Page 10 of Bound in Blood
Logan’s head fuckinghurt.
Really, really fucking hurt. A deep, pounding pressure behind his temples, like the worst hangover of his life. His mouth was bone dry, his throat was on fire, and his entire body felt weighted, like he’d been buried alive for days.
He shifted, groaning softly, not really registering what state of awake he was in. Even that small movement sent a dull throb through his body. His sheets were drenched in sweat, he realized, as he attempted to move around more. Was he sick? Had he been drinking?
What was the last thing he could remember?
Logan inhaled sharply, which was the first mistake he’d make that day. So many different things assaulted his nose at once. His fabric softener, sweat,fuck, he could smell thepaint on the walls.On top of everything, he could smell something sharp and metallic, something that made his stomach twist in a way he didn’t quite understand. Underneath that, cologne that didn’t belong to him. Had he brought someone home? He didn’t?—
Oh.
The twins.
His eyes snapped open. Mistake number two. The world came into focus, sharp and vivid. It was pitch black outside, but Logan could make out everything in his apartment like it was the middle of the day. He was seeing in colors he hadn’t ever even perceived before, clearer than he’d been able to see in years. He sat up slowly, making out the details of his apartment’s popcorn-textured ceiling.
How had he even been able to sleep with how loud it was in here? The lights in the hallway hummed; a neighbor must have been watching TV at top volume next door. There was a loud rushing noise in his ears, like he was sitting right up against the water at the beach. And who was fuckingbreathingso loud?
Logan turned his head, nearly falling out of his bed at the two pairs of golden eyes trained on him. “What thefuck!”He gasped, nearly jumping out of his skin. Mistake three, he realized, as he must have shouted louder than he’d meant to, the sound of his own voice sending a new spike of pain through his brain.
Why were they still here?
Marco was the first to move, pushing up from the floor beside Logan’s bed. His panic was radiating off him in waves. Logan could practicallyfeelthe emotion, such a sharp contrast to his confusion.
Mateo, on the other hand, remained sitting where he was, his jaw clenched.Tense. Apprehensive. Afraid.Logan’s brain supplied the emotions, though Logan couldn’t understandwhy.
“Am I dead? Why are you both so worried?” He tried joking, but neither of them reacted. “Hey… what’s going on?Fuck.I need water.” He shifted, getting ready to stand, but Marco gently pushed him back, shaking his head.
Logan frowned, confusion deepening. “What? I just need?—”
Marco’s grip tightened, firm but not forceful, expression dark. Briefly, Logan’s mind flashed back to him holding Logan in place while he?—
Both twins were looking at him now, like they had plucked the horny thought directly out of his head, which was… fucking embarrassing, if he was to be completely honest. Logan cleared his throat, trying to will the blush away. “Okay, well, that’s kind of horrifying. Y’all need to stop looking at me like that.”
Logan thought he could sense some sort of amusement coming from Mateo, but the other man’s face betrayed nothing, still overshadowed by something heavier.
“How are you feeling?” he asked hesitantly. Logan could feel the terror Mateo felt as if it were his own pain. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew he needed to choose his next words carefully, not to upset the twins even more.
“Hungover? I think? But… I don’t remember drinking.” He paused, before adding, “And I am so fucking thirsty. I need water. I feel like I swallowed the Sahara.”
The twins exchanged a glance. ‘Confused,’Logan’s brain said.
Logan’s frown deepened. “What?” he asked again. “Why are you acting so—” A sharp knock at the door interrupted him mid-sentence.
All three of them snapped their attention toward the sound. The knock was so loud it reverberated in Logan’s skull. His body tensed, nausea intensifying. He blinked once, twice, and Mateo and Marco were on their feet, posture rigid as they watched the door.
Protect. Mine.
The words repeated over and over, rattling around in Logan’s brain like a mantra, though he wasn’t sure why. If he weren’t so disoriented, Logan might try a little harder to figure out why he thought he could piece together the twins’ feelings in the first place.
Another knock. Logan blinked, standing on shaky legs and rubbing his temples. “It must be my landlord. I haven’t given anyone my address. Well, before—” Fuck, he was blushing again.
Mateo shot him a sharp look, but Logan was no longer paying attention. His landlord was a fucking dick, as most of them were, and would make Logan’s life miserable if he didn’t answer. As he made for the door, both twins tried stepping in front of him to cut off his path, but with more agility than he was used to, he swerved around them.
“I’m coming!” he called out as a third, much more aggressive knock rang out. The twins were right on his heels as he unlocked and swung the door open, but it wasn’t his landlord who greeted him.
“Alexei?” Logan’s head tilted in confusion. How did Alexei know where he lived? They’d never even spoken outside of the bar.
“Logan!” Alexei greeted, smiling big and bright, but Logan could see the tinge of worry. “You didn’t come to work like you said,??????.I was worried. I don’t like the other bartender. She waters down my drinks.”
