《Shadows of Desire {BL}》 Your Pain (Addis) A quiet radio tower stood near the outskirts of Pavivani city, looming high over the nearby buildings as its pulsating red light cast an eerie glow over the streets. A few vampires scuttled around the structure, too scared of the creature who lived within to bother the grounds, even on a dark night like this one. No, the nearby citizens knew better than to risk waking that monster, lest it come and make a meal of them and their kin. Little did they know that it was not their puttering feet that would wake the high vampire on this night. Addis was suddenly jolted up from his pillow, pain searing through his midsection like a hot knife. The vampire had to stop himself from crying out, doubling over in his bed from the pain. He pressed his face into the mattress, unable to help the cry that escaped him as another wave of pain ran through his gut. His shadow immediately rose from the floor at his voice, frantically searching for what had harmed its master, but they were alone in the dark bedroom, nothing but the occasional flash of red light invading the space. Addis waved the creature down, still holding himself as the pain faded, and he let out a shaky breath. It obeyed, hovering hesitantly next to his side as its green eyes continued to search for the cause of Addis¡¯s torment. It wasn¡¯t over: Addis knew better than to expect relief like that even as he opened his eyes to glance around the dark space. A brief respite, that was all, and soon it would strike him again. Worse, harder than before, and the vampire closed his eyes again, his body tensing as he waited, his fingers gripping the sheets tightly. Where would it strike him next? In his head, as it had that night where he had to excuse himself from a meeting with Lena? Or would it be his leg, like when he almost fell down the stairs in front of Z¨¦lia? Just as Addis thought this, multiple waves of pain ran through his back and he cried out again, burying his face into the sheets as his power now reacted, static buzzing in the air as it rose to allow him to protect himself. The radio tower seemed to come alive in the quiet night, sending out cries of static as his electrical power ran through the building. Anything to take away this pain, but what could he do? Addis had no idea where this pain was coming from and he had already tried everything in his power to stop it. Every single one of the vampire¡¯s attempts had failed him, leaving him to deal with the ever-growing phantom sensations. Addis had begun feeling these phantom pains a few weeks ago, and while at first they had been a mere nuisance, nothing more than a distraction as he tried to sleep or work, over time they had become much worse. At times, like tonight, they would be intense and strong enough to wake him from his sleep and fill him with a pain he had not felt since he was alive. The pain almost reminded him of the beatings his stepfather used to give him before he killed the bastard, but this time, there was no one to kill to end the torment. No, these pains were starting to become too much for the vampire and he gripped his sheets tighter as another wave ran through him, this time striking his arm. ¡°STOP IT!¡± Addis finally cried out, the scream radiating from the tower into the neighborhood surrounding his home. The vampire didn¡¯t care whom he might have startled awake, or what fear he might have struck into those who dared to walk outside his home. He shivered as the pain struck him again in the arm, another scream of wordless anguish escaping him. He needed this pain to end, and he needed it to end now. As if answering his plea, the pain began to fade, and no new pains came in to take its place. Addis let out a shaky breath, the creature and his power retreating as relief filled the vampire. It was over, at least for tonight, and the vampire slowly pushed himself up, forcing his hands to release the soft fabric. He panted as he sat up, his vision still blurry as his head pounded from the residual pains. They had been sparse at first, but lately it seemed to be a nightly occurrence, constantly keeping the vampire awake. At this rate, Addis would never get another good night¡¯s sleep and he closed his eyes, taking in another deep breath as he tried to steady his nerves. ¡°I have to find a way to end this suffering,¡± Addis whispered to himself, sitting up on his knees as he threw his head back, sighing as the ache began to leave him. These pains were clearly not his own or from any memory of his own beatings; they had to be coming from something or someone else. He couldn¡¯t have been hexed or cursed; he would¡¯ve been able to recognize such a thing immediately. It could be possible that someone was physically attacking him, but as the pain never left any marks, this was also unlikely. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. His shadow seemed to look up at him from where it rested on the bed, and the vampire frowned as he stared into its unsettling gaze. The creature seemed to be watching him with equal parts concern and disdain, as if it was disappointed in him. It moved away from the bed, slithering into one of the room''s dark corners as its laugh echoed in his mind. Addis growled softly, averting his eyes to look out at the night sky beyond his window. He slowly stood from the bed, walking over to the opening as he looked out into the city below. No vampires sulked around his tower tonight; even if any had, his screams had probably been more than enough to send the fools running. It was but a shame: he could¡¯ve used an excuse to help himself to a late-night snack, some drops of blood to satisfy his aching thirst. Anything to distract from the thoughts now rampaging through his skull, the annoying, terrifying prospect that fought to make itself known. No, the more he thought about it, the more he didn¡¯t like his final option for the cause of these pains. Yet, the longer this went on and the longer he went without finding another explanation, the more it seemed obvious. Addis turned away from the window, grabbing his coat and tossing the garment over his shoulders as he stepped out of the room. He quietly left his home, glancing at the station nearby as the red light bathed the grounds around him. It still hummed with the remnant of his power and he huffed, slipping out onto the dark streets. He would have to return tomorrow before broadcasting, but he needed a distraction for now. And since he was awake, he might as well make himself useful and return to the shelter. It was unlikely that anyone would be awake at this hour, and he could work undisturbed, no longer plagued by Lena¡¯s constant suggestions or Faye¡¯s insistent jabs. Addis smiled to himself as he walked, the thought pleasing him greatly. Yes, since he was up anyway, at least he could get some needed work done in silence. The shelter was a pet project of the princess¡¯s, Lena wanting a chance to prove to her father that humans and turned could be useful in Dephus. Of course to most, the shelter seemed like a simple charity, a royal vampire trying to garner points with the lowest in their society. Addis chuckled to himself as he walked the darkened streets: if only they knew the truth about the princess and her goals, then there would likely be none in Dephus who wouldn¡¯t jump at the chance to support her endeavor. Addis was surprised as he arrived at the shelter, finding that someone had left the front doors wide open. Lena and Z¨¦lia were usually fast asleep this late at night, and Ruben would usually be awake, but rarely left his room unless it was to raid the kitchen for more booze. Roma was too busy with her tasks to bother with escapades beyond the building, leaving only one culprit for the open door. ¡°Faye.¡± Addis growled, closing the door behind him as he stepped in. His mood soured as soon as he entered the building, his smile quickly fading to a scowl as he made his way to the office Lena had given him. That human could really learn some manners, especially if he was inclined to leave the door wide open in the middle of the night, not to mention he was out past his curfew. ¡°He will have to be properly reprimanded this time.¡± Faye was one of the few humans currently at the shelter and Addis did little to hide his disdain for him. Faye was crass and loud, not to mention that his job as a blood escort made him little more than vampire candy. The human was nothing to Addis except a constant reminder of his owner, another high vampire that Addis couldn¡¯t stand. Addis scoffed as he crossed the lobby, flinching as he thought of the human pleading his case with Lena before the princess forgave him. Again. Addis quietly slipped into his office, breathing in the nostalgic smell of the books he had filled the space with. A quick snap, and the small radio in the corner flared to life, filling the space with soft jazz as Addis slid into his desk. The princess had already left him several papers and ideas to look at, given the stack on his desk, and the vampire put his glasses on his face, picking up the first sheet. It seemed, like usual, she was full of idealistic plans, and Addis sighed heavily as he began to mark the page with corrections and suggestions. This is not how he had planned to spend his night, but it was better than wallowing away in his tower, lost in his own thoughts and worries. So, Addis allowed himself to get lost in the papers on his desk, the memory of the pain and its possible cause fading from his mind. My Pain (Faye) This was something Faye could do without. Not only had Adrian beat him within an inch of his life tonight, but the damn vampire had also made him late in returning to the shelter again. Lena always forgave Faye for his occasional tardiness, but with the way Adrian had been taking his frustration out on the human lately, even Lena¡¯s kindness had its limits. He was already lucky that she was letting him stay at her shelter, as there was little room for humans in Dephus, and Pavivani City especially. For some reason, the princess wanted to use the building as a way to help humans and turned stuck in this place, but most distrusted born vampires too much to take advantage of her offer. "Also, this place is a bit too fancy to be a shelter," Faye mumbled to himself, making his way up the stairs. He was fairly certain the building had once been a mansion, but the princess was as out of touch as her idea. Faye sighed, sliding into his room as he forced himself not to slam the door open as he dragged his bruised body into the space. Faye bit his lip as he moved, wincing as he stripped himself out of the skimpy dress Adrian had forced him to wear for the evening, not that the dress could ever be worn again. Faye sighed heavily as he looked at the torn and bloody fabric; he knew it had been a trick when Adrian had allowed him to buy such a nice dress, but he hadn¡¯t expected this. Faye dropped the remnants to the floor, inspecting his wounds in the mirror, twisting and bending as much as his body would allow. No bruises or marks to his face this time, as Adrian wanted him for an event and, for the most part, his medium white-blond hair had been left alone. No, all the marks were on places that could be covered up and Faye winced as he touched the wounds in his back, where Adrian had stomped his heel into the human. As if kicking him in the gut hadn¡¯t been enough, and the vampire had even tried to break Faye¡¯s arm when the human dared to try and protect himself. ¡°Fuck, this shit sucks,¡± Faye complained, sitting down heavily at his desk, covering his face with his hands as he sighed. He reached into one of the drawers as he dug around for his bandages, grunting softly as he finally found them. The work he could put up with, smile through being on Adrian¡¯s arm, but this¡­ this he couldn¡¯t deal with. The abuse. The feedings. And at the end of it all, Adrian would merely go on about how much he ¡°loved¡± the human and how this was ¡°for his own good.¡± Yeah, screw that: more like he was pissed Sybil had broken up with him again and he was taking that frustration out on Faye as usual. Faye would never understand why Adrian would keep taking Sybil back. He didn¡¯t quite understand their relationship dynamic, but he knew that Sybil never stayed with the vampire long. She would always come back to Adrian, eyes full of tears and apologize for leaving him and the vampire would take her back. They would stay together for a couple of months, and then Sybil would break things off again, complaining that Adrian would never be enough for her. Adrian would always then turn his attention to his favorite punching bag, and Faye felt the tears building in his eyes as he finished wrapping his back and midsection, hoping that whatever Adrian expected him to wear would hide them. ¡°Learn to close your stupid door,¡± Faye looked up as Ruben walked by, bottle of booze in hand as he shuffled off back to his room. Faye flicked off the empty doorway, annoyed by the drunk man as Ruben continued down the hallway. Well, Ruben wasn¡¯t the one who just got the crap beat out of him, was he? Faye finished bandaging himself and stood to close his room door and as he looked out into the hallway, he was struck by another thought. ¡°Wait, did I close the front door?¡± Faye quickly dashed into his room, throwing on a large shirt as he ran back down to the first floor. The last thing he needed was for Z¨¦lia to get on his back for leaving the door open again and he knew it would only make Lena harder to win over. He was already skating on thin ice, and he didn¡¯t need to make it any thinner. As Faye walked briskly through the lobby, he was surprised to see that the door was already closed and his heart pounded with worry. Who had closed it? Surely not Ruben; he had never closed it any of the other times Faye had left it open. Roma usually wasn¡¯t concerned unless something came in the door and Lena and Z¨¦lia rarely woke up in the middle of the night. Meaning¡­ Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°If you¡¯ve come back to fix your apparent error, don¡¯t bother,¡± Faye groaned internally as he heard Addis¡¯s voice behind him, closing his eyes. Fan-fucking-tastic. The human slowly turned around to see the high vampire standing outside his office, giving him an annoyed look. Addis¡¯s red hair was smoothed back from his face for once and his frown only accented his crimson eyes framed by those dark glasses. His dark suit was as sharp and pointed as it always was and Faye couldn¡¯t help his fear as he waited. ¡°I have already corrected it for you.¡± ¡°I would say thanks but-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it anyway,¡± Addis interrupted, and Faye sighed, holding himself tightly as the vampire began to walk toward him. Another high vampire was the last thing he wanted to deal with tonight, but at least this time it was his own negligence that had gotten him into trouble. ¡°Do I want to know why you were out past curfew again?¡± ¡°Adrian had me stay late entertaining a customer, private party,¡± Faye lied, holding his hand over his bandaged arm to hide it from Addis. Better if he thought it was just work; Faye didn¡¯t even want Addis¡¯s attention right now, much less his pity. ¡°Can¡¯t say no when it¡¯s the boss.¡± ¡°Then perhaps Adrian should be more respectful of your curfew here, considering you haven¡¯t been on time at all in the past week,¡± Addis reminded the human and Faye flinched at the sharp tone in the vampire¡¯s voice. Faye fought the urge to spit something back, swallowing his rising frustration and anger. After all, what good would it do to get into it with Addis? Addis wasn¡¯t the one Faye was angry and frustrated with and so Faye remained silent as the vampire continued. ¡°Otherwise, one might get the notion that you don¡¯t care either.¡± ¡°Shut it. What I care about doesn¡¯t mean shit here,¡± Faye spat, unable to help his tone as the words flew from his mouth. He flinched again as Addis raised his eyebrows, his annoyed frown quickly shifting into something far more dangerous. Faye looked away again, not wanting to meet Addis¡¯s gaze. ¡°You and that princess may pretend otherwise, but I¡¯m not that stupid.¡± ¡°Oh? And what is it you care about, Faye? Besides getting fed from? What else is more important to you than being the candy on a vampire¡¯s arm?¡± Addis cooed, his voice breaking and crackling with power. Faye was tempted to speak again, but he merely bit his lip, looking to the floor as the vampire laughed. "That''s what I thought." "Ain''t no point in telling the likes of you. All you high vampires are the same," Faye muttered under his breath, still refusing to look at Addis as he heard the vampire stop right over him. He hated how short he was, how tiny he was compared to all the vampires around him. Dammit, he had never wanted any of this, and yet, here he was. ¡°Fucking selfish, piece of shit bastards.¡± "Then go on back to your room, little human," Addis finally chuckled and Faye chanced a glance up to meet those crimson eyes. Addis was grinning, but it was a dangerous smile, one that said darker things. "I''m not the one you need to win over." Faye said nothing as he turned away from the vampire, doing his best not to run as he headed back to the stairs. His pink eyes burned with tears, but he refused to show such weakness in front of Addis. Hell, in front of any vampire. The climb back up the stairs was agonizing, but Faye made sure to slam his door closed as he returned to his small sanctuary. Although he knew Addis had not done him a favor by closing the door, he couldn¡¯t help but be a little grateful that he would likely be able to stay at the shelter. It would make Z¨¦lia and Lena slightly easier to deal with in the morning, and he closed his eyes, the tears finally starting to stream down his cheeks as he sank to the floor. It really sucked being a human in Dephus. My Annoyance (Addis) ¡°Sir, the show starts in a few minutes.¡± ¡°I am aware,¡± Addis hissed, the door slamming closed as the assistant left in a hurry to avoid his wrath. The vampire looked back down to his arm, annoyed by the ache he was feeling. Here were those phantom pains again, and Addis tried to shake away the feeling. He did not need to be putting up with the pains now, not while he was working. Addis leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as the radio station¡¯s tune hummed quietly throughout his office. As a turned vampire, Addis had immediately understood his disadvantage in Dephus and he took steps to overcome his weaknesses. He had never been considered as low as a human, but he had been barely above that dismal rank. Of course, his sire was a person of power, but Addis loathed the idea of belonging to another just to get by and as soon as he left his sire, he immediately began to work on building his power, lucky to stumble upon Roma in those early years. Even though she was a born vampire and far older than him, she had been eager to become his thrall, and with her help, he had been able to build his own empire and earn his rank as a high vampire. There were many born vampires that despised Addis for his ascent to power, but once the King had accepted him among their ranks, they had no choice but to do the same. Addis¡¯s expression twitched as his thought turned to the King, a frown coming to his face. Lena¡¯s father, Rasvan, claimed that it was entertaining to see a turned vampire amass so much power in his realm, and Addis could still remember the way the King¡¯s eyes had lit up with mischief when he named Addis as one of the high vampires of Dephus. While the vampire was glad to have his new position of power and wealth, he knew that there was more to the king supporting him than Rasvan enjoying ¡°an underdog story¡±. Rasvan was always looking for new tools to push his own agenda, and Addis had no doubt that the King was still trying to determine if he was a piece worth investing in. ¡°Hey,¡± Addis growled again as he heard Ruben¡¯s voice, and the door to his office was once again pushed open. The human had salt and pepper hair and tired green eyes, as if he had seen the worst any world had to offer. Considering the man was eternally in his forties thanks to his role as Addis¡¯s human servant, it was likely those horrors that also made him always smell like alcohol. ¡°That girl is here again. Causing a scene.¡± ¡°Girl?¡± ¡°Sybil, or whatever her name fuckin¡¯ is,¡± the human spat and Addis felt his annoyance growing. Like most high vampires, Sybil owned several businesses throughout Dephus, although she mostly focused on her casinos. Addis had been sure to voice his disdain for her when they first met and yet rather than discourage the woman, it seemed she was eager to cozy up to him. She only seemed to come around when she had dumped her latest flame and the vampire took a deep breath. Ruben coughed as he waited for Addis¡¯s orders and the vampire simply waved him off. ¡°Tell her to leave.¡± ¡°She ain¡¯t gonna listen to me and you know that,¡± Ruben spat back and Addis gave him a dangerous glare. The human wasn¡¯t the least bit intimidated and the vampire couldn¡¯t help the slight amusement that creeped onto his face. It wasn¡¯t surprising that Ruben no longer took his threats seriously: after all, Ruben had been his servant for centuries now and he knew the difference between Addis merely threatening and meaning his harsh words. ¡°Fine,¡± Addis finally stood from his chair, doing his best to ignore and shake off the feeling in his arm. As long as the pain got no worse than this, he would be able to hide the discomfort gracefully today. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the pest, and we can begin the afternoon show.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Ruben didn¡¯t move from his spot in the door and Addis¡¯s annoyance began to grow again. Maybe Ruben was getting a little too comfortable in his position. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t stupid Addis. I can tell those pains are still bothering you,¡± the human said calmly and the vampire forced himself to take a deep breath. Ruben¡¯s eyes were as astute and attentive as ever and it was starting to get on Addis¡¯s nerves more and more. ¡°I also know you ain¡¯t stupid enough to just hope they¡¯ll go away.¡± ¡°I assumed you were also smart enough to know your place,¡± Addis smiled, but his eyes glowed with anger and power as he watched the human. Ruben¡¯s heart rate spiked a bit, but otherwise he seemed unfazed by Addis¡¯s threat. ¡°My¡­ condition is none of your concern, Ruben.¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to think about it, Addis, but you know you¡¯re likely-¡± ¡°DON¡¯T SAY THAT WORD!¡± The vampire finally raised his voice, and the lights throughout the station flickered as his power rose. He heard the worried shrieks from the other workers, all worried and afraid of his wrath as the radios began to screech with static. Ruben, for his part, remained unfazed, still watching Addis with the same calm expression. Addis forced himself to take a deep breath, pulling his power back as the building stabilized and relief washed throughout his workers. Today was not the day to have to replace his staff. ¡°Ruben,¡± Addis started again, smiling at his servant as he walked over to the human. As usual, the human was not intimidated by their height difference, and merely looked up to meet his master¡¯s gaze. ¡°I think you and Roma should return to the shelter. After all, we¡¯re having our little gathering tonight, and I¡¯m sure Lena will need some help setting it all up.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be by once I¡¯m done here for the day,¡± Addis continued, still smiling dangerously at his servant. He always appreciated the man¡¯s company and lack of fear, but today was not the day for Ruben to push his luck with the vampire. Ruben seemed to sense this as well, finally sighing as he closed his eyes. ¡°Whatever ya say,¡± Ruben shrugged, finally turning and leaving Addis alone in the room. The vampire sighed heavily as he allowed his smile to fade, looking at his shadow as he felt the creature moving within. Its green eyes manifested as it watched him, its amusement obvious in the way its gaze shone in that living darkness. ¡°So touchy, Addis,¡± its voice curled around his thoughts like smoke and the vampire glared at the darkness near his feet. ¡°Why not let the human speak?¡± ¡°You know very well why I don¡¯t want to hear it,¡± Addis spat, and the creature in his shadow seemed dismissive. Addis rolled his eyes as he checked himself in the mirror, adjusting his suit. He didn¡¯t expect it to understand, and the vampire sighed as it ate his worry and concern. At least it seemed the ache in his arm had disappeared, and Addis looked down to his shadow again. ¡°You don¡¯t want it either.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? The result is annoyance for you and a meal for me,¡± the creature hummed, its eyes vanishing as Addis turned toward the door. He could now hear Sybil¡¯s annoying voice as she tried to force one of his workers to reveal where the high vampire was and Addis closed his eyes as he sighed with annoyance. ¡°Although I suppose we have more pressing concerns right now.¡± ¡°Behave yourself today, I don¡¯t need a scene with Sybil again,¡± he commanded, but his shadow merely laughed in his mind. ¡°I never cause undo trouble, do I?¡± Addis¡¯s smile twitched. ¡°You always cause undo trouble.¡± It laughed again as Addis finally started for the door, ready to get the rest of this troublesome day over with. My Worry A coincidence. That¡¯s all it was. All it could be. At least that''s what Addis was telling himself as he leaned against the wall, watching the others flit about the ballroom. He wasn¡¯t one for such parties himself, but if he was going to help the princess as her business partner, he knew it was the best way to raise interest in the shelter. Most high vampires loved an excuse to flaunt their wealth and power, and such parties were often the stage for such flexes. And Addis knew despite the rule of ¡°donating¡± a human, there were few in Pavivani city who would give up a chance to get closer to the princess and potentially find a weakness for Addis. The vampire scoffed as he raised the glass to his lips, sipping the synthetic blood as he kept glancing around the room. Many were taking their blood with alcohol, but at the moment, Addis wanted clarity. After all, he needed to make sure he was wrong, that what he thought had just happened hadn¡¯t happened. Because it had been a coincidence and nothing more. The focus of the vampire was Faye, the annoying human sitting on a couch next to Adrian. The human was smiling but even from his position, Addis could tell it was forced. Adrian had his arm wrapped around Faye¡¯s shoulder, forcing their bodies to be in close vicinity while he spoke to Lena and another vampire. His fingers kept playing with the collar around Faye¡¯s neck and the human flinched every time his owner flicked the material. Addis scoffed softly as he took another sip from his drink, annoyed by the pricks in his own neck that mimicked Adrian¡¯s hand. Since Adrian had already allowed Faye to stay at the shelter, he had a free pass to the event, and mostly had shown up to make sure none tried to take advantage of his absence. After all, despite his business of ¡°renting¡± out blood escorts, Faye was off limits, and Adrian¡¯s personal toy. Addis frowned as his vision of the pair was temporarily blocked and he stretched his own neck, wishing that the phantom pains would stop. The more it insistently prickled his skin, the angrier Addis grew; he knew there was only one explanation for why and it couldn¡¯t be that. Addis hated the idea of drinking from humans; not because he had once been one, but simply because he found it inconvenient. Synthetic blood was more nourishing for day to day consumption, and vampire blood was better for power. Most high vampires exchanged blood for favors, but Addis had gained the majority of his power by drinking from anyone he could over power. None were worth his blood, and he took what he needed from those who could not stop him. It was his ruthlessness that had earned him the despised title of ¡°Emperor of Blood¡±, although most knew better than to ever say it to his face. Addis sighed heavily as he noticed Lena waving him over to where she was talking to Adrian, and Addis took a deep breath, letting his normal smile grace his face as he joined the princess. Faye subtly tried to put more distance between himself and Adrian, but a quick squeeze put an end to that thought. ¡°Adrian was saying he might be willing to let more of his escorts stay here, considering how much safer Faye has been,¡± Lena beamed, her blond curls bouncing and Addis nodded, turning his pleasant smile to Adrian. The vampire was doing little to hide his intentions, still playing with the white collar around Faye¡¯s neck. ¡°After all,¡± Adrian started, his smooth voice and crooked smile only causing Addis¡¯s to twitch. His maroon hair was loosely held together by a golden band over the vampire¡¯s shoulder and Addis watched as Adrian subtlety adjusted it. ¡°My dolls deserve so much better, and there are few in Pavivani city willing to rent to humans and turned.¡± ¡°Then it seems Lena is offering you quite the deal,¡± Addis beamed, watching as Adrian¡¯s hand moved from Faye¡¯s neck to the man''s shoulder. Faye did his best to fake acceptance, sliding closer to his owner as Addis continued. ¡°It would be such a shame should one of your ¡®dolls¡¯ be hurt.¡± ¡°Indeed it would, Addis,¡± Adrian cooed, his eyes not matching his smile as he tried to size up the vampire. Addis merely kept his bright smile, not allowing Adrian to intimidate him. After all, as far as power, Addis and Adrian were about equal rank among high vampires, and Addis knew he had the money to drown out Adrian. Despite his business renting out blood escorts, there was a ¡°forbidden fruit¡± aspect to Adrian¡¯s work, and it limited his ability to expand his business, despite the money he made. By running his radio station and occasionally opening others throughout Dephus, Addis had unlimited room to grow. ¡°So, I was thinking Roma could make sure we have enough rooms ready for Adrian¡¯s guests!¡± Lena interjected, picking up on the silent fight the pair were having. Addis turned his bright expression to her, giving the princess his full attention as her blue eyes shined. ¡°Adrian said he¡¯ll send out the memo tomorrow, so we should be expecting them over the next couple of days.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let her know immediately.¡± ¡°And while you¡¯re at it, tell Ruben to stop spiking all the blood,¡± Z¨¦lia scoffed, causing Addis¡¯s smile to twitch. He hadn¡¯t noticed the princess¡¯s girlfriend and he did little to hide his disdain as she spoke dismissively. She was a turned like him, but being the partner of the Heir Apparent of Dephus offered her a status no other turned could ever hope to reach. ¡°Not all of us are trying to get wasted.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Noted, dear Z¨¦lia,¡± Addis enjoyed the glare the dark-haired vampiress gave him as he started to walk away, off to find both his thrall and human servant. It would give him the much needed excuse to step out of the party, and he closed the door to the ballroom quietly as he stepped into the hall. Without saying a word, both appeared in front of him, Roma rushing down the hallway ahead of Ruben. ¡°Yes yes yes?¡± Roma bounced, barely able to keep her energy contained as Addis chuckled. Her short red bob bounced around her face perfectly as her blue eyes sparkled, eager to receive whatever order Addis had for them. For his part, Ruben was avoiding the vampire¡¯s gaze, not even attempting to hide the bottle of vodka in his hand as he waited. ¡°It seems Adrian wishes to increase his patronage of our dear shelter,¡± Addis began, chuckling again as he saw the excitement in Roma¡¯s eyes. The girl truly enjoyed being able to work and loved being Addis¡¯s thrall thanks to all the excitement and work he had for her to do. With her vampiric speed, the quantity of her tasks was far more important to Roma than quality and while she was no longer his only thrall, she was still his favorite. ¡°We¡¯ll need more rooms prepared andI do believe there should be enough sheets and pillows cleaned by now unless¨C¡± ¡°SomanyI¡¯llgogetstartednow!¡± The girl spoke so quickly that Addis barely understood a word before she bolted off down the hallway. The vampire then turned his attention to the human, but Ruben merely huffed. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I already know. Adrian was the one who asked for more spiked blood. Something about making the night interesting,¡± Addis felt his smile twitch again, but honestly, he was barely surprised. It was the type of underhanded tactic the snake would try and he merely shook his head as he smiled at his human servant. ¡°Well, I suppose I should tell you not to spike any more blood,¡± Addis¡¯s red eyes flashed slightly in the dark, and for a moment, Ruben¡¯s green eyes lit up with red. Now that he had received an order from his actual master, he was no longer bound to Adrian¡¯s suggestion and Addis sighed heavily. ¡°And please, check on the food in the ballroom while you''re at it. I''m sure your fellow humans would appreciate it.¡± ¡°As if I care,¡± Ruben huffed and Addis hummed softly as he watched Ruben take a long drink from his bottle. ¡°Fine, whatever, I¡¯ll¨C¡± ¡°Oh there you are!¡± Addis turned as the door behind him opened, and his smile became more genuine as he saw who stepped out. She was a tall, beautiful vampire, her blond hair shaping her face perfectly as she beamed. Her all black eyes shone with both warmth and cruelty, and Addis turned to give her his full attention as Ruben left, grumbling as he made his way into the ballroom. ¡°Trying to leave your own party?¡± ¡°I do believe this is Lena¡¯s party, Rosie.¡± ¡°And we all know you¡¯re the one who suggested it, Addis,¡± the vampiress shot back and Addis chuckled in response. Rosie was a born vampire and one of the highest ranking vampires beneath the Princess, and having her here had given Lena¡¯s shelter more credit than even Addis had. She had even made it a point to donate a healthy sum of money on top of the required human, pressuring the other high vampires to do the same. ¡°And of course, you are here to make all the rest of us look bad,¡± Addis offered, enjoying the laugh as Rosie pulled out her fan, hiding her devious expression. ¡°Is it my fault that there is so little gold in this city of trash?¡± She chuckled, and Addis¡¯s smile merely grew. ¡°You are lucky you are such interesting company, little Addis.¡± ¡°Indeed I am,¡± Addis agreed, offering the vampiress his arm as he moved to re-enter the ballroom. Rosie took it with a mischievous grin, and the pair stepped back into the party, drawing looks as they re-entered. This night would be over soon enough, and Addis reassured himself that the night would merely be a boring chore. Until he heard the glass shatter and felt white hot pain run through his right hand. Addis paused, turning to see that Faye was holding his hand tightly, cursing at the glass that had shattered in his hand. Adrian had a scowl on his face, as if he was annoyed that the human had broken the glass, and quickly stood up from the couch. Lena was quick to approach the bleeding human, trying to access his wound, but all Addis could do was stare. His hand pulsed with pain as he watched Faye pull away, refusing to let the princess touch him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing! Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll fix it myself!¡± With that, Faye stomped off from the couch, walking towards the frozen vampire. He passed by him silently, and Addis kept his eyes glued on the shattered glass where it lay covered in blood on the floor. His hand¡­ had begun to hurt at the exact moment Faye had cut himself on the glass. At the Exact. Moment. ¡°Addis?¡± Rosie called out to the vampire and Addis shook his head, smiling brightly as he unhooked his arm from hers. He nodded his head politely and left, making his way to the safety of his office. Once he was behind the closed door, Addis clutched his throbbing hand tightly. There was no way he could deny it now: the human¡¯s injury proved the connection beyond a doubt. Addis began a nasty laugh as he brought his hand to his face, pushing himself off the door. Of course, fate had a sense of humor after all. He walked over to his floor length mirror, dragging his hand along the reflective surface. An image of the human rippled across the mirror, showing Faye as he attempted to bandage his wounded hand, cursing as tears ran down his cheeks. As soon as he was done, the human threw himself into his pillows, clutching one tightly to his chest. It seemed he was delaying returning to the party, as if he knew the punishment Adrian would be sure to inflict on him. If the pains that had been bothering Addis were any indication, then the poor human would be lucky to survive the night after such humiliation. ¡°Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck,¡± Addis heard Faye whisper, and he dismissed the vision, sliding into his chair as he stared at the far wall. He had felt nothing while watching the human, meaning no emotions were being shared, but it was only a matter of time. The vampire was once again tied to another soul in the way he hated the most, sharing in their pain and emotions through a bond he had never asked for. Addis¡­ was Soulbound. My Plan (Addis) Addis sat in his chair for a long time, staring silently at the wall for what felt like hours. His mind was a swarm of chaotic thoughts and his eyes merely glared at the blank spot as he tried to settle his rising concern. Soulbound. A word Addis hated more than anything and the most useless connection that could have existed. The vampire had been Soulbound many times during his time in Dephus, and it typically never went well for the ones he was bonded with. If Addis discovered the bond early enough, he would merely kill the individual he was bonded to, severing the connection before it could bother him. In times like now, when the connection was already established, he would merely ignore it, allowing the bond to fade and the other party to be bonded to someone else over time, freeing Addis from its effects. ¡°No good¡­¡± Addis finally spoke, standing up from his desk as his thoughts raced. He could not simply ignore it this time, not with the way Adrian was beating Faye, but at the same time, the vampire had no desire to maintain such a bond with the human. Indeed, Faye was the worst person he could have been bonded with, given his servitude to Adrian and his overall attitude. ¡°I need¡­ to do something.¡± Addis muttered, pacing across the room as he considered his options. He could try and trap Faye at the shelter: as Lena¡¯s business partner certainly he could suggest such a thing without it seeming strange, especially if he mentioned how Adrian was abusing the human. That would allow him to keep the human away from Adrian while the connection faded and no one would be any wiser¡­ but would Adrian allow it? Addis wasn¡¯t sure if simply requiring him not to leave would keep Adrian from coming after him and the vampire did own Faye¡¯s soul, even if it was bonded to Addis¡¯s. ¡°Could I¡­ take him from Adrian?¡± Addis mused, pausing in his stride as he considered the thought. Surely there must be a way for him to obtain Faye''s contract from Adrian, therefore once again opening the option for him to allow the connection to fade while keeping the human from the vampire. That would require him to confront Adrian however, and it was very unlikely that Adrian would be willing to let Faye go. After all, the high vampire seemed quite attached to his arm candy and Addis knew he couldn¡¯t kill Adrian in a fair fight, nor did he have a desire to engage in unnecessary combat. If he was willing to entertain the bond, eventually it would override any claim Adrian had to Faye, but that was not an option. ¡°Hmmm.¡± Addis walked over to the mirror again, summoning the image of the human. Faye had dragged himself up from the bed, and it was obvious that he was getting ready to head back to the party to face his owner. Addis needed a plan, and he needed one before Faye returned to the ballroom and to his owner¡¯s clutches. Adrian would likely try to remove Faye from the building, take him somewhere more private where he could punish the human to his heart''s content. Addis could not allow that but what could he do? What else was there? Addis gripped the mirror tightly as he growled, watching as Faye began to adjust the collar around his neck. If only he could just kill the human¡­. ¡°No, it¡¯s too late for that,¡± Addis growled, sitting down heavily at his desk as he continued to stare at the mirror. Even if he had discovered the connection early enough, killing a blood contract of another high vampire would only cause him problems he didn¡¯t want to deal with, not to mention that Lena had her own interests with keeping Faye alive. The aftermath of killing Faye would be more annoying than if he just protected the damn idiot¡­ ¡°Wait,¡± Addis¡¯s eyes widened in realization, a smile once again beginning to spread on his face as he considered this new idea. That was right: Lena wanted Faye alive, as having any of the humans die under her care would tarnish what she was hoping to accomplish. Given the way Adrian beat Faye, surely Addis could convince Lena that Adrian might kill him if the beatings continued and therefore gain her permission to protect Faye. Adrian would have no choice but to hold back if he knew that Addis was protecting Faye for the princess and Addis would merely seem as if he were protecting the shelter¡¯s interests, something he had already assured Lena he would do. All he had to do was make the princess aware of the beatings, and he would have his excuse. ¡°Hmm, Lena?¡± Addis quickly picked up the rotary phone on his desk, not bothering to type in a number as electricity ran through the line. He tapped his desk impatiently, becoming excited when he heard the princess¡¯s voice on the other side. ¡°Hmm? Addis? When did you get a cell phone?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m using my desk phone,¡± Addis corrected her, wincing that she would dare suggest he would use such a device. ¡°I have a proposition to discuss with you concerning one of our humans.¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Oh, you mean Faye? Yea, I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Addis grinned as he hung up the phone, impatiently tapping his fingers on the wood. Soon he heard the princess¡¯s knock and his smile grew as he called her in. Lena carefully slid into the office, closing the door quietly behind her before walking up to the vampire. Addis gently motioned her to sit in the chair in front of him and once seated, she returned her attention to Addis. ¡°So, uh, you wanted to talk about Faye?¡± Lena offered and Addis nodded, dismissing the image of the human on the mirror behind her. The princess was oblivious, waiting patiently for the vampire to speak as he returned his attention to her. ¡°I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t break the glass on purpose. I mean he did seem to cut his hand pretty badly and¨C¡± ¡°Are you aware that Adrian is abusing our little human, and that¡¯s the true reason for his tardiness as of late?¡± Addis offered and the shocked and horrified expression that graced Lena¡¯s pleasant face answered the question for the vampire. Addis hummed thoughtfully as Lena stood, slamming her hands on Addis¡¯s desk. Her fangs started to peek through her lips and her blue eyes gained hints of yellow as she growled. ¡°WHAT?! Why didn¡¯t Faye just say so? If that¡¯s the reason Faye¡¯s been late every night, then at this rate he¡¯ll kill him!¡± Lena exclaimed and Addis raised his hand, stopping the princess before she could continue. ¡°Surely Faye is trying to protect himself. I would imagine Adrian would not react well if he told us the truth, and we both know how¡­ unreasonable Adrian can be at times,¡± Addis offered, smiling as he waved Lena back into her chair. The princess slowly sat back down, her frown still glued to her face. Addis had to admit, he did enjoy seeing Lena upset and as much as he saw her as too much of a dreamer, she was a dreamer with strong convictions. ¡°I am only aware of the beatings because I¡­ managed to see him when he arrived back at the shelter last night. I assure you, his wounds were quite major but I needed to be sure Adrian was the cause. I now have no doubts.¡± ¡°Then we can¡¯t just keep sending him back to Adrian,¡± Lena fumed, and Addis nodded, signaling his agreement. The princess leaned back in her chair, looking away thoughtfully as the vampire waited for her to continue. ¡°But Adrian owns him and if I try to take away Faye, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll continue to support the shelter. And Faye will lose his safe place to stay¡­¡± ¡°Yes, and as we still do not have many patrons, we cannot afford to lose him or Adrian¡¯s support,¡± Addis leaned forward, ready to lay down his proposal. ¡°Which is why I suggest, let me confront Adrian tonight. Surely Adrian will be more¡­ understanding if I remind him that our rules exist for a reason.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lena queried and Addis sighed heavily, fighting to maintain his smile. He didn¡¯t have the time to sit here and fully spell out his idea. ¡°How would confronting Adrian change anything? Wouldn¡¯t that just make things worse?¡± ¡°Think of it as a visual reminder of exactly who is running this shelter. Adrian is only doing as he pleases because he does not believe we won¡¯t do anything against him. Remember, as your patron, Faye is under the protection of the Heir Apparent of Dephus,¡± Addis quickly explained his suggestion to Lena, opening his hands to show his point. He needed to convince her quickly, as Faye would be leaving his room soon. He would not risk the human reaching Adrian before he could intervene. ¡°Surely if he were gently reminded of this, he would withhold his aggression.¡± ¡°So, a power flex,¡± Lena mused and Addis nodded, standing as he slid around his desk to stand behind the princess. ¡°Something to remind Adrian who really carries the power.¡± ¡°Yes. After all, Faye doesn¡¯t know it, but you hold all the cards. That¡¯s why Adrian has allowed you to have our little friend participate in your project, lest he lose his arm candy permanently. It is no secret that Adrian¡¯s business is frowned upon, and he can¡¯t afford to lose any of his contracts,¡± Addis reminded Lena, gripping the princess¡¯s shoulders tightly. He needed a yes now. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that you have no intention of taking Faye by force, but the threat of it. Let¡¯s remind Adrian who really has the power here, Lena. This is Dephus after all, and sometimes you have to play by the aggressor¡¯s rules.¡± Lena was silent for a moment and Addis could hear his heart pounding in his chest. It was likely that Faye had already left his room and was on his way to the party, and the vampire would have to move quickly to catch him. If Lena didn¡¯t agree soon, he would have to just leave on his own¡­ ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do it. You can confront him first and if he won¡¯t listen, then I¡¯ll step in,¡± Lena agreed, smiling up at Addis and the vampire beamed as he released her, stepping back from her chair and snapping his fingers as his shadow pulled the chair into the floor. He laughed loudly as the princess fell, delighting in the annoyed look she gave him as she stood. Addis swept her an elaborate bow, looking up to meet her gaze. ¡°Well, I will be taking my leave now, as I believe Adrian will attempt to remove Faye from the premises. It¡¯s after curfew after all,¡± Addis beamed as he slowly sank into the floor, determined to catch the human before he could reach his owner. He closed his eyes as he stood up straight, nodding to the princess. ¡°I assume you know how to see your way out.¡± With that, Addis completely vanished into his shadow, quickly chasing after Faye. Your Protection (Faye) Faye stepped inside the ballroom, wincing as he saw Adrian leaning against the far wall waiting for him. There was practically no one left in the space and Faye knew that didn¡¯t bode well for him. Given by the angry look in those green eyes, there was no chance he didn¡¯t blame Faye for the fiasco; in fact, from the way he glared at the human, he completely blamed Faye for the glass shattering. Faye did his best to hide his fear as he walked straight toward the vampire, anticipating the pain to come. ¡°You¡¯re late, Baby Doll,¡± Adrian hissed, roughly grabbing the human as soon as Faye was within reach and pulling him close. Faye did his best not to flinch and forced a smile, closing his eyes as he faced the angry vampire. Adrian reached behind the human, digging his hand into the wounds in Faye¡¯s back and forcing Faye to wince from the pain that ran along his spine. The imprints still hurt like hell, and Adrian knew it, digging his fingers deeper into Faye¡¯s skin. ¡°I thought I told you to hurry up¨C¡± ¡°I think,¡± Faye quickly found himself pulled away from Adrian, now loosely being held by Addis, who he was surprised to see. Adrian scowled as Addis nodded at Faye, the vampire gently releasing the human as he stepped in front of him. ¡°That is enough, Adrian. I made Faye late, although I would think two minutes is more than forgivable considering how late you have been sending him back to the shelter.¡± ¡°And why are you interfering , Addis?¡± Adrian spat, shifting his glare over to Faye as the human quickly looked away, holding himself. He heard Addis whistle as he stepped forward in front of Faye again, forcing Adrian to look at him instead. Faye had no idea why Addis was here lying for him, but at least the vampire was taking some of the blame. ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking for Faye to be escorted.¡± ¡°I am merely here to make sure Faye stays on the premises tonight. It is after curfew after all,¡± Addis¡¯s voice was dripping with fake politeness and Faye jumped when Adrian hissed. Faye wanted to tell Addis to stop, as the growing anger on Adrian¡¯s face was only spelling more pain for the human but he knew this was beyond him at this point. This was between vampires, and as usual, he was just a human victim caught in the middle. ¡°Lena is tired of you interfering with her project by keeping Faye late, which I have to say is quite rude, I never would have dreamed that a man of business like yourself would do such a thing.¡± ¡°You-¡± ¡°I am here,¡± Addis interrupted the vampire, causally sauntering up to him and Faye felt his heart pound as Addis tapped his hand against Adrian¡¯s chest. Faye couldn¡¯t see Addis''s expression but given by the way Adrian scowled down at his fellow vampire, it was a challenging one. ¡°To ensure that Faye is returned to us on time from now on and in good condition. Surely that isn¡¯t so much to ask, now is it?¡± ¡°You and that fucking princess don¡¯t have a right to-¡± ¡°Oh, but I think we do, Adrian,¡± Addis chuckled, using his fingers to flick Adrian¡¯s ponytail. The vampire scowled and Faye watched on confused as Addis withdrew his hand. Wait, was there something else going on that he didn¡¯t know about? As far as he knew, Adrian had only agreed to Faye staying at the shelter because he liked the idea of not having to worry about paying for a place to stay for Faye and the other escorts. But the way the Addis spoke and Adrian¡¯s frustrated glare seemed to hint that perhaps Lena held more power in the arrangement than Faye had realized. She was the princess after all, so perhaps there was something there he wasn¡¯t aware of? A secret agreement between Adrian and Lena? ¡°Why are you still standing there?¡± Adrian finally barked, turning his glare back to Faye as he sat down on the couch. Faye flinched, holding himself tightly as he quickly moved back to the vampire¡¯s side. He sat on the couch next to his owner, doing his best not to flinch as Adrian draped his arm around him. ¡°We¡¯re gonna go for a walk once I¡¯m done with Addis.¡± ¡°Yes, Adrian,¡± Faye forced his smile, doing his best to seem pleased as he glanced toward Addis. The disgust on the vampire¡¯s face was obvious as he watched them and Faye quickly looked away. It¡¯s not like he wanted to be here at all; what right did Addis have to be disgusted with him? You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°You win this round, Addis, but Faye is mine,¡± Adrian reiterated, and Faye felt his heart constrict in his chest. Addis chuckled as this, seemingly unbothered by the vampire¡¯s threat as Adrian continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you and that princess are up to, but at the end of the day, Faye will always come back to me.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less, Adrian,¡± Addis offered and Faye could imagine that dangerous look on the vampire¡¯s face. It truly was terrifying to Faye how good the vampire was at hiding his true emotions; Addis was adept at hiding his intentions and na?ve vampires and humans alike would fail to read the subtle differences that revealed whether Addis was playful, or angry. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m merely here to make sure Faye does not leave the premises tonight and that you continue to follow the rules. After all, they are useless if you keep breaking them at your own discretion.¡± ¡°And if he¡¯s done early? You¡¯re just gonna whisk him back to this joke of yours? He may be safer here than most places in Pavivani city, but this is not where he belongs,¡± Adrian warned and Addis chuckled. Faye jumped as he heard Adrian suck on his teeth, digging his nails more into Faye¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Am I not allowed to play with my dolls?¡± ¡°You may do whatever you like with your ¡®dolls¡¯,¡± Addis smartly replied and Faye felt his heart sink at the vampire¡¯s words. Addis chuckled, seemingly pausing from dramatic effect before continuing. ¡°However, Faye is not a doll. He is a patron of our dear shelter, and I intend to protect the shelter¡¯s interests, even from their vampiric employers if necessary.¡± Faye looked up to see Addis¡¯s expression, surprised as silence filled the ballroom. Addis was smiling the same bright smile, and Faye felt his heart pound. Patron: usually whenever Addis was talking about the tenets of the shelter, and especially Faye, the vampire had a habit of simply calling them all assets. Was he just trying to make a point to Adrian, or¡­ maybe Addis did see him as a person? The human shook his head as he sighed, looking back to his lap as Adrian began to speak again. ¡°Since when have you cared about anything, Addis?¡± ¡°Why, since I decided to help the Princess with this shelter. We all will be affected if she fails and my work needed a change of pace,¡± Addis replied, his voice taking on a slightly darker tone. ¡°I do take my work quite seriously Adrian, something you should remember very well.¡± Remember? Did the two vampires also have a past Faye was unaware of? The more Faye heard, the more confused he became about the whole situation. Did he really know anything about what was going on anymore? ¡°And where would you like to wait, Addis?¡± Adrian spat both syllables of the vampire¡¯s name as if it hurt him to say it and Faye heard Addis hum thoughtfully, as if he was deeply considering how he wanted to keep an eye on the human. ¡°The party isn¡¯t over yet, and I intend to enjoy it fully before I leave.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll wait in my office, it is near the front door after all. Not to say I don¡¯t trust you, but you are known to take advantage when it suits you,¡± Faye looked up as Addis began to walk away. He chanced a glance up at Adrian, who still had a sour expression on his face. He pulled Faye up by his injured arm, linking them together as they left the ballroom. ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it, Baby Doll. I¡¯ll make sure you pay for that glass tomorrow,¡± Adrian promised darkly and Faye could only nod as he tried to smile. Simply delaying the inevitable; there was no way he was going to get any sleep tonight. ¡°My my, Adrian is quite harsh isn¡¯t he?¡± Faye nearly jumped as he heard Addis¡¯s soft voice, and a quick glance down at his shadow showed the vampire¡¯s red eyes. ¡°Anything to get his way.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t nothing new,¡± Faye whispered, gently moving his arm to a more comfortable position as Adrian started to walk toward some other high vampires that had attended the party. He glanced down to see Addis¡¯s eyes watching him curiously and for some reason seeing Addis¡¯s expression annoyed the human. There was more going on here than Addis just making sure he didn¡¯t leave the shelter and if he was unsure about it before, he was certain of it now. ¡°And I thought you hated humans.¡± ¡°Hate is such a strong word and I loathe to use it,¡± Addis chuckled, his eyes blinking away as Faye¡¯s shadow shifted, no longer allowing the human to see the vampire. Addis''s voice was barely more than a whisper and Faye had to strain to hear it. ¡°I¡¯ll be paying just enough attention to tell whether Adrian is attempting to break the rules. Otherwise, I won¡¯t interfere.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Faye whispered, doing his best to look happy to be on Adrian¡¯s arm as the vampire motioned to him. Even if it were only business to Addis, an act to keep the princess happy, to Faye, it was a relief to have someone watching out for him. No one besides Noemi had even attempted such a thing before, and well, she was a good friend, but no high vampire. ¡°Well, have fun, little Faye,¡± Addis chuckled, his voice completely fading as Faye did his best to pay attention to the vampire talking to him. For some reason, that ¡°have fun¡± sounded¡­ different from how Addis usually spoke to the human, but Faye chose to ignore it. Thanks to Addis and Lena, he at least had the rest of tonight to mentally prepare for tomorrow. My Satisfaction (Addis) The door clicked shut behind Addis with a finality that sent a quiet thrill down his spine. At last¡ªpeace. The kind that came not from safety, but from control, and control was something Addis rarely allowed himself to take for granted. His boots tapped a steady rhythm across the hardwood as he stepped into the dim warmth of his home, shedding the pretense of charm he had carried like armor all evening. With a quiet sigh, he loosened his collar, ran a hand through his hair, and allowed himself a rare smile. Not the mask he wore in public, not the weaponized smirk he used to unnerve his enemies. No¡ªthis smile was real, and private. Adrian had behaved himself for the rest of the party, to the point that Addis had slipped out of Faye¡¯s shadow and merely left the creature in his place. He sought out Lena and Z¨¦lia, letting the girls know that Adrian would no longer be an issue and Faye would be on time from now on. The princess was relieved but he had caught Z¨¦lia¡¯s glare of disdain. Addis chuckled under his breath and leaned back against the counter, arms folded. How astute the girl could be. She knew better than to trust his sudden benevolence, and he didn¡¯t fault her for it. In truth, he preferred it. ¡°You seem quite pleased with yourself, but aren''t you forgetting something?¡±Addis frowned as he felt the creature¡¯s presence return to him, finally leaving the human alone in his room at the shelter. He looked down to see the glowing green eyes that watched him from the floor. ¡°You''ve bought yourself a night, but what about tomorrow? How will you protect Faye from Adrian¡¯s wrath when you have no right to intervene?¡± ¡°I have already said as much. I would protect the shelter¡¯s patrons from their own employer¡¯s if needed,¡± Addis asserted, reaching to retrieve his cup. His annoyance began to swell as he heard its laugh, the creature no longer willing to remain in its cage as it fully manifested next to him. It chose to take a form similar to his, even copying his black suit as it tiled its head, watching the vampire with mirth. ¡°So, I am to be your solution? Send me to watch and protect the human?¡± Those green eyes smiled too much as Addis scoffed, carefully preparing his cup as he waited for the kettle to whistle. ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°Because we have a pact, and it is your duty to protect me,¡± Addis stated matter-of-factly, his own smile fading as the creature howled with laughter, as if Addis had just told the best joke. ¡°But it is not you I am to protect, rather this human with which I have no pact,¡± it chuckled, leaning closer in Addis¡¯ face. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do better than that, Master.¡± The word rolled off the creature¡¯s tongue with so much sarcasm and malice that if Addis had not known the threat was empty, he might have been afraid. But he was not afraid, as he knew it could not harm him even if it truly wanted to. No, the creature enjoyed tormenting him and it merely wanted to force him to admit the truth out loud, to say what he had still been avoiding. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You know it well enough.¡± ¡°I cannot read your mind, master. You have to say it if you want me to obey,¡± it cooed, only pulling a scowl from the vampire as he glared. It knew he was just as trapped in their deal as it was and there were few moments when it could make the vampire regret the pact between them. Not that Addis had much reason to regret it; after all, between the two of them, he had gotten the better end of it. The creature was a parasite and had needed a host to survive, and Addis needed power. Seeing as the likelihood of him dying was low, it was a deal that benefited them both and yet tormented them in equal measure. ¡°I am Soulbound to the human, and you will protect him to guard me from his pain until this forsaken bond breaks,¡± Addis finally growled, the kettle beginning to whistle with his words. The creature¡¯s shoulders began to shake with its laughter, filling the small home with the sounds of its glee. ¡°You said it, you actually admit it!¡± It chuckled, barely moving as Addis pushed it aside to reach his bowling water. ¡°How entertaining! A bond you cannot simply kill or ignore!¡± ¡°Hush and do your part,¡± Addis hissed, finishing his tea as the shadow hopped down from the counter, finally placing its icy hands on his shoulders. He could feel the immense power the creature held, but it was not a power it could use against him. ¡°As you wish, Master,¡± with that, it sank back into his shadow, and Addis sighed as his home was filled with a comforting silence. He sipped slightly on his tea, enjoying the warmth as it slid down his throat. It would do nothing for his thirst, but this was one aspect of his human life he could not forsake. He had been all too willing to throw away the rest of the memories, but this, the scent and joy of tea, was something he would hold on to forever. Addis slowly began to climb up the stairs to his room, his thoughts at peace as he considered the change to his night. Faye was safe at the shelter and far from Adrian¡¯s abuse; for the first time in many nights, Addis knew he could sleep. He growled softly as he considered the bond that was causing him so much trouble, taking another sip of his brew. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he murmured to himself, setting the cup on his nightstand as he removed his jacket from his shoulders. ¡°A few weeks, perhaps a month at most, and Adrian will get bored and find a new toy to abuse. Then I can go back to ignoring the human completely and I will be free of this trouble.¡± ¡°You hope,¡± Addis growled as the shadow retaliated, still enjoying his discomfort with the whole situation. ¡°He might just try to wait you out.¡± ¡°I think Adrian will find I can be quite patient when I need to be,¡± Addis insisted, sitting on his bed as he recovered his cup of tea. ¡°I will be free of this bond, one way or another.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± it chuckled and Addis was unable to help the slight smile that returned to his face. He stared at his own distorted reflection in the cup, barely bothered as the creature consumed his slight confidence. Indeed they would. My Problem (Faye) Faye lounged on the couch across from Adrian, pretending to be fully interested in the book he was reading. It was one he had read a million times before, but Adrian didn¡¯t have many books, and he didn¡¯t care for his owner¡¯s tastes. The knot of his shirt dug into this neck and Faye tried to subtly shit on the couch, anything to relieve the annoying pressure. ¡°Just tell me what you want, Adrian,¡± Faye did his best to ignore the conversation going on at Adrian¡¯s desk, but it was hard to pay attention to the words on the page. After all, Rasvan didn¡¯t come often to the office directly, and very rarely did he bargain with anyone. Adrian had not attempted to take out his frustrations on the human when he arrived, instead forcing him into the outfit into his hands and ordering him to make himself presentable before the king arrived. It was obvious that Adrian had not anticipated the meeting, and Faye frowned as he turned the page. That only meant more pain for him once it was over. ¡°Your Majesty, you know that I would answer any summons you have of me,¡± Adrian started politely, but even Faye knew it was to mask his anger and annoyance. ¡°But Faye is my personal doll. To allow him to be seen on the arm of another, even at the request of the king is¨C¡± ¡°Surely you can use another of your ¡®dolls¡¯ for one night,¡± Rasvan insisted, the tap of his cane betraying his annoyance. Faye did his best not to flinch as he pretended to read, hating that Adrian had forced him to be present. Why did he have to listen as vampires argued over him as if he wasn¡¯t even there? ¡°I have set my rules, and I will have Addis obey them, even if he does not want to.¡± ¡°But surely I can lend him another¨C¡± ¡°It will be Faye, and no other,¡± Rasvan insisted and the human took a moment to brush his hair from his face, turning another page. He didn¡¯t really understand what they were arguing over, but he knew it had to do with some event Rasvan was holding for the high vampires, and he wanted every attendant to have a ¡°pet¡± to feed from. Addis¡¯s aversion to such practices was well-known and was the main reason he was despised and looked down on by other vampires. He preferred to drink from his own kind, or at least that''s how Z¨¦lia had put it. ¡°I have offered you a boon in return, and I suggest you name your price, lest I decide to force you to obey me without such a kindness.¡± Silence filled the office as Adrian scowled and Faye flinched as he felt the vampire¡¯s gaze on him. He knew that Adrian was blaming him for this, as if it was somehow his fault that Rasvan was forcing him to do this. Faye had never even entertained the king or his wife; why would he know why Rasvan wanted him to torture Addis? The only guess Faye had was it was due to Lena, to somehow undermine her efforts at the shelter by using her business partner. He knew appearances were important, but he didn¡¯t care to understand more than that. Wouldn¡¯t help him if he did. ¡°If it is alright, my King, I would like to save my boon for a later date. Faye will accompany Addis to the event, as you command,¡± Adrian finally sighed, fake respect in his voice as he bowed his head. It was enough for the king however, as Rasvan stood from his chair. ¡°As you wish, Adrian. Good to see you understand your place, as you will never rise if you grasp beyond your means,¡± despite the smile and pleasant tone, even Faye understood that Rasvan was threatening Adrian. He supported Adrian privately, but Rasvan could easily destroy everything Adrian had created for himself. Faye kept his eyes down as the king turned to leave, pausing in the door as he spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ll have the outfit sent tonight and be sure to keep him presentable. We all have our vices, but I will have to punish you if there are any marks.¡± ¡°Always, your Majesty,¡± Adrian agreed and Faye¡¯s heart started to pound as the door closed. Rasvan¡¯s presence had given the human more time, but now, he was alone with Adrian. And Adrian was more upset than he had been even the night before. Faye pretended not to notice the intense gaze he knew was on him, and the anger on his owner¡¯s face. ¡°Come here.¡± Faye carefully marked his book and stood, attempting to hide his fear as he smiled at Adrian. To his horror, there was a dark smirk on Adrian¡¯s face, and Faye did his best to hide the shaking in his limbs as he walked over to the vampire. To where he knew intense pain was awaiting him. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Yes, Adrian?¡± Faye answered sweetly as he leaned across the desk, and he wasn¡¯t even surprised when Adrian grabbed his hair, and slammed his face into the desk. ¡°You. Damn. Slut!¡± Adrian cursed, slamming his head again before tossing Faye to the floor, angrily standing from his chair. Faye clutched his face as he scuttled away, already able to feel the blood running down his face from his broken nose. So much for keeping him presentable. ¡°What the FUCK did you do?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Adri¨C¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want your lies, human!¡± Adrian growled and Faye moved back more as the vampire took a step toward him, his back touching the couch. As usual, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. ¡°Rasvan has no reason to want you on that fucker¡¯s arm unless you did something. What did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing, I swear,¡± Faye whispered, but he knew no truth or lie would protect him. After all, Adrian knew that Faye had done nothing; Faye knew better than to try anything so direct. He had almost been killed in the beginning of his contract for daring to hang on the arm of another vampire and Faye never wanted to repeat that night. Adrian was upset at his own powerlessness, so he would take it out on the one who made him feel powerful: the defenseless human on the floor. Adrian stalked toward Faye and the human closed his eyes, hating what he knew would come. Likely Adrian would kick him next, take the wind out of him so he couldn¡¯t fight back. Pin him to the floor, likely even assault him as he drank from him. After all, he had called him a slut this time, which usually meant he assumed Faye had used his body to betray him. And Adrian always took back what was his. ¡°My, my, what is this Adrian?¡± Faye¡¯s heart filled with more horror as he heard Addis¡¯s voice and he turned to see the vampire rising from his shadow. Adrian paused at this sight, his anger only growing at seeing his adversary. ¡°What the fuck are you doing in my pet¡¯s shadow, Addis?¡± ¡°Keeping my promise to Lena. She¡¯s noticed your little¡­ gifts on Faye, and her rules are clear about how the humans she shelters are to be treated,¡± Addis chuckled and Faye knew this was only going to get worse. Adrian was nothing if not a creative bastard, and he would find a way. He always did. ¡°I warned you last night, we won¡¯t tolerate you breaking our rules anymore, if you want to keep your ¡®doll¡¯.¡± ¡°Fuck off,¡± Adrian spat and Faye flinched even more as the vampire laughed, the sound echoing around the office as the lights flickered. They steadied again as Addis¡¯s laughter died down, and his voice was darker and filled with all the hate he had toward Adrian. ¡°If that¡¯s what you prefer, I¡¯ll gladly ¡®fuck off¡¯ and let Lena know how little you respect your princess,¡± Faye wished the couch wasn¡¯t behind him as Addis took a step forward, clearing doing everything he could to antagonize Adrian more. ¡°If my warnings aren¡¯t enough, perhaps she can make a nice little example of you.¡± ¡°That bitch is too fucking soft to do anything,¡± Adrian spat back and Addis shook his head. ¡°Underestimating your opponent is how you lose the game, Adrian. Consider that a little token from me,¡± Addis slowly began to sink back into Faye¡¯s shadow, his chuckle still echoing in the human¡¯s ears. ¡°After all, it would be a shame to see a high vampire fall after so much effort.¡± As soon as the vampire was gone, Adrian pounced on the human, pinning Faye to the floor before he could even react. He fought to throw the vampire off him, even though he knew it was pointless. He was only human, and Adrian¡¯s knee on his leg soon put a stop to his squirming. ¡°I don¡¯t know what little game you think you¡¯re playing, Faye, but you aren¡¯t going anywhere,¡± Adrian spat, using his hand to force Faye¡¯s head to the side, exposing his neck. Faye swallowed back down the bile rising in his throat, hating everything about this. His thoughts turned to Addis¡¯s taunt and he closed his eyes as he felt Adrian¡¯s tongue drag along his neck. Who would ever want this? ¡°You and your sweet blood belongs to me, and me alone.¡± Pleasure shot all through Faye¡¯s neck and head as Adrian buried his fangs into his skin and a scream escaped him as he fought to push the vampire off. Adrian was quick to stop him, digging his nails into Faye¡¯s free hand to force the human to stay still. Faye bit his own tongue to fight against the feeling assaulting his body, anything to not let that feeling overtake him. He hated that vampire bites were euphoric, anything to make their prey more amenable and he bit his tongue until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Adrian¡¯s annoyance was obvious as he bit down harder, trying to force Faye to surrender to him. Faye knew from experience he would not win this fight, that eventually the chemicals flooding his body and mind would win, but he would not go easily, and he would not go willingly. And he certainly would hate every moment of it. My Problem (Faye) Faye lounged on the couch across from Adrian, pretending to be fully interested in the book he was reading. It was one he had read a million times before, but Adrian didn¡¯t have many books, and he didn¡¯t care for his owner¡¯s tastes. The knot of his shirt dug into this neck and Faye tried to subtly shit on the couch, anything to relieve the annoying pressure. ¡°Just tell me what you want, Adrian,¡± Faye did his best to ignore the conversation going on at Adrian¡¯s desk, but it was hard to pay attention to the words on the page. After all, Rasvan didn¡¯t come often to the office directly, and very rarely did he bargain with anyone. Adrian had not attempted to take out his frustrations on the human when he arrived, instead forcing him into the outfit into his hands and ordering him to make himself presentable before the king arrived. It was obvious that Adrian had not anticipated the meeting, and Faye frowned as he turned the page. That only meant more pain for him once it was over. ¡°Your Majesty, you know that I would answer any summons you have of me,¡± Adrian started politely, but even Faye knew it was to mask his anger and annoyance. ¡°But Faye is my personal doll. To allow him to be seen on the arm of another, even at the request of the king is¨C¡± ¡°Surely you can use another of your ¡®dolls¡¯ for one night,¡± Rasvan insisted, the tap of his cane betraying his annoyance. Faye did his best not to flinch as he pretended to read, hating that Adrian had forced him to be present. Why did he have to listen as vampires argued over him as if he wasn¡¯t even there? ¡°I have set my rules, and I will have Addis obey them, even if he does not want to.¡± ¡°But surely I can lend him another¨C¡± ¡°It will be Faye, and no other,¡± Rasvan insisted and the human took a moment to brush his hair from his face, turning another page. He didn¡¯t really understand what they were arguing over, but he knew it had to do with some event Rasvan was holding for the high vampires, and he wanted every attendant to have a ¡°pet¡± to feed from. Addis¡¯s aversion to such practices was well-known and was the main reason he was despised and looked down on by other vampires. He preferred to drink from his own kind, or at least that''s how Z¨¦lia had put it. ¡°I have offered you a boon in return, and I suggest you name your price, lest I decide to force you to obey me without such a kindness.¡± Silence filled the office as Adrian scowled and Faye flinched as he felt the vampire¡¯s gaze on him. He knew that Adrian was blaming him for this, as if it was somehow his fault that Rasvan was forcing him to do this. Faye had never even entertained the king or his wife; why would he know why Rasvan wanted him to torture Addis? The only guess Faye had was it was due to Lena, to somehow undermine her efforts at the shelter by using her business partner. He knew appearances were important, but he didn¡¯t care to understand more than that. Wouldn¡¯t help him if he did. ¡°If it is alright, my King, I would like to save my boon for a later date. Faye will accompany Addis to the event, as you command,¡± Adrian finally sighed, fake respect in his voice as he bowed his head. It was enough for the king however, as Rasvan stood from his chair. ¡°As you wish, Adrian. Good to see you understand your place, as you will never rise if you grasp beyond your means,¡± despite the smile and pleasant tone, even Faye understood that Rasvan was threatening Adrian. He supported Adrian privately, but Rasvan could easily destroy everything Adrian had created for himself. Faye kept his eyes down as the king turned to leave, pausing in the door as he spoke again. ¡°I¡¯ll have the outfit sent tonight and be sure to keep him presentable. We all have our vices, but I will have to punish you if there are any marks.¡± ¡°Always, your Majesty,¡± Adrian agreed and Faye¡¯s heart started to pound as the door closed. Rasvan¡¯s presence had given the human more time, but now, he was alone with Adrian. And Adrian was more upset than he had been even the night before. Faye pretended not to notice the intense gaze he knew was on him, and the anger on his owner¡¯s face. ¡°Come here.¡± Faye carefully marked his book and stood, attempting to hide his fear as he smiled at Adrian. To his horror, there was a dark smirk on Adrian¡¯s face, and Faye did his best to hide the shaking in his limbs as he walked over to the vampire. To where he knew intense pain was awaiting him. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Yes, Adrian?¡± Faye answered sweetly as he leaned across the desk, and he wasn¡¯t even surprised when Adrian grabbed his hair, and slammed his face into the desk. ¡°You. Damn. Slut!¡± Adrian cursed, slamming his head again before tossing Faye to the floor, angrily standing from his chair. Faye clutched his face as he scuttled away, already able to feel the blood running down his face from his broken nose. So much for keeping him presentable. ¡°What the FUCK did you do?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, Adri¨C¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want your lies, human!¡± Adrian growled and Faye moved back more as the vampire took a step toward him, his back touching the couch. As usual, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. ¡°Rasvan has no reason to want you on that fucker¡¯s arm unless you did something. What did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing, I swear,¡± Faye whispered, but he knew no truth or lie would protect him. After all, Adrian knew that Faye had done nothing; Faye knew better than to try anything so direct. He had almost been killed in the beginning of his contract for daring to hang on the arm of another vampire and Faye never wanted to repeat that night. Adrian was upset at his own powerlessness, so he would take it out on the one who made him feel powerful: the defenseless human on the floor. Adrian stalked toward Faye and the human closed his eyes, hating what he knew would come. Likely Adrian would kick him next, take the wind out of him so he couldn¡¯t fight back. Pin him to the floor, likely even assault him as he drank from him. After all, he had called him a slut this time, which usually meant he assumed Faye had used his body to betray him. And Adrian always took back what was his. ¡°My, my, what is this Adrian?¡± Faye¡¯s heart filled with more horror as he heard Addis¡¯s voice and he turned to see the vampire rising from his shadow. Adrian paused at this sight, his anger only growing at seeing his adversary. ¡°What the fuck are you doing in my pet¡¯s shadow, Addis?¡± ¡°Keeping my promise to Lena. She¡¯s noticed your little¡­ gifts on Faye, and her rules are clear about how the humans she shelters are to be treated,¡± Addis chuckled and Faye knew this was only going to get worse. Adrian was nothing if not a creative bastard, and he would find a way. He always did. ¡°I warned you last night, we won¡¯t tolerate you breaking our rules anymore, if you want to keep your ¡®doll¡¯.¡± ¡°Fuck off,¡± Adrian spat and Faye flinched even more as the vampire laughed, the sound echoing around the office as the lights flickered. They steadied again as Addis¡¯s laughter died down, and his voice was darker and filled with all the hate he had toward Adrian. ¡°If that¡¯s what you prefer, I¡¯ll gladly ¡®fuck off¡¯ and let Lena know how little you respect your princess,¡± Faye wished the couch wasn¡¯t behind him as Addis took a step forward, clearing doing everything he could to antagonize Adrian more. ¡°If my warnings aren¡¯t enough, perhaps she can make a nice little example of you.¡± ¡°That bitch is too fucking soft to do anything,¡± Adrian spat back and Addis shook his head. ¡°Underestimating your opponent is how you lose the game, Adrian. Consider that a little token from me,¡± Addis slowly began to sink back into Faye¡¯s shadow, his chuckle still echoing in the human¡¯s ears. ¡°After all, it would be a shame to see a high vampire fall after so much effort.¡± As soon as the vampire was gone, Adrian pounced on the human, pinning Faye to the floor before he could even react. He fought to throw the vampire off him, even though he knew it was pointless. He was only human, and Adrian¡¯s knee on his leg soon put a stop to his squirming. ¡°I don¡¯t know what little game you think you¡¯re playing, Faye, but you aren¡¯t going anywhere,¡± Adrian spat, using his hand to force Faye¡¯s head to the side, exposing his neck. Faye swallowed back down the bile rising in his throat, hating everything about this. His thoughts turned to Addis¡¯s taunt and he closed his eyes as he felt Adrian¡¯s tongue drag along his neck. Who would ever want this? ¡°You and your sweet blood belongs to me, and me alone.¡± Pleasure shot all through Faye¡¯s neck and head as Adrian buried his fangs into his skin and a scream escaped him as he fought to push the vampire off. Adrian was quick to stop him, digging his nails into Faye¡¯s free hand to force the human to stay still. Faye bit his own tongue to fight against the feeling assaulting his body, anything to not let that feeling overtake him. He hated that vampire bites were euphoric, anything to make their prey more amenable and he bit his tongue until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Adrian¡¯s annoyance was obvious as he bit down harder, trying to force Faye to surrender to him. Faye knew from experience he would not win this fight, that eventually the chemicals flooding his body and mind would win, but he would not go easily, and he would not go willingly. And he certainly would hate every moment of it. My Confusion (Addis) Addis settled into his seat, quite pleased with himself as he sipped on his warm tea. This little plan of his was going better than expected and it no longer required much from the vampire. The slight ache in his face was still there, but he knew it would fade once Lena tended to the human''s broken nose and he had already berated the creature for hurting Faye. Addis had known that Adrian would try something at the office, enjoying the frustrated scowl on Adrian¡¯s face from being thwarted by the vampire¡¯s presence. Everything went smoothly, with Faye going about his work undisturbed and Addis felt certain he would return on time tonight. Lena would be pleased that Faye was no longer being abused and returning on time, and Addis would no longer be subjected to nightly pains. Of course, there was still the matter of Faye himself and the bond. The human was more than suspicious about the vampire¡¯s motives and Addis had to admit, he had every right to be so. Addis was not particularly known for acts of kindness and his protection of the human would eventually start to become suspicious. This was an act he could only keep up for a short time, and his only hope was that the bond would fade before anyone decided to examine his motives closer. ¡°It will work,¡± Addis reassured himself, taking another sip of his warm tea. He knew his little interruption today would make Adrian more hesitant to act in the future, and he could always simply have his shadow mimic his eyes in the human¡¯s shadow. Just a little reminder, just long enough for this frustrating bond to fade. With any luck, the bond would disappear within the next few weeks, and the vampire could stop pretending to care about the human at all. ¡°Wanna share with the rest of the class?¡± Ruben asked, leaning heavily against the table as Addis hummed again, finishing off his tea and sliding the mug to the man. Ruben hissed, swiping the cup as he turned to make Addis more tea. ¡°What will work?¡± ¡°Hmm, I wonder,¡± Addis smiled, and the human sighed, sliding the vampire his new mug. Addis chuckled, picking up the warm drink and taking another slight sip of the hot beverage. As much as he enjoyed the tea, his thirst was starting to bother him more and he knew it would be time to drink soon. He sighed heavily, considering if it was time to head back home to his home or not. Faye had not returned for the day, and Addis wanted to be sure that Adrian followed the rules before he left. ¡°So who is it?¡± Ruben continued, and Addis started to frown, glaring up at the man. Ruben was meeting his glare evenly, making it obvious he was not going to back down. Addis had managed to dodge Ruben¡¯s insistence questioning, but it seemed that the human was determined to get his answer tonight. ¡°Who are ya bound to this time?¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, it¡¯s not of your concern. I have it under control,¡± Addis retorted, sipping his tea as he closed his eyes. Ruben sighed again, leaning close across the table. ¡°Look, Addis. I¡¯ve been around you for a while, and I¡¯ve never seen you entertain a bond before. Heck, the poor sap would be lucky if they lasted days after you realized,¡± the man started and Addis sighed heavily, his frown starting to turn into a small smile. Ruben ignored this obvious warning, leaning closer to the vampire. ¡°Yet, you¡¯ve had this one for at least a month. I don¡¯t really care who it is, but I know you don¡¯t want it or need it. So, why haven¡¯t you broken it yet? Why aren¡¯t you ignoring it?¡± ¡°I have my reasons.¡± ¡°You know what happens if you don¡¯t break it soon? Those pesky emotions of theirs are gonna start bothering you. You know, those things you think are so useless and frivolous and¨C¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that, Ruben!¡± Addis exclaimed, slamming his mug back on the table as he stood from the chair. The human jumped back, surprised by the vampire¡¯s sudden outburst and it took Addis a moment to realize what he had done. He slowly sat back down, avoiding the man¡¯s gaze as he placed his hands around the mug again. He closed his eyes, fighting to get his breathing under control before speaking. ¡°I am¡­ aware of what happens, Ruben. I have no intention of letting things go so far.¡± ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you allowed it to fade yet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± ¡°Why? Never seemed to be a problem before.¡± ¡°I only recently became aware of whom I was bonded to, and unfortunately, killing them is not a choice,¡± Addis sighed, sipping off his mug again as Ruben watched silently, waiting for the vampire to continue. Addis brought the cup down from his lips, contemplating how much he wanted to open up to the man. He always appreciated Ruben¡¯s friendship and the human¡¯s willingness to push back against him, but this was not an easy matter for Addis to talk about. ¡°I am dealing with it. It will not be a problem for much longer.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Fuck, Addis, who the fuck are you bonded to that you can¡¯t kill them?¡± Ruben sighed as Addis chuckled, bringing his hand to his face. ¡°Is it a human? Someone staying in the shelter?¡± ¡°Yes and yes, if I¡¯m in the mood to be honest. I do not need to draw Lena¡¯s ire, when I have gone through so much to convince her I am here to help,¡± Addis breathed, swirling his mug to watch the liquid flow inside the ceramic container. ¡°They also belong to another high vampire, which is another headache I do not need.¡± ¡°Addis,¡± The vampire looked up, slightly annoyed to see the concern on Ruben¡¯s face. He did not want the man¡¯s pity, regardless of how long they had known one another. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s-¡± ¡°FUCK YOU ADDIS!¡± The vampire was interrupted when the doors to the kitchen were thrown open and the pair turned to see Faye panting in the doorway. His anger was palpable from where he stood, his face flushed with the increased blood flow. Addis was annoyed as his thirst reacted to the human¡¯s blood still dripping from his nose, turning to face Faye as he stomped up to the table. That explained why Addis¡¯s face still hurt: Adrian must¡¯ve constantly agitated the wound. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your damn help!¡± ¡°And I do not care if you want it or not,¡± Addis grinned, meeting Faye¡¯s angry pink eyes evenly as the human stood over him. He took another casual sip of his tea, chuckling to himself as he continued. ¡°I made a promise to Lena, and I will¨C¡± ¡°FUCK YOU BOTH!¡± Faye yelled, slapping the cup from Addis¡¯s hand, surprising the vampire as his beverage shattered against the far wall. He looked to Faye with an awed expression; just what in the world was wrong with this human? ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for no fucking vampires to interfere with my life. If you two mess with me again, then I¡¯ll fucking leave here on my own.¡± ¡°And go where, Faye?¡± Addis asked dangerously, finally standing from his seat as he glared down at the human. Faye stared up at him defiantly, and Addis had to admit, it was amusing. He didn¡¯t understand what Adrian had done to make the human so angry; after all, he couldn¡¯t have physically abused him beyond breaking his nose or Addis would have known. ¡°Your owner and Lena have an agreement, and I doubt Adrian will react well if you embarrass him again. If you leave, then I can¡¯t protect you.¡± ¡°Fuck him and fuck you!¡± Faye spat, still refusing to back down as Addis put his arms behind his back, maintaining his expression. This human really didn¡¯t know how lucky he was that Addis could not kill him. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being treated like I don¡¯t even fucking exist.¡± ¡°Well then, you¨C¡± ¡°And you can wipe that smug ass grin off your face, because Rasvan is insisting I go with you to the gathering tomorrow,¡± Faye scoffed and Addis found himself shocked into silence for the second time. The king was insisting what? ¡°Adrian is pissed, you won¡¯t let him hurt me, and that bastard is going to find a way to take it out on me all day tomorrow, like vampire bullshit is my fucking fault. ¡°So leave me the fuck alone and just let Adrian beat me. It¡¯s better than the alternative,¡± Faye finally turned to walk away from the kitchen and Addis let him, still too shocked from what the human had said to stop him. Adrian had been about to beat Faye earlier because of the King? Addis already knew that Rasvan would force a human onto his arm for the night, but why was he choosing Adrian¡¯s toy? Exactly who was Rasvan trying to punish here? ¡°Is he the one?¡± Addis was shaken from his stupor as Ruben spoke and the vampire turned as he sat back down. Ruben was already preparing another fresh cup and he quickly pushed it to the vampire. Addis hummed with frustration as he was presented with his new tea, but the man placed his hand over the lip of the mug before the vampire could take a sip. Addis didn¡¯t try to hide his growl as he lifted his eyes to meet Ruben¡¯s glare. ¡°And what if he is?¡± Addis carefully slid the mug from under the man¡¯s hand, helping himself to more of his warm tea. Ruben scoffed before loudly laughing, irritating the vampire even more as he sipped his drink. He cleared his throat as he placed the mug back on the counter, glaring at his servant. ¡°I would rethink who you are laughing at, Ruben.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fucked, Addis, in more ways than one,¡± Ruben finally wheezed, leaning against the counter as he closed his eyes. ¡°And Rasvan is forcing him to be your arm candy for his stupid party? You are so screwed and it¡¯s all your fault.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not¨C¡± ¡°It is and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it. You can¡¯t refuse, or Rasvan will strip you of your status,¡± Ruben interrupted and Addis sighed heavily, standing without his mug. He was tired of Ruben¡¯s unnecessary ridicule of his situation and now that Faye had returned, he had no reason or desire to remain at the shelter. He began to walk out when Ruben¡¯s voice made him pause. ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Be careful, or you¡¯ll only make things worse. You have to get rid of him.¡± Ruben repeated, and as Addis turned, he saw no more mirth in the man¡¯s expression. Only serious concern remained and the vampire turned away from that look. Addis made no effort to answer, walking out into the brisk night. My Concern (Addis) The vampire couldn¡¯t help his rampaging thoughts as he walked down the dark streets, the words of the human still echoing in his mind. Why in the world was Rasvan forcing him to deal with Faye? Was it to punish Adrian for some slight, and Addis was merely a convenient tool to use for that end? ¡°Now, this is a treat. Addis stalking the streets at this hour,¡± the vampire looked up at the sound of the voice, and he forced a chuckle, releasing his coat as he turned around. Behind him stood Rosie, her black eyes boring into him as she smiled, twirling her umbrella as she watched him. Addis smiled as she pushed herself off the wall, offering the vampiress his arm as she approached him. Rosie took it, chuckling to herself. ¡°You¡¯ve been quite good at surprising me today.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you mean, Rosie dear,¡± Addis sighed, happy to have the vampiress as company. He needed a moment of normalcy, something to calm him back down so he could think clearly about his situation. Rosie glanced down at him and Addis continued smiling, waiting for his companion to explain herself. She gave him an accusatory glance before shrugging, twirling her umbrella again. ¡°Ruben didn¡¯t tell you? I was at your station, trying to find out where you¡¯ve been hiding,¡± Addis¡¯s heart skipped a beat at the vampiress¡¯s words but he outwardly chuckled, pretending her words didn¡¯t bother him. ¡°Imagine my surprise when the man told me you were out!¡± ¡°I was busy with a matter that concerned the shelter,¡± Addis offered, the edges of his smile starting to twitch. He knew Ruben wouldn¡¯t have had much of an option to lie to Rosie, but he didn¡¯t like that his servant had failed to tell him about her visit to the station. ¡°My people know how to work on their own, I don¡¯t always need to hover.¡± ¡°You, giving up control? First charity work and now this? My my, it¡¯s like I hardly know you!¡± Rosie smiled, throwing her head back in laughter. Addis joined her, her laugh easing his tension. ¡°Concerning the shelter, hmm? It wouldn¡¯t happen to be related to one of the humans there would it?¡± ¡°It was, and I have dealt with it for now,¡± Addis released the vampiress as he opened the door to his home, allowing Rosie to enter. The lights quickly sprung to life and the radio began playing a soft melody as Addis stepped inside, closing the door as he loosened his tie. ¡°Can I get you anything, my dear?¡± ¡°Only the usual, Addis,¡± the vampiress lounged on his couch and Addis nodded, making his way to the kitchen as he removed the tie and his jacket. Addis hummed to himself as he filled his kettle with water, putting it on to boil as he fished out two mugs from his cabinets. The familiarity of being in his own home and hearing Rosie''s soothing voice was helping to calm the vampire down, and he was beginning to forget about his predicament altogether. ¡°So what did you have to do?¡± ¡°I merely had to remind one of our gracious donors that the princess¡¯s rules are not to be overstepped,¡± Addis chuckled, carefully measuring out the sugar to each of their preferences and placing their respective tea bags in their cups. ¡°After all, it is not wise to try and take advantage of our royalty.¡± ¡°Oh you are the worst, Addis, to delight in another¡¯s displeasure,¡± Rosie chuckled, looking toward the vampire¡¯s radio. Addis watched her curiously for a moment, waiting to see if Rosie would reveal why she had wanted to spend time with him today. The vampiress usually kept to herself and she usually only sought out his company out of boredom or if she wanted to talk about something. It seemed to be the latter today, as the vampiress leaned against the couch, turning her empty eyes back to the vampire. ¡°Did I tell you I was SoulBound again?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Addis did his best to hide his discomfort with her causal statement, not wanting her to infer the same was true of him. Rosie had a different view of the bond than him, although the outcome for her unfortunate partners was usually the same. ¡°Yes, to a sweet little thing. I believe she is friends with one of the humans at your shelter,¡± Rosie seemed pensive, looking toward the radio as the song skipped. Addis turned away, wishing that the water would hurry up and finish boiling. He sighed as the creature consumed his worry, thinking of Rasvan¡¯s gathering and his forced company with the human. ¡°I was tempted to let the bond fade, but I believe I may actually pursue this one. She will be on my arm tomorrow night.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Oh? A human then?¡± Addis repeated as he attempted to keep his voice neutral, tapping his hand on the counter as he willed the water to hurry. ¡°No, a turned. She is quite interesting, far more than those in the past. I wonder how she will react to being Soulbound to a High Vampire. If she will disavow me, or accept her fate,¡± Rosie chuckled again as the song skipped, changing to a darker tune as Addis¡¯s anxiety increased. He was tempted to turn off the device, but he knew doing so would only make Rosie more suspicious. His chest ached with worry, but he breathed a sigh of relief as the feeling left him again. ¡°I know your feelings on such things, so I won¡¯t ask for advice. But haven¡¯t you ever been curious? Haven¡¯t you ever wondered what it is like to have a mature bond?¡± ¡°Ha, to have another privy to my thoughts and emotions? To share my pain?¡± Addis scoffed, glad his emotions were gone as he spoke. He did his best to chuckle as the kettle went off, carefully lifting it to finish preparing their tea. ¡°There is no one who could and I have no desire to share theirs. Such a bond is useless. A mere distraction and an inconvenience.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but it does add excitement to an otherwise boring existence,¡± Rosie countered, and Addis heard as she rose from the couch, making her way over to him. Addis forced his smile as he turned, handing the vampire her tea. She accepted it, closing her eyes as she breathed in the aroma of her beverage. Addis took a sip of his own tea, his rampaging thoughts melting away with the warm drink. ¡°But I suppose I should expect no less from you. After all, you have that thing you allow to hide in your shadow. I¡¯m sure it provides all the entertainment you desire.¡± ¡°Entertained or not, I have no time for such bonds,¡± Addis replied curtly, wishing he could steer the conversation away from the topic of being Soulbound. He had hoped to forget about such things for a while, not be reminded that his situation was getting worse. ¡°Being Soulbound is a distraction and only gets worse as time goes on.¡± ¡°How would you know? You¡¯ve never let a bond mature before,¡± Rosie shrugged, ¡°Who knows, you might actually enjoy not being alone again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have to let a bond mature to know that I don¡¯t want or need it,¡± Addis hissed, his anxiety causing him to grow angry. Why did she insist on talking about this and why did she have to remind him of her? Rosie seemed slightly taken aback by the vampire¡¯s reaction, taking a sip as he closed his eyes. ¡°The emotions of another are only useful when I can manipulate them and I have no desire to let someone that close to me anymore.¡± ¡°Hmhm, then do you derive joy from killing the poor, unknowing fools?¡± Rosie offered, sipping her tea again as she chuckled. Addis smiled slightly at her statement, his anger fading somewhat. ¡°Ending their life and feasting on their blood while they die ignorant, not knowing that their only crime was being bonded with you?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t killed them all, Ruben is alive after all,¡± Addis hummed, sipping his own beverage. Rosie laughed at his retort, placing her mug down on the counter. She tapped her slender fingers, her shoulders shaking with mirth. ¡°Only because the man was smart enough to ignore the bond as well. He freed you from its effect before it could go anywhere and I hear he¡¯s happily Bound to someone else,¡± Rosie sighed, crossing her arms across her chest as she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes slightly, keeping her gaze to the floor. ¡°I envy him at times. He had a chance to glimpse into that mind of yours and chose not to.¡± ¡°A smart choice.¡± ¡°Perhaps. I¡¯m not sure I could have resisted the temptation. Lucky for both of us, I suppose, that it has never happened,¡± Rosie conceded, turning as she walked away from her fellow vampire, retrieving her umbrella from beside the couch. Addis watched curiously as she made her way back to the door, glancing over her shoulder to smile at the vampire. ¡°I do believe I have taken up enough of your time with frivolous talk, Addis. Enjoy your tea.¡± Addis remained silent as Rosie left, finally alone in his home as the door closed behind her. The vampire sighed, placing his tea down on the counter as his thoughts returned to Faye. Addis began to laugh again, the radio crackling with static as he threw his head back, letting his laughter fill the empty space. ¡°Oh, Rosie, you are a sly one,¡± Addis sighed, looking back down to the vampiress¡¯s neglected tea. He had no doubt that Rosie knew he was Soulbound: she probably threatened Ruben into telling her and she was likely guessing that one of the shelter¡¯s humans was his unfortunate partner. She would search for any sort of confirmation and Addis couldn''t help the ugly sound that escaped him at the thought. Despite her demeanor, Rosie was worse than Addis in more ways than one, and she delighted in anything that could make him squirm. She had wanted to make him squirm, to make him denounce being Soulbound, all while knowing the truth about his situation. ¡°Enjoy not being alone...¡± Addis repeated, looking back to his own tea. The vampire had been alone since he had been turned, and he had only considered letting someone in once. That had been a mistake and it was one he never wanted to repeat. He was only protecting and humoring Faye to protect himself, and he refused to allow it to be more than that. ¡°This¡­ has to end,¡± Addis sighed, picking up his mug as he began to climb the stairs to his bedroom. Our Frustrations (Faye) Faye lounged on the couch as he huffed, annoyed with all the fanfare around him. Despite not being able to have the human on his arm tonight, Adrian had made Faye to arrive with him, forcing the human to sit on the couch and wait. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for servants to arrive before their vampiric masters, so there was often a ¡®waiting area¡¯ where a human waited to be claimed. Faye knew Adrian was making a point to both Rasvan and Addis by forcing Faye to wait and the human huffed as he crossed his arms. The outfit Rasvan had provided was also uncomfortable and Faye found himself pulling at the vest to adjust it. It had come without a shirt and the train on the jacket was hard to avoid sitting on, forcing the human to constantly have to move it first before he could adjust on the seat. The hairpin was at least nice, and Faye pursed his lips as he caught his reflection in the nearby mirror. ¡°They got the prettiest piece of candy out here? What gives?¡± Faye looked up in shock as another person fell onto the couch beside him, not bothering to try and sit correctly. Noemi grinned brightly as she laid her head in his lap, chuckling at his surprise. ¡°Who the fuck are you waiting on?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I should be asking,¡± Faye scoffed, pushing the woman from his lap as she laughed. He took a moment to realize she was actually somewhat dressed up, or at least as dressed up as she knew how to be. She was wearing a revealing dress that was far too short and her usual ripped tights to match her scratched boots. It also seemed she had tried to tame her wild orange hair into an updo, but it was more like a lopsided ponytail. ¡°You don¡¯t usually come to events like these. It''s supposed to be humans only.¡± ¡°Well, I got myself a date, so I¡¯m here,¡± Noemi shrugged and Faye didn¡¯t try to hide his disbelief. ¡°Date? Noemi, this is¨C¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Soulbound or whatever the fuck it¡¯s called and she insisted I come with her tonight,¡± she interrupted, somewhat trying to pull her dress down a bit more as she finally attempted to sit on the couch properly. Her expression was somewhat pensive and she leaned on the armrest as she stared into the rest of the gathering. ¡°Don¡¯t know much, other than I guess she¡¯s a high vampire if she¡¯s invited to this King shit and gets to break the rules.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± was all Faye could muster as a response, staring at his friend as he tried to read her emotions. He quickly noticed she was chewing on her lower lip, which was something she only did when she was nervous. Her yellow eyes were darting around the room, and Faye couldn¡¯t help his frown at seeing her worry and distress. Noemi was a turned vampire, but she refused to drink blood, even the synthetic that was offered to all vampires. Like Faye, she had gotten wrapped up with a high vampire without knowing the consequences and had allowed him to turn her. He abandoned her shortly after, annoyed and frustrated by her lack of promise and leaving Noemi a mess. She hid her vampiric nature as best she could, masquerading as a human and refusing to use any of her powers. Faye was one of the few who never judged her for her past; after all, he easily could have been in her shoes and it led to them becoming close friends. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s easy,¡± Faye finally smiled, nudging his friend to get her attention. She gave him a snarky smirk as he chuckled, tossing his hair to emphasize his point. ¡°All ya gotta do is look appealing and pretty. Most vampires won¡¯t actually drink in public since it¡¯s frowned upon, so just be her arm candy and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m like the candy you found washed up in the sewers after some kid spat it out, you¡¯re the real deal,¡± Noemi laughed and Faye did his best not to lose his smile at her comparison. Noemi really had a strange way with words. ¡°Can¡¯t clean up nice when finding a place to sleep is a daily chore.¡± The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You can come to the shelter, Mimi,¡± Faye offered, not surprised by the glare his friend gave him. ¡°I¡¯m sure if I talk to Lena, she¡¯ll even let you stay with me.¡± ¡°Thought humans and turned were separated.¡± ¡°They are, but I¡¯m sure I could convince her,¡± Faye insisted, doing his best to seem confident. He still wasn¡¯t sure what Lena¡¯s goals with the shelter really were, but he couldn¡¯t deny the safety it gave him and others like him. Living on the streets was always dangerous, especially for humans, and with Noemi refusing blood, the danger to her was magnitudes higher. All it would take was one bad night, and Faye would be left all alone. ¡°At least let me ask her. I can¡¯t stay with you anymore, and I don¡¯t want to wake up one day and find you¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Fucking fine. Do whatever ya want,¡± Noemi finally spat and Faye couldn¡¯t help his relief. ¡° But hey, don¡¯t think you can get out of answering me. Why are you over here? Shouldn¡¯t you be on that Adrian asshole¡¯s arm?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¨C¡± Faye found himself interrupted as he heard a commotion on the other side of the room, and all the vampires around him turned to face the disturbance. A door separated them from whatever was going on but Faye felt his heart sink as he heard that all too familiar laugh. What had he ever done to deserve this? ¡°My, my Rasvan, I didn¡¯t know your servants were so lippy,¡± Faye was shocked to see and hear as a woman stepped through the door first, her dark pink dress perfectly fitting her shape as she stepped into the room. Her black eyes looked like voids in comparison to her pale skin and blond hair and Faye caught his breath as Addis stepped into the room behind her, tossing a body onto the floor. The poor human groaned as he slid and the vampiress laughed as she continued. ¡°I¡¯d almost say I¡¯m impressed! I haven¡¯t been called a doxie in hundreds of years!¡± ¡°My apologies, Rosie dear,¡± Faye turned to the other side of the room as Rasvan rose from his seat, stepping down toward the offending servant. It always amazed Faye how much Lena looked like her father, even if she acted nothing like him. She had her mother''s eyes, but right down to the way their blonde hair framed their faces, she was Rasvan''s child. The king tapped his foot against the floor and the man began to scream as a blood-red puddle formed underneath him, pulling him into the depths as it bubbled and hissed. Faye fought to swallow the rising bile in his throat as he turned his attention to the king, hating that he smiled just like Addis did. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to deal with him properly once we¡¯re done tonight.¡± ¡°You are a doll as always Rasvan,¡± Rosie laughed, turning to look at the couch. Her eyes seemed to shine brightly as she stared at Noemi and Faye, and she motioned at the pair. Faye looked at his friend with surprise as she stared at him, and they both rose slowly as they made their way to the high vampires. He knew he was Addis¡¯s arm candy tonight, but Noemi had said the vampire she was with was Soulbound to her. She was Soulbound to one of the most powerful vampires in Dephus, and also one of the richest! Faye groaned as he stood in front of Addis, noticing the tight smile on the vampire¡¯s face. Addis was wearing a dark red suit rather than his usual black, and the collar was also higher on the jacket than Faye was used to seeing on him. His red eyes glared despite the smile and Faye couldn¡¯t help his own tight lips as he bowed, doing his best to keep up appearance. Even if he wasn¡¯t on Adrian¡¯s arm, he knew the vampire was watching him, and would take any slight as a personal attack on him. ¡°Pleased to serve,¡± Faye almost spat, surprised when he stood to see Addis offering his arm. Addis¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed and Faye scowled quietly as he took it. Rosie seemed much more pleased to have Noemi on her arm, her smile bright and cheery despite Noemi¡¯s hesitant one. He walked in time with Addis as the gathering seemed to lose interest and Faye took the chance to whisper to the vampire he clung to. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°The feeling is mutual, Faye dear,¡± Addis hissed back and Faye smiled brightly as another high vampire came up to them. Addis also seemed to adopt his weirdly theatrical persona, seeming chipper and in high spirits despite the human on his arm. Faye did his usual of smiling politely and trying to look happy, even as he felt Adrian¡¯s eyes on the pair. At least if they had to deal with each other, they were both going to be miserable. My Connection (Addis) Addis did his best to ignore Faye¡¯s presence as they moved around the room, hating every little chuckle and smile the human gave. Despite their shared disdain for one another, the human was playing his role perfectly, smiling and laughing when appropriate. ¡®Disgusting,¡¯ Addis thought to himself, although he had to admit some part of him found it impressive. It was now immensely obvious to him that Faye hated Adrian as much as he seemed to hate Addis, but was he not also just as flirtatious and cordial when on his owner¡¯s arm? Addis felt his smile twitch as he noticed Adrian approaching the pair, another human on his arm that the vampire didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Nice to see you taking care of my Faye, Addis,¡± Adrian spat and Addis gave a hearty laugh, tightening his hold on the human. ¡°As well as I may, Adrian. After all, one shouldn¡¯t refuse a gift from the king,¡± the vampire delighted in the whispers around them at his statement, and he grinned broadly at Adrian¡¯s scowl. ¡°My thanks to you as well, for being ever so accommodating.¡± ¡°Only doing as one should, Addis,¡± Adrian spoke through clenched teeth as he bowed his head and Addis laughed again, tapping Faye¡¯s arm with his hand. If he wasn''t sure of it before, he was now: Adrian was the one being punished here. He wasn¡¯t sure what the man had done to upset the king, but Addis couldn¡¯t help but be slightly relieved. He didn¡¯t want Rasvan¡¯s attention on him, not now. ¡°Well, Faye and I must be off! Plenty of others to greet and see!¡± Addis waved to the high vampire as he turned away, not wanting to give Adrian a chance to touch Faye. He didn¡¯t need to be seen trying to protect the human and he knew Rosie was simply ecstatic to see Addis with the human. The vampire did his best to work their way to a more deserted side room and as soon as they were away from the majority, he quickly uncoupled his arm from Faye¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t bite,¡± the human spat, sitting down angrily on the couch as he faced away from Addis. The vampire for his part scowled, finally dropping his smile in the privacy of the room. As much as he still couldn¡¯t stand Faye, he had to admit, his respect for the human was growing. Despite his position, despite his lack of power, he didn''t mince his words. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy when this is all fucking over.¡± ¡°You and I both,¡± Addis huffed as he stood, remaining on the other side of the couch from the human as they watched the party. The silence was awkward and uncomfortable, but Addis preferred the silence to dealing with the other vampires. Bad enough he had to have a human, worse that it was one of Adrian¡¯s, and even worse that it was a human he was Soulbound to. ¡°Why do you even come to this shit if you hate it?¡± Addis turned a dark look to the human as Faye spoke, noticing that the human was still staring out the crack in the door. His expression had not changed and Addis shrugged as he chuckled. ¡°Simply being a high vampire does not allow me to refuse the King, a fact I¡¯m sure has Adrain seething tonight,¡± Addis answered candidly, scanning the main room until he found the human¡¯s owner. Adrian was making small talk with Rosie, but Addis could see that he was scanning the room for the pair. Pathetic. ¡°The King could take away my power and wealth in an instant, leaving me with nothing.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Guess we¡¯re all just slaves to someone with more power then,¡± Faye scoffed and Addis chanced another look at the human. He had closed his eyes and shifted until he lay down on the surface, a pouty expression on his face as he sighed. ¡°Ain¡¯t nothing good about this place.¡± ¡°Then why come?¡± Addis asked, unable to help his curiosity as Faye growled, refusing to open his eyes. Addis had chosen Dephus after the death of his mother, realizing there was nothing left for him on Terra. Most other humans he knew were charmed here by high vampires, with hopes and promises of power and comfort, only to learn that the truth was a lot less rosy. ¡°I didn¡¯t choose to come to this goddamn place. My pa sold me, traded me for a pot of money that probably didn¡¯t even last him a week,¡± Faye spat, rolling into the couch to hide his face, but Addis didn¡¯t need to see it to know the human was crying. He had already noticed that Faye had a habit of crying when he was angry. ¡°Vampire that brought me here died within days before he could decide what to do with me, and Adrian scooped me up with all his fake promises of making me his human servant.¡± ¡°Forever a victim then, I suppose,¡± Addis chuckled, unable to hide his surprise as Faye jumped to his feet. He didn¡¯t try to fight as the human grabbed his jacket, glaring even as the tears ran down his face. Addis kept his calm expression, meeting the human¡¯s angry eyes evenly; they had already been through this once, and he knew Faye, in some small way, wanted Addis to retaliate. He wouldn¡¯t give him the satisfaction. ¡°Let go of me, Faye.¡± ¡°Fucking make me. I ain¡¯t gonna have some fucking vampire who wouldn¡¯t know the meaning of a bad day talk down to me,¡± the human spat, fury filling his teary pink eyes. Addis relaxed as Faye gripped his jacket tighter, smiling darkly at the shorter human. Did Faye also fight Adrian like this? Interesting. ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to constantly be the one without power. You¨C¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Addis grinned, enjoying the confusion he saw flash across Faye¡¯s expression. ¡°I am quite aware of what it feels like to be small, beaten, and treated like property.¡± ¡°Nice try, but you¨C¡± ¡°I was not always a vampire, Faye. I know you care little about others, but even I was once human,¡± Addis interrupted the human, grabbing Faye¡¯s wrists as he forced the human to release him. Despite knowing that his grip had to be hurting him, there was no look of pain in Faye¡¯s eyes and Addis¡¯s respect grew. So used to the pain that it barely bothered him, good. A step in the right direction. ¡°I took power instead of waiting for it to find me.¡± ¡°But Z¨¦lia¨C¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use her as a source of information about me,¡± Addis chuckled, tightening his hold on the human¡¯s wrists. Faye didn¡¯t even try to resist and Addis¡¯s smile grew wider. ¡°I know you want me to prove your petty point, that all vampires are nothing more than abusers seeking more power, but I am not one to stand by and be used by anyone, not even you.¡± ¡°I may not be able to disobey the King, but I am no more his slave than I was to the man who beat me for his own pleasure,¡± Addis continued, leaning closer into the human¡¯s face, slowly becoming aware of an intoxicating whisper in the back of his mind. What if he could prove the human wrong, make him eat his hasty words? He moved Faye¡¯s hands as he leaned down more, taking in a deep breath as he spoke into the human¡¯s ear. ¡°You are only as much of a victim as you choose to be.¡± It was then that Addis did something he never thought he¡¯d do. He kissed the human he held. Your Mistake (Faye) The vampire''s lips met Faye''s in a searing kiss, a collision of fire and ice that sent shivers down Faye''s spine. Addis''s hands released his wrists as his arms encircled Faye''s waist, pulling him closer until their bodies were pressed together, chest to chest. Faye felt the coolness of Addis''s skin against his own, the contrast sending his senses reeling. ¡®What in the¨C¡¯ But Faye couldn¡¯t finish the thought as Addis''s mouth moved against his, exploring with a hunger that ignited a wildfire within them both. The human knew he needed to pull away, that whatever Addis was playing at would not be good for him, but¡­ for some strange reason, Faye didn¡¯t want to. His hands hesitated as he resisted the desire to touch the man holding him, his heart pounding in his chest. Hadn¡¯t Addis just been insulting him? Telling the human how he didn¡¯t even pity him in his situation? Why was that same vampire now kissing him deeply, his powerful hands digging into the human¡¯s waist as they hid away in this small room. All it would take was one curious party member, one errant brush against the door and the pair would be discovered. If Adrian saw him like this¡­ Thinking of his owner finally gave Faye the strength to push Addis¡¯s face away from his own, gasping for breath as he held the vampire¡¯s face. Addis¡¯s red eyes glowed in the dark space as they both panted, and the human struggled to find his voice. ¡°I dunno, what you¡¯re playing at now, but neither of us wanna be found like this,¡± Faye managed, finding himself unable to tear his eyes away from the vampire leaning over him. Addis almost looked dazed, like he wasn¡¯t sure where he was, but more so than that, Faye saw desire. He had seen that look enough to recognize it anywhere, but even more surprisingly, it didn¡¯t disgust him like it usually did. Instead, Faye felt an irresistible pull and he dug his fingers into Addis¡¯s skin. This was bad: what had Addis done to him? ¡°If Adrian¨C¡± ¡°Is Adrian here right now?¡± Addis interrupted, and Faye was so shocked by the dark sound in Addis¡¯s voice that he found himself unable to answer immediately. What in the world had come over Addis: why was he acting like this? His eyes bore into the human''s and he leaned closed as he spoke against Faye¡¯s lips. ¡°I asked if Adrian was here right now.¡± ¡°N-no.¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t want to hear you say his name,¡± Addis whispered and Faye felt a shiver run through his whole body. The pull was now a demand, and Faye slowly moved his hands to Addis¡¯s shoulders. Every cell in his body screamed that this was a terrible and awful idea, and yet the human couldn¡¯t help the soft sound that escaped him as Addis pulled their bodies even closer together. That touch, so soft and protective, spoke of a desire that Faye had never felt or seen in his life. This was not possession, but something¡­ different. ¡°Faye¡­¡± ¡°Y-yeah?¡± Faye¡¯s voice was barely more than a breath as he struggled to speak over his pounding heart, and Addis merely chuckled in response. Their eyes locked, a magnetic pull drawing them together as Addis leaned in again, closing that small gap between them again. His lips brushed against Faye''s, a feather-light touch that sent shivers down Faye''s spine. It was as if he was asking for permission, wanting Faye to admit that he wanted it, that he wanted to kiss the vampire holding him. Faye¡¯s thoughts raced as he gripped Addis¡¯s jacket, answering the unasked question by leaning into the vampire. Fuck it, Adrian was pissed anyway. Faye''s fingers found their way to Addis'' hair, threads of silk that slipped through his grasp as he pulled Addis closer. Addis''s hands traced the contours of his body, leaving trails of fire in their wake, his nerves on edge as he surrendered to the sensations coursing through him. When was the last time Faye had been touched like this? Addis¡¯s hands were certain, his kiss forceful and yet respectful and Faye knew he could pull back again and Addis would let him, even as the vampire¡¯s hands seemed eager to claim every inch of the human. Was this really the same vampire he had seen walk into the room with Rosie, the same Addis that had insulted him only moments before? This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. As the fire between them grew, the world around them faded into a blur of sensations and they both seemed to forget where they were. The thin beam of light from the main room seemed to caress their entwined forms, casting shadows that danced like forbidden whispers. Addis''s lips traveled from Faye''s mouth to his neck, each kiss leaving an imprint that felt both sinful and divine. The growl that left Addis¡¯s mouth as he reached to remove the collar, caused Faye¡¯s body to jump in response. Even as the fabric was pulled away, exposing his neck and the bite Adrian had given him the previous day, Faye felt no fear. No, for the first time in his life, he only felt apprehension as those lips caressed his neck. ¡°Did Adrian do this?¡± Addis hissed and Faye could only shiver as he felt the vampire¡¯s lips and tongue against his skin. ¡°He¡­ was¡­ mad about you¨C¡± ¡°Protecting you.¡± Addis finished, continuing to kiss the mark, as if somehow he could erase it from the human¡¯s skin. Faye let out another soft sound, clinging to Addis as the vampire bent him over more. ¡°How dare he.¡± ¡°Ad¡­ Addis¡­¡± Faye moaned, gripping the vampire tighter as he felt Addis¡¯s fangs brush his skin. Never in his life had he wanted to be bitten so badly, to have Addis¡¯s mark on his skin instead of Adrian¡¯s. To be fed from the vampire holding him, even as Addis seemed to be resisting the desire himself. ¡°We¡­ the party¡­¡± ¡°Addis?¡± The pair froze as they heard another voice, and Faye quickly recognized it as Rosie. It was as if the interruption pulled them both from the trance, and moving with a speed he didn¡¯t know he had, Faye quickly separated from the vampire as Addis released him. He quickly bent down, barely managing to pick up his collar and snap it back in place as he dove to sit on the couch again. He could hear her approaching the door as he tried to compose himself, forcing a scowl as he looked away from Addis, who still stood dazed. ¡°Here you are! Hiding as normal.¡± Faye groaned as the doors were opened more, rolling his eyes as he kept his eyes away from the vampire. His heart was still pounding in his chest, and he could only pray that Rosie would believe it was anger that had him so worked up and not¡­ whatever that was. ¡°I was simply giving Faye here some advice,¡± Faye was surprised by the calm arrogance he heard in Addis¡¯s voice and he managed to force a glare as he turned to look. Addis¡¯s expression was back to its usual sardonic expression and Faye didn¡¯t have to fake the annoyed pout that came to his face. Somehow, it was even more annoying to see that look now. ¡°After all, he¡¯ll get nowhere if he keeps playing the victim.¡± ¡°So harsh on the poor dear,¡± Rosie grinned as she looked at the human, and Faye accepted her hand as she offered it to him. Her dark eyes bore into his as he stood, her smile reminding him of a hungry shark. ¡°After all, we can¡¯t have him losing his charm.¡± ¡°Only you would find such things charming,¡± Addis scoffed, walking out of the room as Rosie released the human. Faye hurried after Addis before the vampire turned sharply to face him, an angry look on his face as he hissed. Faye stopped immediately, confused by Addis¡¯s mood change. What in the world was wrong with the vampire? ¡°I''m tired of this gathering, and I dare say I¡¯ve been here long enough. You are free to sit on your couch, Faye.¡± ¡°All¡­ alright,¡± Faye nodded, not attempting to follow as Addis made his way across the room. He avoided the desire to look for Adrian and made his way back to the waiting couch, knowing that his owner would punish him if he tried to leave. Lena already knew he would be late coming back to the shelter due to the party, and somehow Faye doubted that Addis was heading to the shelter anyway. As he sat back down, the human absently brought his hand to his collar, glancing to the floor as he remembered the feel of Addis¡¯s fangs against his neck. Didn¡¯t Z¨¦lia say that Addis refused to drink human blood? She had also said that Addis fed from his own kind, but Addis had said he was turned and Faye didn¡¯t try to hide his frown. Could he really trust anything Z¨¦lia had told him about the high vampire? The human quickly dropped his hand from his collar, not wanting to draw attention to it and his heart started to race again. Why had Addis gone from lecturing the human to kissing him? Had Faye really been that blind to how the vampire felt about him, just assuming that Addis hated him because he hated the vampire? One question danced in his mind, and he knew it would likely never be answered. Did he¡­ want Addis? My Anxiety (Addis) Addis did not stop until he reached the door of his home and he slammed it shut decidedly, leaning against the portal as he locked it. Addis couldn¡¯t help the way his entire body shook, his anxiety rising as he struggled to convince himself to release the door. If Rosie had not come, had not been looking for him, he¡­ he¡­ ¡°No,¡± Addis whispered, bringing his hand to his face as he tried to forget the human. He didn¡¯t want to think about how soft Faye¡¯s lips had been, how supple and perfect his curves were or the feel of Faye¡¯s living body as he pressed it against his own. Addis growled softly to himself, hating the way his body reacted to the memory, the way his heart thumped in his chest. ¡°Damn it.¡± He could not deny it, as much as he wanted to; in that moment, Addis had simply wanted Faye. Be it the dreaded bond or something about the human, Addis had wanted to claim him and make Faye his, to prove the human wrong in every way possible. The way Faye had watched him defiantly, with anger and annoyance, even as the vampire held him in place. He wanted to make those defiant eyes glare at him again, so he could turn them back into the soft hazy look the human had given him after something as simple as a kiss. What look would those pink orbs give if he did more¡­ ¡°Master¡­¡± Addis pushed himself off the door as he walked further into his home, slamming his hands on the counter as his heart continued to race in his chest. This¡­ this was exactly what he didn¡¯t want. He didn¡¯t want to want, he didn¡¯t need the distraction. This¡­ bond, it was making him desire the human and Addis slammed his hand into the polished surface. Ruben was right; he needed to get rid of it, to be done with it before emotions could be shared. Before it could dig its claws into him more. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°What!¡± Addis spat, annoyed with the creature¡¯s insistence as its green eyes looked up to him from the floor. ¡°Shall I go watch the human?¡± Addis hesitated with his answer, growling softly as he considered its simple question. There was a good chance Adrian intended to see if he could torment Faye, especially since the pair of them had disappeared from the party. He thought about the bite on the human¡¯s neck and he slammed his hand into the counter again, barely noticing as he cracked the surface. So that¡¯s what the human had meant when he said Adrian would find a way to torment him and Addis had to close his eyes as the creature consumed his rage. He could only imagine that he hadn¡¯t felt the bite because vampiric bites were pleasurable instead of painful and as long as emotions weren¡¯t being shared, Addis would have no way of knowing when Adrian violated the human. ¡°Go, but only eyes and voice, it should be enough. Rasvan is there,¡± Addis commanded, watching as the creature escaped his own shadow and wriggled under the door. Alone, the vampire sighed heavily, turning around as he leaned against the counter. He could not keep doing this; he needed to pull away, to be done with the human. To stop spending so much time thinking about him, to not remember how it had felt to kiss him. But it felt the more he tried to forget, the more the memory insisted on making itself known. It was infuriating how the memory lingered, taunting him with what he shouldn''t crave, an unsettling mix of desire and frustration that he couldn''t shake off. With a frustrated growl, Addis raked his fingers through his red hair, tugging at the strands as if trying to dislodge the thoughts from his mind. He couldn''t let himself be consumed by this yearning, this inexplicable attraction to a mere human. Yet, despite his resolve, the desire clawed at him, refusing to be ignored. Addis traced the crack in the surface of his counter, frowning as he realized he would need to get it replaced. Why did he care that Adrian had bit the human: Faye belonged to Adrian, Adrian had every right to drink the human¡¯s blood whenever he wanted to as the one who owned the human¡¯s soul. But if that was true, if that was how Addis truly felt about it, why did his anger threaten to consume him as he thought about the vampire sinking his fangs into Faye¡¯s soft skin? Why did he want to rip Adrian apart for daring to assault Faye for what Addis had done? This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°A weak man, nothing better than an animal,¡± Addis hissed, digging his nails further into the crack. Addis hated abusers of every kind, and while he had always known that Adrian did not treat his ¡°dolls¡± well, he had never thought the vampire stooped that low. Was Faye the only one Adrian abused that way, or was that disgusting excuse for a vampire willing to force himself on anyone who couldn¡¯t refuse him¡­ A sudden sharp pain ran through Addis¡¯s wrists and he clutched the limb tightly, static escaping him as the lights flashed. Was it too late? No, the creature could move even faster than him, there was no way it hadn¡¯t reached Faye in time. The pain intensified as Addis fell to his knees, still clutching his joint as he struggled to control his power. He growled as he realized what must have been happening, releasing his wrist as the pain finally seemed to lessen. ¡°Rasvan¡­¡± the vampire hissed, slowly rising to his feet as he tried to shake away the residual ache. The creature wouldn¡¯t have hesitated if it had been any other vampire, but the pair could not risk Rasvan learning about their pact. If the King knew, he would not hesitate to immediately kill Addis, and attempt to destroy the creature that had latched onto him. With a deep breath, Addis began the familiar process of making tea, finally removing his jacket as he moved into the kitchen. Addis finally started to relax as he went through the motions of his favorite ritual, preparing his mug and tea to receive the hot water and create the drink he longed for. The only thing in his long life that made the vampire calm, and let him feel safe. Addis closed his eyes as he considered the human again, still unable to forget that moment in the side room. Would it happen again? The next time Addis had to face the human, would he be able to control himself, or would the bond drive him to do even more? What even were the later stages of being Soulbound? Addis hummed with thought as he considered his lack of knowledge and resolved to try and learn what he could before broadcasting the next day. The shelter should have no need for him for a while, and would afford him the luxury of avoiding the human. Ruben and Roma would be enough to represent him and if Lena truly wanted to complain, he could always use the excuse that he needed to check on his businesses and ensure everything was running smoothly. ¡°I do need to travel soon,¡± Addis muttered under his breath, reaching for the kettle as it began to whistle. Travelling would be a dangerous gamble however, as the creature could only be so far away from him and he would not be able to have it watch Faye. Adrian would be guaranteed to try and take advantage of Addis¡¯s absence to torture the human and Addis hummed with fustration. Would the pain follow him, or would it be his chance to finally be free of this ridiculous bond that had driven him to kiss the human? To almost bite the human and drink his sweet blood? ¡°I must find out.¡± Addis sat down heavily on his couch with his warm mug, taking a delightful sip as he closed his eyes. Even if travel would not break the bond, if he could somehow use it as an excuse to separate Faye from Adrian, it would present the same opportunity. If he didn¡¯t need to protect the human, it would be much easier for him to completely ignore Faye and force it to break. It only took a week if the target was deliberately avoided and ignored, and Addis hummed with thought as he considered this new idea. ¡°I suppose I have some work to do,¡± he chuckled to himself, standing from the couch as he moved to climb the stairs. He climbed the short flight of steps to his room, setting down his cup as he laid down on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling above him. This dance he found himself in was becoming dangerous, and he knew he needed to end it before he was trapped by its insidious melody. He couldn¡¯t afford another moment of weakness, another chance for the bond to dig its talons deeper. Addis clenched his fists, the need to sever the connection with Faye becoming more urgent with every passing moment. Just a little longer and he could be done with this all together. Just a little longer. Your Gift (Faye) Faye looked out the window excitedly as they exited the dark tunnel, eager to see the world outside of Pavivani city. He didn¡¯t even want to know what strings Lena had to pull to get Adrian to agree to the trip, but he was beyond grateful that she had gone through the trouble. Noemi was in the seat next to him, basically squeezing Faye into the wall as she attempted to look out his window. ¡°Damn, didn¡¯t know Dephus had sights like this!¡± she exclaimed and Faye merely nodded in agreement, pushing the girl back. They had exited the tunnel to reveal rolling green hills filled with colorful flowers and compared to the dank darkness of Pavivani city, it was like stepping back onto Terra. He had assumed the artificial light that lit up Dephus''s sky to create day wouldn¡¯t allow for plant life, but the flowers in the quiet hills disputed the idea. He could barely see the shape of a house in the distance and he started to wonder if they owned the entire meadow. He grunted with pain as Noemi leaned on him more, almost completely in his seat. ¡°Real fucking flowers in this place!¡± He looked up as Z¨¦lia hushed the pair and he shrugged as Lena merely giggled. Rosie and Addis were present as well, but the pair seemed to be too engaged in their own quiet whispering to care what noise Noemi was causing. Faye frowned as he kept his eyes on Rosie, watching her chuckle at something Addis said. This whole trip had been a joint effort between the pair and Faye couldn¡¯t help his suspicion at their intentions. Addis had mentioned to Lena he needed to travel to Aerovale to check in with the station he owned there, and suggested taking their best patrons with them to show off how well behaved humans and turned vampires could be. Lena was at first reluctant but eventually agreed and reached out to Adrian to make a deal about taking Faye and some of the other escorts to Aerovale for three days. Rosie had apparently gotten wind of the trip and offered to pay for the whole endeavor, as long as she was able to bring Noemi along. Faye had gotten the princess to let Noemi stay at the shelter in his room, but due to her notoriously bad behavior, the turned was often on thin ice with Lena and Z¨¦lia. The girls likely would have ever dreamed about bringing the woman along, but with Rosie offering to pay for the trip, they didn¡¯t have much reason to deny her such a simple request. Which is why they were all now sitting on a luxury charter bus on their way to Aerovale, which apparently was up in the mountains. From what Faye had learned and understood, Aerovale was a home to more secluded vampires and humans, and unlike Pavivani city that tended to be a melting pot for all kinds of crime and mayhem, the High Vampires of Aerovale had no tolerance for such behavior. They also were said to share Addis¡¯s disdain of humans, and the only humans or turned vampires in the city were servants and workers who knew better than to act out. Faye scoffed as Noemi bumped into him again, straining to look out his window. The antithesis of everything his best friend was. ¡°Fuck, this scenery is beautiful! And Aovale is supposed to be better?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Aerovale, Noemi.¡± ¡°Who gives a fuck?¡± She complained, but Faye noticed she immediately sat back in her seat, crossing her arms and pouting as she did so. Faye glanced up to see Rosie looking back at the pair, a bright smile on her face as she kept her dark eyes on Noemi. Maybe it was all the time he spent around Addis and his pet creature, but Faye also seemed to notice something¡­ commanding about the smile. A warning to behave. ¡°It¡¯s not the city and that¡¯s f¨C that¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°Heh, someone doesn¡¯t like your cursing?¡± Faye jabbed and Noemi pouted more, slouching more into her seat. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I gotta behave myself on this trip, since the vamps in Aroe-whatever don¡¯t like chaos and Rosie pulled strings with Princess Sunshine so I could come with you,¡± Noemi admitted and Faye nodded, pretending to be surprised. ¡°I ain¡¯t about to not be me, but I can¡­ tone it down for ya and Rosie. She doesn¡¯t want anyone to know about¡­that yet, so I gotta not give her a reason to intervene.¡± ¡°It¡¯s appreciated, Noemi,¡± Faye smiled, gently resting his hand on the woman¡¯s lap. She gently laced their fingers together, sighing heavily as she sat up slightly in her own seat. Faye glanced out his window again as they rolled past the soft green hills, able to see the mountains in the distance. Lena had explained it was a full day to Aerovale and the human grinned into the window as he squeezed his friend''s hand. He glanced up again as Rosie chuckled, and he barely met her eyes as she turned back to talk to Addis. Addis¡­ Faye let his eyes fall on the vampire, unable to help his frown. For a while, the passionate kiss in the dark room had tormented and followed the human, making him question how Addis truly felt about him and how he felt about the vampire. However, after weeks of Addis refusing to acknowledge the act and treating the human as poorly as he always did, Faye found himself constantly annoyed with the vampire. A part of him wanted to demand an answer, to know what Addis had done to him to make Faye want him, but another part knew Addis would never give a straight answer. The vampire would dodge or ignore the question, simply leaving Faye desperate for the truth. The creature Addis sent to watch him was equally obtuse, only remarking how intriguing it found the human and refusing to answer his questions. Anytime Faye attempted to ask it anything, it would remark that it had no interest in answering his questions, just observing him. It soon became clear Addis had told it not to answer him and Faye gave up his inquiry, settling for it¡¯s occasional snide remarks about his days. Faye closed his eyes as he leaned against the smooth glass, sighing heavily. The truth was he was completely indebted to Addis and his shadow creature and his pride didn¡¯t like the mounting debt. Adrian seemed to take Addis¡¯s threat seriously and while he did still yell and throw things at the human, he hadn¡¯t touched him since Addis appeared in his office. Faye was usually good enough to dodge whatever Adrian would find to throw, and the few times he wasn¡¯t, he felt the creature move him out of the way. Adrian never seemed to notice, growing angrier that he couldn''t just put his hands on the human to force the pain he wanted to inflict. Faye frowned as a shiver ran through his body, thankful that Adrian had also not bitten him lately. He knew it was only a matter of time; Adrian never went long without forcing himself on Faye and it seemed that Lena¡¯s protection didn¡¯t extend to feedings. Faye opened his eyes slightly as he remembered Addis¡¯s anger at seeing the bite, frowning as he hummed thoughtfully to himself. If it made Addis so angry to know Adrian had bit him, would Addis stop Adrian the next time? Faye sat up slightly as he heard Addis chuckle, and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from looking to where the high vampires sat. They were on opposite ends of the bus, but to Faye, it hardly felt like enough space. Any space he had to share with the high vampire felt too tight, too small, because his thoughts would always return to the side room. To the way Addis had pulled their bodies close together, and how easily he had let himself give into Addis¡¯s touch and kiss. "Look at that Faye!" The human was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Noemi''s voice, and he glanced out the window to see the beautiful shimmering lake they were now driving past. It seemed almost glass-like with its still surface and Faye couldn''t help the way he smiled as he stared at the water''s surface. "Now that''s some beautiful shit." "Yeah," Faye agreed, barely noticing what he said as he leaned against the glass. Faye had long since given up on experiencing any sort of peace in his life but this¡­ this came close to giving him that long forgotten feeling again. His heart almost felt at ease for the first time since he arrived in Dephus and Faye dared to hope that things would be peaceful, that he would be able to actually enjoy this trip. He needed the distraction. My Peace (Addis) ¡°Now that went perfectly!¡± Addis couldn¡¯t help his chuckle as Rosie slid into the booth beside him, not minding her voice as she closed the door. The vampire for his part kept his attention on the broadcast happening in front of him, noticing the hardy laugh of the host to Lena¡¯s response. The other workers around him were moving about anxiously, clearly nervous around the high vampires. The station in Aerovale was one of Addis¡¯s favorites to visit, mostly because he knew he could always count on it being run perfectly. The closed-off nature of the city meant that anything less would not be tolerated, and his local manager had a good eye for hosts that fit his own radio persona. Lena gave a soft chuckle of her own as the host¡¯s laughter died away and Addis¡¯s smile widened. While Lena and Addis were taking advantage of the station to advertise the shelter, Z¨¦lia had taken the rest of the humans and vampires on a tour of the natural city. The vampire hadn¡¯t realized how much the bond had affected his mood until he no longer had to worry about the human and Addis sighed with relief. Here, in this city far from Adrian¡¯s hand, Addis could ignore Faye and he didn¡¯t even have to send the creature to watch him. Z¨¦lia was more than enough security from any normal vampire, and Lena would also want to keep a close eye on all their charges. Rosie bringing Faye¡¯s friend was an added bonus he hadn¡¯t counted on, but it was welcomed nonetheless. Finding out that Rosie¡¯s Soulbound partner was a friend of Faye¡¯s had made Addis nervous at first, but he soon saw the advantage of the situation. Noemi was loud and boisterous and it was very obvious she was overly protective of Faye, not letting any of the other turned vampires near him. She was never afraid of confrontation, and Addis quickly realized why Rosie was so interested in entertaining the bond with her. The vampiress craved excitement and chaos more than anything else, and Noemi created both constantly with her mere presence. It had taken Addis a while to even notice that the girl wasn¡¯t human, but it only amused him more when Lena revealed she refused blood. Addis¡¯s protection of Faye was soon forgotten in the mind of the princess and her partner as they focused on trying to get Noemi to behave, and Addis chuckled softly to himself. ¡°Seems this trip was something you needed,¡± Addis leaned back in his seat as Rosie made another remark, still keeping his eyes on the princess and host in the recording studio. He knew she was still trying to find out who he was Soulbound to and his companion chuckled as she continued. ¡°This is the most relaxed you¡¯ve been in weeks.¡± ¡°You already know I hate Pavivani city and its ceaseless politics. Were it not necessary for my goals, I would have left long ago,¡± Addis remarked, finally turning to give the vampiress a bright smile as she grinned at him. Her black eyes shone with mischief and Addis allowed his smile to turn to a soft smirk. ¡°Who knows, perhaps once that goal is obtained, I¡¯ll retire here.¡± ¡°The ones here do seem to be more of your ilk,¡± Rosie agreed, glancing at the glass as Lena became more animated and the host seemed enraptured by her words. ¡°Although I think the princess is starting to grow fond of you.¡± ¡°I certainly hope so. She is a critical piece on the board, even if I disagree with your assessment of her,¡± Addis chuckled, relaxing fully as the creature stirred in his shadow. He could feel its desire to reveal itself, but Addis gave it a sharp glare as he glanced at the floor. There was no reason to take such a risk, especially with so many other eyes about. He could feel its hunger and Addis sighed, silently giving it permission to eat his contentment. ¡°Time and patience will afford us what we desire, Rosie dear.¡± ¡°Indeed it will,¡± the vampiress agreed and Addis¡¯s attention was drawn back to the booth as the host started to wrap up the segment. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well, there you have it, Aerovale, from the words of our Princess herself!¡± The cheery bouncy tone of their voice was perfectly accented by the jazz tune that played with their words and Addis finally stood, Rosie following his lead. ¡°If you see her out and about our town, be sure to show her the best Aerovale can be, and why we believe in her message!¡± As soon as the broadcast finished, Addis opened the studio door, causing both the princess and host to jump with surprise. He clapped his hands as Rosie appeared behind him, beaming as the vampire continued with his theatrics. ¡°Absolutely perfect, Dalri! What a treat to finally enjoy your voice myself,¡± Addis beamed as the host blushed, clearly not expecting any praise from the station¡¯s owner. ¡°I am glad to see things are running so well here.¡± ¡°Well, Torne keeps us all on track, and is a good manager.¡± ¡°Good, good! I¡¯ll have to congratulate him as well, and for continuing to discover such good talent,¡± Addis laughed loudly as Lena approached him, finally turning his attention to the princess. Her blonde curls were uncharacteristically pulled back from her face, and Addis beamed as she smiled at him. ¡°Now, Lena, are you ready to rejoin the visiting group? If Z¨¦lia is following today¡¯s itinerary, they should be passing by.¡± ¡°Are you¨C¡± ¡°No, no my dear, Rosie and I have other matters. I intend to watch all the daily broadcasts today and Rosie has her own segment later this evening to announce her new store,¡± Addis revealed, noticing the slight relief in Lena¡¯s stance. He knew it was more aimed at Rosie than him, and he politely bowed his head as he continued. ¡°We will be present for dinner, since Rosie is treating us all tonight.¡± ¡°Indeed, it is best to show these secluded hermits what the best of humanity has to offer,¡± Rosie chuckled and Lena¡¯s smile became tighter. Addis did his best to stifle his chuckle, not wanting to give up his facade as the vampiress continued. ¡°I assure you, this evening will be perfect.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it will, thank you Rosie!¡± Lena beamed before bouncing out of the room, but her usual happy bounce was more of a hurried run as Addis finally let his laughter escape. ¡°You call me crafty, but you are the worst Rosie. Bringing that girl along while no one knows the truth,¡± Addis motioned for the host to prepare for the next broadcast, and Rosie merely smiled as they stepped back out of the recording studio. ¡°Lena and Z¨¦lia are right to be worried about your intentions, given your reputation.¡± ¡°My little firecracker will behave and I look forward to seeing their awe. As far as no one knowing, I don¡¯t intend to keep it a secret forever,¡± Rosie revealed, and Addis felt the creeping wave of anxiety that started to rise in his chest. Those black eyes were now intense as they smiled at him and he knew that Rosie was examining him closely. ¡°It will serve well to annoy these high-minded fools, to reveal that I have chosen a connection with a turned rather than another born vampire.¡± ¡°It will indeed be a shock to some,¡± Addis agreed, doing his best not to crumble under her scrutiny. ¡°With your status, you could have any you wanted.¡± ¡°And yet my soul binds to her. Fate is truly interesting,¡± Rosie chuckled and Addis nodded as he sat back down, the jazz tune starting again. ¡°I wonder if fate intends to try again with you, or perhaps they have grown tired of your resistance.¡± ¡°With any luck, it will be the latter,¡± Addis insisted, pretending to be fully interested in the broadcast as Dalri started their next intro. He knew the conversation was to try and trip him up into admitting something, and he was determined to keep Rosie guessing. After all, with any luck, this bond would be almost completely gone by the time they returned to the city. ¡°You will be up soon enough Rosie dear, so if you wish to check on your partner, now would be a good time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m satisfied, Addis. I can feel that she¡¯s fine, and she has been behaving herself, although I will freshen up a bit,¡± Rosie stood as she spoke and Addis kept his smile as she walked by him, dragging her hand across his shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s always such a joy to play with you, and I look forward to seeing if I win.¡± ¡°As you should,¡± Addis responded, a shiver running through his body as Rosie¡¯s hand left his suit and the vampire sighed as he leaned back in his seat. Now Rosie knew he was resisting her, and she would definitely up her ante to get her answer. She clearly had an unusual interest in the Soulbound connection at the moment, and Addis¡¯s smile faded with his thoughts. All he had to do was mislead her for a few more days, and everything would be fine.