Chapter 3 #3
“No, Maria, do not tell Father that I’ve…
that I can’t bring myself to…” Alexander paused, dragging a shaking hand down his face.
“Yes, I know he would be proud, but with the spat we had this morning, you know he’s going to turn this into a life lesson for me that I’m really not in the mood to take right now… ”
Another pause, and Tobias strained his hearing as much as he could, not wanting to miss a single detail. Alexander stopped pacing, his face relaxing at something his sister said. “Thank you, but I need to hear you promise you will keep this from Father. He doesn’t need to know.”
Tobias had heard enough. He crawled down from the building, leaving Alexander to deal with the consequences of his lack of control. The entire way back home, Tobias couldn’t rid himself of the memory of the pleasure-filled look on Alexander’s face as he fed.
Was that how his father had looked when he’d drained Tobias’ body of blood?
By the time Tobias got back to his apartment, he was shaking with the need for action.
He entered the small, one-bed studio apartment with its living room, kitchenette, and bedroom all combined into one.
Tobias could barely contain himself when he finally clicked on Alexander’s name, which he quickly saved in his contacts, and hit the dial button.
Alexander picked up on the third ring. “I hate being stood up, but you could have at least told me you were having second thoughts. Here I was left believing something terrible had happened to you.”
Tobias rolled his eyes, flopped on his bed, and sighed, trying to sound earnest. “My supervisor saw me talking to you and reminded me that fraternising with a colleague is forbidden. And I can’t afford to lose this job. I’m sorry.”
“Ah, so you’ve been warned about me?” Alexander’s question lifted in tone with his teasing. “How… exhilarating.”
“No need for the warning, professor. I know everything I need to know about you.” It came out exactly as flirtatious as he’d wanted it to, and from Alexander’s low chuckle, he understood precisely none of the hidden meaning.
“Believe me, Tobias, I could tell you things that would blow your mind. But that would mean you’d have to stop avoiding my messages.”
“I wasn’t ignoring you,” Tobias replied.
“No?”
“I promise, it wasn’t from lack of interest.” Tobias dropped his voice to a soft whisper. “I honestly just can’t afford to lose this job. Maybe another time, when things cool down?”
Alexander groaned. “You’re making me wait? Cruel, but I suppose I’ll survive.”
This man was like butter in Tobias’ palm. It was almost pathetic, but it was exactly what Tobias was banking on. Everything about the role he played now was tailored to Alexander Damianos’ desires.
“Perhaps we can pick up this conversation, say, tomorrow evening?” Tobias paused, breathing heavier to emphasise exactly how he wanted his next words to come across. “Same time and place, and if we find somewhere private, you can blow something other than my mind?”
Alexander choked on the end of the other line, taking a moment to gather his composure. “It’s always the bookworms that have the filthiest of tongues. What happened to fraternising with a colleague being forbidden, Tobias?”
“It can be our little secret, professor,” he purred, swallowing down the frustration he felt as his traitorous body shivered at the very clear interest in Alexander’s voice. “Find us somewhere private. Are you good at keeping secrets?”
“Fuck,” Alexander exhaled.
He couldn’t resist the urge to taunt. “Now who’s the one with the filthy tongue?”
“Tobias, I–”
He hung up before Alexander could finish. Satisfaction coursed through him, especially when the text came in saying do not disappear on me again.
Alexander was desperate. Which was fine, because he had also just fed – so Tobias should be able to demur and ensure that they didn’t actually get intimate enough that Alexander would chance a taste.
He was one step closer. Aubrey was dead, so that left Alexander without a human obsession.
The Damianos family ball, which happened once every hundred years, was a mere two weeks away, which gave Tobias plenty of time to fill Aubrey’s shoes and earn himself an invite.
He’d hung around the edges of vampire society for long enough that he’d heard all about these balls, an excuse for Vladimir to keep everyone on a tight leash, inviting them to Rothburn and ferreting out disloyalty among those who had strayed while decadently rewarding those who were still loyal to him.
The parties were legendary, Vladimir presiding over blood-soaked festivities that lasted until dawn.
Aubrey was sure to have been invited in order to be drained and killed as part of the festivities, but Tobias wouldn’t have to worry about that – he’d be striking first.
Once Tobias finally stepped inside Rothburn, it would bleed red. He’d end the Damianos family, starting with Vladimir and following swiftly with every fucker in his clan.
Tobias slept soundly at the thought, for the first time since the night in 1576 when Vladimir Damianos had made him into a monster.