Page 11 of Threads of Crimson 2

Chapter five

Benji

Lysandro’s quick departure over another vampire here in his territory worried me. Maybe I should’ve told him about the letter I received at his house earlier today, but I’d been worried about my World Religions test.

I knew Lysandro was lethal; I’d seen it with my own eyes, but that didn’t stop the fear growing inside of me that someone was gunning for my complicated, wonderful Lysandro because of me.

Sitting on the bed in his private quarters in the library, I pulled the letter out of my back pocket where I’d stuck it earlier. Opening it up and looking at it with fresh eyes, knowing that Lysandro had sensed another like him, my apprehension grew.

Benji,

Don’t worry, my sweet. I haven’t forgotten about you. Nothing could ever make me forget you. You are mine, as I am yours.

Forevermore, your true love

My hands shook as I pulled out my cell phone. Rafe was more than likely at work, but he’d become the truest friend I’d ever had, and I needed to tell someone about the letter.

While my foster brother, Eric, had introduced me to Velvet Vein and the world of vampires, he’d pretty much disappeared from my life as soon as he met his vamp Daddy.

Within a year of sitting at the bar in Velvet Vein, though, watching Rafe bartend and interacting with vampires and humans alike, seeing how good he was with everyone, we’d bonded, and that connection hadn’t fizzled even though Lysandro had moved me here to be near him.

Hoping beyond hope that he’d answer, I scrolled to his contact number and hit send.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, answering the phone on the second ring.

He read me so easily. “Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Hold on,” he said. The phone muffled, and I could hear the hum of the club in the background before the noise went distant. “Sorry. I’m taking a break. And yes, I know something’s up because we talked this morning, and you never call me at night since you know I’m at work.”

“Ugh. You’re right. I’m really sorry to bother you, but I’m kind of freaking out over here.” I read him the note.

“And you said it was in your mailbox?” he asked, sounding concerned.

“Yeah. Don’t you think that’s weird? No one from Velvet Vein knows where I’m staying, but I found it when I checked the mail today.”

“Shit. I haven’t heard any rumors of anyone figuring out what town Lysandro’s in, much less his address. What did he say?”

“I haven’t told him yet,” I admitted quietly. I regretted that with every fiber of my being now. It should’ve been the first thing I said when I came into work.

“Benji!” Rafe shrieked into the phone.

“I know,” I whined. “I was going to tell him tonight but…” I hesitated. Would it be bad to admit that Lysandro had sensed another vampire in town? I wasn’t sure that he’d want anyone else to know that. I could tell Rafe without telling him where we were, and I knew he wouldn’t tell anyone, but…

It didn’t seem fair to tell him, and then swear him to the same secrecy I lived with. He wouldn’t be getting anything out of keeping things from Damien, or even Ronan. Being with Lysandro was payoff enough for me.

Clearing my throat, I said, “I’ll tell him the next time I see him. I promise.” Hopefully that’d be soon. Until he came back, I’d be worried that the vampire he sensed was my delusional secret admirer.

I heard Rafe blow out a breath through the line. “Good. So how’s operation become Lysandro’s consort going, anyway?”

Flopping back onto the bed, I groaned. “Slow, Rafe. Sooooo freakin’ slow.”

He snorted. “You’ve been there for months. What’s the holdup.”

“Well, not me, that’s for sure. I swear, if he hadn’t brought me home with him, I’d think I was fooling myself.”

Rafe giggled. “That’s not all he did. He showed up here every weekend for months, and he killed another vampire for pushing himself on you. I think it’s safe to say that he wants you.”

“Then why won’t he have sex with me? He hasn’t even kissed me again.”