Page 10 of The Vampire's Receptionist
Dorian considered it carefully, and Kian couldn’t help himself from checking the man out as he did. He looked better than he had that morning, now that he’d eaten a little. The bags under his dark brown eyes weren’t as intense, and he no longer looked like he needed to find the nearest bed and pass out. His cheeks had a little more color to them, and now that Kian wasn’t looking at the major signs of sleep deprivation, he could see how handsome he was. Pale gold skin, straight nose, full lips. Silky black hair, parted to one side and falling carelessly onto his forehead. His suit was well fitted, showing off his lithe frame. He probably looked more put together when he wasn’t starving, but the slightly disheveled look with his messy hair and his loosenedtie brought him more down to Kian’s level, which made it easier for him to talk to the man.
“I think in person is best. I hate that I frightened him. I wanted to apologize to you, too. Things have been hectic since I took this position. It’s no excuse for letting myself get that close to losing control, but I wanted to let you know it isn’t a normal thing here. Spellbound does not allow it. I already sent a message to Supernatural Resources to alert them of what happened and am taking measures to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’m sorry you had to be involved.”
His stomach tightened uneasily at Dorian’s formal tone. He did the right thing, and Kian respected him for seeing the problem and taking immediate action to make it right. Everyone made mistakes, and he didn’t try to pretend nothing happened. But he didn’t like how Dorian spoke to him. After a blood donation, it felt wrong that the man was being so stiff around him.
“I told you, it’s not my first emergency blood donation. I’m not offended, nor did I fear for my life at any time. I’ll let Morgan know you want to apologize and see if he’s open to meeting with you, but you don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine.”
It looked like Dorian didn’t believe him, which only irritated him more. He really wished the guy would walk away.
Dorian could see the dismissal in Kian’s eyes. He wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t willing to discuss the incident further. Dorian wished there was some way for him to make it up to the man, but he wouldn’t get anywhere if Kian wasn’t open to talking to him. He dipped his chin once to acknowledge him.
“Alright. Let me know what Morgan prefers, if it’s not too much trouble. And a representative from SR will be stopping by today or tomorrow to write up an incident report. I’d appreciate you answering their questions honestly. I’ll leave you to your work.”
Something flashed across Kian’s face before he masked it and gave him a nod, dismissing him completely by turning back to his computer.
Dorian went back to his office, still riddled with guilt and something else he didn’t want to think about. Feeding from Kian had been… intense, for lack of a better word. He’d never shared the euphoria his feeders experienced during feeding before. It was just a means of distraction for them so he could feed without them feeling any pain.
But Kian’s euphoria had invaded his senses, and it took all of his concentration to not take more than what he needed. He wanted to sink into it, which felt a little unnerving. Even with Harlem, whom he’d regularly fed from, he never felt the urge to overindulge. He took only what he needed and not a drop more. So why was he so hungry for more of Kian’s blood?
Perhaps it was his fae side. He’d never fed from a fae before. Fae were rare amongst the feeder community. It was seen as shameful to share their blood or magic with anyone. Their race was one of the more xenophobic races and generally quite isolated in their own realm. Only a small percentage ventured over to this realm for more than a short trip.
Brushing that thought away, he focused instead on what he needed to get done this afternoon. The list was ever growing, but he hoped it’d be easier to manage now that the majority of those who sided with Aristeos had left to join him and were no longer making things difficult here. It had been a complicated decision to have SR step in and check the entire division’s loyalties. Some felt it went against their rights, but Maverick stepped in andpointed out their contract allowed for them to ask questions when loyalties were in doubt. There was a mass exodus of staff who refused to allow the inquisition, and several more were let go after proving to Brennus that they were only staying to supply information to Aristeos. The temps were brought in to cover the deficit while they hired replacements.
He was elbow deep in paperwork when his phone rang. He answered it without looking at the caller ID, tucking it between his ear and shoulder while he signed the document in front of him.
“Dorian Kuramori.”
“Mr. Kuramori, you have an Elijah Washburne here to see you. Can I send him back?” Kian asked blandly. Still mad, then. Dorian felt his chest tighten at the reminder.
“Yes, that’s fine. Thank you, Kian.”
Kian didn’t even say goodbye before hanging up. He flinched at the click on the other line. He would need to work with the man for at least a month until they found his replacement. He couldn’t have picked a worse person to lose control around. It would make their working relationship awkward, at the very least. He hoped Kian wouldn’t be hostile on top of that.
A soft knock on the door drew him to his feet, and he came around his desk to open it and invite Elijah in. He wasn’t surprised they sent the telepath, he was always the first called when improper magic was involved in the office. Brennus was overjoyed when he was hired, and incidents in the company dropped significantly now that he could see exactly what happened from each perspective. He offered the man his hand, opening his mind to the connection so that Elijah could do his job.
Elijah smiled at him. “Hello, Dorian. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
“Thanks for coming so quickly.”
“Thank you for being so upfront with us. Can you tell me what happened?”
He felt the probe of Elijah’s magic on his mind and resisted the urge to bat it away. It was hard to penetrate a vampire’s mind, especially one as old as him, so it took effort to allow it to happen.
“I waited too long to feed. It was entirely my fault. I should have paid more attention. While getting a coffee, one of the new temps cut his finger, and I lunged at him. I was stopped by Kian’s magic, and he used a portal to send the man away.”
Elijah nodded, his eyes a little distant as he saw for himself how the events occurred. “And then Kian offered a donation?”
“Yes. I appreciated that, as at the time I didn’t feel like waiting for my feeder would have ended well. He was fully consenting, and no magic was used to sway his mind.”
“I can see that.” He blinked a few times, clearing his vision, and Dorian felt his magic pull away again. “Well, I don’t see anything major, but I agree an incident report is justified. Do you feel alright now, or do you need to take the rest of the day to meet with your feeder?”
He shook his head with a resigned sigh. “I’m fine. I did apologize to Kian, and I plan to do the same for the other young man, but he didn’t come back after the incident. I’ve asked Kian to make the request for a meeting for me.”
That seemed to satisfy the SR rep, and he pushed to his feet. “I’ll speak with them both and send you a copy of my report when I’m through. Thank you, Dorian.”
He didn’t really feel like he deserved a thanks in this instance. He was the one who did something wrong. It was only right to report it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
