Page 30 of Surface Scratch
“I thought you two weren’t related?”
She lurched forward out of the chair, grunting as she rose to her feet. She looked deathly pale and unsteady. “We’re not, but he’s been raising me since he killed my parents eight years ago, so to him we may as well be related,” she said. She trudged over to the door and opened it. “I meant what I said before.”
Caleb swallowed, reeling from how casually she’d dropped the information that Marcus killed her parents. “What?”
“I do like you. As a person. You’re the least irritating person I’ve met in a long time,” she said as she stepped into the hallway. She began to pull the door shut behind her and paused to glance back at him. “Marcus really likes you too. Like, more than he should. Try to keep that in mind when you see him.”
With that, she pulled the door shut, leaving Caleb alone in Marcus’s room, still chained to the bed.
* * *
Caleb grimaced, the cuff cutting into his wrist as he pulled hard against it, his other arm reaching for Ophelia’s phone where it sat on the ground beside the abandoned folding chair. He knew even before he climbed down from the large bed that he couldn’t reach it, but it seemed like it was worth a try.
He had never been one for scary stories growing up, that was more of Nick’s deal. His mom always said that he was too sensitive, and there was no point in filling his head with scary things like that when there were real things in the world to worry about. He sighed and returned to the bed, rubbing his captive wrist.
He looked up as the door opened and Marcus stepped inside. Caleb pulled his feet onto the bed and shrank back against the headboard, his knees pressed to his chest. His heart pounded, a mixture of excitement and terror setting his teeth on edge. He wasn’t sure if he should be happy to see Marcus up and about after having three near-fatal wounds, or terrified because the only reason he was still up and about was because he’d used Caleb as his personal blood bag.
But as Marcus neared the bed, some of the terror melted away. His face looked brighter than it had the first day they met, but his eyes were wide and filled with concern, and his usually smooth-faced appearance was marred by what looked like at least a day’s worth of beard growth.
Damn, how long was I out?
Marcus sat down on the far corner of the bed, as if he was intentionally keeping his distance, and folded his hands in his lap. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
Caleb relaxed a little. “I-I’m okay, I think,” he said. His hand drifted to the bite mark on his neck. “Sore, but okay.”
“Did Ophelia tell you…?”
“Yes.” Caleb gulped. He wanted Marcus to tell him it was an elaborate prank, or that Ophelia was fucking with him. But that would mean they’d just attacked him for no reason. Then again, the reason was disturbing enough to begin with.
Marcus’s body slumped. “I wanted to be the one to tell you.” He wrung his hands together. “If I’d known you were going to find out this soon, I would have done more.”
Caleb stayed still, his knees still tucked to his chest as he searched his mind for something, anything really, to say as he watched Marcus’s movements warily. He still wasn’t sure if he believed it, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. How else could he be fine after getting hit with crossbow bolts that many times?
“What do you mean?” Caleb asked.
Marcus scrubbed his hands over his face. “I could’ve taken care of all of them before that bastard got a single shot off, but I didn’t because I didn’t realize they were hunters right away.” He shook his head and stared down at his hands as he continued to wring them. “And I didn’t want to tell you yet. I… wanted more time for you to get to know my human side before dropping that bomb in your lap.”
Caleb flinched as Marcus balled his fists at his sides. He wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t worried about Marcus striking him. Marcus’s eyes widened, a look of despair taking over his face that made Caleb’s chest ache.
“I’m sorry,” Marcus said softly. “For all of this. I didn’t want—I don’t want to hurt you. It won’t happen again. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
This guy tried to eat you. Why do you feel bad because he looks sad?He wanted to feel angry about the whole thing, but he couldn’t find it in himself. Maybe he was still tired from the blood loss. Or maybe he just didn’t want to be lonely anymore. A part of him felt like it would be a logical place to end up—being terrified of Marcus—but as the seconds ticked by, he felt himself growing more comfortable, more relaxed, like being around Marcus was soothing the lingering fear.
“I’m just… I’m so confused. I don’t know what to think.”
“Ask me anything you want to know, I’ll answer,” Marcus said. He stood up and walked over to the nightstand on the opposite side of the bed. “But first, let me fix that.” He grabbed something out of the drawer. “I told Ophelia not to do that, but she never listens to me.”
He walked back to the spot he had sat on the bed, fiddling with something small in his hands, looking almost boyish in his apprehension. “Is it okay if I come closer to unlock you?”
Caleb nodded, holding out his wrist. Marcus stepped closer slowly, the same way one would approach an injured animal. He quickly unlocked the cuff, letting it clatter to the ground and taking a step back. Caleb grabbed Marcus’s wrist. A strange feeling washed over him, like a warm heaviness that spread up his arm and throughout the rest of his body, melting away the tension that had kept him curled up against the headboard.
Maybe he’d been right in his initial assumption and he was losing his mind, but he didn’t want Marcus to look at him like that. “You can stay close,” he said, his voice sounding unsure to himself.
Marcus gently pulled his wrist away and took a few steps back before he sat down on the edge of the bed. “You know what I am. You’re not scared?” he asked, wringing his hands again.
“I don’t know. I guess I just need an explanation? Or a how? I don’t know,” Caleb admitted as he studied Marcus’s face. His teeth and eyes looked normal.
“I didn’t want to feed on you, but in that state, I couldn’t control it,” Marcus said. “There aren’t many ways we can die, but bleeding to death is one of them. Sunlight, fire, and beheading will do it too. It’s not an excuse. I promised I would keep you safe, and I’ve done the exact opposite.”
