Chapter 12 #3
Atticus stiffens before he turns around to face Niles and Lou. “It has been a while, hasn’t it? Yorick, how about a word alone?”
“I’m good, thank you,” I say.
He looks irate, which seems to annoy Morpheus. “Atticus, please. Don’t start something.”
“I’m not leaving without Yorick.”
“Then you are free to stay,” Morpheus says as he takes my wrist and pulls me past him.
My eyes betray me by drifting over to Atticus, who is wearing such an icy expression. I drop my eyes and let Morpheus pull me away.
Atticus follows us back to the room we’d been sitting in before. He doesn’t sit, though. He stands near the door and leans against the wall. Whenever I look over at him, he’s coldly staring at me. Is he that pissed I haven’t stabbed Morpheus yet? But… if I do…
Why the fuck am I in the middle of this?
“You with us, Yorick?” Morpheus asks as he brushes my cheek.
“What was that?”
Lou gives me a smile. “I said I’d love to invite you to my club. We’re actually in the area just to check on it. I run a few specialized clubs all around the country that create a place for vampires and humans to mingle. And they’re splendid places to get a bite.”
“Yeah, I’d love to.”
“How about we go tomorrow?”
“Sure,” I say. “I’m kind of feeling off. I think I might go lie down.”
“Of course,” Morpheus agrees, gently touching my face. “Your color is a little off. I’m sorry the doctor didn’t help. Draining you likely made you tired.”
“Yeah,” I say as I stand up and head for the hallway.
If Atticus really wants to speak to me, this will give him a perfect chance to do so while I’m alone.
Then I’ll tell him that I’m not sure if I can stab Morpheus.
He can hate me all he wants and glower at me all he wants, but I’m just… not someone who can do this.
I go to the room Morpheus had me use earlier and sit on the edge of the bed while I wait for Atticus.
I would have thought he’d immediately follow me, but when the minutes shift to an hour, I begin to question if he’s even going to come at all.
The pain deep inside of me starts to build as I realize how much I’d wanted him to show up, and the happiness that I’d felt when I saw him walk in shatters.
Did he really just come here to finish off Morpheus?
Did he realize that I was too weak to do it and decide that I had little other purpose? Why can’t he look at me for me?
I lie down and stare at the ceiling while I wonder what to do. Why did I even worry about him if he wasn’t even going to show up?
There’s a knock on the door and I eagerly pop up, chest tight, but it only takes a second to sense that the man behind the door isn’t the one I want. “Come in.”
The door swings open and Morpheus peeks in. “Atticus isn’t here?”
“What? No.”
“He left after you did, so I assumed he followed you. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah. Where did Atticus go, then? Is he still here?” I ask. Why the fuck is this making me feel worse?
Morpheus cocks his head and is quiet for a few seconds.
“I don’t sense him or hear him. I’m not quite sure.
” He walks up to where I’m sitting on the edge of the bed and puts his hands on my knees before pushing them apart so he can move in closer.
I look up at him as he leans down and gives me a soft kiss on the mouth before his lips travel over to my ear.
“Stop thinking about him so much. How about you think about me?”
I chuckle. “I assure you, I’m not thinking about him.” It’s such a lie; my mind is wrapped around Atticus.
He tips my chin up. “Are you not?”
After a brief pause, I shake my head. “My head is clear. But the real question is… will you buy me everything he buys me? Because he buys me a lot… mostly unknowingly.”
That makes Morpheus laugh. “Do you want this house?”
Now I’m the one laughing. “Yeah, sure, give me your mansion.”
“It’s not a joke. I will have Danny put it in your name at dawn. All for you.”
I hesitate as I realize he’s serious. “But if you don’t reside here, I would just wander this huge place alone,” I say with a strained smile.
“That’s true. Do you want to come with me?”
That would mean leaving behind Julian and Atticus and the rest. But instead of saying that, I tell him, “I don’t know what I want.”
“You’re too pretty to have to think this hard,” he says indulgently as he gives me another kiss. I kiss him back, not because I want to but because something inside of me seeks that affection—the affection I realize I’ve always wanted Atticus to give me, but he never has.
Morpheus pulls back and appears to be listening, but I can’t hear anything. “Fuck… I might strangle my brother. You won’t tell, right?” he teases.
My mind drifts to the poisoned knife I have hidden in the room. “Of course not. I’m good with secrets; you should already know that.”
He laughs and heads out a second before I hear Niles calling for him. I could go out there, but I curl up on the bed and grab the remote for the large TV instead. Atticus didn’t seriously leave without speaking to me, did he?
Fuck. Why am I still so focused on him?