Page 47 of Call of the Blood

“Good, except…” I gestured to my throat.

“Do you have any questions? Anything you need me to know? Anything you want to know?”

My face flushed at the first question that entered my mind.

“Did we make it to sunrise?” I asked.

“Five minutes after,” he answered, seeming very pleased with himself, or me, or just the previous night in general. He then made a face. “Which is unhealthy for you to be doing. That part, I’ll be more careful about in the future.”

“Yeah, I sort of fell over at the end.” I remembered that part. Amazingly. “And you slept.” He had said so earlier, but I wanted to make sure. I knew he could stay up all day, and we had been in his bed. I didn’t know how comfortable he’d be. He woke up next to me, but sleeping is different than lying in bed.

“I did. I cleaned things up and then slept. Same bed. I didn’t go anywhere.” Alexius seemed so relaxed, while I felt even more wound up than normal. The night before kept replaying in my mind. “We need to discuss what this will look like,” he finally said, the eye contact becoming uncomfortable for me.

“Us? This?”

“Yes. The first rule I think that needs to be in place is that we only go to each other’s rooms at home or here with an invite from the other. That can be turned down. Emergencies, of course, override.”

I nodded quickly. That seemed easy. Good rule. Let us keep our private spaces.

“Do you have a rule suggestion?”

“Don’t carry me around naked when humans or anyone else is around,” I said, my voice growing a little clearer. “From there…” I shrugged. “We’ll see what needs to be a rule and what doesn’t?”

“Okay. Tell me if there’s anything you need…” Alexius looked down, and she finally saw his phone. “I have to go out tonight. Do you have plans?”

“Can I come help with the thing?”

“No. I’m wondering if you’ll be here, with Declan, or wandering around on your own. If it’s the last, please tell me where. Just so I can find you if something happens.”

“Like the night with the restaurant. Yeah. Any more recommendations?”

I watched him consider it, then shake his head.

“I don’t really go out and do those things, but I won’t stop you.” He picked up his phone and started back toward the room, and I had no reason not to tag along, if anything, than to get my clothing from the night before back to my room. He chuckled as I looked at the dress. It had a few tears, adding new, unplanned leg slits.

“Guess I’m throwing this out,” I muttered at it. He grabbed it and threw it on the bed.

“It can stay. I’ll either keep it and make you wear it later or get it repaired for you. One of those.”

“Wow…” I wasn’t expecting that.

“I already put the heels in my suitcase,” he said, smiling down at me.

“You don’t do that to other lovers, do you?” Did he have a shoe collection I needed to worry about?

“No. While I could say I’ve had lovers, there are none I would treat like you. Not someone in my space the way you have been… So I’m indulging in new things I want to do since this situation is unique for me.” He pointed at the closed suitcase next to the dresser. “If you want them back, they will not be in the state you remember. At best, they will need repairs, and I shall inquire about having those done. Or send Rupert to.”

“Does it have to be Rupert?”

“If there’s one person we’re not going to hide from whatsoever, it is Rupert. He will eventually walk in on us or find evidence or need to come into one of our rooms during the day for something. It happens regularly. I know you’ve set up a little entry table thing in your suite for common items he grabs.”

“Yeah.” I kept forgetting to leave my keys where he could reach them for maintenance, gas, and the like.

“So. Rupert.”

“Rupert,” I agreed. “And he’ll tell everyone on staff…”

“He’ll tell people who get too close to learning naturally to lower the shock value because some of them have weak hearts due to age.” Alexius drummed his fingers on the dresser. “Though telling him will be its own conversation.”