Page 16 of Taken By My Guardian's Fangs

"Um...both of you are—-" Juliette saw Gaël's beautiful face darken, and she quickly backtracked. "You are more trustworthy, of course." I'm so sorry, Aprilynne, she mentally apologized.

Gaël relaxed slightly at his ward's words. "If you mean that—-"

"I do," Juliette said firmly.

"Then I'd like you to trust me when I say it's best that you lay this matter to rest."

Juliette was stunned at first, and then frustrated. Immensely. Was he saying that because he still thought of her as a child?

Gaël felt compelled to say more when his ward only stared at him. "Virginity isn't a tool—-" A strange sound cut him off, and it took a moment for Gaël to realize that Juliette had actually snorted at him, and now she was gazing at him in horror, like she herself had a hard time believing she had done such a thing.

What the hell was happening?

Juliette was usually all cute and ladylike, but just yesterday, she had accidentally farted, and now she had snorted at his words like they were the worst piece of b.s. she had ever heard. It was adorable in a way, but it also disturbed him because this was not how his ward usually behaved.

"Has something happened?" Gaël asked finally. "You know you can tell me anything, don't you? It's my responsibility as your guardian to protect you."

Juliette bit her lip hard. She knew this was her chance to make up some excuse and have everything go back to normal, but was that what she really wanted?

A few more seconds passed, and Juliette's mind began to work furiously. This was her only chance to change the direction of her future. She needed to be careful and strategic, and so first things first—-

"I just don't think you're the one to say those words."

Gaël's brows shot up at his ward's outburst. Juliette had always been docile as a lamb, and the part of him that wasn't used to being questioned and challenged like this couldn't help but bristle.

"Everything is a tool for you—-"

Had his ward just insulted him?

"But in a good way," she then clarified so earnestly that it had Gaël torn between exasperation and resignation.

His ward was basically telling him he was a ruthless SOB, wasn't she? And he was that, and he had never any problems admitting this. But Juliette being Juliette, she still ended up describing his flaw like it also happened to be a virtue.

She started wringing her hands, and Gaël's blue gaze narrowed. Why was she so damn anxious?

"I'm not a child, okay? I know about how you used to visit several virginity auction houses in the past—-"

Gaël had the grace to flush even as he felt the need to defend himself. "Those were extraordinary times. It had only been months after the first attack," he reminded her curtly, "and it made me paranoid. I wanted to make myself stronger, and I was determined to exhaust all possible means to do so. Everything I did, it was to honor my duty to protect our family."

Juliette was touched that he thought of her as family, but at the same time she had this foolish urge to cry. The duty he spoke of involved deflowering other girls, and the mere thought of it devastated her.

But...

What was done was done, Juliette reminded herself. She needed to move forward, and so she heard herself say, "That's what I want, too."

Gaël wondered if something had been lost in translation. Exactly what did she want as well?

"I want to do my duty, too," Juliette stressed, "and that's why I'd like the center to take my sangferia—-"

What the fuck?

"—-and have them bottle it up for you."

Gaël didn't know whether to snort himself...or strangle his ward for even thinking such a thing. "It is not your duty—-"

"If you meant what you said that I'm part of your family—-"

"You are," Gaël said sharply.

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