“Is it far?Where are we?”
Maxim opened the front door of the apartment.“Just a short drive.This is downtown.”Raven nearly jumped again when the door swung open to reveal another man he didn’t know.Maxim gestured.“Raven, meet Heath.He’s been standing there for about five minutes, too scared to knock.”
“I—no.Erm.Hi.”The other man smiled and held up a pair of sneakers and a jacket.“Bryan said… I mean, we were just wondering if you’d like shoes.And a jacket.Not in a creepy way.But, like, who’d want to go out barefoot, right?”
“Heath, darling, how does one like apparel in a creepy way?”
The other man blushed.“Shut—well.Just in case you wanted to go out, Raven.Bryan figured, and I said I’d bring them up.Uhm, I also have a list.”He looked at Maxim while holding out the shoes.
“List, darling?”
Raven went for the shoes, eager to simply get going, go home, huddle up in bed for a while, and figure out what his next steps were going to be.What he should tell people about where he’d been.And then how he should behave.What he should say.Class.He’d have to sit in class and concentrate on the topic.He could barely remember what classes he was taking this term.
“Yeah, for Raven?”Heath looked at Raven.“Therapists.I figured you’d want some.Or one.Probably one.I mean, having several makes no sense, right?At least not at the same time.I used Maxim’s name, so they all said you can drop by or do online sessions with them whenever.They’ll clear their schedules.I have a selection: male, female, somewhere in between, fae, vampires.I also found one werewolf therapist.He said he mostly does werewolves, but I wanted to give you options.You know.Because you should have options.Oh, do you want more blood?”His eyes went back to Maxim.“Dad, did you teach him how to bite someone yet?”And back to Raven.“It’s really not that bad once you get the hang of it.”
Raven’s brows rose as he tied one shoe while leaning against the wall for balance; a double knot that would hold even if he had to run.Dad?Thisis his son?They could be the same age.
“Darling, sweet sunshine of my life, come here.I knew you’d eventually come around to addressing me properly again!”
Maxim went for the other man’s neat hair, but he took a step back before the hunter could reach him.“I slipped!Fucking hell.Should I tell them to get here?”He was looking at Raven, who was working on the other shoe now.
“Huh?”
“Your therapists.”
“Darling, Raven wanted to return to his dormitory momentarily.Perhaps now is not the time for him to decide anything beyond that.”
“But… Whatever you want, obviously.”Heath looked from Raven to Maxim.“You can’t let him stay at the dorm though, right?”
“I c-can’t leave?”Raven felt his stomach drop.
Maxim sighed loudly.“Heath doesn’t mean that.You are not a prisoner, Raven, and you need not be afraid.”
Heath’s brow creased.“Did you do something weird, old bat?Did you make one of your jokes that’s not funny?You do realize that he’s been through some serious trauma?”
Raven paled.He dropped the shoe he’d not yet managed to put on.His hands started shaking.“I-I-I…”
Then Maxim was there, filling Raven’s field of vision with his intense eyes, with that presence that was not really comfortable, not really unsettling, just very intense.It was like a shock of cold water in Raven’s face.
“It’s okay.I’m here.Breathe.In through your nose, out through your mouth.In, and hold.Out.”
Raven wasn’t sure why, but he did what Maxim said.Over and over, he did what the hunter told him to do, and with each breath, the fear that had seized him subsided.
Chapter 4
“WhatdoIdo?Should I…should I call someone?”Heath asked.
“Not right now.You’re fine, darling,” Maxim said, almost speaking both to Heath and to Raven, who was still staring at him, nostrils flaring and eyes wide.An invisible beast is chasing him, and he has nowhere to run.
Heath shifted his weight from one foot to the other.“Okay, but can I do something?”
Maxim sighed and sank to his knees, picking up the shoe Raven had dropped.It was a comfortable-looking white sneaker.“Just hold Raven’s jacket for a moment.”
“But I’m doing that.It’s probably not good, right, when a new vampire has to deal with all of this.Maybe I should call Dr.Seine?”
Maxim looked at Raven’s other shoe.He’d tied the laces tightly, maybe even too tight.“Heath, darling, you’re not going to call the psychiatrist.In fact, you’re not going to call anyone.You’re going to hold Raven’s jacket for him, nothing more.”
“Fuck’s sake.Circuitous much?”Heath grumbled.But he stayed where he was and did as Maxim had bid him to.
