As hard as I tried, I couldn't fall asleep. Anger was still coursing through my body. I could not believe that idiot girl ran from me. Was freezing in the middle of the forest really better than spending a week with me? I sighed. Maybe she wasn't thinking of me. After what Jared and Tanner did to her that night I guess I shouldn't blame her. Still. We had just talked about trust. Plus, running away wasn't something the McClain's would tolerate. I should have been harder on her, chained her up, treated her how I'm supposed to treat her.

Now I knew better. I wondered if she would survive the night. My rage got to me and I gave her a hell of a beating. She lost a lot of blood. I glanced down at my knuckles, reminiscing the sweet taste of her. Something was special about her blood. It tasted different.

The sun began to shine through the blinds at the front of the cabin. Soon, the beams of light would illuminate the entire first floor as well as the second. I laid in the master bedroom staring at the ceiling. Do I tell my father what happened? I hate seeing humans die, and I know that's what he'll do if I tell him she ran. I sighed. I'll wait a few days to see if she recovers. Then I'll decide.

My head snapped toward the door. Someone was in my house. I threw open the door and sped down the main staircase to the first floor. The sounds were coming from the kitchen. On edge, my fangs elongated. Who the hell would dare enter a McClain vampire's cabin? I tip-toed into the kitchen, ready to pounce on anything that moved and rip it to shreds.

My eyes widened in shock. It was Jessica. She was awake and moving.

She had started to make pancakes and bacon. Now she went between checking the stove and cleaning up the dishes she used. How was she up and walking around? Nearly all her blood had spilled out onto the floor last night. It takes a human at least a few days to regenerate blood. Unless....there was no way. Purebloods have been extinct for decades. Right?. There was only one way to be sure.

I closed my eyes and focused on her.

'I hope he likes human food. Otherwise, this would all be for nothing. God, that smells amazing. I know I don't deserve any, but I'm starving.'

The sound of her in my head almost knocked me off my feet. I wasn't dreaming, was I?

Not leaving anything to chance, I grasped my bicep hard enough to draw blood. I wasn't dreaming, it had worked. I could hear her thoughts from ingesting her blood last night. She had to be the world's last living Pureblood.

I waited until she was done cooking and then cleared my throat. Up until then, she paced around the sink and stove, completely oblivious to my presence. She jumped and spun around.

Before I could open my mouth she ran to me and bowed at my feet. Her forehead brushed against my toes. 'Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me.' She repeated pleads in her mind.

For a second, I was speechless. I was still trying to grasp what she was. I had never met a PureBlood. Only about ten percent of the vampire population has. Yet, there was one kneeling at my feet. "What, uh, what are you doing?" I asked. I couldn't let her know I can read her thoughts. I needed to act naturally.

"I-i made you breakfast, sir. I didn't know if you ate human food... Tanner does, so I thought maybe you do too." She paused and took a deep breath. 'Here goes everything.' "What I did last night was the dumbest thing I've ever done. You were nice to me even though you didn't need to be and I repaid you by running. I'm so so sorry, Master. I learned my lesson. It won't ever, ever happen again. I swear on my life." The entire time she kept her head down to the ground.

Jess's heart was almost beating out of her chest. I ran my hand through my messy hair. Who was this girl? That was the sincerest apology I've gotten in all my 210 years of living.

I reached down and grabbed her by the arm. She didn't deserve to be at my feet. Not after a gesture like that. My touch made her flinch. I lifted her to her feet, but she still would not look up from the floor.

'He's going to kill me. I just know it. Hell, I don't blame him. I'd kill me too. God damn it, Jess, why were you so stupid!' She was actively yelling at herself. As if I hadn't beat her up enough last night.

"Hey. Look at me Jess," I murmured. Her whole body vibrated when she brought her head up to look at me. Those soft blue eyes were bloodshot and irritated. She had been crying all night and subsequently, had not slept either. Her once bright blonde hair matched her bloody, disheveled tank top. The poor girl was an absolute mess. "I forgive you, okay? You clearly learned your lesson. I respect that you came to me instead of making me come to you. You're okay."

She nodded swiftly and bowed her head again, "thank you, sir." 'Thank god he forgives me! But wait, that doesn't sound like him. Tanner told me he was an awful, ruthless, monster. Was this just all a sick joke? What if everything I did just now made things worse? Fuck, is he going to beat me again?'

Ugh, Tanner. That asshole. No wonder why she's terrified. Losing my temper like I did only proved him right. It's okay. Now that the air was clear between us she will behave and I will be nice. She'll see. Tanner's the real monster.

I pointed to the plate she had made for me and put on the bar. "Go sit, I'll be right there."

Her stomach growled loudly. 'Am-am I going to get to eat? Wait, stop. Don't get your hopes up, Jess. The last time a vampire offered you food you ended up gagged and yelled at.'

Jessica hopped up onto the barstool without arguing and began to fidget with her hair. She tried to smooth it out to look presentable, but it was too caked with blood to move much. I made another plate, poured two glasses full of orange juice, and went to sit down next to her.

"When was the last time you had food?" I asked while taking a bite of a pancake. I've gotta say, the girl was a great cook. The pancake had the slightest hint of vanilla and melted in my mouth.

"Before Tanner took me from the boarding house, sir," Jess answered. 'Maybe if I beg him he will let me try a piece. Was I really willing to do that? I bet he'd like it. Lord knows I need to be on his good side. I doubt I could take another beating. I wonder if he remembers that he broke my rib? Can he hear my wheezing? I always thought that if I got purchased, I would rebel. I thought wouldn't allow myself to bow down to the very creatures that enslaved humankind. But here I am, willing to grovel for a single piece of bacon.'

I watched her out of the corner of my eye, trying to not seem obvious that I was listening to her thoughts. She inched her hand up and wiped tears from her eyes. It was like she was afraid to make any sudden movements. I may be an apex predator, but I wasn't going to attack on sight. Fucking Tanner.

"That plate in front of you is yours, you know. Eat as much as you'd like. It's divine." I shot a genuine smile her way in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Jessica glanced over at me with widening eyes. "R-really? I-i can eat any of this?"

"Of course. I'd hate to see quality food like this go to waste. Take your time too. We don't have all that much to do today anyway." I finished my plate and set it in the industrial-sized sink. She watched me carefully as she took a small bite.

'Oh my god, this does taste amazing! I'm so fucking hungry. I should probably be worried about why he's being so kind, but right now I don't care.'

I sat back down and watched her scarf down her first meal in three days, fighting back a smile. It warmed a special place in my heart to see a human treated fairly. It was ten times more satisfying when I knew I could do it better than my dip-shit brother.

After she had cleaned her plate she stood and faced me. When was the last time she was able to eat that much without fear of repercussions? Too long, I'm sure "T-thank you, sir. Thank you so much for letting me eat. I know I didn't deserve it. I'm so-"

I held my hand up and she froze mid-sentence. Wow, that boarding school didn't mess around with discipline. She was good.

'Did I mess up? Was he angry again? Why did he stop me?' She stared down, questions swirled around in her mind.

I grabbed ahold of her chin and made her watering eyes meet mine. "Call me Finn. We both know your manners are more than adequate so there's no need to practice them when we are here alone. Also, you already said sorry and I accepted it. You don't need to keep repeating it, hun."

"As you wish," she whispered back. I let go of her chin, and she immediately began to walk away from me. There was no way she'd be stupid enough to run again, right?

I sped in front of her and stopped her in her tracks. "Where are you going?" She began to step backward, creating distance.

"I-i was just going to do the dishes, sir. I uh, I mean Finn." 'Fuck, Jess! Can't you do anything right?' Jess took one step too far back and her foot got caught in the bar stool. She tried to steady herself, but that only made the stool topple to the floor, sending her going down with it.

She's terrified of me. I didn't know whether to be proud or sad. Father paid me to make her fear the McClain name and to obey it. It was the start of day two and I had already done that. I could do more. Except stripping humans of their entire personality was something I didn't support. Ego death was immoral and unnecessary to me, but I could bring her to it.

At the same time though, my brother talked shit about her to me. He lied to her about who I was and that made me furious. I wanted to show her I was better than him.

I swept her off her feet and walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. "You don't need to do the dishes, dear. I have maids for that." I set her down inside the master bathroom. I could no longer hear her thoughts. The tiny amount of blood I had licked off of my knuckles last night had worn off.

"I-isn't that what I am, though? I thought my purpose was to clean, cook and provide blood."

As she spoke I watched her gawk at the shower for two that took up the entire back wall of the bathroom. It contained two shower heads, one on each side, and even had a bench in the middle. The floor of the shower was a cool pebble stone and that matched the walls of the shower. I knew she would like it.

"To be honest, I'm not sure what you are to my brother. My father told me that I was to help you understand how to act in a public setting. I need to make sure you are a good fit for the family. That's what I'm going to focus on." I slipped off my white t-shirt and jeans, tossing them in the wicker basket to the side of me. Her back was still to me.

I contemplated if I should let her shower by herself or not. I wanted her to feel comfortable, but at the same time, I wanted to assert my dominance. As much as I wanted to show her how different I was from Tanner and Jared, I needed to treat her as if she was my servant. "Undress while I start the shower," I ordered.

Her heartbeat jumped up. Damn, I wish I could hear her thoughts right now. "I-i'm showering?" She turned to see me wearing my boxers and put two and two together. "Oh. We're showering."