Page 28 of Benicio

That just showed Benicio how compassionate his brother was. He thought Benicio was there to kill him, yet he was trying to help him. Fuck the council. They could call a hunt down on him for not fulfilling his duties, but Benicio was even older than them, and if his own father, a powerful warlock in his own right, couldn’t kill Benicio, no decrepit vampires would succeed either.

“David…” Benicio panted. “I need my mate.”

“Of course.” Eleazar walked to the office door and opened it.

Benicio was in so much pain that he didn’t catch what the vampire said to Shayde. But a moment later, David was entering the room. Eleazar closed the door as David ran to Benicio.

“How bad?” David squatted in front of him and held Benicio’s hands. “Do I need to get Matteo?”

“I just need a moment.” This had been the worst the curse had made him feel. Benicio was lightheaded and felt like screaming. Even his fucking bones hurt. He felt the pressure mounting, a buildup creeping through his entire body.

He curled his hands around the armrests of his chair, gritting his teeth, and then the buildup exploded. An intense pulse of energy shot out from Benicio’s whole being, sending Eleazar and David crashing across the room.

Benicio fell to the floor, on his hands and knees, and then he passed out.

* * * *

Eleazar slowly crawled to his feet. It took David longer to get up. Whatever had just happened, David had felt something blaze through him like a hot streak of lightning. If that was just a taste of Benicio’s powers, holy shit!

“What…just…happened?” Eleazar seemed baffled.

So was David. He had no idea that Benicio could do that. He turned to Eleazar. David wasn’t sure if he should tell the truth, but maybe, just maybe, Eleazar could help them locate the book. There was no way David and Matteo could do it on their own. If David could trust Eleazar, and the coven leader agreed, they could have the entire coven search for it.

“He’s cursed.” Before David could stop himself, his freaking mouth broke like a dam. He spilled everything, especially since, in a way, Eleazar was Benicio’s brother. He’d come to that conclusion earlier but hadn’t wanted to point that out to Benicio, because his mate already seemed distraught that he’d had to kill his own father.

To point out that Eleazar was his brother might have done more harm than good.

When David was done talking, he noticed how still Eleazar was. It didn’t even look like he was breathing. His gaze was on Benicio, and so far, he hadn’t looked away. Of course, David felt like he’d betrayed Benicio by telling his secrets, but to hell with those secrets if that meant saving his mate’s life.

“Look, I know that’s a lot of shit to take in,” David said. “You two can deal with that later, but right now, we need your help. Benicio has no idea where the book is, and as you can see, the curse is killing him.” He hated that his voice broke on the last part, but David was desperate to save his mate.

Things might have started out as a business transaction, but David truly cared about the guy. Benicio was this all-powerful being, but David knew his mate didn’t want to be that way. David had seen the softer side of Benicio, had made the man laugh, and he knew the guy had a kind heart that was buried under a few millennia of dealing with a dickhead father.

“Please,” David begged, tears escaping. “Please help him.”

The door flew open, and Matteo stormed in. He took one look at Benicio on the floor and bared his fangs at Eleazar.

“No!” David closed the distance and shoved his hands against Matteo’s chest. “The curse did this, not Eleazar.”

Then Eleazar’s coven members swarmed the study, but it was Joaquin who looked as if he was about to kill Benicio, David, and Matteo.

Eleazar held up a hand. “Stand down. I want everyone to leave except Joaquin.”

“Are you serious right now?” Shayde demanded. “We were all knocked on our asses.”

“Stand down!” Eleazar snarled, and even David wanted to obey him.

Joaquin turned to them. “Leave, now.”

David watched as the coven members walked out, but none of them looked happy. The only person who remained, besides Eleazar’s elite team leader and Matteo, was Andrew, who turned and closed the doors.

“Joaquin, keep the three of them in my office.” Eleazar grabbed Andrew’s hand and walked out. David had no clue what the guy was doing or if he would even help.

“What happened?” Matteo asked when Eleazar and Andrew were gone.

David shook his head and looked over at Joaquin, who stood there like a sentinel. It was bad enough that David had told Eleazar everything. He didn’t want anyone else knowing about Benicio.

Ten minutes passed, and then the door to the office opened. Eleazar stepped inside, a book in his hands.

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