Page 23 of The Human’s Heart

Hugo

It wasn’t a surprise to see Zay’s grandfathers walk through the shed door early in the morning, but it was definitely a surprise to see his Uncle Toby with them. I was a tad confused why he was here until I noticed the cooler in his hand.

Part of me was disgusted knowing it was filled with blood, but another part of me couldn’t deny that I’d felt healthier since I’d started drinking it and that I… well, that I didn’t mind the taste. Or at least, the flavor didn’t mess up my drinks when I add it in.

And maybe, possibly, there was a part of me that was curious about the whole… thing.

Shaking that away, I allowed Sebastian and Ailin to pull me into hugs, accepting the affection even though it had only been twelve hours since they’d left the property. Zay was right behind me, getting his own hugs from all three men.

When Toby greeted me, I was shocked for half a second that he pulled me into a hug.

Why I was shocked, I had no idea.

Perhaps because of all the Ellwood uncles, he seemed the shyest of the bunch? But then again, he was a part of the huggy Ellwoods, so I shouldn’t have been surprised.

After a few words, Zay, Sebastian, and Ailin all walked over to the addition to discuss… something or another, and I was left there, feeling awkward and unsure about what to do or what to say to his uncle.

But then I noticed the cooler again, and I gestured toward the house, saying, “Do you want to come in? We can put that in the fridge so you can take your cooler back.”

He smiled. “Sure.”

We walked quietly into the house, entering through the back door and straight into the kitchen. He passed me the cooler, and I wrinkled my nose as I set all the blood vials in the fridge.

When I was done, I passed the cooler back, and Toby said, “Thank you.”

I blinked at that, then let out a nervous laugh. “I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

His brow furrowed as he set the cooler on the counter. “What for?”

“Um, for the, uh, you know…” It seemed he didn’t know, so I added, “For the blood.”

He gaped. “Oh. No need to thank me. It’s no problem at all. Jules and I have been taking turns filling the vials.” He shrugged like that was the strangest thing ever.

“Yeah, but that means you’re… hurting yourself to help me and Jett out.”

“Just a small cut that heals quickly. It’s honestly no big deal.”

It felt like a big deal to me, but I didn’t particularly want to argue with him. “Right. Well, thank you. Jett and I really appreciate it.”

He was quiet for a moment. “We’re both happy to do it if it means keeping you and Jett safe.”

I couldn’t help but stare at the man—the vampire—for a long moment. Not because what he’d said was shocking but because I thought he meant it. And sure, maybe he only cared about keeping his nephew’s viramore safe, but for some reason, I didn’t think that was the only reason.

Like maybe, perhaps, he cared about keeping me safe for my own sake. And Jett safe for his.

And wasn’t that a strange pill to swallow?

I opened my mouth to thank him again or to say… anything at all, but no words came out.

He leaned back against the counter top and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked out into the living room, not meeting my eyes. “Did you know that I never wanted to become a vampire?”

My eyebrows rose. “Uh, no… I never heard that.”

He sent me a small, somewhat fond smile before looking away from me again. “I suppose not. Jules and I were… well, we were held for a long time by a vampire. He was a cruel, horrible man, so my introduction into the supernatural was… well, it wasn’t kind. It was violent and…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Anyway, when we finally escaped, Jules turned me because both of us wanted the ability to keep ourselves safe from other monsters. And what better way to stay safe from them than to become monsters ourselves? Or that’s what I thought, anyway.”

I stared at him, even more unsure of what to say now. That sounded horrible, and I felt for him, but I didn’t know how to respond. Should I say sorry? Should I ask him about it? Should I say that sounds horrible and leave it at that? I didn’t know. So I kept my mouth shut, hoping he would fill the silence.

I wasn’t sure how long it was before he spoke again, but his deep voice was quiet, almost gentle. “In all honestly, my younger vampire years weren’t kind to me either. But you know what? I’d do it all over again if it meant I got to meet Thayer and have him in my life. We have a lot of years left, and I’ve never been happier. Being a vampire has brought amazing things into my life… amazing people like my Thayer, but also our family, including Zaos… including you. I don’t regret turning for one second. In fact, I love being a vampire now. It isn’t all blood and fangs like it is in the movies. It’s also magic and quiet moments and strength and, well, and love. There’s so much love in this family, Hugo, so much love and care. And I know you can feel how much Zay loves you. I can see it with my own eyes.”