Chapter 18 Sanguis Vita
Sanguis Vita
Amachine beeped, and I felt something embedded in the crook of my elbow, my skin itching and tight.
I tried to open my eyes, but the light was blinding, and they shut automatically, tears protecting them from the pain.
“Sage? Sage, are you awake?”
That voice… it was a little familiar. Who did I know that would be that worried about me?
“Kaleb?” I rasped. But why would he be here? Did Nellie call him?
A deep, threatening growl shook the room, and the machine began to beep in greater earnest as my body responded to the threat. “Who is Kaleb?” the voice asked, a manifestation of pure malice.
My heart was beating out of control, and I wept, my limbs aching.
“Premier, sir, please. We need to keep her heart rate low…”
Premier?
“Who is Kaleb?” he asked again, not even attempting to lessen the violent intent in his tone.
My chest burst in pain, and multiple alarms sounded, the voice now roaring in frustration and backing up as someone else raced to my side, muttering under their breath about out-of-control alphas. Cool liquid hit my bloodstream, and sleep welcomed me once again.
* * *
“You have to learn how to control your temper, sir. She’s in a delicate state right now and—”
“I’m in a delicate state! I’ve just found my mate and I almost killed her!” The sound of pacing footsteps and frustrating growls filled the room. “Then she called out another man’ name, and you’re telling me to be calm?”
My memories flooded back.
Mate.
The Premier of Noctis thought I was his mate, and had nearly killed me in a combined state of bloodlust and rut.
The dry aching between my legs at least signaled my own heat had abated. Maybe nearly dying did that to you?
I didn’t know much about how my body felt in a heat, as I’d never allowed myself to have one.
Heats left omegas vulnerable, attracting opportunistic alphas who could take advantage while you were too messed up to consent.
I’d wanted to wait until I’d met the right guy before I’d ever put myself in that kind of position.
Apparently, my instincts had been correct, because the first time I had one, I was almost killed by an out-of-control vampire alpha. But since he was calling me his mate, he probably thought he was the right guy.
This was turning into a nightmare.
My pulse quickened and the Premier hissed, turning towards me. “She’s waking up,” he whispered, stepping closer.
I suppressed a whimper as his hand moved through my hair, asking in a deceptively sweet and indulgent voice. “Who is Kaleb?”
“Wa…”
“What’s that, darling?”
“Water…”
He chuffed in annoyance, twisting around to pour a cup of water from a pitcher that had been waiting for me on a side table. He clicked his tongue against his teeth when I tried to sit up, pushing me back and holding the cup with a straw so I could drink while laying down.
“I’m not going to ask you again. Who. Is. Kaleb?”
Well, Kaleb was the perfectly nice elf beta I’d met in my Intro to Machine Learning class last semester. We’d bonded over our shared love of gaming and a few months ago, he’d invited me to join a mission of the tabletop RPG Starlight Dominion that he was “Navigating.”
Since then, we’d gone on a few dates and fooled around a bit. I was supposed to see him next weekend, actually. We’d talked about him maybe spending the night at my place for the first time.
I liked to set the pace when it came to guys, and luckily Kaleb was more than happy to follow my lead.
But I couldn’t say all that to the freaking Premier of Noctis who now thought he was my mate. I would be sentencing the poor man to death.
“My cousin,” I lied. “I… I forgot where I was when I woke up.”
His eyes narrowed and the muscle in his jaw ticked. Clearly he didn’t believe me, but maybe he’d forget I’d mentioned Kaleb if I distracted him.
“Actually… where am I?” I asked, now finally looking around. I had thought I was in a hospital at first, but it looked more like a bedroom.
His tongue toyed with the sharp tip of one of his fangs, his gaze still laser-focused on me. Finally, he sighed. “Your new home.”
My heart started feeling like it was about to fritz out again, and by the look of the rapidly increasing numbers on the monitor next to me, it just might. “Excuse me, did you say my ‘new home?’”
“Yes,” he replied, as matter-of-factly as if I’d asked him whether there was rain in the forecast today. “You’re my mate, so you’ll live here from now on. Anywhere else, especially that hovel I found you in, would be beneath me.”
I mean, sure, my apartment was a little small, and the appliances were a little out of date. But it was safe, affordable, clean, and my landlord was nice. It certainly wasn’t a slum.
I took a deep breath, trying to find my backbone while choosing my words carefully. “I appreciate you wanting to take care of me, sir…”
“Victor,” he snapped.
I winced at his chastisement, and he sighed, patting my hand. “I’m sorry, darling, I’m a little on edge. But please, just speak to me normally.”
“Victor,” I continued slowly, testing the water. Saying his name still felt strange. “I appreciate you wanting to take care of me, but I don’t need you to. I pay all my bills myself, and I like it,” I chuckled.
When even a hint of a smile didn’t show on his flawless face, I kept going. “So, if we’re mates—”
“No ‘if.’ We just are,” he interrupted, his frustration with me barely restrained. Dammit, I hated dealing with sensitive alphas, especially vampire alphas. They always took the slightest differing of opinion as some sort of offense, an insult to their ‘dominance.’
And so far, Victor was just confirming all my worst opinions about his designation and Magik.
“Right, um, well, since we are mates, you should know I enjoy my independence. I want to take my time to explore this thing between us. Maybe we could start with a few dates, and then go from there?”
After I canceled my date with Kaleb, that was. I liked the guy a lot, but I couldn’t put him at risk if an alpha like this had me on his radar.
Which… still didn’t make sense. I definitely felt something for him, but it wasn’t life changing. More like an echo, a whisper of attraction. Something that would make me pause, but certainly not stop.
I turned to look at the Premier to gauge his reaction, and was beginning to think the only emotion I’d ever see on his face was irritation. His silence was deafening, punctuated by each beep of the monitor.
“Sage,” he finally said, in the kind of patronizing tone one used with a child.
“I don’t think you quite grasp the gravity of the situation.
I’m the Premier of Noctis, like my father before me, and his mother before him.
I’m the most powerful vampire in the city-state, one of the most powerful alphas in all of Lundaria.
My mate can’t live in a run-down apartment in the non-citizens’ district.
She can’t be a part-time waitress. She can’t ride her bike to Umbris University, take notes on her ten-year-old laptop, and eat leftovers from work for lunch. ”
I flinched as he continued. He made my life sound so pedestrian and sad. I tried to pull my hand away, but he snatched it back, his grip tight.
“Not only do I have a reputation and an image to maintain, but you also have no idea the kind of target you now carry on your back. My enemies and rivals will know they can get to me through you. Do you understand now? Your life as you knew it is officially over.”
Whatever blood had been replaced after the Premier’s overindulgence now drained from my face, and he let out an exasperated groan, running his free hand through his hair.
I had to imagine this was as frustrating for him as it was for me.
That should have been a sign that maybe he was mistaken.
What mates started their relationship arguing with each other?
“I mean in a good way! Yes, your freedom will be restricted, but you have a mate—me. You will never want for anything ever again, and you will never work another day of your life. I will provide you with whatever you could possibly want, so why are you looking at me like I just killed your puppy?”
I mean, he kind of did. I sat up in the bed and brought the covers up a little more, just noticing that between when I’d almost died in the car and now, I’d been dressed in a silky, sexy nightgown. It wasn’t mine. “It’s not that I’m not grateful for what you’re offering, it’s just…”
He growled as he let go, getting up to pace around the room again. “Damn you, witch! What kind of omega are you that you don’t want to be kept by your alpha?”
And this was another reason why I never dated alphas.
I wanted a partner, not a provider, and most alphas hated that. They wanted to take the lead, to order for me at restaurants, to tell me what I needed rather than ask or put in the work to actually get to know me beyond my designation.
Ever since I’d become old enough to date, I’d gravitated towards betas instead. I loved how easy-going they tended to be. How they listened when I talked, how they truly paid attention to my needs and anticipated them based on who I was, not what I was.
Case in point—the alpha-ex who had bought me a low-cut red dress for my birthday, even though I hated showing my scar and looked terrible in red, versus Kaleb, who had bought me a custom-made throw blanket of my favorite video game character because I’d mentioned the weather was getting chilly.
I was a full person, not just an omega to be shown off, kept, and rutted.
“I’m sorry you got saddled with such a defective mate,” I finally said, absently scratching at the tape holding the IV catheter in place.
I hated when doctors used this brand, it always irritated my skin.
“But I like accomplishing things on my own, and I have dreams that don’t just involve being someone’s pampered pet. ”