Page 3 of Benicio

Benicio gritted his teeth. This street rat was getting on his nerves. He’d never dealt with such audacity before.

“I’ll transfer the funds to your account,” Benicio said through clenched teeth.

David laughed. “You think I have a bank account? Bub, have you looked at my clothes? I barely have an apartment. People threaten me more than they pay me.”

Benicio had no idea what barely having an apartment meant. Either you had a home or you didn’t. He saw he was getting nowhere. “Fine. Stay the night and I’ll have your money come tomorrow.”

“You want me to stay here?” David eyed him. “Why?”

“You entertain me.” Benicio refused to admit, even to himself, that he liked David’s fire. He liked the banter, liked how quick on his feet the street rat was, and admittedly, Benicio could use the company.

David raised an eyebrow. “You want me to entertain you? What am I, your court jester?”

Benicio smirked. “No. You’re more like my pet.”

“Your pet?” David scoffed. “I’m no one’s pet.”

“Then I suggest you start acting like a guest.” Benicio turned on his heel and strode out of the vivarium. He’d have to figure out how to deal with this unruly vampire later, but for now, he had to focus on what was happening to him. It was only getting worse, and he had no idea how to stop it.

* * * *

David had lost his ever-loving mind. He knew exactly who Benicio Moretti was. Any vampire with a lick of sense knew the ancient vampire. Well, not knew him, but they knew he existed. That was it. Benicio was a mystery shrouded in darkness.

And David had just mouthed off to him.

Yep, he had a death wish. It had to be the years of getting knocked around. Something had to have rattled loose in his head. Still, he was sticking to his guns. David wasn’t giving shit away for free. Eleazar would kill him if he knew that David was going to sell him out. Not that he wanted to. He seriously valued his life, but when someone like Benicio demanded something, you gave it to him.

For a price.

He could have asked for a lot more money, but he knew he’d been testing the old man’s patience. And Benicio was old. How old? David had no idea. No one knew anything about Benicio. Not even where he lived. It was just a rumor that Benicio was the oldest vampire in existence, but most vampires believed it.

Now David was stuck in some fancy house until Benicio handed over the cash. That was not part of the deal he’d made with Matteo, but what could he do? If he wanted to get paid, and he desperately did, he would have to camp out here for the night.

And pray Benicio didn’t change his mind and kill him. Not that his life meant anything, according to his father. A street hustler? How disgraceful. David was a black mark on his family, and he constantly told himself that it didn’t matter. But it did. It hurt like hell that he’d been disowned just because of the way he made a living.

But that wasn’t the real reason his father had kicked him out.

Pushing those thoughts back down to where they belonged, David wandered the house. Was he supposed to find his own room? Secretly, he was impressed with the place. Seriously, there was a frickin’ waterfall inside. Rich people baffled him with what they spent their money on.

If David was that rich, he would help the homeless, give to a worthy cause, or he would pay someone to smack around every person who’d mistreated him. Just because he hustled for a living didn’t mean he was trash.

Fuck you, Father.

David opened the first door he came to and was in awe of the bedroom. It was huge, with a king-sized bed in the center of the room and black silk sheets that gleamed in the dim light. The entire room was decorated in a gothic style, but it wasn’t like any gothic room David had ever seen before. It was dark, but somehow comforting. On the walls were huge paintings of old battlefields and warriors with swords. The bedside tables were black lacquer and covered in antique vases and jewelry boxes. Everything was opulent and grand.

David’s eyes fell on a painting of a beautiful woman. It was a portrait, and it looked old, like something from hundreds of years ago. The woman was stunning, with long auburn hair and bright green eyes. She looked like she was in her twenties, but the painting had a strange haunting quality to it, like there was more to the story than what appeared on the surface.

He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. The sheets were so soft it was like sinking into a cloud. He’d never felt anything like it.

This was the life he wanted. A life of luxury and opulence. A life where he could forget about the streets and his father’s hatred of him. A life where he could be someone else entirely.

But he knew that was impossible.

As David lay back on the bed, he closed his eyes and let himself indulge in the fantasy just a little longer. He imagined what it would be like to be rich and powerful like Benicio. To be feared and respected by everyone around him instead of abused. To never have to worry about where his next feeding would come from or whether he would be killed by a hunter or his own kind.

But as much as he tried to run from his reality, it always caught up to him. The sound of a door opening made him sit up, fully alert. He saw Benicio at the doorway, a dark expression on his face. David tensed up.

“What are you doing in my bedroom?” Benicio demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

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