After a few minutes of silent chewing, I paused. “This lamb is really good. Sure you don’t want to try any?”

“I’ll eat soon.”

Something about his voice made my fork poise over the next bite. Vlad didn’t sound like he was referring to the feast spread before him.

“Are you mentioning that in passing, or prepping me?”

“Gauging your reaction.” With a tilt of his head. “Your eyes aren’t as puffy tonight. And your manner is less downtrodden. Does this mean you’ve finally resigned yourself to Bones’s abandonment?”

It was the first time in four days that he’d mentioned him. Personally, I could have stood to let it go longer.

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to talk me off a ledge again.”

“I’m pleased to hear that.”

He leaned back in his chair, twirling his glass again.

“You haven’t contacted Spade or anyone else since you’ve been here. Aren’t you curious to know if they’ve spoken to him?”

That had me setting down my fork. I didn’t know where he was going with this, but Vlad did nothing without motivation.

“What’s up, buddy? Trying to get my blood pumping? Tenderize me before you dig in? No, I haven’t talked to them, and I don’t want to. I don’t need more gory details.”

“Like whether he has his hands on someone this very minute? Squeezing her, kissing her…holding her naked against him?”

My plate hurled across the room to shatter against the stone wall. Even as I did it, I cursed myself, Vlad, and most of all, Bones.

“You’re just seeing how quickly I’ll lose it, aren’t you? Gauging me? Well, I’m a little testy, as you can tell, so excuse me.”

I grabbed my linen napkin and headed toward the broken dish, determined to clean up my own mess, but Vlad was faster. Still seated, he yanked me to him.

“What are you doing?” I snapped.

His hold tightened until he was almost hurting me. “Claiming my blood price.”

I had time to tense before Vlad’s mouth latched onto my throat, and his fangs bit into it.

A cry came out of me, but it wasn’t of pain. Vlad sucked harder, drawing more of my blood into him. Pulsing warmth spread through me with each pull of his mouth. Vampire venom. Not harmful, but capable of producing a false, very pleasant sensation of heat.

“Vlad, that’s enough…”

“No.” Muffled. “More.”

He pulled me closer. Now I was half-sagged against him while those deep suctions felt like they went going straight through to my spine.

Vlad ran his hands down my arms. I gasped. They were hot, so unlike a vampire’s normal temperature. Must be from his pyrokinesis. My blood couldn’t warm them that quickly.

Just as fast as he’d grabbed me, Vlad released me. I leaned against the table, my knees far weaker than before.

“That should give you something else to think about,” he said.

“No, it won’t.”

It came from me brokenly. All at once, I started to cry. “I still love him, Vlad! I hate him, too, maybe, but…I still love him.”

His stare didn’t waver. “You’ll get over it.”

Will I?

I didn’t say it out loud, not that it mattered. Vlad could still hear me.

“I’m not hungry anymore,” was what I did say, and left the dining room.

Later that night, I’d just fallen asleep when the bed shifted. My eyes opened in alarm, then a finger pressed to my lips.

“It’s just me. I want to talk.”

I was awake now. People didn’t usually talk while climbing into bed, which described what Vlad was doing.

“Really?” With heavy sarcasm.

He made a dismissing motion. “Don’t white-knuckle the sheets, Cat. I’m not intending to rape you.”

“Where I come from, when people want to talk, they do it while upright.” To punctuate my point, I sat up. Yes, I was gripping the sheets pretty good. “This smacks of coercion at best, pal.”

Vlad just fluffed a pillow under his head and laughed.

“What a perfect picture of outrage you are, Reaper, yet we both know I could burn these sheets to ashes if I wanted to. Come now, aside from your rigid Midwestern upbringing, do you mind that I’m here with you like this?”

My grip relaxed on the bedclothes. He had several points. Vlad was much stronger than I am, so even if he couldn’t torch the sheets, if he’d wanted to force sex, he could. Plus, playing hyperappropriate when he’d sucked over a pint from me seemed a tad hypocritical.

“Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

“Your future.”

I tensed. “You want me to leave. Fine. I’ll—”

“Do you truly believe I came here to tell you I’m throwing you out?” he interrupted. “You should know me better than that.”

“Sorry. It’s been, well, a rough week.”

“Yes.” There wasn’t any false pity in his tone. “Your self-esteem has suffered a severe blow, and you’re very vulnerable. If I had a mind to, you’d be easy to seduce.”

“Full of yourself, aren’t you?” I said with a snort. “But you’re barking up the wrong tree if you thought I’d be looking for a mercy fuck.”

His lips curved. “I already told you, my feelings for you aren’t romantic. I’m here because you are a friend, and for me friends are much harder to come by than a fuck.”

What I felt for him didn’t have to do with attraction either, even though Vlad was certainly attractive. No, I felt an odd sort of kinship with him instead.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I said. It was true. I couldn’t handle this being around Mencheres, or Spade, or anyone else who would have taken me on out of a pitying sense of responsibility.

Vlad squeezed my hand. “You will get through this, but before you can do that, you have to face him.”

Him. Bones. I looked away.

“I appreciate the sentiment, but for this topic, it’s wasted. I’m not going to see him. I don’t want to see what he’s doing, or with whom.”

“Catherine, you’re being stupid.”

I stiffened at the insult and my real name. “How so, Drac?” I snapped, using the name he never went by as well.

“You haven’t truly started getting over him because you’re still wondering if he’s really gone. It’s why you won’t let go. It’s also why you’ll end up getting killed, because you’re so distracted over that, you didn’t notice a vampire in your room until he crawled into bed with you. Settle things with Bones, once and for all. Then move on, either with him or without him.”

“I know it’s over,” I said with a catch to my voice. “He told me loud and clear that it was.”

“And you wonder if he really meant it. You’re wondering if he hasn’t done this just to hurt you, like you hurt him by leaving with his enemy during a battle. You’re making yourself crazy wondering if he’s waiting to see if you’ll go after him just like all those times he chased after you.”

“Stop prying into my mind!” To hear my hidden speculations aloud was like surgery without the anesthesia.

“It’s not such an ill-conceived notion,” he went on coolly. “He’d be inflicting your worst fears on you as you did to him. It’s a fair punishment, in my opinion. I just doubt Bones has the backbone to do it.”

“Then why are you telling me to find out if you think I’ll only get shot down again?”

“Because if you’re right, he’ll be knocking on my door soon anyway. If not, then you’re devastated but resolute since you’re much stronger than you realize.”

I chewed my lower lip. Risk getting my heart trampled on again just to see if this was some sort of weird vampire power play? And if it was, could I forgive it? Would I want to?

Either way, I’d know, which I guess was better than driving myself crazier hanging on to that slim thread of wonder.

Vlad must have read it in my mind, because he nodded. “In the morning, call Spade and schedule your meeting with Bones. Bones won’t refuse to see you, no matter his intentions toward you. Then you’ll know if it’s over for good.”

This was too much to contemplate with a low iron count and little sleep. I lay back down with a sigh, forgetting to be self-conscious about being in bed with him.