Page 35 of The Vampire’s Receptionist (Charmed Away Temp Agency #4)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Kian waited for the door to open and shut, signaling Dorian’s departure, before shutting off the water and leaning heavily against the counter. The guilt made him physically nauseous, but he needed to put some space between them. It was getting too complicated. He needed a minute to think.

He wanted things to be easy with Dorian.

It was just supposed to be sex. He reacted strongly to the feedings and, from what he could tell, the feeling was mutual for Dorian.

It was just supposed to be about scratching an itch.

He couldn’t admit out loud that he was jealous, or he’d have to say why.

And he refused to admit it. There were no feelings involved. It was just sex. Nothing more.

And yet when he dropped face first onto his bed and caught the smell of Dorian on his sheets, his stomach tightened uncomfortably, and he barely suppressed the desire to pull the sheets off the mattress to wrap himself in that scent.

It was why he didn’t actually jump into the shower.

He didn’t want to wash Dorian’s scent away.

Frustrated, he shoved off the bed again and ripped the sheets off, marching straight to the stacked washer/dryer tucked into the hall closet next to the bathroom.

He shoved the sheets in the wash, then stripped off his clothes for good measure, throwing them in as well.

He didn’t allow himself time to think before dumping the detergent in and starting the machine.

He was being ridiculous. He wasn’t the person to pine over a man.

He needed to get his head on straight before he had to interact with Dorian again.

Maybe they needed to stop having sex. Or maybe Kian should ask Morana to pull him from the job.

Being around Dorian all day wasn’t helping matters.

He got dressed in clean sweats and an old sweater and was aggressively chopping up some vegetables for dinner when his mother called. He ignored it. She would be able to tell within a few minutes that he was upset, and he didn’t want to discuss it with her or anyone else.

He probably should’ve known better. Ignoring her never worked in his favor.

A portal opened in the middle of his living room, a feat that could only be accomplished by those who were attuned to his wards and could cross freely. Both his parents stepped through, worry etched in their features. He rolled his eyes, giving more focus to his food prep.

“I was worried about you,” his mother said defensively in response to his annoyance.

“I missed one phone call,” Kian snapped. “I’m a little busy right now.”

His mother huffed, clearly unhappy with his sharp response. She should’ve taken his ignoring her call as the warning it was. He wasn’t good company right now. If he was, he wouldn’t have sent Dorian away.

The reminder made his stomach churn, and he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from showing the discomfort on his face.

Footsteps approached him cautiously, and when his mother moved to stand beside him, he turned his face away to avoid her. That only worked so well, since his father stood on his other side. Dad smirked, shaking his head.

“You did the same thing when you were younger. You’re old enough by now to know we know you better than that. What’s wrong, son?”

“Nothing,” he growled, staring down at the cutting board instead to avoid them both.

Dad hummed, but like Dorian, he wouldn’t be easily dissuaded when he wanted information.

He pulled the knife out of Kian’s grasp and settled his hand on the back of his neck, steering him out of the kitchen and into the living room, where most of his plants lived.

It was where he felt most at ease, which both his parents knew and used to their advantage to get him to talk.

Throwing his hands up, he scowled at the carpet. “I don’t know! I’ve been out of sorts the past few weeks. Ever since the incident, I–” He cut himself off, cursing his wayward tongue. He hadn’t intended to tell either of them about that. He planned to take that incident to the grave.

“What incident?” Mom demanded.

Kian refused to answer until Dad whispered a spell, and three of his plants disappeared. His head jerked up, and he whipped around to glare at him. “Put those back!”

“I will when you explain yourself. Otherwise I’ll take more, and they’ll be lost to the void forever,” he said casually, like he wasn’t threatening his only son.

Horror made Kian start talking. Those plants were his comfort after a long day. They never judged him or cared that he was a half-breed with no alliances. They listened and made him feel just a little less alone. And he fully believed his dad when he said he’d keep going just to get him to talk.

With a growl, Kian pushed to his feet and started pacing. “Okay, but you can’t freak out. It was an accident, and it was taken care of. He didn’t mean it.”

“Who didn’t mean what?” Dad asked patiently.

Drawing in a deep breath, he stared at the ceiling as he admitted, “Not long ago, I noticed a vampire coworker was starving. I tried getting his feeder, but he kept pushing him away. I’d been trained, I knew how to do an emergency blood donation, but in my rush, I forgot that I needed a team with me.

He took more than necessary, and I passed out. ”

He did not say outright that he nearly died. He didn’t want to give them a bad impression of Dorian over a mistake.

“There’s something going on with him, and for some reason, he can only feed from me right now.

I was happy to help, but things are getting complicated, and I don’t know what to do about it,” he finished.

He was omitting a lot, but most of the problem had to do with sex and he didn’t want to talk to his parents about that.

For a moment, they both just stared at him. It was Dad who spoke first, his tone carefully even. “Okay… I believe I need to ask some clarifying questions. First, you said he can only feed from you. I assume you’ve had him seen by a druid. Do they know why?”

“That’s what you want to know?” Mom shrieked, staring at him incredulously.

“Nothing about the fact that he ‘took more than necessary’?” She made quotes with her fingers before spinning around and pointing at Kian.

“I know you’re being purposely vague about that.

I want to know what you meant. How much is more than necessary?

Because it sounds to me like he tried to drain you and you’re covering for him! ”

“Tara–” Dad began, only to get cut off in Mom’s tirade.

“No! When did this all happen? Why are you still helping him after he attempted to kill you? What aren’t you telling us?”

Stubborn defiance lit in Kian’s veins, and he crossed his arms, pressing his lips together. He refused to speak to her when she was determined to put the blame on Dorian. It wasn’t his fault he was sick and needed help.

With a heavy sigh, Dad moved closer to Mom’s side, putting his arm around her shoulders and swaying her gently. “Be at ease, my mate. You’re not going to get him to speak with you if you shout at him.”

While Dad’s calm nature usually was enough to settle her, there was one area that Mom wouldn’t be pulled away from easily, and that was anything that regarded her son. She seethed and shot a demanding look at Kian, and when he didn’t immediately speak, she swung that gaze over to her husband.

“Well?”

“Perhaps you should take a break, my love. I can portal you home and–”

“Why should I leave? My son is obviously under some kind of enthrallment to allow himself to be used so abhorrently! Someone needs to protect him!”

“I’m more than capable of protecting myself,” Kian snapped. “And I don’t need protection from Dorian. He’s felt guilty since the first incident and has done everything in his power to make it up to me–”

“The first incident?” she shouted, launching to her feet. The plants in the room trembled in the face of her wrath, and a few grew thick spiky vines in response to her magic.

Kian lost his patience. He had enough on his mind without dealing with his mother.

Spinning on his heel, he stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him.

While he was growing up, his parents always said his room was his sanctuary and they would never enter without his permission.

Even now, they respected that. They had to, or he’d portal away, and they’d be hard pressed to find him again.

He knew how to disappear when necessary.

He wasn’t sure how long they left him alone in there. Long enough for Mom to finish ranting. He wasn’t sure what Dad did to settle her, but he honestly didn’t care. He just wanted them to go so he could figure things out on his own.

A knock on his door said he wasn’t going to be that lucky. Dad was the patient one, and he wouldn’t leave until he knew Kian was alright.

“Come in,” he grumbled. Might as well get this over with.

Dad stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. The gesture was clear. The conversation was between them. Mom wouldn’t be invited in without his say-so. Kian appreciated that. He didn’t have the energy to deal with her right now.

Sitting beside Kian on the edge of the bed, Dad sighed. “I’m sorry. She’s protective of you, you know this. We both are. You suffered enough as a child, and we just want you to be happy.”

Kian didn’t respond. He knew that, and he appreciated it, but he wasn’t a kid anymore. He knew how to fight his own battles and protect himself. He didn’t need his parents coming to the rescue anymore.

“This man, the one you’ve been feeding. He’s more than just a coworker, isn’t he?” Dad asked calmly.

Kian shook his head, scowling at the floor. “No. It’s not a relationship. It’s just sex.”

Dad hummed and waited. The frustration dialed up again, and Kian growled to himself.

“It’s not! I told him I’d help him. I didn’t want more than that.

But my reactions to his feedings are… odd.

The euphoria is more than a little intense.

It got to the point where–” He stopped. He really didn’t want to talk about his reactions to Dorian with his dad.

“Is it just the feedings that are intense? Or is there more?” Dad asked, showing he understood Kian better than most. He wouldn’t continue an uncomfortable conversation unless it was necessary.

Kian hesitated. “More like what?”

“Like your interactions with him. Are you drawn to him? Do you find yourself acting irrationally around him? Are other intimate acts different from your normal?”

Kian frowned at him. “No. What are you talking about?”

Dad raised an eyebrow. “Think about it, Kian. Don’t just say what first pops into your head.”

With an exasperated sigh, Kian threw his hands into the air. “I don’t know! I mean, yeah, the sex is different, but it always follows a feeding. And yeah, I feel weirdly jealous, but that’s just because we’re fucking, and Morgan was flirting with him right in front of me.”

“Are you drawn to him?” Dad repeated.

Kian pressed his lips together. He didn't want to admit that out loud. The answer was yes. He was drawn to Dorian. He made excuses to check on him throughout the week when he really didn’t have to, and when they were separated for too long, he got annoyed.

He didn’t like the idea of other people getting too close to him. But that didn’t mean anything.

“I don’t want a relationship with him,” Kian ground out.

“And why not?”

“Because I don’t want a repeat of last time.”