Page 96 of Plug and Drain

I don’t know what that means.

Susie nodded slowly, trying to mask her disappointment. This was what she’d dreaded: that Arken wanted to reduce her to less than what she already was.

Of course he does. He’s a vampire.

The revelation shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. No one at the academy would have been surprised that a vampire would hold a wolf in such low regard. It was standard practice to reduce a wolf to the status of a mere dog. The only thing the other wolf shifters would be surprised by was that the headmaster had chosen her when he could have had anyone. There were plenty of female shifters who were prettier and more vicious than her, and they weren’t stunted—they were more than capable of shifting into their wolf forms. Then there were the vampiresses, who possessed ethereal beauty, polite civility, and immaculate false smiles.

As for her, she was just…Susie.

Perfectly average.

And while she was far from satisfied with the unequal treatment she experienced at Volmasque, she was perfectly content with herself.

She did not want to change now.

“You seem hesitant,” Arken stated, eyes observing her meticulously.

“I just don’t understand. Why me?”

“Because…” Arken’s gaze intensified, “In the very short time I’ve known you, you have bewitched me.”

Susie frowned. “It’s illegal to speak of witches…or magic,” she reminded him.

The corner of his lip twitched. “So it is,” he mused. His expression grew serious. “I’m offering you my protection, Susanna. I can keep you safe and better protected with an official dynamic. In fact, this collar is enchanted to alert me if you are distressed. If you are in danger, I will come to you.”

Susie frowned. “How would you know where to find me?”

Arken nodded at the collar. “Provided you wear this, I will know where you are at all times.”

Her heart sank.

“The guard on my floor,” she remembered. “You posted him to protect Molly.”

Just like you promised you would.

Arken levelled his gaze with hers. “The guard is there to protect you.”

“Oh.” Her shoulders sagged slightly.

“It is true he is keeping an eye on the entire floor. However…your safety will always be my first priority.”

And your satisfaction mine, Susie thought glumly.

“Can you give an example of what you would expect of me?” she asked, feeling woozy on her feet.

“Certainly. Actually, I have this fantasy…” Arken’s lips pressed together in a secretive smile, “...that when I return to my suite to retire for the evenings, you will be in my bedroom, waiting for me.”

Her heart jolted, heat flaring in her core as a blush crept across her cheeks.

Arken’s voice dropped low as he added, “Hopefully, on your knees.”

Oh my gosh…

The hairs on her arms bristled as goosebumps erupted on her skin. It was not right that Arken’s words should induce such a profound physical response when her mind recoiled at the mere suggestion that she kneel for him.

If there was no other choice, she would kneel. That was the way of a wolf shifter’s life at the academy—at least when that wolf did not have a strong pack to ward off vampire advances. And not even the Poplarin’s would have dared stand up to the headmaster.

But if Arken is truly giving me a choice…