“Toby?” Rowen’s soft voice reaches me.
I focus on his face, using it as an anchor to pull me out of the shock. Shakily, I straighten and look at the alpha again, hoping he hasn’t completely written me off.
“Thr—” I clear my throat and try again. “Three and a half months.”
I hear a soft gasp from Rowen, but keep my gaze on the alpha. He’s the one who granted me permission to stay. I don’t want to do anything to change that.
Forest seems just as stunned as I feel. “I’m… I’m so sorry to hear that,” he says quietly. “I expected a few days. Not months.”
“So did I,” I blurt, tears brimming in my vision. Fuck, how stupid was I to get myself into that mess. I never should’ve gone to them to begin with.
The men exchange a look, and Forest sinks into his chair again. “When you’re ready, Tobias, I’d like to hear how you ended up there. Itmight help us understand something. See their motive. I’d also like to know about that mark on your shoulder.”
I slam my eyes shut.The damn mark.They keep asking about it. I hate it. I hate the man who put it there.
When I say nothing, Rowen pulls me back toward the hall. It isn’t until we’re back in the living room that I realize I haven’t seen the vampire anywhere. I look around again, searching for his dark hair, but he isn’t here.
“I’m getting a drink. Would you like one?” Rowen asks.
I shake my head.
He disappears into the kitchen. I shuffle my feet, looking around and feeling very,veryout of place. Who am I to invade these people’s home? How can they be okay with me being here—especially with the danger I bring to their doorstep?
The room hums with quiet conversation, but my mind is too busy to listen to any of it. I stand in front of the fireplace, admiring the row of hand-carved figurines. There must be nearly three dozen of them, all shapes and sizes. Trees, wolves, a deer, and even a tiny raccoon. The little fox hiding behind a log catches my eye. It looks as scared and out of place as I feel.
“It’s Christmas Palooza around here,” Rowen says, returning to me. He’s holding a glass of milk, looking clearly unhappy about the fact that his home has been invaded by snowmen and tinsel.
“Did someone make these?”
“My dad, actually.”
“They’re beautiful.” I crack a smile. “I love Christmas. Or, I did anyway. I was kind of a workaholic before… well, before things changed.”
Last year, before I became sick, I spent the holiday at my friend Logan’s, but before that, for five years, I was too busy to enjoy the holidays.
“Doing what?” he asks.
I hesitate, shifting uncomfortably. It always hurts to think about my past. “I owned a photography business. I took family photos and things like that.”
I touch the garland, heart aching. Where is Logan now? Or Kennedy? My entire circle of people who supposedly cared about me. They all vanished the moment it happened.
A child’s laughter makes us turn. Aster is chasing Ivy with a foam bat, and she’s doing her best to dodge his swings. As they run by the table, Aster whacks Sage in the arm and, to my surprise, the beefy, stoic man melts against the table, playing dead. Aster giggles hysterically, whacking Grant next. Grant slumps in his seat, arms splayed. Clearly, this isn’t their first go-around with the little boy.
I grin. “How old is he?”
“A little over three. He keeps us on our toes.”
“I can tell. He’s adorable.”
The front door opens, and Evan walks through quickly followed by Jericho. I take a step back before I even realize what I’m doing.Run. Vampire.
But Evan’s words echo in my head, louder than my fear and clearer than anything else.
He hates what he is, Tobias.
He’s a good man.
He never would’ve left you with those assholes if he could’ve helped you.
