by CoraLee June
“You really didn’t have to do all of this,” I said while noting the nearly dead houseplant on my counter. They really did get every detail. How did he pull this off so quickly?
“I want you to feel comfortable here, Drew. I know that I got ahead of myself. I also set up an office for you in the building with everything you could possibly need for work. You are cleared to go to your job in person, but I wanted you to have a space here, too. I want you to feel comfortable with your training, and there might be some days we test your restraint and you need to call in. I know how important work is for you, and I don’t want this to interrupt.”
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. “And before you complain that I overstepped, know that we provide this for all of our members. We truly do want to cultivate your strengths and passions.”
He held the key out in front of him, but instead of immediately taking it, I wrapped my arms around Diego’s neck and pulled him close. “Thank you,” I whispered. I rested my head on his shoulder and breathed in the sandalwood cologne he put on this morning.
Diego broke the hug after a few moments, pulling back just far enough to look me in the eye. “I would do anything for you. I would rescue you a thousand times, kill for you or not kill for you, and I would even let you go if that’s what made you happy.”
I brought my hand to his face, cupping his cheek in my palm, and traced the contour of his prominent cheekbone with my thumb. I had been wanting to do that ever since I met him; his chiseled, well-defined cheekbones were a thing of beauty. After today, I felt closer to Diego. I thought the emotion sharing would feel intrusive, but it honestly helped me understand him better. Right now, I could sense how proud he was of my new apartment, how much he genuinely wanted me to be happy and successful, and how hungry he was for me.
I tilted my head and brought my lips to meet his. When our lips touched, an overwhelming rush of emotion surged through me, making me hungry for more. I wanted to be close to him.
Using my tongue to trace his bottom lip, I teased him, sucking and nibbling until a low moan escaped. I parted his lips, and his tongue explored my mouth until it found mine, and they were moving together in their own rhythm, completely in sync.
Diego was responding to my touches both physically and emotionally. I could feel his excitement as if it were my own. Heat flowed through my veins, carried by my blood down to the apex of my thighs. I ached with need for him, the slick wetness between my legs begging to be filled with him.
I love you.
“What?” I panicked and pushed him off me.
“What?” Diego asked, completely confused.
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything. Are you okay?”
“No, I, um, have to go,” I said, tucking the apartment key into my pocket and running out. I felt his overwhelming confusion but ignored it.
Too soon. Way too soon. I didn’t know which was more terrifying: the fact that I couldn’t tell who that rogue thought belonged to or that there was even a rogue thought to begin with. Was it our strange bond speaking, or was I really that pathetic? Nope. Too soon. I didn’t do love. This was a Yaz level of commitment, and there was no way in hell I was going down that road right now. I needed to focus on myself. Figure out this vampire bullshit so I could have a semblance of a normal life.
I made my way to my dorm room and opened the door. I had a few things here I wanted to take over to my new apartment.
“Did you get your license?” Betty asked. She was wearing an elegant nightgown made of silk with high-heeled slippers. I stared at her sensual outfit for a lingering moment before replying.
“Yep,” I replied. “Am I interrupting something? You looked dressed for a gentleman caller.” I grabbed a few items and shoved them into a red duffel bag I found on the floor. Thank suck I was moving to my own apartment. I didn’t want to hear Betty’s moans all night.
Betty laughed. “I dressed up for myself. You don’t need a man to look or feel sexy, Drew. I ordered one of your toys online, and it’s supposed to arrive today.”
I hated Betty for making me this way, but I loved her for being such a badass. “Ooh, what did you order?”
“The Electrical Banana. Sixteen speeds? Brilliant.”
I pressed my hand to my chest. “Was that a compliment, Bitchy Betty?” I asked, letting her nickname slip.
“I don’t play around with pleasure. Before I was changed, I was half out of my mind. Sex was a distant memory. I feel like I got a second chance. I’m not taking it for granted.” I nodded with a half-smile. I’d heard that Betty had dementia before she was turned. I couldn’t imagine feeling like a prisoner in my own mind. “I know, you’re going to hate me for all eternity because I changed you...blah, blah, blah,” she said while waving her hand. “But since I’m an old woman, I’ll give you some unsolicited advice.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek and crossed my arms over my chest. “Go on. Let’s have it.”
“You are an empowered woman. Already miles ahead of me when I was your age. You don’t take shit. You stand your ground. If your complete lack of fashion sense weren’t an issue, I might actually try being your friend.”
“I thought you were giving me advice, not insulting my clothes,” I deadpanned.
“I’m getting there,” Betty said with a sigh. “Don’t let your ego get in the way of the journey, darling. You can be a strong, independent woman and still fall in love.”
I sat down on the floor and started folding some of my clothes to put in the bag. “Have you ever been in love, Betty?”
“Once,” she said before looking at her nails. “But he was poor, and I was determined to live a comfortable life. Let me tell you something, comfortable is boring. I’m now on the greatest adventure of my existence, and I’ve got no one to share it with but my lame ass grandson, who is currently rotting in prison for changing me.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but Bitchy Betty was pretty interesting. “I suppose we can meet up every now and then for lunch,” I said. “If you get bored and want to talk to someone.”
Betty tipped her head and laughed. “Child, you are the last person on earth I’d run to for company. Wipe that pity off your face, and worry about that sexy king trying to get in your pants. You’re moving out, right? Let’s agree that if we see each other in passing, we will politely ignore the other’s existence.”
Talk about whiplash. “Fair enough. Good luck, Betty,” I said as she gripped the curtain and closed it.
“Whatever,” she replied.
Diego
I spent all night thinking about my kiss with Drew and the telepathic thoughts that accompanied it. What the fuck happened? I didn’t know if it was a thought or a feeling. Hers or mine. Our connection was so strong when we were intertwined that it felt like we were one. I’ve never felt anything so powerful in all my time on this earth.
Apparently, Drew hadn’t either. I’m guessing by her reaction of literally running away from me, she wasn’t happy about it. Not one bit. My heart wanted nothing more than to run down to her so that we could talk and figure this out, but my brain prevailed, and I decided to give her space. I went back to my penthouse and paced the floors until I passed out, deciding to reach out to her after she’d had a chance to process this. Hell, I still needed to process this. I didn’t think I was in love with her. It hadn’t been enough time for that, even if we were fated, but I was protective of her. I wanted her to be safe and happy. I was two seconds from risking it all and murdering Graham at the DVM. I felt her fear and uncertainty, and I was prepared to do whatever necessary to keep her safe.
I sighed while rocking in my office chair. There was no way in hell I’d be getting any work done today.
Maybe I should talk to Claire. Sitting at my desk and staring at the piles of work that wouldn’t get done today, I pulled out my phone and called her.
“Hi, Diego,” Claire answered on the second ring. “How can I help you?”
<
br /> “What are you doing for lunch? Can I take you to that new sushi place that recently opened? I would love your input on something.”
“Of course, I’ve been dying to try that place. Give me about an hour?”
“Great, I’ll meet you in the lobby,” I said, disconnecting the call.
Now I just had to distract myself until then. Asher had been bugging me to get some time on my calendar. That man could talk for a week straight without stopping; he would be perfect to keep me occupied. Not to mention I needed to tell him about Graham’s latest antic. I still couldn’t believe he’d abuse his power so blatantly to torture Drew. It was fucked up.
I left my office and made my way toward Asher, forcing myself not to check on Drew like a fucking stalker. I was worried for her safety and didn’t feel comfortable with her being out of my sight. Under normal circumstances, it wasn’t necessary to be so damn overprotective, but with Graham being a complete dumbass, I couldn’t really trust that she was safe. A thorough background check and character references were part of the vetting process to be turned; we didn’t tolerate thieves or criminals. I wished the same could be said for our natural born council members.
I took the stairs down to the floor where all the council offices were and made my way to Asher’s door. I stood outside his door for a moment, bracing myself for a long-winded conversation, then rapped lightly on his door to get his attention.
I didn’t like Asher. He was a pretentious vampire that fed on his ego about as much as he fed on blood, but he was a good friend to have on the council. He implicitly supported me and my vision for our coven, and he didn’t like Graham, which made him ten times more likable.
The moment I opened the door, I regretted it. There was a naked man sprawled on Asher’s desk, and the politician had his fangs in his upper thigh, greedily sucking on his blood like it was a drug. He stopped when he saw me.
“I was just finishing up with lunch. Come in. Have a seat.”
I sat down and played with my cufflinks while his meal cleaned up and scattered out of the office. I wasn’t bothered by the nudity or even the blood. But Asher was a messy eater.
“What did you want to talk about, Diego? Is it about the new plot of land I bought in Wyoming? I was thinking, with some proper investments, the coven could build a secondary compound there—a vacation spot? I’d be happy to pull together a proposal and set up the funding.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. The man was always trying to get us to invest in his vacation properties. No, thank you.
“Sure. Send it over, and I’ll look. I can’t make any promises, though. You know Graham is petitioning for that building in Dallas. He’s already pitching for votes.” There was no land in Dallas, but I liked to open the door for shit talking. You didn’t play politics by being the first person to say something controversial, but you won wars by being the second.
“That bastard. I fucking hate Graham. How he paid his way onto the council is beside me,” Asher spat while wiping remnants of blood from his lips.
“He gave Drew some trouble at the licensing center yesterday,” I admitted.
Asher’s eyes widened. “The licensing center? What on earth was he doing there?”
“Took the test a bit far. Spilled a lot of blood. He took advantage of his position of power. Drew held her own, though. That woman is fierce. But I don’t like his obsession with her.” I made sure not to mention exactly how Drew held her own. I still wasn’t sure if we should share our bond yet. Even though Graham already knew, I didn’t want to scare her away—again—by making a declaration. And I didn’t want to give my growing enemies leverage. One of the things I hadn’t told Drew was that fated mates were linked. If one of us died, both of us did. That thought alone had me debating on upping her security.
It was a tricky line. I wanted people to know she was mine but didn’t want them to know they could hurt her to get to me.
Asher nodded. “Graham has always wanted to pick apart anything you have. Publicly declaring your courtship put a target on Lady Drew’s back. Congratulations, by the way. I think she is just lovely. She adds diversity to the council. I bought a fleshlight from her company yesterday. Highly recommend. Five stars, truly.”
Disgusting. I was all for normalizing sex, but I didn’t need to know about his fleshlight adventures. “Your approval is very important to me,” I lied. Asher liked to feel important.
Asher preened like the egomaniac he was. “You know,” he began. “I’ve heard rumors that Graham has started a whisper campaign to overthrow the monarchy.”
I sat up in my seat. “What?”
“Apparently, he thinks that vampires should modernize and become a democratic society, with him as president of course. He’s so passive aggressive. Has to resort to gossip to win.”
“That’s ridiculous,” I spat. “Kings have more powers than any elected official. It’s a birthright crafted for civility. No one else can compel other vampires. I’m stronger. Faster. I also have the wisdom of my lineage at my disposal. I have an eighty percent approval rating. We have the elected council to balance out the power, but at the end of the day, I know what is best for my people. I’m fair.”
Asher held up his hands. “There is no denying that you’re the best king we’ve had in centuries. I loved your grandfather, but you exceed his talents significantly. I won’t even go into detail about your father. We both know he was a disaster. Graham wants power, plain and simple. He has his own nefarious and ambitious agenda. I suggest you keep an eye on him. Revolutions start with a whisper, and he’s tugging on the ear of every vampire in your coven. Be careful. And now that you’re courting Drew, there are bound to be more doubts about your capabilities. I like the girl, but she wasn’t exactly turned under normal circumstances, Diego. She’s a fledgling. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a king courting someone changed.”
I clenched my jaw and ran my hands over my thighs, debating how to proceed. Graham already knew, it was time for the rest of the world to. She needed to be protected. “She’s my fated, Asher.”
As expected, his eyes widened in shock. “Fated? That hasn’t happened since…”
“My grandparents,” I whispered. “I’m drawn to her.”
“Don’t let Graham know. Fated mates are traditionally stronger. You feed off each other’s powers. He’ll be jealous and feel threatened. Is she at the compound? You’ll need to increase security,” Asher rambled. “She’s untrained. If something happens to her, then you’ll die too—”
“I know. I’m on it. He already knows. She compelled him at her licensing evaluation after he pushed her too far. I’m shocked she could even do it. I feel her power, Asher. She’s unlike any fledgling I’ve ever met. It’s almost like she’s a natural born vamp.”
Asher chewed on his nail and stared at his desk. “I think you should announce it. People find hope in that sort of thing, and any rebellions forming need to know that you’re even stronger now that you’ve found a mate.”
“Am I truly stronger? Or is she a weakness? And there is more to it. I can’t tell everyone. Not yet.”
“Why not?” Asher asked. “This is the sort of thing to be celebrated, and it can help cement your position here. We haven’t had fated mates in so long. People will want to protect her.”
“Because she’s skittish. She is extremely uncomfortable about the idea of mates. I don’t want to scare her off.”
“That is tricky. Hmmm,” Asher said, raising his fingers to his temples. “Want me to talk to her about it? I’m pretty good at talking to people, and I’m an excellent listener if she needs someone to talk to. I don’t want to brag, but Sigmund Freud used to call me all the time just to talk and unload his days. Claire isn’t the only one with connections to him. I also know everything there is to know about fated mates. And relationships. And women. She needs someone who understands her. I understand everything and I’m the most qualified—”
“No, thank you.” I had to fight the
urge to roll my eyes again. I was going to get eye strain from this conversation. “I appreciate the offer, that’s very generous. But I was thinking she might feel more comfortable talking to Claire. They’ve really seemed to hit it off.”
“That’s a great idea, Diego,” Asher said, barely containing his disappointment.
“I’m actually meeting her for lunch, so if you will excuse me? It was great catching up with you today, I appreciate that you made time for me unannounced.”
“Anytime. Don’t be a stranger. And don’t worry, we will deal with Graham. You have a lot of support on the council and from your people.”
I left Asher’s office feeling exhausted. But at least it took my mind off Drew’s feelings, even if only temporarily. He did give me something to think about. Exposing Drew and myself as fated mates might be perceived as positive. I added it to the list of things I wanted to talk to Claire about.
The sushi restaurant was only a ten-minute walk from the compound. I met Claire in the lobby, and we headed over to grab a table. It was a nice day outside, and we took our time walking, enjoying the breeze and the beauty of the trees along the trail that led to the town outside the compound. Claire chatted about a rogue vampire in the UK who was compelling humans to go streaking at major sporting events.
The shaded path was calming and peaceful. It gave me a chance to think about the events of the day. Graham overstepping his position, Drew’s ability to compel other vampires, and Asher’s suggestion to use the truth about Drew as a power move.
By the time we got to the sushi restaurant, I was more than ready to talk it all out with Claire, who thankfully, picked up on my contemplative mood.
“You look like someone gave you bad blood,” she said with a smile.
“I think I scared off Drew yesterday. Again.”
