Page 14 of The Vampire’s Receptionist (Charmed Away Temp Agency #4)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Doctor Chapman didn’t think it was safe to move Kian before his blood transfusion, so they had to wait in Dorian’s office for the nurse to arrive with everything they needed.

Kian wanted to complain, he’d be fine after a night of rest, but then he thought about how Dorian was now relying on him to eat.

Emergency blood donations were once in a blue moon when he was a paramedic.

He had time to recover afterward. If he had to feed Dorian regularly while they figured out what was going on, then he’d need to recover faster.

So he kept his complaints to himself and waited, instead watching as the doctor put mending spells on Dorian’s injuries.

He hadn’t been awake when the dragon intervened on his behalf, but given how much damage was in the room, he got the feeling Dorian was stronger than he appeared to survive it with only minimal injuries.

They made Dorian leave the room during the transfusion, since Doctor Chapman was worried the smell of blood would set Dorian off again. After he was gone, Kian was left alone with the doctor, the nurse, and a human he didn’t recognize who fretted nearby.

He glanced at the doctor, catching his eye, before jerking his chin at the human and raising one eyebrow.

“That’s Avery Hawksley. The CEO’s mate. He is the one who called for me.”

Avery heard them speaking and edged closer, his brows furrowed as he watched the nurse push the needle into Kian’s arm.

“I, uh… I was calling to see if Dorian wanted to join us for lunch, but no one answered the phone. I thought I’d stop by instead and just stepped out of the elevator when Dorian’s feeder came running out in a panic.

I knew I couldn’t do anything to stop him, so I called for help instead.

” He grimaced. “I’m sorry Dorian got hurt, but it was a little terrifying how he wouldn’t let you go. ”

Kian sighed and nodded. “It happens. He wasn’t aware of himself. I doubt he even remembers it.”

“You know all this, and yet you still put yourself at risk to feed him without backup. You could have died,” Doctor Chapman admonished with a scowl.

Kian scowled right back. “I knew there were people around who could help. But he was so close to death, he couldn’t hear me speaking to him.

All the spells I knew from my time as a paramedic said we were in the critical hour.

I did what I had to do, and I’m not really interested in your opinion on my choices. ”

Doctor Chapman’s eyes narrowed in his annoyance, and his lips pursed to show his displeasure. It didn’t matter now. The deed was done, and Dorian and Kian both survived. There was no point in rehashing everything.

Avery bounced on his toes, looking anxiously between the two of them before speaking directly to Kian. “We have plenty of space in our home for the both of you. If you give me an address, I can pick you up a few things from home, so you’re more comfortable.”

Kian wrinkled his nose. “I’m sure I can get it myself. I–”

“No. You can’t,” Doctor Chapman interrupted sharply.

“You’ll be resting for at least three days and strictly monitored after each feeding to make sure you don’t have any complications.

I’ll remind you again that you nearly died today.

You need rest. Especially since you’ll be continuing to feed Dorian while I research what is afflicting him.

” He must have seen the refusal in Kian’s eyes, because he followed up with, “If you were treating someone with the same issues, what would you suggest to them?”

He opened his mouth to argue, then snapped it shut again. Damn. The stupid druid had a point. If he was treating a patient with significant blood loss after feeding a vampire, he’d recommend rest and lots of iron-rich meals to counter the loss. He was being stubborn. He relented with a sigh.

“Fine. But don’t judge me on the state of my apartment. I hate cleaning.”

That made Avery snicker. “I promise, no judgment. When I get super busy with a deadline, I don’t clean either. Ozen has to pick up after me, because I can’t focus long enough to put my clothes in the hamper.”

Kian tipped his head curiously. “Deadline? What do you do?”

A light pink tint took over Avery’s face as he admitted, “I’m an author. I am writing a series of office romances.”

“They’re very popular,” the nurse chimed in with a beaming smile. “I buy them as soon as they come out. The next one comes out soon, right?”

“A few more weeks,” Avery admitted sheepishly. For a romance author, he was surprisingly shy about his craft.

“I’m not much of a reader,” Kian admitted. “I moved around too much.”

The way Avery and the nurse looked at him, it was like he had two heads. He just shrugged. Not everyone liked reading. He didn’t sit still long enough to read a book.

“Perhaps he’ll have the time to read them while he’s resting,” Doctor Chapman suggested. “Your magic seems undamaged from the incident, but your energy is low, so I would suggest not using it for the time being. I can see you’re part witch. Would you need time to commune?”

He shook his head. “I’m only half witch. I don’t do that. Resting will be enough. How often does Dorian need to feed while recovering? I’ve given emergency donations before, but I was never around for the follow-up.”

“I would prefer smaller feedings every few hours for the next twenty-four hours. Just enough for him to heal. Then twice a day until he is well again. You will need a chaperone present until Dorian can safely ingest a full meal without risking your health.”

That wouldn’t be embarrassing at all. He was lucky he passed out before coming in his pants when Dorian fed from him last time. Having an audience was not something he looked forward to.

After the blood infusion, Doctor Chapman felt Kian was well enough to be moved.

He and the nurse helped him stand and waited until a bout of dizziness passed before leading him out of the room.

Dorian sat with an incubus at one of the empty desks, both speaking low to one another.

If he had the energy for it, Kian would’ve probably set off a listening spell. He was nosy like that.

“He’s ready to go,” Doctor Chapman said in lieu of greeting. “I’ll be visiting again often to make sure he’s well. He has been given instruction for your feedings, which I’ll let him relay to you. You need rest as well, so don’t push yourself.”

Dorian got to his feet, offering Doctor Chapman his hand. “Thank you for coming.”

The doctor, who’d been terse and scowling since Kian came into the room to stop them from blaming Dorian, softened and took Dorian’s hand, the other coming up to squeeze his shoulder supportively.

“We will figure this out, Dorian. For now, I don’t see any immediate dangers that would require intervention.

Continue to feed from Kian and rest well. ”

Dorian’s face twitched, like he was fighting a grimace. Kian tried not to take it personally. Dorian was private about his feedings, and they still didn’t know each other. It was a little awkward, to say the very least.

With the amount of time it took to get the transfusion and for Dorian to heal enough to be moved, the work day was finished and everyone and their mother was climbing into the elevator to head home.

It took considerable work for Kian not to just portal them where they needed to go.

The doctor said his magic was fine, but he needed energy to use it, which he didn’t have right now.

It was hard enough keeping himself on his feet. He really needed a nap.

Since they got in the elevator on the top floor, he ended up trapped in the back corner by the time the elevator was too full to let anyone else join them.

His normal bubble of magic to keep people away from him wasn’t working, and he was seriously uncomfortable with all the bodies pressed in so close.

Most were trying to avoid Doctor Chapman, since his horns could poke an eye out, so they squeezed more toward the back until Kian felt like he couldn’t breathe.

It was saying something that they’d rather get close to him than the doctor.

Usually, people avoided him like that instead.

A cool hand wrapped around his wrist, tugging him away from the corner and over toward a pocket of space toward the middle.

He breathed out a sigh of relief, shooting Dorian a grateful look.

When he was sure Kian was supported by the elevator wall, Dorian moved to stand in front of him, blocking anyone from pushing closer so he could rest and breathe.

The vampire was thoughtful, at least. This situation would be so much more difficult if he were an asshole.

Kian still wouldn’t let him die by refusing to help, but he’d be more annoyed about it.

The elevator doors opened on the lobby floor, and everyone spilled out, including their little group. Dorian and the incubus gave the doctor one last goodbye before splitting up. Dorian looked forlornly toward the parking area.

“What’s wrong?” Kian asked with a frown.

The incubus looked over his shoulder at his friend and chuckled. “He’s upset that he’s too weak to drive. He loves his car.”

Dorian immediately masked the look and frowned at his friend. “I do not. I’m fine.”

“So you’ll let Avery drive your car to our home, then? I’ve been giving him driving lessons. He’s quite good.”

The look of abject horror on Dorian’s face made everyone laugh. He obviously loved that car more than he was willing to let on.

The incubus shook his head, still grinning as he squeezed his friend’s shoulder. “Come on. Your baby will be fine here for a night or two. Security will make sure of it.”

He led Dorian out the door, with Kian and Avery following behind them. Thankfully, people noticed when the CEO was leaving and made room for them so they weren’t jostled around on their way out the door.

Avery looked more at ease now that they were leaving for the day, chattering beside him as they headed toward a fancy town car.

There was a driver who opened the doors for them, but Avery’s mate dismissed the man with a polite smile, giving him the night off, so there was room for all four of them.

Since Avery and Kian were in the middle of a conversation, they slid into the back together while the two other men sat in front.

“So you work at Charmed Away, right? I originally worked there for years before meeting Ozen. Do you like it?”

Kian liked that Avery held zero apprehension around him, talking to him like a friend might, and he answered his questions with a small smile.

“I really do. I’ve never been able to stick with one job for hundreds of years like most supes do.

I get bored after a while. Being a temp and constantly doing something new is fun. ”

Avery hummed his acknowledgement, nodding. “I did like that part. I like meeting new people, too, so it was nice to move on to somewhere new and get to know a whole new group.”

Kian tried not to make a face at that. It was the one part he didn’t love. He got too much apprehension or plain disdain from random coworkers to warrant the effort in getting to know them. He mostly kept his head down and focused on his job instead.

They talked about their favorite temp jobs on the drive, as well as the worst so far.

Avery worked at Charmed Away for a while, so he had plenty of experience in both good and bad jobs.

He even warned Kian about which jobs to avoid.

There were only a few in the office who could handle those companies, and Avery did what he could to steer clear while working there.

When they pulled up in front of a charming brownstone, Kian let out a low whistle. “Woah. I didn’t think people actually lived in houses like these.”

Avery snickered and nodded. “Same. The first time I saw this place, I couldn’t believe it.

The only con is the parking is tight. Come on.

We’ll get out now and meet Ozen inside.” He nudged Kian into sliding out of the car, joining him on the sidewalk.

The car pulled around the corner, probably where the garage was hidden, while Avery jogged up the stairs to the front door.

Instead of using a key, Avery put his hand on the handle, and it lit up, the wards recognizing his aura to allow them entrance.

They were strong enough to make Kian’s ears pop when he walked through them, which was amazing.

He didn't normally react to magic like that.

“Nice wards,” he commented as he followed Avery farther into the house. A seriously fancy house with vintage touches and not a speck of dust in sight.

Avery smiled over his shoulder. “Ozen’s always been careful. Especially after I moved in. Are you hungry? Thirsty? You skipped lunch…”

He led the way to the kitchen, almost talking out loud to himself instead of to Kian as he went over what they had readily available.

Kian felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of someone taking care of him. “Whatever is easiest is fine,” he said awkwardly.

“I’d think after a donation like that red meat would be important,” Ozen said as he came through another door with Dorian. He raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Am I wrong?”

Dorian shook his head. “No, you’re correct. Iron-rich foods are best.”

“I think we have some steak, but I’m not sure if it's enough for four,” Avery said, frowning at the contents of the fridge. His mate came to join him, looking over his shoulder while pointing out some suggestions.

Kian cleared his throat, catching their attention. “Uh, actually, I’m a vegetarian. It’s the fae side. Meat doesn’t sit well with me.”