Page 45 of Those That Are Lost (Hidden Vampires #2)
AURORA
T he last few days have been strange, to say the least. We’ve got a drained vampire in the closet of Henry’s apartment, having moved him from the hotel the following night.
Our little group has grown yet again to include Mitch, and two of the males have been going out each day with the tracked phones to keep up the appearance that we’re being searched for; each morning and each night collecting or returning them to the hotel room Mitch has booked.
It leaves little time for any of them.
Me on the other hand? Ty refuses to let me out of Henry’s apartment unless he, and at least two of the other males, accompany us.
I would be frustrated, except I understand the risks.
Each time I step foot outside of these walls, we risk the Scotian pack discovering the female vampire their rival pack is looking for, is living in their city.
And the last thing we need is another vampire pack breathing down our necks.
Nope, I learnt my lesson last time. I am happy to keep Ty’s blood pressure down and stay put.
And I do get a babysitter most days to keep me company.
Yesterday it was Ty himself, which we relished.
Twelve straight hours alone, except for the near corpse in the closet, and whilst we did some more planning, we definitely took advantage of the empty apartment.
I may not be able to look Henry in the eyes for a while after what we did on this couch.
“If you think I can’t tell you had a sex marathon in here yesterday, think again.” Antares is my partner today and he pipes up from across the room, emptying blood packets into glasses for us to drink. He refuses to have them straight from the plastic.
“I have no clue what you’re on about.” I feign ignorance.
“Darling, you and shadows definitely fucked on at least the couch, the kitchen counter, and if I’m not wrong, Henry’s office chair too.
” He grins at me as he hands me the glass and I cannot hide the blush erupting on my face as he accurately lists each surface we defiled.
“The chair is a nice touch. I bet that was glorious, it’s just the right height. And talk about the view.”
I do indeed remember noticing the view over the city as I kneeled on said chair and Ty railed me from behind as I clutched the headrest and arched my back into each thrust.
I take a swig of the blood to cool my raging body at the memories, even as my thighs clench with a delicious ache.
‘Red?’ Ty’s voice drops into my head. He’s somewhere in the city right now but must’ve picked up on my raging labido.
‘I’m fine. Just reliving yesterday.’ I tell him, not mentioning that it wasn’t my own head that triggered the memories. I close my mind then, before Ty can mess with me. I’d felt him about to respond with something salacious and I wanted to him to focus on whatever he was up to currently.
“No comment,” I finally tell Antares, who curls up beside me on the couch.
“Fine, don’t give me the details.” He sighs. “After getting busted the other night before I could have any fun, I think I’ve probably forgotten the mechanics. How long do you have to go without sex before you qualify as celibate?”
I choke on my next mouthful. “We’ve really not known each other long enough for this conversation.
” Ty had indeed taken some convincing to leave him alone in the apartment with me, but after their power match the other day, they have been getting on better.
That, and Antares did a great job with capturing Adicious’s men when really, he didn’t need to help.
“Why bother with all the bullshit when we could skip straight to properly getting to know each other?” He takes a mouthful from his own glass but raises his eyebrows at me as he does so.
Maybe he has a point. I have been thinking that it might be nice to have Antares around long term. He’s fun when he’s not pissing off my mate.
Swallowing another mouthful of blood, I readjust my position on the sofa so I’m facing him more. “Fine, want to moan about your lack of getting laid?”
“It’s been like two decades! I swear, the next guy who grabs my dick is going to have me going off instantly.”
“That’s too much information,” I say, my nose scrunching at that mental image. “How about we start with the basics. Are you gay? Is it just guys you’re into?”
“Yep, sorry darling. No pussy has ever done anything for me, except make me run a mile in the other direction. Wouldn’t know where to start with one.”
I release a genuine laugh this time. “I guess we have that in common then.”
“What? You can’t even get yourself off?” His jaw drops.
“Gods, no!” I roll my eyes and burst into laughter. “I meant I’ve only ever been into guys.”
“I’m joking!” He laughs too. “It would be too tragic if you couldn’t work your own body.”
I snort another laugh. I have no issues there, but with Ty around so much now, I’ve not required my own hand for a while.
“Okay, so we both like dicks. What about trauma?” Antares asks, changing the topic very abruptly.
“What about it?” I ask warily, finishing my drink and placing the glass on the table in front of us .
“Well, I know shadow daddy probably disturbs your sleep but those eyes in the morning are often haunted, not simply freshly fucked. You can withdraw into yourself like a professional, and don’t think I haven’t noticed how you stay aware of your surroundings like you’re a deer instead of a lioness. It all screams unhealed trauma.”
My breaths become short as my vision whitens at the edges at the reminder.
“Hey.” Antares slowly places a hand on my arm, near my elbow. I flinch anyway. “I get it. My father would beat us with a belt anytime we stepped out of line. It took me a long time to be able to wear one myself. I couldn’t stand the feel of it running over my fingers to thread the loops.”
I force a deep breath to calm the tingling anxiety as I force myself to keep talking. “Adicious chained us in a basement and tried to force me into a mate bond.”
“Gods alive be damned.” Antares releases a long breath. I don’t say anything more and he takes a few seconds, like he’s processing something beyond his comprehension. “Suddenly, I’m glad I can only bond to my fated mate. That’s barbaric.”
My brows knit as I try to figure out how Antares’s hybrid status affects him. “Your mating ability from your Fae heritage wasn’t overwritten when you turned?”
He shakes his head. “No, the only mate bond I can have is one chosen by my magic.”
I’m instantly curious. The purest Fae I’ve known until now is Bree, and whilst she has enough Fae blood to have their distinctive ears, she’s not certain about her mating magic. Her parents didn’t feel it, they simply fell in love. “How does that work?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure. It’s just a feeling.
We’re told growing up that it’s like being hit smack in the face.
If you meet your mate, that's it. You’ll know and no one else will come close to how you’ll feel when you’re around them.
Of course, it's possible to have more than one but it’s not something that develops over time, the instant you lay your eyes on them, you’ll know.
” He plucks at the fabric of his baggy purple trousers, like he’s picking lint off them.
“Can you feel the bond already there?”
“No, I’ve not met them. I doubt I ever will now.” Antares’s gaze moves to the window as I watch him, a wistful look passes over his features before a glum resolution takes over.
“You don’t know that. You’re still young.”
“Yeah, but I’m hardly free to look for them.
And what are the odds they’d accept me?” He keeps his eyes on the city through the windows as he talks.
This time I want to touch him, offer him comfort.
I want to wrap him in a blanket and hug him until the sadness leaves him.
I decide then that I do indeed want him as a friend, and I hope he feels the same about me.
Growing up surrounded by the Fae that hate our kind, I’m not surprised Antares feels like he doesn’t belong.
Add in the fact he fought as a high-ranking commander on the Fae side it must be a complete mind-fuck to then find yourself turned into the very thing you’ve been conditioned to kill.
No matter how disillusioned he is with the Fae propaganda now that kind of trauma would linger.
“If I’ve learnt anything, it’s to trust the magic a little more. If you still feel that your Fae mating bond remains intact, it’ll be for a reason.” I hope the words bring him a little comfort.
We chat for a little while longer. I tell him about my parents and he tells me stories of growing up in the palace his family owned. I note he barely talks about any of his actual family. Sticking to friends and others that worked for him.
After a while we move onto lighter topics like the foods we miss, TV shows we like, books we’ve read. By the time Ty and Henry return, we’re sitting entangled on the sofa, sharing one of the throws and giggling manically like we’ve been best friends our whole lives.