The hand reaching around Phin to press a curiously but not unpleasantly scented silk handkerchief over his nose did so firmly but gently, and the body pressing up against his back felt hard yet yielding as he collapsed into its enfolding arms. Suddenly lost to all but himself, he retained enough awareness to feel long, silky hair and short, bristly whiskers—both redolent of the toasted-cocoa scent of long-roasted oolong—come to rest against the side of his face, and then lips?—yes, lips!—furtively touch his cheek. As much as to question his waylayer as to answer his kiss, Phin, despite the last of his agency failing, managed to turn his head towards him and murmur faintly. To the touch of the man’s lips on his, he, as if the object of an enchantment, fell asleep, wistfully regretting having neither the strength nor the will to open his heavily lidded eyes to gaze upon his mysterious lover before succumbing to the void.
(Copyright © 2025 by Mark Zidzik. All rights reserved.)
"Dracula/Harker: A Gay Gothic Romance Inspired by Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'" by Mark Zidzik 