Page 36 of Greer's Change

Nothing.

If I break a rib, it’ll heal, so I try again with a little more oomph.

It feels like several eternities pass before her heart thumps an erratic beat.

“Thank God,” Seiran whispers.

“Seriously?” I snort, shaking my head. “That old woman rubbed off on you in more ways than one.”

“She taught me humanity and what it is to share true friendship,” he growls, narrowing his eyes. “What it is to genuinely enjoy someone’s company with no ulterior motives.”

“You’re not a fool. Don’t play one now.” I scoff. How quickly things devolve when he no longer needs me. “She didn’t want to be alone when she died, nothing more, nothing less.”

“She was a friend,” he says, grinding his teeth. “I had full autonomy. I could have left at any time, but I stayed because I truly enjoyed her company—no summoning contract needed to force my compliance.”

“You still won’t admit that you stayed because of me and Reign. I released you within a year, Seiran. At any point after that, you could have left of your own free will. Yet, you stayed with us forcenturies.Answer me this—when did I ever treat you as a servant? I considered you one of my best goddamnfriends.”

“Then, what was the agony I experienced the day I left? I asked to be released, and you said you untethered me. For days after, there was a weight on my chest. I could barely breathe, actual tears leaked from my eyes, I didn’t shower for two weeks.” Seiran frowns. “How do you explain that?”

I sigh. “Sadness at leaving your friends and the only home you’d known in the human realm, perhaps?”

Greer’s head snaps forward, and she buries her fangs in the human’s wrist.

Greedy gulping fills the air, and I smile.

Seiran’s eyes get glassy as he studies his now-feeding mate.

This is an excellent sign.

I pat Seiran’s shoulder. “I believe this is a good indication.”

A cautious smile tips at his lips, and he nods, tenderly brushing her cheek. “Thank you, Novak.”

For being such a giant pain in the ass, I sure did miss him.

We swap out for the other human after only a few minutes. Both men are dosed with my venom and Seiran’s lust. It’s no surprise when they get back to the fucking Seiran interrupted when he plucked them from the alleyway.

I try not to allow myself to obsess about the massive number of violations I’ve racked up tonight. The paranormal council will fine me out the ass if they catch wind of what happened here. Killing the humans would be one strike, but allowing Greer to feed off them without proper consent technically counts as two. At least, logically speaking, allowing her to drain one dry would have been the best choice. Although, perhaps not ethically speaking.

At some point, Seiran moves onto the edge of the bed. He sits facing Greer with his legs held up to avoid the copulating couple.

Reign is still behind me. I assume he’s continuing to keep her calm in her dreams.

Everything changed in the blink of an eye.

The baby vampire won’t be able to be more than a few hundred yards away from me for the foreseeable future. Not without experiencing discomfort. It’ll be mild, but the farther apart we are, the more noticeable it will become.

I expect she’ll be able to go about her business within Black Cove within a year or two, but fledgling vampires are like newborn babies. They’re exceptionally needy, and the bond between maker and progeny will pull us together to encourage me to teach and provide for her during her most vulnerable time.

My hand swipes down her side, and I glare at the offending appendage. Her sweet scent fills the air as it should have uponher first turning. I fight the urge to bury my face in her throat to sniff it up close and personal.

Seiran startles as the man’s arm leaves the bed.

I push up on my forearm to see what’s happening.

Greer’s head shakes, and she groans, “Too much.”

My forehead wrinkles. It’s not an exact science, but I was under the impression she would need much more blood. Not only that, fledgling vampires struggle with bloodlust. They require close monitoring while feeding because they don’t know how or when to cut themselves off.

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