Here … he’d done what he felt he needed to do, and well, he didn’t want the pats on the back. He felt it was as much his duty to pitch in as everyone else. And he’d been putting forth the effort as much as he could. No way to ignore the fact he was human and couldn’t perform the same as the angels or even the vampires. He still remembered the way Bijou had hefted Elizabeth into her arms and carried the woman down two flights of stairs then through the tunnels below the mansion to get her to the Lair. She’d never even broken a sweat.
So, yeah. She was stronger than he was. The old Oliver would’ve felt inferior. The new Oliver found it hot as hell. Don’t ask him why because he honestly didn’t know.
What he did know was that he was ready to sit down and have a convo with Bijou. Something about having the place blow up around you put things in perspective. So putting off telling her how he felt… Well, he didn’t want to wait any longer. Ever since their encounter in the sauna, he’d avoided her, scared that if he was around her too long, they’d end up naked and doing a hell of a lot more than a bit of oral exploration.
He figured if that happened, then so be it. Perhaps it was meant to be.
As he strolled beyond the rooms that were sealed off with thick sheets of plastic, he found himself smiling. He’d been looking forward to dawn all night, eager to get a few moments with Bijou and perhaps get their friendship back on track.
That smile faltered when he stepped up to Bijou’s bedroom door and lifted his hand to knock. It wasn’t closed all the way and he realized she wasn’t alone. Madok, the Fae she generally fed from based on what he’d heard, was facing away from the door. Bijou’s hand was curled around his head as she held him in place, her fangs fixed deep in his neck. Her eyes were closed, and from his perspective, the two of them looked rather intimate despite the fact they were both fully dressed.
From a logical standpoint, Oliver knew the angels and vampires required blood. He understood they took the blood of the Fae because that was how it was designed. From an emotional standpoint, he knew it wasn’t so much intimate as necessary.
All good and fine. Made perfect sense.
This… seeing it with his own two eyes… Fuck, he was at a loss for words. The scene before him should not have been erotic in any manner, yet it was. To a degree. If he superimposed himself over Madok, it was the hottest fucking thing he’d ever witnessed.
But that was not him inside that room. That wasn’t his neck those fangs were buried in.
That was someone else.
Oliver had never felt the sort of pain that ripped through his sternum as he watched her feeding from him. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized he’d been banking on Bijou forgiving him and them finding their way back to one another. Or rather,toone another since back wasn’t really a direction they could’ve gone. Before that one intimate moment in the sauna, there’d been only friendship between them.
But Oliver had wanted more.
He wasn’t sure if he made a sound or if Bijou simply sensed he was there, but those eyes opened, and he was hit square in the face with that lovely green.
Rather than pull away, Bijou remained where she was, clutching Madok’s head as she sucked at his neck. Those beautiful irises seemed to glow from within, as though daring him to say something.
Even if he had known what to say, the words never would’ve made it past the lump in his throat.
Bolting would’ve been a brilliant idea, but Oliver’s brain was mush as he watched, helpless. It wasn’t like he could barge in and insist she not feed from the Fae. Sure, he could offer up his own vein, but they both knew that would be pointless. He’d already learned that vampires and angels could not survive on human blood.
Being that he was a mere human … well, he was just shit out of luck.
Truth was, he wanted to fucking throw something. To get angry because she was supposed to belong to him.
Not that she knew that, but hell.
Oliver’s shoulders slumped as defeat reared its ugly head. He held Bijou’s stare for a few more painful seconds, and when she didn’t release the Fae, he managed to duck his head and stroll off down the hall.
Heart right in his damn throat.
Having spent the past week helping outwith the house, attempting to keep some sort of order amongst all the chaos, Orianna had tumbled into bed every morning and fallen asleep within seconds. It didn’t bode well for what had been a dynamic sex life. On those mornings she could’ve summoned the energy to crawl all over Eclipse, he’d been the one falling asleep before he hit the pillow.
Quite the pair they were. Mated for one day shy of a month and they were hitting the sack like an old, married couple: comfortable to be in the same room, but anything more required effort.
That so was not going to be them. Nope. No way was she allowing this heat between them to even simmer. They no longer had to battle thatamnigh, which was a true blessing, but that didn’t mean Orianna wasn’t aching for him. Just the slightest glimpse of Eclipse warmed her from the inside out.
Which was why this morning she was vowing to get them back on track.
Though she’d had a full night, Orianna had purposely not worked to the point of exhaustion. Now that the morning meal was finished, she was in their private suite, awaiting Eclipse’s return. He’d mentioned wanting to go check on Obsidian and Penelope, so she had taken the opportunity to sneak in and set the mood. A couple of candles, the fire burning in the fireplace, and she was good to go. Theheurosphad already come in and turned down the bed, so there was nothing for her to do there.
Figuring she had a few minutes, she made a beeline for the bathroom and washed her face. She followed it by brushing her teeth, then slipping into the closet to change. She had just pulled on one of Eclipse’s long-sleeve button-downs and had managed to push one button through the little hole when he appeared in the doorway looking like sin on legs.
Because he was inspecting her like she was dessert and he didn’t know where to start first, Orianna slipped another button into place, then another, efficiently concealing her nakedness behind the dark fabric.
“Not sure why you’re bothering.” That gruff rasp in his voice told her he was as eager for her plans as she was.
