Caleb nods, but he doesn’t look very convinced. He tucks himself back into his boxers and reaches for the pockets of his jeans, crumpled on the wooden floor beside us. He takes out his phone and unlocks it, then hands it to me. “Type in your number. I’ll text you.”
I take his phone, staring at the screen for a while. Should I? I might need to see him again, actually. What I’ve just done will certainly have consequences, although I’m not sure what they are yet. I nod and type in my number with shaky fingers.
Caleb stares at me as I get dressed. I suspect that he wanted me to stay for another round, but I’m not sure I can do that without fucking up. Not that I don’t want to, but I made a dangerous decision and my mind is racing in all directions. I have deviated from the path of the protective older brother. I’m something else entirely now, and I don’t know how to process it.
When I turn on the loud engine of our SUV, Caleb leans on the front door of his house, lighting a cigarette. He waves at me as I pull away, eyes on my car until I turn around the first corner.
Fuck. Have I made a mistake?
Fourteen
Damien
“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?!” I snap as soon as I see Killien sleeping soundly on his freaking bed.
I can’t believe my own damn eyes.
He’s all sprawled on the small bed in a pair of boxers I’ve never seen before. His angelic face is as relaxed as it can be, and he smells of fucking chamomile shampoo, out of all fragrances in the world. What the hell is happening? Jacob and I have been searching for him for hours. His bed was the very first place we checked, and he wasn’t here earlier.
Killien jerks awake and sits up, struggling to keep his eyes open. I’m raging, my blood boiling and my heartbeat loud in my ears.
“Oh, thank God . . .” Jacob sighs the moment he steps in, right after me.
I storm across the room, my footsteps loud on the creaky hardwood floors, and push Killien onto the blank wall behind his bed. I trap him in a chokehold so strong his Adam’s apple bobs against the palm of my hand when he tries to swallow. I’d love to have him like this for other reasons, but now’s not the time to let my dick get hard.
My eyes light up in rage as I stare at him. “ANSWER ME! WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO?!”
My lips quiver uncontrollably as I tighten my grip around his throat. I’ve never been this angry at him in my entire life. He’s never given me a reason to be.
Tonight was the first time he left without saying a word. I don’t like not knowing where he went, and I don’t take kindly to being left behind. The look in his eyes is pure shock, and there’s a hint of fear underneath it that breaks my heart. But I ignore that, because I’m fucking pissed.
“Damien, calm down—” Jacob’s hand squeezes my shoulder softly, but I shake myself out of his touch.
That might have been a mistake, but I don’t give a fuck. That’s how out of it I am. I can’t pay attention to him when Killien has basically destroyed my mind over the past hours. Where could he have gone? What has he been up to? Why did he snap and run away? He could have gotten into trouble, and nobody knew where he was. I always know where he is, because he always tells me. Except tonight.
Killien lifts a hand and wraps it around my wrist softly. He tries to speak through the chokehold, but can’t. I loosen my grip, just enough to allow him to say something. I’m so mad I mightas well sink my teeth into him. I wanna bite him hard and make it hurt. Or I might just stab him with my handy pocketknife.
“I’m sorry—” he whispers, so softly that my heart actually hurts as it skips a beat. I wanna kiss him, fuck him, and set him on fire for leaving me behind. How could he?
“Oh, fuck you, Killien. You better be sorry,” I hiss between clenched teeth. “We’ve been looking for you all night, asshole! How dare you leave me behind?!” I feel Jacob’s confused gaze burning the back of my head. I can’t be bothered by it, though.
Killien’s expression changes, morphing into the most heartbreaking sadness I’ve ever seen. His lips curl downwards and his eyes widen. He better regret what he’s done.
“I thought—I thought you wanted to be left alone . . .” he says, as tears collect in the corners of his eyes. I instantly feel like crying too. Motherfucker.
“Like hell I did!” A tear slides down his cheek as I let go of his throat. The relief of finally finding him safe and sound, after the worst night of my life, starts to sink in. “Youneverleave without me again, you heard me?”
An uncomfortable silence fills up the room. Killien doesn’t answer; he just looks back and forth between me and Jacob, who is still standing behind me. I probably shouldn’t have said that in front of him, but I can’t be bothered to care. Not right now.
Tonight has been an absolute nightmare. I was fucked out of my senses—which was great—but I was also reminded of who I truly want. Every time Jacob tried to be gentle with me, I couldn’t help but think of Killien. It was really hard not to imagine him penetrating me instead. It mentally drained me. And then I was woken up to the surprise that the fucker had left without me, looking all distressed and shit.
“I’m sorry,” Killien says again. He pulls the bedcovers over his body, as if he’s just realized that he’s almost naked.
Something is off about him. He smells funny, and not just because of the shampoo, which is definitely not ours because we both hate that damn fragrance. There’s a mixture of sweet vampire blood and sweat lacing his natural scent. Almost like the smell of . . . sex. Has he been with someone else? Is that what he did? Run away to get in bed with some human? The single thought of it blurs my vision.
“I’ll be in the living room,” Jacob says, his voice low and maybe even defeated. He closes the bedroom door as he exits.
Killien’s bed creaks slightly as I sit on it and bury my face in my hands. I haven’t felt so distressed in my entire life, I swear. My ginger angel will be the end of me.
