Blooded Mate

Chapter 28 - Lost self

Despite retiring early, Jan did not fall asleep until late in the morning, and he was still sleeping long after the sun had set. He only woke up when Ivan opened his door. Groaning at the intrusion, he buried his head in the pillows.

"You need to feed," was all the apology he got from the Russian.

"I fed last night," he grumbled.

"I mean fresh blood. Your wounds aren't healing fast enough." His brother was carrying a suit bag. He lay it at the foot of the bed and pointed to his body.

Jan glanced at the exposed side Ivan had indicated. The red wolf bites on his shoulder and torso had not faded much since Ethan had treated them. Ivan was right. Had he fed adequately last night, they would have disappeared by now.

Once again, thoughts of the dark-haired Lycan and his sweet blood filled his head. He could feel the pull --their connection-- filled with notes of distress and sadness. It echoed in him till he started feeling uneasy, nausea bubbling up in his belly.

Something is wrong with Ethan. Maybe I should go back. We can try talking through this ... figure it out.

He sat up in the king-sized bed, ignoring the white cotton sheets slipping down his naked body. His golden hair, loose and messy, tumbled down to his shoulders. He was sliding towards the edge of his bed when he caught himself.

What the fuck am I thinking? Rushing to go comfort some wolf. Right. Get it through your head, Andrea. He doesn't want any bloodsuckers near him.

He slumped back into the bed.

Ivan frowned at him. "What's wrong with you? Get up."

"Can the front desk arrange someone for me? I don't feel like hunting," he replied.

"Louie is on the phone. He said he knew whom you would like." His brother tossed a smaller package at him. It was a pair of underwear.

Jan arched an eyebrow. There was no way his brother had gone shopping for that. Not that Ivan was not caring, just... he was not the kind of guy who remembered the finer details when it came to clothes. He had a full-time personal shopper on his payroll who filled his closet.

At Jan's expense.

He might have believed Louie had done this if he did not know how lazy the pampered French vampire was.

Probably the motel staff, he concluded.

Sighing, he rolled out of bed. Ivan took a final look at him and then left, pulling his phone out.

Jan padded to the bathroom to freshen up, and then he dressed in the new clothes. The black suit was his size, but its classic cut was not his usual style. This, combined with the unrest rioting in his belly thanks to Ethan, had the blond vampire feeling like he was walking around in someone else's skin.

And his mood had blackened to match.

The doorbell rang just as Jan walked out to the large living area. His extravagant best friend wore a red tunic that was falling off his shoulders over black pants. And he was at the door before the chime ended.

"Louie!" A human redhead squealed when he opened it, bursting in. "I've missed you. Where have you been?"

She leaned forward and planted loud kisses on both his cheeks while he giggled. A tall, Nubian lady with high cheekbones and a cascading crown of kinky curls followed her. The last two were a man and woman, but the closeness of their blond features suggested they were related.

"Aww, my love. Since you rejected me, I had to go heal my heart elsewhere." Louie wiped away a non-existent tear, pouting. Jan was not surprised he knew people around these parts.