12. 11

11

Serina

C old fingers digging into my side startled me awake. I grabbed the old man’s throat, and his hands flew up into the air in defense.

Every heaving breath I took made pain shoot down my side.

“It's okay, Serina… You’re safe,” Thorne assured me, gripping my wrist, and my eyes shot in his direction, my breath still heaving. “You’re safe,” he said again.

I glanced around the grand room, seeing it was larger than your average bedroom. A quaint library sat off to the right in the corner with a small couch serving as the seating area.

In the other corner sat a simple, clean office. Perfectly organized, and it made me wonder if anyone even used it. Next to it stood a wooden dresser.

My eyes met Thorne’s again with all their softness, and I took another steadying breath before I realized I was still holding the old man’s neck.

I released him. “I’m sorry, I—”

“No need to apologize. I’ve dealt with worse dealing with these three,” he said, waving his hand in the air and gesturing toward the house just as Bastian and Nox sauntered in the room.

I lifted my other hand realizing I was attached to an IV.

“You’re a doctor?” I asked, my brows furrowing,

“Yes, I’m their family doctor. You can call me Todd,” he replied, continuing his work from before at my side, his fingers moving gently over the newly stitched skin.

“Why do Vampires need a doctor?” I glanced at all of them.

“I’m not just any old doctor.” He waggled his brows at me before pushing around on my stomach.

I winced and looked him over, searching for any abnormalities. Waiting for the hairs on my neck to stand on end when I figured out what he truly was, but the sensation never came.

“What are you?” I pushed further, not coming up with anything based off of his looks alone.

“I’m a Warlock who just happens to also be a doctor, and these nitwits stumbled across me a long time ago and have kept me on speed dial ever since.”

“Oh, you couldn’t get rid of them either?” I joked, eyeing them.

“Ah, they’re good lads once you see behind the teeth.”

I directed my words toward Bastian, “You could have had a doctor tend to me the entire time. Why didn’t you say something at the warehouse?”

“I had to ensure you’d come back,” he said with a grin, and I scowled at him before changing the subject.

“So, what made a Warlock doctor stick around for Vampires?”

“Let’s just say we both needed something, and we struck a deal.”

“Ah, blackmail,” I grunted as I used my fists on either side of my body to lift myself up on the bed.

“Not entirely,” Bastain corrected, placing a large cup of water on the nightstand and motioning for me to drink it. I instinctively smelled it, and Bastian rolled his eyes.

“It has a floral scent. What’s in it?” I questioned.

“You seriously think we’d go through all this trouble just to poison you now?” he huffed, running a hand down his face. “It’s vervain. It’ll protect you against compulsion.”

I took down the water, giving him another lingering glance.

“I don’t need vervain; my tattoo keeps me from being compelled,” I said as I set the cup down. “But I’ll take it anyway to keep any of you from using me as a snack.”

“As if vervain would stop us,” Bastian chuckled, giving me those confident eyes. I was sure nothing would stop this man if he was determined enough. It was something I could respect, even if he was a Vampire.

“We’d only snack on you if you asked nicely,” Nox quipped back as Todd began to speak.

“She should be good to come off the IV once those liquids are done. Stick to the antibiotics I left in the fridge downstairs for two weeks. I’ll be back to take her stitches out then.” He turned to me. “Lots of bedrest, and you should be good as new.”

With that, he clapped Bastian on the shoulder and walked out of the bedroom. Thorne and Nox followed him out; I assumed they were escorting him, but after a few minutes they didn’t come back in, and it was just me and Bastian.

He stood leaning against the door frame as if he were waiting for me to speak. I looked around. Catching sight of my phone on the nightstand, I picked it up, seeing a text from Sam.

I opened it.

Sam: Mickey’s. Tomorrow morning.

Damn, she had gotten to town faster than I anticipated. Where had she been yesterday? Wait, how long had I been out?

“How long have I been here?” I asked slowly.

“Two days. Honestly, Doc got a little worried when he first looked you over,” Bastian remarked.

“Where am I?”

“In our house?” He looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“I meant whose room is this?”

He smirked. “Mine.”

“This whole house and you decided to put me in your room?”

“Well, I had to be sure to keep a watchful eye on you, of course.”

“And risk getting blood on your silk sheets, how thoughtful of you.”

“If you think a little mess scares me, love, you’re sorely mistaken.” He shifted around to exit. “We’ll be downstairs. Call for us if you need anything; we saved our numbers in your phone. Thorne will be back up here later with some food, so get some rest.”

Bastian walked out of the room, leaving the door cracked. The emptiness in the space instantly made my eyes heavy and my adrenaline subside, and I wondered if he actually had put something in the water or if my body was truly this damn tired. I assumed the latter.

I didn’t even get the chance to scoot back down into the bed. My head lolled to the side, and I was in that in-between state of being asleep but not fully, as if my body refused to allow me to slumber with so many monsters this close to me.

Regardless, it didn’t matter. Those monsters haunted my nightmares anytime I closed my eyes for too long.

I heard something slide across the nightstand, and I instantly stirred awake. My breathing quickened, and pain shot through my body from the jerky movement.

“Hey, it’s just me,” Thorne whispered as I came out of my dazed sleep.

He gently moved a strand of hair out of my face and behind my ear, making me flinch back. He paused, putting a little bit of space between us.

“I brought you some food,” he said, and I smelled it before I saw it. The scent was heavenly. The whole room smelled delicious, as if it were the holidays and my mom had been cooking all day.

I made a mental note to ask them where they had gotten the food from because for something to smell this delicious, I knew I’d definitely want to come back. Maybe I could take Sam for her birthday in a few months.

Gods, Sam. I had to tell her about everything that happened, and I was unsure how she would take it tomorrow.

I glanced out of the window, noticing the sun was down now.

“How long was I out?” I asked, my voice weighted with a sleepy rasp.

“A few hours. I would have woken you up sooner, but I wanted you to get some rest,” Thorne replied, grabbing a small plastic cup from off the bedside table with two little pills inside it and handing it to me.

“What is it?” I narrowed my eyes at the medication.

“It’s pain meds. Take them, and then eat some dinner,” he said, motioning to the tray of food.

It looked to be a heaping bowl of stew with a buttered roll and a large glass of water. He handed me the water, and I took back the meds with one large gulp.

I went to sit up a little further, my brows furrowed in pain, and Thorne helped me. My body tensed at his touch.

“We’re not going to hurt you, Serina.” Thorne’s whisper tickled the shell of my ear before he put space between us and handed me the tray of food.

I had no reason to believe him. No reason to believe any of them.

They had saved me, tended to my wounds, and fed me, but those were all just common courtesy things… No need for trust here. No, they would need to do more than just that.

But for some reason, all I saw shining in his soft eyes was sincerity, and it made me look away from him.

I had never looked beyond the monsters I hunted. I never thought about them for more than what they were, monsters, at least not since my dad died. But in the short time I’ve known these three, the more I’ve learned that they may just have warm undead hearts after all.

I cleared my throat, not wanting to think about it anymore as I scooped the first big spoonful of stew into my mouth and it exploded with flavor. Thorne noticed my wide eyes and chuckled under his breath.

“This is the best thing I think I’ve ever eaten,” I said honestly, taken back by how good it was. “Granted, I spent most of my life living on diner food and gas station snacks, so I’m not sure if that’s much of an accomplishment.”

He threw his head back in genuine laughter, a sound so rich and unguarded, it pierced through the armor I had meticulously built around my dead heart.

It should have irritated me, that laugh. It should have been a reminder of all the reasons why we were more enemies than anything else. But as the sound filled the room, wrapping around me like a blanket, I couldn't deny the warmth that spread through my chest.

His laughter had revealed a glimpse of the person beneath the surface, not monster, person.

One that seemed so disarmingly sincere that it made me want to laugh along and forget about the true monster that lurked under his skin.

Did I even remember how to laugh?

I couldn't. Especially not with him. Not when my heart was still tangled in a web of distrust and fury. I realized in that moment there was more to him than I had allowed myself to see in any monster, and that was dangerous.

I knew it would hurt me when I shoved a stake through his chest.

So, I shoved it down, down, down just like I did with everything else and held onto my defenses, raising the walls around my cold heart higher.

“Well, I’ll take it as one anyway,” he said, and I stopped chewing.

“You? You made this?” I looked down at the bowl and then back at him in astonishment.

He grinned. “Yeah, I love to cook. I’m pretty much the designated chef in this house.”

For fuck’s sake, I don’t want to know about the things you love.

It only makes things that much more complicated.

“But… you guys don’t eat people food, you eat people,” I said, and he laughed a little harder than last time.

“Firstly, no, we don’t eat people, we drink blood to sustain us. I can’t remember the last time any of us drained someone dry.”

“Same thing,” I huffed, taking another bite.

“I beg to differ. We only take what we need and then compel them to forget before we let them go, but more often than not we go to the blood bank. And as long as we do that, we can still enjoy people food. Well, uh, food, not the people part.”

I couldn’t stop the slightest curve of my lips as he tried to correct himself.

The pain that pulsed through my body wasn’t as bad as it was when I woke up, so I knew the pain meds had started working.

“So, you guys eat dinner every night like some family ?” I asked.

“Not every night, but we try to, and yeah, we are a family. Nox and I were best friends when we were human. We were out together the night we both got turned. Bastian found us when we were close to death and changed us. He took us under his wing, and we’ve pretty much been together ever since.

“Eventually, we started introducing ourselves as the Davorin brothers since Bastian is the oldest. So yeah, we are a family .” He said the last word mockingly like I did.

I didn’t want to get to know them, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking more questions as I took a few more bites of stew.

“How old were you when you were turned?”

“Nox and I were both twenty-six, while Bastian was thirty.”

“And how old are you all now?” I pressed, not sure I wanted the answer.

“Nox will tell you he quit counting after a century, but it’s been a hundred and eighty-seven years since we were turned, and it’s been two hundred and fifty-nine for Bastian,” he said, and I stilled.

The thought of outliving all of your loved ones crossed my mind, and Thorne glanced at me as if he’d read my thoughts.

“It’s not as bad when you have someone who you know won’t leave, or maybe it’s because you’re both damned together so it doesn’t hurt as bad, but it still sucks.” He grimaced, shaking off the pain as if it were never there.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. Over the time since my dad died, I’ve been drowning. But as long as I kept moving, I knew everything would be okay. I wouldn’t break as long as I kept going.

I couldn’t imagine everyone you know leaving you and being forced to continue alone. It made me want to be sure I cherished my visit with Sam tomorrow. She was really all I had left other than Brielle, but since my dad died, I distanced myself.

They’ve only talked to me on the phone about leads, or to ask me how I was doing to which I gave them vague answers to get off the phone.

I missed them, and I made a mental note to be better about keeping them closer. Though I wouldn’t let anything get in the way of my revenge, I hoped they would understand when the time came, or would it be too late for me?

Something about Thorne seemed to soften all my sharp edges, and it was comforting but also terrifying.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Get some more rest; you need it,” he said, walking out of the bedroom.

The door clicked closed behind him.

I tossed and turned for what felt like hours, unable to fully rest no matter how hard I tried. I was in between sleep and consciousness when my nightmares began blending with the present.

Suddenly, they were here, the Vampires, the ones from that night, their empty eyes and razor-sharp fangs ripping my father limb from limb as I watched bleeding and broken a few yards away.

I tried to scream, but it never came. Tried to stop them, but I couldn’t move. So lost and stunned by pain and blood loss.

I jerked up from the bed, sweat coating my forehead and back. I moved my head around the space quickly and couldn’t calm down even though I knew the room was empty. Rain pattered loudly against the windowpane. Thunder and lightning cracked across the sky outside.

I could see their faces, their shadows from the lightning outside my window. The Vampires from that night, their eyes wild. I tried to take steadying breaths, but my heartrate wouldn’t slow.

It’s a nightmare. It’s not real.

I wanted to feel safe. I needed to feel safe.

I glanced over at the dresser and decided I’d move it in front of the door. In the dark, it looked like the Vampires were standing just outside. The monsters were waiting to strike, no matter how many times I told myself they weren't. Were they? My tired mind was playing tricks.

I moved to the dresser quickly in my sleepy daze and put my back against it, pushing as hard as I could. I could tell the dresser was old and built well because it took all the strength I had to move it. Its legs scraped against the wooden floor as it slowly shifted in front of the door.

My breathing labored, I leaned against the wall next to the door and slid down until my ass hit the wooden slats. The door rattled from someone trying to open it from the other side.

“Serina?” Bastian called, and I could hear the shuffle of more than just his footsteps on the other side of the wall. “Serina, open the door.”

“I can’t,” I whimpered.

Shit , I heard one of them curse under their breath.

“Serina, is someone in there?” Thorne asked, and the door rattled against the dresser again until it began scraping against the wood away from the door.

I pushed myself further into the wall as the window opened and the sound of pouring rain filled the room. Nox was in front of me a moment later, drenched from the rain. He held his hands up, a pained expression taking over his features.

Why hadn’t they just pushed the door open?

I was sure they could with their strength.

“Serina,” he murmured, and I shook my head. Tears began burning behind my eyes.

I refused to let them fall. I would not break. Not here. Not yet.

Bastian and Thorne shoved through the door. Nox moved to sit next to me, leaving a small gap of space between our thighs. Thorne sat on the other side, doing the same and Bastian kneeled in front of me.

“Nightmares?” Thorne asked quietly from my right.

I nodded, and everyone fell quiet. Sitting next to me like silent anchors until the storm passed. Not the physical one, but the emotional one.

Rain continued to pour outside, and I could hear some of the rain making it in through the open window as it rapped gently against the wood.

I’d always loved the rain, and I’d want to go outside if I wasn’t so damn tired. It was as if the nightmare itself wore me out all over again. I concentrated on the weather, letting the air that crept through the window cool my hot skin and racing thoughts.

“Better?” Bastian asked after a few moments.

“Yeah, how did you know?” I murmured, feeling my mind and body calm.

“I can hear your heartbeat. It’s no longer beating like a war drum,” he said, and I began trying to push off the floor to get back to my feet.

Nox and Thorne both gripped onto my elbows on either side and helped me back to the bed.

I frowned. “Sorry for waking you. I’ll be out of here tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?” Bastian asked.

“I’ll be going back to the motel tomorrow. I said I would work with you, but I never agreed to stay here.”

“It’s safer here,” Bastian argued.

“Yeah, because being in a home with Vampires is any safer than the motel,” I snapped back, pulling my arms free from their hold as I made the last few steps to the bed alone.

I didn’t need their comfort… No, I did need comfort, but I didn’t want it from them.

I shouldn’t even feel comfortable enough to be around them as long as I have been. They were monsters, regardless of the life they lived behind closed doors. I needed to remember that.

This wasn’t a friendship; it was a temporary partnership of four people wanting the same things.

Bastian sighed, and it almost sounded like a growl as he shook his head and turned to leave as if he couldn’t stand to be in the room with me a moment longer. The dresser moved easily back into its spot with one quick shove from his palm before he stalked out without looking back in my direction.

Thorne and Nox followed, none of them having anything more to say.

Good. My walls needed to stay up. Especially around them.