Page 15 of Absolution
“You have a kink for murderers?” I asked as I crawled into the bed and yanked the blankets up to my chin.
He sighed and reached out to turn off the light. “You make yourself hard to like because you don’t want anyone getting close. I get it. Spent my whole life thinking that any sign of weakness would get me killed. That’s how this world treats people, but that’s not reality. Being vulnerable isn’t a weakness. It’s part of being human.”
“I’m not human,” I reminded him.
“You are. Just an upgrade. It’s not until you lose all those crazy thoughts circling in your head that you cease to be human. Even my dad is still human, though he complains all the time that it’s a battle to not just let it all go. I’ve seen a lot of true monsters. Some of them physically human. None of them mentally human.”
“So why are you still here?” I asked. He slid into the tiny bed beside me. Close enough to feel his warmth but not actually touch him. It was a little awkward how good it felt to have him close. He took the position between me and the door, leaving my back to the wall, which made me feel oddly safe. I hated that I was beginning to like the idea of having him around. What about when he left or used me like every guy in my history had?
“Because you need me, and I like being needed. Now get some sleep. We’ll analyze the great donkey asshole of the worldafterwe’ve gotten a few zz’s. And shit, can I just say your friend Con is hot? You haven’t tapped that yet?”
“He doesn’t like vampires.”
“Hmm. Looks at you like he likes you just fine.”
“Not happening.” I’d never hurt Con that way. He’d done too much for me.
“We’ll see. Get some rest. You need to heal.”
I would have argued, but I was too tired and the sun would no longer be denied.
Chapter 6
Usually I tossed and turned until the sun finally set. But I slept like a rock until the stench of food woke me up with the urge to vomit. God, I hated the smell of food. Every spice or added flavoring made it worse. Gabe said the sensitivity would pass by the end of my first year and I couldn’t wait. Seiran loved to cook and his nose was as sensitive as mine. I think he wasn’t bothered only because he actually got to eat the stuff he made.
I grabbed my robe, a little sad to find Luca gone, and darted to the three-quarters bath to shower away the bad morning. The bruises had vanished and I looked normal enough. One of the few perks of being a vampire. The slight ache in my limbs reminded me of the fight. It was the feeling many got after a hard workout. I liked it, had earned it, and hoped it lasted more than a few hours.
After the shower, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee and headed to see what the stink was about. It was just after five, so almost dinner time for humans. The sun wouldn’t be down for another hour or so, and I would be stuck until it set.
Seiran and Kelly sat at the counter. Kelly had a book propped open and his bleached blond head bent over it while he scribbled notes on paper beside him. Seiran had a handful of photos spread across the countertop and he kept shifting them like it was a puzzle he was trying to solve. They were both sort of brainiacs—always thinking.
“What are you cooking, Ronnie? It smells gross.”
“Smells like heaven,” Kelly said into his book.
“Mexican-style stuffed bell peppers. Lots of spice. Sorry. Was craving it and forgot you were still here. You’re usually not so quiet when you sleep.”
“Must have been the hot boy toy he went to bed with,” Kelly teased without looking up.
“If only,” I grumbled. My dreams had been filled with fantasies of that hot boy toy and his flexibility.
Gabe stepped out of his bedroom looking GQ ready as always. He’d probably been up for hours. I guess old vampires didn’t need to sleep as much as newbies like me. But I was pretty sure no amount of time was going to make me like him. He’d been older when he’d been changed, more mature. I’d never get there. Had he always been so suave and polished? Or was that just his few millennia as a vampire? No one knew much about his past. Just generalities. He had been a Roman general way back in the day. No one was sure exactly how long ago. He’d had a lover who died. Which had him seeking out immortality and strength for revenge. Yet here he was, with someone else, and neutral. A good guy for the most part. I wondered what had changed to end his quests for vengeance.
“Glad you’re up, Sam. I want you to work on your concentration today.”
My concentration was fine. And why wasn’t he yelling at me about the redout?
“I want you to try to get one of the boys to do something. You had Seiran’s blood yesterday. That should help.”
Oh, that kind of concentration. “But I haven’t bitten Kelly.”
“No biting,” Kelly said, not even looking in my direction. “Only Jamie gets to bite me.”
“Gross,” Seiran said. “That’s my brother you’re talking about.”
“And he’s way hot,” Kelly said. “You know he is.”
“Argh,” Seiran said, going back to his studying. “Don’t make me think about you and sex with my brother. I’d need brain bleach.”