Page 9 of Love Heals
Chapter Four
“I’m sorry,” Jared apologized, knowing that he shouldn’t have said anything. He should have kept his thoughts to himself, but that vision had rattled him. There was no denying it. He didn’t usually entertain fantasies of violence, but for the man in Silas’s memories, he would have made an exception.
“It’s amazing that I bite you, and you apologize.” Silas rubbed his wrist around the buckle where the chain was attached, eyeing it critically. Talon and Aldrich had claimed that Silas wouldn’t be able to break it in his current state—and that the silver coating on the inside would prevent him from shifting out of it—, but that was on the assumption that his blood was being rationed. Internally, Jared cursed himself. What the hell had he been thinking?
“I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you,” he said. “You defended yourself the only way you could.”
Silas glanced at him, then dropped his gaze again, almost as if he couldn’t meet Jared’s gaze. Obviously, Jared had made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Yes, Silas had asked for him to go ahead, but what else could he have said, really? In the situation he was in, chained to a bed... and with the life experience he had gathered so far.
Jared's stomach churned. He should never have put Silas in this position. He’d sworn to himself that he wouldn’t. What had gotten into him?
Those eyes. It must have been those pretty blue eyes. And the way Silas had smiled at him…
No, Jared shut that thought down, there was no excuse for this.
Needing to center himself, he took a deep breath. "I'm going to step out for a bit."
Part of him wanted to stay and make sure that Silas was really okay after what had just happened, but he was clearly not the right person for this. Not right now.
Silas nodded without looking at him.
Promising himself that he would be back later to check in on the vampire, Jared rose from the bed. He gave Silas one more careful look, then left the room. Once outside, he felt his shoulders sag.
He'd really screwed this up, hadn't he?
His only job had been to sit there and monitor his charge for changes, possibly provide a bit of comfort if he could. How had he ever thought it would be a good idea to lean in and kiss him? He swallowed, remembering how close he'd come before Silas had pierced his neck with his teeth—remembering that sensation too.
The memory of Silas's lips on his skin made him shudder, and not with disgust or fear. It had felt good, way better than it should have.
It had made him hard.
How messed up was that?
"You look like you've seen a ghost." It was his sister's voice that snapped him out of his thoughts. How long had she been standing there, watching him?
"Not a ghost."
"A vampire?" Elena eyed him critically. "I know you spend most of your time in that room." She jerked her head at the door Jared had just come out from.
"I'm concerned."
"I know, even though you won't tell us exactly why."
Jared dropped his voice to make sure that he wouldn't be heard through the door. "I knew him before he became a vampire."
Elena's eyebrows lifted. "Seriously? What are the odds? This isn't exactly a small town."
No, it was not, but there were certain segments of the population that Jared knew very well, thanks to his job as a social worker, and Silas had been part of that population. That was the thing that he didn't necessarily want to share with his sister, though. The life Silas used to lead was none of his siblings' concern.
Elena seemed to be able to guess at what Jared wasn't telling her, though. She'd always had a good head on her shoulders. "I'm not going to ask any questions if it's a sensitive matter, but you promise me that you're going to be okay, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that you gotta let us carry some of the weight. You're not alone in this, but you act like you are. I know it’s kind of your thing, but really…" She gestured to the door again. "We have enough people here that we can rotate who watches him. It doesn't always have to be you. When's the last time you've even had anything to eat?"
"Remy brought me a sandwich," Jared pointed out, even though he couldn't tell exactly when that had been.
"A sandwich? Is that all?" Elena gave him a pointed look.
