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But then reality raises its ugly head.
I have nowhere to go. No money. No way to pass among the humans without raising some eyebrows and doing something that puts me on the government’s radar. From there, it’s a short trip to a padded cell, at best. At worst, to some scientist’s lab to be experimented on for the rest of my life. With enough preparation, I might be able to slip into the world without a ripple, but I don’t have that knowledge or resources required.
Not to mention the fact my father will not let me leave in peace. If he realizes I’ve run, he’ll send his hunters after me. There’s nowhere I can hide they won’t find me, and when they drag me right back I’ll be worse off than I started.
No. No matter how much I dream of running, it’s not really an option. It never was.
I close my eyes and fight against the burning behind my lids. I don’t know if he’s doing this on purpose, but it feels particularly cruel to offer me what I’ve always wanted and force me to reject it. “I’m staying.”
“The offer stands.”
I press my lips together, hating the way the bottom one quivers. My anger feels so far away right now. Everything feels far away right now. “You are such a bastard.”
“I’ve been accused of worse.”
I finally look at him again. Desperate to focus on something else, I go back over what he said. How he apologized. How he dodged my one question. Why he’d be so starved even though he seems more than capable enough of hunting. I frown. “You’re stuck here, too, aren’t you?”
Malachi lifts a single shoulder. “It’s complicated.”
Complicated. Smells like vampire politics to me.
I push it away. It’s a mystery for another day, and I’m suddenly too exhausted to poke at him any longer. “I suppose we might as well fuck since you’ve rubbed my nose in the fact I’m stuck here.”
He barks out a laugh. “Enjoy the rest of your bath, little dhampir.” A blur of movement and he’s gone, the door closing softly behind him.
Every time I think I’ve managed my expectations, he does something to pull the rug out from beneath my feet. I don’t understand what’s going on, and I don’t feel like things are going to change any time soon.
It takes three minutes to acknowledge the relaxation of my bath is ruined. I wash quickly and get out. After some consideration, I pull on a pair of yoga pants and a baggy shirt before I leave the room. I need food.
And maybe part of me wants to provoke another encounter with Malachi. He’s so unexpected, I never quite know what he’ll do. Attack. Seduce. Apologize. He’s brought my most unforgivable trait to the fore.
He’s made me curious.
I make my way back to the kitchen and stop short in the doorway. It almost looks like a different room from the one I visited earlier. Every surface gleams and it smells faintly of lemon. The only thing that remains from yesterday is the faded paint of the walls. I walk to the fridge and pull it open, my jaw dropping at the sight of it filled to capacity with a wide variety of food and drink. “What the hell?”
I slept through the majority of the day, and I expected Malachi did the same. Sunlight is barely an inconvenience for vampires, no matter what the human legends say, but most of them prefer to keep nocturnal schedules to avoid the irritating brightness. Either there’s someone else in the house with us… Or he cleaned the kitchen and stocked the fridge for me.
How the hell did he stock the fridge if he’s trapped here?
“Tricky vampire,” I murmur. I shove down the weird warmth in my chest. Of course he’s ensuring I can feed myself. I’m no use to him if I starve to death, and no matter how much power his blood carries, I still need actual food to survive. The blood bank dries up if I die. Surely that’s why he did this. Believing anything else is a fool’s thought.
Refusing to eat out of spite is silly, so I grab the makings for a light breakfast that’s heavy in protein. It feels strange to sit at the kitchen table and eat slowly, rather than shove food in my mouth before someone decides to deprive me. My father always allowed me meals in a begrudging manner, as if my very need to eat inconvenienced him. It didn’t seem to matter there were other humans in the colony who had the same biological requirements I do. Every reminder of my human side irritated him.
At least until he found a use for me.
I blink down at my empty plate. I’m not sure how long I’ve been staring at it. I give myself a shake and clean up my dishes and put everything away. I look around the kitchen again and frown. What am I supposed to do for all the hours in between Malachi biting me? In the colony, after breakfast, I’d immediately be put to work at whatever menial task I was assigned that day. Before my knee injury, I’d sneak in a workout at some point, too. The younger turned vampires loved to spar with me because it gave them an excuse to beat the shit out of me. They’ll always be faster, but I picked up plenty of skills in the process.
