Chapter 24: Novak

Chapter Twenty-Four

Novak

G oddamn. She’s exceptionally cute. Her pinkish-blonde hair falls around her shoulders and over the thin straps of the dress Reign must have been responsible for procuring for her. It looks nothing like what she was in last night when she came to the club with Seiran.

So much has changed in so little time that it’s almost staggering. I’ve become a bit too used to the stagnant, unchanging nature of eternity. Perhaps I’ve even become jaded in my old age, but Greer makes everything feel new and exciting.

“Would you like to sit in my lap as you feed?” I hear myself ask.

Something deep inside my being yearns to touch and cuddle her. Seeing her discomfort produces an itch under my skin that screams to put her at ease.

Her cheeks grow pinker, and I find myself acting without thought. It’s tempting to lift the towel with her, but that would be an additional layer between us, and that’s something my system can’t abide.

She ends up kneeling over me with wide gray eyes. Her hair falls across her cheek, and I tuck it behind her ear as my gaze stays locked with hers. My heart normally only beats a few times a minute, but the organ currently seems to be dead set on trying to thump right out of my chest.

“First lesson,” I murmur, thumbing her cheek. “There are no silly questions. If you don’t know something, all you have to do is ask.”

“Do you regret making me your progeny?” she asks, blinking.

The arm wrapped around her lower back tightens, pulling her closer. “I do not. Not yet, anyway. Do you plan to be an exceptional pain in the ass?”

“No.” Her bright white teeth make an appearance as she smiles. “But thanks for being honest.”

“It wasn’t in my plans, but a little of that might be…” A heavy sigh escapes my lips. “My maker was not easy to please. It took over a thousand years before I was strong enough to end him.” Her eyes widen, and the smile I was so fond of fades. “I had little choice. He refused to release me, even once the bond was weak enough that it wouldn’t have strained either of us. Rest assured, I wish to be nothing like he was.”

“That must have been tough.” Her hands have been resting in between us, but she brings one up and runs her fingers over my heart.

All while keeping eye contact. It makes the moment seem rather… intimate.

“It was necessary,” I say, clearing my throat. “But the tether between you and me is exceptionally strong. It’s been so long that it’s difficult to be sure, but I don’t recall feeling my maker’s emotions. Perhaps he always experienced mine and never mentioned it?”

“I feel your emotions, too, so if you didn’t experience that with your maker, then…” Her hair falls around my hand that still caresses her cheek as she shrugs. “I don’t know, but I am sorry to have upended your life.”

I move to tuck her hair behind her ear once more, and my gaze finally abandons her eyes to study her lithe neck. The fact that I haven’t fed since two nights ago might have something to do with my sudden fascination, but my head tilts as I spot the fang marks.

My thumb slides over them one by one, and Greer squirms in my lap.

My mind races, and reality sets in about the time her forehead wrinkles.

I bit her there to provide my venom. It was the most accessible location, because her arms were dangling over the edge of the bed as we bled her dry.

Goddamn.

No fucking wonder the connection is deeper than I experienced with my maker. This is why the neck is supposed to be sacred.

A beloved bond is initiated with intent and always placed on the neck. The bite scars never heal—a permanent warning to others that the vampire in question is claimed.

There was no focused intent on my part to initiate a beloved bond. The only time that intent is overridden is if the pair are fated mates. Which I’d think I’d have been able to sense or, at the very least, smell. Then again, the stench of death was far too potent for me to scent anything outside of it.

My world just officially fucking tilted.

How did I miss this?

Oh, likely a heavy case of denial , the monstrous side of my consciousness taunts.

The signs were there.

I ignored them, but they were everywhere .

My connection with my maker was only a sliver of what I’ve been experiencing with Greer. I assumed that meant the maker side of the bond was different from the progeny side. However, this new development makes more sense.

My thumb slides over my fang marks once more, and Greer whimpers.

“I wasn’t hungry, like at all. And now my fangs ache…” she whispers, sounding pained. “It’s so weird. Will it always be like this? Where one second, I’m fine and the next?—”

“It shouldn’t,” I say, cutting her off. “But luckily, I’m right here. Drink your fill.”

She doesn’t need any further permission. Her eyes turn milky white as I appraise her face, and rather than going for my wrist, she tosses herself forward, digging her fangs into my throat.

“You may bite me, Seiran, and Reign via the neck, but no one else. When you’re feeding from donors…” I growl at the sensation of her venom slamming through my system. My cock jolts, lengthening and thickening. “What was I saying? Oh yes, when feeding from donors, go for the wrist or the thigh. Also, we need to find a way to help you control how much venom you’re releasing.”

Greer’s fingers land over my lips. It feels like she’s shushing me, until she shoves two digits inside my mouth. Her hips grind as she licks at the blood that spills around her fangs. My tongue rolls around her fingers, and the rebounding pleasure filtering through the bond is more intense than anything I’ve experienced.

The loud knock on my door makes her jolt, and I settle her with my hand on her lower back.

Shit, that’s right. I asked Tristan and Courtney to make their way over. Greer pulls her fingers from my mouth but leaves her fangs buried in my throat.

“Are you settled enough to attempt to feed from a human?” I ask, soothing my hand up and down her spine. “It is possible to drink from the goblet as they called it in my day, but you’ll find it’s more satisfying to feed directly from the source.”

She huffs an annoyed sound that makes me chuckle, but her fangs retract, and she licks over the bite to seal the wound. It’s unnecessary; my healing would handle it. I don’t correct her, though, since it’s good practice for when she’s feeding from humans.

“Can I bring them in?” I ask.

Greer buries her nose against my throat and nods. “Okay, but I’m not very hungry.”

“That makes this the perfect time for a practice feed.”