Chapter 13

Lucian gives me a wide berth as he enters the kitchen, purposefully staying on the far side of the island as I raid the well-stocked fridge.

He's been lurking around, silently drifting from room to room behind me.

It's hard to know if he's guarding me or watching me.

I cast surreptitious glances his way when he's distracted, trying to suss him out. Pale and slim, he's no more than twenty; he's slight compared to Noah, who's a few years his junior. I need to ask Tyson how ageing works for vampires.

Staring into the fridge, my stomach rumbling after hours of running in the woods, I'm too tired to make a decision about what to eat. The choices on offer are unexpectedly overwhelming. Tyson really meant it when he said he had dinner prepared last night. Tupperware after Tupperware are stacked in the fridge, filled with delicious food options. There's enough here to feed a small army.

He went all-out for our first night here – and I slunk off to bed, unwittingly throwing his effort in his face. Shame gnaws at me.

Maybe I should have made more of an effort.

Putting together a plate of leftovers, I move to the microwave and Lucian practically runs in the opposite direction, keeping the marble countertop firmly between us. As the gorgeous aroma fills the air, Lucian wrinkles his nose, clearly not a fan.

"Not coppery enough for you?" I ask, keeping my back to him as I remove the plate and open the drawer to get cutlery. He scoffs, and, just like Noah, is decidedly chattier when I'm not looking directly at him.

"That… is disgusting," he pretends to gag, and I roll my eyes at the dramatics. "It smells like feet. How can you put that in your mouth? That's worse than the kills Seth brings home." He covers his nose with his hands and tilts his head away, repulsed.

"Well, I'm sorry if my palate isn't as refined as yours, but I'm starving."

Turning and leaning against the counter, I observe him closely while shovelling a forkful of food into my mouth. As I expected, his confidence dims under my avid attention, and he steps away, looking out the window to avoid making eye contact with me.

"Do you know where Tyson's gone?" I ask, deciding not to beat around the bush. Teenagers don't do subtle.

Lucian turns toward me, but keeps his gaze fixed elsewhere, giving me a one-shouldered shrug.

"He needs to feed. He never would have lost it earlier if he'd just listened to me." Lucian purses his lips and gives me some serious side eye, as if it's my fault.

Tyson is a grown man. He can take care of himself.

"There's a fridge full of food here. Just because I went to bed doesn't mean he couldn't have helped himself."

Waving my fork at the fridge, I grumble. I'm already feeling defensive, and a touch guilty, seeing the effort Tyson made. I swallow another mouthful and moan, savouring the flavours. What kind of idiot, albeit a well-mannered and considerate one, goes to bed hungry when he knows all of this delicious food is waiting?

My chewing slows when I realise Lucian is staring at me like I have two heads. Or like I'm the stupidest person he's ever met.

"I said feed. Not eat."

Wiping a hand down my face to make sure I don't have mayonnaise on my lips or something, it takes me a second longer than I'm proud of for my brain to work out the distinction. The food in my mouth suddenly tastes like dust as his words sink in.

Tyson is also a vampire. It's not something I should forget.

I assumed that his eating habits would be the same as mine but I'm not an idiot. I knew he'd be attracted to blood, drink it even, proven correct by the way he tasted mine earlier, but I hadn't stopped to think that might be his primary way of gaining sustenance. Or his only way.

"Do you not keep blood here?"

Frowning, I look at the closed fridge door. I don't remember seeing anything as obvious as blood bags in there. Maybe they keep it somewhere else? Lucian returns to staring out the window, pretending not to be concerned but clearly anxious about Tyson's state of mind.

"We do. But it's not Tyson's preferred way of feeding."

Swallowing hard, I reach for my glass and take a long drink of water. This was a conversation that was going to happen at some point. I just wish it had been with the man himself rather than his vampire protege.

"And what is his preferred way of feeding?"

Instead of being frightened by the thought of him sinking his teeth into flesh, I can picture the heated look on his face. I've heard rumours about it being erotic and extremely pleasurable. There are some shifters who seek out vampires looking for blood, becoming willing donors precisely because of the intense sexual experience it gives them.

My mind conjures a vision of Tyson, his incisors pressing against my skin, his hot breath on my skin before he sinks into my vein, using my life source to sustain himself, eyes dark and clouded with lust.

The idea of him biting me is hotter than I want to admit, knowing that I could be what he needs to survive, and I squirm, squeezing my thighs to ease the ache between my legs.

"He always goes to see Anya. She has the best blood supply around."

My stomach sinks so far it hits the floor. Lucian's innocent reply, volunteering information he sees as perfectly normal, feels like a slap to the face, and I'm stunned into silence.

Now images of Tyson sinking his teeth into some other woman's flesh, sucking blood straight from her slender neck, fill my mind.

Instead of being disgusted, as I thought I'd be, I'm jealous. The green-eyed monster is strong, and my insides burn with envy. My fingers grip the counter as my vision waivers. The idea of my mate seeking another woman to satisfy his needs devastates my wolf in a way I didn't know possible.

Not only does it make me angry, it makes me feel less-than. Could I have helped? Should he not have come to his mate first if he needed help?

A little voice inside my head sneers that if I'd asked him anything about himself, shown even a little bit of interest in him, maybe it wouldn't have come to this.

Lucian is utterly confused by my stunned reaction.

"He did it for you, you know? He waited this long since his last feed because of you." Lucian shrugs again, not fully appreciating the impact his words are having on me. "But he's only human, excuse the pun. His body is weak. If he starved himself any longer, he wouldn't be able to keep healing himself."

"Right." Nodding distractedly, I scrape the rest of my food into the bin, my appetite lost.

I wish I didn't know where he was. Today was pretty good, but this is an unwelcome reminder that I don't really know Tyson or understand him very well.

Maybe it's normal for vampires to take blood from anyone, like it's no big deal. Maybe that's what he meant when he said I'm not ready for this.

"It's a lot for someone who hasn't experienced it to take in. Would you have… wanted to help him?" Lucian asks diplomatically.

I don't know. I'm not sure I"m ready for such a big step, especially if that bite could bind us forever. I'm also not sure I'll ever be ready for a world where my mate disappears off in the night to feed from another woman.

Is that what he'd want, or would feeding from me be enough? Tyson should be here explaining this to me, answering my questions.

But he's not, and I can't help dwelling on where he is.

Giving Lucian an awkward wave, I stumble unseeing from the room and numbly go through the motions of getting ready for bed. My thoughts go round and round in circles, and I can't sleep.

Instead, I sit by the rose window in my room until I see his dark wolf slinking across the lawn under the cover of darkness. When I hear his heavy footsteps on the stairs, I glance over to check that my chair is firmly in place under the door handle. Relieved he's home but still unable to think about where he's been, I climb onto the bed and slide under the sheets.

As before, Tyson pauses outside my door. I hear a soft tap, his fingertips resting on the wood. He sighs, sounding tired and disappointed. He's not the only one.

I wait, not sure whether I want him to keep going or to knock on my door. Eventually, he moves away and I close my eyes to stop the tears that sting my eyes from coming. Ridiculous, considering we're not together, and that I came here under duress. But still… he is my mate.

Cursing my soft heart, I curl up and close my eyes, knowing that my dreams aren't going to be happy ones.