Raven was still stiff, even if his breathing had eased.He’d dropped his gaze and was watching Maxim with wide eyes.Healthy fear that needs to learn when it isn’t healthy.“Raven, lift your foot so I can help you with your shoe.I’m rather good at tying bunny ears.Let me show you.”
“Bunny…” Raven’s voice was small—a scared child hiding under a blanket.
“Fucking hell, old bat.Shit.Should I have gotten slip-ons?Bryan helped me guess the size and… You know what?You guys should go clothes shopping.Shopping therapy, right?That’s good for a new vampire.Wait right here.I’ll go and grab a parasol from upstairs.”
Heath hurried down the hall.Maxim took his time with the laces, in fact tying bunny ears instead of a bow knot.He waited until he heard the elevator doors close, then looked back up at Raven.“He means well.I’m afraid he took your jacket though.”
“Ihavea jacket.”
“Well, the one he found for you.We keep a selection of clothes on hand.It’s useful.”
“What for?”Raven remained with his back pressed up against the wall even as Maxim put his foot down.
Still kneeling, Maxim looked up.“In case a werewolf comes here during the full moon.Or a donor who doesn’t live here gets blood on their clothes.Oh, Heath helped organize a stakeout date the other day, and having suitable outfits helped a lot with the date part of it.”
“Ah.”
“Should we go?”
“To my dorm, right?”
Maxim nodded and stood.“Or shopping.But you will feel the sun if we stay out too long.”
“Okay.”He looked back at the bedroom and bit his bottom lip.“Was that really blood?In the cup?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.Can we go now?I want to go home.”
“Yes.Come along.The elevator is that way.”
Raven hadn’t liked taking the elevator to the garage, hadn’t liked walking alongside Maxim to his car and getting inside, but he’d done it.Maxim got into the silver BMW while Raven had his seat belt stretched across his chest without quite buckling it.
He might want to run still.Poor thing.Running feels safer, just like hiding feels safer, but the memories always catch up.
Maxim got into the car and buckled his own seat belt before hitting the start button.When the car pinged in complaint about the passenger not being belted in, Raven finally clicked the buckle home.
Maxim took that as a good sign.He put the car in gear, reversed out of the spot, and headed toward the exit.He made sure to look ahead, move slowly and deliberately, and take his time.With any luck, projecting calm would help Raven calm down.
“Do you like music?I don’t use the radio much.Feel free to fiddle with it.”Maxim gestured at the dashboard screen that merely informed him it had made the connection with his phone.
“Uh, no, that’s fine.”
In that moment, the now connected phone buzzed with an incoming call.Raven jumped.
“Oh, dear.I shall be in trouble.”Maxim winked at Raven before accepting the call.“Heath, darling.”
“Where the fuck are you?!Bryan said you left!”
“Just about to.”The underground garage’s gate was in the process of opening, revealing a bright day outside.It was pretty.Innocuous.
“Why the fuck would you fucking leave when you told me to get the fucking parasol?I even got a black one so your creepy ass wouldn’t stand out too much with all the black you wear.”
“Is he really your son?”Raven whispered.
It wasn’t much of a question, but it still lightened Maxim’s mood to hear it.A question meant Raven was thinking about other things, and it meant he could be curious about what was going on around him, even now, with fear living right under his skin.Did I ask questions back then?I don’t even remember.Everything was so fuzzy, so painful.
“What was that?What did you just say?”
