3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Cora

An insistent knocking woke Cora out of a sound sleep. Groggily, she started moving even before her eyes were completely open. Except she wasn’t in her bed and when she tried to sit up, she found she was already sitting up.

Arms tightened around her, keeping her from falling flat on her face as a familiar voice murmured in her ear, “Easy, it’s only the blood delivery.”

Standing up, Pike placed her on the chair he’d been sitting on. She’d fallen asleep on his lap. Rubbing her face, she yawned and then watched Pike answer the door. A totally non-descript guy handed Pike a small cooler, then turned and walked away without saying a word.

Closing the door, Pike stood there, staring at the cooler that looked like it belonged to a child in his big hands. “I need to feed this to Kimble,” he mumbled without looking up.

Cora was still half asleep and had a headache, probably from lack of food. It took her a few seconds to realize Pike was acting weird. He kept standing there, as if waiting for her to say something, but what? She asked a question instead.

“Did people have to die to get that blood?”

Pike looked up at her with wide eyes. “No! I swear that’s not a thing. This is donated blood that blood banks can’t use because it’s got something wrong with it. Vampires are immune to everything, so they can drink it without an issue.”

“That’s efficient,” Cora said with approval. “Do you need me to help or anything?”

Pike went back to looking uncomfortable. “I don’t need help, but I thought you might want to watch. To see if you think it’s gross or you can’t stand it.”

Oh, he was scared she’d turn and run after watching Kimble feed. Cora wasn’t one to be soft on people, but Pike looked so worried she wanted to soothe him. “Yeah, I’ll watch. I’m sure it’s fine, though. It’s not like he’s ripping the heads off chickens or anything.”

Pike managed a smile. “Nothing like that, I promise.”

Tucking the cooler under one arm, he held out his hand, inviting her to take it. She felt a little wobbly getting up, so she was really going to need to eat soon, but at least her vision didn’t have spots. Gray spots were a clear sign her blood sugar had tanked, and she was going to suffer some severe consequences very soon, but for now she still had a little time.

Tension went out of Pike’s shoulders once she slid her hand into his. Leading her to the bedroom, he nudged the door open. Kimble looked sound asleep even though the lights were all on.

No, sound asleep was the wrong term. He looked dead, but he wasn’t. Or maybe he was? Did they use the term undead or was that offensive to vampires?

Either way, Cora took a moment to really look at Kimble. He reminded her of Tom Hiddleston when he was playing Loki, except Kimble’s hair was longer and unkept, and he might be a little paler than the English actor. Oh, and there were the red eyes too, hose weren’t anything like Tom.

What would Kimble look like if he smiled? Would he appear adorable like the actor, or would his expression be more menacing? Cora found herself surprisingly curious about what the vampire would look like cleaned up and happy.

It had to be stress and low blood sugar, that’s all.

Leading her to the bed, Pike stopped at the foot and looked down at her, his body tense. “If you need to look away or leave, that’s okay. I, um, I don’t want to scare you or anything.”

“I think it’s a little late to worry about that,” she pointed out dryly .

Pike’s lips twisted into a frown. “I couldn’t control Vincent kidnapping you or Kimble whisking you away, but I can do my best to shield you from now on.”

Relenting, she patted his arm with her free hand. “I know. I’m not pissed at you. I can see you were in a fucked-up position. It’s not like you could say something like ‘by the way, my soul is bound to a vampire who can’t talk’ during our first or second date.”

He snorted, his body relaxing. “Yeah, that’s a third date topic for sure.”

Letting go of her hand, he opened the cooler and pulled out two bags of blood that wouldn’t look out of place at a hospital. Tossing the cooler away, he moved to the side of the bed to sit on the edge, setting one of the bags next to him. Kimble didn’t react until Pike eased a hand under his head.

Kimble’s eyes shot open, then he pulled in a deep breath from his nose and smiled up at Pike. He opened his mouth, but only a wordless sound came out. Cora thought he might be trying to say hello.

“I’m sorry to wake you, but I have some blood,” Pike murmured. He lifted Kimble’s head a little and held the bag close to the vampire's lips. Cora expected Kimble to violently bite into the plastic, but his movements were careful and deliberate. He opened his mouth, exposing his lengthened fangs, and slid them delicately through the bag. She watched his throat work as he swallowed. His eyes fluttered closed as he emptied the bag.

“That’s good,” Pike said, leaning over to brush another kiss on the vampire's forehead. “You’ll feel much better soon. I’ve got you, you’re safe.”

Even though both men were clothed, and one was covered in a blanket, the moment felt intimate. Cora wasn’t sure how she felt as she watched something that felt private. Pike was a natural caregiver, and it showed with every word and gesture.

What would it be like to have Pike care for her like this?

Growing up with so many brothers, a dedicated but clueless father, and no mother made Cora tough and reluctant to let anyone see weakness. Any slight display of fragility was answered with harsh treatment as her father and brothers tried to “prepare her for the real world.” Growing up, she’d learned young not to cry or show even a hint of fear .

All of it made her a successful business owner in a male dominated industry, but it also made her feel lonely and tired. It was exhausting always having to be on guard and never feeling like you could be honest with anyone, including her own family.

Cora had an overwhelming urge to snuggle up in the bed with Kimble so she’d be next in line for Pike’s attention. Pushing her longings away, she watched Pike’s murmured words of encouragement and affection as Kimble drank. The moment the first bag was done, Pike tossed it away and picked up the second one.

Kimble must have been feeling better because he took this bag from Pike and sat up. He fed himself with one hand and tangled his free hand with Pike’s.

It was fascinating to watch Kimble’s color come back. He was a pale guy, but with the infusion, his pale went from corpse-white to living-human-white. Vitality returned to his expression, and he was able to talk.

“Good. Yes, thanks,” he said, nuzzling Pike’s big hand.

Well, talk relative to Kimble.

“I know you need more,” Pike said. “But could you please take some from me? I trust you, and I’m a big guy. You won’t hurt me.”

Kimble’s expression was everything stubborn. “No.”

Pike looked like was going to argue when Kimble let go of his hand and flowed out of the bed. With a blur of motion that should be familiar by now, he was suddenly in front of Cora, his brows furrowed in concern.

Startled, Cora took a half step back, but Kimble didn’t try to grab her. He dropped to his knees in front of her and tilted his head. “Hunger?”

“You want some of my blood?” Cora asked, fear making her heart start to pound.

“No,” Kimble denied. “You hunger.”

Cora’s worry diminished. Kimble must be confused. “I’m human. I don’t drink blood.”

Kimble’s expression didn’t change. “Human hunger.”

Pike moved to stand next to her and pulled in a deep breath through his nose. “You don’t smell right. What’s going on? You smell a little like Corey at work when he’s taken too much insulin for his diabetes. ”

Cora looked up at Pike. “You can smell that?”

“Of course,” Pike answered. “And so can Kimble. Are you diabetic?”

Cora shook her head. “I’m not diabetic, but I do go hypoglycemic easily. I should really eat something.”

Kimble peered up at Pike. “Human hunger!” he repeated triumphantly.

Pike gave the vampire a warm smile. “You were right. I get to feed Cora next!”

He looked so excited to fix her a meal that Cora found herself smiling as he walked out of the room. Kimble didn’t follow him, instead he nodded his head, indicating he wanted her to go first. Stepping around his kneeling form, Cora followed Pike back to the kitchenette.

Pike had already set a pan on the stove and was busy pulling ingredients from the fridge. “How about an omelet?” he said. “I can make a mushroom cheese one.”

Cora’s mouth started watering. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

She took a seat at the table, expecting Kimble to take the other one. Instead, he assumed the sentry spot in the middle of the living room he’d occupied earlier.

“How much blood should Kimble have?” Cora asked as the vampire’s eyes bounced between her and Pike.

“At least double what I’ve been able to get him,” Pike said as he cracked eggs into a bowl. “I think it's one of the reasons he’s not getting better faster.”

When he opened the fridge for another item, Cora realized he was using everything up except the few condiments he had in there. “Are you skimping on eating too?”

Pike turned to her with a small block of cheese in his hand. “Not really. I get a free meal each shift at one of my jobs, and I can buy discounted meals after I use up my free one. I usually eat there because it’s cheaper and it can be hard to find time for anything but work and Kimble these days.”

“Bar food every day can’t be good for you,” Cora said.

“I’m getting a little tired of it,” Pike confessed. “If I was closer to the wild areas, I could shift into my bear form and forage, but all the good places are too far away. ”

“I can help. I’ve got enough money to buy you groceries and some meals for Kimble,” Cora said, surprising herself with the offer.

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Pike argued. “We’re not your responsibility.”

Now that it was out there, she warmed to the idea. “Maybe you are, at least a little bit. You risked your life to try to rescue me, and you’ve been killing yourself trying to keep Kimble safe. I’m new to your world, but if it’s one thing I understand, it's doing anything and everything for the important people in your life.”

A painfully hopeful expression blossomed on Pike’s face. “I’ll pay you back, I swear.”

“Don’t worry about that right now,” she said. “First feed me and then we need to figure out what happened to my purse. My keys, wallet, and phone are all there. So basically my life!”

Pike chuckled and went back to cooking. “I’ve got your purse. I found it in the alley behind the club.”

Cora perked up. That was some very good news. “Where is it?”

“Down in my car. Once I finish here, I’ll run down and get it,” he said as he dumped items into the skillet. The smell of cooking food made her forget about her purse. Her hunger was so bad she felt nauseated. If she hadn’t been dealing with hypoglycemia all her life, she’d think she was about to throw up.

Thankfully Pike was soon bringing two steaming plates to the table. There was a fork lying on her plate, so she wasted no time in digging in.

“Oh fuck, this is good,” she moaned, then shoveled more food in. Pike ate more slowly and when she looked up, she found him watching her with a pleased expression. “What?”

“I’ve gotten to feed both my mates today,” he explained. “It makes us happy.”

She was about to ask what he meant by us, then remembered he referred to his bear side as a separate entity. “Is your bear a different personality than you?”

“Not a whole different personality, more like a strong part of my personality,” he answered. “My bear is more about instinct and living in the moment. He doesn’t understand having a job or stuff like that. He’s always pressing me to go someplace remote so we can shift and do bear things. ”

Cora was intrigued. “What are bear things?”

“Forage, nap, wander around, and look at stuff. Real bears are naturally curious and problem-solving creatures, so bear shifters share those traits.”

She could almost picture it. “I bet you’re the cutest bear. Can I see you shifted, or is that a really intimate thing?”

Pike fumbled and almost dropped his fork. “I’d love for you to meet my bear. I know he’s desperate to meet you.”

She knew Pike meant that in a teasing way, but she felt slightly worried. “He wouldn’t try to maul or eat me, would he?”

This time Pike did drop his fork. It went skittering off his plate and to the floor. “No! Never! The worse he might do is lick you all over. If you're really afraid, you can watch me from the inside of a running vehicle. You could leave if you're scared, but I promise my bear would only ever be violent to protect you.” He looked crestfallen as he spoke. “You don’t have to meet him.”

Showing their animals must be important to shifters. She reached across to put her hand over his. “I don’t think I’m scared, but let's hold off on making plans until everything around here is settled. Then I can meet your bear.”

He looked relieved and turned his hand palm up so he could close his fingers round hers. The grip was loose, and she could’ve pulled away, but she didn’t. Touching him felt good and settled some of the low-grade anxiety roiling in her belly.

“Finish your omelet before it gets cold,” he urged. No longer in possession of a fork, he simply picked up the rest of his omelet and shoved it into his mouth. That’s when Cora realized Pike could’ve easily eaten three or four omelets and still been hungry. The poor guy had to be starving!

Determined to fix what she could, she ate quickly. The sooner she finished, the sooner Pike would get her purse, and she could start ordering both the bear and vampire all the food they needed.

She didn’t examine how happy it made her feel to think about providing for the guys. She certainly didn’t want to think about how similar it must have been to how Pike felt earlier when he gave Kimble food and her an omelet.

Nope, it wasn’t the same at all.