“Why?” I asked, my voice breaking. How could I hate this man, wish to be dead to escape him, yet still feel my heart break as his skin blistered in the sun, watching him endure this pain just to get closer to me. “You seem perfectly content with how things are. Our mate bond has made you stronger, you get to come here and fuck me into oblivion, and then you live your life outside those doors like I don’t even exist. But me? I had food, clothing, and a roof over my head long before you came into the picture. And safety? Please.”
His eyes narrowed, and I continued. “I am getting nothing out of this relationship. My life cannot revolve around your cock.”
I walked back to the bedroom and closed the door, scooping up the kitten that had been sitting on the floor then retreating to the bed.
A gentle thud sounded on the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, darling. Hopefully we can have a more productive conversation after you’ve had time to think.”
Think about what?
The kitten pounced at my wiggling fingers and I smiled. He may not be a familiar, but he could still be a companion.
What more did I need than that?
23
A Good Little Omega
One year later
Iwoke up groggy again. Why did I always feel so terrible these days? I mean, I knew why, but this was over the top.
No matter how much sleep I got, no matter how much Sanguis Vita I drank, I was tired. Lethargic.
And, strangely enough, kind of horny.
It was like the day or two before a heat, but my heat never came. I could still think, I could still speak, but an undeniable ache throbbed between my legs that only Victor could help, and it had been like this for weeks.
I turned over to see if he was up for another round, but his side of the bed was cool and empty.
It wasn’t sunset already, was it? Had he actually left without saying goodbye?
I started to get up, but a sharp pain on the left side of my lower abdomen caused me to pause and wince. Had I pulled a muscle or something? Maybe from when I’d tried to be on top a few hours ago. Victor had been a little rough in taking back control.
Hushed voices outside the room kept me from investigating further.
There was someone else here.
“… how many did you take?”
I paused. It sounded like he’d been drawing my blood. He’d done that whenever he’d needed to leave for a few days for a meeting or whatever. But he hadn’t mentioned anything about it to me yet, and he hadn’t had to put me under in secret to do it before.
“We retrieved seventeen…”
Seventeen?Pints?Over how many days?
That must have been why I was so tired.
But still, he didn’t need to be so secretive about it.
“Just take care of her for the next few days. She’ll likely feel some cramping and bloating, and I’d advise against anything too strenuous. If you can avoid feeding that would be best, otherwise up her intake of water and Sanguis Vita. Oh, and you can stop administering theOvessraand start her on antibiotics…”
Ovessra… that sounded familiar.
“Actually, doctor, what if I kept her on theOvessra?”
“Pardon?”
“The side effects have been… pleasant. For both of us. I would like her to stay on them.”
