Shaun pressed Lynette further. “I’ve never killed. Not ever. I don’t even really like drinking from humans.” Apart from, he didn’t add out loud, Rake and DJ. But that was for other reasons. He held Lynette’s gaze as he continued. “Every single time I’ve hurt anyone, it has been on Lawrence’s orders.”
She examined him where he remained trapped in the small cage. “Your words alone are not enough to exonerate you.”
“I understand,” he said. He didn’t point out that words alone had damned him originally. “Please keep the humans safe, anyway.”
“It’s my job as territory leader to do so. I don’t need reminding of my responsibility.”
Shaun dipped his head. He wished for nothing more than to be let out, his muscles having seized up from being confined to such a small space for so long, but he didn’t bother asking.
She approached the cage, standing over him. “You’re rather pale,” she observed.
He snorted a laugh. “I’ve been stuck in here for days and haven’t been feeding. Then there’s the small matter of me being a vampire and not having seen the sun for over a decade. Washes you out a bit.”
“It doesn’t appear like you’ve been drinking enough.”
“I had to heal from Lawrence’s ‘punishment’,” Shaun said, bending his fingers into quotation marks. “And then from fighting him off, and then from the broken bones you gave me. A few sips of blood only goes so far.”
“Julia was half-drained when she arrived at the hospital,” Lynette said.
“If I’d drunk half a human, I wouldn’t have struggled so much to heal,” Shaun said, providing her with the explanation she was seeking. “Lawrence took it all from her.”
“But you fought and escaped from him that night.”
“I beat him because of luck and only escaped because the sun was coming up. I’m not worth him dying over.”
“You’ve given me a lot to consider.” Lynette made to leave, turning just as she got to the door. “I’ll send someone in who you can feed from.”
“Thank you,” he said, with genuine gratitude and not a small measure of surprise. A feed would help soothe the constant ache in his muscles and gnawing emptiness in his stomach.
That was all the pity she afforded him, however. She left him alone in the dark again, only his thoughts for company.
Sometimes Shaun wondered how his mind was as intact as it was. He assumed it was because Lawrence liked Shaun’s reactions enough to not break him. There had been stretches of time when he’d retreated into himself, but Lawrence hadalways dragged him back to reality, no matter how much easier it would have been to stay in his head.
When the door next opened, it was Boris. He was with a human Shaun recognised, one of the Doms Lawrence met with at the club. Shaun recalled sucking the guy’s cock on one or two unremarkable occasions. Now, however, the man had the dazed expression of a compelled human, his eyes unfocused and body lax as Boris led him in.
“Dinner,” Boris announced.
“Thanks,” Shaun said, despite having no desire to sample the man. After the pleasure of Rake and DJ’s blood, nothing would compare.
Boris unlocked the cage, opening it and springing back, as if he expected Shaun to attack him. Shaun did no such thing, of course. All he did was crawl out and stretch his twinging body.
“You can have a few minutes with him, but no more,” Boris warned. “I’ll be here the whole time, so don’t try anything.”
The human smiled placidly at Shaun. He wondered what type of compulsion the man was under. Lawrence enjoyed keeping people aware when he fed, only taking their memories once he finished with them. This man seemed like he had no clue what was going on at all.
Shaun’s fangs dropped at the prospect of food. He was hungry, no matter how uninterested he was in the man’s blood. He drank from his wrist for ease, given the man was a good few inches taller than him and Shaun was far too embarrassed to ask for something to stand on for better access to his neck.
The blood, whilst quenching his thirst, was as bland asthe man. Almost flavourless, just a faint suggestion of something reminiscent of boiled broccoli. Still, Shaun took his fill, the blood soothing his sore muscles.
He didn’t wait for Boris to tell him to stop. He drew back, wiping at the corner of his mouth. Boris stood over him with surprise on his face. Shaun almost laughed. They thought he was a feral creature who would kill someone for fun. No doubt they’d expected him to attempt to drain the man.
“Done?” Boris asked.
“Yep.”
The human blinked. “You’re Master Lawrence’s pet, aren’t you?” he asked in a voice as thick as molasses.
Shaun stiffened and backed away. “I thought he’d been compelled?”
