Page 47 of Blood Bond

I frown, puzzled. That isn’t how I heard it all worked, but then what do I know? I’m so out of touch with everything. "I thought you were either a shifter or not,” i say anyway, even if it sounds stupid.

"So they say, but it turns out there's a middle ground, and that's me." He pauses.

"Do you shift?"

“Never?”

He shakes his head. "No. I can sense the animal inside me, but I've never managed the transition. Would be cool, though, to transform and roam free." He shuffles to lean over the table and scoops some stew into his mouth. "This is good, not as great as mine, of course." He meets my gaze. "How about you? How are you coping?"

I wrap my arms around myself. "I’m okay."

"It's all pretty crazy, right?"

"Very crazy."

"Tasha mentioned you were a blood slave?" His gentle smile softens the question, but I’m sure I wince at the words. That question was always loaded with something else. "I'm just asking. We all have roles in this world the creatures have crafted."

"You don't have a liking for vampires?" I ask.

"Not particularly," Theo admits.

I frown again. I’m sure by now there is a perpetual crease in my forehead. "But you work for Seth."

He chuckles. "Ah, well, he's the exception, isn't he?"

I observe Theo for a moment as he eats. "Why?" I'm curious about his reasons.

He tears off a piece of bread, lathering it with butter. "Elena always skimps on this, says I'm getting too fat." He pats his belly. "Does this look too fat to you? Never mind, don't answer that. Anyway, Seth …” Another pause, and this time he watches me. “Let me turn the question around. Does he act like any vampire you've ever known?"

I bite my lip, shaking my head. "Everything about him is different."

"Isn’t it?."

"But why is that?"

"Aye, lass, that's not for me to say," he responds, then motions for me to sit. I do, finding comfort in Theo's easy-going nature. Elena is more guarded, Tasha is ... complicated, and then there's Layla. I've been trying to avoid her, afraid of setting her off again. It’s on Theo’s mind too, because he says, "Tell me about what you saw in the kitchen with Layla."

I shift uncomfortably. It feels unreal to me and even stranger to explain it. "You mean, when Seth turned her?"

"Yes. You saw the moment?"

I nod. "I don't know why, but I saw ..." I saw things I don’t understand. But, despite that, I explain the vision to him, and he probes for every detail, picturing it in his mind.

When I finish, Theo falls silent for a long moment. "Have you had this happen before?"

"With the thirsty," I begin. "Yes. Two times and I ..." He raises his eyebrows, encouraging me to continue, "And with Seth?—"

But at that moment, the door opens, and I stop talking. It's Seth.

Seth enters the room with an effortless ease, his gaze immediately finding mine. A subtle smile graces his lips, causing my heart to flutter. His presence seems to fill the space, drawing my attention so completely that everything else momentarily fades into the background. He drops a bag beside Theo's bed. "Managed to get some of what you wanted from the hospital's desk, but it was locked up and darkness isn’t on our side. We'll go back tomorrow for the rest. How are you holding up?"

I take this as my cue to leave. "I should head to bed," I say, feeling the weight of Seth's eyes on me as I stand up.

His gaze lingers on me as I move, a tangible force that seems to draw me towards him. My heart pounds, a rapid drumbeat in my chest, as I try to maintain my composure under his intense scrutiny. His very presence stirs something deep within me, awakening sensations I struggle to understand.

I nod to Theo, then glance back at Seth before exiting the room, his gaze still following me.

Stepping into the dim hallway, I'm engulfed by a flood of emotions. The memory of Seth's gaze, so full of intensity and unspoken desire, lingers on my skin, igniting a warmth that spreads through my body. The hallway's quietness contrasts starkly with the turmoil inside me.

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