sun. ”It’s done … I can just…?” Step outside like it had never happened.
He hesitated, standing on the threshold, like he couldn’t get the guts up to take that last step. It was like he could almost feel it, that heat that radiated over your skin, leaving you glowing, especially when you were on the point of going lobster red. ”More than a year,” he said quietly. Embarrassment tightened his expression as he looked back at her. ”Wasn’t like I saw it much before that, not for a couple of years. Where I was wasn’t exactly …” Healthy, normal, light. Fuck Wesley and his fucking club, he was taking this back.
Still clutching Cassie’s hand he took those two fast steps forward, drawing her out into the light with him. It was probably half as strong as it was at midday – like an American’s attempt at making a cup of tea, piss water compared to a real cup – but it washed over him just like he remembered. Linc let out a laugh, tipping his head back like a kid looking to get a face full of snow. Through closed lids he could see the red glow, could feel it on his skin and there wasn’t an ounce of pain. No smoke in the air as he opened his eyes and slanted a smile at her. ”Thank you. This is … it’s a miracle and you did it …” Laughing like that snow speckled kid, catching Cassie’s cheeks in his hands as he kissed her hard. Filled with that rapidly growing red bloom of gratitude and the warmth of interest – a teenager flushed on those stirred up feelings for a pretty girl despite everything else he’d ended up thanks to Wesley.
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CASSIE LUANNA
Witch
Posts: 186
Played by:
Julia
Last seen Oct 28, 2024 17:35:29 GMT
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Post by CASSIE LUANNA on Jun 13, 2022 19:39:48 GMT
━ climb that goddamn mountain ━
But it wasn’t his fault he was a vampire, either. And he was trying to be good, Cassie knew that. She couldn’t imagine staying out of the sun for more than a year. Sunburns hurt like a motherfucker, but she figured she’d start to miss them if she could never get one again. It didn’t sound like he’d had a wonderful upbringing, either, and Cassie wanted to ask about it. She wanted to know all the little details about Linc that they never got to share before, but this just wasn’t the time. He was happy, and Cassie let his expression bleed into her own, admiring how cute and bright his face got when he smiled.
Maybe he wasn’t so bad.
They stepped out into the light together, with Linc pulling Cassie along like he really wanted to share this moment with her, and Cassie wondered if maybe she was scared of the wrong guy. She’d defended vampires when Mab asked, told her she couldn’t paint the whole species with the same brush, and even though it seemed like they were inherently evil, Linc had good moments. She liked the way her stomach fluttered when she was around him. It was a good kind of nervous, like ultra excitement.
She watched him bask in the sun for a moment, letting Linc have his time to experience it without her constant babble getting in the way. Her cheeks were pink from him and from the sun, only getting redder as time passed.
‘Thank you. This is … it’s a miracle and you did it …’
Cassie was still smiling, lips parted to tell him it was no biggie, that she was just happy he was happy, but then he was kissing her and she was totally melting. It’d been a little too much the first time, then a bit nerve-racking during Halloween, but this was… so much better. All the anxiety melted away, with Cassie’s hands circling his wrists gently, kissing Linc with just as much excitement. Her palms slid down his arms, finding his shoulders and shifting in a little closer.
She felt his teeth, sending a little shiver up her spine until it hurt. It wasn’t bad━not like getting her throat sliced open━but it was still worse than a normal teeth graze. “Ow!” Cassie yelped, using her hold on his shoulders to shove him back. Lifting a hand to press a finger to her lip, she glanced at the dot of blood, and then up to his eyes. They weren’t blue like hers anymore, they were dark and he had all those vampire veins crawling underneath, looking like he was about to rip out her throat if she hesitated.
On instinct, Cassie threw out her hands again, giving him a rough shove with magic to put a few feet between them. “God, what’s wrong with you? I do you a favour, and you… you still wanna hurt me? What if I was a human? Or what if I trusted you more, huh? Would you have drained me?” Making an annoyed, disgusted sound, Cassie rolled her eyes and stepped back into the store, though she turned to glare at Linc over her shoulder. “I’m so sick of all you vampires thinking you can just do whatever the hell you want. Go murder a couple unsuspecting joggers in the woods, ‘cause that’s seriously all you guys are good for. Enjoy your fucking ring.” Grabbing the door, Cassie slammed it quickly.
She hated this. She wanted to be with Linc, she wanted a boyfriend after everything she’d been through, and she really, really liked him. It was as if he was just starting to like her back, and then it all had to go south. Why was this shit so complicated? With tears in her eyes, Cassie charmed the door to keep it locked and wandered to the front, head hanging defeatedly. It was just better this way.
LINCOLN CROWNE | end here or w yours? |
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LINCOLN CROWNE
Vampire
Posts: 107
Age:
25
Occupation:
Emerald City Bartender
Status:
In a Relationship
Partner:
Cassie Luanna
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Nov 26, 2024 19:06:13 GMT
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Post by LINCOLN CROWNE on Jul 9, 2022 19:44:19 GMT
Freedom!
Being turned by Magnus was supposed to bring it. That rescue that had taken him from the hands of one vampire to another – albeit one who had an altruistic streak a mile wild through his ancient carcass. Finally free of the club he’d been a prisoner in for years. Fresh air, nobody ordering every move he made. No more herding innocent people like cattle towards certain death. Fresh air, an open world – sunshine searing his skin the moment it touched him. It was no wonder Wesley had buried himself in the club. Going outside without a ring on his finger would’ve been certain death and Wes hadn’t found himself a pet witch to do this.
Linc suddenly regretted pushing away Magnus’ idea for so long. He hadn’t wanted to use Cassie, not that way, especially not after Hector had already convinced her to do him favours in return for being able to walk into the club whenever she wanted. Not when he liked her. It had felt wrong, but she’d agreed and she’d done it.
Freedom. The real thing. No more pressing his nose to the curtain covered windows at Magnus’ place, waiting for the sun to dip just far enough that he could go out there without going up like a roman candle.
Sun on his skin. Red behind his closed eyelids. Cassie’s hand still clutched in his, his palm going just a little sweaty. An unbridled wave of joy as he felt those shackles falling away. He could sit in the square all day, people watch like they’d done on the estate, maybe, if he could earn enough trust out of Magnus, he could take a few classes at Whitmore. Get to actually do the things that’d been denied to him through years of shitty guardianship.
Letting it all bleed out through his grin as he opened his eyes, Linc thanked her, then … He hadn’t planned it, didn’t wanna tie what this was up in what had happened before, what he’d felt from her. It hadn’t stopped him though. In a heartbeat that freedom had his lips on Cassie’s. The kiss was warm as the sun on the back of his neck, the way it had been in the store room at the club, only this time they weren’t skulking around in shadows and he wasn’t pulling away the instant he felt the thud of Cassie’s pulse beneath his skin like it was his own. Magnus had trusted him. Cassie trusted him.
The small sound of need slipped out of him, the kiss deepening as Cassie’s hands found his wrists. Their warmth sliding down his arms, curling around his shoulders, pulling her in. Still in control, he told himself as his hand slid to the back of her neck, feeling the tickle of her curls against the back of his fingers. The pit of his stomach was going hot, the knot of need tightening in it until he wanted to ease her back against the side of the building and stay like this until the sun was down below the horizon. Linc’s brows knotted, he took that last step closer, his lips parting, his teeth, his fangs – they pressed against his gums, aching like other parts of him – emerged just enough to catch her lower lip.
Apologies flooded up into Linc’s throat like he was going to be sick at Cassie’s yelp. He went to whisper them against her mouth but she was already shoving him back. Linc stood a foot in front of her, the taste of her blood blooming in his mouth. He stared at her mouth as she pressed a finger to her lips and brought it back bloody. The ache was back, the veins squirming under his eyes in a way that had his slamming shut, his frown growing as he tried to will it all back. ”Cassie, I’m s-sorry … I got carried away … I didn’t mean…” To slip. Thata was all it had been, but it was like that nip had thrown them back into that awkwardness that had been there when he’d arrived.
All at once it was tumbling out of her. Invisible hands shoved at him, leaving his trainers scraping against the floor of the yard as he stumbled back. His eyes opened again, apology and hurt filling their blue depths as he looked at her. The accusations he couldn’t deny slapped out just as hard. ”I don’t want to hurt you, I never wanted to hurt you, Cassie. No, no! I wouldn’t have drained you. Please…” That had been his biggest fear, what had left him pushing her out of the club that first time and now he’d fucked up royally.
Hands held out to her, the ring shining on his finger, Linc tried to babble out another apology but Cassie was already stepping into the store, glaring back at him. All you vampires. He was … he’d wanted to believe he wasn’t, but how was he different to Wesley now? The comparison left him flinching away as though she’d slapped him. Drain people, like he had done that first time. It didn’t matter that the guy had deserved it. He’d killed before, if Cassie hadn’t pushed him this time, maybe he would’ve again …
She shut the door in his face. Linc approached it slowly, planting his hands against it for just a moment with his eyes down. He could still feel the imprint of her lips on his, smell her shampoo on his hands, taste her blood. Tears burned in Linc’s eyes, but his hunger didn’t care. It was never gonna care. He slapped his hand against the door lightly, cursing under his breath before he turned and blurred away. Magnus might’ve acted like a saint, but he was the only one who could fit up on that high horse. Cassie was right, they were all the same. He was just like Wesley, nothing more than a leech with a hunger that burned hot enough to scorch him from the inside out.
Two blocks in a heartbeat, just a short alley away from the square and all that was left of the day. A door at the back of one of the businesses slammed open, some guy storming right into him as he stripped an apron off. Off the clock, heading home, knocking a shattered vampire back a step. The biggest fucking mistake of his life. The growl rolled out of Linc’s throat before he could control it, fingers curled into the guy’s shirt and this time he didn’t even try to stop his fangs from piercing his gums, from piercing the guy’s throat before he could scream.
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