Leo moved closer to her again. "Did you like all those males drooling over you tonight?"
She blinked at the change of topic. "How do you know about that?"
He smiled smugly. "This is my business, and I know everything that goes on under this roof. Do you want to stop their attentions?"
Yesenia felt like this must be some sort of trap, but her curiosity won out. "Of course I do. I don't want to keep smacking creepy males in the balls."
His lips twitched and for a split second, Yesenia wondered what Leo would look like if he truly smiled.
Not that she had time to dwell on that thought since he spoke again. "When a vampire pierces your skin, either through a bite or graze, it leaves a small bit of that person's essence in you, meaning you'd carry my scent for a day or two. And if that's the case, no one within these walls would dare try to poach what's mine."
She frowned. "But I'm not yours."
Leo raised his brows and said smoothly, "Aren't you? Until the claiming is complete, I rather think you are."
Even though she should try to be nice to him, she couldn't help blurting, "Has anyone ever pointed out how arrogant you are?"
He smiled slightly, revealing more of his fangs, and her heart skipped a beat. He was definitely too good-looking for such an entitled, smug ass.
"It's rather necessary, witch. After all, I'm in charge of all the vampires in London, as well as most of the others residing south of Birmingham. My arrogance is partially what keeps them in line."
She really needed to find a map as she'd only ever heard of Birmingham, Alabama. "If that's only part of what keeps them under your control, then what's the rest?"
His smile faded and his expression closed off a little. "Not something I'm going to share with a female who won't even let me nip her finger."
Yesenia wanted to scream at how frustrating he was by having so many secrets, even if she begrudgingly understood why he kept them. However, hysterics solved nothing, and all she could do was weigh the facts of what she did know and make a decision from there.
If his little nip kept the lechers away for a day or two, maybe she could convince him and Nora to let her explore more. There had been shelves of books in the room she'd spied through the wooden slit in the wall. Even if she didn't yet have access to a fae witch library, she might find something helpful within these walls until she could get her hands on better resources.
Not only that, the graze could better prepare her for what his claiming would entail. Her vampire studies when she'd been a young teen hadn't included detailed descriptions of how it felt for a vampire to bite her, probably to keep newly horny teenagers from doing things they shouldn't do. She'd only heard a few rumors and gossip about it from coworkers over the years, and that hadn't been much given how most of them had been human, and vampires back home tended to stay far away from the more fragile species.
Yes, her knowledge was sketchy at best when it came to a vamp's bite. So if she had a little more real-life experience, then she would be better prepared for the whole thing. That would be her reasoning, nothing more.
Taking a deep breath, she raised her chin a fraction. "Give me permission to explore this building at my leisure, without restrictions, and I'll let you do your weird finger-sucking thing. But you can only touch my hand and wrist, nothing more, the whole time."
She had expected him to protest, but he merely murmured, "I like a challenge."
His gravelly tones rolled over her, making her nipples ache and wetness rush between her thighs. No doubt the arrogant ass knew exactly what he was doing to her with that husky voice, had probably perfected it in the years before his frozen state. Because regardless of what she thought of his personality, he was a good-looking male and he'd probably had partners lining up at the door eager for his fangs and cock.
Pushing aside any grumbles at such an image, Yesenia focused on her bargain. "Say it. Tell me I can explore this building as I like, and I'll let you drink from my finger. However, I need to hear it spelled out clearly since you can't lie and I know you'll have to keep your word."
Because deliberately breaking a promise was all but lying, and a vampire would feel physical pain if they did it.
Leo moved until he was a few inches away from her, never touching, but she could still feel his heat along the entire front side of her body. "I will allow you to explore the building in the mornings, when we're closed to patrons."
"That's not what I asked for."
He shrugged. "Even with you smelling of me, I won't risk another male touching what's mine." He leaned his head closer, until his warm breath danced across her cheek. "Do we have a deal?"
It was hard to concentrate with him so close. At this rate, her heart was going to explode and she'd soak the material down her thigh through the slit in what they called drawers in this time.
Focus, Yesenia. The orgasm from his bite will cool your hormones for a while.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Yes, we have a deal."
His voice was even deeper as he replied, "Good, because your pulse calls to me in ways you can't begin to imagine, witch."
He took her hand and raised it to his lips, but paused, keeping it a few inches from his mouth. As he stared at her, his pupils almost fully dilated, her fingers started to ache, almost as if she craved his bite.