“Talk to me, Lila.” Link sounds a little desperate at my silence, and his arm tightens around my shoulders. Shit, I guess I was thinking longer than I realized.
“What do you want me to say, Link? That I’m ecstatic about this? I can’t, becauseonce again, my choice is being taken away from me.”
Link nods in understanding. “I know this is hard for you. Of course it is going to be difficult because you were raised human, and their concept of intimate relationships is so far apart from most of the rest of the galaxy, it’s ridiculous. If you had been raised Skarrian, none of this would be new to you. Though I have to admit, Vilaxians don’t often have blood roses who are not of their own race, but it has happened. I discovered this today when I was doing my research.”
“And what happens to the blood rose if they are not of their own race? Do they survive? If Saxon needs to drink my blood every day, I’m going to run out of it very quickly. And as you know, I will die when that happens.”
Link chuckles at my naivete and presses a kiss to my head. “No, sweetheart, when the Vilaxian seals the blood rose bond with the blood rose who isn’t Vilaxian, they feed them some of their blood. With the venom in their bite and the blood, the blood rose’s system adapts, much like you did when Caspian’s beast gave you his mating bite. The blood rose will start producing more blood so they can see to their partner’s needs.”
“So basically I’m like a never-ending Slurpee for Saxon?” I ask quietly, and Link quickly shakes his head. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to calm the helplessness I feel right now. Fuck. I don’t know how much more of this conversation I can take, but Link is giving me the clinical information I need.
“No, it’s so much more than that. It’s hard to explain to you because nothing like that exists on Earth. It’s like falling instantly in love, but because it is one-sided, you have no idea of the feelings that are rushing through Saxon. It’s why he was so feral—all those intense emotions on top of the fact that to him your scent, yourblood, sings to him in ways we can’t comprehend.”
A shiver runs down my spine. “Can I reject him?” I inquire, weighing all my options, and I feel Link stiffen like I’ve asked a taboo question, but then he blows out a sigh.
“Yes, Lila, you can reject him. If this was two-sided and you were Vilaxian, it wouldn’t even be an option. You would have sealed yourself to him already and the two of you would probably still be secluded in his den. But because it’s one-sided, you do have the choice to say no.”
“What happens to him if I do? Will he find another blood rose?”
Link shakes his head. “No, he won’t. Lila, what you have to realize is it’s actually a rare occurrence for a Vilaxian to find a blood rose. They occur for only like twenty percent of the population. The others make do with drinking from anyone, and they never experience the kind of connection a blood rose partnership does.”
“And what will happen to him if I do reject him?” I prompt when he doesn’t answer my question the first time.
“Saxon will die.”
Lila
Link drops that bomb, making me responsible for Saxon’s life. Holy fuck! How fucking cruel can this universe be?
“He can no longer take blood from another being until he seals the bond with you. It’s considered cheating, and their bodies will reject it until his connection with his blood rose is secure.”
I remain silent while I consider my alternatives. Not that there is anything to consider now that I know he will die. There’s no way I’m going to let that happen, but it feels so sudden. Sure, the man’s sexy as fuck, but apart from that, I know nothing other than he held my hair back when I puked from motion sickness. I mean, that was kind, right? Especially with his enhanced senses.
I’m still warring with my thoughts when Link stands up and holds out his hand. “Come on, you don’t need to make a decision today. Remember, I have him sedated in my clinic, and I can sustain him intravenously until you make a choice. His body won’t reject that, so we can keep him out for a couple of days.”
“I’ll need to talk to Caspian, and of course I want your opinion too,” I tell him, and he blinks, seeming shocked. “Link, you and I are seeing where this relationship might take us. Unlike Caspian or Saxon, I guess, we have the luxury of it happening naturally without it being forced on me, and I can’t tell you how much that relieves me. Of course I want to ask your opinion on anyone else I might be sleeping with or marrying, so to speak.”
He yanks me into his arms and hugs me tightly. “Thank you, Lila. I didn’t actually really think I had any chance with you with all these magical matings. Why would you want someone as boring as me?”
I pull away but grab his shirt, fisting the fabric as his hands fall to my hips. “Oh, Link, you are anything but boring to me. Come on, let me bury my head back in the sand for another twelve hours. I’ll worry about Saxon in the morning. Right now, I want to see what your dance moves are like.”
And a few other moves… in bed.
Patience, Lila. Patience.
He grabs my hand and twirls me under his arm before dipping me. “Let me tell you, Lila, my dance moves are on point. My programming won’t let me be anything but perfect. I know how to seduce you with my moves, so are you sure you’re ready for me to bring the heat?” His eyes twinkle with amusement, and I feel all my lady bits squeal with excitement.
“I can’t wait for you to show me what you’ve got,” I purr suggestively, and when the amusement in his silver eyes changes to a hot smolder, I know my night is about to get exciting.
I’m sweaty and breathless and horny as fuck after we spend a couple of hours drinking and dancing. Link introduced me to a few people who came over and talked to him earlier, but he didn’t encourage them to stick around.
I can see Magenta on the opposite side of the dance floor, but she’s dancing with a tall, athletically built woman, and it looks like it might be getting hot and heavy. They have their arms wrapped around each other, and the taller woman’s leg is between Magenta’s. She’s so engrossed, she doesn’t even notice me.
“That’s Velorina. She’s one of Saxon’s clan,” Link informs me when he sees where I’m looking.
“Huh, Magenta mentioned she had her eye on one of them. I guess she managed to catch her interest as well.”
“Now that I think about it, they don’t know that Saxon is out of commission yet. I haven’t told them, but it won’t be long before Hale or one of the others comes looking for him. You probably shouldn’t go anywhere alone for the next few days. I’ll speak to Xavier. He will be able to keep you company when I have to work or Caspian has to work with the new act.” A prickle of unease worries at my mind. Link never mentioned anything about me being in danger apart from Saxon, and he’s sedated. I almost ask him what he’s talking about, but then I remember my mantra for today.
