Page 89 of Benjamin and the Thief

“Why would he? I attacked him! I hurt him. All he wanted was to comfort me, and what did I do? I bit him! I nearly killed him, because I couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t control the hunger. And I’m scared that I’ll do it again. Don’t you see? I’m a danger to him.”

“You truly think that?” He shook his head. “I think it’s time for a talk about the birds and the bees, so to speak.”

She stared at him, confused.

“Guess I’m dating myself. You need to know something about sex between vampires and their mates.”

She felt heat shoot into her head. How could she talk about sex with this stranger?

“I thought we were talking about why I’m a danger to Benjamin.”

“And that’s exactly what we’re talking about. And sex is part of that. So, hear me out. Let me tell you what I experienced when I first bit another person—in this case, another vampire. A woman. She’s a friend, and from time to time we have sex. I guess your generation would call us friends with benefits.”

He made air quotes before he continued, “A vampire, no matter the age, even one who was turned later in life like myself, has a high sex drive. What I didn’t know right away was that the bite itself isn’t just how we feed ourselves, it’s also sexual. You bit Benjamin, and I know what you felt when you did it. You felt pleasure, arousal, desire…”

Catalina gasped and stared at Brandon with disbelief. How could he know that?

“Good. It’s normal to feel that. But there’s something else. The person you bite feels the same. It’s pleasurable for them in the same way as it is for you. See, Benjamin could easily have stopped you from biting him. After all, he’s just as strong as you. And given his relative size, a little stronger. The reason he didn’t defend himself from your so-called attack is because he enjoyed it.”

With every word coming from Brendon, she felt calmer, because she understood better what had happened.

“Maya said you’re lovers. It’s only natural that you would want to bite him and he you. It deepens the sexual experience. But the first time it happens, it can be raw and frightening. It was for me. But the woman I was with, she’d been a vampire for a few years longer than I, she told me that there was nothing to be afraid of. I learned to embrace it.”

“If this is true…”

“It is. So trust me when I tell you that you’re not a danger to Benjamin. The only way you can hurt him is to distance yourself from him.”

She held his gaze for a long while. She understood so much more now. And even though she still didn’t know everything that was different for her now—and she assumed there were many things she hadn’t even thought of yet—she knew that one thing hadn’t changed: her love for Benjamin.

“Please, tell me more about what it means to be a vampire,” she encouraged Brandon.

She had to learn everything as quickly as she could so she would be prepared for everything.

39

Picking up Santiago from jail when he was released in the early evening was a somber affair. Santiago’s eyes were puffy, evidence that he’d been informed of Catalina’s death. Benjamin felt his heart clench painfully, wishing he could tell him that it wasn’t true. But he had to keep this secret for a few more hours.

He didn’t return to headquarters; instead, he offered Santiago Damian’s old room to stay in until after the funeral. He wanted to keep an eye on Santiago while he was grieving.

As they sat down over pizza and beer, Benjamin filled him in on what the Prestons had done, and how he and Catalina, with the help of his friends at Scanguards, had been able to uncover their evil scheme.

“She did all this for me,” Santiago murmured. “I wish she hadn’t. Because then she would still be alive.”

“And you would still be in jail,” he replied.

Santiago shrugged. “I would gladly have stayed in there if that meant she would be alive. It’s my fault that this happened to her.”

He saw the pain in his eyes. There was such love, such devotion between the siblings.

“No, it’s the Prestons’ fault. They did all this. They are guilty. And they will pay for it. I promise you that.”

“You cared about her, didn’t you?”

Benjamin gave a slow nod. “I still do. I love her. And that will never change.”

“So we both lost her.”

“You never truly lose somebody as long as you still love them. One day you’ll see her again.”