I'm standing in front of my incredibly stocked closet, trying to decide what to wear for this dinner with Cane. We aren't leaving the house, it seems like he just asked me because he knows I'm feeling lonely, and he probably really does want someone to help him with his dishes.
On the other hand, I know that if I did show up in the dining room naked, the vampire would have zero complaints. In fact, he'd probably stand up and strip right down with me. The idea sends an unexpected shiver through me, and an uninvited thought pops into my head: I wonder what other tattoos he has.
"Stop, Cordelia," I say aloud. "This vampire is holding you captive. He's your boyfriend—ex-boyfriend—mate's...fuck, I don't know what Elias is anymore...at any rate... he's Elias's twin brother. Inappropriate."
But he's your mate too.
If that inner voice doesn't shut the fuck up...
But I do have to admit, getting him to trust me is a good idea. It means that I'll have even more freedom to do as I please, which gives me even more of a chance to figure out how to get out of here.
So why not flirt a little bit? I mean, it isn't as if Cane is innocent in all of this. No, he isn't a total monster. He isn't going to take advantage of me in an unforgivable way, thank heavens. But he has done some other shitty things.
Maybe I should show up for dinner looking a little hotter than usual.
*****
Instead of wearing my comfy clothes, I choose a form-fitting, pale pink dress that falls a few inches above my knee. I forego any shapewear and only wear a bra, figuring there's no need to be in full date mode if this is just Cane we're talking about here.
But if I want to get a little bit further into his good graces, I thought I'd turn up the charm just a smidge.
I sweep into the dining room and knock on the doorframe. "Good evening, Mr. Dagon. I'm here, as requested."
Cane places a covered dish in the center of the dining room table and looks up. He blows out a puff of air and his lips rattle together. He looks good in his gray pants and black Henley. The sleeves are pulled up to the middle of his arm, showing off the sleeves of tattoos on each. The symbols connected by dark shading and filigree now make some sense to me. From my days of reading, I know they are ancient markings vampires once believed protected them. They would carve them into doorframes and even on headboards of their beds. I wonder if Cane is superstitious or just fascinated with things from his people's past.
A smile spreads across his face as he examines me from head to toe. "If I knew you were ditching the sweatshirts and leggings and getting dressed up for tonight's meal, I would have asked Ruth to shine the candlesticks."
I gnaw the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. "You don't like my sweatshirts and leggings? I'm offended. A girl can't wear shit like this all the time, you know. These dresses aren't exactly comfortable."
He motions for me to take a seat, waiting to sit himself until I've done so first. He reaches for my glass and pours me some wine. I don't miss that his cup is already full of a thick red substance...blood.
"Then why choose to wear it? I've not complained about your attire and Hades knows you wouldn't listen even if I did."
I take a sip of wine and twirl a strand of hair around my finger. "Just thought I'd change it up. Honestly, one can only wear so many pairs of leggings before they forget what their skin looks like." I stare at his throat as he swallows the blood in his goblet until my gaze snaps back to his eyes. "Do you drink animal blood?" I blurt, closing my eyes in embarrassment as soon as the words leave my mouth.
He takes another drink, his lips crimson when he is done. "No. It is from a donor. I don't particularly enjoy Yeti blood. It is too cold, and they have a heavy diet of raw fish. So I have bags imported. It's not my ideal, but at least I don't starve."
I wrinkle my nose. "I don't like fish either. That sounds kind of disgusting—blood with a fishy top note." He chuckles and I feel a touch of pride in making him laugh. "I never thought about you being able to taste what the being has eaten in their blood. So...what's your ideal, then? If it's not blood from a bag? That's what they served at Evermore Manor."
"What they served at Evermore was animal blood. They only had one vampire to appease, and Elias doesn't drink from the unwilling, even if they willingly donate their blood. He has some moral dilemma with it. Something about it is still thievery when they intended it to be used to save other humans' lives." He rolls his eyes like Elias's moral high ground is annoying. "And my favorite is human blood fresh from the source."
"Oh. Elias never told me that. I thought he was drinking human blood that whole time, and I was just giving him an, I don't know...a fresher meal."
"Seems there's a lot Elias didn't tell you."
I nod. "I'm realizing that more and more every day." Clearing my throat and taking another sip of wine, I ask, "Tell me, when's the last time you had human blood fresh from the source?"
Cane acts as if he doesn't intend to answer my question. He reaches for my plate and begins piling it with food. Roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, and savory meat—the food Ruth prepared for us is a far cry from the raw fish her people enjoy eating.
He places my plate in front of me and says, "Maybe fifty years. Under current rule, it is a major infraction for any supe to take from a human without their consent. And as you can see," he waves around the room, "I've had no one to ask."
Fifty years with no one around. And I thought I was lonely. "Fifty years alone? But you at least had other vampires around, right? I mean, Elias was around before he—" I cut myself off and look down at my lap, my stomach doing some kind of acrobatics that really doesn't bode well for my dinner.
"Before he tried to kill me?" he completes in a toneless voice.
"Yeah," I say sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up."
Cane dishes food onto his plate, almost like he doesn't want to think too much about what he's saying. "My brother and I haven't seen eye to eye in a very long time. He found others he connected to better than me, so we ran in different crowds."
Hearing Cane talk about Elias is the first time I've seen any great emotion from him. He always hides behind snarky remarks and clipped words. But when it comes to his brother, there seems to be a bottomless pit of warring feelings, and not one of them is good.
"Oh. But...you're twins. Didn't you have some kind of special bond that can't be broken? I mean, at least...before?"
He chews the bite of food he'd just taken and considers my question. "I suppose that's one bond that can be ignored," he says pointedly.
My heart does some flippy thing in my chest and for the gazillionth time, I curse the bond between the three of us. Why does it have to be so goddamn complicated?
"I guess so," is all I say. It's all I can say. I want to change the subject, but my brain is so stuck on this idea that I can't ignore my bond with Cane just like I can't seem to ignore my bond with Elias. "Is there a way to break it?" I quietly ask, not sure I want to know the answer.
"Death. You can kill one of us."
Horror races through me and my heartrate spikes. I know he can sense it. I shake my head rapidly. "Well, that's never going to happen." The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I know I probably just showed at least part of my hand here. But there's no way in hell I can imagine killing Cane. The idea makes me just as ill as the idea of killing Elias.
And that is fucking with my head.
Cane doesn't seem so bothered by my statement. If anything, he looks amused. Is it because he thinks this is all funny? Poor Cordelia plagued with two vampires she is soul bonded with. Or does he revel in the competition with his brother? As I'm getting to know him, it's safe to bet a little of both.
I kind of like his warped sense of humor. It almost makes me sad to know that I won't be around much longer to learn more about him.