Bloodlust

Her Escort

— VENICE —

A knock at the door startled me from my daze. Pulling away from the window, I crossed the room to the door.

Macay lifted his face and flashed me a soft smile. His pale green eyes were gentle. My cheeks flushed as I ducked my face, shyly touching my ponytail.

"Good morning, Macay," I said.

"Good morning." He dipped his head toward me and a reserved but polite smile crossed my lips. "I hope I'm not intruding again."

"Not at all. I'm just waiting to be escorted to the ballroom."

I shifted between my feet and tried not to come off awkwardly, but I knew I was failing. I just couldn't help but hear Liam saying that the second-chance mate thing was a lie.

How could I trust Macay knowing that he lied to me?

A tiny voice in the back of my mind wondered if maybe it was true but Liam told me it wasn't to protect me. But protect me from what?

"That's why I'm here, actually," Macay told me.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked, forcing myself to be in the moment instead of in my head.

Regardless of whether Macay and I were connected in any way, I still had a job to do today. I might as well go along with this until that job was completed and my freedom was secured.

"I spoke with the Royal Coordinator and discovered Liam would not be escorting you, as he would escorting his mate. I requested the charge of escorting you today. I hope that's alright. I don't mean to overstep and I don't want to overwhelm you. I simply didn't want you to be alone when I would happily have you at my side."

He had a way of calming me with his steady voice and kind eyes. Smiling, I nodded.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness," I said. "We should probably get going then?"

"If you're ready to go, then yes."

I grabbed my key card and followed him out into the hallway. Macay offered me his arm in a formal gesture that made me chuckle as I complied. Slipping my arm through his, he ticked me closely into his side and proceeded down the hall.

"I'll only say it once, but you look absolutely sublime today."

I glanced down at my tight exercise clothes and blushed again, feeling self-conscious. "Thank you."

My eyes wandered down his outfit, which closely resembled Liam's black sweatpants and t-shirt.

"Do you know what we need these clothes for?" I asked him. "I'm admittedly a little nervous about exercising with werewolves."

His body shook with laughter. "It's quite alright. No one will hold you to the standard of lycans. Essentially, there will be several bond-forming activities meant to enhance the relationship between new mates. The day after the mate celebration ball is typically dedicated to new mates."

I wet my lips, keeping my gaze focused forward. We reached the elevator and took it down to the main floor.

"And the bond-forming activities are physical?" I squeaked out.