We spent the rest of the night with each other, venturing around his land as he continued the tour of his home. We had found a few quaint places to stop to embrace each other in lust-filled moments, pleasing each other fully before carrying on our way to the next location. We even found ourselves in a steamy session out in the woods beyond the grassy pasture. He had pinned me up against a tree and took me fully. I hadn’t noticed the scratch marks from the bark until he bit his tongue to lick away the faint wounds. I was too consumed in our passion to care.

I felt more at ease with him than ever before. Not even the thought of a collar deterred me from him anymore. I accepted it willingly with no questions asked. Not only was I his, but Kiera would be safe. Alive. It was all I could do to save her in some way, and I would take what I could get.

After making love throughout the night, Julian led me back to my room, lying with me and chatting until I was asleep. My energy was completely depleted from our invigorating activities we kept finding ourselves in. He made mention that since I’d given my promise to him, I had free reign of the property. To venture as I pleased, make my own food—I was even granted access to the library, if I wished. And I did. I missed my books, my stories. I fell asleep with a whole new outlook on my situation. And for the first time in a long time, I was happy.

I awoke, still in Julian’s embrace, and a smile graced my lips. I would never tire of this feeling of bliss as long as I lived.

He pressed his lips to the top of my head in a gentle kiss as I stirred.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he whispered, his voice still groggy from sleep.

“Morning,” I cooed, and found his gaze fixated on me. “I wasn’t expecting you to still be here.”

Forcing a smile, his eyes wandered around the room. Watching him inquisitively, I propped myself up on one elbow. “Is something wrong?” I asked, tendrils of fear threatening to impede on my jovial mood.

He shook his head. “No, I just wanted to be here when you woke, before I left.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “Leave? Where are you going?”

He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes fixated on his movements.

“I am going out with a few of my men to look for Kiera,” he said “One made mention of a woman that fit her description not too far from here, so I am going to join them today to see if it’s really her.”

As elated as I was that it could be Kiera, doubt weighed on me.

“But you’ve never seen her before. How are you going to know if it’s really her?

He smirked and lightly tapped a finger to my head. “I have seen her,” he reminded me. “You think about her so often, it’s impossible to not know her features by now.”

“Oh…” I mumbled and sat up in bed, curling my legs underneath me as my fingers mindlessly fondled the silk sheets.

“What’s going to happen if you do find her?” I asked timidly, an inkling of fear that he might not follow through pricking at my mind.

He placed a hand on my thigh and gave me a reassuring squeeze. “If it does turn out to be her, I will bring her back here and decide on where to go from there.”

I let out a deep breath and smiled, reassuring him that it would be the best plan as of now.

His hand slowly slipped up my thigh and his finger found my slit, plunging it deep inside of me and causing me to gasp aloud as he taunted me. His teeth found my earlobe and he whispered, “Just be sure to be ready for me when I return.” His finger penetrated me several times more. My body trembled against his as my moans echoed off the stone walls.

He slowly withdrew his fingers and brought them to his lips, tasting my fresh juices as he growled, pleased at my instant reaction.

Julian left with a kiss to my forehead. My cheeks still burned with flustered desire as I sat there, watching the door latch behind him.

I decided to take a quick shower and change into another set of lingerie.

Thumbing through my stack of skimpy attire, I found a sheer, soft blue baby doll with a pair of lace cheeky panties pinned to it. It hugged my breasts snugly and flowed out around my torso, leaving just the bottoms of my cheeks exposed in the dainty number.

I glanced over myself in the vanity mirror, admiring the glistening metal of my new collar as it remained clasped around my neck. For something meant to be so demeaning, it was a pretty piece, though I was sure it would lose some of its appeal once he really used it for the first time.

Disappointed that I would spend my night alone, I navigated my way through the halls and into the kitchen. Eating once a day was doing me no good. My usual eating pattern was tenfold what it was here. Constant hunger plagued me when I wasn’t distracted by my arousing encounters with Julian.

I strode through the entertainment room and the large archway leading into the kitchen. I froze as my eyes landed on a naked man standing with the fridge wide open, his mouth enclosed around a gallon of milk as he chugged away.

A bloodcurdling screech ripped from my chest and I stumbled backwards as he dropped the carton, milk splashing out in every direction as he clamped his palms tightly over his ears.

“Hey!” he yelled over my shrills of terror, halting them in my throat as I gawked at his nude body.

“If you could not scream like a wild banshee, that would be great,” he spat. “I have very sensitive hearing.” He scowled at me before brushing a hand through his short black hair in irritation.

“Who are you?!” I demanded, forcing my eyes not to wander to his flailing pecker. “And where are your pants!?”

“Where are yours?” he scoffed and flashed a charming grin.

My cheeks burned red as the realization dawned on me that the so called “clothes” I wore hid nothing, and I clutched my arms around my body, trying to cover my exposed areas.

“I’m not allowed pants,” I mumbled as my eyes nervously darted around the room.

The nude man bent over, picking up the trickling milk carton before lazily throwing a kitchen towel over the puddle of milk.

“And I can’t remember where I left mine. Julian usually tells me where they are when I need them.” He took another swig from the carton and rattled the remaining droplets around before tossing it in the trash. “I guess, in a sense, Julian keeps my pants too.” He flashed a humorous grin towards me. “So we’re in the same boat.”

Casually, he leaned against the counter, displaying himself without a care as he crossed his arms over his chest. His gaze trailed up and down my body as if he was studying me. I furrowed my brows, my lips turning in disgust as he watched me.

“Why are you here?” I asked. He had to give me a better reason than not knowing where his pants were.

He shrugged. “I live here.”

“Funny,” I scoffed. “Really, why are you here? Julian lives alone. He said so himself.”

He let out a hearty laugh. “Now that’s funny! Julian couldn’t have possibly said that, seeing he’s a vampire and all.”

I glared at him, unamused.

He cocked a thick brow at me. “Really? Nothing?” he asked. “You know that they can’t lie, right? They’re physically incapable of lying. Literally. They can, however, mislead. But a lie? Yeah… that won’t happen.”

I felt at ease knowing Julian couldn’t lie. That meant everything he had told me, the promises he made me — he’d meant them. Whether he wanted to or not, they were true.

As I thought back, it dawned on me that the naked man was right. I couldn’t recall him ever saying he lived alone, only that I was his only guest. As the pieces all fell into place, I still had questions that needed answering.

“So you live here. But why are you here now? I’ve never seen you before, and Julian showed me the entire grounds yesterday. Where were you then?” I badgered, determined to get some information.

“I’m usually out hunting or looking over the grounds. He asked me to stay close by today in case you need something.” He gave me a sly smirk, “I mean, aside from a free peep show.” He winked and I mocked a smile before turning away.

“Hey, wait!” he yelled after me, suppressing a chuckle. “Where are you going?”

“To find you some pants!” I yelled in response from the hallway.

I navigated my way through the winding hall until I found the double doors to Julian’s room and slipped inside. Part of me felt antsy being in his personal bedroom without him with me.

I quickly made my way to Julian’s dresser and rummaged through his clothes until I found a pair of tan cargo shorts. It wasn’t much, but it would cover his bits at least.

Finding my way back into the kitchen, I came in to find him rummaging through the fridge again, pillaging random bits of food and stuffing them in his mouth. Hearing me approach, he turned and smiled, his cheeks stuffed so full they resembled a chipmunk’s hoarding nuts for winter.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight and tossed him the shorts I had found.

“Put these on, you nudist,” I said as he caught them against his chest.

“You know,” he said as he slipped one leg into the pants, “I don’t think this would be too fair to you. It’s rude to make a guest feel excluded from a party.”

I rolled my eyes and sat at the bar like I had the night before. “I don’t know what kind of party you’re throwing, but I will have to politely decline the invitation,” I responded, sass tainting my every word. I shocked myself. I wasn’t one to banter with the opposite sex, yet here I was, holding my ground against this complete stranger. I felt proud of myself.

Hearing his zipper close, I glanced over and found myself doubled over in laughter. The shorts I had grabbed were far too short and tight for his stature. They made him look like a child who couldn’t let go of his favorite article of clothing, wearing it until it was physically impossible.

He waved his hands around. “Yeah, yeah. Let it out!” he said, visibly irritated by his ridiculous attire.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried to take deep breaths to calm my bout of laughter. I decided that this was humiliation enough and gestured towards the bar stool as I stood.

“Take a seat, you poor soul. I’ll make us something to eat.” We exchanged playful smiles as we passed each other. Opening the fridge, I gathered a couple of large, beautifully marbled steaks, red russet potatoes, and a bag of baby carrots.

As I rummaged through cupboards trying to find what I needed, gathering seasonings and oil as I came across them, the man spoke from the other side of the counter.

“Julian was right,” he stated, and I glanced over my shoulder in curiosity. “You do have a beautiful laugh.”

My cheeks instantly flushed at the compliment. Julian talked about me to him? The thought made my heart soar. I wondered what else they talked about when I wasn’t around.

I seasoned the steaks and set them aside as I worked on the veggies, cutting and seasoning them before tossing them in the oven.

“So,” I said as I poked at the steaks in an attempt to change the subject, “how do you know Julian?”

Silence followed, and for a moment, I thought he’d left. I glanced back over my shoulder to find him staring at me, seemingly considering what kind of response he would give.

He sat back, leaning against the back of the bar stool as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you want the heavy version, or the light version?”

Heavy version? He had to have known I would want the whole story. Why else would he ask? Not to mention this could lend me a little more information about Julian, the one person I wanted to know everything about.

I took a steady, deep breath and nodded to him. “Lay it on me.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Figures… Well, my family has served his longer than the recorded history of our two houses. On the day he was born, I was named his protector. We’ve fought together in countless battles, and now I keep this house from falling on his head while he sleeps. Well, at least until you came along. Good job with that, by the way.”

“Thanks.” I could tell by his change in tone his took great pride in his role as Julian’s protector. “You must really love him.”

He paused a moment and shrugged. “He’s my best friend.”

I offered him a soft smile. “You seem like a great friend. I’m glad he has you.”

His eyes fell bashfully as he smiled to himself.

“I’m glad he has you, as well,” he stated. “I’m truly grateful that you came around. I’ve never seen Julian so smitten with someone. He’s been alone for so long. I think you’ll be really good for him.” The sincerity in his voice made my heart lurch into my throat as I fought back tears.

All this time, I’d figured Julian wanted to keep me at an arm’s length to make sure I was the one who wouldn’t grow attached, when in reality he feared he would. Happiness surged through me at the realization that Julian’s best friend actually approved of me. Had I known he had a friend here at all, I would have feared he would hate me.

We continued to talk about Julian as I finished cooking our meal, and as we ate before he dismissed himself to check the grounds.

I took this time to clean up the mess I had made from dinner, making sure the kitchen was as spotless as I had found it, regardless of the nude man I’d found there.

With a full belly and free reign of the house, I decided a nap was in order. Maybe it would pass the time and I would wake to find Julian back home, and we could pick up where we had left off.

I curled up on the plush sofa in the entertainment room, wrapping the fur throw around my body and letting the heat from the fireplace lull me into a peaceful sleep.

My dreams were filled with fantasies of Julian as I counted down the minutes until he would be with me again.