4
Theo
I wanted to think my brothers were making a bigger deal out of this than it actually was, but they weren’t. What I did was wrong. Maybe not for weaker vampires, or ones that purposely revelled in the sick glee of taking human life, but not us. Not me.
I’d beensoclose to killing the mugger who meant Maxwell harm, and that frightened me. His fear was so thick in the air, the smell of his blood intoxicating me like a drug as it beat, terrified, in his veins…
“Theodore.”
Adriel’s voice snapped me back to the present. His stern gaze didn’t waver.
“You cannot let this happen again. Do you understand me?”
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
His palms slapped against the table. “Are you even taking this seriously?”
Irritation flashed in me. “Yes, I am! Just because I’m not making a big display about it like you are doesn’t mean I don’t care. What do you want me to do, write a three-page essay about how sorry I am?”
“Lose the attitude, Theo,” Adriel growled.
His fangs elongated as a warning. I couldn’t help it--I rolled my eyes. Just because he was older and stronger than me didn’t mean he had to boss me around like he was doing now.
“Whatever,” I muttered.
Pierce’s hand stopped Adriel from exploding. He stood between us like a mediator, holding up his arms to keep us a healthy distance apart.
“I think we all need some time to cool off,” Pierce said firmly. “Fighting amongst ourselves won’t do any good.”
“I’m not fighting. I already said I was sorry,” I grumbled.
Adriel scoffed. “Barely.”
“Enough, both of you.” Pierce pushed us apart. “Adriel, do you mind? I’d like to have a word with Theo without you hovering over us.” He added in a tone that was meant to be playful, to diffuse the tension, but it came off more sarcastic, “All right, big brother?”
Wordlessly, Adriel turned and stalked off, slamming the opposite door behind him.
Pierce sighed and sat down, rubbing his temples. “He’s so dramatic. But you understand why he’s upset, don’t you?”
I retook my seat and drew my knees up to my chest, curling up in a ball as if it would ward off the negative feelings swirling in the air. “I almost killed a human.”
“Yes.” Pierce knitted his fingers together. “In cold blood.”
I winced.
“You wanted to hurt him,” Pierce added. “Is that right?”
I nodded, remembering the thrill that gripped me when I had the man dangling in the air. How easy it would have been to snap his neck, or crush his bones. How easy it would have been to give into the demon and drain every drop of blood from his body, unaware that Maxwell was even there…
“You’ve learned to control your urges well, all things considered,” Pierce admitted. “For such a young vampire like you to have the amount of discipline you do is admirable.”
“But?” I asked, no longer wanting to delay the inevitable.
Pierce sighed. “But what Adriel and I are concerned about is this occurring in the future. Once a young vampire teeters so close to the edge of losing control, it almost always happens again.”
“But I didn’t lose control!” I argued desperately.
Pierce steadily met my gaze. “You would have if Maxwell hadn’t been there.”
