His Warm-Blooded Mate novel Chapter 6

LILITH

The bed was so soft I couldn't help but curl under the covers and let sleep pull me under. He did say that I could make myself at home. It didn't seem like anyone had been doing much of that around here lately. The bedroom had themes of red. Not just any red — crimson. The color reminded me of blood which had me cringing. I figured that this was another one of Dimitri's places that were left to Julian, but I didn't understand why.

What was so special about Julian?

I stirred from my sleep as the thought nagged me awake. Then stilled when something sweet and earthy tickled my senses. Julian did say he would be back by dawn. That must have meant he let me sleep through the night. The tang of blood assaulted my nose which had my muscles locking.

"I know you're awake," he called in a monotonous voice.

Why was he even in here? Couldn't he wait in the living room like any normal person?

I pushed myself up, resting my back against the headboard and covering my body with the sheet. After taking a shower last night, I slipped into bed because my body was too exhausted from the shift. That resulted in me still being stark naked. I had no problems with nudity — not because I was a werewolf but because of the line of work I decided to pursue — but with Julian, it was obviously different.

He sat in front of me on a Victorian-style armchair that made him look like a King on his throne. A crystal glass was in his hand, half-filled with blood. I cringed, lips curling in disgust. It was the only substance that he needed to aid him in his survival, that didn't mean I didn't find it repulsive. My stomach churned when he brought the glass to his lips, tipping it back. He clenched his jaw as if he were forcing himself to swallow it.

"Couldn't you have your breakfast out there?" I quipped, pointing at the bedroom door which was open by a crack. The entire apartment looked to be bathed in darkness. The thick curtains soaking up the sunlight.

"Am I bothering you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. His ivory teeth were stained red.

I could barely stop myself from shuddering, "Yeah, it is bothering me."

"Would it bother you less if I said it wasn't human?"

"It's not?" I inhaled deeply realizing it didn't have the same notes human blood would but it didn't smell like animal blood either.

What type of freaky ass blood was this guy into drinking?

"Nope," he tipped the rest of the blood back, slamming the crystal class on the table in front of him. Julian ran his tongue over his teeth, leaving behind a sparkling white surface that was no longer stained with sticky blood.

"Are you going to tell me what blood it was then?" I quizzed, holding the red silk sheet tighter against my skin. His white irises never once dipped down my frame. I was both offended and pleased by that. As his mate, I naturally craved his attention and lust was definitely part of the bond, but as a woman, I wanted to be respected.

"That's none of your concern," he murmured, standing to his feet in a blur, "I retrieved your belongings," he ran across the room at his vampire speed so I wasn't certain where he went but I knew he somehow stood at my side with my things in hand, "there was only this coat and your handbag."

"That's all I brought in last night, thanks," I offered him a tight smile, reaching out for my things when he moved across the room again with his vampire speed.

He was now seated on the chair again, my coat and handbag hanging off the back, "No shoes?" Julian mused.

"My shoes are in the bag."

"And clothes?"

"That's what the coat is for," I deadpanned, "who's going to know I have not a stitch of clothing underneath that trench coat? It just makes changing easier and you've seen where I stay. It's not that far from the club."

"What's a rogue like you doing around here anyway?" Interest leaked into Julian's voice. He leaned forward, resting his elbows onto the knees of his spread legs and placing his chin onto his clasped hands. Those white orbs of his swirled with blue, captivating me instantly.

"I'm making an honest living," I answered truthfully because I had to reason to lie or to hide that part of me from him — from anyone, "I earn the money I make and I use it to support myself. To get through day after day."

"Why not just live off the lands in your wolf. It's more affordable and has to be easier than this," his eyebrows dipped, creases forming in the middle and for some reason, I found his perplexed face adorable.

"Let's put it this way, I'm not boujee but I refuse to eat a raw animal or hunt one," goosebumps littered my skin at the thought. I couldn't picture myself doing something like that but it came naturally once you were in wolf form.

Julian's lips kicked up, "It's the hunt I enjoy most," he chuckled darkly, a malice glint sparkling in his eyes, "and if you do it right, it can be quite rewarding."

"That's gross, and it's worse knowing that you're talking about human beings that way," I ran my fingers through my lilac strands, bringing them around to curtain me. They needed to be re-done but I didn't have the time.

"The transition from one species to another desensitizes you," Julian's face was blank as he said this, masking his true emotions on the topic.

"I shift from a human to a wolf, that doesn't happen to me."

"You barely spend time in your wolf form to allow your wolf instincts to kick in. Trust me, if you did, you wouldn't find hunting and eating animals gross," he paused, the muscles in his jaw twitching as if he figured something out, "but that's why you don't shift. You don't want to do those things because you don't want to equate yourself to a monster."

I looked away shamefully, my head turning as if he had slapped me across the face. And he did, it wasn't with his hands but with his words. They were so true I couldn't deny them. I didn't want to be a monster.

"Wolves that live in packs are different. They aren't monsters. At least, that's what I've seen," he whispered the last part.