Pretty Boy: The Lost Chapters

Brad's Survival Arc: Part 8

If there was one word to describe Marshall, it would be territorial.

A sense of pride made him want to flaunt any possessions he found to be particularly awe-inspiring. Items of importance deserved to be shown to the world so a wider audience could marvel at such amazing personal treasures. Of course, 'possessions' was a broad term used to group together a plethora of aspects in his life which he genuinely took pride in, whether it be his music, foods he made, collectibles from around the world, or even people. Marshall enjoyed parading around his meaningful belongings because he liked when other people knew when something, or someone, was his and his alone.

It was another major change he made after turning into a vampire.

Human-Marshall wasn't really one to gloat. Whenever successes came to him in life, any form of reward or praise given was always taken in a humble fashion. Working as a means of supporting himself and Rosalie, along with keeping his father's business afloat, didn't really leave room to get attached to material objects. And since Marshall preferred to be introverted, only putting himself out there when it came to finding a sexual partner, he had no desire to form relationships either.

Becoming an imprint also altered his tastes for certain things. Getting into a relationship with his literal soulmate turned a more reserved man into someone who steadily learned to be greedy.

To be fair, Marshall didn't become gluttonous over much. But he'd put forth a terrifying ferocity if anyone ever tried to get in the way of him and two things: 1) Paul, and 2) the man's recently established desire to be a willing blood supply.

Feeding from Paul definitely wasn't something either of them had planned. It just so happened, after getting to their hotel and "settling in" with each other, Marshall lost a bit of self control. With lips connected, hands wandering, and bodies slotted against each other, the simple feel of a beating heart against his chest—the feeling of a rapid pulse beneath his fingertips—it was a lot. So much stimulation hit him at once to the point of making him tremble.

Paul had committed to a bold decision of grabbing his imprint by the throat the way he liked. In response, Marshall lunged, grazed heated skin with his middle finger, and clamped down on a small gash oozing a thin stream of blood.

The first drops to land on his tongue ripped a deep, guttural growl out of him. 

Paul's hold tightened, but he never made any gestures to pull himself away.

If anything, his grasp on Marshall brought their bodies closer until no space was left to separate them.

Everything became a bit of a blur for both men after that. However, they could recall how prior sexual escapades never felt so...extreme. Marshall donning the guise of predatory vampire while Paul presented himself as easy prey—their actions following an unplanned feeding session were nothing short of feral. Any excursions they'd had the following day were canceled to continue pursuing a new path where following primal urges was top priority.

Now, with their short vacation being over, a fun weekend of recklessness had to be traded in for a more normalized lifestyle of maintaining control.

At least, for the most part.

Because, again, as expected by anyone who knew him, Marshall had no issue in taking what was rightfully his.

He sucked his teeth in minor annoyance while peeking over his glasses to do a quick check in the rearview mirror. "As much as I love seeing you in a sleeveless turtleneck, baby, it makes me sad to know you're hiding my handiwork. I spent so much time getting you all dolled up. Red and purple look gorgeous on your complexion."