“Well, there’s your body, for one thing,” I replied, flashing him a grin. “It’s rather nice.”
His cheeks flushed. “I’m not easily distracted.”
I arched an eyebrow. “I could probably come up with a few ways to redirect your attentions.”
His flush deepened, and his pulse quickened. I was struck all over again by how beautiful he was—how extraordinary and simple his human masculinity was. If he were a warlock, I could almost believe he’d enchanted me.
Perhaps I was under his spell.
“I should get home,” Eli said softly, taking a step back. He jammed his hands into his pockets—maybe because he no longer trusted them. “I need to get Sam to bed. I’m sure she’s probably passed out on the couch.”
“You’re worried about her,” I remarked. “It’s in everything you do.”
He swallowed. “Yeah.”
“You graduated top of your class. Hundreds of miles away. You could’ve started a life anywhere.”
Eli was silent.
“You moved home to take care of her.”
He blinked rapidly and drew in a breath that hitched in his chest. “Yeah. She’s—she’s scaring me. Our dad just died of liver failure, and now she seems dead set on following in his footsteps. I’m the only person who still cares if she lives or dies.”
“That’s a lot of responsibility to carry.”
“She didn’t put that on me. And honestly? I’m angry with her. I know it’s not fair, but I am. And I’m angry with myself. If I could just say the right thing—”
He broke off, shaking his head.
“We’re sometimes overcome by compulsions we can’t control, Eli.”
“I know I need to give her love, but sometimes it’s hard to do that without feeling angry. And I keep thinking I’ll come home one day, and she might be gone. Maybe today was the day she had too much, and I wasn’t there to stop it. But I also—I feel helpless. I can’t stop it.”
The admission hung between us, and something lurched free in my chest—a desire to comfort him. It wasn’t familiar. It had nothing to do with sex or blood. It wasn’t the least bit predatory. Instead, it felt… raw. Like I was the one exposed, despite how vulnerable he’d just been with me.
“My God, I can’t believe I just told you all that,” Eli said, stricken. He let out a bitter laugh. “Wow, I’m really bad at this whole dating thing. My sister’s alcoholism is not appropriate first-date conversation.”
My human was beating himself up. Not on my watch. But what would a real person—a human, capable of empathy and kindness—say to him right now?
Oddly enough, it wasn’t as hard as I might have imagined.
“Nonsense, Doctor,” I breathed. “What you’ve just told me is that you’re a man experiencing something far bigger than himself. You love your sister deeply, and you’re worried. You’re feeling fear and anger. Maybe even some resentment. There’s no crime in that. I’m certain what you’re feeling is probably quite human.”
I paused, surprised at my own words. It wasn’t like me to make the effort to see anything—anything at all—from someone else’s perspective, nor to comfort anyone.
I finished with, “She’s exceedingly lucky to have you.”
My words, strange as they were, seemed to be the right thing. Eli drew in a shaky breath and nodded. He even flashed a small smile, though his eyes remained troubled. “Thank you.”
“Now, let’s get you home,” I said softly. “There’s always tomorrow for us to finish our questions. But right now, home is exactly where you’re needed.”
I realized then that this wasn’t about what I wanted—not the satisfaction of a kill, or the almost-as-good satisfaction of seduction. Not sex or violence or blood.
For the first time in a very long time, it wasn’t about me at all.
It was about what Eli needed.
CHAPTER TWELVE || ELI
