Chapter 12
Twelve
Marcus slid his hands into his pockets as he stood over Bel’s sleeping form.
The long cuts on his face had healed completely in his sleep, restoring his natural beauty.
While Rafe and Beltran weren’t identical twins, their looks were very similar.
But where Rafe had a devilish and wicked cant to his features, Bel’s face held a sweetness to it.
As if they were the good angel and wicked devil that stood on a person’s shoulders.
For a moment, Marcus debated pulling aside Bel’s blanket so he could peel away the bandages over his heart.
In the end, he decided against it. His healed face was proof enough that he was on the mend.
Bel needed his sleep. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t wake until sunset.
Then he’d be able to hunt again to regain his strength, and possibly talk about their mother.
It was not a conversation he was looking forward to.
The attack on Bel was the worst any of them had suffered in a few decades.
Marcus had started to entertain the silly notion that maybe their mother was evening out a little, that her episodes were growing less violent, or they’d gotten better at managing her.
But he’d been wrong.
Marcus had no doubt that Bel could handle Julianna. He’d been handling her well enough for nearly two hundred years. The problem was that they never wanted to hurt her, while she showed no restraint in trying to harm them.
Swallowing a sigh, Marcus silently left the music room and shut the door behind him.
He paused in the hallway, straining to hear every sound in the house.
He’d slept until nearly four in the afternoon.
The worries over Meryl’s threats, the coming move, the antics of the Ministry, and then his mother’s episode had left him drained.
The worst was that he could feel something building.
The Variks were careful to stay out of vampire politics, but that came at a price.
They remained largely ignorant of the newest movements and factions that could threaten them.
Meryl’s threats against Julianna and Rafe were just the tip of the iceberg.
She wasn’t the normal type to stir up trouble.
In fact, Meryl was a dedicated member of The Hidden faction.
They believed that vampires should have no human interaction beyond feeding.
Vampires should only associate with other vampires.
His brother Winter subscribed to their beliefs and was generally displeased with Rafe’s lifestyle, but he’d never go so far as to threaten the life of his own brother.
Marcus was seen as more of a moderate among their people. He thought limited interaction was healthy and necessary to keep a vampire current with the changing world and technology. Otherwise, it was too damn easy to fall into a stagnant frame of thought, and that way led to madness.
He needed to talk to Aiden. His sire was much better at keeping up with what was happening among their people.
A soft thump from farther down the hall had him looking in that direction. He waited and then smiled to hear Ethan’s soft singing. Before he reached out to Aiden, he needed to talk to Ethan.
Another conversation he wasn’t necessarily looking forward to.
Things last night had gone too far. He’d kissed a man.
Hell, he’d nearly devoured Ethan and still wanted more.
The kiss had been amazing, better than he could have ever imagined it would be.
And to feel Ethan’s hard cock against his own, to know that he’d affected the man in such a way was an intoxicating experience.
He wanted to wrap himself in all of Ethan’s little moans and whimpers, to drag one after another out of him until he wove them all together into a symphony of Ethan’s pleasure.
But the sun was up, and they had to face what happened, right? They couldn’t do that again. He was Ethan’s boss. Last night had been about feeling something other than pain. Forgetting for a short time that his mother had tried to kill his brother.
He was also a vampire, and with that existence came danger. Marcus refused to put Ethan’s life in more danger than he already had.
Their time together was almost over. The move was happening in just a few short weeks. Then Ethan would be around for another month to help unpack everything at his new place. Afterward, they would go their separate ways, never seeing each other again.
Yes, that made the most amount of sense. It didn’t matter if his loneliness yawned at him like a massive gaping void threatening to swallow him whole. It didn’t matter if Ethan had been the first bright spot in his entire existence. They had no future.
Ignoring the ache in his chest, Marcus trudged down the hall to find Ethan finishing up what had been a spare bedroom. Boxes were stacked neatly against one wall. The rugs were rolled up. The pictures had been taken down and carefully covered.
As he finished labeling the box he was working on, Ethan looked up and gave a little start before smiling at Marcus. Just that simple expression of joy sped up Marcus’s heart. How was he supposed to return to a life that smile was not a part of?
Marcus started to say something when a loud caw split the room. Ethan winced and they both looked over at the raven perched on one of the stacks of boxes, his long talons scratching on the cardboard.
“Ozzie! How did you get in?” Marcus said. He lifted his hand and the raven spread its wings, launching itself off the box. He glided easily across the room and landed on Marcus’s hand, talons digging into his flesh to steady himself.
“Thank God,” Ethan breathed as he pulled his earbuds out and stuffed them into his pockets. “I let him in through the window. I heard him pecking and banging against it. I hoped it was Ozzie and not some random bird I was allowing into the house.”
Marcus smiled, stroking his index finger across the head and down the back of his neck along his sleek feathers. The bird lifted his beak, pushing his head against Marcus’s touch. “This is Ozzie. I have a feeling he was looking for Bel.”
“Does your brother have any other pets?”
Marcus stopped rubbing Ozzie’s head and looked at Ethan. “Why?”
“Because I stopped two blue jays and three cats hanging out by the kitchen door, acting like they were expecting to be let in.”
No, they weren’t Bel’s, but they were. Where Rafe had his gift of “charm” as he called it, Bel could speak to animals.
He didn’t keep pets, but animals had a way of flowing in and out of his life.
They’d stop by, spend a little time with him, and eventually move on.
Ozzie was one of the few that had stuck around.
But Marcus also knew that Bel used Ozzie as a way of keeping an eye on his older brother. Ozzie would fly to Marcus’s house, hang out for a night or two, and then fly to Bel. Marcus always knew he’d be back, just never knew exactly when.
“No, those must be strays looking for handouts,” Marcus murmured. But he hated saying it. He wanted to tell Ethan the truth. He wanted to tell Ethan about Bel’s amazing gift. Wanted to tell him everything, but that just wasn’t an option. “Have you been here long?”
Ethan shook his head. “Couple of hours. Just finishing up this room. Also called the piano movers again. Told them you’ve actually got three pianos in the house, not just one.” He paused and lifted one eyebrow at Marcus. “You don’t have any more hidden around here, do you?”
“No. Just the three.”
Ethan chuckled. “Yes, only three pianos.”
“I wanted to thank you for your help last night, as an employee and as a friend. You helped to save my brother’s life and we will always be grateful to you for that.”
“You’re welcome. Did you see Bel? Is he better?”
Marcus nodded. “He’s still sleeping, but he’s healing well.”
Ethan’s expression turned grim. “Do you know who attacked him?”
“Yes.”
Ethan’s frown deepened and Marcus knew he was waiting for him to continue, but this was a difficult thing for him to discuss.
“Would you mind letting Ozzie outside? I’ll step into the hallway,” he said, then turned his attention to the raven.
He stroked him a couple of times more, staring into the all-too-perceptive black eyes.
“Go home. He’ll be there tonight to see you.
” The bird cocked his head to the side and cawed at him once before flying to the box he’d been perched on.
Marcus didn’t question whether the bird understood him.
Maybe he really was that smart. Or maybe it was Bel’s influence. Either way, he was ready to go.
Marcus stepped into the safety of the hallway.
He could hear Ethan shoving aside the heavy curtains and opening up the old window.
There were no screens on the upper floors because of Ozzie.
It just made it easier for him to come and go.
A flapping of wings filled the room for a moment and then a distant cry as the bird hit the air.
“It’s safe,” Ethan called out when the curtains were closed again, putting the room back into darkness.
Marcus entered the room and found his heart skipping a beat when he realized that he’d walked in without checking first. He trusted Ethan, trusted him to keep him safe. It was a feeling he’d not had with someone for a long time.
“Marcus, I know you’ve probably got plenty of people who can help you, but if your family is in trouble or if you need some help, I’m there for you. As a friend,” he quickly added at the end.
Marcus sighed, the warm feeling giving way to the weight of old worries.
He paced the room, walking toward the windows, but he didn’t reach out to shove aside the curtains like he wanted.
The sun was still up and would be for another few hours.
He was trapped inside with Ethan and the nagging fears in his brain.
“It’s…complicated, Ethan,” he softly said. “I appreciate your concern and your offer, but there isn’t anything you can do.”