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“Nikolo, I get the distinct feeling you’re going to need the same lecture in the near to distant future, so listen up. I’m not repeating myself.” Timidly, I turn to peek at Maddy out the hole in my hoodie. The time for Comforting Maternal Maker is over. She’s in full Boss Mode now.

“Just because we vampires don’t have mates like we did in our former lives, doesn’t mean we don’t still form intense bonds.

At our core, we are still beholden to the same magic as the rest of our being brethren.

And, before you get ahead of yourself, I am not saying that you are destined to be with Finn for the rest of your days on this earth.

” She looks down her nose at me for a full twenty seconds before she continues.

“I am saying that the possibility of you two having some sort of instinctual or magical connection, akin to matehood, is not zero. Which could explain why you two have been so intensely drawn to each other.”

“But most importantly, Kai, more important than a mate or life partner forged by fate or magic or instincts or even choice , is communication. For the love of the Gods, talk to the boy . Openly. Honestly. He is not a bloody mind reader!”

There’s some more muttering about children and stressing her into an early grave, as well as some poorly disguised snickers from Nikki.

I ignore him, because while Maddy might be cursing me to the ether for all eternity, at least she’s being helpful.

I struggle to sit up, scooching my butt back on the couch.

“So you’re saying to talk to him?” I ask once I get the hood off my hair.

“YES!” The pair of them all but scream back at me .

“Preferably while everyone’s sober this time,” Maddy adds.

“Well, how am I going to do that when Nikki pinched my phone?” I throw my hands up in the air and slap them back on my thighs.

Maddy groans again, but it turns into a laugh, which sets off Nikki.

I can’t help it. I join in too. Even though I don’t feel happy at all.

It’s just a release valve for the emotions inside me.

As the laughter dies down, the heaviness returns to my chest, and I rub the sore spot over my heart with my fist.

“What do I do if he doesn’t want to talk? What do I do if he meant those things? If he doesn’t want me anymore?”

Maddy rests her hand on my knee, giving it another comforting pat. I can barely stand to look at her. “Then we’ll be there. Just like we are today, and will be tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you’re kind of stuck with us, you dingus.” Nikki crash lands into us with a hug that is really more of a tackle. He aggressively kisses the side of my head, and I pretend to shove him off, but really, it’s nice. And I need it.

“Well, it seems like you’re no longer at risk of anything too disastrous. I will leave you two to figure out what you’re going to say to Finn. I’m sure between the pair of you you can rustle up enough brain cells to figure something out.”

Nikki sees Maddy out to the door, coming back with my phone. Which was just on charge in the kitchen. Whoops.

“Right. Let’s figure out what you’re going to say to him.” Nikki settles back in next to me. Taking a second to pull myself out of my pity party, I carefully take stock of him. Maddy’s warnings for him make me look at him in a different light.

He’s as handsome and as put together as ever, but there is something more… brittle about him. It’s hard to place exactly what it is, but I hadn’t noticed the tenseness around his eyes before this morning. Or the way his smile seems too tight. Forced even.

“Are you okay?”

For half a second he freezes. If I wasn’t looking, I wouldn’t have seen it.

“Yeah, of course. Just keen to get you sorted so you’re not wallowing around here for weeks on end. You’re really quite pathetic when you’re sad.” I don’t believe him. Not in the least. He tilts his head back on the couch and lets it roll to the side, flashing me a cheesy smile.

It’s complete bullshit. But the thing is, he knows I know it’s bullshit. I can see it right there in his eyes. He’s pleading with me to drop it.

“Is that why you’re doing this, when you don’t even like Finn anyway?” I joke, bumping my shoulder into his.

“I never said I didn’t like him! Like, literally, I specifically said, ‘it’s not that I don’t like him’.

Or something like that. I just was worried about you because I didn’t want this to happen.

” He waves his hand around to encompass my current situation.

He pauses for a moment, and then winces.

“And also, I may have triggered the whole him having a breakdown thing.”

I’m going to kill him. Spinning on the couch faster than my still mildly wretched body can handle, I pin him down. Funnily enough, just like I did to my brothers and sisters after they dobbed. “What did you say to him?” I demand heatedly.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know that he’d drink his weight in shots and act like a bellend!” Nikki cries out when I press down on his arm harder with my knee. He tries to push me off, but I don’t think he’s trying very hard. I’m bigger but he’s definitely stronger. He could definitely flip me .

“What did you say, Nikki?”

“I just asked him if he was really ready for what it was going to be like being with you.

You get hit on all the time ," he draws it out to make his point. “It’s a lot for any being to deal with, especially one as mousy as him. I was hoping it would push him to, I dunno, get all claimy with you. Not get pissed and freak out.”

“You’re a dickhead. I swear to the Gods. What the fuck.” I push off him with an extra shove, digging my knee into one of the rare squishy parts on him.

“Fuck, you’re heavy,.” He complains sitting up and rubbing his side.

“And yeah, I was being a dick. I have… look, I have my own shit going on and we’ll deal with that soon enough.

But I’m sorry. And I want to make it right.

Because you’re my friend and I love you.

And Finn is not the worst. In fact, I kind of like you two together.

I mean, maybe there is something to what Maddy was saying about instinctive connections for vamps or something, but when you two are together, you’re happier.

It’s like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. I like that for you. ”

“Naw, Nikki-boo. You jealous?”

A cushion comes crashing into my face. “Hardly. Now, take notes. Let’s figure out how to fix your fuck up.”

That’s one way to spin the situation. But dutifully I open the notes app on my phone and start typing.