Elias appeared on the brink of losing his cool as Sebastian completed his injury once-over.
"Oh, Young Master, you really shouldn't have involved yourself, especially considering your injuries!" Sebastian chastised while taking a seat in one of the free chairs.
Elias brushed off his concerns, convinced he was overreacting. He was through with being unprepared, which was exactly why he called for Maranda to be his bodyguard.
As they sat together, the bar was gradually being cleaned by members of the staff. Despite the urge to help, Vasili realized he'd only be getting in their way. Cassie and Liz, who were managing the staff with expertise, cleaned and prepared the place for Elias' reconstruction plan.
Elias was deep in thought, looking at photos on a device, when he turned to Vasili and asked, "Hey, what do you think of this design?"
Showing Vasili the tablet, Elias pointed at the gothic remodeling he had been thinking about. "Oh, that looks nice. I'm into that style. Is it for this place?"
Elias nodded, swiping to another design, this time revealing a much more modern and somewhat anime-inspired look.
The shift in style caught Vasili off guard, prompting him to ask, "Are you into Anime?"
Elias nodded vigorously as he explained, "It is one of the best creations in the last few decades. Even Sebastian likes it."
Looking over to the butler, Vasili had to guess, "Black Butler?" Sebastian's blush confirmed his guess.
Vasili suppressed his urge to laugh at the butler, it was an innocent hobby, one that he liked while growing up as well.
Leaving the anime discussion there for the time being, he couldn't help but ask, "Wow, what time is it?"
Which prompted him to check his phone and realize just how long he had been up. He felt the day's fatigue catch up to him-he had worked a full day of construction before getting wrapped up in all of this supernatural crap.
Cracking his joints, he wrestled with the urge to sleep. Recalling their earlier discussion about his new life, he asked, "Hey, is there a place I can crash here?"
Elias, anticipating Vasili's question, had already waved Vasili's assistant over, "Cassie, please guide Vasili to your room. Our little monster needs his beauty sleep."
Teasingly sticking his tongue out at Vasili, Elias stood up and prepared to end the night as well. They exchanged a brief "goodnight," and then Cassie escorted Vasili out of the main area, leading him through the "Staff Only" door.
Cassie moved efficiently, skipping any small talk, and soon presented Vasili with a small room featuring a single bed in the corner.
"Here you go. This is where we sleep," Cassie said somewhat awkwardly.
Vasili looked at the bed with a frown, asking, "I'm sleeping here? With you?"
She nodded slowly, her expression cautious.
Vasili smiled at the room, just happy to have a place to crash, saying, "I'll take the floor. Could you grab me some blankets?"
Cassie blinked in confusion, wanting to object when Vasili walked into the room, "Yeah, just a few towels, or maybe a comforter if you have one. That should do me just fine."
Sitting his phone down, he looked around and realized that the Vampire from earlier forgot to grab his charger. 'Damnit,' he cursed.
Taking a seat in a crappy chair, he noticed that Cassie was standing uncomfortably in the doorway.
Vasili realized he had been inconsiderate by just assuming he could use the chair without asking. He stood up and apologized, "I'm sorry-I should've asked before making myself at home."
Vasili felt some shame, imagining the chewing out he'd received from his Grandmother for a mistake like that.
He was about to start rambling an apology, explaining that he couldn't go back home and that he was effectively family to them all now when he was stopped by her saying, "Sir? You are home."
Taking a moment to compose herself, she explained, "This is your room. I will be transferred to the servant quarters if you don't want me to stay..."
Vasili shook his head, denying her transfer, as she continued, "I know that you are new to our world, but I am bound to you. What is mine is yours, in its entirety." She paused, letting her blush convey the implication.
The only thing Vasili could get out was, "Why?"
Cassie explained, "I after I was Blooded by Elias, I was commanded to serve you indefinitely. I am your eternal servant, do you understand?"
Vasili nodded, "Elias brought you into his family, but do you WANT to be my servant?"
She nodded fervently, countering his thought that this might be coerced servitude, explaining, "All Vampires should wish to serve one of the Families. It is the only way for us to be safe in this world..."
"So, you are doing this for protection?" she nodded, and he continued, "What would have happened if you had refused?"
She shook her head, "Nothing. I could have rejected the Blooding, but I have family. Now, we will all be safe from any harm." A sparkle in her eye showed him her urge to be accepted.
This "young" girl was willing to become a servant to protect her family. It made a lot of sense and was something he could get behind.
Nodding, he acquiesced to her position, realizing that he would be undoing her sacrifice if he rejected her.
Sighing after the long day, he pleaded, "Can you just grab some blankets? We can talk about this in the morning."
She nodded and quickly left the room, only to return moments later with a laundry basket full of sheets.
Vasili picked out what he needed, layering each blanket down, keeping one for covering himself.
Turning to face the door with his back, he listened to his own breathing until he heard something hitting the floor.
Turning back around, he saw her miraculous form undressing, the slow revelation of her hazel skin made his mouth water.
Immediately turning around, he locked his eyes forward, analyzing the trim along the wall, noting that the idiots didn't use any putty to cover the nail holes. Plus, the 45-degree cut was off, and they didn't bother trying to hide it. He'd get his ass chewed out if he left anything like this at his old construction job.
Just as he was getting lost looking at a wall, he heard, "What do you think?" Only for him to turn and see her modelesque appearance being hugged by black lace lingerie.
Watching his jaw drop, she giggled, asking, "Do you like it?"
He nodded as she smiled and got into bed, leaving him with an urge that he unfortunately had to ignore. She was obviously down to fuck, but if she was just doing it to have protection for her family, it would feel...wrong.
His boner died as he thought about taking advantage of a girl like that, Vasili just wasn't that sort of guy.