Page 15 of The Vampire’s Receptionist (Charmed Away Temp Agency #4)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Oh!” Avery grimaced awkwardly. “I totally should have asked. I’m so sorry, Kian. I… don’t actually know how to get iron outside of red meat, though. Ozen?” He looked up at the incubus, who was also frowning.

Kian chuckled. “Leafy greens, beans, lentils, nuts. You’d be surprised how much iron you can get without red meat.”

“If I may?” Dorian asked, gesturing toward the pantry. Apparently he knew what he was looking for, which didn’t really surprise Kian in the slightest. He couldn’t be the first vegetarian to interact with the vampire.

“Should you be cooking?” Avery asked with a worried frown.

Dorian smiled softly at him. “I’m fine, thank you. And as Kian is responsible for feeding me, it’s only right I do the same for him. I’ll make enough for three. I don’t actually consume solid food.”

Avery flushed bright red, obviously embarrassed at the misstep.

Kian didn’t blame him. He was human. Their education on supernaturals was notoriously lacking, since humans still didn’t like that they’d lost the war and weren’t in charge anymore.

Despite the fact that it’d been hundreds of years since that event.

They were only doing themselves a disservice by not knowing as much about the world as they could, in Kian’s opinion.

“I’m going to leave Avery here with you while I stop by Dorian’s apartment to pick up his things. Kian, would you be comfortable with me doing the same for you, or would you prefer Avery to do it?”

Did he want the CEO of a major company to see his tornado of an apartment? No, not even a little. Would he make them do two separate trips just to accommodate him because he was more comfortable with Avery? Also no.

“That’s… fine, I guess. I, uh…” Goddess, he really wished they’d let him go by himself. He didn’t invite people into his home regularly.

“Actually, why don’t we both go?” Avery suggested, after noticing Kian’s discomfort. “As long as Dorian is comfortable waiting for his next feeding until we get back, it will be fine for them to be alone, right?” He looked around for confirmation.

Kian didn’t see a problem with it. Dorian wasn’t going to attack him, and he was capable of portaling himself away if he needed to. He was tired, but not helpless.

“That should be fine. Thank you.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket, handing them to the man while rattling off his address.

Ozen waited for Dorian to confirm he was comfortable with the plan before heading out with his mate to get their things. Meanwhile, Dorian got to work on dinner for everyone. Kian felt awkward just standing there watching, but his offer to help was quickly dismissed.

“You need your rest. There is a library upstairs, as well as a media room. You can get comfortable and relax. I’ll bring your dinner to you.”

Nope. Kian was not comfortable wandering around a house he wasn’t even given a tour in. That felt weird to him. Instead, he slid onto a stool at the bar, giving Dorian a defiant look when he raised an eyebrow at him.

The awkwardness was palpable. In the time they’d known each other, Kian and Dorian had maybe three or four conversations in total, and now Dorian was relying on him to survive.

He really hoped Doctor Chapman was quick at finding a solution, because he didn’t want this dragging out for weeks on end.

He couldn’t even imagine feeling this awkward for several days.

It didn’t take long before he couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

He didn’t know what to say to the man prepping food in front of him, and it didn’t seem like Dorian was going to start the conversation, either.

Instead, Kian took out his phone and pulled up his playlist, selecting something at random to fill the silence.

Dorian looked up curiously, eyeing Kian’s phone. Kian shrugged.

“I figured it was better than sitting in silence.”

Dorian’s brow drew together minutely. “Apologies. I’m not usually a chatty person. My friend group includes Taron. He speaks enough for all four of us.”

Kian snorted. “I don’t really know him that well, but I could see that being the case.”

The vampire hummed, his attention drawn back to the cutting board. “His mates suit him. They both seem happy to let him dominate the conversation. Have you met them yet?”

“I know Tony,” Kian replied with a shrug.

“He’s actually the one who got me the job at Charmed Away.

And I saw his other mate in the office, but I’ve never met him.

” He huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “As a temp, I didn’t really think I’d meet all the higher ups at Spellbound, you know? Especially not all in one fell swoop.”

“I’m not sure if the appropriate response right now is to apologize,” Dorian said, a hesitant smile on his face.

Kian chuckled. “Don’t apologize. At least I can say I’m not bored right now.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow at him as he pulled out a pan and set it on the absolutely massive stove. Who needs eight burners?

“Do you get bored often?”

Kian lifted a shoulder. “Depends on the day.”

He wasn’t going to admit that when he got bored, he caused a little mischief to keep himself entertained. What would the fun be in warning him?

They fell into silence again, but it was more companionable and easier to tolerate with the music going.

Kian mostly watched Dorian cook, his eyes heavy with fatigue.

He knew it was important to eat, but right after he was done and Dorian was fed, he was definitely going to lie down.

Otherwise he might end up falling asleep on his feet.

“You’re a good cook for someone who doesn’t eat solid food,” Kian said out of the blue.

Dorian drew his focus away from the food on the stove, looking over his shoulder.

Kian was sitting at the counter, his chin rested in his hand as he watched him work.

He was mildly uncomfortable with the attention, but he realized after a moment that Kian was zoned out.

The fatigue was written all over his face.

Dorian considered that Kian was watching him work to keep himself awake until he’d eaten.

He couldn’t begrudge him for that. It was Dorian’s fault he was so exhausted in the first place.

“My mother taught me that gentlemen take care of their feeders. I felt one of the best ways to do that was to make them a good meal. So I took cooking classes and learned what I could. I had a feeder about thirty years ago that was vegetarian, so I have a few recipes in that regard as well.”

Kian hummed, his eyelids heavy. “I don’t mind cooking, but I don’t love it. I’m easily distracted, and I burn things a lot.”

Dorian felt a smile tug at his lips, but he didn’t want Kian to think he was judging him for it. “I burned a great many things when I first started. One of my past feeders had to teach me how to avoid it. Keeping your attention on the meal is paramount.”

Kian’s nose wrinkled to show his distaste, but he didn’t comment.

Hoping to help Kian stay awake long enough to eat a healthy meal, Dorian kept the conversation going. “You said you worked as a paramedic before you became a temp. Have you always worked in the medical field?”

Kian shook his head, pushing himself more upright.

“No. That’s a more recent fixation. I’ve been alive long enough to try plenty of jobs.

I like to dip my toe into whatever catches my interest. I enjoyed working in the medical field.

I liked helping people. I didn't like how strict they were about their patient care, though. What’s the harm in giving the patients something to make them more at ease? ”

“I suppose it depends. What did you give them?” Dorian asked. He checked his watch and sent a message to ask Ozen when they’d return. Dinner was almost ready, but if they would be a while longer, he’d feed Kian separately. The poor man needed to sleep soon.

“Promises, mostly. Not all of them were even full vows. But it seemed to reassure them that someone with fae blood was promising to see things through. They knew I’d do everything in my power to make it happen.

But it sometimes meant I got in the way of the doctors or didn’t get back to the rig fast enough. The hospital didn’t like that.”

Ah. He heard Doctor Chapman mention something about that.

He also said Kian was reckless with his own life to care for his patients.

He could see both sides of the argument, but after what happened with his feeding, he worried about how far Kian would go for his patients.

Putting himself at risk would only make two patients instead of one.

He tipped his head, thinking about it. “I’m new to the medical field myself. Ozen requested I take over the division only a handful of weeks ago. Perhaps there is a way we can figure out to put patients at ease without putting your life at risk. I’m not entirely sure how, though.”

“That might need to be a case-by-case kind of thing,” Kian said thoughtfully. “Or maybe a race specific thing. What would comfort a shifter might not comfort a sorcerer. Not unless there’s one specific magic that comforts everyone.”

Dorian shook his head. “I’m not sure. I can pose the question to Taron. He’s the ideas man. If he is given a problem, he does his best to find the solution. I mostly just keep the ship running smoothly.”

His phone buzzed with a message from Ozen to let him know they were on their way back and would only be a few minutes.

Which meant they probably went to Dorian’s house second, since he lived nearby.

He pulled out plates for all three of them, serving up portions just as Ozen and Avery came in through the garage door.

Avery had a duffle on his shoulder, while Ozen carried in a smaller bag and a few suits from Dorian’s home.

Avery’s eyes lit up when he saw the food, and he beamed at Dorian.

“That smells amazing!”

Never one to enjoy being the center of attention, he merely nodded.

“I can take those upstairs while you eat.” He gestured to the bags.

Avery agreed with a smile, but Ozen followed him upstairs to show him which guest rooms they would use.

They came back down together to find that Kian and Avery had moved the meals to the dining room.

Avery seemed a little anxious not offering something to Dorian, but it never bothered him to not eat alongside his friends.

He never experienced anything different.

It brought him joy to see them enjoy the food he made, though, and he was happy to be included in the meal, even if just by proximity.

“Am I wrong in assuming you’ll want to work tomorrow?” Ozen asked between bites.

Dorian gave him a bland look. “I don’t believe we’re in a position for me to take time off. Do you?”

“If necessary for your health, I would make it happen. You know this. But because I know you and your inability to let things go while you’re in the middle of it, I figured you could work from my office tomorrow.

That way you can rest and feed as necessary with privacy.

I have a few meetings to attend to, but the others have agreed to visit throughout the day to be nearby in case they’re needed. ”

It still dug at Dorian that it was necessary for them to do so.

He wouldn’t risk Kian’s health by refusing, but he was older than all of his friends, and it didn’t sit right with him that they needed to babysit him to make sure he didn’t hurt anyone.

If he felt he could trust himself, he’d outright refuse.

But after seeing the damage from the effort of pulling him away from Kian the first time, he couldn’t risk it.

A warm hand rested on his forearm, and when he looked up, Kian’s expression was sympathetic.

“From what I learned while checking with my past patients, it’s rare for incidents like that to happen more than once, unless the vampire is really young.

Think of their presence as a precaution, not a judgment of your character. It’ll probably be fine.”

That settled some of his unease, and he nodded gratefully. “Thank you. I’ve never hurt anyone while feeding before. I hate that I did so today.”

Kian waved that away. “That was my fault. It’s been a while since my last emergency donation. I was too focused on your health and forgot protocol. It’s not a mistake I’ll make twice.”

Dorian could read between the lines with that statement.

Kian would willingly give another emergency donation if needed, so long as he had proper backup.

That bothered Dorian on some level. He’d nearly died from his last attempt at helping the situation.

Did he care so little for his own wellbeing that the experience didn’t even give him pause?