Page 27 of The Vampire’s Receptionist (Charmed Away Temp Agency #4)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Kian woke from his nap gritty eyed and oh so sated.

Being with Dorian was easily the best sex of his life.

He’d honestly never expected such a straight laced man to offer to ride him, but he was in no way disappointed.

He could go either way depending on his mood.

He used to have preferences for topping over bottoming, but after living as long as he had, he learned to appreciate both.

Sitting up, he stretched his arms over his head, nearly jumping out of his skin when he realized he wasn’t alone.

Isaac was talking to some woman he didn’t recognize, but Kian couldn’t hear a word coming out of his mouth.

For a second, he thought he’d gone deaf until he saw the spell wrapped around his bed.

A silencing spell so they didn’t disturb him, from the looks of it.

The woman noticed first that he was awake and nudged Isaac, tipping her head in his direction. Isaac snapped his fingers, and the spell fell, making Kian extremely jealous. He missed his magic.

“Sorry to intrude,” Isaac said with a shrug. “My cousin volunteered to check the health of the plants for you, but she’s only got so long before she has to get back.”

“Ah.” He was suddenly really grateful Dorian had helped him get cleaned up and dressed before leaving for his meeting. It would’ve been incredibly awkward for them to be poking around in his room while he was naked.

The sorceress tossed him a polite smile, but her focus was mostly on the plants.

He wasn’t sure if that was because she was in a hurry, or if she’d seen his eyes and had opinions she was trying to keep to herself.

He thought about whether or not he cared and decided he didn’t.

He was still in too good a mood from earlier.

Tossing the blankets aside, he slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

He was washing his hands when he heard another knock at his bedroom door.

Damn, he was popular this afternoon. He poked his head out just as Isaac stepped aside to let another woman in, this one familiar.

“You’re the nurse, right?”

It wasn’t the first time she’d checked in on him in Doctor Chapman’s stead. She seemed fine with him the last time she was here, but she was definitely avoiding eye contact this time and fidgeting nervously.

“Y-Yes, that’s me. I’m here to check up on you. Doctor Chapman apologizes for being unable to check on you himself. He’s been busy, you see.”

That… sounded like a lie. And the fact that she wouldn’t look at him didn’t make him believe her any more.

Was Doctor Chapman avoiding him? He didn't strike Kian as the kind of man to do that. He’d honestly expected the druid to hover more after his collapse on the terrace.

He’d been annoyingly pissed about the situation.

So why was he suddenly avoiding him now?

And why the hell was the nurse so jumpy?

It was confusing and a little annoying, to be honest. He’d been in a good mood when he woke up. He would’ve been a lot happier if it was Dorian at the door instead.

“I, uh… I’d like to… If you could just sit on the bed…” She gestured uneasily towards the foot of the bed.

It took a lot of self control not to roll his eyes. She was literally here because he was weak after the incident. It wasn’t like he could attack her. She had no good reason to be afraid of him.

Annoyed, he sat on the edge of the bed, eyeing her as she edged closer. Even Isaac seemed to notice her behavior and shot him a frown over her head. Kian shrugged. He didn’t do anything to the woman. The few times they’d interacted, he was lying in bed, resting.

Since she was a younger druid, she couldn’t get an idea of his condition at a glance like Doctor Chapman could.

She needed to take a deep breath before she could get herself to touch him, and she only held his hand instead of putting a hand on his chest or something like the other nurse had.

He didn’t want to interrupt and drag this thing out, but he had to ask.

“Why does it look like you’re inches away from darting out of the room? Did I do something to you?”

Her already pale face went visibly paler, and she shook her head rapidly. “N-No. Nothing. I’m fine. I just–”

He was going to call her a liar until the reason she was so freaked out became abundantly apparent.

Dorian knocked on the open bedroom door, coming in to join them, and when the nurse jerked her head over her shoulder to see who it was, her grip on his hand went so tight, her nails dug into him.

It wasn’t him she was afraid of. It was Dorian.

And from the look on his face, Dorian wasn’t any happier to see her.

His gaze flicked down to where she was holding Kian’s hand and back up, leveling her with a glare.

“Let go.”

She did immediately, taking a big step away from Kian. He gaped at the pair, wondering what he’d missed during his nap. He’d never seen Dorian so hostile towards someone before. Even after his friends all accused him of attacking Kian, he didn’t react like this.

Isaac seemed to agree, because he stepped forward cautiously, eyes locked on Dorian. “She’s just doing her job. There’s no reason to snap.”

“She was hurting him,” Dorian argued, his lip curled up in a scowl. “I can smell his blood from here.”

Kian looked down automatically. She’d squeezed his hand tighter than he’d realized. Little half circles were dug into his skin, with a few going deep enough to draw blood. It was barely a scratch and would probably heal in less than an hour, but Dorian was pissed about it. Kian had barely felt it.

She looked horrified to see the marks and immediately started apologizing. “I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to–”

He assumed as much and would’ve accepted the apology, but Dorian growled out a warning when she stepped closer to fix her mistake.

“It was an accident,” Isaac insisted, his face still screwed up like he was confused about Dorian’s behavior. Kian wasn’t sure how long Isaac had known Dorian, but he guessed he wasn’t wrong in thinking this was really out of the norm for the vampire.

“If she can’t be trusted to act professionally, then she shouldn’t be here,” Dorian hissed. He turned his glare back to the nurse. “Send someone else. Someone who can be trusted not to hurt him while treating him.”

Okay, that was going too far. “That’s not necessary.

” He raised an eyebrow at Dorian’s furious look.

“It was an accident. She apologized. And I don’t want to stay on bed rest longer than I have to just because of a mistake.

I’m feeling a lot better, and I’m hoping she’ll let me at least get out of this stupid room. ”

Now that the fatigue from the nap had worn off, he had to admit he felt much better. He didn’t have that tinge of exhaustion pulling at him, nor did he feel lightheaded when he got up to use the restroom. Decent rest and a nap seemed to have put him back on track.

Dorian wasn’t happy at Kian circumventing his demands, but Kian didn’t really care. It wasn’t like they were dating. He didn’t get a say. And if Kian didn’t get to use his magic soon, he was going to lose his mind.

He gestured the nurse closer, offering her his hand again. She looked terrified to get near him, but Dorian didn't look like he was going anywhere, and Kian didn’t think he’d be able to force the issue. Isaac looked like he wanted to, though.

“She won’t be able to do her job if you’re scaring her, Dorian. Back up.”

To everyone’s surprise, Dorian whipped his head around and hissed at him in warning, fangs bared.

Isaac’s magic lit up in response to the threat, fire and lightning sweeping over his body and centering on his hands.

Kian launched to his feet, moving himself between the two posturing idiots and the druid, who looked ready to faint.

“Dorian, that’s enough! What the hell are you doing?”

He wasn’t listening. His glare was locked on Isaac as they faced each other off. Isaac’s cousin looked nervous, and she was right in the danger zone behind Isaac. Kian looked over his shoulder at the druid.

“Do I have the energy to open portals?”

Her eyes darted away from the snarling duo to him, and she was quick to take his hand when he offered it to her. She nodded shakily.

“If it's fast, yes. I don’t–”

“Good. Time to go.” He opened a portal and threw it at her, basically forcing her through it.

That was actually illegal to do in cases other than an emergency, but this sort of felt like one.

The magic in the room was rising so high, the plants near the growling men were starting to wilt.

And that pissed him off. Kian didn’t allow innocents to get hurt, not even plants.

The sorceress saw him coming and stepped far enough away from Isaac for Kian to open a portal for her.

She disappeared through it without a backward glance, leaving him alone with Dorian and Isaac.

Dorian’s nails grew to sharp claws and his eyes turned blood red.

He wasn’t in control of himself anymore.

“Hey, Isaac. Where’s your mate?”

The question distracted Isaac long enough for Kian to walk up behind Dorian and put his hand on the back of the vampire’s neck.

“Sleep.”

Dorian’s head throbbed as he slowly regained consciousness. He wasn’t sure what happened. His mind felt fuzzy. He remembered finishing his meeting with Ozen and going to check on Kian but not much else.

“He threatened you,” Maverick snarled. The temperature in the room rose with the dragon’s anger, and Dorian could smell smoke and flame. That wasn’t good.

“He was posturing,” Kian snapped back. “They both were. Like idiots. I hope you don’t automatically go full battle mage mode every time someone irritates you. Innocents are going to get hurt if you do shit like that.”

The conversation made no sense to Dorian. He tried to pry his eyes open so he could get a better idea of what was happening, but it felt as though his lids were glued together.

“He threatened the nurse,” Isaac argued, the scowl in his voice. “And then he hissed at me. Am I supposed to just ignore a threat?”

“Yes!” Kian demanded, exasperated. “He was obviously acting like an idiot, and you decided to meet him on his level! I’ve lost track of the number of out-of-control supernaturals I’ve met in my life. You never acknowledge their tantrums unless you’re looking to start a fight!”

“Alright, enough.” Ozen’s voice joined the conversation, firm and calm despite the tension in the air. “Kian, will he be alright?”

“He’s fine. It was a minor sleeping spell. He’ll wake up in a few minutes.”

Sleeping spell? Was that why he couldn’t fully wake?

“Good. Then I’ll leave him in your care for now. Doctor Chapman will want to check on you since you used so much magic. I’ll call him after I speak with Isaac and Maverick.”

The order was clear in that comment, and he heard shuffling as Maverick and Isaac were ushered from the room.

“You should go, too, in case he wakes up in a mood,” Kian suggested.

An unfamiliar female voice answered. “Probably. I’m already late as it is.

The plants are fine, just thirsty. I’m going to have Avery bring you a watering can so you can water them yourself.

Even if you can’t use your magic, interacting with them will feed the urge a little.

I checked the rest of the house earlier. They’re all fine.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

The voice was tinged with amusement as she replied. “I can’t believe you knocked him out because they were upsetting the plants. That’s true dedication.”

He assumed Kian responded with a shrug, because he didn’t say anything aloud. The scent of the female left the room, and the door closed quietly behind her. Only once she was gone did Kian speak again.

“So. Are you going to tell me what the hell that was all about?”