Page 14 of Absolution
Seiran and Luca waited in the entryway outside the main desk. Luca looked like he’d been hit by a bus. Face swollen and turning colors, one eye almost black. “Shit! I’m so sorry,” I told him. He hadn’t looked that bad when I left him in the shower.
He snickered. “You haven’t looked in the mirror, have you? We could be twins. I gave as good as I got. And I’m a quick healer, so no worries. I’ll be mostly normal by the time the sun sets.”
Seiran grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Can you go home?” He glanced at the lawyer, “Can we take him home?” The man nodded. “You need sleep, Sam. You should be better healed already than what you are, especially with my blood in you.” He pulled me toward the door.
“It’s light out,” I reminded him. Matthew had done it pretty regularly—walked around in the sun. I wasn’t that crazy. It hurt. Even if I covered up in a layer of clothing and hid every inch of skin it still hurt like a really bad sunburn. Heated skin, tightness, sensitivity, the whole shebang. Prolonged exposure only made it worse. I could only tolerate a few minutes before I’d probably start screaming like a baby.
Luca grabbed a bag off a nearby chair and then dug out a large black piece of cloth. “Put this over your head and we’ll pull it down over you. Think of it as a blackout condom. It has UV protectors in the fabric protecting you from all the sun’s evil rays.”
I went from tired to horny in half a second at the mention of condom. Damn. I was probably going to have to fuck Luca just to get him out of my system.
He gave me a knowing smile and kissed me on the cheek, then he tugged the fabric over my head. I let it cover me as they adjusted it and pulled it all the way down to my feet feeling a bit like a sausage. I hope they didn’t expect me to walk in this thing. A second later someone grabbed me and threw me over their shoulder. It had to be Luca. Seiran wasn’t tall enough to pick me up and not be dragging me.
We left the building and I could still feel the sun looming overhead, hot and dangerous. The thick fabric barrier helped, but I knew it wouldn’t last as my skin began to itch. I prayed the drive back to Gabe’s place was fast. I couldn’t go home. Not without knowing if I would have another redout. Con would freak if he found out. He’d probably never heard of a redout before, just as I hadn’t, but he embraced nothing vampire, even with me as his roommate.
The car stopped. Luca helped me out of the car, but someone else picked me up and almost threw me in the air before settling me on his shoulder. His gait was heavy, and the only one I could think of that would be that big and strong would be Jamie. Hopefully he didn’t just dump me in a snowbank somewhere to roast. At least it meant that we were at Gabe’s since Jamie was almost always around to guard his little brother.
The automatic doors swished open and the elevator dinged. Only when everyone finally stepped out of the elevator, was I set down and the bag yanked off. The light of the room flooded my eyes and I had to blink away tears. Crap I was tired.
“Are you okay?” Con was suddenly standing in front of me looking like he’d just jumped out of bed—edible. He was in nothing but socks, sweat pants, and a tank top, but with all his ink showing and his dark hair messy around his face he was stunning. “You look like someone beat the shit out of you.”
“That was me, sorry,” Luca spoke up. He held out his hand to Con. “I’m Luca, Sam’scibo. You must be his roommate Constantine.”
Con took his hand hesitantly. “Did you guys have to mess each other up to see who was the bigger, badder one, before letting him eat?”
Luca laughed, and I looked away since that was sorta right. “Just helping him work out some of that vampire aggression.”
Con dropped his hand and looked at me. “What the fuck was with that text? I thought you were going to go lay in a snowbank until the sun came up or something.”
Text? Oh, shit. I felt my face heat with embarrassment. “I went into a church. I thought maybe I’d burst into flames.” Since I was a monster and all that.
A chuckle from across the room made the fire in my cheeks worse. Dammit. Gabe sat on the chaise with Sei in his lap, stroking the witch’s back. He smiled at me and shook his head. “Just another monster movie mistake. Other than our allergy to the sun and the invite thing they got it all wrong.”
“So I could stare at crosses all day and not burst into flames or melt into a puddle of vampire goo?”
“Correct. There’s a few night services I can hook you up with if you’re looking for them,” Gabe said. I knew he was strongly Christian but figured he didn’t practice it much because he was a vampire. Though it made more sense that since his lover was a different religion, he had to make allowances. “Okay, anyone not staying the day needs to go.”
“I’m headed back to bed,” Jamie said and pressed the button for the elevator. “I’m on the late shift at the hospital tonight.”
“I’d like to stay,” Luca said. “Since Sam is staying. I should probably be here when he gets up so he can eat right away.”
I would be staying until dark. The library had a daybed in it that was mine. Seiran had put it in there after we’d gotten back from California. He even added a dresser and a hanging rack for clothes since I was here so often. Our fight must have resolved more for him than it had for me. I didn’t hate him anyway. Never really had. Just spent a lot of time wanting to be him or at least have what he had.
Con shook his head and backed away. He and Gabe didn’t work well together, though not for lack of Gabe trying. Con was just really jumpy around him. More so than he’d ever been around me. Sei held out a key. “You can use the couch at my place. Just keep it down, Kelly is probably still asleep since he worked the bar last night and doesn’t have class till noon today.”
Con took the key and nodded gratefully. He squeezed my shoulder. “Try not to let anyone else beat you up. And no more freaky texts, okay?”
“Sorry,” I nodded. “No more freaky texts.” Con headed to the elevator and I went to my “room,” sleep heavy on the brain. My body was so weighty now that I didn’t think I could get it up if I tried. The bed was made up, fresh sheets, everything put away and staged. Like a showroom. That was Sei’s doing. Even if he hadn’t picked up the room, Jamie or Gabe would have. I could never live with Sei’s OCD like they did. He had to clean things a certain way and shower so often and check to make sure appliances were off like twenty times before feeling the world wasn’t going to implode. It was just too much for me.
Luca sat on the end of the bed while I kicked off my shoes. “Small bed,” he remarked.
I shrugged since it wasn’t really mine. Nothing was. The money I got from working at the bar went into a savings account I rarely touched. Gabe paid my rent and for anything else I could possibly need. When I protested, he insisted it was his responsibility as my mentor. “I don’t know how to do this, you know.”
“Do what?” he asked, kicking off his own shoes and stripping off his shirt.
I waved a hand between us. “This. You and me. Whatever we’re supposed to be. You’re sort of pushy, and I’m not ready.”
“You’ve been accused of murder and you’re worried about what I’m still doing here?”