Page 37 of The Vampire's Receptionist
He took in the man sitting across from him, his hair slipping from the haphazard bun he’d tossed it in. Harlem was right, he still looked pale, despite the transfusion earlier. If he could, Dorian would skip tonight’s feeding just to give him more time to recover. Since it would only risk Kian further if he did, he decided instead to take as little as possible. He could survive until morning. Kian’s recovery was more important.
“Stop it,” Kian murmured, frowning down at his plate.
Dorian frowned at him. “Stop what?”
“I know what you’re thinking. I don’t need you to rescue me. I’m fine on my own.”
“Are you?” he asked. It was a genuine question. He wasn’t sure he knew one person who could thrive solely on their own. And Kian had yet to come forward with any kind of support system. He even kept his own parents at a distance, despite nearly losing his life the day prior.
Lilac and sapphire blue lifted to lock on him, full of stubborn defiance. “I don’t need to be rescued.”
Dorian shook his head. “No. But you do need a friend.”
Kian’s head jerked back, surprise written all over his face, but before they could continue the conversation, Harlem came back, a slight flush to his cheeks and a bright smile on his face. He plopped onto the couch between the two of them, completely unaware of the tension between Dorian and Kian.
“Okay, so maybe he doesn’t know I’m a brat. I think he can handle it, though. I just need to introduce him to it slowly.”
Kian latched onto the new topic, giving his full attention to Harlem. “Smart. Ease him in. What’s the plan?” he asked.
Dorian saw the walls go up, the way Kian refused to look at him. Being something more than Kian’s patient would not be an easy task. It was a good thing Dorian liked a challenge.
He gave Kian his space while Harlem was visiting, letting the two talk about different ways Harlem could show his new boyfriend his true self without scaring him away. Dorian’s suggestion to just be honest was met with derisive snorts from both men, and he was effectively shut out from suggesting anything more. He didn’t mind. He wanted to figure out how to get Kian to open up around him. The man deserved a true support system.
Harlem left after teaching Kian and Dorian how to play a few human card games that seemed like they were for children but were still enjoyable with Kian and Harlem’s teasing commentary. He walked his friend out and made sure he was safely in the back of a cab before heading back inside to bring Kian to his room. He wasn’t the least bit surprised to find Kian trying to climb the stairs himself.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he pointed out as he stopped beside him.
Kian shot him a dirty look over his shoulder. “It’s one flight of stairs. I’m fine.”
As Dorian wasn’t a doctor, he couldn’t say whether Kian was right or not. But Doctor Chapman did put him on bedrest for a reason, and Dorian wasn’t willing to risk Kian’s health because of stubbornness.
“Let me help you.”
He was already out of breath five stairs up. He needed to rest.
“I’m fine. I can handle it. Just–”
Dorian saw when Kian’s knees wobbled, and he lost his balance. He sucked in a sharp breath of surprise, but before he could even fall an inch backward, Dorian caught him in his arms and pulled him into a bridal carry. It only seemed to embarrass Kian further.
“I said I’m fine!”
“Kian…” He did his best not to berate the poor man. His independent streak was a mile wide, and Dorian understood the need to rely only on himself. He tried his best to do the same most days. Their current situation was evidence of that. But he didn't want Kian’s determination to end up hurting him.
“You risked your life to save mine. Let me help you get better. Please?”
He could see the war in Kian’s eyes, the need to take care of himself clashing with his natural urges to care for others. It wasn’t just his health he worried about. Dorian’s issue caused its own set of troubles. The reminder of that swayed the man in his arms.
“Fine. But I’m not actually tired yet.”
The underlying meaning was clear. He’d intended to avoid Dorian. A reaction Dorian fully intended to fix, as long as the man let him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Kian wasn’t sure what was worse: having a guy he barely knew suddenly deciding he needed to take care of him, or not being able to escape said guy because, for some inexplicable reason, only Kian’s blood worked to keep him alive.
He was pretty sure it was the second one.
Or at least it felt like it when he found himself sitting up in his bed waiting for Dorian to join him for his feeding. He should be grateful that he’d only have to do this once tonight, but after seeing the way Dorian looked at him, like he was something precious that needed protecting, Kian wanted to run for the hills rather than stay here right now.
