Page 9 of Taste of Fate

The vampire rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. “The deal is done, and there’s no undoing it. But,” one of his fangs dug into his lower lip, “maybe we can make our own deal.”

I didn’t know whether to feel suspicious or hopeful. “What kind of deal?”

“I can release my claim on you as a blood pet at any time. But you’re in an unfamiliar place where you don’t know anyone, so for now it’s best that I continue to claim you for your own protection. But,” he stared at me intently with that ruby gaze. “It will be as a verbal claim only. I will never take your blood, and continue to sample variety like I always have. Just…more discreetly than I have been, I guess.”

“So…” I took a moment to process his words. “I’ll still be yours outwardly, to the vampire world. But you won’t drink from me.”

“Correct.” Cyan nodded. “And no one else will try to drink from you as long as they know you’re mine.” He gestured once again to the bedroom door. “You can stay here as long as you like. I’ll never go in your room and your privacy will be respected.” He flashed another smile, one that I was certain worked in his favor when he sampled variety, as he put it. “And hopefully my…daytime activities won’t disturb you.”

I snorted. “None of that bothers me.” The walls of our mobile homes in Sapien were thin, and people often left windows open on hot nights. I was pretty sure there wasn’t a sexual noise I hadn’t heard before.

My nerves were relaxing by each passing minute. Cyan had only touched me to help me off the motorcycle and was respecting my personal space now by keeping to the far side of the couch. He had no desire to use me as a drinking fountain, which had been my main concern in the beginning. I hadn’t completely let my guard down yet, but my instincts were no longer flashing in fight-or-flight mode.

Cyan laughed a little, the sound low and rumbling almost like a purr. “As you get comfortable here, maybe meet a vampire you’ll actually want to attach yourself to, I’ll release my claim so you can become their blood pet instead. Just let me know when that time comes.”

That instantly soured my mood. “Do I have to be someone’s blood pet?”

He gave me a sympathetic look. “You, yes. Because those are the terms of the Half-Century Selection. Humans in general have a lot of freedom here, but there is safety and security in being claimed by a vampire.”

I could see how some people tolerated having their blood drunk in exchange for guaranteed basic necessities. But outside of dire circumstances, who would want a life like that?

“While you’re under my claim,” Cyan said, “I can arrange visits to your human settlement, if you’d like that.”

Like a yo-yo, my mood soared with hope at the thought of seeing Amy again, but the cautious side of me activated as well. It felt like a dangling carrot and I did not want to be manipulated. “You will? You really mean that?”

He grinned. “I thought that might make you happy.”

“Sure, it does.” I tried to keep my tone casual, leaving hope out of it. “But you don’t know me. What do you care about my happiness? I’m not giving you blood or…anything else. I’m just an extra mouth to feed here. Why are you being so accommodating to me?”

“Like I said, I’m not heartless.” Cyan cocked his head, studying me. “To be perfectly honest, I think the Half-Century Selection is fucked up. You seem like a nice enough human, and brave as hell. I can’t imagine any clan sacrificing one of our own like that, and yet you handled it with dignity.” His head tilted in the opposite direction. “I don’t know you, true. But I can sympathize with being thrown into a fucked up situation that’s unfair to you and out of your control.”

Cyan’s jaw clenched and I wondered if that last part referred to some specific experience he’d had.

“I actually volunteered for the Selection,” I admitted. Why I thought he should know that, I had no idea. Maybe it felt good to tell someone who didn’t have any preconceived of me as Amy’s guard dog.

Plus, he had called me brave and said I had dignity. I couldn’t pretend those weren’t nice things to hear.

“Really?” Cyan’s eyebrows went up in surprise.

“My best friend was actually selected first,” I hurried to explain. “I believe she was targeted for, well, fucked up reasons. I volunteered to go instead of her because…”

“Because you didn’t want to send her into the pit of bloodthirsty monsters,” Cyan filled in for me.

“I mean, I didn’t know you would?—”

“Relax,” he said, smirking. “I’m not offended. We certainly are bloodthirsty monsters, depending on who you ask.” He gave me an appraising look. “But you’re even braver than I thought, Octavia.”

Having his respect felt good. At this point, I was pretty sure it would keep me alive as well. And if I could visit Amy too? That was more than I could ever ask for.

“I go by Tavia usually. Or Tavi.”

Cyan grinned, fangs on full display like a smiling cat. “Tavi. I like that. My name isn’t short for anything, but the guys call me Cyanide sometimes.”

“Why’s that?”

He rubbed a palm over his head, looking almost bashful. “They say I’m a smooth talker. I smooth out a lot of our conflicts with the other clans. Some say I’m so good at getting the upper hand in negotiations, the other side doesn’t realize what hit them until too late. Like sneaking a cyanide pill.”

“And is that true?”

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