“Shane? Why don’t you just compel her? It’s for her good after all.”
Through the open door, I heard Bal sigh. “Because I will not compel her any more than I already have. It seems wrong somehow.”
Dav’s laugh was incredulous. “Wrong? Since when do you worry about the human society’s version of right and wrong?”
“Shut the fuck up, Dav. You’re my closest friend, but that won’t stop me from removing your tongue if you piss me off.”
Dav just laughed harder. “I know. But, seriously, are you sure she’s not the wi…”
“Yes.”
Bal’s short, sharp response halted any more words from Dav. I wondered what he’d been about to say.
“Really? Okaaay then. I know when to shut up.”
Bal snorted. “No, you don't."
“True. But don’t worry about her. I’ll put Vito on her safety and ensure Johnson provides her with sustenance regularly. She’ll be fine while you're gone.”
I frowned. Gone? Gone where? I still needed his blood, even if I was almost through bloodlust. Hunger still hit me, and though it wasn’t as frequent, my desire for Bal was as strong as ever. I only had to sense him nearby, and my cock stood to attention, my belly tightening in anticipation of his touch. Internally, I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t afford to think my reaction was anything more than a learned response to his closeness, because, if it was anything else, if I was growing feelings for him, I was up shit creek without a paddle. Utterly fucked. I released a heavy breath. It had been weeks since he’d left this castle, and he had businesses to run, not to mention a war to fight. It was inevitable that he’d pull back. I wondered whose blood I’d be forced to drink when he decided he was done with me. My mind immediately went to Sorcha resting in the chair by her bedroom window. No. She wasn’t strong enough for me to feed on. My needs were too much for her; it wouldbe dangerous. I swallowed hard. Would feeding from her turn her on as much as the thought of sinking my fangs into her soft flesh did me? I adjusted my hardening length and filled my lungs before breathing out.
“Shane?”
I jumped guiltily. Fuck. Of course, he’d scent me—and the desire seeping from my pores. I pushed open the door, ignoring Dav’s smirk at the boner I was currently sporting. The fucker always looked amused when I was around. Like he was laughing at some private joke. If he expected me to be ashamed of what I’d done with the Count to get through bloodlust, he’d be disappointed. I wasn’t. It was no one’s business, not even his, no matter what he was to Bal. Did he want to embarrass me? Or maybe he was trying to make me feel inferior or subservient. Well, he could fuck right off. I knew he didn’t get to enjoy Bal’s touch the way I did. The fact that he might have in the past made my upper lip pull back from my teeth.
Dav’s grin grew. “Oh, someone’s feeling feisty—or is it jealous, this morning?”
I cracked my neck. This fucker needed a punch to the face. I was sick of his smarmy, self-confident attitude. I didn’t care if Elliot was his mate and that I’d wronged him after the attack. I’d apologised, and that was done as far as I was concerned. If Dav wanted to fight it out to get some kind of revenge, I was all for it. I tightened my fists, my wolf begging to escape. I was tempted to let him…
“Shane.”
Bal’s low warning didn’t have any effect on me. I glared at Dav’s growing grin and the obvious challenge on his face. Fuck it. I let my wolf push forward. My bones grew, my teeth sharpened, and my sensitive ears picked up the beats of their hearts. They sounded like galloping horses, almost as if therewere more than two hearts in the room. Perhaps it was mine I could hear under the rush of anger and blood in my ears.
Bal was suddenly in front of me, his hand flat on my chest. “Enough, fledgling. Dav. Leave us.”
“As you wish, Count.” Dav’s smirk stayed on his face, arms crossed over his chest, as he straightened from his perch on Bal’s desk. “Later, Wolfie.”
Bal kept his gaze on me, his hand in contact with my chest, until the door clicked shut and silence fell. “Send your wolf away.”
I glared at his hot-as-sin face, wanting to lick my way along that sharp jaw. Dav was gone, and there was no threat, but I wanted to push, to keep his attention on me. Whether it was as punishment or just his hands on me, I didn’t care. Yet there was something in his eyes, a weariness behind the icy glare. I rumbled. Did ancient vampires tire like other supes? We recovered quickly, but that didn’t mean we were immune to exhaustion and sleep deprivation. I knew how hard he’d been working since the attack to find the culprits and bring them to his form of justice, on top of seeing to my needs, running his businesses and coordinating a war. As King Stefan’s voice in the U.K., he was also under obligation to hold a vampire court once a month to hear any disagreements or crimes that involved vampires. He’d made it clear that it wasn’t my place to know what went on with any of it, and I couldn’t deny it stung to realise that I’d never be party to many aspects of his life. I might have been a powerful Alpha, responsible for the justice in my pack and town, but that was before; now I was just a fledgling. A Made. I wasn’t an Original, so I guessed I would never be included in the workings of the Originals’ vampire courts. Essentially, I was one of the enemy, so if he started pulling away, I couldn’t blame him.
Why did that thought hurt so damn much?
I sighed, rubbing at the ache in my chest. Dav was a dick, but it was easy to understand his dislike of me. I was an abomination who was still a dead shifter walking until I fully came out of the other side of my bloodlust, and then proved my ability to keep control of my hunger.
So I did what he’d asked and sent my wolf away.
Bal’s almost smile and look of approval did something to my insides.
“Hm, it’s good to see you can follow instructions, fledgling.”
I narrowed my eyes on his face as he went and sat behind his desk. We both knew I followed his instructions in the bedroom every night, though we both enjoyed it if I didn’t. But we weren’t in the throes of sex—yet. His look remained intense, and my cock twitched as his eyes raked down my body before slowly travelling back up, resting on where my length pressed against my jeans. Energy zipped between us when his gaze once again met mine.
“Did you need something? Are you hungry?”
“I am. Really fucking hungry, in more ways than one. But first, let’s get one thing straight. My name is Shane, whether we’re on our own in the bedroom or out of it and in company. It’s not fledgling.”
He leaned forward, put his elbows on the table, and interlocked his fingers, fixing me with a piercing gaze. I fought not to shift or fidget and held that stare, though my wolf preened, happy to submit to his greater strength.
