Theo’s irritation fizzled away, leaving him with a sad frown. He stared at the glossy table.
“Theo,” Pierce said, a bit more gently than their oldest brother, “did something happen?”
Shutting his eyes, Theo said, “Yes.”
I didn’t know what to do. Should I have gone to Theo’s side to comfort him? Instead I stood there, awkward and useless as a brick, only able to watch as the alpha who saved me was about to be punished for it.
“Did anybody get hurt?” Pierce asked.
“Not really. I mean… No.”
“Theo,” Adriel said warningly.
“Nobody got hurt,” Theo said firmly. “And if you’re asking if I… fed, then the answer is no.”
Some of the tension left Adriel’s shoulders. “Good. Now tell us what happened.”
“I went to check up on Maxwell, like you guys were talking about,” Theo began. “But when I got to the clinic, I noticed someone following him. Someone with bad intentions.” He shuffled in his seat. “So I intervened.”
“How?” Adriel demanded. “Please do not tell me you got involved.”
Theo’s brows furrowed in defiance. “How could I not get involved? He had a knife, Adriel! He was going to hurt Maxwell!”
“Did you show your vampire side?” Pierce asked.
Now Theo went quiet.
Adriel groaned. “Theodore…”
“Not that much. Just my teeth and claws,” Theo muttered. “I couldn’t help it. I got so angry, knowing that he wanted to hurt Maxwell.”
“It’s dangerous to show that much,” Adriel said.
“Oh, you’re being so hypocritical!” Theo snapped. “When Caleb was in danger, you didn’t hesitate to save him, did you?”
Adriel’s brows raised, then he growled, “That was different. Caleb is my mate.”
“He isnow,” Theo argued.
Caleb shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Maybe we should take the girls out while they talk,” he murmured to Benji.
Benji nodded and the four of them left, giving me one last glance before they left me alone with all three vampires. The tension in the air made me swallow a lump in my throat. Why couldn’t they all just get along? Theo hadn’t done anything wrong, had he?
“Sorry to interrupt,” I mumbled, and instantly all eyes were on me. “But Theo saved me. The guy had a knife and he really did seem like he might’ve used it. Well, until Theo broke it.”
“You broke the knife?” Adriel said.
I perked up. “Yeah. He shattered it into a million pieces. It was actually kind of cool.”
Adriel whipped to glare at him. “You did what?”
Theo glared back at his brother. “You would’ve done the same thing! I saved Maxwell!”
Adriel brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “No, I would not have, Theodore. Not at your age.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Theo demanded, standing up now.
“You’re a young vampire. Impulsive. Prone to losing control.” Adriel took a step closer so he was in Theo’s face. “It’s not personal. It’s just a fact of biology.”
