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“Fuck off,” he shouted back.

***

I made it back to my office without breaking Benjamin’s door down and dropped into the sofa, exhaustion creeping into my bones. The sun was up, and I was always weaker when the day came. I wouldn’t burn up in the sun if I decided on a midday stroll, but I’d be closer to human and easier to kill. Newly turned vampires couldn’t stand the sun at all. It took decades to adjust to letting sunlight touch your skin again. For me, it was just over half a century, and even then, I only managed to watch the sun rise for twenty minutes but it was the most glorious sun rise I’d ever seen.

The door clicked open, and Vlad walked into the room followed by Alice. She was on our staff as a donor, and we had strict rules for becoming one. You could only be a donor for six months and you had to have regular health checks with the doctor. We paid well, but at the end of the six months, your memory was wiped, and you were returned to your normal life. Sex was not expected, but feeding was an intimate thing and quite often sex was a natural follow on.

“Good evening, Damyr,” she purred, and I grimaced.

Vlad chuckled at me. “Do you want someone else?”

“No,” I snapped. “It’s fine.”

I beckoned her forwards. She was clad in a gown that draped over her body like silk and her dark hair was pinned on top of her head, artfully exposing her neck.

“Which vein would you like?” she asked, her tone sultry and seductive.

The thought of drinking from her neck repulsed me and I almost blanched. I was a vampire, and I didn’t want to drink blood? The fuck was wrong with me.

“Your wrist,” I said sharply which earned me another chuckle from Vlad. Alice’s brows dipped into a frown, but she didn’t say anything else as she sat next to me on the sofa.

“You probably shouldn’t do that, boss.” Vlad stood casually with his hands in his pocket, a smug little grin across his sharp face.

I just threw him a scowl and sank my fangs into the soft flesh of her wrist.

Alice screamed and I recoiled instantly. The blood tasted like ash in my mouth, putrid and rotten. I spat it out and retched. I was vaguely aware of Vlad scooping Alice up and getting her away from me, but I couldn’t focus on anything but the pain. Shivers consumed my body, and my muscles convulsed.

“Damyr!” Hands grabbed at my face and pulled at my limbs. Vlad’s features swam in front of my eyes as fire seared my veins and stole my breath.

And then, just as suddenly as the pain had started, it faded, leaving my skin feeling clammy and my heart thundering in my chest.

Blood splattered my shirt, and my stomach still churned uncomfortably. “What was that?”

Vlad grinned at me, his smile broad and garish. “Congratulations, boss. You’ve got a mate.”

Fuck.

“I’ll get Benji so he can feed you.” Vlad stood to leave but I grabbed his arm to stop him.

“No.”

“No?” Disbelief sat heavy in his eyes.

“I can’t.” I could tell Vlad didn’t approve, finding a mate was beyond rare, but fear held me back. “I can’t risk losing him.”

Not when I’d just found him.

“Damyr,” Vlad said softly, his hand grabbing mine. “He might not understand what’s happening, but he will still be able to feel it. You’d be doing him a disservice by keeping him in the dark.”

He was right. Vlad had an uncanny knack of always being right. “I will tell him. Just not yet.”

I just needed some time.

Vlad patted my hand. “Okay. But what are you going to do about feeding?”

I pursed my lips. That was definitely a tricky one. Once you’d found your mate, it was impossible to feed on anyone else. “I’ll be fine.”

The big guy snorted. “Of course you will.”