Page 45 of The Vampire's Receptionist
Annoyed, he sat on the edge of the bed, eyeing her as she edged closer. Even Isaac seemed to notice her behavior and shot him a frown over her head. Kian shrugged. He didn’t do anything to the woman. The few times they’d interacted, he was lying in bed, resting.
Since she was a younger druid, she couldn’t get an idea of his condition at a glance like Doctor Chapman could. She needed to take a deep breath before she could get herself to touch him, and she only held his hand instead of putting a hand on his chest or something like the other nurse had. He didn’t want to interrupt and drag this thing out, but he had to ask.
“Why does it look like you’re inches away from darting out of the room? Did I do something to you?”
Her already pale face went visibly paler, and she shook her head rapidly. “N-No. Nothing. I’m fine. I just–”
He was going to call her a liar until the reason she was so freaked out became abundantly apparent. Dorian knocked on the open bedroom door, coming in to join them, and when the nurse jerked her head over her shoulder to see who it was, her grip on his hand went so tight, her nails dug into him. It wasn’t him she was afraid of. It was Dorian. And from the look on his face, Dorian wasn’t any happier to see her. His gaze flicked down to where she was holding Kian’s hand and back up, leveling her with a glare.
“Let go.”
She did immediately, taking a big step away from Kian. He gaped at the pair, wondering what he’d missed during his nap.He’d never seen Dorian so hostile towards someone before. Even after his friends all accused him of attacking Kian, he didn’t react like this.
Isaac seemed to agree, because he stepped forward cautiously, eyes locked on Dorian. “She’s just doing her job. There’s no reason to snap.”
“She was hurting him,” Dorian argued, his lip curled up in a scowl. “I can smell his blood from here.”
Kian looked down automatically. She’d squeezed his hand tighter than he’d realized. Little half circles were dug into his skin, with a few going deep enough to draw blood. It was barely a scratch and would probably heal in less than an hour, but Dorian was pissed about it. Kian had barely felt it.
She looked horrified to see the marks and immediately started apologizing. “I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to–”
He assumed as much and would’ve accepted the apology, but Dorian growled out a warning when she stepped closer to fix her mistake.
“It was an accident,” Isaac insisted, his face still screwed up like he was confused about Dorian’s behavior. Kian wasn’t sure how long Isaac had known Dorian, but he guessed he wasn’t wrong in thinking this was really out of the norm for the vampire.
“If she can’t be trusted to act professionally, then she shouldn’t be here,” Dorian hissed. He turned his glare back to the nurse. “Send someone else. Someone who can be trusted not to hurt him while treating him.”
Okay, that was going too far. “That’s not necessary.” He raised an eyebrow at Dorian’s furious look. “It was an accident. She apologized. And I don’t want to stay on bed rest longer than I have to just because of a mistake. I’m feeling a lot better, and I’m hoping she’ll let me at least get out of this stupid room.”
Now that the fatigue from the nap had worn off, he had to admit he felt much better. He didn’t have that tinge of exhaustion pulling at him, nor did he feel lightheaded when he got up to use the restroom. Decent rest and a nap seemed to have put him back on track.
Dorian wasn’t happy at Kian circumventing his demands, but Kian didn’t really care. It wasn’t like they were dating. He didn’t get a say. And if Kian didn’t get to use his magic soon, he was going to lose his mind.
He gestured the nurse closer, offering her his hand again. She looked terrified to get near him, but Dorian didn't look like he was going anywhere, and Kian didn’t think he’d be able to force the issue. Isaac looked like he wanted to, though.
“She won’t be able to do her job if you’re scaring her, Dorian. Back up.”
To everyone’s surprise, Dorian whipped his head around and hissed at him in warning, fangs bared. Isaac’s magic lit up in response to the threat, fire and lightning sweeping over his body and centering on his hands. Kian launched to his feet, moving himself between the two posturing idiots and the druid, who looked ready to faint.
“Dorian, that’s enough! What the hell are you doing?”
He wasn’t listening. His glare was locked on Isaac as they faced each other off. Isaac’s cousin looked nervous, and she was right in the danger zone behind Isaac. Kian looked over his shoulder at the druid.
“Do I have the energy to open portals?”
Her eyes darted away from the snarling duo to him, and she was quick to take his hand when he offered it to her. She nodded shakily.
“If it's fast, yes. I don’t–”
“Good. Time to go.” He opened a portal and threw it at her, basically forcing her through it. That was actually illegal to doin cases other than an emergency, but this sort of felt like one. The magic in the room was rising so high, the plants near the growling men were starting to wilt. And that pissed him off. Kian didn’t allow innocents to get hurt, not even plants.
The sorceress saw him coming and stepped far enough away from Isaac for Kian to open a portal for her. She disappeared through it without a backward glance, leaving him alone with Dorian and Isaac. Dorian’s nails grew to sharp claws and his eyes turned blood red. He wasn’t in control of himself anymore.
“Hey, Isaac. Where’s your mate?”
The question distracted Isaac long enough for Kian to walk up behind Dorian and put his hand on the back of the vampire’s neck.
“Sleep.”
