Page 63 of Bloody Temptations

“Uh, yeah, no. What’s this glass house then?” I ask, scrubbing at my face with the sleeve of my jumper. Nikki looks petrified for a moment, looking more like a little boy than I’ve ever seen him. It’s strange. He’s always been so cool and unaffected. What dirt does Maddy have on him?

“I have no idea. It was just general advice,” Maddy purrs, leaning towards Nikki, resting her chin on her hand. She’s looking at him like a predator preparing for the kill.

I can kinda see why beings are scared of us to be honest.

Nikki splutters—splutters! Heneversplutters. But he does now, until he pulls his arms and legs up protectively, glaring at us both.

“This is ridiculous. We’re not here forme. We’re here because Kai’s a dickhead who doesn’t know how to communicate in a relationship and his boyfriend almost got us banned from Hearts Gate.”

With that entirely hurtful, if accurate, analysis of the situation the attention diverts back to me. Usually I really enjoy that. But tonight? Tonight it sucks.

“What do I do, Maddy?” I whine, dramatically falling back into my maker. “I know what he said was fucked up, but Godsdammit, I just want to make him feel better. He was hurting so bad. I hate that he’s out there hurting somewhere. It’s killing me.”

Maddy gently strokes my arm while I whine, letting me get it all out. Then she pats me more firmly before finally shoving me off her. Kind of roughly too. And I’m forced to sit up under my own strength. I’m not quite ready for that yet though, so I pull up the hood on my jumper and slide down until I’m slumped down with my ass half off the cushion. I even pull the strings on the hood to close it up, just to really indulge in my self pity.

Maddy’s mug thunks on the coffee table. She claps once and moves next to me, pulling her knee up on the couch so she’s facing Nikki and me—and so I can’t move in for another hug.

“Nikolo, I get the distinct feeling you’re going to need the same lecture in the near to distant future, so listen up. I’m not repeating myself.” Timidly, I turn to peek at Maddy out the hole in my hoodie. The time for Comforting Maternal Maker is over. She’s in full Boss Mode now.

“Just because we vampires don’t have mates like we did in our former lives, doesn’t mean we don’t still form intense bonds. At our core, we are still beholden to the same magic as the rest of our being brethren. And, before you get ahead of yourself, I amnotsaying that you are destined to be with Finn for the rest of your days on this earth.” She looks down her nose at me for a full twenty seconds before she continues. “I am saying that the possibility of you two having some sort of instinctual or magical connection, akin to matehood, is not zero. Whichcouldexplain why you two have been so intensely drawn to each other.”

“But most importantly, Kai, more important than a mate or life partner forged by fate or magic or instincts or evenchoice, is communication. For the love of the Gods,talk to the boy. Openly. Honestly. He is not a bloody mind reader!”

There’s some more muttering about children and stressing her into an early grave, as well as some poorly disguised snickers from Nikki. I ignore him, because while Maddy might be cursing me to the ether for all eternity, at least she’s being helpful. I struggle to sit up, scooching my butt back on the couch.

“So you’re saying to talk to him?” I ask once I get the hood off my hair.

“YES!” The pair of them all but scream back at me.

“Preferably while everyone’s sober this time,” Maddy adds.

“Well, how am I going to do that when Nikki pinched my phone?” I throw my hands up in the air and slap them back on my thighs. Maddy groans again, but it turns into a laugh, which sets off Nikki. I can’t help it. I join in too. Even though I don’t feel happy at all. It’s just a release valve for the emotions inside me.

As the laughter dies down, the heaviness returns to my chest, and I rub the sore spot over my heart with my fist.

“What do I do if he doesn’t want to talk? What do I do if he meant those things? If he doesn’t want me anymore?”

Maddy rests her hand on my knee, giving it another comforting pat. I can barely stand to look at her. “Then we’ll be there. Just like we are today, and will be tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you’re kind of stuck with us, you dingus.” Nikki crash lands into us with a hug that is really more of a tackle. He aggressively kisses the side of my head, and I pretend to shove him off, but really, it’s nice. And I need it.

“Well, it seems like you’re no longer at risk of anything too disastrous. I will leave you two to figure out what you’re going to say to Finn. I’m sure between the pair of you you can rustle up enough brain cells to figure something out.”

Nikki sees Maddy out to the door, coming back with my phone. Which was just on charge in the kitchen. Whoops.

“Right. Let’s figure out what you’re going to say to him.” Nikki settles back in next to me. Taking a second to pull myself out of my pity party, I carefully take stock of him. Maddy’s warnings for him make me look at him in a different light.

He’s as handsome and as put together as ever, but thereissomething more… brittle about him. It’s hard to place exactly what itis, but I hadn’t noticed the tenseness around his eyes before this morning. Or the way his smile seems too tight. Forced even.

“Areyouokay?”

For half a second he freezes. If I wasn’t looking, I wouldn’t have seen it.

“Yeah, of course. Just keen to get you sorted so you’re not wallowing around here for weeks on end. You’re really quite pathetic when you’re sad.” I don’t believe him. Not in the least. He tilts his head back on the couch and lets it roll to the side, flashing me a cheesy smile.

It’s complete bullshit. But the thing is, he knows I know it’s bullshit. I can see it right there in his eyes. He’s pleading with me to drop it.

“Is that why you’re doing this, when you don’t even like Finn anyway?” I joke, bumping my shoulder into his.

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