Page 76 of Bleed

“Hm.”

I smooth a hand over the skirt one last time before laying it carefully across the bed, then wander back over to the dresser. “So what’s his deal, anyway?” I ask, fishing a pair of black panties from the drawer and stepping into them.

“Who?”

I turn to give him a deadpan look as I settle the underwear on my hips. “Who do you think?”

Albert huffs a quiet laugh. “Well, you’ll have to be more specific about which deal. Doc’s got a lot of quirks.”

“Whatever issue he’s got with me,” I grumble as I slip on a bra, hooking it behind my back before adjusting the straps on my shoulders. “He hates me, he won’t touch me, but he’ll go all crazy possessive.” I glance over at Albert again, frustration creeping into my voice. “Make it make sense.”

“Vampires are possessive by nature,” he replies with a casual shrug. “We value blood above all else. You’re his source, so it’d be strange if he wasn’t possessive.”

My stomach sinks.

Of course.

This isn’t about me, it’s about my blood.

“Oh.” I turn back to the dresser before he can clock the disappointment on my face, absently finger-combing my damp hair. “Weird that he’s so possessive over my blood when he hasn’t even tasted it,” I mutter.

“It’s instinctive once a vampire claims a source,” he explains. “And I added your bag to his supply, so he’ll taste it soon enough.”

I pull open another drawer and grab the first t-shirt I find.

“Once he does,” Albert adds after a beat, “I have a feeling I’ll be drawing your blood a lot more.”

I glance back over my shoulder, cocking a brow.

“You’re fucking delicious.”

A snort escapes me as I tug the shirt down over my head. “Don’t flatter me, Albie.”

“I’m not.”

He says it so matter-of-factly that I stop smoothing my shirt.

“I’ve never tasted blood like yours before.”

I turn to look at him fully, head tilting in skeptical disbelief.

Albert shifts his weight, rubbing the back of his neck. “Guess it’s also been a while since I had blood that fresh,” he admits, sounding almost sheepish.

“Don’t you order donors from Bite?” I ask.

He scoffs a bitter laugh. “Most vampires don’t have that luxury. The buy-in just to get on their client list is a million.”

I blink, mouth dropping open. “Seriously?”

He nods. “They cater to the rich. The rest of us make do with blood banks.”

“Damn.” I lean back against the dresser, folding my arms. “They’re seriously underpaying their donors.”

Albert shrugs. “That’s business, babe.”

I roll my eyes, though my gaze drifts back to the dress spread across the bed, the iridescent flowers shimmering softly against the black fabric. Bet it cost a damn fortune.

“Are you sure he’s even still planning on taking me to this thing tonight?”