Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92941 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 465(@200wpm)___ 372(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
“Or what?” I ground out between my teeth.
“The bond is cemented,” he said quietly, leaning further into my space. “There’s no going back. You can make this easy or hard on yourself.”
“I hate you,” I whispered back.
“That’s fine,” he replied, straightening. “You wouldn’t have been my choice either.”
I followed him silently out of his apartment, telling myself that it didn’t feel as if I’d just been slapped. Foster care had taught me a lot of lessons, some good and some bad, but I was grateful for it as I followed him down the stairs, digging my fingernails into my palms to keep my eyes from watering. The tactic worked. By the time we reached the kitchen, I’d gotten my emotions under control again.
“I wasn’t sure if you had any food sensitivities,” Beau’s mom—Mattie—told me as she gestured toward the food on the table. “And it always takes a while for the mating bond to—”
“Mama,” Beau said, cutting her off with a shake of his head.
“What?” I asked, glancing around the table.
“We can talk about it later,” Beau said easily. “This looks great.”
“Not sure why she made my favorite,” Beau’s brother, Chance, said happily. “But I’ll take it.”
“I thought this was Beau’s favorite,” Mattie said, slapping her hands onto her hips.
“Sit down, love,” his dad ordered gruffly, patting Mattie’s hip. “If we need anything else, one of us will get it.”
“I think everything is already here,” she replied with a smile, sliding into her seat. “Open the wine?”
“She always gets our favorites confused,” Beau’s brother, Danny, said quietly, leaning toward me a little. “It never fails.”
“I can also hear you,” Mattie said easily. “And I know this is Beau’s favorite.”
“Is it?” Chance needled.
“So, Reese,” Beau’s dad, Erik, boomed. “What do you do?”
“Uh…” I glanced at Beau, but he wasn’t even looking at me. “I’m a blood tech.”
“No shit?” Danny asked in surprise.
“No shit,” I confirmed, my lips twitching. “If you guys tell me your favorites, I can hook you up.”
The silence at the table was deafening.
I nearly slid to the floor in embarrassment when Erik finally let out a bark of laughter. “I’ve had a lot of offers, but I can easily say that’s a first.”
“I’m sorry,” I breathed, glancing around the table. “Did I just put my foot in my mouth?”
“Hell, no,” Chance said with a huge smile. “I’ll make you a list.”
“I’m not picky,” Danny added. “Just get me the good stuff.”
“I have no idea what the good stuff is,” I confessed.
“O pos,” Danny and Chance both replied at the same time.
“Good to know.” My lips twitched. I looked over at Beau, who was still sitting there silently. “What about you?”
He shook his head.
“What, you don’t have a favorite?” I joked. The fact that he was silent really bothered me. He’d asked me to make an effort with his family. He’d forced me to the table. The least he could do was act like he wanted me there.
“Mates don’t use banks, honey,” Beau’s mom said kindly, passing the bottle of wine down the table to Chance.
“You don’t?”
“Banks are only for those who haven’t found their mates yet,” Erik confirmed.
“But, why—?” My words cut off as the realization hit, and I turned wide-eyed back to Beau. “You’ll only have my blood from now on?”
A stiff nod was all the reply I got.
“But, how is that possible?” I asked in confusion. I knew the amount of blood that we sent out on a daily basis. I knew how much the average Vampire ingested. There was no way, even if we were having sex regularly, that Beau would take that much from me.
“Fuck, Bjorn,” Chance said, his eyebrows high on his forehead. “Have you told her anything?”
“There hasn’t been time,” he replied darkly.
I jerked back in my seat.
“It has been a bit of a whirlwind,” Mattie said sweetly, smiling at me. “We only found out about you this morning.”
I swallowed uncomfortably. Now that I knew that most humans didn’t immediately fall into bed with their mates the way I had, I felt like a fucking idiot.
“A mate’s blood is composed perfectly to meet a Vampire’s needs,” Beau told me, finally turning his head to meet my eyes. “It doesn’t take nearly as much to satisfy.”
“Think of it as quality over quantity,” Daniel added helpfully.
“Oh,” I murmured. I looked over at his brothers. “So, neither of you have mates?”
“Free as a bird,” Chance said as Daniel shook his head.
“None of my brothers are mated,” Beau clarified.
“I’ve got a friend,” I joked with a huff of laughter.
“It doesn’t work that way,” Beau snapped.
“Bjorn,” Erik growled chidingly.
Mattie studied the two of us for a moment before speaking.
“Mates are very hard to find,” she told me softly. “It’s not a matter of meeting someone and falling in love the way humans do. It’s instinctual and instant. There is no choice.”