Page 39 of Those That Are Lost (Hidden Vampires #2)

‘Me either. But we’re here for a few weeks. I trust Henry. There’s gotta be more to Antares’s story.’

‘Red, this could be very dangerous for us. He’s only got to go and blab ?— ’

‘Henry wouldn’t risk us. You just said so.’

He’s silent for a beat. His eyes close as he leans forward to kiss my forehead.

“What’s going on, you two?” Henry eyes us quizzically.

“Nothing.” Ty’s response is quick. ‘We’re not revealing our telepathy just yet.’

‘Wasn’t going to,’ I reassure him.

“You sure he won’t talk?” Ty asks Henry, ignoring the other male.

“Yes. Even if he did, no one would believe him. He’s not exactly popular around here.” Henry gives us both a sympathetic look.

“Those jerks in the pack are assholes.” Antares scoffs.

“Be that as it may, you antagonise them. It’s why you end up in my apartment so much of the time, is it not?

” Henry raises an eyebrow at him. “And did you have to drink all the blood and not replace it?” He points to the kitchen unit along the opposite wall.

It's small even by our standards, just a few cabinets, one of which I’m guessing is an undercounter fridge.

A small pile of empty blood packets are now stacked on the draining board next to the sink.

“I was going out this afternoon to restock it. Don’t worry.”

“Okay, well, you do that. We’re all knackered from travelling, so you go stock us up whilst we shower and sleep.”

“You mean I can stay? If I bring you some blood?” Antares’s eyes narrow like he wasn’t expecting the invitation.

Henry lets out a long breath. “Yes, you can stay. It’s going to be cramped but Ty and Aurora, you two can take the spare room.

Antares you’re on the couch. No arguments.

And I can’t be doing with any of you bickering, okay?

” He eyes each of us in turn but lingers on the two males for a beat more.

“I’ve got a meeting with my publisher tomorrow so if you take up what little prep-time I have left, you’re all out on the street. ”

We all nod in response. Henry is so easy going but I’ve noticed that when this side of him comes out, no one argues. I admire his ability to take control—he’s very logical and fair but none of us are going to try negotiating the rules he’s just set out.

Ty and I grab our stuff and tentatively walk across the space to follow Henry as he disappears through a door on the far side, set into the bookshelf wall. I keep one hand on Ty’s back as I drag my bag behind me, lifting it just enough it isn’t scraping on the ground.

Inside the bedroom, Henry is already stripping the unmade bed, clearly where Antares has been sleeping. “I’ve got a spare set of sheets. I’ll put them on then leave you alone.”

“Sorry we’re imposing on you,” I say, feeling bad that Henry is now not only hiding fugitives, but is also having to do chores and keep the peace when he must be as tired as we are. And he has a deadline to be ready for tomorrow.

“You’re not,” Henry replies. “And look, I know Antares comes across as a dick but he’s a good guy really. He only comes here when he feels unsafe from the Scotian pack. They really do hate him for what he was.”

“Why does he stay in Scotia?” I ask, helping Henry with the undersheet whilst Ty starts helping by changing the pillowcases.

“I’m not going to divulge his whole story—that’s his to tell—but he has to stay hidden from his family for obvious reasons, and they reside south of here in Enbourg.

I know he was turned near Carnio and understandably doesn’t want to stay there.

The capital offers him the best chance of anonymity with the amount of pure fae running round, even though the vampires here hate him, and would probably kill him given half a chance. ”

“He did lead squadrons in the fighting against us. Only the Gods know how many of us he killled.” Ty’s rough treatment of the pillows leave no guessing at his opinion on the Fae in the other room.

“He’s a victim of the war, Ty, as much as I was. He was just on the other side.”

“You’re too soft. You were human,” Ty grouches.

“And? Doesn’t mean I didn’t kill the enemy in battle.

I have no idea how many fae, demi-Fae, and humans I ended the lives of during those battles.

Antares is barely older than us, he grew up during the height of the propaganda, with a fascist father and no other education.

Yes, he caused multiple deaths but he refused his father over Carnio.

It’s well documented how he led his battalion in a rebellion of sorts.

It’s debated that the lack of his squadron’s presence is the reason some vampires escaped the carnage there.

And by disobeying orders, and not being where he was supposed to be, he got captured and turned. ”

“And you think that means he should be forgiven?”

“No, but there were victims on both sides. Should he be condemned for his circumstances?”

“Henry… I don’t know.”

“That’s good enough for now. Just withhold judgement until you know him a little more. What are you thinking, Rory?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Sleep on it. I’ll kick Antares out to go get blood and I’ve got some work to do. There'll be no one in the apartment apart from me and I’ll keep watch. Sleep, and if you decide you don’t want him around, I’ll kick him out properly.”

“Okay,” Ty tells his friend as we finish the bedding. Henry scoops up the used sheets and heads out the door, leaving us alone.

I want nothing more than to collapse onto the bed but the pull of the shower I can see through the ensuite door is strong enough I head over to it as I start removing clothes.

I eye the clean stack of towels on the built-in shelving beside the mirror and the line of products lining the shower floor.

Ty joins me and we wash in silence, only a few sentences passing through our silent form of communication.

Ty washes my hair and I scrub us both with an expensive floral scented body wash as delicious hot water sprays down from the overhead rainfall shower.

It cleans our bodies and heats me through.

The exhaustion from the travelling hits in full force and I can barely keep my eyes open as Ty switches off the power and wraps my body in a giant towel and my hair in a separate smaller one.

Looking down, I notice my tattooed arm and realise my glamour disappeared at some point.

‘It dropped as soon as Henry left,’ Ty reassures me, gently drying my skin and wrapping me into his body.

As soon as we’re dry, he’s pulling me into the bedroom once more and tucking me into the bed. Shadows fill the floor as he pulls the blind over the window.

They coat every available space, including the foot of the bed. A few press up against the door to the main room and darken, looking almost solid.

‘Antares has left but they’ll protect us whilst we sleep,’ Ty tells me as he slips in behind, curling around my body as I ball myself up on my side. He wriggles to me until my head is nestled into his shoulder and our legs are entwined.

It doesn’t take long for sleep to pull me under.