Page 51 of Lost and Bound

Settling back in front of her in no time at all, I fit an ice compress around the back of her neck while also maneuvering my hand into where she’s hiding, gently pressing a wad of tissues against her nose.

“Close your eyes and sit up, Possum. Alpha, if you can grab me a T-shirt from the laundry, that would be a great help.”

No one argues with my instructions.

She keeps her eyes closed as she rests her head back against the kitchen cupboard doors. The paper stays against her nose, but I can sense and smell that the flow is slowing.

Cane passes me one of his T-shirts, confusion mixing with the usual hint of irritation he wears. He nearly erupts when I pull his shirt over her head and guide her arms through the sleeves.

The raven hops from the fridge to the counter, then to the floor where he stomps his way closer to her. He then inserts himself between her legs, like he’s her security detail.

Maybe he is.

I get down so the bird and I are eye to eye, searching for any signs we’ve inadvertently invited another goddamn shifter into our humble abode.

“Leave Bugby alone.”

“Bugby, huh? He’s very protective.”

She pops one of her eyes open, then the other, and I’m struck by a sense of meeting her again. It is impossible. But now’s not the time to figure that out when we’ve already got enough to resolve.

“How long have you had hemophobia?”

She shrinks in on herself and gets a slight green tinge, which confirms I hit the nail on the head. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but given her visceral response to even hearing or saying the word blood I’d say she’s got an intense phobia. It’s also clear she’s got coping mechanisms in place; I watch as she reins in her terror to become something more manageable.

When she lifts her head, she’s back in control. I was expecting some residual emotions to show, but instead, her blue-gray eyes are enchanting. “It’s been a while. I have it managed.”

The way she gazes at me, as if we’re living simpler lives. One where I’m a male, and she’s a female, and together, we embody the concept of fate and happily ever after. Honestly, it appears she’s completely abandoned any worry she should have in the presence of supernatural beings. Especially ones with pointed teeth, who exist on blood. I know without a shadow of a doubt she would taste heavenly, and that insight grows in strength the more she stares until the strange, vibrant connection we share slowly drains away.

Her voice is as alluring as the promise of her blood. “I’ve been regressing lately. Coincidentally, I’ve also been seeing a lot more of the stuff, through no fault of my own, since I arrived. But apparently that’s par for the course of being a Nom, and I just need to accept my fate…”

She throws me again when she stops talking mid-sentence, her eyes flare wide before she slams her plush lips shut and she eyes me like I’m the enemy again. “Please go away. Somehow, you’re making me say things with your vampirey powers that you have no business knowing.” Her eyes fall immediately to my fangs.

I stand up and back away… for now. Or else, Cane’s going to mark everything we own.

I get it, what we have needs to be protected, and that includes from our new housemate. Though given she’s a Nom, I think Cane’s wasting his energy warning her away. It’s not like she’s the missing piece to our puzzle. Admittedly, if the opportunity presents itself, I’d tap it and take my fill from her dainty throat—preferably at the same time. But if she’s not into roomies with benefits, then it’s no loss either.

Her personality continues to change as she stands up and ignores both Cane and me, sweeping her bird up and putting him back on her shoulder as she makes her way over to Rodderick. “I’m really sorry that I’ve made you late. I can move my stuff and be back with your trolley in just a minute or two.”

Before he can formulate a response, she walks over to Cane, wary as she approaches. “Professor Cane, I apologize for the mess I made. I’ll clean everything up, but first, if you can tell me where I’m staying while I’m here, I will drop my things off so Rodderick can go home.”

Cane’s eyes get a weird light behind them, the one that shows his wolf is hovering close. His eyes aren’t on her face but on his T-shirt she’s wearing.

“I can change right away, and as soon as I’ve finished cleaning up, I’ll wash your shirt, sir. I know it isn’t easy to have a student invade your space, and I did tell Master Maddern I’d stay back at Nom House, but he was insistent that I isolate here.”

The luminosity in Cane’s eyes deepens. Either at her words or the reminder that she’s already in his house, wearing his clothes. In the next blink of his eyes, he’s back to being his normal Alpha-self, sans his wolf.

“The faculty insisted on this arrangement, Miss. Ellis, but you’re right. I’m not happy with you being here. I don’t need to…”

Rodderick clears his throat behind us, his eyes on his watch. Good timing on his part, as I doubt Cane wants an audience when he reads her the riot act.

Cane storms off in the opposite direction to where our bedrooms are located. We won’t throw her under the stairs, but like he insinuated, she’s not a welcome guest. Besides, the room in the basement is fine, it’s dry and has hopper windows for fresh air. The bonus is that it’s right next to our gym, so she can use that bathroom and hopefully not venture upstairs too often.

She wheels her trolley after Cane, leaving the other bundle of her belongings next to Rodderick, and he goes to lift them.

“You’ve done enough already, Rodderick. You know you’re not supposed to encourage the students in any way.”

The Thales maintenance manager, who is giving me the evil eye, is a mountain lion shifter. Though well past his prime, he still has claws on him, though these days he walks away from any kind of conflict. Not today, though.