Chapter 21 Peter
Peter
Livid did not even begin to describe Peter’s current state of mind.
No, Peter was ready to tear limbs off anyone who even dared look at Theo wrong, and he’d do it real slow too, maybe twist the joints around a bit first until the skin just gave with a wet snapping noise over the backdrop of plenty of screaming.
Last night, after he’d gotten Theo into a fully blissed-out configuration, he’d gone back outside, but unsurprisingly, Bernard had scampered off once more.
That slick glob of gutter slime scratched up more of my bricks. More work for Sage. Once I have dealt with that demon excrement of a man.
Seeing Theo have to deal with that particular flavor of vampire struck Peter as especially unjust. Theodore lacks the circumspect nature and experience of a man who can step back to examine the situation and look for the best possible way to fuck Bernard up in turn. I do not.
After enduring yet more snot and tears last night thanks to Bernard’s mind manipulation, Theo had fallen back to sleep in Peter’s arms, right where he belonged. When he woke, Peter had retreated downstairs to allow Theo some privacy to get ready for the day.
Looking around, he realized the kitchen had changed. The smells were no longer the same, no longer minimal. Food was prepared here now—more than just hot chocolate—and all in all, the room saw more use.
I could get used to it. No, I am getting used to it.
Peter opened his refrigerator and surveyed the contents.
Theodore, if given encouragement, followed a surprisingly healthy diet.
Peter knew he preferred Greek yogurt and berries for breakfast, so he took the tub of yogurt out and spooned some into a smaller bowl, arranged the raspberries and blackberries on the field of white, then took out the granola and other toppings Theo only used if the fancy struck him.
He arranged everything on the kitchen table, then he went about making coffee.
It didn’t take long until he heard Theo’s soft footfalls as he came down the stairs. He walked in with still damp hair, slightly pale after last night, but otherwise looking scrumptious.
“I took the liberty of preparing your breakfast, though I wasn’t sure about the granola.” Peter indicated the small spread.
Theo stood by the kitchen island and eyed the table set for one. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”
“If you fail to eat your breakfast, you might be.” Peter aimed for a light, jovial tone.
Theo narrowed his eyes further. Peter wished he were tearing off limbs right now.
“If you want me gone, just say so.”
Hmm, he attempts to lash out when he’s very upset. Poor thing. Like a kitten out of the nest. No, like a raven out of the nest? It doesn’t matter. I braved the snot, I can easily handle this.
“I want you here, Theodore. Indefinitely.”
Theo heard the words, Peter could tell, but his eyes remained mostly narrowed.
“I’m tainted. Bernard fed me his blood, you said that yourself.
You didn’t know that before last night, and since the day you met me, I’ve brought nothing but trouble to your doorstep.
And I’ve been…mean. I know what you said yesterday, and what I said, but that was during sex.
People say I love you during sex all the time.
You didn’t know about that blood connection then.
No hard feelings. Just tell me so I can get going. ”
“Theodore?”
Theo straightened, tensed. “Yes?”
“I want you here. I want you to feel at home. I want you to choose whether it’s a granola kind of morning or not.”
Theo’s head sagged forward as if he’d suffered a defeat. “Yeah, right.”
“Have you changed your mind, Theodore?”
Peter leaned back in his chair, hiding every last scrap of what he was feeling behind a veneer of nonchalance.
Theo sort of hunched in on himself, but just a little before he stopped and looked off to the side instead. “I can look after myself. I’m fine.”
“I know that, and I admire you for it. But you gave yourself to me, and I gave myself to you. Do you wish to go back on that?”
Theo’s body language was enough of an answer: a slight tremble in his jaw, a hand reaching out to grab the counter with white-knuckled force, eyes that couldn’t meet Peter’s.
“I didn’t say that.” It was barely a whisper.
“So don’t. And while you’re at it, get past the idea entirely so we can discuss the issue at hand.”
“Which is?”
Peter gestured for Theo to sit. “While you eat.”
Theo’s stomach rumbled on cue, and he finally sat down. He surveyed the yogurt and berries, finding them to his satisfaction. He heaped two tablespoons of granola on top, then mixed everything up, one eye still on Peter.
Peter crossed and recrossed his legs before he spoke.
“I thought we could take a walk through the park a little after sunset, find a quiet spot for some alone time, and wait for Bernard to show himself. I’d not let him near you, of course, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be quick enough to rip out his voice box before he manages to speak. ”
“Say what?” Theo’s eyebrows crept up toward his hairline. “That is your plan?”
Peter shrugged. “I find that, where a simple solution will do, a complicated approach will only lead to frustration.”
“Wow. You get that from a fortune cookie?”
Peter slurped some coffee and gave Theo a wide grin.
“Oh, fine, Confucius, but in that…in that dream last night, Bernard said he wanted me to come back to him, and I told you already I was okay with playing bait. I mean, I was about to storm out of here last night. You could just lift your compulsion, and—”
“Absolutely not. Theodore, dearest, you have seen enough horror movies to know that running off on your lonesome never leads to the desired outcome. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to do this right, just like that plucky vampire hunter girl from the television show in the ’90s.”
Theo snorted. “Wow. You really are old.”
Peter raised a brow. “Begging your pardon?”
“Nothing. You’re suggesting running off for some sexy times. That’ll also get you killed in the movies.”
Peter’s grin widened. “Theo, my darling ingenue, don’t forget that I’m the monster here. It makes you…oh. I think it makes you a monsterfucker, Theodore.”
“Holy shit, Batman. I’ve seen monsters, and you’re not one. Why won’t you ask the witch for help?”
“Monster-hood is a matter of perspective. I’m Bernard’s monster even if he doesn’t know it yet.
We don’t need Sage for this, trust me. For one thing, Sage owns no appropriate footwear for an outdoor excursion, for another, he took a long time learning stranger danger, and for a third, he’d bring the pup.
And bringing the pup would only complicate matters, since someone would have to look after him.
While also looking after Sage, who only owns flip-flops. It’s why I don’t have pets, you see.”
Theo’s expression was a storm of emotion. Peter found himself wanting to hug him close, but he wasn’t sure it would be appreciated, wasn’t sure whether it would lead to fury or fear.
“Okay, fine. I trust you. We take a fucking walk in the park and hope Bernard’ll show his face. If he does, you kick his ass. Then what?”
Peter cleared his throat and leaned forward. “About that last part. When you say ass kicking, understand I have planned something more along the lines of… Let’s call it convening with worms.”
“Huh?”
“Underground. I shall make him convene with worms underground.”
Theo’s jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. “You want to go and murder Bernard? Assuming you can?”
Peter still wanted his twenty to fifty minutes of gratuitous torture, but apparently vampires begging to be in a relationship could not be choosy assassins. Too bad.
“Yes. Yes, I shall end him. Quickly?” Peter made the last word a question, just in case Theodore saw some flexibility there.
“But…you can’t just… What if…”
Peter barely stopped himself from pouting. Fine. No torture for me this time. The cruelties that befall the soon-to-be handfasted!
“I can be discreet about murdering him. It’ll be fine. You have nothing to worry about.”
“And…and the body? No, wait, fuck. What am I even saying? I can’t be plotting a murder.” Theo ran his hands through his hair and pulled on the strands. “Don’t tell me about the body.”
He looks adorable planning murder, I must say. “Quite right. No planning murder for you. You’re just bait. I will handle the rest of it.”
Theo looked up, hope lapping at those sparkling jade green eyes. “He’d be gone.”
“He will be gone.”
“That blood he gave me, will that…I don’t know. Will I feel him die?” Theo’s eyes went wide. “He can’t mind-control me, can he?”
“His blood will do nothing. It will have been wearing off already since the day you ran from him. I honestly think he got lucky last night. I won’t give him a chance to compel you ever again.”
Theo nodded. He looked into the middle distance, his thoughts going where Peter couldn’t follow.
“Theodore?”
Theo turned. Hope made them brighter, and Peter loved that. “Hmm?”
“You’re not tainted. You never were.”
Theo looked at his empty yogurt bowl and scraped around the sides of it with his spoon.
“You don’t know all the things… You don’t know.
When I woke up that day and decided to hightail it…
I was so drowsy with blood loss a lot of the time that I might’ve missed what was happening around me.
To me.” Theo hit the spoon against the bottom of the bowl before dropping it and letting it clatter against the glass. “You have a right to know.”
Peter could see the waterworks threatening to start again, and if Lady Justice truly existed to bring fairness and a sword into the world, Peter wouldn’t be subjected to comforting Theo again.
If Justice had her way, he’d never have cried in the first place.
“Stop this,” Peter said.
He scooted closer to Theo, close enough that their knees would touch if Theo moved his.
“Peter…”
“You owe me nothing. I have no right to demand you tell me anything. In fact, no one has that right, and don’t you forget that.” Peter watched a salty tear splash into the yogurt bowl. Oh dear. “That being said, I can be a very good listener.”
That was stretching the truth, really. Peter’s reasoning for completely dismissing psychology as a career choice even after that chain smoking Austrian made it so popular was that he despised having people dump their woes at his feet when there were usually such obvious solutions to fixing things, but Peter would bend and break his own principles for Theodore.
He would listen. Through snot and tears. For hours. Thor have mercy on me.
“I…” Theo began before his voice broke and he shook his head and fell silent again.
“If you prefer seeing a therapist, I’ll find you someone who can handle the supernatural aspects. Whatever you need, whenever you’re ready for it.”
Idly, Peter wondered whether he should find a therapist too, just to help him manage all the waterworks he was going to have to help Theo through.
“I don’t think I deserve you.” Theo spoke too quietly for anyone but a vampire to hear.
“It’s true, earning my fortune cookie wisdom is a singular achievement, but I think you did all right.”
Theo completely ignored that, but at least he looked up from that empty yogurt bowl.
“Will you take me upstairs? Fuck me hard until I forget everything for a little while?”
Peter happened to think that was an excellent idea, not least because it would hopefully end with Theo being able to nap before their exploits in the park.
“Since you ask so sweetly, my precious one.”
Peter got to his feet and held out a hand for Theo to take, and they wove their fingers together as they walked back up the stairs.
The desire for violence that had plagued Peter all through the night ebbed.
If this was truly love, then Peter understood why stronger men and women than himself feared it.
But I have been taken by this adversary, and so I must submit and accept defeat. This is the way.