The Consort (MalexMale) 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 15

A/N: Happy Tuesday, folks.   Pictured above is Kelly (pre vampire).  Thanks for those who are reading, voting, and leaving comments.  Much appreciated! :)

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Chapter 15

My request is met with silence, suspended in the cool air until Nature's breeze sweeps it away. Bogdan stares at me, his expression a secret I have yet to uncover.

"Kiss you...," he repeats, trying the phrase out. "Why do you want this from me, human?"

Because after we had our first kiss, I've craved you every minute since.

Because I dream about you every night, and having you this close to me without touching you is painful.

Because I don't view you like everyone else.

Because I'm starting to fall for you.

"I don't know," I answer instead of all of these.

"Did your boyfriend not kiss you enough while you were with him?"

I'm about to respond, but something about his question gives me pause. Leo isn't my boyfriend, but we did share a fair amount of kisses over the past few weeks. There were nights I was lonely, and since the two of us shared the same bed, his lips always willingly accepted mine. He never pushed for more, but I could see in his eyes that if he had it his way, the two of us would be together for far longer than the duration of an immortal war.

The real question is – how does Bogdan know about those kisses?

The two of us stopped talking after the first night I got to Leo's, and he has no idea where I was. At least, I don't think he does. So how can he possibly know what I was doing?

"Just forget it," I mumble stupidly.

I move away from the door and take a seat near the corner of the treehouse that lets in the most moonlight. I squint at the sky and drink in the smattering of stars tossed into the blanket of darkness. Bogdan watches me for a moment, but I'm too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

Eventually my shoulders begin to relax against the wooden panels of the treehouse. Sleep whispers for me to close my eyes, but my anxiety shoos it away. I know Bogdan will protect me, even if it isn't for my sake. Still, there's something a lot more unsettling about sleeping in a wooden tree house far above the ground rather than a comfortable bed within earshot of other, breathing humans.

"He is struggling to adjust to his new life," Bogdan says.

His voice startles me out of my growing state of calm. My limbs tense, and I turn to look at him. He's standing just a few feet away from me with perfect posture, arms folded casually behind his back. His hood is down now, putting his haunting features into full view. He is a being of sheer strength and courage, yet he radiates a poignant sense of loneliness.

"Kelly?" I ask.

Bogdan gives a clipped nod. "He is struggling to understand this way of life, essentially being re-born with the same body of your past."

"Was he assigned a consort?"

"No. That's made the transition far worse. At least when I turned there was blood readily available to me. Kelly doesn't have that."

Just imaging another man or woman offering their blood to Bogdan makes my skin crawl with jealousy. He's had plenty of consorts before, obviously. I'm sure every one of them felt the way about him that I do. It's impossible not to. The man is chiseled perfection, an evocative fantasy that seduces even the darkest crevices of your mind.