Page 63 of Love Bleeds

"What's wrong?"

"It was Brian."

"Yeah, he came to our sessions sometimes." But why did that make Crimson look as if he'd just woken up from a nightmare?

"He's dead."

"Yeah, he..." I stopped, suddenly feeling very awake again. Brian had passed only about a week ago. It had been sad, but not sad enough to make national news. So how did Crimson know about it when he hadn't even been able to recall the guy a few minutes ago?

The answer came to me like a snowball to the back of my neck.

"It was vampires, wasn't it?" I asked.

For a long time, Crimson looked at me without saying anything. But then, he didn't have to. There was no doubt in my mind about how Brian had met his end. But why him? He'd been pretty ordinary, all things considered.

"Why Brian?" I asked out loud. "Was it just bad luck?"

Still, Crimson remained silent.

When he finally spoke, it wasn't to answer my questions. Instead, he said, "He was a good guy, wasn't he?" His voice sounded rough, almost as if he was having a hard time keeping his emotions under wraps.

I'd had no idea that he and Brian were that close.

Then again, witnessing a friend die would have been tough under any circumstances. Even if it was a distant friend. Especially if you were forced to stand with the bad guys.

I pressed a little closer to Crimson and rested my forehead against his. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Neither do you." I brushed our lips together for a brief moment. "It wasn't your fault you were turned."

"I know that."

"They didn't turn him, did they?"

"No."

I exhaled in relief because I didn't think I could stand watching another friend be reborn as a vampire. Was that selfish of me? To wish for Brian to just be dead instead of undead? Now Savannah would never have what I had.

But maybe that would be better for her.

Because me and Crimson? I knew that wasn't the most rational decision I could have made.

For once, I didn't care.

I would never give Crimson up, not for anything, even if he wasn't one-hundred percent Damian anymore.