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She’d known vampires kept feeders and had spoken to some in the last few weeks. As Julian had mentioned, the vampires paid the feeders a fortune for their service. It was a beneficial relationship, not the master-slave relationship the Organization portrayed it to be. The feeders lived well and had the freedom to go wherever they wanted as long as they took shifts “working”. A separate department existed to schedule feeder shifts and evaluated the feeders every quarter to ensure the humans showed no signs of addiction to the vampire’s bite or sex.

Okay, maybe she had been a tiny bit jealous. That wasn’t Julian’s fault. It also wasn’t his fault that she was developing feelings for him.

She’d been in shock, and she must have been out of her mind to offer her blood. He’d been the sane one to reject her. He hadn’t fed from her, which, in hindsight, considering his injuries and the way she’d thrown herself at him, must’ve taken an enormous amount of control.

He’d done the right thing. The honorable thing. While it had hurt to be rebuffed, the rejection poking at the scabs of her childhood abandonment, she’d have more regrets if he’d fed from her.

“Are my complaints boring you?”

The vampire slammed both of her hands on Leah’s desk, jerking her back to the present.

“I’m sorry?”

Leah’s guest huffed. “I want to change rooms.”

Standing in front of her was Lady Gabriella, Head of House Haven, and Felix’s mate. They were the most beautiful couple she’d ever met. The Lady was the perfect partner to Felix’s Adonis looks, with an angelic face that might have inspired a Renaissance painting. Loose blonde curls fell over her slender shoulders. The old-fashioned gown adorned a tall and lithe body, the fabric matching her sky-blue eyes.

While Gabriella was the Head of House Haven, one of the four vampire Houses in the United States, it was the brown-haired vampire bodyguard behind her with the steel gaze that raised goosebumps on Leah’s arms. That one exuded power and was too much like Julian.

Leah sighed, irritation making her sound curt. “Look, I tried to tell Julian no, and he wouldn’t listen, but—”

“Julian?” The beautiful vampire’s perfectly arched brows drew together. “You cannot convince him?”

“If you let me finish… since you’re here requesting a room change, I’ll grant it.” Leah paused, then added, “But Julian said you’d be safer rooming with Felix.”

Gabriella scowled. “He would say that. Arrogant male. Yet you do not room with him.”

Leah’s cheeks heated. “Why would I room with him?”

Tilting her head, Gabriella studied Leah with those pretty eyes. After two interminable seconds, she squirmed under the woman’s intense gaze.

“You don’t know,” Gabriella said. Fury bloomed across her face. “He hasn’t told you.”

“Told me what?”

Julian was hiding something from her? Not a big surprise there.

“Gabby…” her intimidating companion warned.

The blonde whirled on him. “Do notGabbyme! He is doing the same thing Felix did with me! She deserves to know.”

The other vampire sighed. “It’s not the same thing.”

“Felix didn’t tell me until it was too late. How is it not the same?”

“Whatever it is, I’d appreciate it if you tell me,” Leah interrupted. Dealing with two fighting vampires was not on her to-do list for the day.

Gabriella sat back down, her movements graceful. She moved like she came from another era, when women were trained and expected to be gentle ladies. This time, when she faced Leah, her expression was tender and kind but serious all the same.

Her next words tilted Leah’s world on its axis.

“You’re his mate.”

Chapter Eighteen

Leahstared,uncomprehending,atthe vampire in front of her.

“You’re his mate.”