Page 55 of Accidental Vampire

“Oh, so you’re the Patron here?” I asked Shaw and immediately regretted it. Awkward vibes flooded the room.

“No one here has sworn a blood oath to me.”

Ooooookay… touchy subject. Let’s move on.

“What does this have to do with sex?” I said to get us back on track. A different kind of awkwardness filled the space.

“There are other kinds of bonds, like a Scion bond.”

“The lovers bond.” Gonzales said with an exaggerated flair.

“Also a myth.” Aurora said, fluffing her hair.

“Just because every vampire you know, Aurora, is a selfish little shit, doesn’t mean true love isn’t possible.” Richard declared.

“It’s a Scion bond that’s the issue here.”

I knew the dictionary definition of scion, an heir or descendant. But it must have more meaning.

“You can bond with your maker, sometimes your maker’s maker. It’s a tight tie, connecting you in a way that makes you almost one person.” There was something hard and rough in Shaw’s tone. I couldn’t quite name the emotion.

“It’s the ultimate high.” Aurora said wistfully.

“Sure, if by, “high” you mean the potential for oppressive and obsessive narcissistic codependency times 1000,” Zinnia elaborated.

“Not the point.” Shaw cut off an argument on the finer details of whatScion meant. I was disappointed. I wasn’t getting it. I needed to create my own Dummy’s Guide to being a Vampire. He continued, “Patron bonds are made by sharing blood and making a promise under a pact of mutual consent. A scion bond is a different kind of magic. It is forged in intense emotion.” Shaw’s accent thickened.

I sat down and rubbed my temples at the flutter of nerves that erupted. Lachlan had warned me no one could find out I was his. I mean, his vampire, or he made me or whatever. The cramping was interfering with my ability to comprehend things, apparently. Everything was starting to swirl in to some manic jigsaw puzzle fairy tales and myths. Vampires, magic, lord help me, werewolves. I needed pen and paper to map this all out.

“Look,” I said with exhaustion pulling at my tone. “Explain it to me like I’m five. Without all the jargon and abracadabra nonsense. So I can have sex, but just not with my maker?”

Shaw leaned back and smiled. It wasn’t amusement or anything like that. Satisfaction maybe? Pity? He took a slow breath.

“Orgasms, especially in a newly made vampire who hasn’t managed blood lust, are a shortcut to accessing the emotions necessary to create a bond with another vampire. Yes, that bond would be easier to form with your maker. But it can also leave you vulnerable to manipulation. You absolutely,” he paused and repeated, “absolutely,” for emphasis, “do not want to initiate that bond unless it is reciprocal.”

I nodded and took a long breath. “OK, great.”

A sense of relief washed over me, this was not the end of the world. “No orgasms until I am safe, back in my apartment, and can take a long bath with my battery operated boyfriend.” I slumped in my chair, rubbing my aching stomach. Everyone traded uncomfortable glances. Richard raised his hand as if to make a point. Zinnia punched him in the arm, obviously to stall whatever tangent he was going to go on.

OK. I could do this. I just had to settle in and get used to it and everything would go back to normal.

THIRTY-FIVE

LACHLAN

I put my hand on the rose quartz doorknob that would open the way into Ruelle. I took a deep breath.

Absolutely, positively, no thoughts of Tiffany. Do not even think her name.

I knew Veronica couldn’t read my mind, but the bond got close enough. She would sense the fear that swirled my gut and rang out to my fingertips. For the first time in a long time, my confidence was shaken. I was dealing with a wagon full of new emotions. Like wanting to do something nice for someone for no goddamn good reason. Or the frustration that came for not fucking someone I wanted to fuck. No, I didn’t want to fuck her, well, not just fuck her. I wanted to wrap her around me and never let go. Need, desire, and fear. Fear, that was new, wasn’t it? Or even just caring if I lived or died.

I walked in the door and staggered. She already knew I was here. Fuck me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. The bond between us was pulsing. In an exact tone to get on my last nerve. The smart move would be to just run to her, let her bask in the satisfaction of pulling my puppet strings. Couldn’t, though, could I? I didn’t like to suffer, but I hated letting her win. Win too soon, should be. She’d always win in the end.

I ducked down a hallway. I’d use one of the side doors into the club. Avoid the pomp and circumstance. Slip in, show… what was that thing from that shit movie Aurora made me watch? Proof of life. I’d slip in, show proof of life, slip out. Stall the game she thought she had the upper hand in.

I peeked around the corner, it was deserted. Pausing, I listened hard to make sure no one was in Nadine’s office. Despite the music leaking from the other side of the wall, I could hear well enough to know there’d be no lurkers. I shoved my hands into the pocket of the coat Aurora chose for me and strode down the hall. The door leading in to the club cracked open, the awful music filling the hall and dying in the plush carpet. The cloak room was three steps away. I ducked in before people followed the music to flood the hall, wanting or needing things from me as usual. I shut the door with a soft click before the conversation started.

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