by Sage, May
“But,” Fin stated, “you weren’t pretty doing it. That’s the real tragedy.”
Alexius could never tell whether the fae was joking. There was a chance that he meant it.
“Well done, Helsing. It must have taken a lot of strength.”
Alexius shifted uncomfortably. “Are you going to be able to get the board to enroll her, then?” he asked. Because he wanted to know as much as he wanted to shift the attention away from him.
He didn’t have issues talking about himself. Conversely, that fucking curse was a subject he never liked to broach.
“Yeah, sure. I wasn't certain the old crones would approve, however, admission shouldn't be a problem, given her transcript, interview, and sponsorship.”
While Levi owned the land, he had no administrative role in the school, which meant that enrollments had to go through the board for anyone he recommended.
A sponsorship by Levi usually meant instant approval, but they hadn't been certain with Avani, since they'd guessed she wouldn't have much of a transcript, as a member of the Elder Pack.
"I’ll speak to her to see what Avani herself wants to do. Given her previous record, she might be able to get enough credits to do her undergrad in one year, then switch to a master’s program. I mean, she doesn’t have to, it’s just that the usual courses might not challenge her. Her records are as good as any vampire.”
“Send her to me. I’ll train her.” Fin got to his feet, his long black cape trailing behind him, and sailed out, as if the subject was over.
Which, Alexius supposed, it was.
“Aren’t we worried about throwing the poor girl to him?” Luke asked.
“No,” Levi replied.
“She’ll be just fine,” Mikar supplied.
Alexius remained silent.
Fin was admittedly the most knowledgeable creature in this world. Perhaps not the smartest, but he’d lived longer than any of them. He was an excellent teacher.
He was also ridiculously pretty, and had a reputation for punishing his apprentices by licking them and denying them orgasms until they came up with the right answer.
Perhaps not apprentices—those he liked the look of. And he’d like Avani. How could he not?
Alexius got to his feet. “I’m out of here.”
“Class to teach?” Mikar asked.
“Something like that.”
He didn’t have anything on his schedule for the rest of the night, actually, hence why he’d been working on the fusion spell again.
He left the tower to return home.
He’d avoided his house as much as possible for the last couple of days. It smelled wrong. Too enticing and forbidden. Too…Avani.
Even if it weren’t for his self-inflicted rules, he wasn’t the kind of asshole who would make a move on a girl who’d just been kicked out of her only home and chased by her family. But he wanted to. God, he fucking wanted to.
Walking in and following his sense of smell to his lounge, he found the damnable temptress on the floor, her ass in the air and her thighs spread wide. Never mind that Greer, Blair, Cat, Gwen, and Chloe were contorted in the exact same position right next to her; his attention was solely focused on her incredible legs.
“Am I interrupting an orgy? Because I’d like to watch.”
Chloe giggled. “Sorry, Alexius. We borrowed your lounge for a yoga session.”
“So I see.”
It wasn't the first time that he'd walked in to find his house commandeered by these girls. In less than a week, the quiet home had turned into a hub of activity, a place where people gathered to relax. He would have said he had no idea how that had occurred, except that would have been inaccurate. It was her. Avani had the sort of presence that made people want to spend time with her, include her in their plans. She was magnetic. A little like Chloe, though perhaps in a different way. Chloe made people around her feel like they should please her. Avani made them feel like they wanted to have fun with her.
Reluctantly, Alexius left them to it, heading to his kitchen and starting half a dozen green smoothies. He was halfway through mixing apple, spinach, and banana, when he winced, realizing how damn pussy-whipped he was. Particularly for a man who wasn't getting said pussy.
He poured himself a glass of blood, downing it like it was water. He knew he was drinking too much, but it was the lesser of two evils right now. Satisfying his thirst for blood helped him to control his desires, curb his impulses. He knew that if he was hungry, surrounded by her smell and watching her, he’d pounce. He just would. Because Avani looked at him in a way that made it clear she might let him.
Fuck.
Alexius wanted her like he couldn't remember ever wanting any woman, but he'd decided against exploring their chemistry, with great reluctance. For one, she lived in his place; he didn't want things to become complicated to the point where she might not feel comfortable here. Secondly, she was a student; a student who might be postgrad as soon as next year. That made her doubly off limits.
Thirdly, he liked the woman.
Liking them immediately put them on a list of females he wouldn't touch. Sex was impersonal for him and it needed to stay that way.
With Avani, it would be personal. Intimate. He'd take her everywhere, every which way, over and over. And not just once; he knew he'd want her for a longer period of time.
So he was going to keep his hands to himself, no matter how fucking delicious she looked in yoga pants.
He brought the drinks to the lounge and placed them on a side table.
Another glance at her ass, now up in the air in a dog pose, had him stifle a groan.
"I need a drink."
Again.
Freedom
By the time Alexius emerged from his study, the girls had gone back home. Avani was the only one left.
Greer had stayed in the house for one day, then she'd gone back to the Institute dorm, after Levi had scheduled bodyguards around her.
Avani wasn’t going to admit it, but she liked it when it was just them. Alexius was different without an audience.
He played nice in front of Greer and Chloe and Levi. He had the occasional sarcastic retort, yet overall he remained on his best behavior. Controlled. Fake. His movements were purposely slower, as if to deliberately appear less threatening.
With her, he relaxed. He wasn’t always here, but when he was, it was him she saw, not a polite, watered-down version. He didn't try to pretend to be a nice, friendly guy. He let her see the predator. Case in point, he had a glass of red liquid that clearly smelled like blood in his hand. Greer said he never drank in front of her.
"Did Luke call you? He got your transcript."
She grinned. "He said the board is okay with my starting next week. I'll have a dorm room, so your sister can have her room back."
"I'm sure she'll appreciate that, wherever she is."
Avani tilted her head. “What’s with that? Feel free to tell me to butt out of your affairs, of course.”
He didn’t. Instead, he explained, “My little sister was sickly. My mother’s attention was entirely on her, and my father wasn’t the paternal type, so I didn’t have any role model. She blames herself for my turning out the way I did.”
Avani didn’t like that one bit. “You turned out all right.”
The vampire laughed. “Well, then, you don’t know me very well.”
“True.”
He sipped some of the blood out of his wine glass.
There was something carnal and sensual about it. Fascinating.
"You look like you want a taste."
For a wild second, her eyes on his lips, she wondered if he'd meant something else entirely, but he handed her his glass.
She hesitated, biting her lip.
"It's synthetic, if it makes you feel better. Go on. You only live once, and all that."
"That's awfully cliché."
She took the glass anyway, sniffed at it, before wetting her lips and licking it.
I
t was sweet and velvety. A lot better than she would have imagined.
She took a sip, closing her eyes as it traveled down her throat.
Avani handed him the glass back. "Not bad," she admitted. "It's not too different from animal blood. I like rabbits."
"I had a pet rabbit, once."
Avani shrugged. "I'd have eaten it in a pinch."
He laughed, then his expression changed, darkening without warning as his attention turned to the open window at his left.
Vampires were like that; with you one minute, elsewhere the next. Avani saw Chloe do her best to concentrate on the moment from time to time; Alexius never bothered when they were alone.
"What is it?"
In the next instant, she heard it. One lone howl, soon joined by others.
Ah.
"Your old friends. I think they're going on a run."
She could have guessed as much. "They do it every week inside the territory as a pack. They stay in the Wolvswoods."
She thought she managed to hide the deep longing that clawed at her insides, but Alexius leaped on it like it had been written across her forehead. "You miss it. You want to run. Have you even shifted in four days?”
She had, every night in her room. But she hadn't run.
Before she made a reply, Alexius was on his feet.
"Well, come on, then."
She blinked. Sometimes, following his train of thought wasn't easy.
"Sorry?"
"Let's go. Let's go for a run." His expression morphed into a genuine smile, his eyes brightening with a mischievous glint. "You can try to keep up."
And with that, he was gone, dashing out of the house like an arrow. She couldn't help it. She chased. Peeling her yoga pants and T-shirt off her, she leaped as she reached the threshold and the bone-breaking shift had her in her fur before her feet hit the ground.
He was out of sight, but she would have been able to track his heady scent anywhere. She rushed forward, faster and faster, eagerly trying to catch up with his vampire speed.
In the Wolvswoods, she'd had to stop herself to avoid going faster than the pack authority; here, she pushed herself to her limits instead.
When she found him, the asshole was perched on top of a willow tree, lying on a thick branch, looking up at the dark sky.
The ass thought he could just taunt her and then chill out of reach like that? He didn't know her very well, then. Tail wagging, she braced herself, then jumped as high as she could, planting her claws in the tree, and jumped again to reach his branch. She had him! She leaped at him and nipped playfully at his sleeve, avoiding his flesh. Sensing she wanted to play, he got up to a crouch and vaulted down to the ground, running around the hill, sticking to a speed she could match. She knew he was letting her catch him each time, and it didn't even matter. The beast inside her was ecstatic.
Alexius ran his hand through her thick fur, giving her the touch she'd craved so desperately for a week. She licked his hand, stuffing her nose against his torso. He laughed, sat on the ground, and hugged her.
Avani should be feeling guilty right about now. He was only touchy-feely and affectionate because he thought he was cradling a beast; he'd be fucking horrified if he realized that, unlike most shifters, she was one with the wolf. She felt it as surely as if he'd taken her in his arms in her human form.
She adored every second of it, but reluctantly, she moved away.
"Playtime’s over, right?" he gleaned. "Probably wise. We don't want to run across your old friends."
He was right. The likelihood of the pack venturing to the lake near Night Hill was close to zero in normal times. Granted, if they'd spotted or sniffed her, they might have made an exception.
Although she had to admit, so far no one had approached her. She'd sensed eyes on her, a watchful presence at the edge of the woods each time she'd been anywhere near. For now, they were leaving her alone. Waiting for her guard to drop, no doubt.
It wouldn’t.
Feeling considerably more refreshed, she trotted back home. Between the run and the comfort of actually being touched, she was a new woman.
They reached his home and she shifted back to grab her discarded clothes. At her side, Alexius didn't so much as look at her. As he’d made his lack of attraction obvious from the start, it shouldn’t have irritated her. It kinda did, though.
"Dinner's in an hour, if you'd like to take a bath," he said simply, heading to the kitchen.
He was as unaffected by nudity as any shifter. Or it was just her he didn't find that interesting.
“You know, I can cook too. I’m squatting in your house. I could make myself useful.”
A reasonable offer in her opinion.
“Go chill out, Avani. I want to cook. How does paella sound?”
All protest died on her lips. She’d never had paella.
“All right.” She hesitated. “By the way, I need to do a live video tonight, in…about two hours.”
He tilted his head. “A video?”
She felt a little embarrassed, admitting, “I have a vlog. I’m supposed to review an old movie I watched before the bloodhunt. Do you mind if I hang out in the kitchen? I looked at most rooms, and it seems to have the best lighting for that kind of stuff.”
Most of the rooms in his house were darker: red, royal blue, black, with dark walls. She liked the aesthetic, but it would be a one-eighty from what her viewers were used to. The kitchen was the closest match.
He shrugged. “Make yourself at home. This place is yours.”
He didn’t add the important bit: for now.
“Thanks.”
Danger
The woman had no regard for his poor, hard, throbbing dick. He was going to need a cold shower. Again.
Everything Avani did had a raw sensuality that made him want to see her ride him: eating, sitting, walking, smiling, rolling her eyes. Her slightest movement was a seduction. And now she was just removing her damn clothes? He wasn't sure what he'd done in his previous life to deserve that torture.
Well, admittedly, he'd done plenty in his current one.
Painful as it was for him—blue balls were a serious matter—he was glad for their run; she’d obviously needed it. Almost as much as she’d needed physical contact. He wasn’t about to forget how she’d told Greer she missed touch. Physical contact was essential to a shifter’s wellbeing. He was far from an expert in her breed of sups, but it was common knowledge. She wouldn’t easily fulfill that need here; touching another vampire—even entering their personal space—was a huge breach of etiquette. The mortals who spent time with them had learned to keep their distance with sups. They wouldn’t think to give Avani physical contact unless she asked for it. She wouldn’t. Not when she wasn’t drunk. He could tell her pride was that of a typical dominant female of any breed of sups, making her loath to accept the aid of anyone at all.
Alexius knew better than to get cozy with her human self, touching her smooth sun-kissed skin, feeling her delightful curves. Her wolf, he could handle. More than that, he liked playing with her. She was good fun. He certainly had needed to slow himself down a bit, but the beast was strong enough to get him to break into a sweat when she jumped at him. He didn’t get the opportunity to use his strength without worrying about breaking the other person with many mortals.
Making paella, he laughed at himself. Last month, he’d mostly eaten cup noodles. Now, he was spending an hour cooking per day.
They ate together in the kitchen, then he helped her clear a space where she could set up her computer.
Though she blushed, visibly self-conscious, he opted to remain in the room when she started streaming, busying himself with drying the dishes and putting them away, silently so as to not bother her.
She started her video. Her tone changed, becoming more comfortable and professional. She was witty, snarky, and adorable.
Avani had put some lipstick and eyeliner on, he noticed. There were also some light cosmetics accentuating all her feature
s. She was usually stunning to him, yet the light makeup made her shine, increasing her confidence. After a little while, he abandoned his cloth and just watched her. Her attention was solely focused on her screen, avoiding his gaze, perhaps purposely.
She was talking about the very first Star Wars, a movie from another era, now almost two hundred years old; it had been about a hundred and seventy years old at the start of the Age of Blood.
And she was denigrating it.
“In short, while the story was rather entertaining, it was sexist, overrated, and—”
He couldn’t help it. Alexius snorted.
She finally looked up to him, blinking in confusion.
“I…” Her eyes returned to the screen. “Sorry, I have someone with me today. He apparently disagrees. But hey, my vlog is called Avani’s Reviews, so good thing his opinion doesn’t matter.”
Like hell it didn’t. “Star Wars might look like an antique now, but it shaped the world—the entire cinema industry was affected by the revolutionary story. You wouldn’t have the sort of space fantasy movies we can get today if Star Wars hadn’t started it. Judging it with the eyes of a kid born in year ten in the Age of Blood is unfair.”
She glared at him. Glancing at her screen again, she said, “Well, it looks like my viewers want to hear your opinion now. Feel free to tell us what you think, oh wise one.”
“Gladly.” He strode forward, leaning forward so his face was at her level.
One look at her screen made him pause. There were many people. He shouldn’t have been surprised. She was fucking hilarious; of course she was popular.
“Picture it. 1977. Over a century before humans even know supernaturals exist. They still wonder if Earth is the only livable planet in the galaxy. It’s not quite banging rocks to make fire, but it’s years and years before holographic communication, flying cars, or clean energy. Then, one man—a regular, at that—imagines a world far away, a world with sentient creatures along with others who look like us. He imagines science and magic, blended in a universe so close to reality he should have been considered a genius.”
