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“Of course not. I don’t have time to season my victims,” he replied.

That very same night, a hole broke through the roof above me. It happened while I was trying to sleep, and a stream of water splashed across my face. I woke up sputtering. Sitting up, I quickly moved out of the way, looking up to see that there was a tiny hole where the rain was coming through.

Great.

“You okay?” asked James, groggily from the bed.

I quickly pulled the blanket from the ground, dragging it out of the way of the leak. The floor was slowly getting flooded.

“Do you have a bucket or something?” I asked.

“No,” he said, opening one eye. “Come join me.”

“Can’t you just fix the leak?” I asked, desperate. The bed was way too small, and there was no way I was going to get on the bed with him.

“I’ll work on it tomorrow,” he said, turning onto his back. “I won’t touch you, I promise. Just sleep.”

My heart puttering in my chest, I gingerly walked over to the small bed and lay on the very edge of it. Even then, our bodies were only inches from each other. We were barely touching, but I could still feel the forbidden energy between us. I pulled the blanket over my head, watching the rain sprinkle into the hut and soaking the mud floor.

I lay there, listening to James breathing next to me. A few minutes passed, and I could tell he was still awake too. I was as still as a statue, trying not to make it awkward. I tried to breathe normally, but my scent was getting heavier in the air, overpowering every other smell in the hut. Deciding to get more comfortable, I turned onto my back and closed my eyes.

“Do you normally sleep at this time?” I whispered.

“Not really,” he replied. “I’m usually out hunting.”

“I don’t want to change your routine or anything,” I said. “You can still do what you do at night.”

“I want to make sure you’re safe,” he said. “Do not worry about my comfort.”

Somehow that touched me. A little part of my heart wondered if he was for real.

“How did I get myself into this situation?” I sighed.

“You were simply curious. Don’t blame yourself.”

“If only I had stayed at home and worked at my shop- none of this would have happened,” I said.

“What kind of shop do you have?”

“I sell products for omegas,” I said. It was my pride and joy. And I especially loved talking about it. “Stuff like candles, nesting products, and perfume.”

“Sounds…interesting.”

I looked over at him, seeing a thoughtful look on his face. “What is it?”

“Do you feel like you might go into heat? Considering you don’t have any products for it here?”

“I mean, it could happen,” I said. He suddenly reached over and touched my forehead with the back of his palm. His hand felt nice and cool to the touch. A warmth of fire simmered in my core and in between my legs. His touch ignited something foreign within me.

“You’re warm,” he said gruffly.

“Oh, it’s nothing to worry about,” I brushed off. “I’m always warm, and you’re a vampire. Your temperature is a lot different from mine.”

When he lifted his hand off my forehead, I reached out, grabbing his hand. His eyes widened in surprise, his red irises staring directly at me. I instantly released his hand, and he slowly turned towards me, lying on his side.

“What’s going on, little omega?”

“I don’t know what took over me. I’m sorry,” I said, my face burning. I hope he couldn’t see how embarrassed I was as I lay on my back. I felt his eyes boring into me as I lay there, contemplating whether to run out of his hut in embarrassment or just sleep on the flooded floor.