It was at the peak of his blood mixing with her own bloodstream that she faltered. That he would catch her and not immediately let go sent her heart soaring high. He heard her gasp of surprise and her body sense up as his arm entwined with her own. However, it did not take her long to relax and coil further around it. He had no idea that she looked up to his face with such endearment, such longing while he motioned to the vines she very much detested. It was like moving past them and into a garden of such beautiful array had turned a switch inside her. Already, the small amount of blood was waning inside enough so that her attention span grew much larger.<br/><br/>He showed her such gorgeous flowers, telling her their names. Their appearances were so deceptive for the application of their petals or stems was so grotesque that she clung even more to his arm and as far away from the edge of the path that she could. To think that such monstrosities could be grown... and yet, she felt something fall away inside. A barrier seemed to crumble as he told her he would never let a single one come close to her or enter into her system. There was a hush to her as he set her down onto the bench. His quiet moment gave her much time for her mind to set to work.<br/><br/>A plant that could make a person so susceptible to suggestion they would comply without question... yet he hadn't used it on her, just his blood. Another that could make her fall in love with him, as he was her captor, but he did not use it... only his blood. A plant that would make her thirst for the blood initially given with it... what if it had been his? She would have died... Still, he had not used them, just his blood. Karie came to the conclusion that his blood was far more dangerous than all of them combined for he hadn't needed any of the plants. He had snared her early on with that first taste.<br/><br/>He began to speak again and she lifted her head as she listened. Her arms curled around herself as she felt a chill creep up into her body. He told her what she wanted to hear, that he valued her more than the need to manipulate her. He wanted to stop the battle set between them and move forward. He... did he even want her? It was a question that had moisture pooling into her eyes as she looked at the back of his head. Her blinks were enough to keep the tears back from flowing.<br/><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#00b3b3">"I wish you had asked me to come here instead of through seduction. I could have loved you and giving you my blood,"</span>she spoke at last. He heard her shift from the bench and step towards him. Her hand barely touched the back of his coat and he cold tell she was trembling.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#00b3b3">"But that isn't what you want, so I will not tell you. Instead, you wish something else... something that I have not ever wanted to give."</span><br/><br/>He felt her hand trail down to his waist, further still to over the back of his ass and leg. When he moved to look at her, he would find her sitting there on her knees with her head bowed low. Her fingers finally fell away to rest down on the ground an inch from his feet.<br/><br/>Was it due to the small amount of blood he had given? Or was this decision all on her own? He might never know the truth unless he asked. Karie just knew she was tired of trying to fight for something that simply would never be. She was a means to his goals and nothing more. She was not a person but a machine to blood valued above all others. He had told her he would treat her well if she behaved. Today was a good view of what that could mean. If such were the case, she would do it. She would bide her time and try again at a later time, in a better way to regain herself. For now... she would be his.