Page 4 of Fated Mates and How to Seduce Them
“The doctors were simply waiting for you to wake up so you could feed,” she assured him. “Getting out now won’t save Todd, though. Your brother is quite upset with him.”
Damn. Well, if André messaged Todd and told him to run, he’d at least have a head start. Having to find another wingman would be annoying, but apparently Todd wasn’t reliable in that department, anyway.
Was it too much to ask for a night of fun after a long week of classes? André had been all set to book a hotel room, get a nice feeding in—he’d planned to eat, see!—and have some wicked fun before pouring his partner into a taxi. And now here he was, still hungry, hungover from the fucking hawthorn and roofie, and without any sex on the horizon.
When André’s plans went off the rail, they basically jumped tracks altogether and nose-dived off a cliff. Just a little derailing, was that too much to ask for? And now, thanks to some psycho, he’d have to do a whole official thing with the police, too.
There were days André really, truly hated people.
Well, not all people. The man who’d helped him tonight was without a doubt one of the bastions of humanity. André would go find Ian and return the favor if he could. He seriously owed the man. André didn’t even want to think of what would have happened to him if Ian hadn’t been so observant.
Now, which would be easier? Finding his knight in shining armor at the bar or on campus?
Chapter 2
It was just after dawn on Monday morning, as Ian had left his dorm room half an hour early to make his way down and around to the side of the building, where Casper normally liked to lurk. He’d discovered her three weeks ago by the dumpsters, a scrawny thing that gave him a wide berth and darted for the bushes if he got too close. It wasn’t until last Thursday, when he’d dropped off food and water as per usual, that she’d been waiting for him. They’d since developed a bit of a routine, and she’d let him know if he was off. Cats were the rulers of the world, after all, and even a six-month-old kitten knew it. If she hadn’t been so cute, Ian might have been exasperated with her.
He slowly drew out the Ziploc bag of food and a water bottle from his backpack, careful not to spook her as he filled both bowls. But before he could back away and give her space, she slowly, carefully approached where he still knelt beside the bowls. Ian held his breath, willing his muscles to not even twitch, watching as the shy kitty tentatively approached. After what felt like a moment suspended in time, she delicately sniffed his hand. A pause, then she gave his hand a single head boop before focusing entirely on the food.
Oh my god. Finally!
After weeks of skittish sidesteps and hisses, he felt his heart morph into a delighted puddle of goo at her acceptance. Hard-won trust, but well worth the wait.
Ian would dearly love to scoop her up and take her back to his dorm room right now, but despite the giddy emotion coursing through him, he knew he didn’t quite have everything set up for her yet. He had a delivery coming in tomorrow with the litter box, food, cat tree, and bed. Once those were in place, he could bring her back and give her a safer and more comfortable life. They were having mild weather for October, barely dropping down into the fifties at night, so with the box and blanket he’d tucked against the side of the building, she should be okay with one more night outside. He could smell the change in the air, though, and knew a cold front was slowly coming. There was a thunderstorm predicted for Wednesday, so either way, she was going home with him tomorrow.
Thankfully his dorm allowed pets under twenty pounds, which she definitely was. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done otherwise. Read as he was not above smuggling her in and bribing his roommate to stay quiet if needed.
“Just hang in there another day, okay?” he requested as he lightly stroked her head. She was soft, if dirty, the short white fur lightly brushing against his skin. “I can come get you tomorrow.”
Casper purred at him but didn’t lift her head. Eating was a serious business.
Amused, he let her eat, petting her every now and again because she was too cute for him to resist.
Behind him, a warm tenor voice called out, “Ian?”
Turning, he looked up at the hail. Oh. It was André Castor. He hadn’t even heard the man approach. Was that a vampire thing? Being able to walk like a damn ninja?
The man gave him a cheerful smile, all confident grace as he stood there, much like an actor waiting for the camera to showup. He wasn’t showing off; he didn’t need to. Some people just had that kind of beauty to them. He definitely looked better than he had this past weekend, though. Those blue eyes were bright and focused, for one. Interestingly enough, despite being in blue jeans and a simple black T-shirt and light grey cardigan, his clothes still looked perfectly tailored.
Could you even buy tailored jeans? Inquiring minds wanted to know.
Ian left his bag on the ground and stood, looking André over. “Uh, hi. You look fine?”
“I am, thanks to you.” André’s smile deepened, hinting at dimples. “Seriously, thank you. Charges are being pressed against her. I’d thought myself safe with that group, as I was with an old friend, but apparently not.”
“I’m glad I caught her in the act,” Ian answered honestly. “No one deserves what she’d planned. Thanks for coming over to say something.” Although it was a bit odd André knew what dorm he lived in and when to show up. He’d probably just asked around. “I did wonder how you were feeling after the ambulance took you, but figured I’d see you in class or something.”
“Right as rain. I basically slept it off.” André stepped in closer, looking the situation over. “Why, hello. Who’s this bundle of cuteness?”
Oh, he liked cats? Ian’s opinion of him raised a notch. “She’s a stray I found a few weeks ago.”
“Yeah? She’s cute. Shouldn’t you take her to a rescue, though?”
Ian shook his head. “No, I’m taking her in. I’m just waiting on a delivery of things for her. I can take her home with me tomorrow.”
“Well, good. She’s too young to be out here alone for long. Have you named her?”
“Casper,” Ian answered with a smile down at her. “Not just because she’s white, but because she was a freakin’ ghost at first until I won her trust. Took me two and a half weeks before I could see her properly.”
