5
Maxwell
Pierce was right, and my room was exactly how I left it. Well, except for everything being freshly dusted and sparkling clean. I figured Benji or Caleb must have notified the bat servants to freshen the place up a little since I was staying the night.
My room was on the ground floor, next to the makeshift clinic, which was nicer than some real human clinics I’d seen. Nostalgia set in as I passed it and smiled at the brass nameplate hung on the door.Dr. Maxwell Green.
After washing up, I slumped on the bed with a heavy sigh. The exhaustion of the day hit me like a sack of bricks. On top of a full work day, I almost got mugged, then got saved by a vampire, andthenhad to walk all the way up the damn driveway to the Tenebrae mansion…
I frowned, wondering how Theo was doing right now. When I left, the situation didn’t seem good. I hoped his brothers were done scolding him.
Just as my eyelids grew heavy, a knock on my door roused me.
“Come in,” I called.
A familiar face poked in, but it didn’t have the usual bright smile I was used to. Theo sadly sauntered inside.
“Hey,” he said.
I studied his face more. His frown was hard to miss, and he looked almost more exhausted than I felt.
“I’m probably not even supposed to be here, but I didn’t want to just disappear on you after I dragged you into this mess,” Theo mumbled.
“What are you talking about?”
He stood on the opposite end of the room, giving me a wide berth. It reminded me of people in clinic waiting rooms who dispersed to the opposite corner when another person began coughing. Like he didn’t want to get close.
Theo was having trouble meeting my eyes, but when he did, he looked like a sad puppy. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I asked, bewildered.
“For tonight. I probably scared you, huh?”
I frowned, thinking back on the situation with the mugger. “I mean, kind of.” I rubbed my arm. “But you saved me. I’d probably be more scared if you weren’t there.”
He smiled slightly.
“Is something wrong?” I asked. I’d only ever seen Theo so upset when Margaret passed.
“Um…” Theo smiled again, but it seemed forced. “No. Nothing.”
He came over to my bed and sat down. My throat tightened at his close proximity.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” Theo promised. “I’m sorry for worrying you. And for scaring you. I know it must not have been easy to… see me like that.”
He added the second part in a low voice that radiated guilt.
“You can’t help what you are,” I said simply. “You’re a vampire.”
Theo seemed a bit shocked at my blunt reply. “Yeah. You’re right.” He leaned back and stared at the ceiling. “My brothers don’t feel the same way. They think I should’ve done a better job holding myself back. And they’re right.”
“But youdidhold yourself back,” I argued. “The man is alive. Off to mug another day.”
Theo laughed genuinely now. The spark of good humor returned to his glittering red eyes. Once again I found myself mesmerized by how beautiful they were.
Was it weird for me to think that?
No, I decided, it wasn’t. Vampires historically were always considered attractive. It was completely normal for me to think of him that way.
