Page 80 of Vampires of Eden: Oliver
He frowns, looking insulted. “And what good would that do? What could I possibly achieve by pushing you even further away than I apparently already have?”
Well, that’s shockingly self-aware. “Fair point, I guess…” As I watch him, my incisors pulse in a subtle reminder. I sigh. “Since you’re feeling generous, may I feed, please?”
He looks up, blinking his golden-brown irises in innocent bewilderment. “We’re not due until Friday.”
“Yeah, but I’d like to do it now, if that’s okay? We don’t always have to abide by the strict rules laid out for us, right?”
Alexander shifts to his knees. I’m confused, watching as he crawls the short distance between us, then kneels in front of me. He sets his palms against the ottoman on either side of my hips. “Your wish is my command.”
“Since when?” I frown. “You’re being weird.”
“I’ll allow you to feed early if you feed from my neck instead of my hand.”
“Is this how the next five days are going to be?” I ask. “If you do this, then I’ll do that? Petty deals? Tit for tat?”
“No. I would just like it if you fed the right way for once. You can have my hand if you really don’t want to… God, Ollie.”
The problem with feeding from his neck is that I have to fix the inside of my head. If I’m thinking that he’s an annoying and arrogant jerk that gets everything he wants (like usual), all of that will pour right into him. I’m not a huge fan of Alexander, but I don’t want to make him suffer. Well, not any more than I probably already have.
Rolling my shoulders, I take a deep breath. “Just give me a second.” I try to let go of the animosity while searching for a reason to make my thoughts more pleasant. Kinder. After a few more breaths, I’m ready. “Alright.”
Alexander sags his robe from his shoulders, then unbuttons and spreads his pajama collar until his neck is exposed to me. He lifts his chin in offering. Placing my hands on his shoulders, I lean down and gently bite into his flesh.
He tenses initially, as if preparing himself for some malign influx of energy. But as I feed, his frame relaxes under my palms. I think about the fact that he’s accepted my truth fairly quickly. Easily. And that he’s willing to nourish me despite the circumstance. I am grateful for these things, so I let it pour into him.
When I’m done, I lick the wound clean. I feel better. Less depleted but not totally satisfied. Letting my aura fan out with Aries’s scent all around me and his finger inside of me… something in my hunger shifted. Desperately, I’m craving a decadent treat—a rich piece of double chocolate cake. Instead, I’ve had to settle for an apple. Nourishing, sweet, but it doesn’t quite hit the spot.
Alexander’s eyes are closed as I look down at him. “Are you alright?” I ask. I tried to make it nice, but I’m not sure how it felt on his end.
He opens his eyes and they’re glowing golden. “Yeah,” he says, sighing. He bends, resting his forehead against my exposed knee.
“Alexander?” I tense when I feel his lips brush and kiss my skin. I almost push him away, but he lifts his arms, cradling my hips as he turns his head and rests so that his ear and cheek are pressed against my thigh. His fists grip the material of my robe.
“Just five days, Ollie,” he says quietly, closing his glowing eyes. “Give me five days to let you go, alright?Please?”
I swallow hard, but relax my body. I keep still and don’t shove him.
“Okay. Five days.”
ChapterTwenty-Three
Comparing my family’s estate to Alexander’s is like comparing a heavily draped horse-drawn carriage to a Lamborghini.
The contrast is bizarre. It always has been.
The Kendrick estate is composed of speckled, sandy-colored brick and clean lines. Glass windows, recess lighting and polished natural surfaces. It stands in jarring contrast to what I’m accustomed to—ancient tapestries, high, echoing cathedral-like towers and stone walls. Hard edges, cold rooms and dreary, dank corners.
Alexander’s home estate, while luxuriant in its design, feels more alive, somehow?
Secretly, I’ve always liked visiting this house. I’ve been here many times through the years for routine social visits and various celebratory or political events. This will be the first time I’ve stayed for a whole week. Central Eden is only two hours away from our estate, so we typically go back home after our scheduled engagement.
We arrive early in the day, which gives us time before lunch is served in the dining room. In the foyer, after our parents wander ahead of us and are out of ear shot, Alexander turns to me, smirking. “We could follow them to the drawing room, but… with you being such a nerd, you’d probably rather sit in the library until lunch is ready?”
“Yes,” I confirm, sensing his jest. “And since you’re averse to ‘nerdy’ things like books and knowledge, I’m assuming I’ll be alone, which is a plus.”
Alexander chuckles. “Sorry, but you won’t be. I’ll take my chances today and join you. I won’t touch anything, though. Some of that gross knowledge might get on me.”
“God forbid.” I sneer. He laughs, taking my comment in stride as we walk down the hallway.
