Page 18 of The Vampire’s Receptionist (Charmed Away Temp Agency #4)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Taron bounced into the room just as they sat beside each other on the edge of the bed. Already anxious about keeping his reactions from Dorian, Kian felt the discomfort skyrocket when Taron skipped past the spot Ozen had sat in by the door and walked straight up to them.
“What are you doing?” Dorian asked, a layer of exasperation in his tone.
“Helping. I’m supposed to stay close, right?”
Dorian closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Feeling bad for the man, Kian spoke up to redirect Taron.
“Actually, Ozen waits in the hall. As long as the door is open, you can hear if something goes wrong, or set a timer to make sure he doesn’t go too long. You don’t need to watch.”
Lie. Big lie. Ozen stayed in the doorway or sat in a chair by the door, but he was always in the room. Kian was just tired of having an audience, and Taron seemed like he wouldn’t question things too much.
“Oh, shit. Really? My bad. Alright, how long before I should check to make sure things are alright?”
“No longer than five minutes,” Kian insisted. “It shouldn’t take that long, so anything more than that is a red flag that he can’t stop on his own.”
It hadn’t happened in any of the feeding sessions they’d had during the night, so Kian wasn’t worried. Yet another reason why he wanted Taron out of the room. It hadn’t technically been twenty-four hours yet, but it was close enough, and he was tired enough that he didn’t feel guilty for lying.
Taron gave them both a mock salute and wandered back out. Kian assumed he’d peek at some point, but he tried not to think about it.
“Thank you,” Dorian murmured beside him. “I don’t… I’ve never been comfortable feeding around others. It’s a private matter for me.”
“I don’t blame you,” Kian huffed. “I, uh… I suppose we better hurry then. He’ll come back in soon, and you’ve got a meeting to get to.”
He was kind of hoping the rush would make things less awkward, but now that he wasn’t so exhausted that it was hard to keep his eyes open, that same tension from before made his stomach tighten, and he couldn’t look at Dorian again.
“I’m sorry to rush this,” Dorian said, bringing Kian’s wrist to his mouth. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
Kian didn’t have a chance to say he didn’t have to before Dorian’s fangs sank into his wrist. His eyes rolled back, and he barely bit back a groan, his entire system flooded with lust. It was getting harder to ignore it every time Dorian fed from him.
He was panting by the time they finished.
Dorian lifted his head, locking eyes with him, and Kian felt his breath catch in his chest. He’d thought Dorian was unaffected aside from only being able to feed from him, but if the way his pupils were blown out was anything to go by, the feedings affected him, too.
They were staring at each other, the sexual tension dialed to eleven, when Taron came back. “Okay, time's up. Are you–”
They jumped apart, and Kian drew one leg up to hide his erection.
“Oh, good. You’re done. Dorian, you have a…” Taron slowed, eyeing them both. “Is everything alright? Did something happen?”
Was Kian going to admit he was seconds from jumping the sexy vampire? No, absolutely not.
Dorian cleared his throat and stood. “Nothing. We’re fine. Is it time for the investor meeting?”
Dorian pulled Taron away, leading him out of the room and ignoring his pestering questions about why they both looked so weird.
Dropping back on the bed, Kian put his hands over his face and groaned.
He was actually grateful that Taron had interrupted.
He was getting too into the feedings. Dorian had a feeder and a boyfriend, and Kian was just supplementing while they figured things out.
This was not permanent, and he needed to get ahold of himself.
From now on, he wouldn’t let himself get off after feedings. It was wrong. Dorian was taken. And he didn’t need any more reasons to become attached to the vampire. This was all medical. Nothing more.
Yeah, right…
Avery had figured out how to get Kian’s calls forwarded to his cell phone and found him a comfortable spot in the library to work.
It was where Avery worked when Ozen was working from home, and he seemed happy to share before he left to go meet his mate in the office.
Kian’s day wasn’t overly busy when he was in the office, and he didn’t expect that to change while working from home, either.
He found himself bored within an hour and started wandering around.
Avery said the only place that was off limits was their bedroom, and Kian had no interest in going in there anyway, so why not look around?
He’d been alive long enough to have enough money to live comfortably.
He wasn’t rich by any means, because he never took jobs that made him tons of money.
He never wanted to. He explored too much and generally stuck to more entry-level positions.
He couldn’t imagine having enough money to own a house like this.
They had a media room, which was basically a home theater with the biggest TV screen Kian had ever seen.
The library was massive enough that he could hide in it and no one would be able to find him for days probably.
He was pretty sure magic was involved with the space since the house didn’t look that big from the outside to fit all of it.
There was a formal living room on the first floor that didn’t look like it was used often, a formal dining room, and the kitchen that chefs dreamed about.
It was a little much for him. He preferred living simply.
The biggest thing he splurged on was plants, because he liked his apartment smelling like the earth.
That probably had something to do with his fae side, though witches also had a strong connection with the earth, too.
There weren’t any plants in the Hawksley household.
At least, he didn't think there were until he’d wandered up another set of stairs.
They spit him out on a rooftop terrace with an amazing view of the city.
There were planter boxes along the low walls and twinkle lights strung over his head.
It was obviously a place to entertain, and while beautiful, Kian’s attention was locked on those planter boxes.
He ticked his tongue behind his teeth, kneeling beside them. “Poor things. You aren’t being watered enough, are you?”
He was still tired but expended a little energy testing the soil and getting a general idea of the plant's health. They were newly planted, probably in the spring, but a few of them weren’t doing well. Whoever planted them didn’t look into which plants did well in full sun and which needed shade.
He looked around for a hose, found a spout and a watering can tucked against the wall, and took some time watering the plants and talking to them.
He’d ask about moving things around when Avery got home.
He felt more comfortable with the human than his incubus mate.
There wasn’t anything wrong with the man, Avery was just easier to connect to.
He was talking to the plants about how he wanted to take them home with him when someone spoke behind him.
“Should I be warning the Hawksleys that you want to steal their plants?” Doctor Chapman asked.
Kian didn’t bother looking over his shoulder, giving a little more water to the plant at the end, which seemed to be soaking it all in too fast. It was too hot in the sun for the poor little thing.
“I won’t steal them. I will ask to move them around. Some of them belong in the shade.”
The druid hummed, moving to sit on one of the comfortable-looking outdoor couches nearby. “The right environment is important for all living things. It is important to find the best home to thrive in.”
Kian was glad he was facing away from the druid, so he didn’t see the pain on his face.
He never had a home. Not really. His parents loved him greatly, and he could always go visit them, but being of mixed blood, he was never accepted into either of their families fully.
The fae saw him as an abomination. The witches saw him as a troublemaker and a threat.
He knew his parents couldn’t control who their mate was, but he’d always resented the idea of mates.
It forced him to live a half-life, never truly belonging anywhere because of the mix of his blood.
Pushing the pain away, he focused on sprinkling some plant food he’d found into the soil, as well as a bit of his magic. The drooping plants straightened and swayed happily in the breeze, easing a bit of Kian’s hurt. If he could do one thing right, it was this.
“How are you feeling?” Doctor Chapman asked. “I imagine sleep was difficult, but are you feeling weak at all? Lightheaded? Are you eating enough?”
“I’m fine,” Kian replied, keeping his eyes on the plants. Yes, he was still tired, but other than that, he wasn’t lying. He felt fine.
Like the universe loved to prove him wrong, when he pushed to his feet, his vision swayed, and he collapsed, barely stopping from hitting the ground by Doctor Chapman’s quick action. He didn’t fully pass out, but it was close, the edges of his vision going dark.
Doctor Chapman scowled. “I warned you about using your magic too soon. And your iron is low. You need another transfusion. And rest. Working like this will only make things worse.”