7. Chapter Six

He is out of his mind if he thinks I am letting him spend the night alone without protection. He’ll never be rid of me. I’ll be with him with every step he takes. I can’t be without him now. During our kiss, I nipped his lip and got a taste of his blood. My entire body sang. The one small tease of a taste repaired my insides. Their newfound energy won’t last long. I need more. I need swallows. I need to feel the warmth of his blood run down my chin.

That can’t happen yet. We talked about trust and I’m lying to him right now. I’m hiding the biggest truth, one that could ruin this bond beyond repair if I’m not careful. I need to tell him somehow. There are too many truths to tackle all at once. Not only what happened to his lineage, but that I’m a vampire— the creature known for their darkness.

When his taillights are out of sight, I start my journey to his house. The wind whips across my face, the wet air promising rain. The dark clouds blacken the night further, thunder flashes in the ominous woolpack thickening in the sky.

I’m nearly at his house by the time it begins to pour, my clothes soaked and sticking to my body. My hair falls into my face, water dripping from the ends into my eyes. I come to a slow stop, hiding myself behind his garage. The rain pings against the metal gutters. Half a gutter is hanging from the roof, clearly needing to be replaced.

Ollie turns around from the side door, lifting his hand to cover his eyes to protect them from the rain as he looks for me.

He feels me. He can’t resist the pull of the mate bond.

The rain might be able to hide my presence, but it will never drown the need to be near me.

Unable to justify his instincts screaming at him that I’m here, he heads inside, and I extend a claw, cutting my palm open until I bleed. I can’t afford to lose blood with how little I take in, nevertheless, this sacrifice will be worth it. I have to mark his home with my scent to warn other paranormals away, to warn that he is mine, and he will never belong to anyone else.

Even with the pouring rain, my scent won’t fade. If anything, it will spread across the ground, allowing me to cover more area. I rub my palm across his garage, the back of his house, his porch— which I’m going to fix— and his car. If a shifter or another vampire dare to cross the boundary I’ve made, I’ll kill them.

And I’ll fucking enjoy it.

Blurring to the top of the steps, I press my ear against the front door, closing my eyes to listen to him.

Every step to every sigh, I want to hear.

“Hey, Mr. Hanks.”

Who the fuck is that? Does he have another man in there?

I’m about to kick the door down, my jealousy too strong to deny when I hear a ‘meow’ answer him.

A cat.

My shoulders slump in relief.

“I had the best time tonight.”

I grin to myself, wanting to hear more as he speaks to his feline friend.

“I can’t remember the last time I smiled so much. Ambrose is such an amazing man.”

Another twist of guilt poisons me, reminding me that I’m not as amazing as I’m pretending to be.

“And he is gorgeous. Oh my gosh, Mr. Hanks, I can’t tell you what he did to me. It isn’t appropriate for your ears.”

I grin at that, still tasting his come on my tongue. Fuck, he is delicious. I want another taste so badly. My body burns for him, a fire ignited by the fates to bless me with peace after centuries of torture.

Do I deserve it?

That’s the unanswered question I can’t seem to figure out.

“I know it’s early, Mr. Hanks, but I think Ambrose might be the one. He is a little mysterious which makes me curious if his intentions are sincere. I’ll have to be careful.”

“Meow,” the cat responds. “Meow. Meow.”

Surely, this animal can’t understand him.

I’ll have to try to get into the cat’s mind to see if that’s the case. His little pet could be a domestic cat shifter and I won’t have anyone taking advantage of my Beloved when it seems like he is barely getting by.

I stand outside while the rain beats against the roof, hearing the small sounds of him settling in for the night. I’m at his front door so long, getting lost in his sighs of fading to sleep, my clothes are semi-dry.

Thunder grumbles all these hours later, the rain a steady white noise in the background. Ollie’s breaths even as he falls asleep, the sound a lullaby to my wrecked and ruined soul.

I grab the doorknob, knowing I shouldn’t break into his house. The urge to be close to him is stronger than the sense of wrong. Grabbing the handle, the door easily swings open.

Too easily.

I sneer in discontent. He didn’t lock the door. What if someone broke in— who isn’t me— and hurt him? This won’t do. I can’t have my beloved living in these conditions. I glance around the living room, my heart aching with the quality of how Ollie lives.

How is he alive? How has he survived all this time? The world must have been a cruel mistress to him to be living in such hazardous conditions.

And it’s all my fault.

How will he ever forgive me? His life has been unjustified hardships. There’s a bucket near the corner next to the couch. He must have just emptied it because the leak from the roof hits the bottom of the plastic bin.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

A quick beat that tells me the bucket will be full by morning. The front windows are broken, allowing the cool air inside. He must be constantly cold in the winter and warm in the summer. If I had it my way, I’d be moving him into my house right now.

He’ll never want again.

I’ll give him everything before he even knows he needs it.

Keeping my steps light, I make an inventory of all the things I notice that need to be done. I’ll be doing them when he is at work or I’ll accidentally burn this piece of shit house down, forcing him to live with me.

I grin, my reflection in a photograph of the city hanging on the wall catches my red eyes. Being surrounded by his scent and how much I want to save him from this life is causing me to lose control.

Maybe that’s exactly what I’ll do.

I’ll have this place go up in smoke, fall to ash, and the flames will lead him directly to me. It’s maniacal. He could hate me if he ever found out it was me. I’m already harboring too much; I can’t add to it.

“Meow.”

I hiss, flashing my fangs at the orange cat rubbing against my leg.

It’s cute.

I guess.

I squat, gripping Mr. Hanks’ chin to force his big copper eyes to look at me. “Tell me all your secrets, feline.”

“Meow.”

I shift through his memories, chuckling when all I see is love for food and Ollie.

“Fine. You’re okay, for now.” I pat his head, stand, and then point at him. “But make no mistake, kitty. If you hurt him in any way, your fangs are mine. Got it?”

“Meow.” He saunters away, tail high, and paws light while he makes his way down the hallway.

I have my eye on Mr. Hanks. I don’t fully believe he doesn’t have a nefarious agenda. He is a cat, after all.

Continuing my snooping through my Beloved’s house, I stop when I get to a small coffee table pressed against the wall. There’s a small wicker basket sitting in the middle, and it is full to the brim of envelopes.

Because I’m just as curious as my Beloved, I pick them up and start to flip through them. Every single one of them is a past-due medical bill. One is for five thousand dollars, another is for two thousand, another for six thousand, and the bills don’t stop. They keep going with wavering amounts from high to low.

“Beloved, what happened?” My heart clenches at the thought of him struggling to survive.

I might not be able to do much with his house right now, but I can pay these bills off. It’s the least I can do. There’s a chance none of this would have happened if he wasn’t alone in his life. Consider this part of my penance.

Glancing over my shoulder to where I hear his soft even breaths coming from as he sleeps in his room, I tuck the bills in my back pocket. Before I leave him for the night, I take a risk and carefully walk to his bedroom.

The door is cracked open, allowing the hallway light to peek through the darkness. He is sleeping on his side with his back turned towards me. The blankets are wrapped around his waist, showing the defined lines of the muscles of his shoulders. For a small man, he is in shape. My cock fills as I step into the room, the hinges of the door slightly creaking as it opens.

I pause with my foot mid-step as Ollie moves, he doesn’t turn over, and when he settles, I’m at this side in a blink of an eye. That’s when I see the scars on his lower back. They are old and pale, spreading across his side. Whatever happened, he had to have been in so much pain.

I blink away tears, the same tears that could have saved his life when this happened. He would have walked away from this incident without a scratch if he knew me.

“I am so sorry, Kitten,” I whisper against his ear, my nose gliding across his soft curls.

I inhale his scent which reminds me of autumn. My fangs ache to sink into his neck, the hunger clawing at me fiercely. I’m so hungry and now that I’ve met him, no other Grandie blood will do— even if they did exist.

“I promise from here on out, you’ll never suffer again. You are my love, my heart, my chance to right all my wrongs. And even if it kills me, I won’t feed from you. I won’t be like my coven. I won’t steal from you. Only if you offer your blood to me, that is when I’ll take it.” I kiss his cheek and it takes all my restraint not to dip my hand below the covers to take ahold of his cock.

He rolls to his back, the covers falling so low, they stop just above his cock. I bite my lip until I taste my own blood, the sharp tip puncturing the soft flesh. Ollie moans, eyebrows pinching together. His breaths pick up speed, his stomach rising and falling, moving his skin across his bones. The dip in his hips has my fingers twitching to touch. I want to know how soft he is.

Just one… little… touch.

“Oh,” he groans loudly, his hand reaching between his legs.

I move, crawling on the bed next to him, the bed only dipping in the slightest. He doesn’t notice. He is in a deep sleep, and from the looks of it, a very dirty dream.

The blanket falls from his cock, the slender shaft bobbing free.

“Already aching to come, Kitten? It’s only been a few hours since I’ve had you in my mouth,” I whisper so quietly, that I can barely hear my own words.

His small cock is red, the tip leaking with precome, the vein protruding with every pump of blood his body gives to bring him to full mast.

“Mmm,” he whines, his eyes pinching in his restless sleep.

My fingers find their way to the button of my slacks, then lower the zipper. My large, thick cock slaps against my stomach as I tug my pants down enough so I can wrap my palm around the throbbing flesh burning with desire. I should go. I need to leave. If he catches me, he’ll have questions I won’t want to answer.

I can’t manage to get my body to move from this bed, not with him reeking of lust. He’s too tempting, too beautiful for his own damn good. Control doesn’t exist with Ollie. I’m a weak creature when it comes to him. Breaking into his home, stealing his medical bills, plotting a way for him to be with me, and now I’m stroking my cock in his bed while he fucks his fist to whatever he is dreaming about.

“I can’t wait to be inside you,” I say to him, hoping on some level he can hear me. “No other man will have you, Kitten. You’re all mine, inside and out.” Unable to stop myself, I slide my talon across his hip, wanting to feel the indentation of the V carved into his body.

So goddamn soft.

“Ambrose,” he groans, arching his back as he moves his hand faster, the head of his cock peeking through the tight grip of his fist.

He does feel me. The mating bond is already affecting his body. It probably won’t be long until he enters the mating heat. I’ll need to be honest with him as soon as possible or the both of us will be in a terrible amount of pain.

I kneel beside him, matching my strokes with his, wishing I could slide our cocks together.

Why can’t we? Just really fast. He’ll probably think it’s a dream.

I growl, needing more, and rip my hand away.

“Kitten,” I whisper into his ear. “I’m here. I’m going to make you come so you can rest, Beloved.”

He barely opens his eyes, cheeks flushed, sweat beading on his upper lip. “Ambrose?” His voice is riddled with sleep.

“You’re dreaming, Kitten.” I slide my tongue across his jaw, down his throat, moaning when I hear the rush of his blood.

“Such a good dream,” he groans, wrapping his arms around me. “You feel so real.”

Settling over him, I reach between us, gathering our slick, wet cocks that are shining with precome.

Mine engulfs his in length and girth, but his is just the right size. His cock rubs against the sensitive spot right under the crown of my cock.

We groan as we rock against one another, his eyes heavy and hooded with sleep and confusion, wondering if this is really happening.

“You feel so good, Oliver,” I croon, kissing the slender curve of his throat. “You have no idea how crazy I am about you.” I tighten the grip around us, causing Oliver to sing with pleasure.

“Ambrose. I’m going to—”

“Come for me, Beloved. Come all over me and let me clean you up. Come on, Kitten. Let me feel you fall apart.”

He arches his back and turns his head, naturally giving me access to his neck. He doesn’t understand why he is doing that yet. I scrape my fangs across the thin skin stretched across his jugular, teasing and tempting me to have my fill.

I sneer in discontent because I can’t do that to him. Not yet.

Wanting the flavor of his skin on my tongue again, I lap at the spot on his throat, the tip of my fang threatening to pierce him.

“Ambrose! Yes, oh God, take it. Take me,” he begs, the muscles in his neck flexing as his cock jerks in my grip while he comes.

I growl when I smell his orgasm soaking the room in his unique scent created just for me.

“Ambrose,” he moans again, his nails scraping down my back as his come spurts across my cock.

He’s silk and steel against me, his erection unwavering but his flesh soft to the touch. His cock massages my own, rubbing every spot that sets me off. Only the fates could know how I like to be touched and would create someone just for me who would hit every spot.

“Kitten,” I snarl, rolling my lips together to stop myself from sinking my fangs into his neck. My orgasm hits me, my sack pulling tight and my come escapes me in fast spurts that land across his stomach.

I knew I shouldn’t have crossed this line because now I don’t want to leave. Every moment, every second away from him will be even harder. I’ll need his blood soon and I’ll only be able to hide my hunger from him for so long.

Kissing down his body, I flick his nipple with my tongue, then continue to explore the delicate lines of his ribcage. His taunt stomach expands and falls with quick breaths. Lifting my red eyes to his face, his sleepy gaze is watching me.

The first line of our orgasm combining comes to view. Flicking out my pink tongue, I gather the salty seed wasted on his stomach. I can’t wait to pour every drop inside him, plug him with my finger, and have my come locked deep.

“You taste so good, Kitten.” I continue to lick him, sucking his semi-hard cock into my mouth.

“Ambrose,” he pouts my name with impatience. “Sensitive.”

I kiss each thigh, wanting to spread his legs and eat his hole, stretching it for my cock.

Instead, I behave before the blanket of sleep completely lifts from him, and he is no longer questioning my existence but demanding me to leave.

“Don’t go,” he yawns, his eyes falling shut. “Stay with me. Always stay.” His breaths already begin to even out as the hands of sleep drag him down. “Stay,” the word is a long exhale, the last one he’ll speak for the remainder of the night.

“I want to more than you know, Kitten. Another time, when you don’t think this is a dream.” I stand tucking myself in my pants before leaning over and kissing his forehead. His long lashes flutter over his cheeks, hiding his big innocent brown eyes. “You are my dream, which is so much better than any reality.” I brush a curl away from his forehead, and with my heart in my throat, I turn my back on my Beloved.

Every step is like dragging my legs through tar. It’s more difficult with every stride I take away from him.

I might not be able to stay with him tonight, but I’ll stay close. I don’t need to sleep. Sleep is for the dead.

And the rest of my life is inside this house. It’s up to me to protect him.

Easing the door open, I step outside, and the rain is still steady. Time seemed to stand still while I was inside.

Blurring to the garage, I shake my hair free of water, then yank the medical bills out of my back pocket and grab my phone.

Starting now, My Curious Kitten will not suffer any longer.