Page 47 of Vampires of Eden: Oliver
“I was dismissed. Is something wrong?”
“Not at all. She asked that I leave your suit in your closet when it was ready for you to try on again. There’s still some detailed fitting to be done, but… I didn’t expect you to be here.”
I step back, opening the door wider. “Sorry. You can come in. It’s fine.”
He raises an eyebrow as he moves past me. “There’s that word again.”
“Ah, right.” Lifting my hand, I rub it into my still damp hair. It suddenly occurs to me that I’m only wearing a bath robe.
Initially, there’s a flash of panic, but then… my feelings mix and blur. Worry, messily tangled with heat, wanting and arousal. I’m naked underneath this singular swath of material. Just one layer between my flesh and his body. Easy access.
“Did the evening end early?” Aries asks, unaware of my horny state as he walks into my closet with a garment bag draped over his arm. “You said that you were dismissed?”
“No, it didn’t end early. I was dismissed as in scorned. Rejected. My presence was no longer required.”
His head pokes through the doorframe. “That doesn’t sound positive. Is everything alright?”
“It’s fine.” I take a deep breath. I’m not going to dump my problems into his lap. Having him in here right now is more than I could have asked for.
Aries steps out of my closet after hanging the garment. “It doesn’t seem fine. Would you like to talk about it?”
It would be nice to talk to him, but I shouldn’t. It’s not fair that he has to keep dealing with my issues and—
“Oliver.” His voice is soft as he reaches out his hand. “You can always talk to me, and I will listen. I mean it.”
Sighing, I step forward and take his hand. It’s warm and sends tingles straight up my arm, dispersing all throughout my body. We walk over to the large ottoman at the end of my bed and sit together.
When we’re comfortable, he turns to me. “Tell me what happened?”
“The Duke of Ealing brought up the photos I posted on social media. But he was being an asshole and insulting me. I didn’t stay quiet, so I was reprimanded.”
“You spoke up for yourself,” Aries says. “Excellent. Good for you.”
“Yes, but…” I slide my hand from within his, because sitting here with our palms clasped is doing questionable things to my nature and cock. I cross my leg at the knee and look up at the ceiling. “It would be nice if someone in my family spoke up forme. If the viscount or Lord Blakeley spoke in my defense, just once. It’s like… no one cares. I’m in this room full of vampires who are supposed to be my clan. My allies. But nobody cares about me or my well-being—what I think or what I’m capable of.
“I care about them, though. Part of me wants to please them. I want their approval, even though Ineverget it. I’m just a tool and it’s such an empty existence, Aries. What’s the point?”
Aries takes hold of my hand again, threading our fingers together against his thigh.
“Your existence is not empty, because you are a complete, clever and striking vampire with much more to offer than you even realize. It’s difficult now, but you don’t know what will happen later. And… you’re wrong.”
I meet his gaze, confused. “About?”
“That no one cares. I care. Your sister cares, because she smuggles the necessary resources to support your hobby. You may not want to hear this, but I think Alexander cares, too.”
I scoff, shaking my head. “Oh, he does not.”
“He does. He’s young, arrogant, and makes poor choices, but he watches you, intently, when he thinks you’re not looking. He pays close attention. I know, because, well… I am guilty of the same behavior—sneaking glances at you and noticing your temperament. Wondering what you’re thinking. You are a magnetic and complex vampire, Oliver. Please don’t let the present circumstance weigh you down. It’s stifling now, but later, things might change. They did for me.”
Aries raises our entwined hands and kisses my knuckles. My nature bubbles like lava in my groin, and slowly, the heat of it crawls upward. They haven’t alighted yet, but the sensation flashes behind my eyes like a warning. “May I tell you something?”
His dark eyes flicker up as his mouth hovers just above my knuckles. “Yes, darling?”
I take a breath and the words pour out. “You are the first vampire aside from Sasha to accept me—to sincerely listen and converse with me, candidly. The way you’ve appeared in my life, you’re like an angel. Thank you.”
He smiles, then presses another soft kiss to the top of my hand. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m only returning the kindness and openness that you’ve shown me.”
“Even still, you definitely don’t have to, especially since… well, I’m making things complicated for you.”
