Page 5

Dorian

Once I cleaned myself off, I wrung out the washcloth and stepped out of the pool. Grabbing a towel, I made my way back over to the chest to return the soap, then I laid the washcloth on top of it to dry.

Holding out my hand to Neo, I pulled him out of the pool and wrapped him in the other towel to keep him warm and dry him off.

Taking care of my lover to this extent wasn’t something I typically did. I wasn’t cruel, but I didn’t go around bathing them, either. Something inside of me was telling me to care for him. It was rooted deep within me, and after hearing my chest rumble the way it did, I was pretty sure I knew what.

But that wasn’t something you brought up only hours after meeting. Especially not to a human that had no idea about my world.

“My blood should help keep you warm,” I told him after I’d dried him off and he was dressing. “But tell me if you get cold on the way back, okay?”

He looked at me like I was crazy, but he nodded.

Once we were both dressed, I kissed his lips and grabbed his hand to lead him back to the castle where all of us in Dregan’s den slept. It was baffling that I technically lived in a castle now considering I’d lived underground for about fifty years before we’d escaped to this island. Not that the castle really looked like a castle anymore seeing how old it was, but we were working on rebuilding it. Our den was large and we needed to stay close together, so it was the best choice for us. The shifters had one corner of the castle so Dregan and his True Mate, Christopher, could stay near both their people. But the rest of us tended to steer clear of them.

We passed the other hot springs, and they were empty since it was so close to dawn. We walked beside one another, and this sense of contentment filled me, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Neo was meant to be in my life.

Now I just had to find a way to keep him.

But not today. Today, he needed time to process being fed from for the first time, and I knew that Remi and the other bestowers would want to fuss over him and make sure he was okay. I could tell that Remi had taken a liking to him, and even though Remi hadn’t been a bestower very long, the other humans looked up to him. Plus, Neo hadn’t eaten anything all night. Shit. Maybe I should’ve gotten him food.

As much as I wanted to ask him to come to bed with me, it wasn’t right to take that time with the others away from him.

“I’ll be sure to have food brought to my quarters tomorrow night for you,” I said as we approached the castle.

“Oh, um… thank you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t think to bring any with us. You’re probably famished. I have water in my room, so when we get there, I can give you that, at least.”

“That would be great, thank you. I’m a little hungry, but I’m not starving or anything.” He sent me a small smile that made my dead heart flip.

And I couldn’t help it. I had to taste his lips right that second.

So I did.

Pulling him to a stop, I cupped his cheek with my free hand and slowly kissed him, savoring the flavor. I could taste myself on him, I could smell myself on him, and that made the beast inside me more content than ever.

When I pulled away, he smiled at me, so I smiled back, then tugged him inside the building and away from the rising sun. There were lanterns lit in the halls to light the way for the humans that lived with us. As a vampire, I could see in the dark, but it was nice having a little light. We’d bricked up the widows on the lower levels of the castle so there was no chance of anyone getting hurt from the sun.

I stopped at my door and unlocked it before lighting a sconce on the wall with one of the torches in the hall, and once I returned it, I fixed Neo a glass of water. There was an old armchair in the corner, plus my bed and a dresser, but not room for much more than that. Neo sat in the armchair, so I claimed the bed, even though I wanted to pull him close to me.

“Can I ask you a question that might be rude?”

“We don’t sleep in coffins.” I patted the bed beside me. “I sleep on a bed, just like you.”

He smiled and rolled his eyes. “I can see that. Although, I’ve been in a bedroll on the ground, not an actual bed.”

I frowned. “They didn’t give you a bed?”

“They ran out. They’re making more, but I let everyone else get theirs before me because I’m used to sleeping on the ground.”

“What does that mean?”

He shrugged and sipped his water. “My village was poor—really poor, and specifically, my family was. I had a brother and two sisters all living in the same house with our mother since my father died when I was young. It’s not like there have been mattress stores open in the last decade, so I got the floor.” He shrugged, but looked sad, and something inside of me squeezed tight.

“You lost your whole family?”

He nodded, then sent me a sad smile. “We tried to fight them, but we didn’t have the right weapons the—what are they called?”

“Holy Tree-infused.”

“Yeah, that. We didn’t have any, so nothing we did slowed them down. They just kept coming at us. I even…” He cleared his throat. “I even sliced one of the witch’s throats and she didn’t stop, she… she still killed my… my brother.”

I jumped from my seat in a flash and kneeled in front of him, cradling his head in my hands before pulling him into a hug. “Oh, my treasure, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

He shook his head, but wrapped his arms around my waist. Even though I was squatting down, I still pulled him onto my lap and rubbed his back and kissed his hair, and after a few minutes, he muttered, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cry on you… I’ll… I’ll understand if you don’t want me to come back.”

I gasped and pulled back to make eye contact with him. “Why would you say such a thing? I want you to come back. Nay, I don’t want you to leave at all.”

“Wh-what?”

I sighed and leaned my forehead on his. “I don’t want you to leave, Neo, but I’m afraid I can’t ask you to stay all day with me. But… perhaps you can stay for a little while and lay with me?”

“What?”

I leaned back again and took in his pretty, puffy face, then wiped his tears off his cheeks. “Would you stay in my bed for a few hours? I can ask someone to bring your meal here. I want you to stay all day, but the other bestowers will want to speak with you since last night was your first time.”

“I’m not hungry, so… laying down sounds nice.”

I kissed his forehead, then scooped him up and carried him to my bed where I laid us both down, our heads on my pillow, facing each other. After I brushed my fingers through his hair, I whispered, “What was it that you wanted to ask me?”

“Huh?”

“When we came inside, you said you had something to ask me that might be rude.”

He laughed a little. “Oh, right. Um… I feel kinda dumb asking now, but… I was gonna ask you if vampires really, like, explode in the sun or whatever?” He let out this adorable unsure laugh that made me kiss his nose as I chuckled.

“You can ask me anything you’d like, okay?” After he nodded, I answered his question, “Vampires don’t just burst in a puff of ash like the old movies used to show. It’s more like we’re allergic to it and with enough exposure, we’ll die. And it’s extremely painful. I’ve been burnt more than a few times over the years.”

“Oh wow. I’m glad you heal quickly.”

I smiled at that. “Me too, although sun exposure heals slower than other injuries, however, it’s not as long as it would take a human to heal from severe burns.”

He nodded, then suddenly slapped his hand over his mouth, trying to cover up a yawn. I laughed at that, then leaned in to kiss his lips again and whisper, “Go to sleep, my treasure, and when you wake up, I want you to find Remi so you can get some food and anything else he thinks you need.” He nodded, but I had to make sure he understood exactly what I meant. “I’ll likely still be asleep—my body will be still, like the dead.” He nodded, so he must’ve already known this. “But I don’t want you to wait for me, okay? I’m worried that you haven’t had anything to eat.”

“I’m fine.”

“Promise me you’ll leave to get food and find Remi.” I almost wanted to compel him, but I didn’t think he’d appreciate that afterwards if he realized what I’d done.

He searched my eyes for a few seconds before smiling softly and nodding. “I promise.”

“And do you promise to return to me once the sun goes down?” I ran my fingers through his hair.

He nodded again, this time without any hesitation. “If you still want me, then yes.”

I hissed and tucked my face against the side of his neck, letting my fangs graze his skin as I muttered, “I want you more than anything.”

He shivered in pleasure, making me smile with the knowledge that I had that effect on him.

I licked his skin and moaned at the taste, then leaned away and laid my head back on the pillow. He looked disappointed, so I ran my thumb over his lips. “You haven’t eaten.” I smirked. “But perhaps I can give you a little something, after all.” I bit into my wrist, then pushed his shoulder so he was flat on his back, and I could hold my wrist to his lips. “Drink up, baby. Drink, and then rest.”

He eyed me briefly, then put his lips on my wrist and gulped down my blood. I groaned at the sight and willed myself to have enough control not to take advantage of him. He needed to rest and he needed food. My blood would hold him over, but he still needed those things, and I wouldn’t have him hurt or hungry or exhausted because I couldn’t keep my lust in check.

That rumble started in my chest again, and I could feel his chest vibrating back. Knowing exactly what that meant made me almost giddy, but I held back so he wouldn’t think I was some crazy vampire he wanted nothing to do with.

When my wound closed, he licked up the blood, then faced me, looking shy with his flush skin. Pulling him into my still rumbling chest, I wrapped him in my arms. The bed was so small, I knew he could feel how badly I wanted him, but I simply held him in my arms, and surprisingly, my monster within was okay with that. The beast was okay with knowing that Neo was close and safe and that my blood coursed through him. Which could only mean my theory was right.

I was already so far gone over this little human that I hardly knew. But I was looking forward to learning every little thing about him. If I had it my way, Neo wouldn’t need to wait for a bed because he’d be sharing mine from now on.

I could only hope that he’d be accepting when I told him exactly what was going on and exactly who he was to me.

Kissing the top of his head, I settled in for sleep with my little human softly snoring against my chest.