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Absolutely, entirely stupid. I was well aware of that fact.
But if I wanted to stay in control, I needed a straw.
Zander silently opened drawers until he found the stash of thick, black, reusable straws. He tucked it in the glass, and watched me warily.
With a shaky breath, I lifted the glass and wrapped my lips around the straw.
My body shuddered at the first taste of his blood on my tongue. It felt like I came to life with the second. Slowly, I regained feeling I hadn’t realized I’d lost in my legs.
The glass was drained in less than thirty seconds, and I stared down at it.
Hunger clenched my middle.
I didn’t need any more.
I’d be fi?—
Zander dumped the contents of another bag into it, filling it nearly to the brim again.
Though I itched to protest, Iwashungry.
Really, really hungry.
So I drank.
And drank.
And drank.
And drank.
My belly was swollen by the time I finished off the last bag he’d thawed and warmed, but I stillfelthungry.
I set the glass down.
He stepped back into the kitchen and set his hands on the counter, leaning toward me. “Here’s what’s going to happen now.”
My stomach clenched again, for an entirely different reason.
Was that… fear?
Dammit, it was.
“We’re going down to my truck to get my laptop, and I’m going to spend the next few hours on your couch. I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t leave the apartment, or my sight, for more than the time it takes to piss.”
He continued, “While I’m here, I’ll write up a list of options. It will look much different than the one you gave me in your coffee shop, so prepare yourself for that. When I’m satisfied that you’re not going to puke up what you just drank, I’ll leave you with the list, and you can think through your decision. In the morning, I’ll be back to hear what you’ve decided, and to make sure you eat again. We’ll go from there when you’ve made up your mind. Understand?”
I bit my lip, hard.
I wanted to argue.
I really, really wanted to argue.
But honestly, I was more sated and exhausted than I’d been in months. I definitely felt like I needed to lay down so my body could process what I’d just eaten.
The intervention was obviously needed. I wouldn’t have expected Zander to be the one intervening, but there we were.
So, instead of arguing, I dipped my head.
