Page 61 of Forced Bonds

Rivanna and Terese were sisters who both found themselves bonded to vampires. They weren’t as talkative as the others and preferred each other’s company and were very open about it. I respected that.

One of the chefs, a lady called Diane, asked us what we wanted her to make for us. It was obviously something I would have to get used to, chefs making all my meals. They had a sheet we could add our wishes to, something all humans using this kitchen had access to. We could add in our favorite foods and mention if we had any allergies and such.

“I already added your favorite pizza toppings on the sheet,” Chris announced, showing me his phone.

“How do you already have access?” I asked, taking my own phone out. I was apparently already added as well. Must’ve been Zar’s doing.

“We like to do a weekly plan and we schedule the upcoming weeks on the weekends,” Diane explained. “So, if you could please fill out everything you can think of today, it will really help us out. Also please add in special dates such as birthdays and anniversaries. We like to do fun stuff on those days, everything to make it that much more special.” She smiled kindly at us before leaving to go back to her cooking.

“So, what are my men having for their first breakfast here?” Zar asked, resting his chin on both hands, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Pancakes,” we announced, then laughed at how perfectly timed that was.

The sisters were the only ones left when we got our pancakes. We could’ve easily picked something less time consuming, but today felt like a celebratory sort of thing. Chris seemed lighter now that we were away from the pack, his bond to them having been severed, making him unable to reach out to them. I bet it felt freeing. A werewolf needed a pack, so he still had us, just not the Keen pack anymore, or whatever their new name was.

We ate in silence, Zar’s hands resting on our thighs as he just smiled, watching us eat. His calmness here wasn’t a surprise, this being his home, but it was now crystal clear how on edge he’d been the whole time I’d been with him. Before we’d bonded, he’d seemed more aloof and confident. After, he’d let his true self show, letting me see the flaws, allowing me to accept them. Here right now, he was at peace, a vampire enjoying life with his bonded. I felt honored to be one of the men he loved, even if I would’ve rejected him had he asked back then. I was glad he hadn’t asked. That thought would earn me so many therapy sessions, but I didn’t care. I was happy and had I known how wonderful my life would turn out being bonded to Salizar and Christopher, then I would’ve said yes a thousand times over.

“And this is the bar,” Zar said, opening two glass French doors that led into a room which felt like stepping back into the 1920’s. Red wall to wall carpet, a huge bar to our right that was made of a dark red wood, bar stools lined up in front of the bar and there were ten or so tables scattered around the room, each with either two or four chairs around them.

“This is cozy,” Chris said, stepping further into the room. We were the only ones in here, likely because it was still considered morning.

“We use this mostly for hanging out. Our private spaces are often kept private, but this is one of the rooms where we can meet up and spend time together,” Zar explained, pointing to the poker table near the back. “We also have game nights once a month. Yanus, whom Chris met briefly yesterday, is Altaur’s bonded and he’s very into roleplay. He’s currently working on making his own game where the players get to decide what happens. I bet he’ll like having more people in on that.”

“Sounds cool,” I agreed easily, following both my men out of the bar. So far, Zar had shown us most of the mansion, with huge parts being private rooms or wings that we didn’t enter because of that fact. They were really firm on respecting each other’s rooms, something I appreciated. The biggest surprises were the indoor pool, the dungeon—which we didn’t enter, thank the gods! —and the bowling alley. Now, I was excited to see our rooms, which was where Zar was leading us next before we would get the outdoor tour.

The end of the hallway led to a big staircase, leading in two directions. “This is ours,” Zar said, gesturing to the right. “Everything beyond that door on top is our rooms. The one on the left is Altaur and Yanus’ wing.”

“We’re so close to the master?” I asked in a whisper. It felt sort of surreal.

Zar just nodded and started ascending the stairs. Once we were at the top, I could see the door was much bigger than what it’d seemed from the ground floor. Zar just opened it, and the fact it was unlocked proved just how much they truly respected one another here in the mansion.

Our wing was, of course, amazing. Zar hadn’t lied about any detail. In fact, it seemed he’d downplayed some major parts. For example, the huge corner bathtub that could easily fit four people, not that there would ever be more than three in it. No thank you. And then there was the master bedroom. The view from the bed alone was breathtaking, and we even had a balcony overlooking the garden. A small table and two chairs stood on it, but there would soon be a third chair added.

“We have a small kitchen as well, mostly just a fridge and a microwave,” our vampire explained, showing us the room. “I haven’t really used it, but we can have beverages added to the fridge and other things you’d like kept here. The kitchen also delivers food if you prefer eating some meals here.” That had to be why there was a dining table in the living room, just a small one that fit four, but it made sense why now.

“This is so amazing,” I gushed, walking back into the living room. “I never imagined it would feel so…”

“Like home?” Chris suggested.

“Like home,” I agreed, smiling widely at my men.

Then, like a slap to the face, I realized in horror. “I forgot Hazi!”

Zar and Chris both seemed startled by my reaction, Zar quickly putting a hand on my shoulder to steady my nerves. “I spoke with him, he knows you’re fine.”

“When?” I asked. In my memory, he’d warned me about getting out of Keen and that had been the last time I’d spoken to the man.

“Well, Altaur spoke with him first when we rescued you, then I spoke with him while I was getting healed. Altaur gave me his number,” Zar explained.

“Just how long did your healing take?” I asked, trying to focus on that while my heart rate returned to normal.

“Around five hours,” Zar shrugged. “I’ll be back to normal in no time, sadly, you’ll need more rest and will likely feel it more at the end of the day, but it’ll simply be exhaustion, no pain.”

I nodded, having already expected as much. “I still want to call Hazi myself, just to properly resign as a hunter and all of that.”

“You want privacy for it?” Chris asked, gently stroking my uninjured arm.

“Nah, but I would love something cold to drink, do we have anything in the kitchen?” I asked, batting my lashes.