“Oh.” The blatant surprise in his tone had me laughing. This was all so confusing.
“Yeah,oh. I have not even tasted his blood, yet I find myself aching for him. In more ways than for his blood alone.”
“Have you not felt this before now?” he questioned.
“Have you?” I enquired back. This was not the norm for me. Far from it. But if it was for Peter, then perhaps Felix truly was not meant for me.
He sighed. “No, I cannot say that I have. How does he feel about you?” I knew he meant if I smelled fear or arousal from him, the only two emotions us vampires could scent on someone. The predator in us needed to know only those two scents.
“Aroused,” I whispered, not truly daring to speak such things aloud. Not that I feared Felix would hear them, I just simply was not used to speaking so lewdly with my brother.
“Then maybe you need to take a break for the rest of the day. Come tomorrow, you will feed and then you will know.”
That sounded easy enough. “I can do that.”
“Where is he now?”
“He is in the kitchen, eating some dinner. Why?”
“Because I still need to grab the contract after he has signed it. Might as well be today.”
“Do you not trust me alone with him?” I asked, my tone harsher than normal.
“I do. I simply wish to help you out, brother. Let me deal with the signature and tell him goodnight. You can see him tomorrow.”
I hated to admit he was right, even if it was a rare occurrence. “Fine,” I relented. “I will take a bath and get some rest.”
“I will be there in ten minutes,” he replied, hanging up before I could bid him farewell. He had his own castle on the other end of town. Both of us had to be near one another, but still needed our space. It came in handy living so close, but I had to admit to myself that I would prefer we shared a house. We had done so for many centuries, it only changed when I became less enthusiastic about life in general, or as Peter had called it, depressed.
Locking my bedroom door, I retreated to my bathroom, thinking over that word again,depressed. I knew Peter spoke the truth. Ihadlost the simple joy of living, and with immortalitycursing me to never know the end, it made me feel… stagnant. Felix was the first ray of light I had seen in centuries. Maybe fate had sent him here to bring back life to my dead heart. One could hope.
With the tub at the perfect water level, I gingerly stepped into the water and breathed in the lavender soap I loved. It reminded me of my mother, Anna. She had been the best mother a child could hope for. If only she had survived the transition.
I leaned back and closed my eyes. Hoping that Felix’s blood would be everything I hoped it would. And if a fated bond snapped into place, then I would welcome it with open arms.
Chapter 5
Felix
As soon as Severin left the kitchen, I slumped against the counter, breathing hard as I felt my body hum with need. I hadneverhad this reaction to someone else before. Never. The way he smelled. I was in so much trouble here. I had wanted him to bite me, almost groaned when he sniffed my neck, because how fuckinghot was that?
Shaking myself out of it, I reminded myself that I was under contract. I wasn’t allowed to do anythingfunwith my master. It was one of the biggest no-no’s at the company, and if they fired me, Astrea would be doomed. I began looking through the kitchen as my pizza cooked, knowing I needed the distraction before my boner would deflate.
With my pizza made and ready to eat, I grabbed some water and sat at the rounded dinner table in the corner. Pulling out my phone, I texted Claire.
Me:Arrived safely. Sorry for not texting before now. Boss man is hotter than hot. Might need to make a libido killer potion. Not even kidding
I sat my phone down, satisfied my best friend knew I was alive and well, then began eating. Her response came two minutes later.
Claire:OMG. For real? Like better than the pictures? Because then I might need that potion too. You think you can remain professional?
That was the million-dollar question.
Me:Not sure. Hence the potion. But I have to. For Astrea
Claire:Let me know if you need anything. We should just stick to texting so your new master doesn’t overhear us
Me:Good idea. I would die of embarrassment. It’s hard enough knowing he can smell if I get aroused
