And if neither of my brothers found a mate of their own, we would all be doomed.
I settled in bed, and wondered what tomorrow would hold.
* * *
The trance endedhours later as I abruptly awoke out of it by a strange noise. I sat up, brow furrowed. It almost sounded like… crying?
Instantly I was filled with panic. I ran to the hall and threw Benji’s door open. He was gone.
The worst case scenario flashed into my head. Margaret had killed him. She didn’t approve of him, for whatever reason, and decided to get rid of him while I was out of commission. A hiss built in my throat as a strange, unfamiliar feeling gripped me.
If she hurts Benji…
I leapt over the banister and landed with a grunt on the main floor. The noise was coming from the dining hall, and it was getting louder.
“Benji!” I cried, preparing myself to come face-to-face with the horrible images from my mind.
But no gruesome scene awaited me. Instead, it was my younger brother Theo, sitting at the table with a deck of cards strewn on top of it, and across from him - Benji.
A wave of relief hit me. I held my forehead in my hands.
“Lord,” I muttered.
“Hey, Pierce!” Theo called. He waved me over.
“You had me worried sick,” I grumbled. “Why did I hear crying?”
“Probably because I was whooping Theo’s vampire butt at cards,” Benji said, grinning.
“You were not,human.” Theo said the word teasingly. “But, uh, the crying sound was probably me laughing.” He winced in sympathy. “Sorry. Did I scare you?”
“No,” I lied, taking the seat next to Benji. “What time is it, anyway?”
Benji shrugged and squinted at the black velvet drapes, which were closed, as usual. “No idea. My circadian rhythms are totally screwed.” He glanced down at his cell. “My phone says it’s almost noon, though.”
That surprised me. I’d been tranced for a long time, even though I didn’t feel particularly well-rested. On the other hand, Benji’s face nearly glowed. I guessed the total darkness and quiet of the guest room, combined with the physical and mental exhaustion he’d endured, completely knocked him out for half a day.
I glanced at Theo with a raised brow. “If it’s almost noon, that means we’re up late.”
“Or early, depending on how you look at it. I’m not really tired though. It’s a lot of fun with Benji around.” Theo stuck out his tongue, then threw down a card. “Go fish.”
Benji groaned. “Dude, we were playing President.”
“Hey, give me a break okay?” Theo said. “I haven’t played a normal game with a normal human in a long time.” He threw down another card and said, “Go President.”
Benji rolled his eyes playfully, then glanced to me. “Hey, Pierce, that reminds me… Uh, would I be able to go back home and get my charger? My phone’s about to die, and if it does I won’t be able to contact Caleb.”
“Of course,” I told him. I wasn’t quite sure why he was asking, unless… “Benji, I’ve already explained that you’re free to leave whenever you’d like. You don’t have to ask.”
As I said the words, I felt a pang of longing in my chest. I didn’twanthim to leave, far from it, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up, either.
“Oh, I know,” Benji said with a smile. “Uh, it’s just that, I don’t have a way to get there?”
“Get where?”
“To my apartment?” Benji paused a beat. “You know, to get my stuff?”
The realization of what he was saying hit me. If my heart could still beat, it would be racing right about now. “Are you saying you want to retrieve your things so you canstayhere?”
