Tobias remains alert, close enough to touch, but his natural good cheer is gone. He’s so deep into warrior mode that I fear even a mouse’s fart might set him off. Even unassuming Milo is hovering by my side, so close that I can practically taste his crisp apple scent. His vampire is so near the surface that menace practically oozes from his pores.
Even the normally unflappable Stanton can’t seem to take his eyes off me. He studies me intently, waiting for me to flinch or cringe away from his scrutiny.
I wait for it too, but the fear he will attack again never comes.
Though his expression remains inscrutable, his eyes give him away. It’s like I’m seeing through a crack in his impeccable armor…or he’s allowing me to see past all his shields. The hunger buried in the depths of his eyes has nothing to do with a craving for my blood.
He wants more than that.
He wants everything.
His yearning for a mate is so sharp that it steals my breath, and I have to look away. With the others, there was a certain knowing that they were mine. It’s like their souls spoke to mine. While I feel a connection to Stanton, it’s different from the others.
Tentative.
Almost like it’s not fully formed.
Like he broke something when he took my blood so violently, despite my offering it.
Stanton moves first, his shields once more in place, but I know I hurt him from the stiff way he holds himself, and I bite my lip against the need to apologize.
He’s once again locked himself away in a vault no one can penetrate, and I suspect nothing further will happen between us unless he lowers those shields. Shaking off my fanciful thoughts, I take a step forward and peer into the dining room, sighing in relief when I find it empty.
The skank’s body is gone.
I’m secretly glad, still haunted by the image of her wrapped up in Stanton’s arms, and I want to kill her all over again. I can’t explain it. As ridiculous as it sounds, it feels like she stole something precious from me.
Milo slips past me while I’m distracted and pulls out a chair for me with a soft smile. Now that the danger is gone, his sharper edges have melted away. When he looks at me like that, it’s easy to forget he’s dangerous, and my chest warms at knowing he’d kill himself before ever hurting me.
The rest of the guys take a seat around the table, crowding close until they’re practically breathing on me, but I’m just too grateful to have them near to complain. Before any of us can break the awkward silence, Bertie bustles into the room with her hands full of dishes. In less than ten minutes, plates and platters cover every surface.
Three fancy goblets that look like they survived the Middle Ages are taken from the sideboard. Even from a distance, I can see the designs etched into the chalices. Encrusted around the base are different types of gems that shimmer in the light.
They’re placed in front of Stanton, along with a large decanter of blood so fresh that steam rises from it. I crinkle my nose when the coppery smell of iron is so strong, it threatens to climb down my esophagus. I swallow, but my throat convulses like I’m trying to drink congealed blood.
“Here,” Tobias says gruffly, startling me so badly, I nearly fall out of my seat. Instead of laughing at me, he gently shoves a plate in front of me. On it are small portions of everything on the table. “Eat slow.”
“If something tastes off, spit it out,” Milo adds, sliding over a fork and knife. “Very few vampires are able to eat food after being changed. Their physiology won’t allow it. Most spit it out the instant they take a bite. A few of the unlucky ones who swallow a couple of bites usually become violently ill.”
“Like poison?” I ask sharply, wondering why no one else knows about this weakness.
“Nothing like that, mysæta,” Castle says soothingly, looking seconds away from picking me up from my chair and tucking me into his lap again.
Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
I must have pouted, or maybe Castle just sensed my thoughts. With a predatory smile, he leans over, plucks me from my seat, then settles me on his lap. I squirm, searching for a comfortable spot. He presses his lips against the side of my neck, then growls, and I go still. My nipples tighten at the low rumble, and I instantly get wet.
His hands settle on my hips, drawing me back against him, and I feel his erection throbbing against my ass. I moan, barely stifling the naughty impulse to lean forward and demand he fill me up. The big Viking runs his nose up my neck, inhaling deeply as he goes, the low rumble in his chest only increasing.
I want him so badly, I’d swear I can almost feel him thrusting into me, hard and fast and relentless until we’re both mad with pleasure. I grip the edges of the table, barely able to hold on to my sanity. Only when I’m reasonably sure that I won’t attack him do I open my eyes.
The first thing I see is Tobias. With his intense blue eyes locked on mine, he inhales until his whole chest expands, the ass not so subtly letting me know he can scent my arousal. A blush heats my cheeks, and a slow smirk crosses his face, like he’s proud to get a reaction out of me. As a reward, he slowly slides my plate over.
Milo looks mildly put out that I am no longer sitting next to him, or maybe because he didn’t think to do it first, but then he shakes off his annoyance. “Most vampires who still eat do it out of habit more than any nutritional needs. Digesting food is nearly impossible and can be painful. After the first hundred years, most fall out of the habit.”
“In the old days, things were done differently,” Stanton interrupts, drawing my attention, and I’m almost relieved at the break in sexual tension. “We used to eat food to fit in with society—a way to hide in plain sight. We would eat and drink, but the practice has fallen out of habit for the fledglings. They don’t seem to want to put in the work, refusing to work up a tolerance for it.”
The longer he talks, the more the stiffness eases out of his frame, almost like he’d been worried he ruined things. As much as I want to remain on guard against him, I can’t really hold him responsible…not when I am partially to blame.
