“I take it something happened between them,” Jason said quietly.
“Yes.” Raul kept Ji-Su’s hands tucked between his own while he gave Jason a quick rundown of the past two night’s events.
“That sounds...” Jason cleared his throat and started over. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Ji-Su.”
“Thank you. I’m glad Mr. Raul was there to help me.”
“He’s a good man. And he’s right. You’ll be safe with him.”
Jason stood and laid the folder on the desk. “Everything I reported is there in more detail.”
“Thank you for bringing it to me personally. I’ll show you out.” He squeezed Ji-Su’s hands once before he let him go and rose to his feet. “Wait for me here.” After Ji-Su’s nod, Raul walked Jason to the front door. They spoke quietly.
“It’s not our job to control the members of another family. But now that I know what Cedric is up to, I won’t stand by and let it happen.”
Jason nodded in agreement. “I’ll put someone on him and give them specific instructions on what to do if he attempts to pull a deep drain on a human again.”
“Thank you, Jason.” Raul clapped the other vampire on the shoulder, certain that one of Jason’s specialists would permanently take care of Cedric if it became necessary. The vampire left and Raul went back into his office where Ji-Su was waiting for him.
Ji-Su watched him as he returned to sitting on the edge of the desk.
“This has all been a lot to accept.”
“It has. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. Your contract should arrive by messenger soon and we can go over it together before we sign. Everything should settle down after that.”
“Okay. Thank you again Mr. Raul.”
“Like I said, it was no problem to help. But I need you to do me one favor.”
“Of course. Whatever you need.”
“Stop calling me Mr. Raul. Just Raul is fine.” He’d had blood pets call him Mr. Raul before—usually the ones he hired through a service. But he didn’t want that layer of boss-employee separation between him and Ji-Su.
“Oh. Sure, just Raul. I’ll try to remember.” He smiled, his dimples making a quick appearance.
Raul wanted to spend time talking to Ji-Su, getting to know him and hopefully hearing his pretty laugh again. But he figured Ji-Su probably needed some time to himself. “Go ahead and put your purchases away upstairs in your room. If you need to charge your phone, there should be spare chargers in the nightstand that Gloria stores there for guests. Make calls, then rest if you need to. I’ll see you later at dinner.”
Ji-Su looked relieved. Raul had been right in thinking he needed to catch his breath.
“I appreciate that Mr.—I mean Raul.” He stood up from his chair. “See you at dinner.”
Raul watched him go. Cedric had hurt him—come dangerously close to killing him. The relief he felt that Ji-Su had managed to escape nearly made him light-headed. Yes, Ji-Su was his blood pet now. But that wasn’t his concern. Right now, Ji-Su’s safety was the only thing he cared about. And he vowed to himself that no matter what, he would keep Ji-Su safe.
Chapter 7
On Ji-Su’s second full night at Raul’s, he wandered the ranch, getting to know where everything was. Gloria had offered to have someone show him around the large estate. But since he didn’t have any of his gaming systems there yet, he didn’t have much to do during the night. He liked taking long walks around the property on his own to fill the time.
It was a beautiful home both inside and out. The mansion’s exterior was constructed of pale-yellow stone and honey oak beams with a multitude of white-framed windows. At night, nearly all the windows were lit, which made the mansion glow gold.
They were in Michigan but the interior would have been right at home in Texas, Mexico or the American southwest. Gray stone and earth tones were brightened by splashes of color. The floors on the main level were polished dark wood and lined with thick throw rugs.
Every room was large yet warmly decorated, lit by expensive chandeliers, and filled with designer furniture that was big and sturdy enough for a man of Raul’s size to relax in. Oil paintings depicting vaqueros hard at work or mustangs running free over grassy plains graced the walls, and the high ceilings were held up by wide, dark wood beams.
Ji-Su explored all the main areas. There was the great room where Raul had brought him last night, a dining room with a massive oak wood dining table, and a game room that had a pool table, air hockey, and a black felt topped card table. Earlierthat evening, he’d gone down a short set of steps behind the bar area and found an indoor Jacuzzi surrounded on three sides by glass walls. The room was meant for both entertainment and relaxation since there was a TV securely mounted on a stand across from the hot tub.