Page 75 of Missing Piece
Adam’s head snapped up. “What? Why would I do that?”
Vincent kept his eyes shut, certain that if he opened them they would be filled with tears. “Because I haven’t given you a choice. I’ve taken so much from you, I’ve hurt you, I took you from your life, your family, your friends. I’ve been a selfish, reckless asshole, and I don’t deserve your affection. So, when you feel ready, you can leave. I won’t stop you or try to bring you back. You can go back to your life.”
Fingers tightened around Vincent’s shirt. “What life do you think I’d be going back to?” he asked. “What friends and family? The ones who want nothing to do with me because I’m an addict? Or the ones who want nothing to do with me because I don’t use with them anymore? What do I have waiting for me if I leave?”
“I don’t know. I just—”
“I have no one, Vincent. I have nothing. I have a shittyapartment in my dad’s name with a futon and a TV and a baggie of pills hidden in the tank of the toilet. How long do you think I would last in that place if I go back?” Adam grabbed cupped both sides Vincent’s face. “Since I came here, I don’t wake up thinking about those pills. I don’t care why you did what you did that day behind the strip club. I don’t care about what happened before. I just know I don’t want to go back to that life. I can’t.”
“Then let me make it up to you,” he insisted. “If you stay, I’ll do everything in my power to make it right. I’ll make it up to you.”
Adam leaned in, pressing his forehead to Vincent’s. “I don’t want you to make it up to me,” he whispered. “I just want you to let me stay.”
Vincent released a pent-up breath of relief and pulled Adam close, squeezing him tighter against his chest as if to capture the moment in his skin and never let it go.
Vincent’s face twisted as he tried desperately to keep his emotions contained, but the tears broke free anyway. After years of trying to deny and suppress them, he seemed powerless against the onslaught of feelings. They hit him like a shotgun blast to the chest, leaving him breathless and vulnerable with no hope for reprieve.Is it really that simple? To just accept that these are a part of me and here to stay?
Adam’s lips found his, and for the first time in over a century, Vincent’s beast fell so completely silent, it’s presence seemed to vanish. No whispers of possession, no demands for control, just quiet acceptance.Maybe this is what peace feels like.
Chapter Twenty-Eight - Adam
Adam stepped between the rows of dried soy from the property line, looking up at the night sky and suddenly found himself feeling like a kid again. Just being out here, in the quiet country without the lights of every car dealership in town to pollute the sky, but the moon looked beautiful, orangish with just a smattering of clouds around it.
He hadn’t approached the topic of how long he would be allowed to stay with Vincent yet, but he could see himself doing this for a long time. Just walking outside and looking up at the sky, maybe with a cup of coffee or a hot toddy in the winter, and just listening to the gentle nothingness. He had been through long periods of quiet before, but the imposed silence of his house, or rehab, or his parents was always somehow loud at the same time. It grated on his nerves and made him feel like he was losing his mind.
But this was peaceful. He could get used to peaceful.
“Admiring the Hunter’s Moon?” Vincent asked from behind him.
Adam smiled to himself as he stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket. “I thought that was the Harvest Moon,” he said, not bothering to turn around. He could hear Vincent movingcloser, brushing against the dry soy.
“Nah, the Harvest Moon was last month. Every four years the Hunter’s Moon comes up in November instead of October,” Vincent said.
“Why is it called that? Vampires everywhere need to watch their backs extra this month or something?” Adam asked. Vincent had stopped moving towards him, but he didn’t turn around to look at him yet. What he really wanted was Vincent to hug him from behind, to wrap his strong arms around him and hold him close.
Vincent gave a soft laugh. “No, not quite. It’s called the Hunter’s Moon because it was traditionally the time when people would hunt and gather food to prepare for winter. At least that’s what Matoskah told me once. He’s native, so I suppose he could have just been messing with me, but I like to think he was telling the truth.”
Adam heard him step closer, making his stomach flutter.Touch me. Please. Touch me.“That’s one of your friends from the meeting, right? The guy with white hair and a sheriff’s department badge?” Adam asked. He had meant to ask about it before all the chaos ensued that night, mostly because he wanted to know how bad things would get for him when he went back into town. If he went back into town.
Though now that idea seemed so solemn and far away, it hardly mattered. Vincent stepped up beside him, close enough that their shoulders brushed together. Adam couldn’t help but shiver at the contact, his body responding to Vincent’s nearness like it always did. He tried to play it cool, though, keeping his face neutral as he continued looking up at the moon.
“Yeah, Matoskah. He hates my fucking guts right now, buthe’s solid. I called in a favor with him recently, and he’s the one who let us know something was going on with the deaths out here.” There was a long pause, like Vincent was searching for the right words, and Adam glanced back at him. He stood a few feet away, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. The orange light from the moon gave his face an otherworldly appearance.
“Do you think that guy, Richard, is going to hurt more people?” Adam asked quietly. He didn’t want to bring it up yet, but his foot was ever determined to go directly into his mouth. It wasn’t that the mention of the other vampire’s name bothered him (it did, a little bit), but it was more like saying his name meant shifting the mood. In the days since they came back to the farm, Vincent had been so quiet and careful, measuring his words before he spoke them to Adam. It made Adam miss that snarkier side of Vincent, the side that poked and prodded the boundaries of what was acceptable to say aloud.
“I don’t know, but probably, yes. Richard is unpredictable, and it’s like he has something to prove. There are few things more dangerous in this world than a vampire with something to prove.” He paused, his voice lowering. “I’ll take care of it. I already have a few friends tracking him down. I won’t let him hurt you again.”
Adam nodded as a weight settled on his chest. He didn’t want to think about Richard or any of the other vampires out there, preying on innocent humans. He just wanted to be here, with Vincent, safe and protected from the madness of the world. “Why is he so determined to hurt you?”
Vincent’s expression shifted, but it wasn’t the usual anger or agitation that crossed his features when that happened.He looked ashamed. “Let’s go sit down for this conversation,” he said, holding his hand out.
“I can limp like a champ without the crutch now.” He rolled his eyes at the offer, but he definitely wanted to take Vincent’s hand. His hand started to move away from his hoodie pocket before he realized what he was doing and stuffed it back inside. He wanted to show that getting better.Being a liability will make him eventually not want you around. No one wants someone around they have to take care of twenty-four-seven.
Vincent wrapped an arm over his shoulders as he made his way back into the grass. “What if I just wanted to hold your hand?” he asked, his tone equal parts teasing and reluctant.
Adam smiled at Vincent’s words as warmth spread through his chest. He leaned into Vincent’s side, relishing the feel of his arm around him. “You’re getting soft.”
“So I’ve been told,” Vincent said with a huff.
