“Welcome to the twenty-first century.”
He gave me that flat, unimpressed look that made me want to throw something. “Your rule is unreasonable.”
I looked him over—because I’m human and weak and he was… a lot. Sharp lines, cut chest, veins like a classical sculpture.
Focus, Nadia, you slut.
I cleared my throat. “Okay, I might let you bite me. But only if there areno other options.And only if you ask for permission first. No sneaky, neck-grabby, ‘surprise vampire snack’ nonsense.”
Before I could even blink, he was at my side. One second he was across the room, the next a whisper at my ear. His presence carried heat, something dense and deliberate. My pulse stuttered.
His voice dropped into a tone that shouldn’t have been legal.
“I’d know the exact moment you’d want me to.”
The words weren’t a tease. They were a promise.
His warm breath brushed my temple. I could feel the outline of control in every syllable, like he wanted me to understand thathe could move faster, get closer, do anything—and stillchosenot to.
My entire nervous system glitched. He smelled of smoke and stone, and it infuriated me that it made me feel safe.
“Jesus Christ,” I breathed, pulse hammering, though I wasn’t sure if it was panic or something far more dangerous.
I needed to cool my shit.
Yes, he was stupidly attractive. And yes, my brain was already picturing things it shouldn’t. But I had a long, messy history of mistaking intensity for intimacy. Historically speaking, I was not good at this. The moment someone really saw me—the messy parts, the noisy parts, all the parts I was still learning to like—they always decided I was too much.
I was working on being okay with that. I was working on loving myself enough that I didn’t need someone else’s interest to feel worth the space I took up.
So, I took a slow, therapeutic breath.
This was fine. I could handle one vampire roommate. One confusing, centuries-old, emotionally controlled, devastatingly hot man who smelled like temptation and restraint.
He didn’t move back right away. He stayed there, a quiet threat wrapped in patience, letting me feel how easily he could undo me if he wanted to.
And somehow, that restraint was worse.
Just like before, my pulse steadied. The tether hummed, like something ancient had been appeased. My body wanted to lean toward him. My brain screamedbad fucking idea, bitch.
He stepped back. Instantly, my chest tightened again. I rolled my eyes at myself. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
He tilted his head. “Again, with that phrase.”
Then he stepped close once more, fingers brushing my wrist before I could retreat. His hand wrapped gently around it, warm and solid, and my anxiety smoothed out like a sheet pulled taut.I’d always assumed vampires would be cold, like marble or night air. But his skin radiated heat, steady and grounding.
I blinked up at him. “What are you doing?”
“Steadying you.”
“Okay, but if you need physical contact to steady me,” I said, pulling my hand back, “you ask. This is the twenty-first century, and I am a feminist.”
He blinked, processing. “A… feminist.”
“Yes. Someone who believes women shouldn’t be manhandled by immortal men without consent.”
He stared at me, face blank. So, I picked up the marker and wrote on the whiteboard:If you need contact to steady me, you fucking ask.
Cristian read it, expression serious. “Understood. I fucking ask.”
