Page 88 of Daring Her Vampires
Chapter Twenty
Luca
“Sit down,” Atlas demands, and I snarl at him.
“How can you be so calm?” Sally looks like she is sleeping, but we both know she is being tortured. The vampire is forming in her body and soul. Once she closed her eyes, we both got dressed in silence. I pace at the end of the bed, my attention focused on her face. Atlas covered her in his shirt and the blankets.
“Listen to her heart,” he says, brushing her hair off her face. “She is strong.”
“I know,” I hiss, stopping to face him. “Shit can still happen. Aren’t you worried?” I have relied on his calm control, yet at this moment, I need him to show his anxiety. At least Shadehas assured us that he hasn’t spotted Fredrick close to the apartments or Quinn’s office. One less thing to worry about.
“Of course I fucking am,” he growls, glaring at me. “She means everything. If something happens to her during the change, I won’t recover. I can’t dwell on that though, I have to believe she will come back to us. Do you remember the pain we felt? I do. It was excruciating. It burned to the point I wanted to die. I wished for death, instead of becoming the thing that took our family away, changed us to a point I wasn’t sure that we could go on.” He looks at Sally. “Do you think I enjoy being the voice of reason? I was put in that role, and most of the time, I don’t mind it. Allie is a wildcard. You are unpredictable. Once our parents were gone, being responsible for both of you was a natural responsibility. I worked hard to adjust quickly to being a vampire; I had no choice but to do so. You lost it; your anger consumed you. Allie decided she needed to prove she was worthy of a second chance at life. Her guilt gutted her, and she had nightmares of the night she killed Dad. I couldn’t fail you.” My anger drains as I watch how tenderly he touches our mate.
“Fuck, Atlas,” I whisper. “I didn’t know. I should have. You have always taken care of us, and I took it for granted. I’ve only thought about myself, and not what you were going through.”
“It has been my privilege to be your rock. Sometimes, I loved that you looked to me for guidance. I needed to be there for you and Allie. It gave me something to think about other than my failures,” he says softly.
“Failures? What failures?” I ask, frowning.
“I couldn’t protect Allie or you from Dad. Allie got mixed up with Fredrick, and I let her sneak out to meet him. He caused all of this. He killed Mom, and I couldn’t stop that. I have failed many times.” He stares at Sally, refusing to look at me.
“Atlas, brother,” I sigh. “Have you met Allie? Do you think you could have stopped her from leaving the house? You had to sleepsometime. If she didn’t go that night, she would have snuck out another night. You couldn’t control her actions. Fredrick thrives on chaos and murder. How could you predict that he was a vampire? Or that he would turn Allie and kill our mom? You have been taking the blame for others. It’s not on you. Things happened that led us to this point. I don’t regret becoming a vampire. The power it gave me changed my life for the better, but I couldn’t have done it without you or Allie. I should be the one apologizing.”
“What the fuck for?” He frowns.
“I’ve been out of control and fighting constantly.” I grit my teeth, remembering all the times Atlas had to rescue me.
“Fuck that,” he spits, and I stop pacing. “Do you remember when Allie worked at that bar?”
“Yeah.” I tilt my head. “It was rough.”
“Rough,” he snorts, shaking his head. “She was determined to stay there despite our protests. You went with her for every shift and sat in the corner.”
“She was pissed.” I smile slightly.
“Very. But she was lucky you were there. How many times was she cornered? All those men were taught a lesson with your fists.” He points at me. “You protected her.”
“She’s our sister. I had to watch out for her,” I say.
“You didn’t have to. She can take care of herself, which she told us repeatedly. I am not the only one who keeps us safe. You contributed to the family. You’ve matured over the years, using your anger in the right way. The first year we were turned, it was difficult for you to adjust, and the temptations of new power overwhelmed you. I get it. I went through the same thing—you just don’t remember.” He looks at me fondly. “You were too wrapped up in trying to control yourself to notice what I was doing.”
“I haven’t thought about the transition for years,” I mumble, trying to recall how Atlas behaved.
“Good.” He laughs lightly. “I was an asshole.”
“That sounds right.” I grin.
“I thought it was hilarious to seduce a human's girlfriend. It was a game. I didn’t use my influence to do it, until it didn’t work.” He chuckles. “It was so easy, and eventually, it lost its appeal. I don’t know how many relationships I ruined.”
“Shit, Atlas,” I laugh. “I vaguely remember a human latching onto you many times.”
“I played with them.” He lifts a shoulder. “I tested my limits all the time. None of them held any appeal to me; I just wanted to see if I could. Their blood always tasted sweeter after they gave in.”
“So you were just as fucked up as me.”
“Yes.” He stares at the wall. “I always got permission. They may have been under my influence in the end, but I never forced them. In my darkest moments, I never crossed the line.”
“You never would,” I growl. “We didn’t need to. They gave their desire freely.”
