[ a part of him wishes she didn't babble. yet, another part loves her babbling, even when it makes both of them uncomfortable. at least it lets him partially figure out what she's thinking. ]

It's-- [ always a temptation, he stops himself from saying. he can't explain that he already knows what she tastes like - could pick out her blood from a blind taste test, even if Faith's was also involved. he goes with the slayer explanation, though. ] Thanks. It's--Slayer blood is different from--it's, like, supercharged. [ he catches himself before saying it's different from a normal human's blood, knowing how she questions that about herself, worries about it. and if she doesn't know about its own aphrodisiac qualities... he should probably tell her, but weirdly he doesn't want to. he would, if he believed she was offering every vampire a taste, but--well, he hopes she's not.

especially not without his mark on her neck yet, showing his claim to her, no matter how inadvertent it had been at the time he'd done it.

there is one thing he wants to clear up, though. ] It is intimate - but I'm not gonna lose my soul from it. Not when it's about as clear a sign that I'm not human as I can get.