Chapter 2
Severin
“I mean it,” Peter said, his eyes gleaming with mischief. My brother always knew just how to push my buttons, no matter how many centuries had passed. Some things remained unchanged, it seemed.
“I am very well aware of that, brother. But do tell me, has the feeder been properly vetted?” I did not care much for feeders. I had used several in my existence, but I preferredthe more modern way of being a vampire. Blood bags. They were a genius invention. No more touching strangers to sate my hunger. No more leaving my home. It was glorious. My brother did not share the same fondness for it, though. And after thirty years of me living on nothing else but blood bags, he seemed to have reached his limit.
He rolled his eyes. “Every feeder is vetted. They have strict rules and most are not even accepted. It is not like the way things were handled before. They even test the blood for sickness before they taste it. Feeders are not allowed to perform unsafe sex while under contract and they have to live with you.”
My eyes widened. “What?!” I squawked. They had to live with me?
The gleam in his eyes twinkled. The bastard enjoyed this. “Yes, dearest brother of mine. Your new feeder will live here.Fulltime. For onewholeyear.”
I swallowed hard. I was not fond of people, especially not here, in my private home. That was no secret. I shivered. I did not care for this. Not one bit.
“In fact,” Peter continued, not caring about my inner turmoil. “He is on his way now.”
“Now?! You did not even offer me the courtesy of easing me into it?”
He shook his head. “You would simply waste your time trying to talk me out of it.” He stood, opened his briefcase, and handed me what appeared to be the contract. “Read it through. It needs to be signed by you before he arrives. I will send the signed contract to the company when I have both your signatures, and deal with the payments. There is one payment each month and a bonus at the end of the year if you are satisfied.”
I just sat there, gaping at him. The papers landed in front of me, and I read the first line. Male. Twenty-five. Felix. And then, a black and white photo, just a small one, but I saw enough. Handsome, vibrant,happy. I swallowed again, though this time for a very different reason.
I ignored Peter’s presence and focused on the contract before me. Could I truly do this? I figured I had to. Peter was right, no matter how ludicrous the notion was. My gaze was locked on the smiling man on the paper. Could a man be more alluring? I failed to imagine how.
I moved around a bit on my couch before reading the contract from start to finish. I already knew I would sign it. Peter had read it and deemed it acceptable, and so would I. He never missed anything, and for that I was grateful.
Every Monday off for eight hours, and then there was an added note that said ten hours because of traffic. That seemed reasonable. I figured a young man like that had to have a life partner he needed to see. It could not have been easy working as a feeder while in a committed relationship, but since I was not given a reason for his absence each Monday, I figured I would have to wait until later to learn more.
There really was nothing for me to add to it, so I simply grabbed a pen and wrote my name neatly. This could either go wonderfully well or end in a disastrous mess. If it was the latter, my only hope was that Peter would get blamed for it. The photo caught my eye again, and in a fit of delirium, I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of it. I tried to reason that I needed to show the cleaning staff who my feeder was, but even I knew it was an entirely selfish act.
I left the contract on the coffee table, knowing Peter would know to find it there later, then decided to check out Felix’s rooms for the next year. I already knew it would be clean, but was it to a feeder’s standards? Had he been spoiled by his previous masters? Strangely, I hoped I would best them.
I strolled down the hallway, trying to see it from a stranger’s point of view. The paneled walls were filled with paintings of nature. Thewooden flooring had carpet in the middle to help muffle sound. As a vampire I heard much better than humans, so carpet was a must in high trafficked areas. Even if it was hell to keep clean. Luckily for me, I paid others to deal with such tedious tasks.
The room was as I expected. The window was open to let in a bit of fresh air, the bed freshly made and a vase of white lilies on the nightstand. Peter had informed Dina then. I had no idea what I would do without her. I had considered changing her several times already, but seeing as so few survived the transformation, I had not bothered. Then I had learned she was a witch, which meant she could not ever become a vampire. So, Dina would work for me until her dying breath, and that was the best comfort I could offer myself whenever I thought of her impending death. She was already forty. Basically, she was a dying woman. I shook my head. It was not the time to fear how fast time passed. I would simply find another housemaid, like I had done many times before her. I also had to find another name for her title, sincehousemaidhad offended her, and I rather liked being on her good side.
The doorbell rang, alerting the whole castle of the guest’s arrival. My feeder was here. And I was alone. No Dina. No Peter. I sighed. Hopefully, Felix would not find my company a disappointment.
Words. I needed to find my words.
The brown-haired man smiled wider, his green eyes so vibrant and alive. “Are you Severin?” he asked, just to be polite I figured.
“Um, yes. Sorry for my manners. You must be Felix.” I mentally applauded myself for stringing a whole sentence together.
He beamed. “I am. I hope I wasn’t late. I took the liberty of enjoying the ride here. It’s not often I get to see the fields in bloom.”
I blinked. Was it spring already? I swore that winter had only just begun. “Not at all. I am glad you enjoyed them. I have not seen them myself for…” I trailed off, not quite knowing if I should give away my ability to sunwalk or not. It was not a secret, per se. But I figured I may as well keep some things to myself at the beginning.
“Oh, how rude of me,” he excused. “I forgot you likely haven’t been able to see it for yourself in centuries. That was terribly rude of me to mention. I hope I didn’t offend you.”
This man.
“Not offended,” I quickly assured him. “I liked hearing about it. I sometimes tend to take things for granted. Immortality is both a blessing and a curse.”
He gave a soft laugh, the warmth of it surprising on my cold body. I had not experienced that sort of reaction since before I was changed. Or maybe ever. It was sometimes hard to remember how it was being human.
“Please come in,” I said, stepping back from the doorway. As soon as the door was closed behind us, I gestured for him to follow me before I continued. “Your room is this way.” I led him up the stairs, down the hall and then stopped outside his closed room. “This is yours for the entirety of our contract. You have a bedroom, bathroom, and closet. If you need further space you’re allowed to use all other rooms, too, except for my private bedroom and bath.”
