Page 198 of Plug and Drain

Susie sighed. She sincerely hoped that she’d be enough to fulfil Arken’s needs. He’d been reluctant to feed solely on her, and she knew his fears were valid. Given that he needed to feed every night, there was the very real possibility that her blood alone wouldn’t be enough.

She’d suggested finding other ways of managing the witches’ need for vampire blood, such as handing out small portions in glass vials. Arken had not taken her to see the witches yet, but he informed her that this was working well; it reduced the unpleasantness of the ordeal for him and prevented the witches from becoming overpowered.

Even so, she worried she wouldn’t be enough to meet Arken’s needs.

Ultimately, his health came first, and Susie had compiled a careful list of the volunteers gathered before she’d sent them on their way. At the top of her list were the males, who she was sure Arken would not have a romantic inclination towards.

She let out a long exhale as she stored her notebook in her schoolbag. That had taken far longer than she expected. No one had wanted to leave, and she’d had to become quite insistent and use her ‘alpha voice’ as Sarah sometimes described it.

Arken emerged from his office.

“All done?” he asked cheerfully.

“Yes,” Susie said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “They’re all gone.”

Arken looked relieved. “Good.”

Susie smoothed her red pleated skirt self-consciously. It was her first day back at school and it was strange to be in uniform again after more than a month of being absent. Stranger still to be embarking from Arken’s suite, where she’d spent the majority of the past two months.

As she’d suspected, Arken had insisted she stay even after she was fully recovered. She just couldn’t figure out why.

“Perhaps I simply enjoy the pleasure of your company,” he’d tried to explain.

“It’s more than that,” she’d responded. “There’s something you’re not telling me,”

“There is—but it’s a surprise,” he’d said with an air of mystery.

No amount of poking him in the ribs could compel him to tell her the real reason.

It was strange to be walking along the corridors again. She and Arken had ventured out together when it was quiet, but now even the gloomiest hallways were bright with morning sunlight and loud with bustling students. The vampires were as quiet as they ever had been, moving alone or in groups no larger than twos or threes. Meanwhile, the shifters congregated in packs, except for the ones that were being led on leashes by vampires. All of the wolves wore collars of some form, including Susie. She wore the brown collar, as most of the wolf students did. Arken hadn’t offered her the gold necklace again, and she hadn’t asked.

They both knew she did not want to be his pet. He could have all of her, or none at all.

And there was a lot she wanted to give him.

Susie wasn’t sure which bothered her more—the obvious increase in the number of pets, or the mandated collars. Both screamed of the subjugation of her kin, and it made her uneasy.

But she had other things to worry about, like the simple act of being out and about again. It was a stark change after so many weeks of near-isolation, and it made her want to duck into an empty classroom and hide.

It didn’t help that they were attracting curious looks, and Susie instinctively moved closer to Arken as they walked past whispering students.

Arken noticed her discomfort. As always, he knew better than to ask if she was all right. Such a question would be just the thing to unravel her when she was trying to hold herself together. Instead, he asked, “Are you looking forward to seeing your pack?”

“Yes,” Susie squeaked, before modulating to a more normal tone. “I can’t wait. I haven’t seen Harry in ages. And I’m looking forward to classes.” Except for Zott’s. “Harry’s tried to take notes for me in class, but they’re not the same.”

By which she meant they were hardly legible. Instead of providing her with a transcript, Harry had provided bullet points of his own unique opinions on the study material. She questioned the accuracy of his conclusions.

Arken had been gracious enough to suggest that Susie invite more of her friends to visit her, but she’d firmly declined in the interest of keeping Arken’s bedroom a secret. It had been his sanctuary long before it had become hers as well, and she wanted to help preserve it. With Sarah’s help, they’d gone to considerable effort to convince the school that Susie was staying in a private hospital room. And, as she and Sarah both agreed, Harry had a loud mouth.

A quality Susie sorely missed. She liked the tranquillity of Arken’s office, but it was sometimes too quiet. She kept an eye out in the hope of seeing Harry as Arken accompanied her down the grand staircase. They passed through the foyer and down to the dorms to her room.

Thanks to Sarah’s frequent visits, Susie already had everything she needed for class: books, stationary, uniform. She didn’t quite understand why Arken wanted her to see her room.

Maybe it’s to face my fear. To get this out of the way.

It was where Henrikk had attacked her, and where so many others had violated her.

Strangely, she wasn’t afraid of her room, and the whole thing seemed unnecessary. That is, until they reached her floor, and the familiar narrow corridor lined with plain doors and greying carpet made her heart clench. There were no windows underground, and the only sources of light were the mage lights. They glowed green, but she’d never thought them eerie until now.