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Law chuckles. “Always good to be back.” He walks in, taking a seat and propping his legs up like he owns the place.
“Where’s Maggie?” I ask, trying to push down the unpleasant thoughts about how things could go while simultaneously looking to get a rise out of my barely younger brother.
“She and Marina are upstairs, probably chatting about all things girl.” He shrugs and I smile.
“It’s cute how you pretend to be impervious to the hold that girl has on you.”
He scoffs. “What are you going on about? We’re friends. That’s all,” he says, looking anywhere but at me. A clear sign that I’m right and he’s being an idiot.
“Who are you trying to convince? Because I’m not buying it.”
He runs his hands back through his hair, running his tongue across his bottom lip.
“What’s really going on, Law?”
I know my brother—we’ve been close our entire lives—and something is off with him. He’s never been one to hide his feelings. He wears his heart on his sleeve, yet with Maggie, he’s a closed book. It doesn’t make any sense. I know the pull he must feel. I feel it with Marina. It’s the familiar bond and it’s all-consuming. Beyond that, she’s a beautiful girl.
“Don’t you ever feel like a pawn? Like every part of your life has been predetermined and you have no say over it?” he says, voice rising in agitation. “All right. Yes, I feel for her, but it’s just contrived. It’s a relationship I didn’t choose. So how do I know my feelings are real?”
I consider his words. I’ve never looked at it that way. For all we know, every life—human or otherwise—is predetermined. People talk about fate in every century. Why should it be any different with vampires?
I shrug. “I don’t look at it like that. I think that we’re all predestined to live our lives in a certain way. Call it fate if you will. The only difference is ours come with additional powers because we are magical creatures. Our bond is stronger because it’s meant to last through lifetimes, perhaps an eternity if we’re careful.”
“When did you get so sentimental?” he grates, sounding as though my words have only managed to piss him off more. “It’s so intense, Julian.”
“Your feelings?” I ask, to clarify what we’re talking about.
“The need to protect her. It’s so intense, I feel like it could split me open,” he admits, the vulnerability so unlike Law. “I’ve lived so long only caring about myself that I have to admit, this freaks me the fuck out.”
I chuckle, knowing far too well how he feels. “I know, brother, but if you give in and allow yourself to feel it all, the reward is worth it,” I think of Marina and how I’d do anything to hold her right now.
He nods, looking at me. “I’ve known her since she was a child. We’ve grown to be really good friends, but then she was taken from me.” He stands and begins pacing. “Sometimes when I look at her, I still see that scared little girl. It makes me feel—”
“Like a pervert?” I add for him, and he scowls.
“You’re not helping.”
I shrug. “She’s not a little girl anymore, and you’re not doing anything wrong. If she feels for you the way you do for her, then what’s the problem?”
“She’s still human, Jude,” he says through clenched teeth.
I frown. “What does that have to do with it?”
“Will she only live a human lifetime? Because I couldn’t handle that. I lost her once, damn it, and the way I feel right now, if I were to lose her again, I would lose myself.” He runs his hands down his face. “I’d probably end up just like Marcellus, and that scares me more than anything.”
Shit, if I lost Marina, I too would go down a dark path. It’s something I haven’t allowed myself to consider. We don’t know enough about the legend, and nothing that Shante has told me answers my questions.
“We’ll figure it out, Law. I’ll tear this world apart until we find the answers.”
He nods, acknowledging my promise.
“In the meantime, how do we protect them from the Council?” Law asks, sounding tired all of a sudden. “Maggie faked her death because someone from the Council was following her.”
“Whoever was following her was surely connected to Marcellus.”
“I’m not so sure anymore, Julian. It doesn’t add up. Nobody seems to know about the girls but Marcellus.”
“Either way, we need to ensure they’re safe, and the only way to do that is for me to convince the Council that I’m stronger and the rightful Crown. They’ll be smart to side with me; otherwise, they’ll not only lose their seat next to me, but they’ll die.”
