Page 16 of The Vampire’s Receptionist (Charmed Away Temp Agency #4)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The meal Dorian made was amazing, and Kian was pleasantly full by the time they all finished.

It didn't help much with the fatigue. If anything, it made him want to lie his head on the table and go to sleep, but he still needed to feed Dorian. Small feedings every few hours, Doctor Chapman said. Which meant he’d have to wake up a few times throughout the night, too. Joy.

“You need rest,” Dorian said quietly. “You should go upstairs.”

Kian scrubbed his hands over his face and shook his head. “You need to feed first. I’ll sleep after.”

Dorian’s brows furrowed tightly. “That isn’t necessary. I feel fine.”

“For now. But the goal is to not have a repeat of earlier. So you’ll have small meals every few hours for the next day or so before we try a full feeding again.”

Dorian looked none too pleased by this revelation. Kian was honestly surprised Doctor Chapman left it up to him to explain it all to the vampire. Now he felt like the old druid was punishing him for his recklessness by making him deal with Dorian’s stubbornness.

Unfortunately for the old doctor, Kian wasn’t ashamed to use pity and force of will to get what he wanted. He pointed a finger at Dorian.

“No arguing. I’m too tired. We’ll go upstairs, you can feed while I’m comfortable in bed, and I’ll get some sleep right afterward. Rinse and repeat every few hours. Doctor’s orders. And mine, because as your current feeder, I get to dictate when and where. So let’s get moving.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Kian could see Ozen fighting off a smile. He turned toward the incubus, raising an eyebrow at him, but Ozen played it off by gathering the plates to bring to the kitchen.

“I’ll clean up,” Avery offered with a smile. “Kian, do you want me to bring you any water or anything?”

Kian waved him off, hoisting himself out of his seat. He really was too tired to fight with anyone right now, and he knew he wasn’t going to get a good night’s sleep. Better to get this done quickly.

“Thank you, but I’m fine. Have a nice evening.”

Ozen left the dining room and Kian gave Dorian a narrow-eyed look when he didn’t immediately follow.

Reluctantly, Dorian got out of his seat and left the room with Kian taking up the rear.

It was a testament to how tired he was that he didn’t check out the handsome vampire climbing the stairs in front of him.

The awkwardness came back after Kian had finished getting ready for bed.

He sat on the edge of the mattress, hyper aware of Ozen sitting in a chair by the doorway.

It didn’t occur to him before now that he was going to let Dorian feed from him with an audience.

There was no way to hide his reaction with an incubus nearby.

He felt his cheeks burning as Dorian came back into the room.

He hadn’t gotten ready for bed, just gotten more comfortable with the jacket and tie gone and his sleeves rolled up.

Which was entirely unfair. That look was kryptonite to every woman and queer man in existence.

How was he supposed to get through this feeding without embarrassing himself when Dorian looked like that?

Dorian studied him with a frown. “I don’t think this is a good idea. You’re already exhausted.”

He sighed heavily, exasperated. “You won’t be taking that much. Think of it like a snack. Just enough to keep you settled for a few hours before the next feeding. Plenty of people eat six small meals a day instead of three big ones.”

“He’s not wrong,” Ozen agreed. “I think the push for bigger and fewer meals was created to interrupt the work day less. And it’s only for one day, for Kian’s safety.”

He put a lot of emphasis on that last part, and Dorian backed down immediately. Kian could see how much he hated to push while Kian was already so tired, but if it meant keeping him safe, he’d do it.

As Dorian approached him, Kian felt his nerves dial up a few notches. This wasn’t like an emergency blood donation. It felt vastly more intimate than that, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

“You’re uncomfortable,” Dorian murmured, standing in front of him.

Kian rolled his eyes, the snark coming out automatically to hide just how uncomfortable he was. “And you’re hungry. So shut up and just do it.”

He shoved his wrist in the vampire’s general direction, his eyes locked on the carpet beneath his feet. Even the carpets were pristine. Did they never have guests or did they shampoo them regularly? Who had the time for that?

Dorian kneeled in front of him, putting himself in Kian’s eyeline.

“While I appreciate your offer, I don’t think I can do this, knowing it will upset you.

” He put his hand up before Kian could protest. “I’m not saying we won’t.

But I do have a suggestion. Often, when I meet with a new feeder, there is a layer of awkwardness.

It helps to sit beside each other and talk. We know very little about each other.”

Kian grimaced. “I’m too tired for a long chat right now.”

Dorian shook his head. “It doesn’t have to be long. Just a few minutes to ease the tension. Are you amenable to this?”

His face screwed up at the formality, but he supposed it was better than the bite and go approach Kian had planned for. He gestured awkwardly toward the bed.

“How do you… want to do this?” he grumbled.

Dorian moved to sit beside him, taking the hand Kian had thrust at him and holding it between his own.

Kian never really felt shy around others before, but the forced intimacy made it hard to look Dorian in the eye.

His cheeks still burned, and he almost wished he could hide under the blankets and just have his arm out for Dorian to feed from.

“Tell me something about you that I don’t know,” Dorian suggested.

It was an easy question, since they didn’t know much about each other. Kian didn’t need to delve into anything important. He thought about it for a minute before answering. “I don’t like eggplant. I’m a vegetarian, I love almost all vegetables, but I can’t stand eggplant.”

Dorian’s voice was warm when he responded. “That’s good to know. I would hate to use it accidentally in a meal and make you feel obligated to eat it.”

Kian huffed out a laugh. “Oh no. I’m not that nice. I definitely would turn it down flat. I seriously can’t stand eggplant.”

Dorian chuckled, and the sound both set Kian more at ease and revved up his libido. How dare such a calm and quiet man have such a sexy laugh? It wasn’t fair.

“Your turn,” Kian said awkwardly.

The vampire hummed thoughtfully. “My cousin once told me that older vampires could turn into bats. I believed him until I was in my teen years and found out it was a myth humans created to shame us. He has never let me live it down.”

He snorted, finally looking up at him. “Shut up. You did not.”

Dorian nodded with a slight smile. “I did. It didn’t help that we lived on the coast near a local bat colony. Every time they flew past, he said that it was our uncles or cousins and that’s why they weren’t at the house at the moment.”

Laughing, Kian felt some of the tension drift away.

And because he wasn’t a cruel person, he countered Dorian’s embarrassing story with one of his own.

“My cousin once told me that full fae could shapeshift. He’d hide every time the dog down the road was out and would later say it was him.

My dad eventually had to tell me my cousin was terrified of the dog and would run scared whenever it came outside.

I probably should’ve known better. The dog loved me. My cousin decidedly did not.”

While they were talking, Dorian had started rubbing Kian’s hand gently, soothing the tension there until he no longer flinched at the touch.

When he pulled Kian’s wrist to his mouth, he didn’t feel the wave of awkwardness like before.

He did go a little breathless, nodding once at Dorian’s questioning gaze.

In an attempt to hide his reaction, he closed his eyes, biting his lip to muffle his gasp when Dorian’s fangs sank into his skin, and he was hit with a wave of heavy euphoria and lust. Like the first time, it didn't last very long, but by the time Dorian licked the holes closed and released him, his dick was throbbing, and he trembled with need.

“Thank you,” Dorian murmured, and damn if his voice didn’t make things worse. “I’ll let you get some rest. My room is just next door if you need anything.”

Kian nodded helplessly, but he hadn’t yet opened his eyes, and he could feel the flush on his cheeks.

Thankfully, Dorian didn’t comment on it and left, quietly closing the door behind him and Ozen.

Kian waited a few minutes to make sure they were truly gone before shoving his hand down his pants and grasping his erection.

Just like last time, it took only a few strokes before he was coming into his hand, his whole body trembling.

There was no way he could hide his reaction forever. Especially when they were supposed to do this every few hours. The realization hit him in the gut, and he let his head drop forward. Damn it.

Nightmares crept up when Dorian tried to sleep.

Images of Kian completely drained, his bicolored eyes lifeless and staring at him in shock kept flashing through his mind, painting a picture of what he could have done to the man had Maverick not stepped in to stop him.

He woke with a start, panting like he’d run a race, and his body was covered in a cold sweat.

Someone knocked again. “Dorian?”

It was the knock that woke him, and while he was grateful to be free of the dream, the middle of the night waking was only a reminder of it. He had to feed again or risk making the dream into a reality. The possibility terrified him, and he threw the covers back, hurrying to the door to answer it.

Ozen stood just outside, hand poised to knock again.

Kian stood a few feet behind him, his long blond hair disheveled from sleep.

Guilt ate at Dorian for forcing them both to wake so often to care for him, but fear drove him forward.

He would get this done quickly so they both could rest, and then he would go to the library and give his mind a distraction until the dreams no longer haunted him.

Ozen squeezed his shoulder supportively and stayed leaning against the frame of the door, giving them as much privacy as he could allow while Dorian was still considered unstable.

Dorian herded Kian back to bed, and Kian was too tired to argue.

Too tired to even feel awkward like he had before.

He laid down at Dorian’s urging and offered him his arm, letting his lashes flutter closed when Dorian drew the slender wrist to his mouth.

He took only what was needed, ignoring the sounds Kian made.

It felt wrong to listen to it, knowing Kian was forced to be here.

No matter how much he wished it were otherwise.