3
Maxwell
I won’t lie and say I wasn’t scared out of my damn mind.
The alley. Always with the dark alley. I was getting pretty tired of getting scared within an inch of my life walking down there. I really had to find a better route to get home.
But even more frightening than the alley, and more than the mugger, was how Theo snapped.
I’d seen the vampiric transformations before. Back when Lark, Pierce and Benji’s daughter, was first born, her alpha father showed off his capabilities while protecting her from Margaret. But I’d never seen the fangs and claws come out unneeded. That was a life and death situation. The mugger was scary, sure, but I didn’t think he would actually kill me, especially after Theo crushed his knife.
Why had he overreacted?
I glanced at him, worried. His head was hung low and he hadn’t spoken much since we left the alley, but he stuck close to me, like he was still waiting for another fight.
Seeing him so down was almost painful compared to the hyperactive Theo I knew and --
No, notloved. I didn’t love him. I mean, sure, in a platonic way. I loved him the way friends loved each other. That was all.
We reached the main gates, a wrought iron Gothic masterpiece, and Theo opened them.
“Um, are you okay?” I asked quietly.
He didn’t seem to hear me. As he continued up the slope, his eyes were glazed over and he stared at the ground.
“Theo?”
“Huh?” he said. “Sorry, did you say something?”
“I just asked if you were okay. You seem upset.” I tried to grin. “I’ve been working on my bad bedside manner, see? I’ve been learning how to tell when people aren’t happy.”
Theo’s brows furrowed in sympathy and he shot me a smile that looked almost sad.
“I am happy,” he said, contradicting his expression. “I’m really excited to see you, and I’m glad you’re coming over again.”
“But…?”
He grimaced. I noticed his fangs had reverted back to normal size. “But my brothers are probably gonna kill me.”
“What?” I gasped and clutched his arm. “Are you serious?”
“Well, no, not literally,” Theo muttered. “I was exaggerating.”
“Oh.” I blushed, embarrassed. “I mean, you never know with vampires…”
This time Theo laughed for real. “Max, you spent enough time with us to know that vampires aren’tthatbad. At least not my family.” He scratched the back of his head. “Still, that doesn’t change the fact that they’re gonna be pissed.”
“Why?”
He laughed defeatedly, without humor. “‘Cause I did a bad thing, Max.”
I frowned. Theo quickened his pace, cresting the hill, and I didn’t press him for details. I figured I’d find out what he meant by that soon enough.
I did a bad thing.
His words echoed in my head as I recalled the expression of horror on the to-be-mugger’s face as Theo lifted him off the ground like he was a ragdoll. Theo, with his young features and smaller stature. Theo, who I’d grown so close to while living with the Tenebrae family.
Again with those thoughts. I carded my hand through my hair and inhaled deeply, trying to get my mind off them.
