Page 4 of Love Heals
Jared rubbed circles on Silas's back. He wasn't great at coming up with comforting words, but this he could do. For as long as Silas needed him to, Jared would stay right here and hold him.
Justhold him.
He hated that he needed to remind himself of that, but he did. Even now there was a part of him that wanted to press a kiss on Silas's head, and maybe other places too. Silas shuddered against him, almost as if he could sense Jared's thoughts, but no... that was just in Jared's head.
Good lord, he needed to get a grip on himself.
He wasn't even gay.
Usually.
He'd never been able to make sense of his feelings for this particular man. He'd always known that he needed to shove them in a box and bury them deep, though, and that was exactly what he was going to do now.
"I have blood for you," he said.
Silas looked up at him, then at the glass on the bedside table, then back at him. "You're not my sire."
"No, I'm not. I'm Jared. You're in a safe house." Jared hoped that maybe this time, the information would stick. Forcing himself to let go of the vampire, he grabbed the glass and offered it to Silas.
"Is it real blood?"
What else could it be? Tomato juice? "Of course it's real blood."
"I'm not being punished?"
Something in Jared's chest clenched. "No."
"Oh..." Was that... disappointment? No, he must be misinterpreting the expression on Silas's face. At least the vampire was taking the blood now. He set the glass down again when he was done, still with that same sad look on his face. After another second, though, his features morphed into a scowl. Jared couldn't say exactly what he was mad at, but then, Silas had plenty of things to choose from.
The vampire glanced at Jared. "You're mortal?"
Actually, the jury was still out on that, but in the interest of not confusing Silas, Jared simply said, "Yes."
In response, Silas's scowl deepened. His eyes fixed on the chain attached to his wrist. "I'm a prisoner?"
"No, you helped us."
Silas's face fell as if something about Jared's words drove a stake into his heart. Jared cursed himself. This was exactly why he preferred to stay silent. Less chance to mess up that way. "You did a good thing," he tried to amend his error—whatever that error was—but it was already too late. He could tell by the way Silas's eyes clouded over that he was losing the vampire's attention. Still, he pressed on. "You're safe now, okay?"
The vampire's eyes stayed vacant. Jared suppressed a sigh of frustration. There was nothing he could do now but wait. He sat in his chair again, watching Silas scowl at himself, remembering a different man with the same face. A man whose every smile was a challenge and whose lips Jared had secretly yearned to claim. Michael...
Silas wasn't Michael anymore. Jared knew that. Just looking at the vampire before him, so lost in his own confusion, made that clear. That didn't matter, though. It was painfully obvious that Silas needed someone to take care of him, and Jared had already decided that he was going to be that person. He needed to be that person. It was clear to him with every painful twinge his heart gave with every whimper of distress Silas made in his sleep.
Jared might have failed Michael, but he'd be damned if he failed Silas too.
