Page 9 of Hot Blooded
“Yes, dear.” Her voice is soothing, soft, but I feel anything but comforted. Mrs. Potts tucks her gray hair efficiently behind one ear and watches me with kind blue eyes, but I’m not deterred.
“Which means he drinks human blood.” My tone is unamused, serious.
Mrs. Potts only nods, like I’ve asked if he takes oatmeal for breakfast, or some other benign question that doesn’t even bear answering.
She folds her hands in her lap and meets my eyes again. “You’ll get used to it around here. And I think before long, you’llfind this is quite like any other working environment you’ve been in.”
Oh sure, yes. A blood-thirsty vampire lurking around dark corners. It’s exactly the same as being a children’s librarian in Cincinnati. What the hell kind of place is this? No amount of intervention from her is going to make me believe any of this is normal.
Determined, I head to the closet to begin packing my things. Mrs. Potts is hot on my trail. She’s quite spritely for an older lady.
“I can’t stay here,” I inform her. “It’s just…” Never going to work. It’s too absurd. I don’t trust the things I feel when I’m near him. Tonight, at dinner… No. I can’t even let myselfthinkthe things I was feeling tonight at dinner.
No.
She places her hand gently on my shoulder. “I have worked for Reign for eight years. Three years in Montreal. A year in Paris, because he needed a change of scenery and has a lovely apartment there. And now four years here. He has never, not even once…”
“Bitten you?” I supply.
“Never,” she confirms. “You’re safe here. I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”
I’m not so sure. I know this sounds crazy and inexplicable, but I could feel Reign’s desire for me. I could feel my blood pumping quicker for him, heating and… I shake my head. No, it’s too insane to even consider.
“Still, I just can’t. This isn’t…”
Her hand on my shoulder gives a light squeeze before falling away. “The decision is yours, of course. But, please, stay until the end of the week. It’s just three more days.”
I consider it. I can flee, but go where? If I leave, I’ll have no job, and no place to live. I can’t go back home. My mother won’t allow it. That door closed when I was sixteen. Which is not something I even care to think about right now. Not when I’m dealing with all ofthis.
For reasons even I don’t understand, I nod my head.
I guess her warm smile wore me down. Well, that and the fact that she is still alive after eight years of working for Reign Tryst. That has to count for something, right?
“Okay,” I hear myself say. “Just until the end of the week.”
Somehow the thought of seeing Reign again over the next few days is enough to quiet the discomfort in my brain. Because, even though it makes me shiver with uncertainty, and even though there’s a hint of danger quietly lurking beneath the surface of all of our interactions, part of me isn’t quite ready to go.
Chapter 6
Reign
“Well, fancy seeing you here again,” Josephine Baker, owner of Baker’s Bloods greets me at the door.
I give her my best relaxed smile, pushing down my inner nerves. “How can I stay away when you offer such fine, fresh, goods?”
Josephine laughs and waves me through the door.
While Alastair may get off on dining in unlicensed dives, I much prefer the more legal route of a member club for my nutritional needs. Baker’s is the most expensive and reputable, even though I have to drive a few hours to reach it.
The trip here wasn’t planned, but neither was my insatiable appetite for the new human Mrs. Potts saw fit to hire. Having fed, I’ll feel much more in control now and able to face her. At least, I’m hopeful that will be the case.
I find my way back to a private room. It’s dark, as usual, with low lighting, a few unscented candles, and black walls. I feel relaxed here. Like I can take a breath for the first time in days.
There’s a light knock at the door and I call back for them to enter.
“If it isn’t my favorite customer.” Carly smiles.
“You say that to everyone,” I tease her. Carly is a nice woman with fairly delicious-tasting blood. She’s fully licensed by the state to provide a certain amount of fresh, direct from the vein blood each week. Just enough that she doesn’t becomeunhealthy. It’s a service I greatly appreciate, although I pay well for the privilege too.
