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“We… We… We would never think such a thing about you, Mother,” Nolan’s aunt stutters like she’s having trouble getting air in her lungs under the scrutiny of Dalia’s piercing gaze. “It’s just… well, we know how important protocol—”
“Violet, stop faffing and get to the point,” Nolan’s grandmother interrupts, annoyance evident in the way she crosses her arms over her chest and taps her foot.
“Never mind,” she murmurs, shrinking into herself. Her partners lean into her, each pressing a kiss to her cheek. The twins touch their mother’s shoulders in silent solidarity.
“The question was rhetorical anyway.” The elder woman sighs, not quite rolling her eyes but definitely looking exasperated. She pinches the bridge of her nose before turning her attention back to Nolan. “Let’s not waste any more time, shall we? Come over to the light so I can see you better.” She walks farther into the room near the window without a second glance.
Nolan follows, dragging me along since he refuses to let go of me. I give his hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring him that I’m not going anywhere.
Once we’re standing in front of her, she immediately starts touching his face, shifting his head up and to either side. He flinches, leading me to assume her hands are cold.
“You are so much like your mother,” she states ruefully as her touch drifts down his neck in a clinical manner, massaging his throat gently. “When it comes to matters of the heart, she is just as bold and stubborn. Did you know she had the pick of males to start a nest of her own, but refused them all to be committed solely to your father—who, I might add, was favored to be one of the queen’s consorts?”
“Best decision I ever made,” Nolan’s mother declares sweetly, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder.
“Me too,” Robert whispers into her hair, love overtaking his features.
“Oh yes, earning the ire of the queen was a brilliant idea,” Dalia scoffs as she pulls a penlight from her dress slacks to check the dilation of Nolan’s pupils. “I still don’t understand why taking Robert meant you couldn’t have a proper nest of mates.”
“Because it wouldn’t be fair to them.” Lillian sighs as if she’s said this numerous times. “My heart belongs only to Robert.”
“I don’t know why that matters,” Nolan’s grandmother retorts dismissively, glancing at her apparently troublesome child. “And how do you know? You never bothered to give any of the others a chance.”
Seemingly recovered, Nolan’s aunt smiles at the two men on either side of her. “I can’t imagine being with just one person my whole life.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks as the sentiment rings true within me. I love all the guys, and it pains me to imagine my life without a single one of them. It, however, does make me wonder what our families will think. Will they understand us or want to rip us apart?
“Oh, we’re romantically monogamous, but we do have other sexual partners we share,” Lillian clarifies, and Violet nods sagely like their relationship now makes sense to her.
“I could have lived my entire life without knowing that,” Nolan grumbles, finally able to put in some type of comment.
Despite being the one who started this line of conversation, Nolan’s grandmother harshly shushes everyone so she can check Nolan’s heart rate. Pressing her fingers to the inside of his wrist, she holds up her arm and counts while fifteen seconds tick by on the delicate watch she’s wearing. He offers me a tired smile. I hold his free hand between my own, anxiously playing with his fingers.
Dalia’s brows pull together when she finishes and asks, “Tell me about your symptoms.”
Nolan’s eyes drift to his parents, his expression turning grim like it physically pains him to have his parents know how bad it is. He spent years covering it up, protecting them in his own way, but to get better, he can’t hide anymore.
“Um, I’m tired a lot,” he starts, clearing his throat. “Mood swings, headaches, chills, and…” He looks at me, his arctic blue eyes tinged with shame. “No matter how much I feed or how frequently, I’m always hungry.”
My gaze softens with his confession, and I snuggle into him, wrapping myself around his arm, our hands still clenched together. Softly, I whisper, “It’s going to be okay.”
A tight smile crosses his lips, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
Nolan’s grandmother crosses her arms. One hand lifts toward her face, a couple of fingers resting against her chin as she looks thoughtful for a moment. “You’re also vomiting up blood?”
“Only when I try to feed from anyone besides Callie,” Nolan replies. His cheeks turn pink, embarrassed to admit he’s fed from multiple people in front of his parents.
My face grows hot as I think about how deeply intimate it is to have Nolan feed from me. I don’t blame him for the people who came before me—mostly, I try not to think about it at all—but it does leave me wondering about the thralls again. My gaze shifts to the middle-aged couple near the door.Does Nolan’s extended family do… things with them too? As soon as the thought pops into my head, I squash it down before it can develop into mental images, and then I immediately wish I could pour bleach all over my brain. A shudder ripples through my body. Nolan flashes me a concerned look and squeezes my hand. I offer him a small, nothing is wrong kind of smile that I’m not sure he buys, but I’m certainly not going to ask about that in front of his whole family.
“I’ll need to take blood samples from both of you,” Dalia says, interrupting my uncomfortable spiral of thoughts. “I’m going to have to send them out, and who knows how long that will take. This would have been so much easier in Prima.”
“Mother, this is his home, and Callie is his only source of blood which she offers out of love and kindness,” Lillian states firmly, and then she gives me a grateful smile before continuing, steel infused within every word. “I’m not going to uproot their lives just to appease you. We have access to everything you need here.” It’s a not so subtle reminder that they own the local hospital.
“My aunt… I mean, nan… er, grandmother, Mildred, could help,” I stutter before Dalia can respond, stumbling into the tense conversation with my usual grace. Nolan’s grandmother is very intimidating, and when her piercing eyes focus on me, my heart rate reaches hummingbird levels. “She’s the matriarch to the Volkov Coven and has, um, she’s o-offered to put all of our resources into helping Nolan. Also, since Nolan is under some type of spell, it’d probably help to work with a powerful witch like her.” With every word, I crowd Nolan more and more as her eyes bore into me, and I realize mentioning that it’s a witch’s fault he’s in this mess isn’t doing me any favors. In a final squeak, I add, “You’ll also need her permission to get a sample of my blood. She’s my legal guardian.”
The intimidating woman’s eyes narrow, and I’m about to hide behind Nolan when she murmurs, “Who are you?”
“Callie,” I answer, my brain apparently ceasing to function under her scrutiny.
