21. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
Benji
“ B enji! Baby!” Maya screamed down the phone. “What the fuck are you doing talking to me, when you should be getting waited on by those sexy sailors?”
I laughed at her. God, it was so good to hear her voice. She was clearly having a good time somewhere. Her voice had that high-pitched, alcohol laced brightness to it and there was some thumping bass coming from whatever building she was in.
“I miss you!”
“Whyyyy?” she whined and I could just imagine her face scrunching up in disapproval. “You should be too busy to be missing me! I’ve seen those pics, you look happy.”
“I am,” I replied, and it surprised me that it wasn’t a lie.
“Ooh, you’ve met someone, haven’t you?” She sounded giddy as she moved somewhere with less music coming down the line. “Tell me!”
Where did I even start? I couldn’t exactly tell her that he was the head of a notorious crime family, that he’d kidnapped me and I was unfortunately involved in some plot to ruin his life. “He’s… nice.”
“Benjamin Barrett,” she huffed. “You did not just use the word ‘nice’. What does he look like?”
“Fine, he’s gorgeous.”
“I knew it! Tell me more.”
“He’s a bit taller than me, black hair and just about the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. Lots of tattoos.”
“Oooh, sounds like he’s a bit of a bad boy.”
Pfft, and didn’t I know it. “He was a bit standoffish at first, but he warmed up eventually.”
“Good. Just let loose and enjoy yourself. I’ll be here when you’re ready to come back.”
“Thanks,” I said softly as Maurice clambered up onto my lap, stretching his back as I stroked through his fur. I hadn’t seen him for a little while and I wondered where he’d been disappearing off to.
“Where’s he from?”
I didn’t think there was anything untoward answering that. “Misthaven.”
“Get the fuck out of here! What are the odds of meeting someone from the same city on a cruise around Aruba?”
Aruba? Was that where I was supposed to be? Fucking hell, Acheron. Could have picked somewhere a little more believable. How was I supposed to afford that on a medical resident’s wage? “I know, right? What are the odds?”
“Slim to none, babe,” she said with a laugh. It was probably a good thing that she was a little bit buzzed from the alcohol. Sober Maya was as sharp as one of Byron’s knives. “Ooh, wanna know a secret?”
“Always.”
“Dr Kingsly is gonna be fired,” she stage whispered.
“Really?” I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice. I thought Dr Kingsly would have to be wheeled off the premises in a coffin before leaving on his own two feet.
“Really. The medical staff haven’t been doing what he wants so he’s started getting angry at everyone, including the Board. Guess he ran out of free rides.”
“I guess he did,” I murmured.
“But, enough of talking about that twat, tell me more about this new guy you have in your life.”
“Have you ever just felt an instant connection with someone? That perhaps you didn’t fully understand, but felt it anyway?”
She let out a musical little laugh. “No. Are you high, Benji?”
Could you be high on just being around someone else? If so, then yes, I was definitely high on Damyr.
“Maybe,” I conceded. “He just speaks to a part of me that I didn’t know existed.”
“That sounds good, Benji. I’m glad. Just be safe. Now fuck off and enjoy Aruba, baby!”
“Yes, ma’am,” I giggled, unsettling Maurice. He looked at me with a narrowed eyes and I tickled his chin by way of apology.
“Love you, Benji baby.”
“Love you too, Maya.”
She blew me a kiss down the phone and then she was gone. No doubt back to having a good time wherever she was. I had expected that to bother me. That she could go out and have fun whereas I was imprisoned here in this gilded cage. But it didn’t. I realised that, for all my demanding to go home when I first got here, the fear and panic had settled the stronger this connection with Damyr had become.
But what did that actually mean? Damyr had mentioned eternity, but I couldn’t even comprehend what that would even look like. I was human, I didn’t get eternity. How was this even supposed to work between us? What would happen when I got older, and Damyr stayed the same? It terrified me to think that I was rushing into this, that I was jumping headfirst into whatever this was between us, but when life was so short, what was the point in waiting?
I had always made good, solid choices. I studied hard, worked hard, and when I got the chance, I partied hard. I just didn’t party that much. With my work at the hospital, I didn’t have time to do much of anything other than sleep. And it was usually Maya dragging my ass out so that I could let loose once in a while. But Damyr… he made me want to tell the world to get fucked. That I was jumping off the cliff and into the unknown, hoping that I didn’t crash and burn when I reached the bottom.
The door opened and Vlad walked into the room. Maurice immediately got to his feet, stretched and padded over to the giant vampire.
“So, you’re where my cat’s been sneaking off too,” I said as Maurice weaved between Vlad’s legs, begging for attention.
“I don’t know why,” he grumbled. “I hate cats.”
He leant down to stroke Maurice between his ears, getting my cat to purr in seconds as he hit his sweet spot.
“Sure you do,” I said with a chuckle. It was amusing to watch the giant teddy bear of a man pay attention to my fluff ball of a cat. Especially since the guy had a scowl on his face as he did it.
He huffed a breath and walked further into the room, Maurice hot on his heels.
“Any news?” I asked as Vlad sat down opposite me.
“Not yet.” Maurice jumped up and settled on his lap, much to his chagrin. He muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ‘goddamn furball’.
“Is it always like this? The waiting?”
“It can be,” Vlad replied.
I was a little on edge with how I felt about that. Damyr was off doing God knows what, while I sat at home patiently waiting, trying not to twiddle my thumbs and worry myself into an ulcer. What if he came back with a hole in his stomach again? What if this time, he didn’t come back at all. What then?
I ran my hand through my hair, tugging the strands a little to ground my thoughts and stop them from spiralling.
“Can I ask you something? If it’s too personal, don’t worry, I—”
“Benji,” Vlad cut in with a raised brow and a warm smile. “Ask me anything. If I don’t like the question, I will tell you.”
Right. Okay. “Um, how do you become a vampire?”
Vlad froze for a moment, his hand hovering above Maurice. “Why do you want to know?”
“Just curious, I guess.” I shrugged one shoulder, trying to play it cool while inside I was dying to know.
“I can’t answer that for you, Benji. You need to speak to Damyr.”
“Oh.” I tried not to be disappointed, but I don’t think I quite managed it.
“What I will say, is you have options. You don’t have to turn into a vampire to remain in a relationship with one. And besides, you don’t have to make any decisions now. You’ve only just met the guy and found out that vampires exist.”
He was right. I knew that, I guess I just wanted all the answers straight away. “What about folklore and legends? Are they true?”
He chuckled. “Which ones?”
“A crucifix?”
“Nope. No effect.”
“Garlic?”
“Can’t cook without it.”
“Holy water?”
“I could bathe in it every day if I wanted to.”
I leant forward and dropped my voice to a stage whisper. “Do you sparkle in the sun?”
“Fuck no,” he said with a deep laugh. “That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
“Thank God.” Wasn’t sure I was going to be able live with that one if it were true.
“The only way to kill a vampire is to cut off our head or shoot us in the heart with a silver bullet. That won’t kill us on its own, but it’ll give you a chance to get close enough to take off our head.”
“What about feeding?” I asked. “Why does it change with a mate?”
Vlad quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve experienced how intimate it is, would you want Damyr to feed from anyone else now?”
A surge of jealousy rushed though me at the thought of Damyr’s mouth touching anyone but me. It was probably completely unhealthy and a massive red flag, but fuck, I was possessive over that.
Vlad laughed at me. “I think you have your answer, but to be honest, mates are supposed to perfect for their other half in every way. Damyr will give you what you need just like you will give him what he needs.”
Doubt crept in. What could I give a man like Damyr? He was powerful, rich, had a strong social standing. He was dominant, self-confident and didn’t seem to want for anything. “What could he possibly want from me, Vlad?”
“Love,” he said simply, as if that was the answer to everything. Maybe it was. Only time would tell.