“Like I said, not my place to pry, but for the sake of … safety … I was thinking it would be best if you refrain from your duties for a little while.”
By duties, she knew he meant feeding the males. Angels required the blood of a Fae to survive, unless, of course, they could feed from theiramsouelot. Since most of the males in the mansion weren’t mated, that meant she was a necessity. She wasn’t even sure he realized the repercussions if she did agree to bow out. If he knew her entire existence was on the line, surely he wouldn’t be making such a suggestion.
“Thank you for your concern,” she said softly, holding his gaze, “but Kaj is not my mate. I have no loyalty to him, and if the males need me, I’ve a duty to support them.”
Eclipse leaned in, careful not to come in contact with her. “Acadia, the last thing we need right now is for a vampire to go apeshit with everyone in residence. I get that they don’t bond with their females the way we do, but … have you ever met a mated vampire?”
Having been sheltered within thefiestreighfor most of her existence, she hadn’t had much interaction with other races or species. However, Acadia was all too aware of what it meant to bond with a vampire. It was all she could do to ignore the twenty-four-seven need she’d been plagued with for the past year and a half. Never mind the fact it had intensified tenfold since Kaj had returned to the mansion. She blamed that overwhelming heat for the reason she’d surrendered to him the last time. Right here in this very room.
“I know how to be discreet,” Acadia assured Eclipse. “My duty is to thefiestreigh, not to Kaj. They need me, especially now.”
She knew he couldn’t argue with her there. Despite the fact the other Fae had returned to the mansion, they were still thirty-nine to eighteen, which was roughly two to one, in favor of the angels as far as body counts went. And while Fae could replenish with the energy cast off by the angels without the need to feed for weeks at a time, there was still only so much blood the Fae could spare. With the angels needing their strength for the fight ahead, Acadia wasn’t willing to hide in the shadow of Kaj’s misplaced affections. Perhaps she wasn’t up to speed on the bonding rituals of all species, but she knew more about vampires than she was willing to let on. And there were a few key characteristics Kaj hadn’t displayed, which made her question his intentions.
Eclipse exhaled heavily. “Then I ask that you proceed with caution. Safety’s paramount. For all of us right now.”
Acadia nodded her agreement. She had no desire to push Kaj’s buttons.
Lifting her skirt to keep it from dragging the floor, Acadia curtsied respectfully to the male, then turned and headed toward the stairs leading up to the main house. She’d promised to meet Torak, and the last thing she needed was for the male to think she wasn’t available. It wouldn’t take much for rumors to spread, and having everyone believe she was off-limits because of Kaj was not on her list of things to do.
A sharp squeak escaped her when the Alpha vampire appeared not two feet in front of her on her ascension into the house. The already cramped stairwell felt even more minuscule with him in it.
Her hand instantly went to her chest, as though her heart needed the pressure to remain in place.
As usual, Acadia bowed appropriately. “Good evening,tresmar.”
Her heart hopped right past her hand and into her throat when Kaj stepped in close, effectively blocking her path and sandwiching her between his big body and the stone wall.
“Good evening,balisra.”
Acadia couldn’t quite prepare herself for his touch, so the instant he brushed a stray curl away from her face, a traitorous shiver ran down her spine, warming her from the inside out.
Kaj’s green eyes brightened, as did the sinful smirk on his mouth.
“Despite your denial,” he said, his voice little more than a gruff whisper, “it is true, Acadia. I have bonded with you. The only reason I have yet to make it official is for your benefit, not mine.”
Acadia narrowed her eyes. “If you would excuse me, I have an appointment.”
Kaj’s thumb brushed over her cheek. “Don’t think I’m not aware of where you’re off to. Or the fact that you’re feeding the angels, allowing them to sink their fangs into your vein. I feel it,balisra. There’s a dark echo in my soul every time I share a part of you with one of them. Pain unlike anything I’ve ever known blooms within me, rocking me to my core. Yet I’ve endured in an effort to keep you safe.”
Acadia stared up at him, shocked by his admission.
“And while I’m stepping aside for the time being, that doesn’t mean I can hold back forever. Eclipse is correct, a bonded vampire is a dangerous beast. At some point, I will require your ultimate surrender, and when that day comes, I assure you, all those characteristics you believe are absent will be front and center, making me a danger to every male in this household, be it angel, human, or vampire.”
Kaj’s lips were a mere breath away from her own, and it was all she could do not to lean forward just to get a brush of their warmth.
“Kaj … please.” She didn’t know if she was asking him to kiss her or pleading for him to step away.
He clearly believed it was the latter, because the male took a single step back, his touch falling away.
Rather than give in to her traitorous desires, Acadia latched onto the pain her heart had endured when he’d walked away the last time. Without so much as a goodbye, she drifted off, reforming on the second floor. But rather than meet Torak in the library as she’d promised, she avoided everyone by racing to her own room, closing the door behind her.
If only she could shut out her feelings as easily as she could the souls.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cold and dark…
Funny how her surroundings were now reflective of what she’d been harboring in her heart for these past couple of months. All stemming from the same creature, too: Perfidious. The demon who had turned her world upside down, then thrown a loopty-loop in for good measure.
