Chapter Two
Alpha vampire radar.
Yep, Acadia had it, and right now, it was homed in on the male who was circling back through the kitchen after going … wherever he’d gone. The first time he’d passed, Kaj had been focused on Oliver’s peanut butter fiasco, so she’d been given a reprieve. Thinking she was safe, she had remained right where she was.
Should’ve known better.
Now that radar was beeping loudly in her brain, seeming to grow louder the closer Kaj got. That was how it worked, as though they were tethered in some way. Part of it had to do with the fact that her blood ran in his veins, but she suspected there was something else that connected them, something deeper. Perhaps it was all the time they’d spent together back when she’d first learned of his existence, back when he’d suffered a near-fatal injury. After all, it had been during those six months that she had fallen in love with the male. That pure, unfettered love that would withstand time and tragedy, even if they were not together.
Not that she’d shared as much with him. Kaj had far more important things to worry about than her and her broken heart.
And it was most definitely broken. More so because she’d learned he was feeding from another.
Ever since he’d been injured during Eevuhl’s attack on the mansion, Kaj had taken to feeding from one of the other Fae. And because he’d rotated through them, she couldn’t quite place who it was. Not that it mattered. The Fae weren’t the ones who had betrayed her. That had been Kaj. Initially, she’d been hurt by the disloyalty, then angry. Now that some time had passed, Acadia was merely resigned to the fact she and the male were not destined to be together, despite what he had told her.
Then again, she was destined to be with no one. Her ancestors had seen to that by defying the Heavens. Their punishment? Being relegated to the feeding tools for the warriors and thefiestreigh. Not much of a life, really, but on a positive note, Acadia was free, to a degree. At least within the walls of this mansion.
Because she wished not to be a burden upon the Alpha, Acadia got to her feet when she heard his footsteps, felt his presence growing stronger. She had been in the sunroom—an odd name for a room that never saw the sun—waiting for Obsidian to give her the go-ahead to visit Penelope and Ari’el. It was the highlight of her nights to spend time with the new mother and the blessed child. Had she known Kaj was coming for a visit, she would’ve remained in her chambers until she was called upon.
Anything to avoid running into him.
Unfortunately, molecular drifting wasn’t an option because she had been putting off feeding for days. She was now too weak to do anything more than the most basic of daily functions. And even those were becoming tedious.
Kaj appeared before she could make her way down the few steps to the kitchen. Their eyes met, held, and in that brief moment, she felt an echo of what they’d shared many moons ago, back when he’d been injured and she’d been at his side, nursing him back to health. Seemed like a lifetime, though it had been not quite two years.
Ducking her head, Acadia intended to hurry down the steps and through the kitchen, but her efforts were thwarted when her legs weakened, sending her tumbling headlong toward the floor.
“Acadia!”
Kaj moved faster than the speed of light, materializing directly in front of her, saving her from what could’ve been a nasty fall down the stairs.
The very instant her skin came in contact with his, she felt the fire bloom in her veins, the heat she’d been suppressing for as long as she could remember. It never failed—his touch lit her up from the inside out, no matter how much she pretended otherwise.
“When’s the last time you fed?” he insisted, his voice like thunder rolling far off in the distance.
She attempted to push him away, she really did. Or that had been her intention. Acadia wasn’t sure if he was simply too strong or she too weak, but Kaj didn’t budge. Instead, he shifted his weight, then lifted her off her feet.
“Kaj, please,” she whispered, not wanting to cause a scene. There wereheurospin the kitchen, the evening meal being prepared well in advance of nightfall as well as the standard daily chores getting underway.
His response was a grunt.
The trip from the sunroom up to the second floor felt like a millennium, though it had taken Kaj only a couple of minutes to traverse the distance. He didn’t ask her where to take her, and she didn’t ask where they were going. She had a feeling she knew, and when he paused outside her bedchamber, she realized she was right.
Part of her wanted to tell him she’d send for a male to take care of her, but she could see from his expression that would be a bad idea. According to what she’d heard, there was only so much a bonded male vampire could tolerate. And though Kaj seemed to be fighting this mating as much as she was, Acadia was not about to push her luck.
“Open the door, Acadia.”
His gruff words were spoken low and ripe with demand. Enough that she pursed her lips and narrowed her gaze in defiance.
Of course, the door still opened behind her, pushed wide by his will.
Those beautiful eyes remained locked on her face as he strolled over the threshold, making his way deeper into the room, over to her bed.
“Thank you,” she said kindly when he delivered her into her room, setting her gently on the edge of the bed.
Kaj didn’t say a word, but his eyes spoke volumes.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw so many emotions flitter across his handsome face. He was, by far, the most impressive male she’d ever laid eyes on. Didn’t matter the species, Kaj superseded them all. His black hair, those light green eyes, the hard angles of his face, high cheekbones, the perfect arch of his upper lip … it all came together to form a devastatingly handsome male. Not to mention the air of danger that surrounded him, which only added to his sex appeal.
