• 𝓜𝓪𝓮 •

I followed behind Kite silently, but I kept my head up and my eyes trained ahead. I knew better than to show any sort of weakness to other vampires. Eyes down? Submissive and shy. I was neither, and I didn't need to have people assuming I was. Especially the leeches.

Kite led me to an office space and motioned for me to sit down before he went behind the oversized desk.

I didn't sit. "You expect me to sit here and stare at the wall while you work?"

He typed something on his laptop, not even bothering to look at me as he spoke. "No. Noah and Luca will come and get you to take you to breakfast. I have things I need to do, and I don't trust you enough to leave you alone."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Yes, because I was going to escape again so soon, with it so bright out, when everyone and their mother probably knew I was dragged back into this shit hole.

I chewed the inside of my cheek and turned my gaze away from him. It wasn't like he was paying me any attention anyway. He probably didn't even realize I was glaring at him, hoping that stakes would shoot from my eyes and dig into his chest.

But once again, Titus would have my head quicker than I could utter a half-assed apology. Contrary to everyone's belief, I didn't have a death wish.

Noah and Luca came into the room about ten minutes later. Noah spotted me first, smiling cautiously. Then there was Luca, who gave me an easy grin as he plopped down across from me, resting his feet on the table.

"That's unsanitary," I muttered.

"Thank you!" Kite's voice made me flinch. When I looked to see what the hell was wrong, he was staring at me like I was the smartest human being on the planet. "I've been trying to tell him that for months."

Luca didn't move his feet from the table, instead eyeing both Kite and I carefully.

My lips pulled down into a frown. "It's your office, why don't you just, oh I don't know...tell him to put his feet down?"

"He doesn't listen," Kite said.

I looked at Luca. "Take your feet off the table. It's disgusting."

He bit his lip, unsuccessfully hiding the amused twitch of his lips as he lowered his feet to the ground. He licked his lips, glancing at Kite from the corner of his eye, his fang still biting down ever so slightly as he tried to keep the smile from coming.

"Are you shitting me," Kite asked, flabbergasted.

I almost laughed. Almost.

Noah sat down in the chair next to mine. "Are you hungry?"

Turning away from the angry glare Kite was giving Luca, and the grin Luca refused to hide anymore, I looked at Noah. He looked guarded, like he was afraid of saying the wrong thing. I didn't like that he was looking at me like that.

"I am." I needed to talk to him, away from Luca and Kite.

He tilted his head, like he was listening to something, before his eyes flicked to Luca, then back to me. "You and I can go down and get you something to eat, then Luca will join us so we can go to the marketplace in town."

Why? So they could parade me around and show everyone that there was no escape? That if they wanted it badly enough, they'd find you and drag you back?

I pinched my lips together to keep from automatically saying it. Because if that were the case, Kite would have been the one taking me into town, not Luca and Noah.

I blew out a breath, trying to control the anger. It was getting harder the older I got and the longer I held it in. One of my first foster parents told me that I needed to find an outlet to express my anger that wasn't damaging to their house. I told them to shove it up their ass, and a week later I was being shipped off somewhere else.

Maybe their words had some merit. I just didn't know what to take my anger out on.

"Come on," Noah said, standing. "I'll have the cooks make you some scrambled eggs and pancakes."

I stood too. "Why are there cooks?"

"We eat too," Luca said. "Not totally necessary and holds no nutritional value for us, but some of us like to have something besides the taste of blood on our tongues all day."

I hummed. I guess that made sense.

He opened his mouth to say something else, but a look from Noah had him closing it again, smirking.

I grabbed Noah's hand and pulled him towards the door. The shock was evident in the way his hand spasmed in mine. I pretended like I didn't notice as I continued forward.

When we were out in the hall, I let my hand drop away from his. His eyebrows were furrowed as he took me in.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I shouldn't have said half the things I did. You didn't ask to be killed. I just...I've had issues with vampires. My first reaction..."

"I get it," he said, smiling gently. "It's okay. If it makes you feel any better, I won't bite you. We can pretend I was never changed. I'll eat with you, and when I need blood, I'll get it when you're not around."

Actually, it didn't make me feel any better.

"I don't want you to pretend you're something you're not." I rubbed my hands on my thighs anxiously, looking anywhere but at his face. "And if...well, once I get used to it..."

I felt his stare on me.

I was trying so damn hard not to look like an idiot. "When I get used to the idea, if you need blood..."

"Are you offering your blood to me," he asked, his voice quiet.

I finally looked at him, and I wished I hadn't. Before, when Kite bit me, I could play off his reaction by saying it was the equivalent of watching two people have sex. It would turn certain people on. I knew how I felt when I was being bitten, and I knew I couldn't fully hide how it made me feel. But now?

I'd never seen that look on Noah's face. Sure, there were times I questioned whether he liked me in return, but the idea was always fleeting because why would he ever like me like that? We'd been friends too long to risk it, no matter how badly I wanted to at the time.

I was holding my breath, staring at him.

He took a step towards me, and when I didn't step back, he moved closer. When he lowered his head, his breath tickling the tiny hairs on my neck, I clenched my eyes shut.

"You call the shots there, Mae." His voice was rough. "But I'll take it only if you're offering."

I finally let out the breath I was holding as he pulled away and began leading me to the kitchen.