As though her body recognized what she needed to survive, he instantly felt the pull as she siphoned his energy from him. Barely a minute had passed when he felt his knees weaken, but he held firm, closing his eyes as he battled the mind-numbing drain. Damn good thing, too, because he could feel the room spinning, knew he was going to hit the floor any minute now, and he would much rather not see it coming.
“Mirakel?”
He felt Briony pulling away, or trying to. He kept her hands firmly on his chest, needing her to take from him. It was his duty to provide what was necessary for her. She was hisnehadon, even if she didn’t understand it. He knew. And this was what he lived for.
A sharp scream pierced the air seconds before Mirakel hit the ground. Thankfully, it was only a knee that jarred into the tiled floor as his leg gave out. Then the other.
Briony’s hands fell away because he could no longer keep them there as he fell over, his shoulder meeting the cold, hard floor, then his cheek.
The last thing he thought before the world disappeared:Fuck, that hurt.
Apollo came to an abrupt halt whenhe crashed through the door to the patient room to find Mirakel laid out on the floor.
“What happened?”
Briony’s eyes were wide as she knelt beside the enormous vampire, her hand brushing his hair back from his face. “I don’t know. He was supposed to feed from me. Then he insisted I feed from him.” She nodded, as though he could see what happened next.
“When was the last time you fed?” he asked her.
She shrugged.
“Briony, I don’t have time for this shit. When?”
“Five days,” she muttered.
“And him?”
“The same, I think.”
Apollo sighed. “You do know it’s not advised to feed another when you’re not taking care of yourself, right?”
She didn’t answer, but he hadn’t expected her to.
“Step back,” he commanded.
Briony was up on her feet and moving back to give him room. With ease, Apollo slid his arms beneath the male and lifted him off the ground. He wasn’t as gentle when he dumped Mirakel onto the bed. Not because of his weight. More so because Apollo was tired of seeing shit like this. It seemed to be a recurring thing around this place for whatever reason.
Well, he knew the reason. It wasn’t difficult to deduce that the male vampire had bonded with the female Fae. It was the easiest explanation as to why he would put off feeding. And considering Briony’s reputation around this place, he had to admit he respected Mirakel a bit more now. He was doing right by the female. Mostly.
“What can I do?” she asked softly.
“You can feed,” he snapped.
“Okay.”
Apollo’s eyes shot to her. “I was being facetious, female. You can’t feed from another male.”
Her red-gold eyebrows shot lower. “I most certainly can.”
He sighed. “I don’t think you understand what’s going on here, Briony.”
Her hands went to her hips. “Then enlighten me, healer.”
He knew beneath that innocent facade was a backbone of steel. Had to be considering what the Fae had endured over the centuries.
“The male has bonded with you.”
“Hewhat?”
