Blooded Mate

Chapter 121 - Heart And Soul

By the third night, Jan was no longer surprised when he woke to find his face buried in the soft underbelly of a gray wolf and his fingers curled in the silky white fur. Now that he was confident the alpha meant no harm, he could not be bothered by what the huge wolf did. He was too cozy and comfortable to move from his warm spot.

"... annoying wolves... no sense of boundaries or personal space..." he grumbled, wiggling deeper into the soft belly where Ethan's body heat radiated.

Ivan walked in on them, took a look, and halted.

"What?" Jan complained.

"You know we have other beds in this building. In fact, there's an entire suite downstairs for you."

"I was here first. You tell him to move."

Ivan rolled his eyes and walked on, mumbling something about a stubborn ox under his breath. He placed the white box with the red cross he held on the nightstand beside the bed. "We need to call Adams tonight. The council has heard that you're awake, and they're blowing up my phone."

As if on cue, a soft vibration rang somewhere in Ivan's tan-colored blazer.

Jan groaned inwardly.

He knew this day was coming. He could not hide from the council forever but would have much rather faced them with all his memories intact. The last decade or two of his life still remained a mystery.

To make matters worse, he had not gotten a chance to catch up with Ivan because the giant furball never left them alone.

A soft, low growl rumbled in the chest of the gray wolf beside him. It tingled the short, delicate tendrils growing on Jan's head and vibrated gently against his skin.

Jan's spidey senses should have been screaming in alarm at lying so close to such a dangerous predator. Instead, his body went haywire in response, baffling him.

Something was definitely wrong with him.

"My apologies, Ethan," Ivan said, though his flat voice held no note of remorse. "But we really can't put this off any longer. The council has been trying to see Jan for the past five years. Now that he's awake, it'll be best to let them talk to him so it doesn't appear like you're holding him prisoner."

Ethan's growl deepened, sending sweet shivers down Jan's spine.

"It'll be a short call," Jan murmured, unsure why he felt the need to pacify the alpha's irritation. He should not care if the wolf was angry with the council. But somehow, he did. "There's no need to let those old stooges raise a fuss. I'll just let them know I'm fine so they can stop breathing down our necks."

The gray wolf's rumbling quieted, and he nuzzled the side of Jan's head. His warm breath tickled the fine hairs at his temple. A moist tongue flicked over his ear and started licking a heated path down his neck.

Jan trembled. His toes curled, and his molten silver eyes nearly rolled in pleasure.

Ivan cleared his throat.

The blond vampire flinched, suddenly remembering his brother was in the room.

His pale face warmed as he scrambled out of the wolf's embrace and off the bed. He made a beeline for the shower, where he turned the matte black valve to the coldest setting to cool his heated skin.

Ivan was still grumbling at the alpha when Jan walked into the wardrobe adjacent to the bathroom, a large towel wrapped around his skinny waist. The walk-in closet was almost as big as the bedroom, lined with dark shelves and recessed lights. With the staff still barred from entering the locked-down building, most of Jan's clothes remained in the suitcases they were delivered in.