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An Omega Witch’s
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,transmitted,copied,orstoredinanyformorbyanymeans withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionfromtheauthor.Exceptionfortheuseofbriefquotationinareview.Thisbookisawork offiction.Allnames,characters,events,brands,companies,andplacesareusedfictionally.V1
Thisbookcontainsmaterialsuitableonlyformaturereaders.
Thankyoutomyteamofeagleeyes.
Anyadditionalerrorsareallmine,butifyoudofindthem,youcanemailmeatjoesatoria@gmail.com
1.OZUL
2.NERO
3 OZUL
4.NERO
5.OZUL
6.NERO
7.OZUL
8.NERO
9.OZUL
10.NERO
11.OZUL
EPILOGUE
AUTHOR’SNOTE
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR
“Oh my!What big fangs you have.”
MeetNero,anomegawitchunluckyinlove,allhe’severwantedwastofindafamilythatacceptedhim:check,hefoundhis coven Now,he’smissinglove
Withsomemagicalintervention,andjustalittletransportationmagic,Neroendsupinthecoldnorth
Ozul Dacre has his life setup, he’s the owner ofBurger Bite - a fastfood burger jointthatcaters to vampire and humansexcept the humans don’t know about the vampires. He’s over a two hundred years old, and he’s done withlove… until he smellstheallureofayoungomegainheat
How to Bang a Vampire is part of the Omega Witch’s Dating Handbook series Each story follows an omega witch in search of their fated mate through magical means. You’ll find plenty of knots, ruts, and heats… oh
Fromsundowntosunup,IwastheownerandheadchefofBurgerBite,theonlyfastfoodburgerjointthatcateredtovampires andhumans.WhenIwastoldthathumansandvampirescouldn’tco-exist,Iknewtheydidn’thaveaclueaboutanything.
Sincethen,I’dleftmyvampirecoven,challengedbyfartoomanyAlphaseachonewantingtomoveinonedirectionor another. Sure, humans were very oblivious to the supernatural going on around them, but that only worked in the favor of BurgerBite.
Andwhere better toopenthanCanada Acountrythatacceptedeveryone Iwas fromall over the world Myorigins werecomplicated,wherewasIborn,whendidIhavemyfirstdrinkofblood,andwhowasmyfirstdrink.Allverydifferent countries,andallverydifferentpartsofwhoIwas
“Ozul,they’rescrewin’inthefreezeragain,”Tana,oneofthecashiersshoutedthroughtomeinthekitchen.“Ialready threatenedthem,but ”
Ipoundedthespatulaontheburgerpatty.“I’lldealwithit,”Itoldher,gesturingtooneofmylinecookstotakeover.
Thekitchenwasbusyandorderscamethroughfast.ButImanaged.IwasanAlpha,afterall,andwhenIspoke,people listened
Removingmyapron, Ithrew it over a hook. “These fuckers are gonna listen,” Igrumbled as Imade mywayto the walk-infreezer attheback Therewas apopular phraseamongthevampirecommunity,givethemaninchofinner thighand they’dsuckyoudry.
Whatmademattersworsewasthetiming.Itwastheweekend,humanswerecominginfromtheir nightofdrinkingin thelocalclubsandbars Itwasthebusiestrushwehad,anditwasconsiderablybusyforthelocalvampirestoo
The echo of moans came from inside the walk-in freezer. Their noises reverberated against the metal. Part of me wantedtoteachthemalessonandlockthemin,freezethemout,buttherewasthousandsofdollarsofmeatinthere,andblood Bloodnevertastedthesameonceithadbeenfrozen,orworsecaughtacaseoffreezerburn.
“I’llgiveyoutwoseconds,thenI’mcomingin,”Icalledout,bangingafistonthedoor Theyshutupinside.
WhenJanamentionedthemscrewinginthefreezeragain,Iknew thelistwaspotentiallylong.Everyonewhoworked herewas inmycoven,andtheyoftenfoundthemselves alittleover excitedandeager tojumpthegunwhenitcametofresh humanswillingtohavethemselveswokentonewpleasures.
“One T ”BeforeIcouldfinish,thedooropened Ablack-hairedmanwithoutaT-shirt,andhiscockhangingoutthroughtheunzippedtrouserhole.Hisneckwasbruised andmarkedbyfangs Dekecameoutbehindhim,snickering Hewasrelativelynewtobeingavampire,andturnedvampires hadmuchmorehungerthanthoseborn.
“I’m I’msorry,”theguysaid,tuckinghiscockintohispantsandzippinghimselfup.
“What?”Dekelaughed “Don’tapologize”
IgrabbedDekebythehandandpulledhimclose,myother handrestingonhisupper arm.“Your friendtherehadthe goodideaofapologizing Now,you’vealreadybeenwarnedonce Thistime,I’llbreakyourarm”
Theguyskitteredoff.
“Mr.Dacre,Sir,”Dekesaid,hisvoiceshaky.“Iwon’tdoitagain.Please.Don’tdo ”
Itwasfartoolateforitnow.Dekehadbeenwarnedonce,andifIwasgoingtokeepanyrespect,therehadtoberules. Ifhewasn’tgoingtofollow therules,thenhe’dlearntofollow the.Ituggedonhisarm,snappingtheboneinhisupper arm cleanintwo
Hescreamedoutinpain,fallingtohisknees.
“Great,nowwe’reshort-staffed”
Ifitwasuptome,Dekewouldn’thavebeenturned,butmostturnedvampiresIhadanissuewith.Theylivedhuman livesbeforebecomingoneofus.Theirhungerwaswildandunchecked,andoften,theydidn’tbelongtocovens,it’swhyIwas sosetonwelcomingthem.Changehadtostartfromsomewhere.
“Youbrokemyarm!”hecontinuedtoscream.
Fromhis positiononthe floor, I pressed myhand over his mouth “Don’t youdare make more of a scene thanyou alreadyhave,”Itoldhim.“AndI’mstillwaitingonthatapology.Now,sayyou’resorry,andI’llmakesureyourarmishealed upnicely”
He was onlya year or two into beinga vampire, his bones were still mostlyhuman, and bythat, Imeanttheywere easilybroken.Thehumansdidn’tquitefitinwhentheywereturnedbecausetheywere human.Thesupernaturalworldwas governedbythreebracketsofpeople;Alphas,betas,andomegas Alawofnature
“Sorry,”hesobbed.“I’msorry.”
Thefastestwayforhimtohealwasblood AnAlpha’sblood Ibitintomyownwristandfeditdirectlyintohismouth fromabove.“Good,”Isaid.“Iguesswe’renolongershortstaffed.”
Hewasn’tgoingtomakethesamemistakeagain.Thatwascertain.
TherewasalotIlikedaboutbeinganAlphavampire,butwhenIhadtobecruelwasn’toneofthem.
“Go on,” Isaid, snappingmyfingers “Getgone Fill up the frier and keep your head down IfIcatchyouagain, it won’tbeworthit.”Newbiesoftengotaone-timefreepass,thesecondtime,Ibrokeabone,andthethirdtimetheyweregone. Ididn’thaveroomforthattypeofbehavior
Iwentinto the walk-infreezer to make sure there wasn’tanymess leftbehind. Itseemed like everysingle daythere wassomeoneknewcomingbackherewithahumanbloodbagtryingtoeatonthejob Itdidn’tmakesensewhytheysoughtthis littlescrapofspaceoutwhentheyalllivedwithmeinalargehouseontheoutskirtsofthecity.
Taking a step out into the alley out back, I sucked back several deep breaths. The icy spring chill in the air was deliciousonmyface
Awhirl of air collected, gatheringgarbage bags and loose trashup into its tinytornado. Asmall zap of electricity popped against the metal dumpster “Witches,” Igrumbled to myself, slidingthe tip of mytongue under a fang “I get it,” I calledout.“Youliketoshowoff.”
“Ow”
Theairstilled.
“Wedon’twantanytrouble,”Icalledout.
Historicallyspeaking,therehadalwaysbeenwarsamongstoursupernaturalfactions Vampiresatwitches,witchesat shifters, wolves at vampires, and so on. But times had changed, and the only wars that happened now were the ones that happenedforpublicpower
“WhereamI?”
Atthesideofthedumpster,onhisknees,thesweetstinkofanomegawitchperfumedthecoldair.
Ibitmytongue.“BurgerBite,”Itoldhim.“InToronto.”
Hegasped,lookingupatmewithhissmallblinkingface.“Oh.Thankyou.I ”
Iheldoutahand Hewasharmless Adorableinfact “You’renotfromaroundhere,clearly”Whichmeanthedidn’t knowabouttheongoingpropertydisputewiththelocalwitches.Therewasalwayssomeformofpropertydisputewiththem, andforthemostpartwewerewinning,evenwithourdisadvantagesofnotbeingabletowalkduringtheday Hetookmyhandandstood.“Thisisgoingtosoundstrange,butI ” Someone called my name from inside. “You want to come wait inside while you collect yourself,” I suggested. “There’s a phone, incase youneed to call anyone.” Poor little lostlamb, he was clearlyanomega castingmagic he didn’t knowhowtocontrol.
“I’mNero,”heletoutasIopenedthedooratthebackofthestoretoleadinside “I’mOzul.”
AsNeropassedmetoheadinside,Ismelledhim Inheat Thatwasdangerous Ifoundacutinmytonguefromwhere I’dgnawedonit.Istabbedmytoothalittleharderintothespace.Iwasn’tgoingtolosemyselfaroundthewitch.Ididn’tneed anymoreissueswiththem.
“You’reachef?”heasked “Sure,”Isnickered.“You’rewelcometousethephone,there’sone ”Ipaused.“Actually,you’rebetteroffgoinginto myofficeawayfromallthesevultures”
Helaughed.“So,whatisthisplace?”
“It’sapreternaturaleatery,”Itoldhim “Notquitearegulartakeoutspot,butonceyouknow,youknow”
Blinkingwildlyatme,you’dhavethoughtI’dtoldhimthatmagicwasreal.Fuck.Humans.“Hey,kid,listen,I ” “Vampires,”hewhispered.
“Yes,I’msorry,Ijust ”Mynamewascalledoutagain Thisplacetrulydidn’tfunctionwithoutmeatthehelm “I’vejust ”heofferedupweakly.“I’ve I’veneverbeenaroundavampirebefore.” “Ok,well,everythingyouknow aboutus,throw itout That’snotgoingtohelpyouaroundhere,”Itoldhim “Butgo intomyoffice,waitthere,I’llbefiveminutes.”
“Thankyou,”hesaid,beamingasmileinmyface
Ifeltbadforthekid.Ifhewasanomegawitch,thismight’vebeenthefirsttimehewashearingaboutit.Ididn’twantto betheonetotellhimthat,butitcouldworkinmyfavor.I’dhelpedalotofvampires,Icouldhelpawitch.
After dealing with a dispute at the register, a vamp trying to order more than the regular allotted two blood bag maximum.Iknew how greedythesevampscouldget,andIsoldsomepremiumgradeblood.All ofitprocuredfromwilling peopleandeachoneofthempaidwellforittoo
Nero satatmydeskinthe office, spinninghimselfaround onthe chair. Imust’ve appeared as a blur to himwhenI walkedin.
“Wooh,”hesnorted,pullinghimselftoastopwithahandonmydesk.“Sorry,I I I ” “It’sok,”Isaid,sittingoppositehim.“Thisisabigchangeinyourlife.”
“Wait.Soyouknow?”
“Yes, Iknow.” Ireached over and placed myhand ontop ofhis hand. “And it’s ok. Ipromise. This is a safe space. Now,whydon’tyoutell mehow Icanhelpyougetbackhome”His wideeyes turnedtosquints withhis foreheadcreasing withdeeplines.“What’swrong?”
“You said you knew,” he mumbled, pulling his hand from under mine “I I’m a witch, I cast a spell to find my soulmate.It’syou.”
Ilaughedsohard,Ialmostthrewmyselfbackfromthechairwiththepushofmyfeet “Whosentyoutospinthatline?” Iasked.“Richfromthewitchescounsel?He’sbeenwantingtomakeaunionbetweenmycovenandhisforyears.TellhimI’m notinterest.”
“Idon’tknowRich”
“RichardYuzman,”Isaid.Therewasn’tevenaflickerofrecognitioninhiseyesatthename.“You youreallydon’t know”
“No,”hewhispered.“I’mNeroCaddel,I’mawitch,I’manomega,andforthelastyearandsomeI’vebeenbrewinga spellthattakesmetomysoulmate Ijust ”asheblinked,tearscollectedacrosshiseyesandturnedthemalightpink Ibelievedhim.“Therearealotofpeoplewhoworkhere,”Itoldhim.“It’sverypossibleyoucastthatspellandhitone ofthemwithit.Idon’tknowhowwitchcraftworks.”
“It’s possible, I I’ve never castitbefore,” he said, wipinghis eyes witha sneakytype ofgrace “Iguess that’s the wholepointofit.Youonlycastitoncefor theonesoulmateyouhave.”Hedidn’tmakeeyecontactagain.“Andifyou’rein chargehere,thenthatprobablymeansyoualreadyhaveamate Ohgod”Hegroaned “Thisisbad Youknow,thecovensaid thatoneofthesideeffectscouldbeinterruptingsomeonecurrentlyinarelationship.”
Ileanedoverthedeskandtookbothofhishands.Hewasspirally.I’dseenthishappeninvampires,butusuallyunder verydifferentcircumstances.“Relax,”Itoldhim.“Idon’thavetimeforamate,orevenarelationshipatthat.Thisplacetakes upmyentireschedule.”
Hislipquivered “Icancook,”hesaid “MaybeifIcancooksomethingforyou,youmightthinkdifferently”
“Whydidn’tyouleadwiththat?”Iasked.“ButIcan’tputyououtthereinmykitchen.You’reinheat.I’ll havethose nubilevampiresgunningforatasteofyouinseconds”
“ThespellonlyworksbecauseI’minheat,”hesaid.“Andapparentlyveryemotionaltoo.”Hesniffled.
I squeezed my hands around his, soaking in his warmth. “You’re lucky I have self-control.” Although I’m sure he wishedIdidn’t.Iknewomegasinheatweredangeroustobearound,theycouldgetgrownmenontheground,andifthisdesk wasn’tsupportingmyweight,Imight’vealreadybeenthere,surrenderingmyselftohimforadirecthitofthosesweetomega pheromonesonmytongue
“It’sok,”hesaid.“Icanleave.”
“No”Ishookmyhead
Thevampiresherehadbeenhavingtheirfunforawhile.Ineededmyownhitoffun.AndNerowasmorethanwilling toletmehaveataste,straightfromthesource.Ismackedmylipsandtracedahandacrosstheveinonhiswrist.“Wouldyou letmedothehonorsofseeingthissoulmatingformyself?”
Henodded.
Ididn’tknow whattoexpectwhenItookthepotion Itworkedimmediately Oneminute,Iwasstandinginthemiddleofthe covenastheyallsenttheirpositivevibesinmydirection.Thenthenextminute,Iwasonthedampgroundthatsmelledsobad. Isupposeitmadesense.Therewasadumpsterrightbymyside.
Ozul.Thatwashisname.Agloriousglowlikeahaloaroundhisirises.Hewashypnotic.Ifrozeacoupletimeaswe spoke and he was so nice. Of course, there had to be a catch. I couldn’t just fall for another witch, someone who I had a connectionwith
No.Hewasavampire.Probablytheworstoption.AndI’dspentmanymonthsthinkingaboutmyperfectandpotential soulmate Vampireswerebarelyconsidered TheyhadabadrapinthecommunitiesI’dbeenapartof Theyonlycameoutat night,theydrankblood,andtheycouldturnregularhumansintothesederangedmonsters.Therewasalottobescaredofwhen dealingwithavampire.
ExceptIwasn’tscaredaroundOzul.
Evenasheheldmyhandunderhismouthandcaressedafingertipacrossmywrist.
“Icanseewhatyou’veseeninthelastday Icanfeelwhatyou’vefelt,”hesaid “Justadrop” I’dalreadyagreed.Iwantedtofindmysoulmatesobad,Iwaswillingtodoanything.
Therewasnopain Alightpinprick,asmalldropletofblood,andwithalickofhispinktongue,hewipeditaway It sentastrangeshockwaveofpleasurethroughme.Iletoutamoanandthrustmyhipsonthechair.
“What whatdoesittastelike?”Iaskedhim.
“Thetruth,”hesaid,givingmywristanotherlick “Iknowyou’retellingthetruth And I’mcuriousastowhetherI’m thesoulmate,orit’ssomeoneelseinhere.”
Everything I was supposed to remember seemed to vanish from my brain It was more than just a feeling I was supposed to have around my soulmate. I wondered if I was supposed to see large flashing marquee sign above his head pointingathimwith‘soulmate’ onit
“Whenwillyouknow?”heasked.
“I ”
“Youdon’tthinkit’s a vampire, do you?” he continued “Ihave no objectionto it, butIdon’twantyouto pursue a dangerouspath.”
“Dangerous?”Ichoked
“Vampiresaredangerous,”hestated.“Andyou’ddowelltohopeyoursoulmateisn’toneofthem.”
“Whatif what if ”
Hecaressedthebackofmypalm.“Noneedtobenervous.”
“Whatifit’syou?”
“I’dknow,”hesaid “Surely,that’sthewholepoint”
Iknewhebelievedwhathewassaying,hehadthatcalmingAlphaenergyabouthim.Ididn’twanttodisagreewithhim, butinthisinstance,disagreeingwithhimwastheonlythingIcoulddo
“It’susuallythefirstpersonyoumeet,”Isaid,informationcomingbacktome.“Andit’snotsoobvious.But youdid biteme.”
Ozul’slipsscrewedtogether,tryingtopushawayhissmile.“Iguessyou’rerightaboutthat,butthatwasmoreformy owncuriositythanitwasforanythingelse.”
“Therealsoanotherway,”Isaid,gulpinghardasIshiftedmybodyweightonthechair He closed his eyes as I watched him inhale, his head tilting slightly. “I know exactly what you’re wanting,” he whispered,andwithhiseyesclosedheinstinctivelytookmyhand “You’regoingtogetmeintrouble,withme Ihaveastrict policyofnofuckingatwork.”
Ifoundmyselfblushingandgettinghotfromtheneckupthesidesofmycheeks.“Iwasn’tsuggestingthat,well,I ”
“Youwere,”hesaid,openinghiseyesandseeingrightthroughme.“And you’rereallygoingtogetmeintotrouble. Harboringanomegainheat,likeafugitive.”
“Butifyouwantto,”Iwhispered
“I’llcallyouacab,it’lltakeyoutomyhouse.Iwantyoutogothereandwaitforme,”hesaid.“It’snotsafeforyou herewithoutsomeoneclaimingyou Anditwon’tbemuchsaferforyouthereeither,butatleastI’llknowwhereyouare And thenwecanfigurethiswholethingout.”
Inodded.
Ozulpulledaringfromhisfinger “Thisisatoken,toprotectyouatthehouse,incaseanyonecomessniffingaroundfor theirlostomega,”hesaid,slippingitoverafingeronmyrighthand.Itwasagoldringwithasymboletchedintotheplating.
Givenhow muchIalreadytrustedhim,itdidn’ttake me longtofigure outhe was the one The signs were there,but maybeonlytomesinceIknewwhattolookfor.Hewantedmealltohimself,healreadytriedtoclaimmewiththering,and
nowhewassendingmeofftowaitforhim,probablyinbed.
My hormones were going wild at the idea of having sex with him. It was a real seal the deal moment when that happened,soitwasquitehighuponmychecklist
Hegesturedtothephoneonthedesk.“I’llcallyouacab,andthenyoucancallwhoeveryouneedtotellthemyou’re safe,”hesaid “Oh,anddon’ttalktoanyoneatthehouse Gotit?”
Iwasarulefollower.Ofcourse,Igotit.“Thankyou.”I’dheardsomehorrorstoriesofsoulmatesbeingrejected,and whilehehadn’trejectedmeyet,hewasgoingoutofhiswaytowelcomeme Iwasconfidenthewastheone
OnceOzulphonedmeacab,Igavethecovenacall.TheywereinterestedtoknowwhereIendedup,andsurprisedto findoutitwasCanada.IsupposeIshouldn’thavebeensurprisedbyOzul’shospitalitythen,sincewewerenorthoftheborder andfamouslyanicercrowd
Ialsohadaphone,butcallingfromtheoneinhisofficemeantthatthecovenalsoknewexactlywhereIwasfromthe callerID
“Youdidn’tcomewithanything?”Ozulaskedashewalkedmeoutthroughthebackoftherestaurantintothealley.“No bag?Noclothes?I’mstilltryingtowrapmyheadaroundthisentirething”
“Nope. The magic is old, and nobody wants to play around with that. One wrong word in that type of spell and I could’veexplodedmyself,”Ichuckled.
“Curious,”hewhisperedunderhisbreath “Youmakememorecuriousbytheminute”
Theheadlightsofacarbeamedinourfaceinthealley.
“Doesn’tlooklikeacab”
“It’sacarservice,”hesaid.“He’lltakeyouwhereyouneedtogo.Remember.”Heheldhisrighthandupinagesture. “Thisisyourticketinside,andprotection.”
Iknewhe’dsaidthatIcouldn’tstayherebecauseofthevampires,soIwonderedhowthisringwouldprotectmeathis placewhereIassumedtherewasgoingtobemorevampires.“Howlongwillyoube?”
“As longas ittakes,” he said “Make yourselfcomfortable I’mgoingto phone around and see whatmyside ofthe supernaturalhastosayaboutsoulmatesbeforeIgetthere.”Heplacedthebackofhiscoldhandagainstmycheek.“Buteither way,I’mgoingtotakeyouupinthatearlieroffer”
Thatearlierofferdidn’thaveanexpiration,soIsupposeitwasstillupforgrabs.“Ok,”Imouthed.
ThedriverhadthesamemagneticeyesthatOzulhad.Iwonderedifhewasalsoavampire.Icouldn’tevenrecallthe lasttimeI’dcomeacrossone.AndneithercouldthecovenwhenI’dcalledthem.TheyweremoreworriedthanIwas,butthat might’vebeenbecauseIwassoulbondedtooneofthem,mysoulmatedwithoneoftheirsouls.
Inthebackofthenicecar,therewasasweetleatherscentandpeppermint Iwonderedifthatwassprayedinhereto coverupanybloodthatthatsettled.Ifeltawfulimmediatelyafterformakingthataccusation.Notallvampireswerethesame, buttheywerethemostbloodthirsty,especiallysincetheirentiredietconsistedofblood
The driver didn’t make anyconversation, evenwhenI tried to askhimwhere he was from, and whether it got any colder thanthis. Ishould’ve wornlayers, and Evander would absolutelygrill me aboutitwhenIgotback. He’d told me to layerup
Ididn’tknow muchaboutwhere Iwas going, or the duration, butafter a shortwhile we pulled up outside a lonely streetwithonehouse Itwassurroundedtall,deadgrass,allofitwiltedinonedirectionoranother
Thehouseitselfwashuge.All ofthelightsoninside,seeminglylightingupthestreet.Threestorieshighwithalarge wraparoundporch
“Thisisit.”
“Wholiveshere?”Iasked.
“TheDacrecoven,”hesaid “Vampires”Hesmirked “Areyoua ”
“IfIchauffeurthecovenaroundforthenextcoupleofyears,Mr Dacrehaspromisedmeeternallife,”hesaid Human.Ishould’veguessed.“Oh.Ok.Isanyoneinside?”
Heshrugged “Possibly Areyouscared?”
“No,”Isaid,poppingmytongue.Iwaspetrified.Ineverhadtodostufflikethisaloneusually.Ittookawholelotof adrenalineformetodrinkthatpotionandrecitethatspell.Walkingdirectlyintoavampirenestknowinglywasn’tsomethingI thoughtI’dendupdoing
“Youshouldn’tbe,”hesaid.“You’vegotaring.”
Ihelditupinthefluorescentorangeindoorcarlight “Whatdoesitmean?” “Ihaveonetoo.”Herevealedhis.“Itjustmeansyou’reoff-limits.”
“Andtheyrespectit?”
“Theyhavenochoice,”hesaid.“Mr.Dacreisveryaccepting,notmanyothercovensaroundhereare.Theyonlyaccept bornvampires,andsome ofthemgooutoftheir waytotryandkill the ones whoare turned.So,people mostlyrespectMr.
Dacreandhisdecisions.”
Itbroughta tickle ofa smile to myface. Ishied away, hopinghe wasn’tthinkingIwas laughingathim. The idea of beingwithsomeone who had sucha presence and power was somethingI’d thoughtof Iwanted someone who commanded people.I’djustneverthoughtthatsomeonemight’vebeenavampire,ablood-sucking,death-dealingvampire.
“Everythingis gonna be fine, humans like us need to sticktogether,” he said His change of character was strange, almostlikehewaswaitingtobeoutofthecitybeforehespoketome.
Ididn’trespondtothehumancomment,especiallynotafterthewayOzulhadmentionedtheriftwithwitchesearlier It wasprobablybestifIkeptthatquiet.“Thankyoufordrivingme,”Isaid.Andforthesmallconversation.Ithadmademejust thatlittlebitmoreconfidentwithgoinginsidethetalldarkwoodpaneledhouse.
Walking toward the house, I noticed something peculiar about it There weren’t any windows or doors Curtains billowedoutoftheopenwindowspace.Andthat’swhenIspottedthem,thevampiresinside,theirheadsappearingatthesides ofthewindowstowatchmewalktowardthehouse,andalargerfigureintheopendoorway
“Nero,”thewomaninthedoorwaysaid.“I’mPearl.I’mthewatcher.Thehuman,”shesnorted.AsIgotcloser,shewas anolderwomaninhersixtiesattheearliestwithhergrey-whitehairinpincurls “IgotacallfromOzultoexpectyou”
“Hi,thisis ”
“Acreepyhouse,”shechuckled.“Iknow.Sorryaboutmyappearance.Iwasinbed.Iwould’veputsomethingovermy nightdressifI’dbeentoldearlier”
“It’sok,”Itoldher.“I’m ”
“Right,Ozulmentionedyouhadatoughtimewithyourwords,”shesaid “Wouldyoulikeatea?”
“I would, actually, thank you.” I was parched, my throat was gagging to be hydrated after all the anxiety and hard gulping.
Pearl welcomedmeintothecreakyhouse.Ihadn’tmetanyofthefacesI’dseenwatchingmefromthewindows.She ledthewaythroughthefoyerdownahallwayintothekitchen.Therewasalreadyalargeteakettleonthestovetopboiling.
“Thehouseisn’tusuallythisquiet,”shesaid “Itusuallypicksuparoundfiveinthemorning,that’swhenI’musually up.They’relikecats,justbeforebed,theyhavetheirzoomies.”
Hercommentcaughtmeoff-guard Iburstintolaughter
“It’strue,”shesaid.“Vampiresarelikecats.Theyalsoleavealotofmessaround,andifyoujinglesomethingtheyall comerunning.Well,thatlastpartisajoke,unlesswe’retalkingbloodbags,theygothroughsomuchofthestuff.”
Iglancedatherhand.Sheworethesameringasme.“Howlonghaveyoubeenlivinghere?”
“Years,”shesaid.“I’veknownOzulsinceIwasagirl,andIgrewupwithhisnephew.Obviously,wecouldneverbe together,humansandvampires,wasn’tallowedbackthen,andnotallowednow”
I’d grown up in a fairly sheltered place, so I understood where she was coming from. I didn’t even learn about vampiresuntilIwasinmyteens,andtheywereonlytaughttomeasaggressivebeastswhowouldkillmeforasinglepintof blood.
Iwalkedaroundthekitchen,myhandsslidingonandoffthegorgeousgranitecountertops.Theyinspiredme.
“Well,well,well,”avoiceechoedinthekitchen “Whatfreshmeatdowehavehere?”
Spinningontheheelofmyfoot,Ialmosttookatumble.
“ThisisNero,”Pearlsaid “Mr Dacrehasinformedmeheisn’ttobemessedaroundwith” Themantookmyhand.“I’mThaddeus,Ozul’smuchyounger,andmuchmoredashingbrother.”Hepulledmyhandto hisfacebutbeforehecouldkissit,hespottedthering “Ugh IsupposeI’llfindfoodelsewhere”
“Icancook,”Isaid,itwasalastditchattempttoingratiatemyself.Iwantedtobeuseful.Ididn’tlikeitwhenpeople snarledinmydirection,orlookedlikeIwasthesoupoftheday.
Therewasn’tanythingthatcould’vepreparedmeforwhatIwasgoingtowalkintowhenIgotbacktothehouse I’dsentNerotherebecausehe’dbesafe.Thehousewasonlyfilledwithmypeople.Unliketherestaurantwherepeople fromalldifferentcovensandcreedshungaround,itwasdangerousforhimthere.
Ofcourse,atthehouse,Iemployedhumans,someofthemonlywishingtobearoundvampires,butotherwantingtobe turnedwhenthetimewasright.
VampiresraninsideasIpulledup Ididn’tlikethattheyseemedsoferal Therewasonlyonereasonforit,andNero wasatthecenterofit.Myheartinallofitsmetallicironchugginggloryseemedtodropintomystomach,notphysically.
“What’sgoingon?”Iaskedayoungervampireasshepassedme
“There some guyinthere who prepared a tastyfeast,” she said. “Apparentlyit’s the tastiestthingsome people have evertasted.EvenPearl.”
Bothcuriousandworried,Istormedinside.Therewasneveranywaitingforme.IwoulddoasIpleasedandforcing myselfthroughthecrowdwasthetipoftheiceberg.
Nero was standingover the stovetop, a large potbubblinginfrontofhim He locked eyes withme and smiled big “You’reback,”hesaid.
Iturnedandnoticedeveryonewasholdingoutadish “What what’shappening?”
“Don’taskme,”Pearlchuckled.“You’vegotakeeperonyourhandshere.”
“It’snothing,really,”hesaid “Just ”
“Taste it,” Pearl said, shovinga teaspoonfilled withthe food. Ared stew, withspice tinglingonthe tip ofmynose. “Goon It’sdelicious Thaddeusevensaidsohimself”
Isuckedthestewdownfromthespoon,onlytorealizeitwasachili.Itwasaperfectblendofspicesandtextures.My eyeswidened,lightingupasIlockedeyeswithNero “Holyfuck”
“Youlikeit?”heasked.
Ifuckinglovedit.“Wherehaveyoubeenallmylife?”
Thereitwasagain,thepinktearyeyedlookonhisface “Ialsomadebread” “Bread?”
“Fromscratch!”Pearlcontinued “I’veneverseensomeonetaketoakitchenquitelikehim Wheredidyoufindhim?” “Hefoundme,”Isaid.“I’lltakeabowlofyourchili,andI’lltakeyouawayfromallthismess.Ithinkwemightneedto havealittletalk”
“DidI didIdosomethingwrong?”
“Theopposite.”Icouldn’tlethimwastehispotential.Andwithalineaslongasthis,stretchingfromthekitchendown thehallandintothefoyer,he’dbeamoneymakerattherestaurant
He ladled me out some chili into a bowl and a small side of bread. I took it with me as we went upstairs to my bedroom Itwasbehindalockeddoor Thelargestroominthehouseandthebiggestbed NerostoodawkwardlyinthedoorwayasIsatontheendofthebed.Ipattedthesideforhim.“Closethedooraswell,” Isaid.
“I’msorryifIoverstepped,IseeakitchenandIjustwannamakethings,”hesaid.“Youhadalotoftins,soitprobably doesn’ttasteasgoodasitwouldifitwasfresh,butI’mgonnabeoneofthosecookswhocomplainabouttheirtools.”
“No, no, no This is delicious” Idipped the bread to soakup some ofthe sauce Itwas divine As a well-traveled vampire,I’deatenatsomeofthebestrestaurantsaroundtheworld.”Howaboutajob?”
“I ”Hesatbesidemeonthebed
“Igetit.You’lleventuallyhavetogoback,”Isaid,knowingtheinevitablefutureofthis.Iwasn’tevenentertaininghim onhissoulmateconversation.NotthatIdidn’tbelievehimwhenhesaidit,butbecausetomanypeople,Iwasn’tsomeonethey consideredtohaveasoul.“Butwhat’sstoppingusfromhavingfuninthemeantime?”
“Um ”heplayedwithhisfingersandthumbsonhislap.“Idon’tevenknowwhatwasgoingtohappen.It’s allnew forme”
“It’snewformeaswell,”Itoldhim,dippinganotherendofthebreadintothechili.Itwasdelicious.Therehadbeen seriousnessbehindmyofferingtogivehimajob “You’regonnahavetogivemetherecipeforthis” Heshrugged.“Idon’tthinkIcan.It’snotsomethinganyonecanmake.You’vegottohavealittle,youknow,extra.”He liftedhishandandgesturedrubbinghisfingerandthumbtogether.“Magic.Iguessistherightwordforit.”
“Ok,magic,”Isaid “Tellmemoreaboutit”AllIknewfromwitcheswasnevertocrossone Theywouldhexyouup realgoodandrealniceiftheygotapinchofyourhairoradropofyourblood.
“Bybirth, I’ma water witch, so Ifeel more affinityto water, liquids, and things Ithinkits whyI’ve always loved cooking, mixingand matchingall those different flavors.” He smacked his lips. “It’s perfect. Makes me happy, and people
alwayslovewhatImakethem.”
Hedefinitelyknewhimself,evenifhedidn’tcomeacrossassosureofhimself,hedefinitelyhadconfidencetospeak throughhiscooking “Youdoalotofcookingthen?”
“Icookmosteverythingfor the coven,we’re a covenofomega witches,” he said.“We actuallyhadthis mottoabout neverneedinganyoneelse,andsofarwehaven’t,butthreeofthemhavefoundtheirsoulmates There’stwoofusleft Me,and Lazlo,he’sannoyedbecausehe’sstillwaitingforhisheatcycletocastthespell.”
Itwasnicetoseehimtalkingmoreopenly,he’ddefinitelyfoundacomforthere,orpossiblyjustfrombeinggivenfree rangeoverthekitchen.“Ican’tleavethisplace,thisiswheremycovenis,andthebusiness,soI’mnotsureweshouldeven seeifwe’remeanttobe.”
“But youonlyget one true love,” he whispered, slumpinghis bodyagainst mine “And I don’t want to let that slip throughmyfingers.”Hewrappedanarmundermine.“Theleastyoucoulddoisthinkaboutit.”
Mycontactshadallmentionedthatsoulmatesandmatingwasinfactverypossibleforvampires Ijusthadn’tthoughtI wasgoingtobeinthefiringlinetofindone.Ihadfartoomuchonmyplatealready,andsomuchchiliinmybowl,allofitso delicious Hisbody,hiscreation,hisbloodpumpingthroughthoseveins Ididn’tneedthechili Ineededhim
ThebowldroppedfrommykneeasIturned.Hejoltedslightly.Iheldhimstill,ahandonhisshoulderasanotherwas gentlearoundhisneck,pushinghisheadbackslightly.“Youdon’thavetoconvincemeanymore,I’lldoit.Doyouwantit?”I said,slowlypushinghimbackonthebed
“Willithurt?”
Ilaidfacinghimandpushedmyfacetohisneck “No”Iinhaledhim IfI’dbeenthisclosetohim,andnotbeenableto taste him, I could imagine it drivingme insane. I knew shifters had incrediblyangryruts where theywould go off into the forestsandyanktreesstraightoutofthesoil.Avampire’srutwould’vebeenmoreofaspree.
Heturnedhisheadtofaceme.“I’venever doneitwithavampire,howwillweknow?”
“Howwillweknowwhat?”
“Ifit’stherightconnection?”
Iwasn’tthinkingthatfarahead,allIwasthinkingaboutrightnowwastastingtheworriedsweatthathaddriedonhis skin,thepheromonesheproducedhadmeinachokeholdthattookmetothefootofthebedandthat’swhereIbeganundressing him.
Wedidn’thavelonguntilsunrise.Weweregoingtobeplayingwithfate,althoughthewindowshadinternalshutterson them,andtheonlythingthatwouldreallyhappentomeisaveryharshsunburn.Iwasn’tquiteasscaredofthesunasaturned vampire.
Neroradiatedheat,andIwasanexploreronamissiontofindthesourceofit
Itdidn’ttakelong.Hewasholdingontoanerectioninhisbriefs,tryingtohideitaway,likeIhadn’tseenthewayI’d madehisbodyreacttobearoundme Itwasn’tasurprisetosee,orfeel,ifanything,itwasatestamenttothewayhefeltabout soulmates.
Ituggedhispantsallthewayoffandthrewthemacrossthebedroom.Mymouthwentonexplorationuphisinnerthighs, kissingeachonethesamenumberoftimesuntilIwasathiscock ButIdidn’tgoforthatrightaway,Iwasbusylettingmyother sensestickleme.Therewasanice,deliciousveinpumpinginhisthigh.
“I’mgoingtobiteyouhere,”Iwhispered,pressingakissagainstthearea “Ok,”hesaid,outofbreath.
Isankmyteethin The warmthimmediatelywelcomed bymytongue alreadylickingthe wound cleanto heal over I wasn’ttryingtosuckhimdry,justalittlebite,hereandthere.Nothingbadwouldhappentohim,notwholehewasundermy care.
“Mhmm,”hemoaned,hisheadbackonthebed,staringattheceiling
“Howlongareyoustaying?”Iaskedhim,wipingthebloodfrommychinupintomymouth.
Heliftedhisheadalittle “Um I ”
Ididn’tneedhimtotellme.I’dalreadyseenasnippetoftime.He’dbehereforhoweverlongittookforhimtofindhis mate,anddowhatever ittooktomatewithhim Andifthatmatewasme,Iwasabouttogivehimexactlywhathewanted I didn’tknowifIcouldgiveintohimthateasily.
“Yourturn,”Itoldhim,givingtheoutsideofhisthighasqueeze.“Letmeseewhatyoucando.”Istoodandgesturedto mycrotch “AnysoulmateofminewouldknowexactlyhowIlikeit”
For something I imagined so daunting, he was eager to do. He swung his legs and pushed himself up with the momentum
“Watchyour feet,” Itold him, noddingto the brokenbowl pieces onthe floor. “Idon’twantyouto gethurt. I’mnot reallyafootguy,andifyouhurtthem,I’dhavetokissthembetter.”
Nero’sexpressionturnedplayful,almostgiddy.“Don’ttemptmethen.”
“Tempt,”Iplacedahandaroundhisneckagain.“Nowyou’respeakingmylanguage.”
“Youlikethat?”
“You’remysoulmate,youshouldknowwhatIlike.”Ididn’tknowifthatwastrue,butIalsowasn’tgoingtogivehim aneasytimebecausehebelievedweweresoulmates
Nero was onhis knees and pulled mycockoutofthe zipper. Itwas alreadyerectand curved, justlike a nice, ripe banana withtheskinon Hedidn’twasteanytimeingettingtoknow me,pullingdownmyforeskinandleaninginwithhis tongueouttolickattheprecumonmytip.Oncehe’dhadhistasteofme,hewasferal,tryinghisdamndesttotakemycockas farbackintohisthroataspossible Heusedbothhandsatalltimes
Webackedagainstthewallbesidethedoorashisferalenergyinfectedme.Ihadbothhandsonthebackofhisheadand madesurehewasn’tcomingawayfrommycockwithoutanice,sweetsurpriseinthebackofhisthroat.
He knew justwhere to touchme Inone hand he’d collected myballs and withanother, he was ticklingmytaint I’d onlyeverdonethattomyselfbefore,andaccidentallytoo.Butthefeelingwasmagic.
Itookitback Ididn’twantto shootmysurprise downhis throat Iwanted himto take itand Iwanted to know for certainwhetherweweresupposedsoulmatesornot.Andtherewasonequickwaytofigurethatout.
Withagentleyank,Ipulledhisheadawayfrommycock “Againstthewall,”Itoldhim “Spreadyourlegs”
Hestillhadhisbriefson,tight,black.Theyframedhisasssonicely,liketwothickbreadrollsandIwastheforceful handtearingthemapart,openinghimuptodevourhisinsides.Ididjustthat,tearinghisbriefsrightdownthelineofhisass, notgivinghimthechancetoremovethem
Spreadinghischeeks,Istuffedmyfaceinside.Mytongueeatinghisassandtastingtheslickheproduced,readyforme toenterhim Icouldn’trecallthelasttimeI’dbeenthishornedup,butIknewithadsomethingtodowithhimbeinginheatand mylackofself-control.
“Youcanmoan,”Itoldhim.“Please,moan.”
Hemadetheloudestmoan,hisbodyvibratedallthewaydowntomyfaceinhisass.Mytonguewaggedinhisassand mycockthrobbed,swingingitselfuptotapmyt-shirtlikeitwasremindingmehowreadyitwastofuckthislittleomega’sass.
Icould’veeatenhisassforhours,day,weeks,andsurvivedoffnothingbuthisscentandtheoccasionalbiteinhisinner thigh.Belowthebeltwereallthespacesnobodysaw,perfecttobite,andevenbetterforleavingmarks.
AgainstNero,Ipushedhimharderagainstthewall Mycockrestingonthearchinhisback,justonehipdipandthrust awayfromslippinginsidehim.
“Ilikethat,”heletoutinabreathywhisper.
“Howaboutthis?”Iasked,andslowly,mycockwentinsidehim.
His moans deepened, echoed out through the skeleton of the house. I wanted more of that. I should’ve really been puttingona show for all these vampires who thoughttheycould sneakaround and fuckinmywalk-infreezer thengetaway withit.Thiswashowyoufucked,andtheyshouldlearn.
“Fuck Ohfuckme,”heletout “Cuminme”
Iwasinsidehimfornomorethansixtysecondswhenthebaseofmycockthickenedintoaknotandthetipwithoutany warningmadeamessinsidehim.IfilledhimallthewayupwithmyAlphaseed,andtherewasnothingwecoulddoaboutit. Notuntilthisknotcalmeddown
Kissingthebackofhisneckandnibblingathislowerearlobe,Iwhispered.“Iusuallylastmuchlongerthanthat.”
Ididn’tknowwhattoexpect Wastheresupposedtobesomevoiceinmyheadthatconfirmedhewastheone,ormaybeitwas justfromthewaywe’dtouched.I’ddefinitelyfeltsomethingfromthat.HehadmybodytinglinginalltheplacesIfoundgotme themostexcited.
Hedidn’tevenstayawakelongafterwards.Hepulledtheshuttersacrosstheopenwindow first.Thenheshowedme thebathroom,andachangeofclothes.Hegavemeakissandthenwenttohisbed.Hisbedwasundertheloosefloorboards. He’dtoldmetosleeponthebedabovehim,itwasthesafestformeifIstayedintheroom
IhadbeenincrediblytiredsoIwenttosleeponthecomfybedabovehiminthefloorboard.Imadesuretowrapmyself upintheduvetbecausethedraughtrunningthroughtheentirehousewasnojoke Itwasfreezing
Mydreamswerestrange,butnostrangerthantherealityIwaslivingin.I’dneverexpectedmyfirstencounterwitha vampirewouldbelikethis,andinsomewaysIwasexcitedthatitwas.Itwasspecial,andmadeevenmorespecialfromthe factthatweweresupposedsoulmates.
Iwoketoaquietknockingatthebedroomdoor.
In a panic, I got myself all wrapped up in the sheets Streams of light broke through the spaces in the shutters I sputteredasIinhaledaspecksofdust.“Ugh.”
Wrappedinthetopsheet,covermynakedbody,Iwenttothebedroomdoor
Pearlwasstandingthere,abigsmileonherface.“Hello,Iwasjustwonderingifyou’dliketocomedownandjoinus forlunch,”shesaid.“Ididn’tknowwhatscheduleyou’dbeon,butIfeellikeI’vecaughtyouatabadtime.”
“No,no,that’sfine,”Itoldher,takingaquicklookbacktoscantheroom “Letmeputsomeclotheson” “Perfect,”shesaid.“Thehouselooksmuchbetterinthedaytimeaswell.”
Ihopedso
Ozul hadalargechestofdrawersfull ofclothesandawardrobe.He’dtoldmetohelpmyselftowhateverIwanted. He’drippedmyunderwearandslicedthroughthebackofmyshirt,soitwasniceofhimtoprovidemewithsomealternative clothes.
AsIrifledthroughhisthings,Iwonderedhowlonghe’dhadsomeofthisstuff,orwhetheritwasallhis,perhapssome ofitbelongedtoconquests Itwasagnawingfeelinginmychest Ididn’twanttooverstep,buthehadtoldmetohelpmyself So,Idid.
At-shirt and a nice checkered overshirt were easy choices Underwear wasn’t I didn’t want to wear second-hand underwear,butIdidn’thaveachoice,andhedidn’thaveanybriefs,theywereallboxers.
Pearlhadwaitedinthehallwayforme
“I’msorry,”Imustered.“Ididn’tknowyouwerewaiting.”
“It’snothing,”shesaid.“Iwasdoingabitoftidyinganyway.AndIdidn’twantyougettinglost.It’seasywalkingintoa bedroomhere,andthen,you’repracticallyaskingtobesampled”Shethrew herheadbackinlaughter “Ohgosh I’vegotto remembertobequietuphere.”
Notingthedoors,theredidn’tappeartobeenoughroomstoaccommodateforasmanyvampiresasI’dseenlastnight “Dotheysharerooms?”
“Let’sheadtothediningroomandwecantalkfreely,”shesaid.
I hadn’t quite remembered Ozul’s short tour last night which was mostly himtaking me fromthe kitchen up to the bedroom.Butnow,Iwastakingeverythingin.Thereweregiantportraitsofhimthroughouttheyears.Iwonderedifhewaspart ofsomeroyalfamily Therewerealsoportraitsofothersinsimilarstylesandframes
“Whoarethey?”Iwhispered.
“That’s Ozul and his family,” she said “Ozul never had anychildren, notto sayhe won’t, buthe’s never shownany interestinbringinganyoneintotheworld.YoumetThaddeus,hisnephew,andtheotherportraitisofSienna,Ozul’ssisterand Thaddeus’smother.Shewaskilledthirtyyearsagoorso.”
“That’sawful.”
“Itwas ata time ofconflict, she was a veryheadstrongwoman,” she continued. “I’mluckyenoughto have mether. Althoughshewasunlikeherbrother,sheonlywantedpurevampiresinthecoven Shewasverypickyaboutthat”
EverythingI learned about Ozul had me likinghimmore. He was kind and sweet, veryaccepting, and tookcare of orphanedvampiresbythesoundsofit
Inthe diningroomthere were a couple other people standingaround. The driver who I’d metyesterdaywas among them. Theywere all dressed so formallyinshirts and slacks. And onthe table, there was a small feastofveggies and what lookedlikeunseasonedchicken
“This is the staffhere,” Pearl said. “We have Kirk, the driver, Frank, the handyman, he’s incharge ofupkeep ofthe propertyandmakingsureanythingthevamps breakis fixed There’s LorenaandSeb,they’rebothin-housebloodbags,they donate regularly, and theyalso allow feedingfrom. Thenthere’s Carter, he’s our chef, and I’ve told himall aboutwhatyou
madelastnight.”
The man she referred to as Carter had a scowl on his face. He approached me, a slight sway to his head, almost disapproving Ididn’twanttomakeenemies “Hi.”
Heburstintolaughter,holdinghishandouttomeandpullingmeintoahug “Lovedwhatyoudidinthekitchen Ihad whateverIcouldscrapeleftover.”
“Oh,thankyou” “Yeah,Ijustcookforus,thestaff.”
“I’mnotstaff,”Iimmediatelyresponded.
“Oh,man,mybad,”helaughed
Pearlclearedherthroat.“NeroisaguestofMr.Dacre,butheisn’tavampire.”
“I’mawitch,”Iannouncedtothem Allhuman “That’sdope,”thedriversaid.“Dosomethingwitchy.”
IthoughtthechiliI’dmadelastnightwasprettywitchy,butIalsowasn’tgoingtojustperform TherewasareasonI keptmycirclesmall,andIknewIshouldn’thavetoldthem,butIalsodidn’twantthemtothinkofmeasahuman.Therewas nothingwrongwithhumans,buttheyweresoeagerandoblivious.Iwasonlyeager.
Wesataroundthelargediningtable,almostasifthey’dbeenwaitingforme
“You’llhavetogivemethatrecipeforthechili,”thechefsaid.“Pearlsaidshe’sneverseensomanyvampireslineup forabowl”
Pearladdedleafedveggiesandpiecesofchickentomyplate.
“It’sprobablysomethingaboutthespice,”Isaid.I’dlearnedthings.Vampireslovedspice,itwasoneoftheonlythings theirbodiesreactedto.Insomeinstances,spicecould’vebeenlikeadrugtothem.Itwaslikecatnip.
“Wheredidyoulearntocook?”heasked.
“Comeon,”Pearlsaid “Leavehimalonewiththequestions” Lorena,thebloodbagleanedacrossthetableinmydirection.“What’sitlikehavingOzul’sfangsinyou?”
“I ”Iglancedaroundthetableasitwentquiet Pearllockedeyeswithmeandraisedherbrows “Mr.Dacre,”shesaid,louderasifcorrectingLorena.“Hedoesn’tmakeitahabitofbiting.”
“Hedoesn’t?”Thatwasasurpriseconsideringitwasleftthanthirtyminutesandhe’dalreadybittenmelastnightatthe restaurant.“So,whatdoeshedo?”
“Mr.Dacresurvivesonbloodbagsandfood,”Pearlrevealed.“Therewasatime,manyyearsagowhenhewouldgo throughanentirebusloadofhumans Hewasalsoamuchmoreaggressivemanbackthen”
Istabbedaforkintothechicken.Iwasn’thungry,butIdidn’tknowwhattosaytothat.Ididn’tknowOzul,andwhatI wasfindingouthadscaredme AsIate,sodideveryoneelse,andconversationstoppedcompletely
There was still a couple hours before the vampires beganto rise fromtheir beds. Istill had myconfusionother the sleepingarrangements,buteveryonewasoccupiednow,exceptforthedriver,Kirk.
Inthelounge,Istoodlookingoutofthespaceawindow would’veoccupied Kirkstoodbesideme,stillexcitedwith hisquestionsaboutmebeingawitch.
“I’ve never meta witchbefore,” he said “Whatdo youdo? Canyouturnpeople into frogs? Whataboutteleport? I can’timagineI’dhaveajobifeveryonecouldteleport.”
“I’llanswersomeofyourquestionsifyouanswersomeofmine”
Heshookhishead.“Ishouldn’treally,”hesaid.“ItmightbeatestfromMr.Dacre.IwanthimtoknowthatI’mloyal. I’dneverbetrayhistrust.”
“Wheredoallthevampiressleep?”Iasked “Theycan’tallbesleepinginthefloorboards”
Hecontinuedtoshakehishead.“AskMr.Dacrewhenhewakes.”
“Ithoughtvampireswerebraverthanthat,”Isaid,staringhimdown “MaybeOzulwasright,maybeyou’renotready” Itwasn’tmyfinestmoment.
“Theysleep under the house,” he said “And Iambrave and strongenoughto be a vampire Iworkouteverysingle morning.Irun,Idoweights,andIpracticeonapunchingbag.” Ichuckled.“Beingawitchisdifferent,butI’mawaterwitch,soIfeelaneasierconnectiontoliquid.” “What?Likeblood?”
“Well,some do,it’s a formofhealing,” Itoldhim.“Theycantell the bloodwhere itneeds tosendall ofits healing resources Orsomething,Idon’tknow,I’mnotahealer” Henodded.“That’sdope.Cananyonebecomeawitch?” I’dnever heardofpeoplebeingbittenandbecomingwitches inthesamewayithappenedwithvampires andcertain shifters.“Iknowspiritualityisabigthinginhumancommunities,”Isaid.“Thereareprobablywaysitcanhappen,butIdon’t know.”
“You’dneverwanttobeavampirethen?”
Avisceral headshake caughthimoff-guard. “Absolutelynot. Idon’tknow aboutyoubutthe firstthingIknew about vampireswashowtheywoulddoanythingforblood Ijust ”
“Anything?”acoolvoicespokefromthedoorway.Ozulwasstandingthere,intheshadows.“Iheardyourvoice.”He smirked
“Mr.Dacre,I ”Kirkstutteredasherushedoffoutoftheroom.
“Canyoupullthoseshuttersforme?”Ozulasked
IcontinuedtomakeeyecontactwithhimasIpulledtheshuttersuntilmostoftheroomwasindarkness.
“I’mnotoffended,”hesaid,hiswhisperstinglinginsidemyears.“Infact,Ithinkit’sratherfunny.Fatehasitsway.”He walked toward me, moving in the shadow I could barely see him My eyes hadn’t adjusted to the change “I went from someonewhohatedwitches,tofuckingone,andyouwentfrombeingfrightenedofvampires,tocallingoneyoursoulmate.”He placedanarmaroundmyshoulder
“Iwasjustcuriouswhysomeonewouldwanttobecomeavampire,”Isaid.“AndIwascuriousaboutyou.Yousaid youcouldseewhatI’vebeenthroughfromdrinkingmyblood,soyouknowmoreaboutmethanIknowaboutyou”
“Ok, thatis true, Isuppose,” he said, strokinga hand downthe side ofmyneck. “Whatdo youwantto know?” He guidedmeacrosstheloungetothesofa,wherehecontinuedtoshowmewheretosit,practicallyonhislap.
“Partofmewantstoaskhowmanypeopleyou’vekilled,butthenpartofmedoesn’twanttoknow,so,I ” “Thenwewon’tdiscussthat,”hesaid.Hetookmyhandandkissedit.“Startwithsomethingeasy.”
“Howoldareyou?”
“Isaideasy.”
Isnortedbacklaughter.“Thatshouldbeeasy.Oh,wait.Areyoulike,vampireroyalty?”
Helaughedthistime.“I’mtwo-hundredandtenyearsold.Andno,I’mnot.Thereareseveralcovensofvampireswho considerthemselvesroyalty.Trustme,Iwouldneverwanttobepartofthem.”
Itmade me evenmore curious There were so manyquestions onthe tip ofmytongue, butnone ofthemwould even matterifhedidn’thaveananswertotheonequestionthatactuallymattered.“Doyoubelieveinsoulmates?”
Hepressedhislipstomycheekandkeptthemthereinakiss
IbelievedthatNerobelievedinsoulmates I’dbeenalive for hundreds ofyears He couldn’tblame me for notbelieving,if theywerereal,surely,theywouldn’tallow someonewithsuchshortofalifespantofall for someonewhodidn’tdieeasily. Well,notbyoldageatleast.
“You’recomingwithmetotherestaurant,”Itoldhimaswewerestillinthedarknessofthelounge.“Iwanttospend more time withyou. And I’d also like to see whateveryone else would make ofyour chili. Withthe freshestingredients, of course”
Henodded,thesoftnessofhischeekbrushingatmyface.“Ireallydolovecooking,”hesaid.“Youbarelyevenatethat chililastnight,soI’mnotsurehowyou’dknow”
Ipressedmylipshardagainstthesideofhisfaceinakiss.“ThelittlebitIdidtastewasenoughformetoknow,”Itold him.“AndthenIknewIwantedtofuckyou.”Myhandrestonhisinnerthigh.“Letmeknowifyou’dlikearepeatofthat.”The smellofhiminheathadmebythethroatstill,andIdidn’tlikebeingtakenbythethroat.
Heplacedhishandovermineandpushedituphisinnerthigh.“Yes,”hemoanedfaintly.
Somemightsayavampireneededpermissiontoenter,butwhenthedoorwasaswideopenasNero’swasaroundme, permissionwasagiven.Islippedahanddownthefrontofhispantsandgrabbedholdofhiscock.
Hisinexperiencedhandstriedtodothesamewithme,butlackedfinesse Hefidgetedaroundtryingtogethishandin allwhileIwasmakingsuretogiveshortsqueezesofhiscockfromthebaseoftheshaftgoingallthewayupwithmyheavy handedgrasps.
Itwasalsodark,Igavehimthebenefitthathedidn’thavethesameadvantageasme Whenhefinallyreachedmycock, I’dalreadyworkedahandaroundandunderhimtostartplayingwithhisass.Iwasstilltryingtomakemydecisiononwhether soulmatesandfatewasreal,andlastnighthadbeenoverbeforeitstarted
Notimewaswastedhereeither.Ipositionedhimtofaceme,kneesateithersidesofmylegsandwithjustasmallsquat acrossmycock,we’dbefucking Hehoveredoverit,onehandbehindhimworkingmycockupanddownwithallthatforeskin hewashavingfunwith.Hisotherhandwasonmyshouldertokeepbalance.
“Soclose,”Itoldhim.
“Whatto ”
“No,no,tofucking.” Ididn’twanthimgettingthe wrongidea.His heathadcaughtme off-guardlastnight,andthere wasonethingIshouldn’tbeasanAlphawassurprised “Wheneveryou’vefinishedplayingthatis”
Heteasedthetipofmycockagainsttheslickathishole.Igrabbedhiswaistandpushedhimdownontoit.Hemoaned. Hislegsandthighsclenchingaroundme Iusedmystrengthtosimulatethefuckingofourbodies,liftingandpushinghimonmy cock.Eachtime,hismoansgotlouderandlouder.
This was probablythe bestwake up call the vampires inthe house could wake to, a real power playonmypart. I couldn’trecallthelasttimeI’dfuckedhere,butthatdidn’tevenmatterbecauseitwashappeningnowwithhim “Bitemeagain,”hewhispered,pushinghisheadtowardmine.“Whatdoesittastelike?”
Withmylipsathisneck,Ikissedhisskin “Likelifeitself,”IwhisperedinhisearasInibbledonhislobe “Likethe bestmealyoueverhad,andit’salwaysinsupply.”
Nestlinghisneckagainstmymouthharder,Iknew hehadanagendawiththewholesoulmatething,butIdidn’tknow whatheexpectedfromthisaction.“Doit.”Hetooktheactionofliftinganddroppingharderonmycock,swayinghishipsback andforthlikehewasonhorseback.
“Youwanttotasteme?”Iasked,alreadynippingatmywristwithmyteeth
Hetookmywristandsuckedhard,proddingatthewoundwithhistongueandlickingthesensitivityofthenewskinas itreappearedquickly Inthedarkness,hecouldn’tseethebloodcoveringhislipsordrippingfromhischin
Ilickedhislipsclean,mytonguecollectingallthebloodfromhischin,andmakingsuretokissathisneckagain.He’d hadhistaste,andnowitwasmyturn.Iwasstillalittlerusty.Receivingpleasurefrommycockandthebloodinmythroatwas overwhelminginthebestpossibleway.Itmademesuckharderandfuckfaster,iftherehadn’tbeenmuchmeatonhisplump ass,Imight’vebrokenabone.
Nerocame,shootinghiswarmloadonmyclothes Ifuckedharderagainstthepulsatingfrictionofhishole,mycurved cocklikeaheatseekingmissilewasn’tgoingtolethimoffaseasyashehadbeenlastnight.Ifuckedhimuntilasecondload cameoutofNero,itsurprisedevenhimashegrabbedhiscock,worriedthathe’ddonesomethingelse
Itlethimtasteit.Sweetomegacum.Ikisseditfromhistongue.Ineededatastetoo.
Thebaseofmycockknottedupandstretchedhim.Ifhewasn’talreadysoexhausted,Iwould’veexpectedhimtocum forathirdtimejustbeforeIletmyloadpopinsidehim AndIcouldcumforawhile
“Ohgod,”hemumbled,pantinginmyearashelaidacrossmychest.Mycockstilllodgedinsidehishole.
“NotGod,”Isaid,wrappingmyarmsaroundhiminanembrace “Ozul”
Itwasclearneitherofushaddonethisinawhile.Hewaswaitingonhissoulmate,andI’dbeenfartoobusytothink
abouta mate. Butnow thathe was here, Iwas beginningto wonder whatitall meant. Icould definitelygetused to having someonearoundtounloadinto,especiallywhentheycouldalsocookaswellashedid.
Followedbyasweetmomentofusinasweetcomfortingembrace All thethingsI’dtoldmyselfIcouldn’thaveany longernowthatIhadtheresponsibilitiesofprotectingacovenandrunningabusiness.
MaybeNerobeingherewasawayoftheworldtellingmetotakeabreak,andseekallthoserewardsIhaddeniedfor solong.Thewarmthoffreshbloodfromthesource,andanevenwarmerholetopenetrate.Itwaslikebeingshineddownonby theblessingsofagod Ifitbelievedinsuchthings
Ittookawhilefor mycocktobecomesoftandlimp,slippingoutofhis holewithoutmuchforce.Igavehimanother kissontheforeheadandremindedhimabouttheupstairsbathroomwherehecouldcleanhimself.
It wasn’t only cleaning himself that would need to be taken care of at this point, we would both need a change of clothes.He’dmadeamesswiththeamounthecame,evenifitwasn’tcompletelywhite,itwasdefinitelysomethingthatlefta mark
Ipicked somethingoutfor himthis time. Iliked seeinghiminmyclothes, butIhated themsmellingofme. Iwanted themtosmelljustlikehim,butitwasagoodthingtheydidn’tsincehewascomingwithmetowork
Nerohadagiddyexcitementonhisfaceoncewewerereadytoleave.Hewasinaniceshirtandpromptlytoldmehow muchhelovedthesmellofit.
“Youdon’treadminds,doyou?”Iaskedhimasweheadedoutofthehousetogether Iwasalwaysthefirsttoleave I hadtobeattherestaurantfirsttogeteverythingready.
“No,” he chuckled “There are witches whodo,butnotme It’s usuallythe Alpha witches,or the beta witches They wieldwaymorepowerthanme.Unlesswe’retalkingaboutanomegainheat,andthen ”hestoppedtalking.“Sorry,Italka lotwhenI’mnervous.”
“Youhavenoreasontobenervous,”Itoldhim.“Nobodyisgoingtohurtyouhere.Well,notwithoutyourconsent.”I’d pushed strongmorals onmycoven. Theycould take blood fromthose willing, and notthose under compulsioneither. “You know,Ithinkyou’llliketherestaurant”
“Metoo,”hesaid.“IshouldalsocallhomeagainwhenI’mthere.Youknow,becauseofinternationalcallingcharges.” “Oh,that’sthereasonyouwantedtousemyphone,”Isaid Itdidn’treallymatterallthatmuch Iknewvampireshadthe worstrapofallthepreternatural,andifIcoulddoeventhesmallestthingtoassuagethatinsomepeople’sminds,thenitwas worthit.
Inthebackofthecar,IlockedeyeswithKirk,thedriver.I’dcaughtthemspeakingearlier.Ididn’tlikehowNerowas puttinghimselfinto friendships withthe humans who worked for the coven. Ididn’twantthemthinkinghe was the same as them Isupposethatwaspartlymyfaultforrelyingonthemtohelphimnavigatethehouse
“Nero,”Iwhisperedtohim,holdinghishandtight.“Iknowyoumightnotbeusedtoit,butifyou’regoingtobestaying withme,youhavetorememberthatthehumansareonanotherlevel entirely”IlockedeyeswithKirkthroughtherear-view mirror. “That means you don’t sit down for meals with them, and you don’t treat them like they’re your friends. They’re employees,andthey’reallcurrentlyworking.”
Henoddedslowly,asiftryingtounderstandwhatitwasIwassaying Iwasn’tspeakingaforeigntongue “They’re the help,” I told him. “Not friends.” It was partly why I’d come down from my coffin earlier than I’d anticipated Nero’s voice seemed to speakdirectlyto me Perhaps fromthis bond, or maybe itwas somethingelse Buthis voicespoketome,andIdidn’tlikehowinformalitspoketothehumans,theywouldhavenorespectforhimwhenandifthey wereturned
“Gotit,”hesaid.“ButIcanhavehumanfriends.”
Ishookmyhead.“No.Me,you,andeveryoneelseinourworld,wecan’tbefriendswiththem.”
IknewwhatIwassayingseemedtomeetadisconnect Heshookhishead “Idon’treallylikebeingtoldwhattodo”
“Well,I’mnottellingyouwhattodo,I’mjusttellingyouthefacts.Andthefactsare,wearedifferent.”
“Agreetodisagree,”hegrumbled
“Let’sagreetoagree.”
“AndwhatifIdisagree?”
Ibitmytongue.Therewasn’tanythingIwaswillingtodotohimfordisagreeing.Itwasjustthewayitwas,andittook meaback.Ididn’texpecttobechallengedbyanomega,ofanykind.“ThenI’llneedtoseeyoualoneinmyoffice,whereIcan showyouthroughdemonstrationhowwe’redifferent,andwhyIthinkyoushouldn’tbetalkingtothehumanslikethey’reyour friends.”
Thatwasalltosay,Iwouldfuckthisnonsenseoutofhim Iacceptedhumansand us beingfriends,butIdidn’taccept ourkindbeingfriendswiththepeoplewehademployed.Thisemploymentwasoftentoservetimebeforebecomingavampire, theyneededtolearnthattheywerebelowus.
Kirknoddedtohimselfinthemirror.Atleastheknewhisplace.Isupposeitwouldbedifficultforanomegatobetold they were valued. “If you don’t value yourself, then they’ll walk all over you,” I told him. “If they haven’t already, I can
imaginethey’llaskyouaboutmagicandwhetheryoucouldcastforthem.”
Nero’seyesopenedwider.“Actually,theywereaskingaboutitinthediningroomearlier.”
Mypointhadbeenprovenwithoutmeneedinganymoreinformation “Iknewit Now,whenwegettotherestaurant,I won’tbeashardonyou.”
Heslippedahandbetweenmythighs “Idon’tmindthatkindofhard,”hewhispered “Imighthavetogiveyouabreak,”Isaid,pressingmyfaceagainsthis.Hisscentwasstillintoxicatinglysweet,andI should’vebeendrained Ishouldn’thavehadsomuchenergy,especiallynotafter fuckinghimtwicewithinthesametwentyfourhours.
Nerowrappedanarmaroundme ina hug.“It’s nice tosee thatyou’ve come aroundtothinkingthe same wayas me too”
“Whatdoyoumean?”
“Aboutbeingsoulmates”
Itwasn’twillingly,buttherewasn’tanyotherexplanationforthefeelings.Theycameonfastantheycameonstrong.It wasn’tlikeI’dtriedtofeelforhim,butafterwefucked,Isupposeallmybeliefswentoutofthewindow
Thiswasall sodifferenttowhatI’dplannedwhenIdecidedtofindmysoul mate Iknew themagicwouldwork,butmagic couldbeabittemperamentalatthebestoftimeswhenitwascastbyanomega.So,therewasalittledoubtinmymindatall times,wonderingwhetherornotanythingrealwouldcomefromit.
Ozul was as real as it came. He wasn’t how I imagined a vampire, or evenhow I imagined mysoul mate to be. I wonderediftherewouldeverbeatimewhenwewould’vemetorganically.Thatwereplentyofpopularizedsayingabouthow youwere supposed to come into contactatleastonce withyour soul mate, so tryingto thinkaboutwhenthatmightbe was alwaysonmymind.
Alongside the introductionofhis new rules Iwasn’tallowed to talkto his humanhelp, or actuallyanyofthe other vampiresinthecoven.Ididn’twanttotellhimwhatitwas,buthisbehaviorwasawfullyclosetoaphysicalrutatthispoint.
As we arrived atthe restaurant, we entered throughthe frontand Ifinallygotto see the place. There wasn’tanyone there.Itlookedlikeanyotherfastfoodplacewiththeneonlightsandsterilebrightwhitetileflooringthatseemedtoburnyour eyesifyoustaredatitfortoolong.
“Anyotherrules?”Iasked,scanningthewallsandposters “Dopeopleknowthisisforvampires?”
“Somedo,”hesaid.
“Sosomepeopledon’tknow?”
“Mostpeopledon’tknow,”hesaid,wrappinganarmaroundmetoleadme.“Thehumanswhoknow,liketokeepthis placeasecret.Itworksinourfavor.”
“Butlike likewhatkeepsthevampsfromkillinganddrinkingthehumans?” “Rules,”hechuckled.
“Youlike your rules, huh?” Ihad to admit, Iliked rules too Rules made the world go around “Are there anyother rules?”Iaskedagain.
Helockedeyeswithme,hisintensegaze,likehewastryingtotransferknowledgesomehow “Don’ttalktotheother vampires,alwayswearyourring,and ”
“Ihaven’treallyeverhadajoblikethisbefore,”Iadmitted.“So,likeIdon’tknowwhatI’msupposedtodo.”
“Ijustwantyoutomakethatchili,”hesaid,kissingmyforehead “That’sall Youtechnicallydon’tworkhere Iwon’t letyou. Ifwe reallyare soul mates, thenIdon’twantto share youwiththe world. ButIwantto give thema taste ofyour food”Ozulledmethroughtoalargepantryandrefrigeratedfoodsectionattheback ThiswaswhereIcouldfindallthefresh ingredientsIneededtomakechili.“Butbeforeyougettoit,youshouldcallhomeandtellthemwhatyouthink,andhowlong youmightbestaying”
He’dgivenmealottothinkabout.Ididn’tknowhowlongIwantedtostayherearoundallofthis.Itdidn’thaveanyof thecomfortsIwasusedtofromhome,andthatwasmyfriends.Plus,Iwaschiefinchargeofmakingpotionsforthestoreback home Ihadajobtogetbackto Andifhewasn’tplanningonleavingtocomewithme,andIcouldn’tstayhere,Iwasstuck Onthecall,Ozulleftmealonetotalk.Hehadthingstogetonwith.Imanagedtogetthroughalloftheirquestionsabout him,andtheywantedtoknowwhathewaslike,butIcouldn’ttellthemfordefinite Ireallylikedbeingaroundhimandthefact hehadasexualappetitethatsupportedmyheatcyclewasunbelievable.
“Whatifitdoesn’tworkout?” Iwhispered downthe phone. Myeyes onthe door as Ikeptthe swivel chair steady. “He’snotgoingtoleave,andIdon’twanttomoveherepermanently.”
“He’s your soul mate,”Roccoshouted.
ThatwasfineforRoccotosay,he’dfoundabillionaire Thatmanrelocatedforhim Hedidn’thaveapackeither Ozul wasdifferently.
“If he doesn’t want to move, you can’t force him,”Evandersaid Evanderhadn’thadanytroubleseither.He’dfoundhissoulmateinthelocalbookseller.
“You have to trust that love will work it all out,”Gramssaid.Ascrypticasever.IwonderedifIcouldcallloveup andaskwhattheysuggested.Maybetherewasahelpline,andmaybetheycouldgiveusadefinitiveansweronwhoshouldgo where.ButhewastheAlpha,sohewouldprobablywinoutonanydecision.
“Boo hoo,”Lazlosaid “Just enjoy your time together”
Lazlo’sheatcyclehadn’thityet,sohewasannoyedhecouldn’tcasthissoulmatespell.Andoutofallofthem,hehad thebestadvice ItwastheadviceIwastaking Ihadtoenjoymytime,andIhadtomakethemostofit OzulcameinthemomentIputthephonedown.
He’ddefinitelybeenlisteningtoeverythingI’dsaid,andprobablyeverythingthey’dsaidaswell.Iknewvampireshad extraordinaryhearingabilities Heopenedhismouthtosaysomething,andforamomentIthoughtitwasgoingtosolveallof theproblemsI’dbeencreatinginmymind.
“Doyouwanttomakeastartonthechili?”heasked “Sure.Icandothat.”
“Perfect.”Heranhistongueacrosshisteeth.“Ican’twaittotasteyou Imean,it,later.”
“Whynotboth?”Iasked.Thiswaslivinginthemoment.Ishouldn’tbepunishingmyselfinthoughtforthinkingofhow plainsailinghavingasoulmatewassupposedtobe Iknewthatwasrarelythecase,especiallywhenitwasn’tsomethingthat happenedorganically.Ihadtotrusttheprocess.
Inthekitchen,IhadalltheingredientsIcouldeverwantorneedatmyfingertips Iwas,however,limitedtomakingthe chilithatthey’dtastedlastnight.AndI’dalsogarneredalotoffavorwiththeothervampireswho’dtastedthefood.Itwasa formofrespectforthemtogivememyspaceandnotlookdownonme,likeIassumedtheyweregoingto
Ozulcheckeduponeverytenminutesorso,makingsurenobodywasbotheringme.Ifanything,theywerequietaround me,watching,payingattentiontoeveryhandmotionandknifemovement.Ididn’thaveitinmetobreakittothemthatmostof whatIdidwasmagic Imadesurethechilineverstoppedstirringinthepot,andthatwaskey,becauseyoudidn’twantanyof ittoburntothebottomorclumptogether.
“Whencanwe have a taste?” one ofthe vamps squashingburger patties onthe grill beside me asked “Ican’t stop thinkingaboutitfromlastnight.Itriedtogobackforsecondsanditwasalgone.”
“Thisoneshouldtastemuchbetter,”Itoldhim “It’sgotmoreofakicktoit”I’draidedthespicecupboard,andsince findingoutthatthevampiresgotoffalittleonspice,Iknewtherewasonlyonesolutiontoit.Makeitpackapunch.
Thefirstpersontotryit,outsideofmyself,andIonlytookasmallteaspoonamountbecauseIdidn’twantthatfiretogo all thewaythroughmeandmakeamark,wasOzul Hetookamuchlarger spoonfor histaste Everyonegatheredaroundas therewasaoddsenseofquiet,whichtherehadn’tbeensinceitwasjustmeandOzul.
Everyonewaitedandwatched Theireyesfollowedthespoonfromthemomentitwasdippedintothepotandall the waytotheOzul’slips.Hesuckedbacktheentirecontentsofthespoon.Hislipsstainingredtemporarilyfromthesauce.And thenhemoaned.Hisbodyletoutashakefromthetipsofhistoesallthewayup.Hehowled.“Damn.That’sfuckinggood.”He smackedhislipsandpoundafistonthemetalcountertopatmyside.“Getanotherpotofthisonthego,andI’llmakesureto doubleuponwhateverIwasplanningonrewardingyouwithlater.”Hegrabbedmyass.
Iknewthesaying,thebestwaytoaman’sheartwasthroughhisstomach,andwhileIknewthatwastechnicallycorrect, becauseitwasmucheasiertojustgothroughthechestcavity,Inow fullyunderstandwhatitmeantinthecontextofcooking themfood
“Onit,”Isaid.
Hegrabbedmyheadandpositionedmyfacedirectlyinfrontofhis.Wesharedaspicykissfromthelong-lastingeffects ofspiceonhislips.Itsentawaveofwarmththroughme.Acontacthighfromthechili.
OnceOzulleft,thevampireslinedupwiththeirspoons.Eachoneofthemwantedataste.Iletthematit.Iwasalready occupiedwiththesecondpot ButIwouldeventuallyhavetotellOzulthatIcoulddomorethanthis Iwasn’talinecook,butI hadhundredofcookbookspartiallymemorized.Icouldmakealmostanythingifheasked.
The restofthe chili was marked up inprice and sold to the hungryvampires Word spread like wildfire Everyone wanted a taste. I wondered if I’d actuallysprinkled inmore magic thanI’d anticipated. It was entirelypossible. I was an omegainheat,Icouldn’tpredictwhatmybodywasgoingtodo.
ItturnedoutImight’vedonemorethanIthought
Thevampiresbecamehorny.Itwasaninfection,anditstartedwithOzul.
Behind me, Ozul wrapped his arms and swayed withme as beans to the chili He kissed the backof myneckand rubbedhiserectcockinmyback.
“That’sahealthviolation,”Imumbled
“You’reahealthviolation,”hesaid,slippinghisheadupmyshirt.
Onasecondglanceoftheothervampires,Inoticedhalfofthemwerealsodryhumpingeachother.
“Ohno,”Imumbled
“What’s wrong?” Ozul asked,placinga handatmychesttofeel the pulsatingthrobofmyheartgoingfaster.“You’re panicking”
“Thechili,”Iwhispered,lookingintothepot.“Fuck.”
“Itlooks like it’s almostall gone,” he said, gentlygnawingatmyearlobe Thatwas one ofmymostsensitive spots “Everyoneisgoingwildforit.”
“No, no,” Ipulled awayfromthe stove, tryingto stop myselffrompouringanymore ofmyomega magic into it. “It’s hexed”
“Hexed,”hesaidwithabreathylaughdownthebackofmyneck.“It’sspelledwithlust.Ithoughtyouknewthat.Didn’t youheareveryoneinthehouselastnightfucking?It’sprobablywhyIcamesofast”
Nowwasn’tthetimetopanic,butitwasimpossiblenottopanic.Heknewwhatthiswas,andhehadn’tstoppedmeor saidanything.
“Wait,youdidn’tmeantodothat,”hesaid,playingwithmynippleinonehand.“Ireallythoughtyouknew.”
“No,I’mgonnabeinsomuchtrouble.Idon’twanttobeknownasthewitchwhocastaspellonacovenofvampires.
Youdon’tknowwhatthatwilldotothereputationofmycoven.”Itriedtosinktomyknees,butOzulwasn’tlettinggoofme.
“You’llgodownonyourkneeswhenwe’realone,”hesaid.“Idon’twantallofthesewatching,orworse,thinkingthey couldtakepart”
Theywereallfartoohornedupformetoevenlookintheirdirection.Theirmoanswereenoughinformationtotellme theywereprobablyonthevergeoforgasmanyminute “Whataboutthepeopleyousoldittoo?”
“That’swhytheyboughtit,”hesaid,histonguegentlylickingmyskin “Vampiresaregoingtobehardandhornyuntil dawn,it’snotabadthing,Nero.”
Ididn’tknowifIbelievedthat.I’dneverbeenblamedforanythingsobadbefore.TherewastheonetimewhenIwas growingupthateveryoneblamedmefordrinkingthelastofthemilkinthevillage,whichwasatotallie,butI’dneverbeen blamedforcastingaspellsobigiteffectedhundredofpeople.
“Icancontrolmyself,”Ozulsaid “So,youfinishthatpot,I’llgetthesebackinorder,andwecangofindourselvesa nicespotinmyofficewhereIcanshowyoujusthowwellyou’vedonetoday.”
Positivewordswasalovelanguage,andsincehewasn’tfreakingout,Icalmeddownalittle
Ozul’s changedwhenheaddressedhimemployees,tellingthemtheyweren’tallowedtodowhathewas goingtodo withmeinhisofficelater.Iwasn’tgoingtomentionittohim,hewastheboss,hemadetherules,andhisrulesstatedthatI wastofinishthischili,andthenfindmyselfanice,comfortablespotonmykneesinhisoffice
Iwasn’tgoingtoarguewiththattypeofpleasure,especiallynotwithmyheadonlythinkingaboutonething.
Itdidn’ttakeNerolongtofigureoutwhyeveryonelovedhischili Ithoughtheknew,buthewasmuchmoreinnocentthanthat Hisintentionhadn’tbeentodrivetheentirevampirecovenintoasexualfrenzy.Iassumedithadbeenbecauseofthesoulmate talk.Iwas,ofcourse,mistakenbyit,andhefreakedoutwhenherealizedit.
Intheoffice,he’dcalmeddownandfromtheredchilistainaroundhismouth,he’dalsoindulgedinhisowncreation.I didn’tmindthathewasundertheinfluence,itwouldjustmakehimtastethatmuchsweeter.
“Wheredoyouwantme?”heasked
“Onyourknees,”Isaid.
Andtherehewas,obeyingmyeveryorderandrule “Goodomega”
“Thankyou,”hesaid,lookingupatmefromthisangle.Ithadbeenawhile,butthefeelingnevergotold.Iwassoused tomypositionofpowerthatsometimesIforgotjusthowmuchpowerIactuallyhad.“Now,whatdoyouwanttostartwith?”I satontheedgeofmydeskandslippedmyfingersintothebelttoloosenitforhim.
He was ravenous. His fingers went for mybeltand pulled it free so his hands had better access atthe zipper. “My mouthisstillhot,”hesaid,smackinghislips “Idon’twanttogetitonyouthere”
“Justgoforit,”Isaid.“I’lltellyouwhat’stoomuchforme,butI’veneverhadanythingtoomuch.Justsoyouknow. Youcouldaskanythingofme,andI’dbefinewithit”Itwasstrangesensation,almostlikebeingdrunkonbloodwine,butI wassosuggestive.Amixofhispheromonesandthechili.Mycockwassolid,throbbingandproducingawetstainofprecum againstthefabricofmyjeans.
Neropulledmycockoutofthezipperholeandstartedsucking Thesensationwasnew,whichforavampireofmyage was a surprise. Ithoughtnew sensations were a thingofa the past. Buthis chili tainted tongue and lips leftthe foreskinhe wrappedhismoutharoundtingling
“Oh,fuck.”Iplacedbothhandsonthebackofhishead.“You’vegotsomerealtalent.”
He murmured somethingwithmycockinhis mouth Icouldn’t understand the cock-gobblinggibberish, but it added anothernicesensationtomycock.
“Saysomethingelse.”Ipushedalittleharderonthebackofhisheadtoseejusthowmuchhecouldtake,andwhether ornotI’dtouchedhisgagreflex
Thebackofhisthroatopenedandclosedaroundthetipofmycock,seeminglymassagingit.Itwaspurepleasure.The wetnessofitwasalubricantandhistonguewasasoftmassagegunwrappingaroundmycockinalldirections
Ifhewentanymore,I’dbustmyload.Ididn’twanttobeknownasthevampirewhocouldn’thandlehimself.Iletgo and he pulled his head back, his eyes wateringand a bigsmile onhis face like he’d justcome offa rollercoaster and was alreadyqueuinguptorideagain.
“Myturn,”Isaid,pushingmyjeansoffbeforestandingfromthedesk.“Goon.Doyouneedmetoliftyou?”
Henodded “Please”
Itgavemeachancetoshowmystrength.Iliftedhimandplacedhimontheedgeofthedesk.Hewasattheperfectlevel formetoundresshimhereandthentastehisdeliciousass Iwantedtoteasehimwithhistonguethewayhe’dteasedthetipof mycock.
Pleasing an omega was easy, especially when they were already horny. And he deserved all these rewards for managingtopleaseme.
NerotriedtocoverhiscockwithahandwhenIstrippedhimnaked.Iforcedhimtolaybackonthedeskandallowme totakeitfromthere Hesurrenderedeasily,andIwentinfordessert Mytonguetracedthelinefromhisassalonghistaintto hisballs.
He didn’tkeep anythingbackas Isucked onhis balls for a while before workingonhis cockand backdownto his hole.Vampiresalivahadspecialpropertiessometimes,numbingoccasionally.Forhim,thismeantIcouldplaywithhiscock, fuckhim,andhewouldn’tbetemptedtoorgasm.
Ifucked onhimthe table, lettinghimlace his legs around myback. We moved fromthe deskto the wall, againstthe filing cabinet and back again. Nero was out of breath and flushed red in the face. His warmth against my cold skin was addictive Itwasnowonderwe’dbeenpushedtogetherassoulmates,wecomplimentedeachotherwell
Fromthe desk, Ipulled himonto me and satonthe leather swivel office chair. Itadded additional movementto the fucking,goingaroundandaroundasNerobouncedonmycock Hesettherhythmandpace,Ijustcontrolledtheactionofthe chair.
Fornearlyanhour,therewasnosignofstopping.Ididn’twanttostop.Ididn’twanttoslowdown.Ididn’twantthere to be a momentwhenmycockwasn’tburied deep inside him Ifucked himuntil he’d grownso physicallyexhausted thatI didn’tthinkhe’dbeabletogoonanyfurther.
That’s whenIsunkmyteethintohis neck Hecameseconds later,andIfollowedseconds after that Makingsurewe weresynchronizedwithoutfault.Hiscum,mycum,andthesmallsnackItookwhilefeedingonhim.
“I’mtingling,”hewhispered.“I Idon’twanttobetouched.”Heshuddered.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t anythingI could do regardingthe tingles. Mycockhad to stayinside him, and it wasn’t goinganywhereuntilithadleteverysingledropofcumfreeinsidehim HecontinuedtojitterasIheldhiminmyarms After hiscockwasedgedforanhour,itwasclearwhyhe’dreactedthewayhedid.
“You’re gonna miss this whenyouhave to leave,” Itold him, kissingathis neckwhere I’d bitten He’d completely healedover.“Arelongdistantsoulmatesathing?”
Helookedmeintheeyeandsmiled “Ihopeso Otherwise,wemightnotwork”
Afteracoupleminutes,mycockbecamelooseinsidehimandIsawthereliefsweephisfacethemomentitcamefree.
“Doyouhaveashowerhere?”heasked,wrappinghisarmsaroundhimselflikeanicychillwashedoverhim.
“Yeah,there’sashower GivemeaminuteandI’llshowyouwhereitis”Iliftedhimfrommylapandplacedhimon thedesk.AsIlookedaroundtheroom,Icouldseewhereourbodieshadbeenfromthemarksthey’dleft.“Howcanyouleave whenwe’remakingallthesememories?”
His expressiondidn’tchange.Perhaps Ishouldn’thave beenmakingjokes.Icouldtell the idea ofme notgoingwith him,andhimnotstayingherewasupsetting
There were two staff bathrooms in the restaurant. And there were another hot bed spot for fucking. I could sort of understandwhytheywouldall wanttofucknow,especiallyafter thechili Nerohadmade.AndIcouldn’tcomplainbecause I’dspentthelasthourmakingsuremypleasurecenterwasfulfilled
OnceImadesuretherewasabathroomfree,IgrabbedatowelfrommyofficeandwalkedNerotoit.Everythingwas stillbusinessasusual,andoncethechiliwasgone,customerspeteredoff Ididn’tknow how manyofthemwereoutsidethe buildingor inthe alleyfucking, but that wasn’t anyof mybusiness. Theydidn’t belongto mycoven, and mycovenhad a reputationtokeep,atleastthat’swhatItoldmyself.
WhileNeroshoweredandcleanedhimself,Iwentaroundmakingsureeveryonewasbehaving.Everyonewasdrained. Afterfindingthemselveshorny,andnotbeingabletodomuchaboutit,they’dexhaustedthemselves.
IreallywantedNerotostickaround Theideathathewouldleavewasn’tanicethought We’djustfoundeachother, andwhileIhadn’toriginallybelievedinsoulmates,thatdidn’tmeanitwasn’tanewbelievernow.
Idecidedtocloseearly Mystaffwereindesperateneedofsexualattention,andiftheydidn’tgetitsoon,theymight’ve beendriventoexcruciatingmethodsofpleasure.Ididn’treallywantthatbloodonmyhands.
Theycleanedinrecordtime,finishingbeforeNerogotoutoftheshower. AndImanagedtoansweracallmeantforNerotoo.
Itwasmyphone,soofcourseI’danswerit.
“Hello,Mr Dacre,ownerofBurgerBites,”Ianswered Agiggleresponded.“Oh my god. It’s him.”
“Say something to him then ”
“Ask where Nero is, ask him.”
“Nero is showering, I’msure he’ll be back any minute,” I said. Although the shower pressure was amazing, so he might’vetakenanextralongtime
“So, have you decided what you ’ re doing?”avoiceasked.“Are you coming to Georgia? Or like is he staying there a little longer?”
“Wehaven’ttalkedaboutthatjustyet,butIhavetostayhere,andIguesshehastogobackthere.”Thosewerethehard andfastendsofit
“Actually,”anfemalevoicespoke.“It’s entirely possible to create a pathway from your home to ours. It would save on teleportation potions But that’s really only if you decide to be together And we would need to meet you to form a bond of trust We don’t want just anybody having access to our home ”
“AndIdon’twantjustanyonehavingaccesstomyhomeeither,”Itoldthem.
Nero walked in, his hair all fluffyand damp Redressed inthe same clothes, clingingto patches of moisture onhis body.Hesmiledsogenuine,italmostcompletelydistractedmefromwhowasonthephone.
“Yourfamilyareonthephone,”Isaid “Oh,iseverythingok?”heasked.
“Everything is great, Nero,”awoman’svoicespoke. “Grams,” he said “Iwas goingto call youall backearlier Idon’tknow how I’mgoingto make a decision Idon’t want to go, but I also don’t want to stayhere either.” He locked eyes withme before shyinghis glance. “It’s just all very intense It’sthemostI’veeverspentaroundpeoplewhoaren’tlikeme” Irespectedthat.I’dfeelthesameasavampireifI’dbeendumpedinthemiddleofabunchofwitches.ButIhadn’t,and IwasalsoanAlpha,topofthefoodchain,ifthatdidhappen,itprobablywouldn’ttakelongformetotalkthemaroundtomy wayofliving.Andthatwasanocturnalone.
Thenithitme.Anidea.Perhapsthesuggestionoftheportalwasn’tabadone.“Sincewe’resodifferent,Ithink ”
“Don’tsayit,”hegrumbled,leaningonthedesk.Hisarmsabouttogivein.Hisheartbeatnotchingupanextrabeatper second.
“Youliveintheday,Iliveinthenight,”Isaid HewouldhaveananxietyattackinmomentifIdidn’tputhimoutof thosenegativethoughts.“Theideaofhavingtheportaldoormakesthemostsense.Wecanseeeachotherwheneverwewant.” Heleanedacrossthedeskandgrabbedmyarmwhilegroaning “Ididn’tthinkyouweregoingtosaythat” Hisfamilystartedtospeakoverthemselvesonthephone.Ididn’tanyattentiontothatnoise.Iwentaroundthedeskand huggedNerofrombehind Onehandonhischest,feelingthepalpitationsgoingbacktonormal
“I’llleaveyoutotalkwiththem,”Itoldhim.“AndI’mnotlettingyougo,butIthinkwehaveasolutiontobridgingthe longdistance gap.” All Ineeded to do now was to figure outwhere inthe house to have the portal. And how manylocks it wouldrequiretokeepmysanity
The solutionwas simple Aportal bridge betweenhis house and our house We’d alreadygot a bridgingdoor betweenthe houseandthestoreinthetowncenter.Thiswasgoingtobealittlebitmoredifficultbecauseweweregoingthroughadifferent country.
Inthecarridebacktothehouse,Ozul hadsomanyquestionsaboutit.Forthefirsttime,heactuallyseemednervous, and I was the one making sure he was ok. His main issue was the door he was going to use, and how freely it could be accessed Aboltedlocksolvedthatissue
“Whatdoesthismeanforus?”Iaskedinawhisper,lookingtoseeifKirk,thedriverwaslistening.Ididn’twantOzul tohaveanymoreideas thatIwas tryingtobefriendlywithhis staff Itwas still strangetomethathe’dmadeitarulenotto engagewiththem,butthiswashisworld,andIcouldn’twaittoshowhimmine.
Ozul was surprisingly excited to visit, although I’d told himalready it was going to be vastly different. We were witches,wedidn’tsleepincoffins,andwewereloving.
“I’ll tell you what it means,” he said as we pulled up outside the house. “But first, we’re going to need everyone outside ThenIcantellyou Butonlyifyou’rereadyforit”
“Readyforwhat?”
“That’sthespirit,”hesaid,takingmyhandtoencouragemeoutofthecar “Justremember,I’ll doanythingforyou I guessthat’sthecurseofknowingwhoyoursoulmateis.”AsIleftthecarwithhim,hekeptmyhandandkissedit.
“Whatareyougoingtodo?”Iwhisperedasvampireswerecomingoutofthehouseliketermites,crawlingandjumping outofwindows “Howdothey ”
“AnAlphahashisways,”hesaid,leadingmethroughthegrowingcrowdtotheporch.
Iknewhecouldsensemynerves,hehaddoneearlier Ididn’tknowhowitwaspossibletoforgethewasavampire, notwhenhe’dbeenbitingmeeverytimehehadthechance.Ididn’tmindit.Itwasanicesensation,whichcametomeasthe biggestsurprise,evenbiggerthanseeingmymatewasabloodsucker
Ontheporch,hetrulyhadacaptiveaudience.Everyonestoodquietly.Theypaidcompleteattentiontohim.
“Thankyoufor gathering,”hesaid.“Ipromisenottotaketoomuchofyour time.Iwantedtointroduceyouall tomy mate,mysoul mate,Nero”
Andthereitwas.Thenerves.Abundleofthem.Theycould’vebowledmeoverlikeIwasasinglepininalaneand theymadeadirectb-lineforme “Hi,”Isaid,myvoiceshakyasIwavedwithmyfreehand “He’ll be stayinghere fromtime-to-time,” he said.“Isuggestnone ofyoudoanything.It’s notworththe restofyour life Understood?”
Theyallnoddedbeforearhythmicclosedfistchestpounding. “Perfect,”hesaid.
“Whatwasthat?”Iaskedastheyallstartedtodisperse “Almostamarriageceremony,”hechuckled.“Itoldeveryoneyou’remineforreal,forever.”
“Andyou’remine,”Iwhispered,myeyesunabletofocusonhimfromallthemovingbodiespassingbyus “Right?” “Onlyyours,”hesaid.“Now,ifIfindoutthatmagicspellofyourswasfake,I’dhavetoadmityourhustleisgood.I’m kidding,Iknowitwasreal.ThelasttimeIwasonmykneesforanyonewasfiftyplusyearsago.Thatdoesn’tcomeeasytome, givingin.ButIdidforyou.”
“Iwonderwhatconvincedyouofsoulmates,”Iasked,allgiddyasIswayedfromsidetosideholdinghishands. “Obviously, thatpartwas you, althoughifyou’d asked me earlier, inthe weekbefore youarrived, Imightnothave believedit.”
Thatwasgoodenoughforme
TherewereacouplemorethingswehadtoironoutbeforeIcouldinvitehimtomyhouse,andthatwastomakesurehe wasn’t goingto invite anyof his vampires withhim. I didn’t quiet trust themas muchas him, evenif theydid respect my cookinginthekitchen.
Wewentupstairstothebedroomwhereitwascompletelycleaned.Theredidn’tevenlooklikethere’deverbeenany bloodonthefloorwhereithaddribbleddownmyleg,oragainstthewallhe’dpinnedmeagainst Therewasn’tevenanysign thathe’ddroppedthatbowlandfoodlastnighteither.
“You’ll need to tell me all aboutyour familybefore we go,” he said “And Idon’tknow whatdoor you’re goingto use.”
“Adoorisbest,andyoucouldalwaysusetheensuitedoor.Theportaldoesn’talwayshavetoopen.I’dlikeitifitwas, becauseI’veneverhadaboyfriendbefore”
Hechuckled.“IthinkI’mabittoooldtobecalledaboyfriend.”
“Well,we’renotmarried”
“Yet,” he said. “That will happen. I’mnot going to let you call me your soul mate, and then try get away without
marryingme.”
Iwasgettingdistracted,gigglingtomyselfinthought.
“Tellmeaboutyourfamily,”heremindedme “Ok, so Grams is Kyro’s grandmother, and she kinda adopted the coven. It’s a long story. She got Kyro to subconsciouslycastthesoulmatespell Hefoundhishusband,ademon,andthey’reexpectingababyanydaynow,”Itoldhim “Idon’tknowifIwanttogetpregnant,butI’mstillyoung,right.”
“Itsoundedlikethereweremorethanjustthetwovoicesonthatcall,”hesaid
“There’salsoEvander,he’stheleader,incharge.Thenthere’sLazloandRocco.We’veallfoundourmates,exceptfor Lazlo. He’s still waiting for his heat cycle to hit. He’s been waiting a while. But that’s the curse I guess of being on suppressantsforsolong,thecanfuckthingsupinthere”Igesturetomyabdominalarea “Whataboutyourfamily?”
“We’dbeherefordaysifIhadtotellyouaboutmine,”hesaid.“There’sjustThaddeus,mynephew.Everyoneelsehas eitherdied,ordisappeared”
Mysmilefaded.“Oh.Don’tyouwanttofindtheoneswho’vedisappeared?”
“No,notreally,”hesaid “Peopleleavefortheirownreasons,I’msureyouhaveyourreasonsforleavingyourfamily too.Theoneyouleftbeforefindingyourchosenfamily.”
Hewasreadingmelikeabook.ItwassortofobviousthatI’dleftmyoriginalfamily,andwithevenjustatinybitof lookingintomybackgroundhewasboundtodiscoverjustthat Andtherewasthefacthe’dtastedmybloodtoo Heknewmore aboutmethanIdidabouthim.
“CanItrysomething?”Iasked “Kinky,”hesaid,smirking.
“Itmightnotevenwork,”Itoldhim,alreadydoubtful oftheidea,andmyskills.“Ijustwanttoseewhatyousee,for likeasecond,that’sit.”
Hetookmyhandandledmetothebed.Hesatinfrontofme.“I’veseenhow youseetheworld,Ithinkit’sonlyfair yougettopeekbehindthecurtains,”hesaid “Butdon’tcomeoutscaredofwhatyousee Iknowyou’restrongerthanthat”
NowIwaspetrified.Iknewhe’dprobablyseenfarmorethanIcould’vecomprehended.ButIwasdeterminedtogeta crashcourseinhim AndtherewasonlyonewayIsemi-knewhowtodothat
Ozullaidbackonthebed.HisheadbetweenmykneesasIsatbehindhim.I’dneverdoneitbefore,butIknew there wasalevelofintuitionandintentwiththemagic.Plus,Ozulwasawillingparticipant,whichgivesomeleniencytohimbeing bothmucholderthanmeandanAlpha.
Withfingersathistemples,Imassagedthemalittle,hisskinwassocold.Iletmyfingersdancedownthesidesofhis facetoplayaroundinthescruffyfacialhairathisjawlineandchin HewaslikeasoftpadIusedtowashdisheswith
Mymindwasn’tintherightspace,fartooexcitedjustbyplayingwithhisfacialhair.Myfingerstappedgentlybackup tohistemplesandItriedtoclearmymind Think nothing Butatthesametime,nothingwasalsoathought ItfeltlikeIwasn’t goingtogetanywherewithit.
Thenitall openedupinfrontofme.His mindwas alakeofblackswirledwithanoilybloodonthesurface.Itwas forcingmyfacethroughabarrierofcoldwater,andcomingouttheothersidefeelingawaxysurfacecovermyskin
I saw Ozul. He was younger, I assumed fromthe strange clothes he wore, almost historic, like the clothes froma museum Therewererufflesonthefabrics,andlayers Apocketwatchinonehand,andajewelintheother,rotatingitoverin hispalm.
Peopleapproachedhim Asister Hewaswarmtoher Hisparentsweretheretoo Theywerecallinghim Iwondered whereitwas,becausetheyweren’tspeakingEnglish.ItwasaforeigntongueIonlyunderstandthefeelingof.
Downawoodpaneledhallway,hetookanabruptturnintothediningroom.Itwasfulloffacesheallfoundfamiliar.
Dinner was served onthe table, humans Eachplace settinghad a humaninfront ofit, different sizes, genders, and races.Allofthemtherewillingly,barelydressed.
TherewasamaninfrontofOzul’sspace Theyencouragedhimtoeat
Hesaidsomething,butthewordsescapedmeinmeaning.Hesatandthemansatonhislap.Theywereflirting.
“No,”Iletoutsharply,pullingmyselfawayfromOzulonthebed
“I’msorry,”hesaid.“I Ididn’tknowwhatyouweregoingtosee.”
“Ijust ”
“YoufeltwhatIfelt,didn’tyou?”
Ihad.AndIdidn’tquiteknowhowtoprocessanyofit.ButassecondspassedandIcontinuedtomakeeyecontactwith him, Islowlyunderstood whyhe treated humans the wayhe did They’d manipulated himbybeingwillingblood bags, and possiblyotherthingsIdidn’twanttothinkabout.Itwasjustanunderstandingnow.
“It’sok,”hesaid,holdingmyhand.“Idon’toperatethatwayanymore,well,Idon’toperatecompletelythatway.When Iwas growingup, Ilived inanarea overrunbyvampires. There was anattackthere a hundred year ago, burned the place down.”Herubbedthebackofmyhandwithhisthumb.“Whatdidyouthink?”
“Itwas calming,almost.” “Good.Idon’twantyoutothinkI’msomeinsanebloodsucker.” Mysmiledropped I’dusedthosewords inthoughtbefore Itmadesensehe’dprobablyfeltthatwhenhedrankfrom me.“Iwanttodoitagain,”Itoldhim.“IwanttoseewhatelseIneedtoknowaboutyoubeforeIwelcomeyouintomyhome.” Herolledbackoveronthebed “Bemyguest”