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“You don’t know that,” he hissed, between clenched teeth. When he looked back at me, I expected to see fangs. But there weren’t any. In fact, he looked way calmer than I would have expected. All stony-eyed and frustrated with me, but definitely still calm. Still Danny. “And look, it doesn’t hurt that bad right now. I’m okay, I promise.”

I didn’t believe him. But I also wasn’t willing to force-feed him. Maybe if hehadbeen half-crazed with his thirst, I would have shoved a cup filled with my blood into his hand, because I wouldn’t have been able to stand seeing him suffer like that, would I? But I couldn’t do that while he was still Danny.

I locked eyes with him. “Would you tell me if it did hurt?”

He scowled at that. He let out a long breath that he probably didn’t really need anymore. “It doesn’t hurt when you’re next to me.”

Whatever I had been expecting him to say, it hadn’t been that.

“What?”

“Look, don’t make a big deal about it. But when you leave, it’s… it’s bad. But when you’re right here, your scent makes menotwant to drink blood.”

“Are you saying I smell bad?”

He let out a short bark of laughter at that. “Fuck you.No. You don’t smell bad. But you don’t smell like food, either.”

My eyebrows pulled together at that. “No, fuckyou.I’m a goddamnsnack.I’ll have you know that I’m exceptionally mouth-watering to most vamps. To most living guys, too.”

“You’re an idiot,” he said, laughing. He shook his head, letting out another chuckle. “Holy shit, Michael. I can’t believe you’ve got me tied up to a post in a barn.”

“Do you want me to untie you?”

“No! Look, I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around this, okay? The Michael I’ve always known would’ve had no problem making sure I didn’t wake back up. And if that guy found he couldn’t do it, he damn well would’ve called someone who could.”

Not this again. But instead of filling me with incoherent fury that caused me to say dumb things that I totally meant, I hada better answer this time. One that slid into place neatly and easily.

“If I had gotten turned tonight, would you have been able to kill me?”

He went silent at that, but his glare intensified. He worked his jaw back and forth like hewantedto tell me he could’ve, but he couldn’t quite seem to make the words come out.

“And if I drove a stake through my heart or set myself on fire, how would you feel about it? Knowing there was still a chance I could end up being like Bryan? That I could have an entire fucking future where I might still be me—even if that me was maybe a little different?”

He still didn’t reply, but his glare softened into something else entirely. Something far gentler. Far less angry.

But I still went on, apparently hell-bent on making him understandeverything. “And if I were the one tied to a goddamn post and you knew that I was still completely Michael, and that I was suffering in a way you couldn’t even wrap your head around, wouldyoube able to stand it? BecauseIsure as hell can’t.”

Okay, so maybe Danny’s words had filled me with alittlebit of incoherent fury that caused me to say some things I totally meant.

Danny stared back at me, the last traces of anger fading from his expression in an instant. He was left looking almost bewildered.

“Oh.”

I let out a long breath, feeling my own cascade of emotions drain away from me the moment his did. “Yeah.Oh.”

“I guess I see your point.”

“Good.”

“I was being serious, though,” he said slowly, after the long moment had stretched into several. “Whenever you leave… the pain comes back. My throat is on fire and I’m so hungry thatit feels like there’s broken glass in my stomach, cutting me up. When you’re next to me, you’re you and I’m me and that’s all that matters.”

“What, you forget that there’s a bunch of broken glass in your stomach?”

He swallowed and something went vulnerable in his expression. “Yeah. I guess I do.”

Fuck this. He had turned down my offer of blood. He was coated in powdered silver, so he couldn’t just vamp-speed away into the night to go try to off himself. There was no reason to leave him tied to a post in the middle of a fucking abandoned barn.

I got up and stepped into arm’s reach. I crouched beside him.