Page 28 of The Vampire's Receptionist
Kian nodded. He knew he wasn’t a pleasant person before coffee. Especially after such a rough night. He followed his nose to the coffee machine, hovering at Avery’s side while he poured him a cup.
“Cream and sugar?”
Again, he nodded. Was it possible to get an IV of coffee? He could use one right now.
Avery’s lips pursed, like he was fighting a smile, but he didn’t hesitate to doctor the coffee with cream and sugar before handing Kian the mug. Kian managed a polite nod in thanks and leaned heavily against the counter as he took the first few blissful sips. As the caffeine jump started his brain, he took stock of the room and finally remembered who was who.
“Hi, Tony.”
Tony sat between his mates, a worried frown on his face. He brightened when Kian acknowledged him.
“Hi, Kian. How are you feeling?”
He shrugged. He hadn’t had enough coffee or food to answer that question yet.
“I made you some oatmeal,” Avery said, pointing to the bowl at the counter next to Taron. “I looked online for vegetarian friendly breakfasts with lots of iron. Oatmeal was the top suggestion.”
Kian actually loved oatmeal and shuffled toward it automatically. Avery had added blueberries and raspberries on top, as well as some honey, which was delightful. By the time he finished, he was much more awake and could actually manage a decent conversation.
“Thank you, Avery. That was great.”
Avery beamed at him, pleased with the praise. “You’re welcome. Do you want another coffee?”
“Please.” He offered the mug to Avery before leaning around Taron to look at Tony. “Looks like you avoided any tripping hazards on your way in.”
Taron snorted again, this time his shoulders shaking so hard, there was no hope to hide it. The thunderbird reached around Tony to smack him in the back of the head while Tony groanedand hid his face in his hands. Kian shot a questioning look at Avery, who sighed, a small smile on his face.
“So Tony did actually trip on the rug by the front door. Zephyr caught him, so he’s not injured, just a little embarrassed.”
Kian raised his eyebrows at Taron. “You think it's funny when he falls?”
His laughter cut off, and he looked horrified at the thought. “No! It wasn’t that he fell. It’s how Zephyr caught him. I turned around, and it looked like they were in the middle of a dance. It was adorable!”
“Taron!” Tony whined, still hiding behind his hands. Taron spun around, immediately cuddling his mate and whispering in his ear. From what little Kian could catch, he was lightheartedly teasing him to get Tony to smile again. Those two were cute. The other one less so. He still looked suspiciously in Kian’s direction. Asshole.
Dorian shuffled into the room a moment later, distracting him before he could call the thunderbird out for being such a dick. He blinked blearily in a way Kian had grown used to over the past week. He wasn’t awake yet. Slipping out of his seat, he pushed Dorian into it instead before heading to the coffee maker and pouring him a mugful. Dorian gave that mug that same devoted look he gave his coffee every morning, and it was Kian’s turn to fight off a laugh.
Avery edged closer, frowning as he murmured low. “I thought he couldn’t have anything other than blood?”
“It’s got no nutritional value, but it wakes him up just the same.”
Technically, it probably went straight through him, but he knew plenty of vampires prepared to face the consequences to get their morning coffee. He didn’t need to mention that to Avery, though, since he didn't want to embarrass Dorianby talking about his potential bathroom habits. He only knew because he took a few classes on different physiologies when he became a paramedic. He preferred having as much knowledge as he could to face each problem.
Taron looked between Kian and Dorian, a smirk on his face. “Are you both unable to function until you’ve had your coffee?”
“I can function,” Kian protested. “I just don’t like to. My coffee pot is on a timer, so it’s ready when I have to get up in the morning.”
“Mine too,” Dorian murmured, his voice gravelly with sleep. Words were a good sign. He was more awake than he had been the past week after his first cup of coffee. And despite the lack of caffeine, he didn't look like he was moments from keeling over either.
Kian sipped his own cup, studying the vampire for a moment more, before giving his attention to the other men in the room. “Do you normally have a party here every morning?”
Avery snickered, shaking his head. “No. Ozen had a meeting, so Taron volunteered to come play chaperone, but since Tony is Taron’s assistant, where Taron goes, Tony goes and–”
“And we love our gorgeous thunderchicken too much to leave him behind,” Taron interrupted, batting his eyelashes at his mate.
Kian snorted. “Thunderchicken. I’m going to use that,” he murmured to himself. From the narrow-eyed look he got from the thunderbird, probably not quietly enough. He just smirked. If he wanted Kian to be kinder, he needed to not be such an ass.
Dorian let out a resigned sigh, frowning down at his coffee. It tugged at something in his chest, and he moved automatically to put his hand on Dorian’s forearm. It was embarrassing enough for Kian to have chaperones in the room. But these were Dorian’s friends. It must have been ten times worse forhim, knowing he needed them around to keep him from hurting someone accidentally.
