Page 24 of The Vampire's Receptionist
“Nice wards,” he commented as he followed Avery farther into the house. A seriously fancy house with vintage touches and not a speck of dust in sight.
Avery smiled over his shoulder. “Ozen’s always been careful. Especially after I moved in. Are you hungry? Thirsty? You skipped lunch…”
He led the way to the kitchen, almost talking out loud to himself instead of to Kian as he went over what they had readily available.
Kian felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of someone taking care of him. “Whatever is easiest is fine,” he said awkwardly.
“I’d think after a donation like that red meat would be important,” Ozen said as he came through another door with Dorian. He raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Am I wrong?”
Dorian shook his head. “No, you’re correct. Iron-rich foods are best.”
“I think we have some steak, but I’m not sure if it's enough for four,” Avery said, frowning at the contents of the fridge. His mate came to join him, looking over his shoulder while pointing out some suggestions.
Kian cleared his throat, catching their attention. “Uh, actually, I’m a vegetarian. It’s the fae side. Meat doesn’t sit well with me.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Oh!” Avery grimaced awkwardly. “I totally should have asked. I’m so sorry, Kian. I… don’t actually know how to get iron outside of red meat, though. Ozen?” He looked up at the incubus, who was also frowning.
Kian chuckled. “Leafy greens, beans, lentils, nuts. You’d be surprised how much iron you can get without red meat.”
“If I may?” Dorian asked, gesturing toward the pantry. Apparently he knew what he was looking for, which didn’t really surprise Kian in the slightest. He couldn’t be the first vegetarian to interact with the vampire.
“Should you be cooking?” Avery asked with a worried frown.
Dorian smiled softly at him. “I’m fine, thank you. And as Kian is responsible for feeding me, it’s only right I do the same for him. I’ll make enough for three. I don’t actually consume solid food.”
Avery flushed bright red, obviously embarrassed at the misstep. Kian didn’t blame him. He was human. Their education on supernaturals was notoriously lacking, since humans still didn’t like that they’d lost the war and weren’t in charge anymore. Despite the fact that it’d been hundreds of years since that event. They were only doing themselves a disservice bynot knowing as much about the world as they could, in Kian’s opinion.
“I’m going to leave Avery here with you while I stop by Dorian’s apartment to pick up his things. Kian, would you be comfortable with me doing the same for you, or would you prefer Avery to do it?”
Did he want the CEO of a major company to see his tornado of an apartment? No, not even a little. Would he make them do two separate trips just to accommodate him because he was more comfortable with Avery? Also no.
“That’s… fine, I guess. I, uh…” Goddess, he really wished they’d let him go by himself. He didn’t invite people into his home regularly.
“Actually, why don’t we both go?” Avery suggested, after noticing Kian’s discomfort. “As long as Dorian is comfortable waiting for his next feeding until we get back, it will be fine for them to be alone, right?” He looked around for confirmation.
Kian didn’t see a problem with it. Dorian wasn’t going to attack him, and he was capable of portaling himself away if he needed to. He was tired, but not helpless.
“That should be fine. Thank you.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket, handing them to the man while rattling off his address.
Ozen waited for Dorian to confirm he was comfortable with the plan before heading out with his mate to get their things. Meanwhile, Dorian got to work on dinner for everyone. Kian felt awkward just standing there watching, but his offer to help was quickly dismissed.
“You need your rest. There is a library upstairs, as well as a media room. You can get comfortable and relax. I’ll bring your dinner to you.”
Nope. Kian was not comfortable wandering around a house he wasn’t even given a tour in. That felt weird to him. Instead, heslid onto a stool at the bar, giving Dorian a defiant look when he raised an eyebrow at him.
The awkwardness was palpable. In the time they’d known each other, Kian and Dorian had maybe three or four conversations in total, and now Dorian was relying on him to survive. He really hoped Doctor Chapman was quick at finding a solution, because he didn’t want this dragging out for weeks on end. He couldn’t even imagine feeling this awkward for several days.
It didn’t take long before he couldn’t stand the silence anymore. He didn’t know what to say to the man prepping food in front of him, and it didn’t seem like Dorian was going to start the conversation, either. Instead, Kian took out his phone and pulled up his playlist, selecting something at random to fill the silence.
Dorian looked up curiously, eyeing Kian’s phone. Kian shrugged.
“I figured it was better than sitting in silence.”
Dorian’s brow drew together minutely. “Apologies. I’m not usually a chatty person. My friend group includes Taron. He speaks enough for all four of us.”
Kian snorted. “I don’t really know him that well, but I could see that being the case.”
