Page 18 of Shift in the Blood
“There is nothing I want in return for helping you break your ties with your employer. Anything we decide beyond that will be something that is agreed upon, and mutually desired.” His voice, the one with the smooth silk, caressed the last word like it was a cat in his lap.
That thought brought visuals to mind that I didn’t want to see.
Well. Not yet. Maybe later. When I was alone.
“Be that as it may.” I tried to use the formality to bring order to myself. “I have decided I’d like to accept your offer of patronage.”
“Are you sure?”
Nodding, I took a step closer to him. Good and bad, because I could smell him then, and his cool scent that reminded me of lakes and nighttime and moonlight nearly felled me.
How in the name of mother of Pearl did he smell so damn good?
Why did it feel like we were flirting?
Why didn’t I want it to end?
There were answers to these questions, but I’d have to mull them over at a later point. Right now, I needed to secure my future.
“I’m sure. How long does this last, this patronage thing?”
“As long as we both wish it to.”
“What do you expect of me?”
His shoulders went up in a slight shrug. “In wishing to be truthful, I must tell you that I’ve never offered anyone patronage. I’ve never felt the inclination. My understanding is that you can do what you want, or what we agree. It’s a fairly flexible relationship. It’s what we decide it is.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. This is a path we’ll decide together.”
Oh, lord. The way his lips curled around the word ‘together’ had my brain considering all sorts of scenarios that had nothing to do with patronage.
Unless patronage involved nakedness, long sweaty nights… I stopped myself.
This would be more difficult than I thought.
Business. Professional. Business. Professional. Carina. Keep Carina safe. “Okay then. What next?”
“Do you formally accept my offer of patronage?” Didier stood, his hands folded atop one another, right over left.
“I do.” This felt very formal. Like a pledge.
“Then you need to wear the necklace I gave you earlier. That’s very important. You must keep it on to let other vampires know we… have a tie.”
That wasn’t what he was going to say. I wondered what his words would have been had he not stopped himself.
“Okay.” I took the two steps to the bedside table where I’d left the necklace. “What do you call this? This symbol?”
“An Ouroboros.”
“It’s both beautiful and creepy.”
Didier’s face was startled, and then moved to laughter. “Why creepy?”
“Because the snakes are eating each other. Not a real healthy symbol.” I could feel the heat rush from my belly to my neck to my face in about a nanosecond. God. I was like a clumsy teenager. Please don’t let him notice how attracted I am to him. Please.
“Really? I see two beings who do not exist on their own. Where one begins, the other ends. This would not work without the both of them.”
