Page 63 of Vampires of Eden: Oliver
“Ah—please…” Aries falters. I can see it in his eyes. The subtle blush of his pale, dimpled cheeks. “Your grace, I’m honored by the offer. But surely, I can wait until after breakfast—if Benjamin has time in his schedule?”
Lord Blakeley blinks as if he’s startled by Aries’s hesitation. He looks over at Ben and is clearly amused. “Well, do you have time in your schedule?”
“Yes, my lord. Of course.” He bows, then hastily returns to the wall with the rest of our assistants and servants.
“I did not expect you to be shy, Aries.” Lord Blakeley picks up his mimosa glass and brings it toward his mouth. “Are all contemporary vampires so… prudish?”
“We are mindful, my lord.” Aries nods, then picks up his own glass and drinks as if he’s finished with the conversation.
I watch this unfold and a new, unpleasant feeling gnarls and twists in my gut. It makes me lightheaded.
I do not want Aries to feed from Benjamin—not in front of me at this table, nor in private somewhere on the estate. How can… I cannot even imagine him being that close to someone else. To sink his teeth into his flesh and drink of him? Aries should be feeding fromme. I’ve offered myself to him and he refused. Despite the fact that my nature is screaming to give—
“We’re not so conservative, are we, my love?”
My train of thought is broken when Alexander grabs my hand and brings it up toward his mouth. The moment is like a psychedelic tailspin—utter confusion as I slowly witness his fangs elongate. Understanding with a shock of clarity, I snatch my hand away as if he’s on fire.
“What thehellare you doing?” I exclaim, stunned. Has he lost his fucking mind? Yes, we’ve fed from each other in front of servants and assistants our whole lives, but never at a table full of our family members and a guest at a formal meal. Not ever.
When I glance around the table, everyone is looking at me as if I’m in the wrong. History has taught me how this will play out. Immediately, I shake my head, directing my attention toward Lord Blakeley. “I apologize, but please don’t make me do this.Please.”
A long pause stretches over the table. To the point where I can hear myself swallow. My heart thuds heavily in my ears.
Lord Blakeley’s voice is ice cold. “I have not ‘made’ you do anything—”
“Huh.” To my surprise, a scoff pops out of me. It is laced with so much incredulity that my contempt is unmistakable. Lord Blakeley’s eyebrows arch into his forehead as he draws back.
Apparently, I’ve surprised him, too.
“Alexander, we have not raised you to openly feed at a formal gathering. You know better than that,” Lady Victoria Kendrick cuts in from the opposite end of the table. Her demeanor is flippant, but I notice that Alexander sits up a little straighter. “If you wish to feed, take your mate somewhere private, please?”
The phrase “take your mate” hitches in my mind, making me feel sour. I’m not his mate and I have a name.
Without preamble, Alexander stands, loudly shoving his chair back from the table. “Yes, Mother.” He glances down at me, frowning. “Let’s go.” He barks the order and walks toward the doors to leave the breakfast room. Everyone stares, waiting for me to move because there’s no space to disobey him. There will be no discussion about this.
Annoyed, humiliated, I stand and slink behind him. Like an abused pet on an invisible leash.
“Meet us out front in an hour,” Lord Blakeley says icily as I pass. “We’ll be leaving for the tour of Ashbury. Do not be late.”
My face burns from embarrassment. I refuse to look at Aries as I leave, because I physically can’t. This circumstance is too demeaning.
“Did you hear me?” Lord Blakeley says, raising his voice.
I pause but speak without turning to face him. “Yes. I won’t be late.”
When I’m outside of the breakfast room and have shut the double doors, I notice that Alexander is ahead of me, waiting. I step closer, but he flips and walks with purpose down the corridor.
“Where are we going?” I ask, sighing and trailing behind.
“To your bedroom.”
I stop dead in the middle of the hallway. “What? We don’t need to go all the way up there to feed. You can feed here. Outside of the breakfast room is fine. Or in the study next door.”
Alexander turns, striding toward me, and his brown eyes are filled with something like… I don’t know? Hostility? I’ve never seen this expression on him before.
When he’s close, I instinctively step back. But he invades my space, then points past me toward the double doors we just exited. “I amnotgoing back in there with you.”
“Why?” I ask, lifting my palms to create some distance between our bodies. His nose is inches away from mine. “J-just please calm down—”
