Page 28 of Pity the Living, Not the Dead

“Deep breath, Liam. Carefully and methodically is how you plan it out. First, you need to figure out what you would like to do. Then you need to develop a business plan that involves working for yourself with the ability to set your own hours,” Elijah said.

“No capital to start with.”

“Liam, are we in this together or not?” Elijah asked.

“This relationship. Adulthood. Undead. It’s all still new, Elijah. Everything has happened fast for me, and for us. What if you come to regret helping me? What if I’m too much or too needy? I don’t know what to do. The only constant in my life, the only thing I’m one hundred percent sure of, is that I want to be with you,” I admitted.

Elijah rose, pulling me into his arms. “Liam, that’s all I need to hear. We have infinite time for you to have or not have a career. You live in a world ofwhat-ifsthat need to be converted towhat’s nexts. What works for us most likely doesn’t work for others, and that’s okay. As long as we’re together, things will work out. We just need to keep doing them our way.”

What did I do to deserve this wonderful man?

“It’s been a long night. Let’s shut our brains off and start anew tomorrow,” Elijah said as he proceeded to undress us both. I flopped into bed, curled up in his arms, and did as he said – shut my brain off.

Olivia’s schedule was hectic between her shifts and the additional classes she was taking for a promotion she wanted at the hospital. We kept in touch via text as time allowed. Neither of us had heard from the rest of the family. Not even from our mother. I often wondered if she was as aloof as she appeared to be, or if my father controlled her as he did the rest of the family. She’d show care and concern, but all it took was a simple glance at my father’s hardened face for the careless shield she’d perfected over the years to surface. When it came right down to it, Mom was an adult and could still make her own decisions. And her choice was being received loud and clear.

There comes a time to cut the toxic people from your life, whether they’re family or not.

As the weeks went by, Elijah and I settled into a nightly norm. It was effortless the way I was able to easily slide into Elijah’s life—well, now our life—with minimal concessions made. There were times I felt for him having been alone for as long as he had. Guess maybe our lives were different, yet the same. While I had come from the large family and never had a moment’s peace, I still had felt alone on the inside. Elijah and I jelled, we slid into place like we had been together for centuries. Neither of us would feel the painful sting of loneliness again.

“Liv left a message today,” I told Elijah one night as we headed out. “She finally has a weekend off and wants to hang out.”

“Sounds good. Did she find out about the promotion?” Elijah asked.

“If she did, she didn’t say. Hopefully this is a celebratory gathering.”

Since the first vigilante kill, as I chose to label our efforts, I kinda became addicted. As much as I wish we could rid the world of all the scum, eventually others would take notice. Still, we did what we could, even if it meant allowing them to live so as not to draw attention to our kind. Setting humans loose on any sort of a witch hunt would be bad for all parties involved. Rendering some of the bad eggs helpless for a night, passed out in an alley, was sometimes the most we could do. A brown aura meant they had done bad but still had an inkling of humanity left in them. Those, we compelled to follow a new path in life. Unfortunately, they were few and far between these days.

I’d mentioned to Elijah a time or two that I wanted to tell Olivia the truth about us. His staple answer wasthat’s a bad idea. But this was my sister, and since the night I’d confronted my family, she’d become my only family. Well, she and Elijah.

We dined on the way over to Olivia’s under the ruse that we had dinner plans with friends already but would join her afterwards for drinks and a movie fest. Liv and I used to spend many weekends doing the same thing, and I missed it. I stayed at her apartment as often as I could after she moved out. It wasn’t in the best of areas, but it was within walking distance to the hospital for her.

I knocked on the door even though I had a key. “Hey guys, come on in.” Olivia greeted each of us with a hug. Her place was tiny, but so her. She’d always been a bit of a free spirit. Her Bohemian-infused mismatched décor suited her to a T. I loved the use of various fabrics in bold colors, pieces that somehow came together with the way she placed them. “I’m sorry it took this long for us to get together. Between work, school, and volunteering at the shelter, I don’t think I’ve slept in months.”

“Don’t burn yourself out, Liv. Speaking of school and work, how’s the promotion coming along?” I asked.

“Well,” she chewed the corner of her mouth and excitedly bounced, “you’re looking at the new neonatal night shift lead nurse!”

“Congrats!” Elijah and I cheered in unison, hugging her.

Olivia grabbed a bottle of champagne from the fridge and handed it to Elijah. “Will you do the honors please, sir?”

“Absolutely.” Elijah winked at me as he popped the cork, filling the three flutes she’d already set out. I was a bit nervous, having not touched human food or beverages, outside of humans themselves, since I’d been turned. Elijah warned me that, in the beginning, it wouldn’t sit well. There was no way we were denying Olivia her moment in the spotlight, though. She more than deserved for us to suffer a bit of discomfort for her well-deserved celebration.

“To Olivia!” Elijah said. We clinked our glasses against his.

Tentatively, I took a sip. The taste was sour and the burn as it slid down my throat was near unbearable. “Come on, little brother, you can’t tell me you and Elijah don’t drink. Bottoms up!”Ugh.I followed her lead, downing it in one gulp. I’m surprised my head didn’t spin and pea soup didn’t shoot out of my mouth for as badly as it burned. Olivia mistook the unpleasant look on my face as a dislike for her choice in products, which I didn’t bother to refute. “Yeah, sorry. I could only afford the cheap shit.” She blushed.

“I’ve just never been much of a champagne man,” I told her, not wishing to hurt her feelings. Olivia proceeded to finish off the bottle, her giggles filling the apartment. I loved seeing her this relaxed after knowing how stressed she had been. As the night wore on, movies never happened but the conversation flowed. Elijah and I tucked her in before heading home prior to sunrise. I think I needed this night with my sis as much as she did.

“Liam, your phone is going crazy,” I said, trying to shake him awake. I was amazed it hadn’t already woken him.

He groaned, “Make it stop.”

“My love,” I kissed his temple, “you have multiple messages. I would suggest getting your lazy butt up to check them.” Liam was anything but lazy, though I knew my playful words would rouse him.

Liam propped himself up on all fours, shaking his naked ass in my face. “This butt is anything but lazy. Your unkind words have offended it and it no longer wishes to play with you,” he pouted, hopping off the bed.

Smack!“Ouch!” he protested.

---