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“An offshore account,” Asher says quietly, before carrying Chloe up to the second floor.

Moving toward the stairs he went up, I gently pull Alena to my side. We need to find our room and kiss.

With hope, this kiss I’ve promised her will lead to something far more intimate...

A big, furry-faced Andrei appears at the top of the stairs, wagging his finger at me.

“You two have a room downstairs in the basement. It’s secure and there’s a lot less shit that can be broken,” Andrei says with a laugh.

“What do you mean shit that can be broken?” Alena asks and tries to pull her hand from mine. “I’ve never shared a room with a man before. I don’t—”

Trying not to sigh, I say as calmly as possible, “We need privacy and a place to talk without anyone or anything to bother us.”

“But—” Alena tries to protest.

I shake my head at her. “You also need sleep and food. When’s the last time you had either?”

That gives her pause.

Pushing gently on the bond to read her thoughts, I learn she hasn’t slept in some time and can’t remember the last time she ate.

Being glamoured into a catatonic state isn’t sleeping. It doesn’t give humans or vampires the mental break we all need.

Granted, vampires, if they’re old enough, can go days and sometimes weeks without rest. But it isn’t pleasant on their bodies or the people around them.

The longer a vampire goes without rest, the more blood we need to keep ourselves going.

“Is there food in the house?” I ask Andrei.

“Yeah. We asked Dav to stock the place before we arrived. He’s going to bring more later.” He nods toward Alena. “Just in case.”

Ah.

In case she refuses to be turned soon...

Fuck. I truly hope that’s not an issue I need to worry about. But with how screwed up our bond is, I don’t know what’s going to happen.

As if to prove my fear, Alena repeats, “I want my own room. I can’t share a room with a man.”

Dammit.

If only I could speak into her mind without the risk of terrifying her.

But I can’t take the chance she’ll block me out again and completely sever our connection.

Not believing what I’m about to say out loud for my entire family to hear, I cringe inside and want to die. “I’ll give you all the kisses you want if you share a room with me.”

From upstairs, there’s a belt of laughter before it’s quickly smothered.

Vampiric hearing, you just can’t get away from it sometimes.

A hot gush of arousal floods through the bond.

Fuck me.

Her face lights up and she grins. “Yes, please.”

I swing her into my arms, and her lust and desire pulses through my body.