Page 48 of Love Bleeds

Next to me, Damian tensed. I had the feeling he was about to protest, to say that he didn't need me to worry about him or something equally stupid, so I grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed.Not letting go again.

Damian remained silent, but after a moment, he squeezed my hand in return, so maybe my message had been received.

"It's... difficult to break the bond between a vampire and their sire," Talon said.

"You did it," I pointed out.

"Only because Collin destroyed Zenon."

"Yeah," Aldrich chimed in. "Thanks again for that."

Collin shook his head. "It wasn't like I had any other choice. He was about to kill Talon."

I studied my brother, wondering how he could say that so casually. Like his accomplishment was no big deal at all. Why couldn't I be more like him? If I could destroy vampires the way he could...

"Do you think you can do it again?" Elena asked, as if reading the question on my mind.

Collin seemed to deflate a little. "Honestly, I'm not a hundred percent sure how I managed the first time." He glanced at me. "I'd be willing to try, though."

"Don't put yourself in danger,” I said. “You have a kid now, you can't just go around hunting vampires."

"It's preciselybecauseI have a kid that I have to do it," Collin argued. "The vampires didn't take kindly to me. How do you think they're going to react to Nix?"

Pressing my lips into a thin line, I stared down into my bowl of soup. Collin had a point, but I didn't want him to be right. I wished none of us had to fight, as childish as that was. I wanted things to return to normal.

But even as I thought that, the mark on my wrist burned ever so slightly.

I made myself look up again, though I didn't know what to say.

Thankfully, I wasn't the only person at the table.

"We can't just sit here and hope for help from the witch council," Elena said. "They've been dragging their asses. Whatever decision they come to, they won't reach it quickly. Seems bureaucracy is the same everywhere."

"We need to start by getting Damian his memories back," Collin agreed.

"My memories?" Damian spoke up next to me.

"Nicolai controls you by controlling the vampire side of you," Collin explained. "If you can reconnect with your human soul, it'll be much harder for your sire to compel you."

"I can help him remember," I said. Nothing easier than that. I knew all there was to know about Damian.

Maybe you don't,a little voice of doubt crept in.You never knew that he was bisexual.

Stubbornly, I shoved the thought aside. I couldn't let small details like that stop me from helping my friend.

"He can't drink from you, though," Collin pointed out as if that mattered.

"He didn't have to bite me to remember my name."

At that, everyone at the table fell silent.

It was Puck who first spoke again. "Is that so?" he asked, eyeing Damian curiously. "What exactly where you doing when the memory came to you?"

"I..." Damian paused.

"Did you kiss him?" Puck prompted.

Damian gave a nod. Puck smiled.