by Sage, May
“No more moving for you for a bit. What would you like to eat and drink?”
Avani groaned. “I was going to cook, you know. To thank you for your hospitality.”
“No thanks necessary. You relax.”
She didn’t argue, thankfully. Like he’d let her slave in the kitchen when she looked like a punching bag.
“It’s been some time since I’ve treated one of you. Are you in pain? Will you heal fast or should I speed it up?” He was moments away from offering elixir for a few bruises.
“I’m a little sore, but I’ll be fine in an hour or so. The bruising will have faded by tomorrow. No need for anything.”
It added up, from what he remembered of shifter healing.
“Wine, then?”
“Please.”
He served her a glass of a nice Merlot and poured his, adding a drop of blood to spice it up. “I don’t know if I want to praise you for holding your own or ask what possessed you to fight Ruby.”
Avani laughed. “Well, she informed me that I was fighting her. I don’t think I was given much choice in the matter. It was fun. And I won, by the way.”
Jesus. “Really?”
“Well, I had to shift. But I got a good chunk of her leg, yeah. First blood won.”
He frowned. “I smell your blood, though.”
“I just scraped my knees a bit. It’s already healing.”
Not fast enough for his liking. He didn’t question himself; he brought his wrist to his lips and bit down till he drew blood. Alexius handed her his arm. It was only when she looked up at him, her big eyes full of questions, that he realized something.
He drank from his lovers—witches, regular humans, the occasional vampire—though he’d never given his blood before. To anyone.
Their blood did have healing properties, and there was nothing wrong, per se, about giving it to someone else to help them. However, the action was…intimate.
Some vampires got a kick out of being sucked on, and Alexius wasn’t one for criticizing kinks. That said, it was considered pretty taboo. Lewd, even. Sucking his dick would have been less intimate than drinking his blood.
“You don’t want bruises when you start school on Monday, right?”
She frowned, before bringing his arm to her lips. And again, she hesitated.
“I didn’t take you for the cowardly sort.”
Avani rolled her eyes. “I’m not. I’m just thinking—that won’t turn me into one of you, right?”
Ah. A pertinent question. “No. For a mortal to become one of us, it takes a lot more blood. Only born vampires can transition with a few drops. And, well, you’d have to die. Don’t do that if you can help it.”
This time, she did open her mouth, closing it on his wrist. Then she looked down. The wound was already closed.
“Damn. That’s pretty neat.”
He laughed, inching his arm away to bite it again, but her teeth were already sneaking out, sharper than any human's, larger than a vampire’s. A set of wolf’s fangs.
Fuck. Why was he hard?
She only grazed the skin, but the jolt of pain only served to excite him more. The strange, wild creature inside him liked every single thing about watching the beautiful wolf drink from him.
And he wanted her long, elegant neck under his lips. He’d kiss his way down to her breast and mark her right there. He could see it. Feel it. Taste it. All he had to do was—
Alexius blinked, then shook his head to pull himself out of his trance. What the hell was wrong with him?
“That should be enough, sweetheart.”
Avani’s gaze lifted to meet his. There was heat in the depths of her dark brown eyes. And need.
She opened her mouth and let go of his arm. Then her fucking tongue darted out and she licked his skin, eyes still on him.
The woman was seriously dangerous to what was left of his sanity. And his control.
“Let me get some blood.”
He ran, and he wasn’t even ashamed of it. In the kitchen, he breathed in and out. Fuck, his hands were shaking.
He drained a bottle in three gulps, but the blood tasted like ash in his mouth. He didn’t need it. What his body, his mind truly craved was her.
He should have walked out to get some fresh air. He found that he couldn’t. Not while Avani was hurt.
Alexius reasoned that he was fully capable of remaining in her presence without biting, fucking, or draining her. He’d had an era to learn control. He’d master this madness, if only to prove to himself that he could.
By the time he returned to his spot on the sofa, her bruises were already considerably better.
“You’re healing very fast.”
She lifted a brow, glancing at her reflection on the black TV screen. Then, surprised, she pulled her phone out and set her camera on portrait to take a good look at herself.
“Damn. You’re right. That vampire blood is the shit.”
It was strange. In about a minute, her skin had gone from blue to a pale-ish green that would turn back to her normal flesh soon.
That wasn’t anywhere near the normal werewolf healing rate, even sped up by a few drops of vamp blood. But then again, she wasn’t a normal wolf. She’d been turned by Knox. Maybe that was why she healed faster?
Though Alexius didn’t think Knox himself healed quite that fast. That was almost vampire rate.
Drinking from him should have made her heal twice as fast, not at his rate.
Finally distracted from the bloodlust, Alexius was back to being his usual self. Curiosity had always been one of his greater strengths and weaknesses all at once. He just had to know, understand the things around him.
He looked at her, pondering a good way to present his request.
“I can tell you’re thinking about something. It’s not like you to bite your tongue. Whatever it is, just say it.”
She knew him so well already. He smiled. “I’d like a blood sample from you, if you’re not averse to the idea. To study it.”
She said nothing. A vampire asking for her blood probably freaked her out.
“It’s not an obligation. But I work a lot on healing salves; if there’s something that makes you heal faster, I’d like to understand it.”
“Of course, it’s fine. Sorry I zoned out. I was just wondering why you were looking at me like you’d demanded my firstborn child and you expected me to tell you to fuck off. You just shared your blood with me for no reason at all. Do you really think I’d say no?”
She really didn’t mind. He laughed. “You might believe it was an excuse to get some of your blood as a snack.”
"If you wanted to drink my blood, you would have asked for a bite from the source.” She tilted her head, exposing her neck tauntingly.
His eyes narrowed on it. He bit his lip. Just like that, the predator was back, demanding he give in.
Alexius managed a step back. Then another.
Avani blinked. “Oh, you are tempted, aren’t you? I thought you were old enough to not crave blood quite as much. Was I mistaken? I suppose you drink a little too much to be an elder.”
“I was born in the Middle Ages,” he replied.
She grinned. “So, you just suck at controlling yourself?”
She had no idea.
“Not usually, these days.” Around her was another matter altogether.
“Then why are your eyes all red? Does my blood smell good?” She tilted her head, visibly curious. “Chloe and Cat are a lot younger and they don’t really seem to react to me. I thought I smelled bad or something.”
That woman was going to be the death of him. “Or something. Vampires don’t all have the same tastes, crazy wolf.”
She pondered his answer. “And you like mine.”
Deciding not to lie, he nodded.
She grinned like he’d paid her a compliment.
Needing an out of the conversation, he turned to the door. “I’d better get the food started. How would you like some pasta tonight?”
“Sounds great. But I really want to cook before I leave. Let me do it tomorrow night?”
“If you insist.”
From the kitchen, he did his best to remain silent afterward, rather than reiterating his invitation for her to come back after she’d moved out.
She was going to the dorm, and that was for the best.
The end.
Four Walls
They hadn’t exaggerated about Fin Varra. Not one bit. The man who met her in front of the imposing castle on Monday morning, first thing, was modeled after a Greek god statue. And fittingly enough, he wore a long black skirt and a red chiton. His hair was brushed back and fell on his shoulders, perfect, not daring to misbehave. He wore one earring and multiple bracelets on his right wrist. His left hand was adorned with rings.
“You’re so pretty.”
He nodded. “And you, wise. Though we’ll have to work on your vocabulary.”
“Handsome?” she suggested. That seemed fitting enough. As he didn’t seem content with it, she revised, “Magnificent.”
Now, the creature grinned—looking quite magnificent, actually. He bowed, introducing himself. “I am your mentor. You may call me however you wish.”
“Fin works?”
“If it pleases you.”
“You’re fae,” she guessed.
He was the first of his kind that she’d met, but she’d read enough legends and firsthand accounts to identify the pointed ears. Besides, he spoke in a strange manner, never quite giving an answer. Fae were known for it; they couldn’t lie, so they got creative with bending the truth.
“Aos Si. A small distinction.”
“Elder fae,” Avani corrected.
His expression didn’t change, but his scent and the glint in his eyes spoke volumes. He was happy with her.
Which hopefully meant she wasn’t going to get eaten.
“I will be guiding you this year. And you will succeed.”
She wouldn’t dare otherwise.
Fin showed her around the many rooms, corridors, twists and turns, eateries and aviaries, all the while chatting about the ambitious program he had in mind for her.
Avani had graduated high school, nothing else; he wanted her to complete the forty college courses necessary for a BA in eighteen months instead of four years.
“Why the rush?” she asked.
“Why not?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, because, indeed, why not?
Forty courses was about ten per year, and in all honesty, she was eager to leap into her studies, if only to have something to do out of her dorm room. She’d moved her stuff in first thing in the morning. The place was beautiful, and even larger than Alexius’s home. But she didn’t feel at home there yet. Even when she would, she’d never been one to sit still at home. Remaining in the dorm, which was so very close to the woods, wouldn’t be fun.
“I think it's more reasonable to aim for twenty-four months rather than eighteen, and get more stuff on my plate if I can handle it later,” she argued.
Fin took a moment to think, before inclining his head. “Very well. Now, as for your subject. They matter little as an undergrad, though you’ll do well to think about what you aim to achieve later. What sort of position do you wish to get when you’re out of school?”
Avani blanked out.
She’d never asked herself that question. Well, not in a very long time. As a child, people had asked her what she wanted to do a time or two. She’d said she’d love to be a ballerina, and a veterinarian, and an astronaut. Then she’d been changed at nine and no one cared anymore. Her mother was the only person who loved her after that, and her only priority had been surviving another day for five years.
Finally, she’d joined the Elder Pack. Then her only ambition had been to not end up in the Pleasure House.
Now she had an out, a future outside of this territory, maybe. She was a lot more in control than she had been at fourteen. She could try her luck as a loner, or get Knox’s help to join another pack. If she learned a trade useful to a pack, they might welcome her with open arms. They always needed doctors, midwives, accountants, lawyers.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the answer was quite simple. She didn’t want to leave at all. She had friends here. Chloe, Greer, Alexius, the others. Friends who were part of Oldcrest. She might not have known them for very long, but right now they were the only people she knew. She liked them. If it hadn’t been for the looming threat of the pack’s retaliation, Oldcrest might have been her little corner of heaven.
“What would I have to do to stay here? Could I become a teacher, or a healer or…”
Fin sighed. “Well, we’ll see. There are many students who walk in and decide they never want to leave. In a few years, you may think differently. Let us set you up with a few preparatory classes in various fields so that you may choose whichever direction you wish at a later date. How does that sound?”
It sounded like the scary-ass fae hottie was a better teacher than anyone gave him credit for.
“Great. Yes please.”
“Marvelous. Now, you want to take huntsman training. They show you how to skin flesh off living corpses and locate the heart of most demons. It’s quite delicious with berry sauce, you know. You can’t miss that.”
She chose to laugh. Because he was joking. Right?
After two hours with the flamboyant professor, she met up with the girls for dinner at the cafeteria. Pasta. The food was delicious—a seafood carbonara. She couldn’t help remembering the one Alexius had cooked for her on Friday. It had been way better.
In the afternoon, she was supposed to join her classes and get a feel for them; her schedule would only be final at the end of the week, so she could still drop whatever she didn’t like.
She had to admit, she had issues remembering to take notes, fascinated as she was with everything her professors said. It had been so fucking long since she’d…learned stuff. Mentally challenging herself was a novelty.
She was exhausted and exhilarated all at once by the end of the day.
Then, she followed Gwen and Blair to the dorm, stealing guilty glances at the hill. No doubt Chloe and Cat were sparring there, or doing yoga. She wondered whether she’d be welcome to join them. She didn’t think they’d exclude her, but they weren’t close friends, and now, they weren’t sort-of neighbors either. There was a troll on their doorstep; he might not let her get back into the hill.
Her four walls felt confining. She itched to get out and go for a run. Nonetheless, it wasn’t safe here, so close to the Wolvswoods.
Frustrated, Avani decided to shift anyway. She paced in her bedroom, tried the queen-size bed with new bedding. It felt wrong. Too soft, too cold.
Shifting back into her human shell, she headed to the bathroom. She sighed. Any standard bathroom would have been a disappointment after Alexius’s. No crystals, or candles, or funny little flasks.
She’d let herself be spoiled for ten days.
She took a bath anyway—without anything in it. Dragging herself back to her bedroom, Avani opened Alexius’s suitcase and cheered up. Right on top of her clothes, there was the shirt she’d borrowed from him when she’d been tipsy enough to let Greer beg for it. His scent was very faint now, but comforting all the same. She took it to bed and curled herself under the sheet.
The room was better than the house she’d had before. She’d get used to being alone again.
She would.
Home
He hated this. Hated it.
The house felt wrong, too silent. Avani’s scent was already fading. He needed her to rub herself against every upholstery and countertop to plant it there.
Alexius had never stopped to consider whether he was lonely. Being alone hadn’t bothered him before. Today, it did.
He tried to distract himself. He cooked, he cleaned, he drank, and watched a movie. Then changed the movie. And changed it again. No movie felt right. There was an Avan
i-size hole in his life, and it needed to be filled.
Suddenly, something changed in the air. Something he recognized; he could practically taste it. A smile spread on his lips.
There were steps on the hill—a set of four steps too fast to belong to a human. He rushed to his bedroom, unhooked a dressing gown from his bathroom door, and ran back down, just in time to open his door to a large gray wolf.
He handed her the dressing gown wordlessly, and watched as she shifted back, keeping his eyes on hers.
Avani looked down. “I’m spoiled. I couldn’t sleep in the dorm.”
She looked incredibly frustrated with herself for it. Alexius considered telling her that he’d been minutes away from giving in to his need to head down the hill and drag her ass back here, where it belonged.
He stepped aside in silence.
“It’s your fault, you know. With all the wine, the fancy bath stuff, and the endless supply of delicious snacks. How can I settle for less now? I need to wean myself off of the good stuff.”
“You’d make a terrible vampire, crazy wolf. No control whatsoever.”
This was called hypocrisy, and he excelled at it.
“Oh, I have control,” she replied. “I just choose to only exercise it when I must. Do you mind if I crash here again?”
He settled on the truth. “I’d love if you stayed. I was watching a movie, if you’d like to join me. Now, let us get some wine and delicious snacks. Fancy bath stuff is waiting for you in your room when you’re ready.”
The movie was fine all of a sudden. His anxiety stopped. He could breathe and relax.
Shit. He was in so fucking deep. He’d thought he’d done a good job at keeping his desire in check. Now he started to understand just how useless any attempt at pushing the wolf away had been.
She’d jumped right past whatever walls he’d built around himself, and made herself matter to him.
Now, what was he going to do about it?
“Ugh. Really?” she groaned, watching the 3D screen and recognizing his chosen movie.
“Oh, yes. Really.”
She was going to watch The Empire Strikes Back and she was going to like it.
