Page 28 of The Donor’s Dilemma

Jesse had a knack for making nothing sound serious; it was one of the things that threw people off their guard. That and his aptitude for violence.

After a moment of silence, the humour leached from Jesse’s voice and he asked, “What kind of problem?”

“A Blessed kind of problem.”

“What happened?” his brother asked, clear and cold, and Theo told him everything. About Viv and Abe, Verity and her article. About SubRosa.

By the time he finished the whiskey was gone, and Theo sat on the couch, turning the coin over in his hands having plucked it from its case.

If the Rose family, the powers that ran Havenshire, were a coin, then Theo would be the head, the face of the organisation. Law and order with smiles and pageantry. And his brother… Jesse would be the tail, the dark underbelly, the claws. They were a formidable pair, always had been, but gods, he hated asking him for help.

“And leaving her to the wolves isn’t an option?” Jesse asked.

“No,” Theo said. No room for discussion.

“Well, you two better get cozy then.”

“Jesse…”

“Take her again, a few more times at least, and you’re gonna have to do something incriminating…”

“Jess…”

“I’ll see what I can find but she’s made her bed… you wanna fuck her?”

“Jesse! No!” How his brother could ask such a thing so off hand was beyond him. Theo was often shocked that they were truly brothers and not of the same sire like most vampires meant by the word.

“Damn boy!” Jesse exclaimed with a laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes. It would help…”

“I am not having sex with her as a fucking distraction.”

Jesse chuckled. “You could do it ‘cause you want to? Either way, have her stay over or something.”

“How about you find out why Abe’s here and we go from there?”

Silence.

“Theo…” Jesse said, the word dripping with rare sympathy. Theo knew what his brother was going to say but let him anyway. “If Abe’s taken a shine to her, it might be too late.”

“I know,” was all he could say.

The brothers said their goodbyes and Theo hung up.

Chapter Nine

After lying in bed all day, trying and failing to sleep, the very last thing Verity wanted to do was go to the Exchange for her support group. After the things she’d seen, the biting and kissing, the blood, how was she supposed to go to the group as if nothing had happened?

Theo’s warning rang in her ears.

I don’t know if I can fix this.

She had seen things she shouldn’t have, and if Theo couldn’t fix it, then what?

We’ll talk Monday.

Monday? She couldn’t wait until Monday! She had questions now!

Just act normal.