Caleb
I hadn’t seen Benji since the night I moved into the cottage, and now I desperately needed to talk to him.
“Hey, is it okay if we go to the mansion for a bit?” I asked Adriel after breakfast.
“Of course,” he said. “For what purpose?”
“Nothing,” I replied with a shrug. “I just wanna see Benji.”
A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Right. You’re the uncle to his child, after all.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then let’s go right away. It will be a good opportunity for me to work in my office, as well,” he murmured.
After he gathered his work notes, I waited by the front door, tapping my foot. It wasn’t that I was impatient, but Iwasanxious. Ever since I realized last night that I had no heat suppressants, I’d been freaking out. I was secretly hoping Benji had some with him by chance, or maybe there would be some in the house, for whatever reason.
My shift wasn’t until later, so I had a few hours to myself. That would be plenty of time to talk.
At the mansion’s grand front steps, a bat servant greeted us with a high-pitched squeak.
“We’ll go our separate ways here,” Adriel said. “As usual, call me if you need anything. But if you’re with Benji, I assume Pierce will be nearby as well, so don’t worry about Margaret. All right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Thanks, Adriel.”
He nodded and - if my eyes weren’t deceiving me - shot me a hint of a smile before disappearing.
The bat servant chirped and led me to the lounge room upstairs, where I found Benji on the couch. Pierce’s arm was curled around his shoulders. I knew it was bad, but I felt a pang of jealousy. They were so perfect and happy together. They had everything in the world, and all I had was my crappy job and an aloof bodyguard.
I shouldn’t complain,I told myself, trying to stay grounded.Pierce paid for my surgery, and Benji was the one who arranged it. They both saved my life.
“Caleb?” Benji cried. “Hey!”
“What a nice surprise,” Pierce said.
Benji hesitantly wobbled to his feet. His belly had swollen considerably. Instantly my negative feelings disappeared, replaced by joy for him. I met him halfway so he wouldn’t exert himself.
He tried to give me a hug, but his big belly made it too awkward so we just patted each other on the shoulder.
“What are you doing here?” Benji asked. “Don’t you have work tonight?”
“Yeah, I do, but I just wanted to see you and talk, y’know?”
“Right.” Benji nodded. “How’s life with Adriel?”
“Is he grating on your nerves yet?” Pierce asked from the couch, a devilish glint in his eye.
“Uh,” I said, laughing nervously. “Kind of?”
Benji rolled his eyes. “These vampires act like they’re so smart and wise, but they fight and annoy each other just like human brothers do. Anyway, what’s up?”
I fidgeted with the hem of my shirt. “Um, could we talk in private for a sec? No offense, Pierce.”
“None taken.” Pierce raised his hands and escorted himself out of the room. “I’ll be out in the hall, not eavesdropping.”
“Pierce!” Benji scolded.
“I’m kidding. Let me know when you’re done, you two.”
