Page 55 of Sunshine and the Vamp

I hated it. It made my blood boil the way my Benjamin was touching Byron and, judging by the way Byron was grinning at me like a maniac, he knew just how much it was affecting me. It was annoying that Byron was so good at his job, otherwise I’d cut his smug little face off.

“Benjamin,” I said, my voice hoarse. How long had I been out?

He paused for a moment, but he didn’t look at me. His jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth. Fuck, he was mad. Even worse, heknew.

Benjamin knew everything. He must, because I was here. Alive. Breathing.Saved.

“I’ll go,” Byron said wisely as he started to get up.

Benjamin placed his hand on Byron’s chest – his naked chest – and pushed him back against the other sofa. “No. You will lie there until I’ve finished working.”

Pissed Benjamin had my blood pumping in my veins. I gingerly sat up. I was still feeling like I’d been blown apart, which was almost accurate. As soon as I’d arrived at the warehouse, it had exploded again, almost like someone was watching and waiting for me to arrive. Then we’d had to fight our way back out. Whoever had had hired those goons though, needed to hire better. They were shit. They’d only managed to put a bullet in my shoulder because I’d just stepped away from an exploding building. They hadn’t even used silver bullets which meant either they didn’t know about vamps, or they were expendable.

The tension in the room was thick. I could almost feel every harsh, sharp breath leaving Benjamin’s body as he set more sutures into Byron’s wound.

“Benjamin?” I said softly. No answer. “Benja—”

“What?” he snapped, as he spun to face me, eyes blazing fire. “What, Damyr? Are you going to tell me the truth? Or are you going to carry on keeping me in the dark?”

“I’ll tell you the truth, and I’ll answer any question you have.” I might not want to, but we were beyond controlling my wants now. Whether he liked it or not, Benjamin was going to be part of the world that ran beneath the veneer of his own and it was dangerous down here. He needed to know what he was getting involved in, and a selfish part of me hoped that he chose to stay.

He didn’t say anything, just turned back to finished patching up Byron. I watched in silence as he worked, his head bent, blonde curls tumbling forwards. He was so beautiful. The angles of his face were soft, his eyes sharp and that mouth… that mouth of his would be my undoing.

“Done,” he said as he looked back at his work. “Try not to tear your stitches. I’m sure you know this but keep them dry for 48 hours and then see your doctor in about week to take them out.”

“Can’t you do it?” Byron asked as Benjamin placed a dressing on the wound. I had to admit, he’d done a fine job at stitching him back together. Better than our guy ever would.

Benjamin frowned, as if the thought of stepping on someone’s toes professionally pissed him off. “Don’t you have a doctor on staff?”

“Yeah, but he’s not as good as you, little bird,” Byron said as he slipped his shirt back on, flaunting his well-defined abs in front of Benjamin’s face. I was going to skin the guy alive.

I’d never been the jealous type, but every interaction Byron had with Benjamin made my blood fucking boil. “Byron, if you ever want to see your brother again, you’ll leave Benjamin alone.”

His eyes flashed and I knew I’d hit my mark. Byron’s whole world centred around his brother, Bishop. It was an easy mark to pick, and normally I wouldn’t threaten family, but Byron needed to back the fuck off and know I was serious when it came to Benjamin.

“Cold, Damyr,” he said flatly. “I’ll leave, but I’m going to make plans to see Bishop soon.”

“Fine,” I said. I knew this had been on the horizon for a while. Byron liked to torment his brother every few months, and while I didn’t fully understand their dynamic, I knew if he didn’t go, he’d become feral. “Just see me before you leave.”

He nodded, then turned to look at Benjamin. He gently grabbed his hand and brought it to his lips, placing and kiss against Benjamin’s knuckles like some dark prince from a fairy tale. “Thank you, little bird.”

A blush crept up Benjamin’s neck at the gesture, but he managed to stammer out, “You’re welcome.”

Byron left the room, silent as a shadow, leaving Benjamin glaring at me with a mixture of fury, sadness and anxiety sparking in those magnificent green eyes of his. He’d washed the eyeliner off and changed his clothes, which was a shame. He’d looked gorgeous and I’d been looking forward to peeling him out of his corset vest.

“So,” he said as he folded his arms across his chest. “You’re a vampire.”

Okay, so we were going straight to the point. “Yes.”

“And I’m you’re mate.”

Wow, my guys had been busy spilling secrets. “Yes.”

“And you were going to die, rather than tell me?”

Well, when he put it that way… “Yes.”

“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath. “Is this why you kidnapped me?”

---