“I know,” I say and grip Leonidas’s shirt tighter. “But that doesn’t mean you didn’t do it. He was bitten, Mom, killed, just like Dad.”
Distress clouds Mom’s face. “Trinity I’m—” she starts off, but I interrupt.
“Leonidas is going to stay the night. Nothing will happen between the two of us. I don’t want to be alone right now, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t fight me on this, given the circumstances.”
I walk around her quickly, and Leonidas does the same, following closely behind me. Yet he’s more intimidating and scarier due to the anger running through his veins.
All I feel like doing is cuddling in my bed and letting out all the tears that are begging to roll down my face. Pulling my sheets back, I snuggle in them as Leonidas shuts the door and joins me seconds later.
Pulling me against him, he kisses the top of my head. “I’m sorry for being so rude to her. She gets on my nerves.”
I let out a soft laugh. “I’m glad you did that. If you hadn’t, I would have let her walk all over me.”
“I hate seeing her bully you around like that. You need to stick up for yourself more. Show her you’re not a stupid, naive little girl.”
She’s my mother. I know I have to be respectful, but something always holds me back. It’s because I love her, and I know I don’t want to hurt her like she hurts me.
When I hear a car ignition start, I sit up, peeking out the window. I find Mom pulling out of the driveway in a hurry. When she disappears down the road, a low scoff leaves my throat.
She left. That doesn’t surprise me. She always runs away when times get hard.
I place a hand on my temple when I feel a sudden throb in my head.
Leonidas grips my wrist. “What’s wrong?”
“My head kills.” I look over at him and point to the dresser beside him. “Can you grab me some painkillers from that drawer?” I point, and he nods.
He slowly reaches over and opens the drawer. His hand shakes as he picks up the white bottle. As he faces me, I see his face turn a shade of white. Frowning, he drops the bottle in my lap like it’s on fire.
As I twist open the cap, he swallows tightly as he watches me. I see the battle he’s going through. Leonidas bites his lip in distress when I swallow two dry.
Shit.
His overdose.
I gasp and hide the bottle under the blankets. “Shoot! Leonidas, I’m sorry!”
I totally forgot about his problem. How inconsiderate. He looks like he’s struggling, and I hate myself for causing that pain.
“It’s okay,” he says and shifts in his spot.
Lying down on the bed, he pulls the pillow down to cover his face. Leaning over his body, I throw the bottle back in the drawer, slamming it shut. I let out a sigh. I’m the worst girlfriend in the world.
“I try not to even look at those. It doesn’t help the desire,” he explains. His voice is muffled because of the pillow.
I nod even though he can’t see me. “Are you addicted?” I blurt out and slap a hand to my mouth.
Idiot.
Moving the pillow off of his face, Leonidas smiles sadly at me. “I wouldn’t say I’m addicted, but I get sudden urges to take them.” He pauses, looking for the right words. “Think of it as withdrawal.”
Poor guy … that must be terrible.
“I’m sorry.” My eyes tear up as I realize the damage I’ve caused him right now. “I didn’t mean to make you feel this way.”
Pulling my body onto his, he lets out a sigh. “Don’t be. You didn’t know. Your mind is in shock, so it’s totally understandable.”
He connects our lips in a passionate kiss, and I melt into his body. His hands grip the back of my neck. I feel extremely guilty that I stirred up his addiction, and Leonidas is too nice to even say so to me. That was the first time he probably even touched a damn bottle since that night. All because of me.
