Before she made a reply, Alexius was on his feet.

"Well, come on, then."

She blinked. Sometimes, following his train of thought wasn't easy.

"Sorry?"

"Let's go. Let's go for a run." His expression morphed into a genuine smile, his eyes brightening with a mischievous glint. "You can try to keep up."

And with that, he was gone, dashing out of the house like an arrow. She couldn't help it. She chased. Peeling her yoga pants and T-shirt off her, she leaped as she reached the threshold and the bone-breaking shift had her in her fur before her feet hit the ground.

He was out of sight, but she would have been able to track his heady scent anywhere. She rushed forward, faster and faster, eagerly trying to catch up with his vampire speed.

In the Wolvswoods, she'd had to stop herself to avoid going faster than the pack authority; here, she pushed herself to her limits instead.

When she found him, the asshole was perched on top of a willow tree, lying on a thick branch, looking up at the dark sky.

The ass thought he could just taunt her and then chill out of reach like that? He didn't know her very well, then. Tail wagging, she braced herself, then jumped as high as she could, planting her claws in the tree, and jumped again to reach his branch. She had him! She leaped at him and nipped playfully at his sleeve, avoiding his flesh. Sensing she wanted to play, he got up to a crouch and vaulted down to the ground, running around the hill, sticking to a speed she could match. She knew he was letting her catch him each time, and it didn't even matter. The beast inside her was ecstatic.

Alexius ran his hand through her thick fur, giving her the touch she'd craved so desperately for a week. She licked his hand, stuffing her nose against his torso. He laughed, sat on the ground, and hugged her.

Avani should be feeling guilty right about now. He was only touchy-feely and affectionate because he thought he was cradling a beast; he'd be fucking horrified if he realized that, unlike most shifters, she was one with the wolf. She felt it as surely as if he'd taken her in his arms in her human form.

She adored every second of it, but reluctantly, she moved away.

"Playtime’s over, right?" he gleaned. "Probably wise. We don't want to run across your old friends."

He was right. The likelihood of the pack venturing to the lake near Night Hill was close to zero in normal times. Granted, if they'd spotted or sniffed her, they might have made an exception.

Although she had to admit, so far no one had approached her. She'd sensed eyes on her, a watchful presence at the edge of the woods each time she'd been anywhere near. For now, they were leaving her alone. Waiting for her guard to drop, no doubt.

It wouldn’t.

Feeling considerably more refreshed, she trotted back home. Between the run and the comfort of actually being touched, she was a new woman.

They reached his home and she shifted back to grab her discarded clothes. At her side, Alexius didn't so much as look at her. As he’d made his lack of attraction obvious from the start, it shouldn’t have irritated her. It kinda did, though.

"Dinner's in an hour, if you'd like to take a bath," he said simply, heading to the kitchen.

He was as unaffected by nudity as any shifter. Or it was just her he didn't find that interesting.

“You know, I can cook too. I’m squatting in your house. I could make myself useful.”

A reasonable offer in her opinion.

“Go chill out, Avani. I want to cook. How does paella sound?”

All protest died on her lips. She’d never had paella.

“All right.” She hesitated. “By the way, I need to do a live video tonight, in…about two hours.”

He tilted his head. “A video?”

She felt a little embarrassed, admitting, “I have a vlog. I’m supposed to review an old movie I watched before the bloodhunt. Do you mind if I hang out in the kitchen? I looked at most rooms, and it seems to have the best lighting for that kind of stuff.”

Most of the rooms in his house were darker: red, royal blue, black, with dark walls. She liked the aesthetic, but it would be a one-eighty from what her viewers were used to. The kitchen was the closest match.

He shrugged. “Make yourself at home. This place is yours.”

He didn’t add the important bit: for now.

“Thanks.”

Danger

The woman had no regard for his poor, hard, throbbing dick. He was going to need a cold shower. Again.

Everything Avani did had a raw sensuality that made him want to see her ride him: eating, sitting, walking, smiling, rolling her eyes. Her slightest movement was a seduction. And now she was just removing her damn clothes? He wasn't sure what he'd done in his previous life to deserve that torture.

Well, admittedly, he'd done plenty in his current one.

Painful as it was for him—blue balls were a serious matter—he was glad for their run; she’d obviously needed it. Almost as much as she’d needed physical contact. He wasn’t about to forget how she’d told Greer she missed touch. Physical contact was essential to a shifter’s wellbeing. He was far from an expert in her breed of sups, but it was common knowledge. She wouldn’t easily fulfill that need here; touching another vampire—even entering their personal space—was a huge breach of etiquette. The mortals who spent time with them had learned to keep their distance with sups. They wouldn’t think to give Avani physical contact unless she asked for it. She wouldn’t. Not when she wasn’t drunk. He could tell her pride was that of a typical dominant female of any breed of sups, making her loath to accept the aid of anyone at all.

Alexius knew better than to get cozy with her human self, touching her smooth sun-kissed skin, feeling her delightful curves. Her wolf, he could handle. More than that, he liked playing with her. She was good fun. He certainly had needed to slow himself down a bit, but the beast was strong enough to get him to break into a sweat when she jumped at him. He didn’t get the opportunity to use his strength without worrying about breaking the other person with many mortals.

Making paella, he laughed at himself. Last month, he’d mostly eaten cup noodles. Now, he was spending an hour cooking per day.

They ate together in the kitchen, then he helped her clear a space where she could set up her computer.

Though she blushed, visibly self-conscious, he opted to remain in the room when she started streaming, busying himself with drying the dishes and putting them away, silently so as to not bother her.

She started her video. Her tone changed, becoming more comfortable and professional. She was witty, snarky, and adorable.

Avani had put some lipstick and eyeliner on, he noticed. There were also some light cosmetics accentuating all her features. She was usually stunning to him, yet the light makeup made her shine, increasing her confidence. After a little while, he abandoned his cloth and just watched her. Her attention was solely focused on her screen, avoiding his gaze, perhaps purposely.

She was talking about the very first Star Wars, a movie from another era, now almost two hundred years old; it had been about a hundred and seventy years old at the start of the Age of Blood.

And she was denigrating it.

“In short, while the story was rather entertaining, it was sexist, overrated, and—”

He couldn’t help it. Alexius snorted.

She finally looked up to him, blinking in confusion.

“I…” Her eyes returned to the screen. “Sorry, I have someone with me today. He apparently disagrees. But hey, my vlog is called Avani’s Reviews, so good thing his opinion doesn’t matter.”

Like hell it didn’t. “Star Wars might look like an antique now, but it shaped the world—the entire cinema industry was affected by the revolutionary story. You wouldn’t have the sort of space fantasy movies we can get today if Star Wars hadn’t started it. Judging it with the eyes of a kid born in year ten in the Age of Blood is unfair.”

She glared at him. Glancing at her screen again, she said, “Well, it looks like my viewers want to hear your opinion now. Feel free to tell us what you think, oh wise one.”

“Gladly.” He strode forward, leaning forward so his face was at her level.

One look at her screen made him pause. There were many people. He shouldn’t have been surprised. She was fucking hilarious; of course she was popular.

“Picture it. 1977. Over a century before humans even know supernaturals exist. They still wonder if Earth is the only livable planet in the galaxy. It’s not quite banging rocks to make fire, but it’s years and years before holographic communication, flying cars, or clean energy. Then, one man—a regular, at that—imagines a world far away, a world with sentient creatures along with others who look like us. He imagines science and magic, blended in a universe so close to reality he should have been considered a genius.”

“Unless he was pals with an Enlightened,” Avani countered. “Just saying. Because that would be cheating.”

Alexius rolled his eyes. “Shush. You’ve destroyed my favorite movie. A good sport would allow me to defend it.”

“Wait, am I supposed to be a good sport?”

So adorable. And untouchable. Eyes on hers, though, he almost didn’t care.

“The story is magnificent. And for the time, the graphics were pretty good, too. If you compare it to any movie released around the same time, Star Wars was a jewel.”

“Still, it aged.”

His jaw tightened. “Fine. Poll your viewers. Let them judge.” He returned to the screen. “Don’t disappoint me.”

Avani laughed. “Don’t try to seduce my subscribers into agreeing with you. And that’s a wrap for today. You heard the man—well, vamp, I guess. Comment with your opinion; let me know if you think Star Wars IV was a decent movie. If you guys believe it was worth it, I’ll suffer through the next one. Until next week!”

She cut the feed. Then she glared at him. “You know that’s my job, right? You can’t interfere like that.”