Chapter 10
CALIX
Mmm. Warmth. Roses.
I pulled the floral heat closer, burrowing into it, greedy for every bit. The sheets shifted under me, their faint rustle breaking the quiet before a sharp inhale cut through the room.
“What the fuck!”
The warmth and sweet smell vanished, followed by a sharp thud.
Groaning, I dragged a hand over my face, but the remnants of sleep were stubbornly clinging to me. My other arm stretched out across the mattress, searching blindly for what I’d just lost but finding nothing but cool sheets.
Cracking one eye open, I found her crouched beside the bed, peeking up at me. Her blue-green eyes were wide, way too wide, as she stared at me like I’d grown a second head overnight.
A laugh puffed out of me before I could stop it.
God, she’s cute. The thought hit the same way it had the night before.
Every word out of her mouth was unpredictable. Fun. I liked that sharp black-cat energy of hers. It scratched at something in me I didn’t usually let surface.
Nothing about her felt rehearsed. No careful angles, no calculated glances. Just raw reaction, sharp, unfiltered, real. When everything in my world revolved around power and money, she stood out.
“Via,” I said, lazily lifting a hand toward her, motioning her back. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she squeaked, but she stayed where she was, crouched like I might lunge at her.
I let my hand fall back against the bed with a soft exhale. Fine. Guess I’m getting up.
Stretching out, I dragged a hand down my stomach, letting the blanket slip just enough to bunch at my hips. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her gaze tracking the motion, following the path of my hand before snapping away too late.
My ears picked up a faint swallow, and my lips curved. Why was she so fucking cute?
I rolled forward onto my stomach and edged closer to the side of the bed. She reacted instantly, jumping back like I’d lunged at her.
The shirt she’d been clutching slipped from her hands, dropping to the floor. My gaze dipped without permission.
Yeah. That was not helping. I felt the need to lick my lips as I pictured running my tongue between her breasts.
“You weren’t this jumpy last night,” I said, letting my tone tilt just enough to tease.
She scrambled for the shirt, snatching it up and fumbling it over her head. It snagged for a second before she yanked it down, her face popping through with a glare that could’ve burned through steel.
“You!” she snapped, pointing at me like I was about to be put in time-out. “You—you fucking lied to me!”
I blinked, frowning. “I… what?”
My brows pulled together as I ran back through everything from last night, trying to catch where I’d screwed up, but I was pulling up nothing.
She crossed her arms, and her voice dropped into a serious tone, the kind that meant she was very sure she was right.
“You didn’t tell me you were… were…” She gestured wildly at me, clearly struggling for words before bursting out with “You!” Her whole body moved with it, shoulders rising and falling as she tried to keep up with her thoughts.
I almost told her to relax—almost—but I had four sisters. I knew better than to say something that stupid.
“The hair! The eyes!” she continued, her voice climbing. “How do I even know you’re really Calix Winstale, huh? What if this is some kind of glamour and I just got tricked again?!”
Ah.
I glanced down at my watch.
Right.I looked back at her, offering a small, almost sheepish smile.
“Forgot I still had it on,” I admitted, lifting one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Once we left the bar, it just… slipped my mind.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“Slipped your mind?” she echoed, pushing up from her crouch in one quick movement.
Her hands flew up, and she began pacing in place as she looked around the room like the answer might be hiding somewhere in the walls. Then she spun back to me.
“You can’t just—” Her hand flung toward me, then back at herself. “And I’m just—”
Nothing came out. Her eyes bounced between me, the bed, the floor, unable to decide which part of this to process first.
I found myself staring at her, completely captivated by the way she fumbled through her outrage. Dark hair, red-tipped strands catching the light. She was a mess. A very cute mess, and that was coming from someone who didn’t mind untangling messes.
Pushing myself up slowly, I was careful not to startle her.
She backed up anyway, eyes still locked on me like she was waiting for something else to change.
Alright. Let’s start simple.
“Are you hungry?”
Her head snapped toward me so fast her hair whipped across her cheek.
“Don’t tell me you’re offering to…” Her eyes widened in horror.
“No. No, that’s not happening.” She shook her head, one hand coming up as if to physically push the idea away.
“Calix Winstale does not make breakfast,” she went on, her voice gaining speed.
“That’s not a thing. That’s—nope. Absolutely not. ”
I almost laughed because she wasn’t entirely wrong.
But right now, this wasn’t about being right. It was about not sending her into a full spiral mode. Growing up with four younger sisters had also taught me some damage control skills
“Can you just call me Cal?” I said, wincing as my full name echoed again in my head. “Hearing the whole thing every time is… a lot.”
That did it.
Her pacing stopped, then reversed.
“Oh,” she said, her tone shifting sharply as she stalked toward me. “That bothers you?”
Each step brought her closer, her finger lifting as she jabbed it toward my chest.
“You feel weird when I say Calix Winstale? It makes you uncomfortable, Calix Winstale?” She kept moving forward, poking my chest with each repetition.
Somewhere in the middle of it, I noticed the shirt she had thrown on was mine. Seeing it hang off her frame, the way the hem brushed just past her thighs every time she moved, did something for me.
My thoughts derailed immediately, fingers twitched at my sides before I forced them still.
“I mean…” I stepped forward, closing the small gap she’d created, my voice dropping just enough to cut through her spiral. “Calix Winstale isn’t who you met last night.”
Her chin immediately lifted in defiance even though I was towering over her. Her eyes locked onto mine like she was daring me to prove it.
“That was Cal,” I continued, slower now, watching her reaction.
My fingers brushed lightly against the edge of the shirt, just enough to make her suck in a sharp breath.
“He’s the one you spent the night with.” I let a small smirk pull at my mouth. “And, for the record, you look better in that shirt than I do.”
Her cheeks flushed instantly. Her mouth opened, closed, and opened again, like her brain couldn’t quite catch up.
I could’ve pushed it, could’ve closed the distance and pulled her back into bed, but with the way her gaze kept darting around to anywhere but me, I knew it wasn’t the right move.
I stepped back instead, giving her space.
“I’m going to go downstairs,” I said, tone lighter now, shifting gears. “See if I can figure out something edible.”
I pointed toward the closed door near the bed.
“You take a shower. Process the fact that you hooked up with a guy named Cal last night.” I chuckled as her eyes narrowed on me. “Then come down when you’re ready,” I finished. “Sound fair?”
She hesitated. Her teeth caught her bottom lip and her shoulders drew in, but finally, she gave me a small nod.
“A shower… sounds nice.”
“Perfect!” I clapped my hands… and she jumped back like I’d fired a gun.
Right. Baby steps.
I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to dial it down. Let her adjust, let her calm down… then maybe—maybe—we could revisit round two after food.
I’d need blood first, though.
She’d been way too tempting last night, and that was clearly off-limits for her. Better to handle that so I didn’t lose control.
“Towels are in there,” I said, gesturing again, this time slower. “Shampoo, soap, whatever else you need. Use whatever.”
Another quiet nod.
I backed toward the door, keeping my movements easy, deliberate. Her eyes tracked every step, still watching me like I might do something unpredictable.
Rule one. Don’t turn your back on an upset woman.
Easing out of the room, I shut the door. The world blurred as I took the stairs at speed, dropping into the kitchen in seconds.
Food. I needed food.
I scanned the space quickly, opening cabinets, then the fridge. My hand went straight to the blood bags before I could stop it. I grabbed one, bit into the corner, and drained it in a few quick pulls, the taste grounding me just enough to think straight again.
“What are you doing?”
I turned to find Rack on the other side of the island, arms crossed, already dressed like he’d been up for hours. Of course he was wearing a pullover and slacks like it wasn’t the fucking weekend.
I dropped the empty bag into the trash and reached into the fridge again, grabbing a carton of eggs.
“Do you know how to cook these?”
Rack’s face folded in on itself, brows pulling tight as he stared at the eggs in my hand.
For a second, he didn’t say anything.
Then a low creak carried down from above, followed by the rush of water through pipes. The faint hiss of a shower starting filled the space between us.
His eyes snapped upward, then back to me, then to the eggs.
Slowly, his grip tightened on the edge of the counter, fingers curling until his knuckles blanched.
“Don’t tell me…” His voice dropped, tight, as his gaze flicked up toward the ceiling. “Don’t tell me you brought her here.”
“Where else was I supposed to take her?” I shot back. It wasn’t like I’d never brought someone home before. Sure, it had been a while, and okay, she was the first human, but still.
“I don’t know,” he shot back, pushing off the counter and pacing a step. His hand dragged through his hair before he pointed vaguely toward the front of the house. “Anywhere that isn’t here.”
He kept glancing upstairs between words as if she might come crashing downstairs at any second.