A dark shadow passed over Pallas’s face. “Fine, order me a brunette with…” He held out his hands in front of his chest and glared at the girls. “Never mind, have Daedalus order. He knows what I like.” Without a glance his way, Pallas stormed from the room.
“Did I say something wrong?” Clementine put her phone away.
“No, just reminded him he’s in a strange time. He’s used to picking any human he wishes.” For Pallas’s sake, Daedalus should keep him close for a few years. No matter how big of a pain in his ass Pallas was, Daedalus would still mourn his brother’s death if he crossed the wrong lines in this stricter society. “I’ll take care of feeding him.”
“You can’t take responsibility for everything.” Clementine’s frown grew deeper. “Not and do a good job at it. I’ll—” She glanced at Sugar and swallowed hard. “I’ll help Pallas…adjust.”
He gave her a small smile of gratitude. Juggling a cranky Nosferatu and a scorned fiancée would take more finesse than he possessed. “Explain the human laws of feeding. We can’t allow him to think he can kill at will.” It still happened. The urge for fresh blood was difficult to control at times, and humans had no tolerance for murder. It only took a moment to make a huge mistake.
She held up her smartphone. “First, I’ll show him how to make his own orders.” She left to find the hungry Nosferatu.
Vampires did their best to not break human laws because they’d be hunted once more. Humans weren’t guilt free either. Slayers still existed.
Sugar stared at the flooring, toeing a dust bunny. “I don’t want to feed from people. Can’t I just drink from a cup like I have been?”
“We can try.” He didn’t know of any vampire who fed this way, but then again, he didn’t know of any who would want to.
Chapter Sixteen
The idea of bagged blood appealed more to Sugar than takeout brunettes. It shouldn’t surprise her that these types of businesses existed. If there was money to be made, someone would do it. Humans owned all types of restaurants, why not one for vampires? Daedalus hadn’t visited any while he lived among the Vasi, so she hadn’t needed to think about it until tonight.
“You make it sound like surviving on stored blood would be difficult.” The smooth wood of her cane creaked in her tight grip, and she relaxed before it could snap. Her strength was growing by the minute.
With a quiet chuckle, he turned back to his maps. “It is. Some things are better learned through experience.”
“You won’t fight me on trying?” She watched him close his files carefully and place them within an accordion folder. Very old-fashioned.
“No, if you can manage, then you’re a stronger person than I.” He glanced at her without lifting his head. “I’m just happy you’re willing to drink at all.”
She frowned. “I’m not a fool. I know this is my second chance. I’m just not happy about the way it happened though.” Judging a book by its cover could lead a reader astray, and they could lose the opportunity to find their next favorite story. She would not make the same mistake with the gift she’d been given. She hadn’t asked for eternal life, yet it had been bestowed upon her. The question remained, what would she do with it?
He raised an eyebrow. “Would you have eventually accepted my offer?”
She pressed her lips together and resisted the urge to bop him in the forehead. How did he expect her to answer? “We’ll never know.” She pointed at the files. “What were you searching for?”
“Names. I use them to help me focus my mind as I call out to my people to return.” The ease in which he spoke of such power softened the metal in her spine. He could have used his abilities to change her mind months ago, yet he hadn’t. Being his Prima would take courage that she wasn’t certain she owned. He could break her with his power.
He sat on the edge of the table and held out his arms.
Automatically, she stepped within them. Part of her wanted to shove the stake in her cane in her own chest for craving his comfort, the other part to slide her hands under his shirt and caress the hard edges of his stomach.
His hands settled on her stiff back. “Would hitting me some more make you feel better?”
“No.” She dropped her forehead against his chest and closed her eyes. Striking him hadn’t made a difference so far.
He rested his chin on top of her head. “Would hitting Pallas make you feel better?”
She laughed. He could always find a way to ease some of her heartache. Even when he was the cause of it. In the hospital, a year ago, she’d lain in bed after the doctors explained why she couldn’t move her left side anymore. She’d wanted the universe to swallow her whole, yet he had stayed by her side trying to find small ways to make her smile again, and in return, she’d inflicted pain on him by refusing to openly show her love. “Maybe, but let’s wait until he’s healed so he can have a fighting chance.”
He twirled one of her long curls around his finger until it grew so tight she had to tilt her head back because of the pain. “I love watching you walk.” With a sharp fingernail, he traced a line along her throat. “I’m sorry for not following your wishes, but don’t ask me to apologize for wanting you at my side. Not after what we just shared.” Bending forward, he replaced his fingertips with his fangs.
Her eyelids fluttered shut at the pressure, but he didn’t break skin. “Can you still feed from me?” It had been a pleasure she’d quit indulging in after the attack.
He growled low and deep in his chest. The vibration traveled over her hands. “Yes, but not for nourishment.”
“Who will you feed from now that the Vasi are gone?”
Running his tongue over her skin, he sighed. “Blood in a bag.”
She pressed her hands against his chest so she could look him in the eye. “You don’t like it though.”
“No.”
Gnawing on her bottom lip, she allowed her gaze to wander away from his. She was hurting him again. Not intentionally, but her ideas of right didn’t fit in a vampire’s life. More than her body would have to change. Clementine had gone through this yet still remained one of the gentlest people Sugar knew, and she also admitted to using the feeding service.
Sugar cleared her throat. “Maybe you should order someone.”
The muscles under her hands tensed. “Really?” He tapped his chin. “I wonder if that redhead I liked is still in the business.”
She punched him in the stomach before the action registered in her mind. “Oh shit.”
“You’re getting stronger already.” He grunted between words. “Caught me off-guard too.” Hooking his arm around her neck, he pulled her closer. “I was just teasing. I like them blonde.”
Hunger burned in Daedalus’s gut now that Sugar had dangled the option of fresh food in front of him. He hated the idea of blood in a bag. Vampire couples could experience a great deal of pleasure sharing a meal. He’d witnessed shifters and humans alike enjoying their food with as much passion as a vampire. Restaurants lined streets in every city, people paid extravagant prices for exotic dishes, and they even had whole television networks on cooking. The only difference was vampires considered blood their food. Some of his people had a more refined palate, some ate only organic, and others, like Pallas, had a taste for…junk food.
“You’re still teasing me. I’m trying to be serious.” Sugar rubbed the spot she’d punched. It didn’t really hurt but he enjoyed the attention. If only he could get her to rub lower. “Stop it.”
“What?”
“You’re thinking about your cock again.”
“I wish you’d think about it more.” He set her hand on his shaft and showed her how to stroke it.