The eggs looked fine.
Perfect, actually.
Soft yellow folds sat neatly on the plate in front of me, steam still rising from them. Toast rested beside them, lightly browned, a small dish of fruit placed carefully near the edge like someone had thought about presentation.
It smelled good.
It should have made me hungry.
Instead, nausea crept slowly up my throat.
I pushed the eggs around with my fork, watching them slide across the plate without actually eating any of them.
Across the table, Xavian noticed.
Of course he did.
"You're not eating," he said casually.
I forced a small shrug.
"I'm not that hungry."
That was the first lie.
Not the biggest one I'd told recently. Not even close. But it still tasted bitter in my mouth.
The truth was the smell of the food made my stomach twist. Every time I tried to take a bite, the same sick feeling rolled through me again.
Maybe it was the blood loss.
Maybe it was the wine.
Maybe it was the fact that I had woken up in a vampire's bed after letting him bite me.
Whatever the reason, the eggs continued sliding uselessly across the plate while my fork scraped softly against porcelain.
I could feel Cazaro's eyes on me from the other side of the table.
He hadn't said anything yet.
That somehow made it worse.
"I'm fine," I added quickly.
Another lie.
My head still throbbed faintly, and the room felt just slightly off-balance every time I shifted in my chair.
Xavian leaned back in his seat, clearly entertained.
"She's pale," he observed.
"I'm always pale," I muttered.
"Not like this."
I stabbed another piece of egg with my fork, forcing myself to take a bite this time. The texture felt wrong in my mouth immediately.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
I swallowed anyway.
The nausea surged again.
God.
I pushed the plate away slightly.
That made Xavian grin.
"She's going to be sick."
"I'm not," I snapped.
Cazaro finally spoke.
"Enough."
The single word cut cleanly across the table.
Xavian lifted his hands in mock surrender but didn't lose the smile.
"I'm just observing."
Cazaro's attention returned to me.
"You're not eating because you're nauseous," he said calmly.
It wasn't a question.
My grip tightened slightly on the fork.
"I said I'm fine."
Lie number... what was it now?
Three?
Four?
I was losing track.
And the worst part was I couldn't stop.
I had to lie.
To them.
To the church.
To Zane.
The thought of Zane twisted uncomfortably in my chest.
If he saw me here—sitting in a massive house with two vampires, wearing the same dress I'd walked into the Blood Bank with—he'd lose his mind.
I pushed the thought away quickly.
One problem at a time.
Cazaro leaned back in his chair slightly, still watching me.
"You're recovering," he said.
"I'm fine," I repeated.
Another lie.
My stomach rolled again as I forced another bite of egg.
And suddenly it felt like every lie I had told in the last twenty-four hours was sitting heavy in my chest.
To my editor.
To the church.
To Zane.
And now to the two vampires sitting across from me who could probably hear the way my heart sped up every time I said something that wasn't true.
The silence at the table stretched long enough that my nausea started to feel worse.
I pushed the plate away completely this time.
"I should go home," I said.
Cazaro didn't look surprised.
He simply watched me for a moment, like he had expected that sentence eventually.
"I can drive you," he said.
The offer was calm, almost casual.
I shook my head immediately.
"I'll walk."
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
I barely even knew where in the city this house was.
Still, I pushed my chair back and stood before he could argue.
The room tilted slightly again when I straightened, but I ignored it.
"I'll be fine."
Cazaro rose slowly from his seat.
"Fine," he said.
Relief started to creep in.
Then he added, "I'll walk you."
I frowned.
"That's not necessary."
His hand lifted.
Not aggressively.
Just a small motion.
But it stopped my words instantly.
"Enough," he said.
The calm edge in his voice made it clear the discussion was over.
"Let's go before you test what patience I have left."
For a second I considered arguing anyway.
Then I remembered the way his eyes had looked last night when they went completely black.
I closed my mouth.
Cazaro turned and started toward the door.
After a brief pause, I followed.
Behind me, I heard the chair scrape lightly against the floor.
Then footsteps.
Xavian.
Of course.
We moved through the house in silence. The hallway felt longer now in daylight, the polished wood floors reflecting the soft glow coming in through tall windows. The place was just as immaculate as it had looked earlier—clean lines, expensive furniture, everything perfectly placed.
No clutter.
No signs that anyone actually lived here.
It felt more like walking through a museum than someone's home.
Cazaro pushed open the front door, and cool air brushed against my face as we stepped outside.
The yard stretched wide in front of the house.
I hadn't seen it properly earlier, but now I realized just how large the property was. A long stone path cut through perfectly trimmed grass, leading toward a tall iron gate at the edge of the grounds.
Trees lined the property, tall and dark, creating a quiet barrier between the house and the outside world.
It looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Security cameras sat tucked into the corners of the house, nearly invisible unless you knew where to look. As we walked down the path, I noticed two men near the gate—guards, standing casually but watching everything that moved.
They straightened slightly when they saw Cazaro approaching.
The iron gate began to slide open before we even reached it.
I slowed a little as we walked, taking it all in.
The house.
The guards.
The quiet efficiency of it all.
Cazaro ran this place like a fortress.
And somehow... I had just spent the night inside it.
