Blood Thirsty

Ch. 8: He Loves You

"What?" Anthony gawked, echoing Ben's gasp.

"What?"

"I don't think I like your tone," Johanna stated, her polite smile cracking like a thin layer of ice over a pond. So far, she has been doing a good job keeping everyone above water.

"I don't like secrets between family members."

Panic whizzed through Anthony, his heart racing. He couldn't let Nino stay here. He couldn't abandon his duties to their coven back home. If he stayed, Ben would stay and this place was crawling with vampires that wouldn't see Ben as a person, but a snack. Neither of them could be put in danger of encountering one of those mutants.

"Nino, this is really a misunderstanding," Knox said. He raised his hands like two white flags. "You can trust me with Anthony. I've already given Dante my word-"

"Well, you're not talking to Dante. You're talking to me."

"Okay, cool it, macho man," Anthony said, wishing he could curse him out. He grabbed Nino's arm and yanked him backwards. "I need to talk to you. Outside. Now."

He dragged Nino through the door and tossed him into the hallway. "What are you doing? Don't mess this up for us."

Nino crossed his arms, putting on the defensive like they were kids and Nino had just broken Anthony's bike that he wasn't even using. Anthony couldn't let his emotions take over. He couldn't let Nino see how scared he was. "I don't see why my being here is such a problem," Nino said with a shit eating grin. He was in full brat mode and Anthony had to hold himself back from tackling him to the ground and rubbing that smile right off. "We're going to be a family. They should get used to all of us together. Matter of fact, why don't I call everyone."

"No," Anthony hissed. "You're being ridiculous. You didn't come back to stay here longer than today. You or Ben and you can't keep Ben here. Think about how dangerous it is for him here."

"I can multitask, Anthony. I can worry about you and him at the same time."

"But you don't have to."

The door opened and Ben joined them in the hallway. Nino dropped his arms with a sigh. "You're okay to stay here, right?"

Ben was taken back. "Absolutely not. All my stuff is back home. Nino, I like my stuff."

"We can get your stuff."

"That doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what I think. This is about Anthony. Anthony-"

"Anthony doesn't want Nino here," Anthony finished the sentence and Nino sighed again.

"I'm calling Dante," Nino said. "Come find me when they want to show us to our rooms. We're all sharing one," Nino added. He pulled out his phone and stormed outside into the gardens.

Anthony shook his head. "He's lost it."

"He's..." Ben said, trying to come up with the words. "He loves you."

"Sure," Anthony said. "But you, tell me why he's doing this."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you know him best. You've only known Nino for five years, but you know him best. What's his problem?"

Ben smiled a little in that ooey-gooey lovey-dovey way. His eyes followed the trail Nino left behind as he said, "He spent a lot of time with humans, Anthony. I think it's made him soft. You all are all about business, legacy, and duty. Humans are creatures with big hearts. He's your older brother, Anthony. He's worried about you and honestly, he probably still feels guilty about leaving the family for so long. He probably wants to make up for lost time."