Chapter 7 - Coven Business

Evander

An hour after Aubrey and Aaron went to bed, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. My blood lust was still high, but I knew that Aaron wasn't as ready as he thought he was. An unwilling feeder ruined the experience for both parties; the blood wasn't nearly as satisfying and it could be extremely painful for the feeder. I didn’t want to hurt Aaron.

The smell of his blood still lingered in my mind as I grabbed a coat and made my way to the front door to grab a pair of shoes I had over there. I had a thought to check on the two young adults sleeping in my bed, so after I put my shoes and coat on, I quietly crept upstairs; though, to be fair, I didn't have to try very hard to be quiet with my natural stealth.

A quick peek into the darkness showed me that they were fast asleep. Aubrey clung to Aaron almost desperately, while the werewolf snored lightly. I couldn't help but smile at the sight. Before I could really think about what I was doing, I walked into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed closest to Aaron.

Even from here, I could smell his sweet blood. I was honestly surprised by how sweet it smelled. It beckoned me so strongly that I wasn't sure how to handle the temptation at times. The oddest part was that I felt the same way about Aubrey's blood. I'd never fed from a nymph before, but his blood smelled light and also slightly sweet, like a refreshing summer breeze. They both confused me.

Quite frankly, I still wasn't sure about this mate thing. Vampires didn't have soulmates like their species did. And while I'd grown fond of them in the very short time we'd spent together, I was sure I didn't feel the same way they felt about me or each other. Still...

My hand reached out slowly to brush a long strand of black hair away from Aaron's face before it drifted down to cup his cheek. He hummed, pressing into the palm of my hand with a peaceful look on his face. Slowly, so as not to wake him, I pulled away and stood up. I went around to Aubrey's side to do the same, brushing away stray curls in his face. They were both so beautiful. Even if I never expected to get lifelong partners like this, I was glad it was them. That alone was an odd sentiment. I barely knew them. My emotions were mainly built on their attachment to me and my blood lust.

Speaking of blood lust, I remembered why I put my shoes and coat on in the first place. Since Aaron wasn't ready to try a feeding just yet, then I'd take care of it before we left tomorrow. I quickly left the apartment after one last look at the pair in my bed, deciding to walk to the coven center.

The center was where the coven in this city conducted business, met for the occasional gathering, and satisfied our dietary needs. I probably would've come here sometime tomorrow even if I'd fed from Aaron. To be safe, I'd need to tell my coven about where I was going and why. My sire would've probably freaked out if I'd disappeared without telling anyone.

The streets were alive with fluorescent lights shining brightly in the darkness and plenty of people walking around. I could hear the loud laughs and chattering of patrons in bars, feel the thumping vibrations coming from nightclubs, and smell the scents of hundreds of mortals. Occasionally, I'd smell something that wasn't human, but I never focused much on it. The scents were so close together that it'd be difficult to pick out where it was coming from exactly.

Though I get the feeling that if Aubrey or Aaron were out here, I'd be able to pinpoint their scent quite quickly, The smell of their blood seemed to attract me like a magnet.

I pushed that thought out of my head and continued to walk, my hands casually placed in my pockets. After a few minutes, I arrived at the building. It was advertised as a special club and it kind of was. The willing feeders that usually milled about were members of the club, and most were paid for their services. They knew exactly what they got into and signed contracts that protected both parties of the agreement. They were protected by us and were promised they'd never be taken advantage of or killed, and they promised they'd keep us a secret.

The moment I stepped inside, a feeder saw me and walked over, flashing a bright smile. "Evander!"

I smiled back. "Hello, Arlo. How have you been?"

The boy shrugged. "Mom's still not doing very well, so I've been working my butt off. You? I haven't seen you around in a while."

"I've been taking the blood bags and leaving. Work and all that," I answer.

"Well, if you want, we can chat some more and get you fed. I can see how dark your eyes are from here," he offered.

I silently accepted with a nod and the boy looped his arm with mine to drag me to one of the private rooms used for feeding. Some were shy when it came to feeding and some preferred the intimacy. I preferred the intimacy. Once inside, we sat down on the couch pushed against the wall facing the door. The lights were dimmed already and there was a stack of pillows on the couch for comfort. Off to the right was a fridge stocked with water bottles, sports drinks, and various small snacks for the feeder to replenish their energy after the feeding.

Arlo smiled sweetly and I was reminded of Aubrey for a moment. Arlo also had curly hair like Aubrey, but Arlo didn't have that beautiful brown skin or the dazzling eyes the flower nymph had. However, they both shared a malnourished figure, though Arlo's wasn't nearly as pronounced as Aubrey. It made me sad to know they both had to suffer through constant hunger for so long.

Arlo's mother fell ill a few years ago. He'd quit high school to work multiple jobs to support him, his mother, and his two younger siblings. It was tough, but he somehow managed. A year and a half ago, freshly eighteen, he'd joined the club after someone told him about it because they knew the work paid well. He and I used to have fairly regular feeding sessions; he was enjoyable company and his blood didn't taste so bad either. I was slightly disappointed I hadn't been able to chat with him in a few weeks. Work had kept me extremely busy and I couldn't stop by long enough to do more than grab a blood bag and go.

Now, I could sit down with him and catch up. Plus, I'd have to tell him I was leaving. He was one of the few people I knew would worry if I disappeared, aside from my sire and coven. I looked at his goofy grin and chuckled, taking off my coat so I wouldn't overheat. "How are your siblings?" I asked him casually.

"They're good. Teagan is doing well in school, but she keeps getting into fights."

While he talked about his siblings, I scooted closer to pull his shirt away from his neck. I noted the two small puncture holes already there, but they weren't new. A moment later I was digging my elongated fangs into his neck, causing his breath to hitch.

"Will just entered kindergarten. He always comes home really excited about what he did at school. It's adorable," Arlo continued after he'd gotten used to the sensation of my teeth and the suction of blood.

He continued to talk for a few minutes, leading into how his mother is doing and how his other jobs are going. I noted that he still worked at a cafe near his home and also walked his neighbor's dogs whenever he could. He was such a hard worker. I worried he would work himself to an early grave someday, but I suppose he was lucky to be so young and healthy.

The warm blood flowing down my throat was enjoyable, but I couldn't help but wish I was hearing Aaron talk about his life. Not that I didn't pay attention to Arlo; I liked to think of him as a younger brother. I just couldn't help but want to know more about my mates. If I was going to be spending my life - or whatever you call immortality - with them, then I wanted to know all about them. What was Aaron's family like? Did he have siblings? What was Aubrey's favorite activity? Did he remember anything about his family? What did they both like to eat more than anything in the world?

After a few minutes, I had my fill and gently pulled away from his neck. I grabbed an antiseptic wipe from a dispenser off to the left and used it to clean up his neck. He smiled gratefully, his face a bit paler than before. "Thank you," I said.

I stood up to get him a water bottle and sandwich from the fridge, offering them to him. He took them and began nibbling at the sandwich, his body relaxed against the couch. "So, what's going on with you? I know work is crazy but is there anything else?" He asked me, looking up once I sat down again.

"Actually, there is," I answered, causing him to perk up.

"Oh, tell me!"

"I have two mates," I said, sitting back down.

"Mates?" Arlo echoed.

Right. I forget that Arlo was human. Aside from vampires, he probably knew very little about the non-human world.

"Yes, mates. They're like soulmates, but vampires don't usually have one. I'm the soulmate of two other non-humans," I explained.

He nodded along with what I was saying, looking eager to learn more. He'd always been curious about me whenever I spoke; I didn't talk about my personal life often so it made sense. I kept topics limited to work most of the time. Besides, most of my immortal life has been nothing but work. Even when I had relationships, I didn't discuss them often. "That's cool. I wish I had a mate," Arlo hummed, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"I suppose so. However, they don't live in the city, so I'm going to move back to one of their hometowns," I added.

"What?! So that means I'll never see you again?" Arlo asked, getting in my face.

"I'm sorry. I'll have to come to the city once in a while for coven business, so I'll be able to visit then," I told him.

He smiled, settling back into his seat. "You better, Mister. You're the coolest vampire I know."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "You barely know any vampires," I pointed out.

Arlo shrugged. "Still, you're the coolest. I'd miss talking with you."

"I'd miss it, too," I agreed.

Arlo finished his food and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm glad you came by one last time."

"Me, too. I didn't expect to see you here, but I'm glad you were my last meal," I said, standing up as well.

"My blood's amazing, I know," he joked.

I chuckled softly, reaching out to ruffle his hair. He whined, slapping my hand away to pat his hair back down. "I won't miss that," I heard him grumble under his breath; he always forgot I had supernatural hearing.

We left the room after that, walking in silence back to the lobby. I felt pleasantly satisfied and a lot more alert than I was before. I'd probably need to sleep within the next few days if I wanted to feel at my best. I used to sleep almost every night at least for a few hours to pass the time, especially when I had someone around who had sleeping needs; it felt nice to hold them while they slept like I was protecting them and their dreams. Recently, work had kept me up constantly, so I couldn't sleep nearly as much.

Now that I had Aubrey and Aaron, maybe it would be a good idea to sleep more frequently. I'd noticed they were cuddlers, and I for one shared that sentiment. My past partners had called me a bit clingy in regards to physical contact. Even if I didn't exactly feel anything for my two mates just yet, I could still enjoy holding them. Aaron had been so warm when I touched him. I'm sure it'd be relaxing to sleep with him close by. The reminder of what happened between Aaron and me made me quickly push these thoughts away.

"Bye, Evander. Don't forget to visit," Arlo called as I slipped my coat back on and walked to the front door.

I gave a nod in acknowledgment, offering a smile to the waving boy before opening the door and stepping into the cold night air. With a sigh, I began my journey back home, hands shoved in my coat pockets once more.

As I walked, I couldn't help but notice something odd. If I hadn't had my supernatural hearing, I definitely wouldn't have caught on so quickly: the sound of footsteps following behind me. I didn't write it off as people simply walking behind me because after I took a turn down an abandoned street, I still heard footsteps. Damn it.

I paused in my steps, keeping my back turned to the entrance of the street. The footsteps stopped as well and I heard the unmistakable sound of gun cocking. Finally, I turned around to face my followers, raising my eyebrow when I saw that it was a group of four men dressed in black. How cliche.

"Can I help you?"

~~~

I'm sorry it's a little later than usual! Truth is I've had this chapter done for a few days now but I was spending a lot of time with my family today and the day slipped by. I hope you guys liked Evander's pov. It'll be back next chapter as well.

He's a huge softie and I love it XD

Stay tuned for more insanity and thank you so much for reading!

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