Page 45 of Sunshine and the Vamp

I let go of him and stood up. “Benjamin is not a distraction, he’s my mate.”

Silence descended in the room. I suppose I had just dropped a bombshell. Finding a mate in our world was rare, and for a mate to be human, it was even rarer.

Aleksey leant up on his elbows. “Damyr, I didn’t—”

“No, you didn’t.” I snapped. “Get out, Aleksey. Get out of my sight.”

I couldn’t bear to look at him. Not once had I felt like this. So disappointed in the attitude of my brethren that I had to turn away. I knew it was animalistic of me, that my base nature was dragging itself to the surface to protect Benjamin, but the rational part of my mind was taking a backseat when anything to do with my mate was concerned.

The door to my office closed with a soft click and I caught Vlad looking at me with a raised eyebrow and a hint of laughter in his eyes.

As soon as Aleksey left, it was like a fog cleared from my mind and rationality came back with the force of a freight train.

“I know, I know,” I muttered as I sat back in my chair. “I’ll apologise later.”

“He was right to challenge you,” Acheron said, still munching on some popcorn. The wizard was dressed in an electric blue jump suit to match his hair today. It made his pale skin seem to shimmer like moonlight.

“Probably shouldn’t have called the Boss ‘weak’ though,” Byron added with a shrug of his shoulder.

Vlad scoffed. “That wasn’t very wise, no. But we do need to prepare for the meeting with the Council and they are going to ask questions if you take your Benjamin with you.”

I knew that too. “If any of them make a comment then I will challenge them on it. And since I am leaving Benjamin in Acheron’s hands, if any harm comes to him well… I know wizard’s blood fetches a high price on the black market.”

“Cold, Damyr. Cold,” Acheron said with narrowed eyes.

Byron leant forward. “Ooh, can I drain him? I’ve always wanted to have a go at exsanguinating someone.”

Acheron threw a handful of popcorn at Byron. “You’re fucking weird.”

Byron just grinned that unsettling smile and chucked some popcorn into his mouth.

“Be ready to leave in an hour. We will take two cars but travel light.” We couldn’t take firearms into the hotel, but I didn’t want to leave the house without some protection. “Silver bullets. Just in case.”

One could never be too careful where supes were involved.

Chapter Fifteen

Benji

Itook one final look at myself in the mirror and nodded. I looked good. No, better than that, I looked fucking hot. I was in a pair of black wide leg trousers that hugged my ass, and I’d paired that with a mesh black shirt and a black corset vest. I’d also ringed my eyes with thick black liner and they looked like two emeralds sparkling in the shadows. My curls were freshly washed, and I’d managed to get one to sit artfully above my left eyebrow.

It had been a long time since I’d been anywhere fancy, and I wanted to look like I fitted into Damyr’s world. For some reason, it felt important. As if I wanted to make him proud to be seen with me, which was ridiculous because I’d met the guy yesterday. But I couldn’t deny that there was something there, something primal, something instinctual that drew me to him.

Surely, it had to be more than his good looks and brooding personality. Or maybe I was just a sucker for a good-looking guy. I shook myself. Had it really been that long since I’d had sex? Was Ithatdesperate that I was pining after my kidnapper?

No, I didn’t think that was the answer, but I couldn’t seem to put my finger on why I was bothered about how I looked tonight. I mean, I was probably going to sit at a bar whilst Damyr met with the Council. The other families that ran the city.

It was a little bit daunting to be honest. All that power in one tiny room. It was going to make the hospital Board look like fucking pussy cats.

There was a soft knock at my door. Time to go. I cast a final look at myself before turning on the heel of my patent black loafers and leaving my room.

As soon as I reached the top of the stairs, there was a sharp intake of breath. Damyr looked at me like he wanted to devour me and I had to admit, there was something quite enjoyable about having another man look at me that way. Like I was his entire focus. It was a completely heady feeling and one I could certainly get used to.

He met me at the bottom of the stairs and held his hand out like an old timey gentleman. His eyes darkened to two pools of obsidian as they raked over me from head to toe. “Benjamin, you look… ravishing.”

His voice was a low rasp, and a flush crept up my skin at the compliment.

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” I said as I took in his outfit. It was all sharp lines and fine tailoring. He was in a black three-piece suit with a blood red tie and pocket square. Simple and elegant. Rings dotted his fingers, and the top buttons of his black shirt were open revealing a hint of the tattoos beneath. I tilted forwards, a sudden urge to lick the spot where his collar bones met at the bottom of his throat. I want to sink my teeth into the spot as he threw his head back with a cry of ecstasy.

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