Page 28 of Caution

Cassius laughed. “Yes… your friend is a vampire now. And she’s been very careful in the company she’s been keeping because she didn’t want to hurt any of her friends. She’ll be relieved to be back in community with you.”

“After I curse her out.”

“If you must.” He nodded. “And to answer the other question… I’m not sure what’s happening, but your presence has been attracting unwanted attention. I was content to watch, and wait, let your awakening happen naturally. But the leeches started going after you, so I had to intervene. To keep you safe.”

I sighed. “I guess I should thank you?”

“No, it’s my honor to protect you, Ambrosia. And I understand the position it puts you in, being thrust into all this.” He stood, squeezing my shoulder. “Which is why it’s time for me to leave you to your thoughts for the night.”

He didn’t give me a chance to argue.

By the time I could consider it, he was already gone.

And I only had one primary thought hogging all the space in my mind.

What.

The.

Fuck?

Eight

Whereare you?

The response—the brush of his conscience against mine—was immediate and… staggering.

Shit.

I pushed away, breaking the connection.

It felt… foreign and familiar at the same time, to be reaching out to him on purpose, versus what had previously felt like him helming an invasion into my thoughts.

But, I'd been out of the bath for what felt like the longest time, doing exactly what he’d said, thinking.

Thinking that something felt off.

Hey, you're half ancient mystical being and half vampire, and it was written by the first vampires to ever exist that you and I were going to be bonded forever, but you need some time to think about it.

Nigga, what?

No.

It was… a blow off.

Just the excuse he was giving to get me momentarily off his back while he moved onto something else.

Maybe something more important.

Envy flared in my chest at the possibility.

What was more important than me, his bonded mate?

Nothing.

I swallowed my nervousness, swallowed any uncertainty. The new sense of ownership, the entitlement that came with this title he’d bestowed on me… it wouldn’t let me back down.

“Where are you?”I projected the question out of me again, with his face in my mind.

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