"Teren, you in here?"
Hot Ben stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind him, just as Teren and I both shifted to look. Teren's super abilities hadn't registered that Ben was opening the door, until it was too late; he did sometimes get caught up in the moment when we were like this. And we'd definitely just been caught. My mouth dropped a mile wide and my whole body tensed, as Teren lifted his head to stare at Ben, his mouth also wide open in startlement. In the brightly lit room, the blood on Teren's tongue and dripping down his chin was startling. As were the all too apparent fangs.
Ben, at first, didn't notice. "Oh, hey, sorry guys. Trace said she saw Teren go in here, but I didn't...know you...were both..." His voice trailed off as what he was seeing started clicking together in his mind. I could almost hear the gorgeous boy's thoughts out loud - Oh, I caught them almost screwing, cool. Wait, why is there blood on Emma's chest? Wait, why is there blood on Teren's mouth...and holy shit, are those... fangs?
Teren inhaled sharply as the realization of what had just happened struck him. His teeth immediately retracted with his breath. Ben's eyes widened and he scrambled to open the door. "How did you...? Oh my god." He managed to open it in his fumbling, but it was quickly slammed shut by Teren, who was instantly standing at Ben's side holding shut the door.
Hot Ben stepped away from him, like he had the plague. "How did you...?" he said again, clearly confused by Teren's speedy abilities. "Stay back," he muttered as he bumped into a dresser.
I sat up, pulling my shirt tight to my body, knowing that my white bra and shirt were now bloodstained; Teren hadn't had time to close the wounds. "Its okay, Ben."
Ben looked at me, nearly frantic. "Run, Emma, I'll hold him off."
I smiled softly, warmed that Hot Ben was willing to take on a vampire for me, and shook my head again. Teren answered Ben before I could start to. Walking toward him with a hand outstretched, like Ben was a terrified dog who might bite him, Teren calmly said, "I can explain. Please...calm down."
Ben tittered, sounding on the verge of a panic attack as he nervously laughed. "Explain? You can explain your teeth...what the hell was that, Teren?" His eyes shifted to mine. "What the hell were you doing to her?"
Teren cocked his head, looking flustered and embarrassed, not to mention scared that he'd just lost the closest thing to a friend that he had. While he floundered for something to say, I said, "He was hungry, I told him he could bite me." Still clutching my shirt, I walked over to Teren's side, putting my other hand on his arm. Teren looked back at me, sadness in his pale eyes.
Ben looked between the two of us, like we were both mad. His eyes darted to the door behind us and I could nearly see him calculating the odds of getting around both of us lunatics. I sighed and wondered when the screaming would start. Ben opened his mouth a few times, running a hand through his blonde highlights. "Bite you? Hungry? He's what...? A...a..."
"Vampire," Teren calmly stated, raising his chin a little.
Ben snorted, looked at us disbelieving, and then swallowed nervously. "You guys are nuts. I'm gone." He moved then, edging around me to get to the door, but Teren moved to block it. Ben pushed him out of the way. Well, he tried to. I could see that he put a lot of strength into the move, but if Teren didn't want to move, no human could make him.
"Let me go," he said through clenched teeth, looking like he was torn between cowering, and peeing in his pants, or fighting back, and using some of his kickboxing skills on Teren. I didn't know how to tell him that neither response would help him escape.
"He's not going to hurt you, Ben," I said quietly behind him.
Ben flicked a glance back at me, panic and fear only making him more attractive. "Then tell him to let me go." He twisted to me, grabbing my arms painfully in his fright. "Don't let him kill me." I heard Teren sigh behind him, and start to say his name, but my shirt had fallen open when Ben jarred my hands free and my blood-soaked bra elicited a harsh reaction from an already freaked out Ben. He inhaled in sharp pulls and his tight-to-begin-with fingers, dug in even tighter. I cried out and hunched over as the pain shot through both my arms.
That was all Teren needed.
He shoved Ben off of me. And when Teren wanted a human to move, that human moved. Ben flew to the other side of the room, smacking into a wall and sinking down into a slump. He slowly raised his head and Teren was instantly standing right in front of him, bent into an aggressive crouch, a low growl coming from his chest. Ben shied away from him and I hurriedly ran over to the pair, putting a hand on Teren's back.
I knew the reason for Teren's overreaction, but poor Hot Ben would never understand. Teren had helplessly watched me be brutally attacked before, and had vowed to never let that happen again. While Ben wasn't exactly harming me like our maniac captor had, the instinct to defend me was still the same. Teren would never let anyone harm me again, even a friend.
I rubbed soothing circles into Teren's back, urging him to calm down. He looked at me, his fangs extended and a mean sneer still on his face. Seeing my concerned face, his entire body relaxed. Closing his eyes, he sighed and lightly shook his head. When he opened them again, he was calm again, his fangs hidden away. With a sheepish face, he turned to Ben and extended a hand. "Sorry, man. I get a little...protective of her. I didn't mean to do that." I squeezed Teren's arm while he extended his hand farther to Ben. "I really wish you hadn't walked in here."
Ben stared at his hand, like it might ram through his chest at any second. Looking terrified, he whimpered, "Are you going to eat me now?"
Teren retracted his hand when it was obvious Hot Ben wasn't going to touch him. Rolling his eyes, a small laugh escaped him. "Yeah, Ben, I'm gonna drain you dry."
His tone was incredibly sarcastic, but I elbowed him in the ribs anyway. Ben didn't catch the teasing note in Teren's voice and looked about to be sick. "Oh god..."
I sighed and squatted in front of him, putting my hands on his shoulders. "He's joking, Ben. He's not going to kill you." I rolled my eyes and threw a glare at Teren over my shoulder.
Teren sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm still the same person, Ben. I'm still the same smartass that goes fishing with you, and jokes with you about Tracey's shoe fetish." His hands patted his chest as his brows scrunched in hopelessness. "I'm still me. This is just a part of...me, but it doesn't change my character. I'm still the same guy that you know. Am I a killer?"
Ben grudgingly looked over my shoulder at him. Inhaling a calming breath, he kept his gaze locked on Teren's. I could practically see the courage building in him, as he considered all the times that Teren could have killed him, if he'd really wanted to. He obviously hadn't, Ben was still a breathing human being, so maybe he was piecing it together that being a vampire, didn't automatically make you bad.
With a shake of his head and a much clearer voice he said, "You're...a vampire."
Teren extended his hand to Ben again, his face nearly begging Ben to take it. "Yes...and I'd never kill you."
Ben eyed him for long moments as I moved away from the two friends. Finally, Ben nodded and took his hand. Ben stared at that hand while Teren effortlessly pulled him up. "I really am sorry about flinging you into a wall," Teren said sheepishly.
Ben didn't respond to that, just kept staring at Teren's hand after they separated. Finally he pointed at it. "Is that why you're always so cold?" Teren shrugged and nodded. Ben ran a hand down his face as he slowly shook his head back and forth. "I can't believe this." He looked over at me, slowly buttoning back up my shirt. "And you've known about this?"
I bit my lip and then nodded. "From nearly day one." I walked over to Teren and grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together and gazing up at him adoringly. He looked back at me, adoration clear on his face too, although, I could see the worry in there. He'd really loved his time with Hot Ben. I looked back to Ben, my voice as confident as my gaze. "Believe me, when I say that you don't have to worry about him hurting you...or me...or any human." I shrugged as Ben's mouth dropped open a little. "He doesn't eat people."
Ben's still startled face shifted to take in the embarrassing stain right over my breast. Damn, I'd really liked this shirt too. Teren followed his gaze and coughed once, a little embarrassed. "Um, that wasn't really eating..." He looked back at Ben, a devilish half-smile on his face. "That was more...foreplay."
Ben's eyes widened again and then he shook his head, running both hands down his face and then back through his hair. He seemed a little confused as to how drawing blood could possibly be erotic. Oh, if he only knew...
Teren put a hand on Ben's shoulder and Ben looked up at him, his beautiful face an odd combination of horror and wonder. As I thought of his panicked reaction, I started remembering my own initial reaction. Teren had always said I was rare. As I watched Ben's eyes slightly widen as they focused on where Teren was touching him, and I remembered Teren telling me that nearly every other girl he'd ever told, had had much the same reaction as Ben, I came to appreciate just how rare and odd my initial reaction had been. And what a relief that must have been to Teren. I squeezed his hand tighter.
In a soothing voice, Teren spoke to Ben, as one would a person going through shock. "Ben, I know this is hard to take in and I'll admit, having you know about this, would make our friendship so much easier..." he shook his head, a heavy sadness in his eyes, "but, if this freaks you out too much, you don't need to remember it." He shrugged on the end of that and looked resigned that, either way, things would be different. And I suppose they would. Ben would either remember, and have to come to terms with Teren's reality, or he'd have his mind wiped, and Teren would have to deal with the fact that his best friend couldn't accept him for what he really was. I squeezed his hand even tighter and he lightly squeezed back.
He dropped his hand from Ben's shoulder as Ben gave him a blank look. "What do you mean?" Ben backed up a step, like Teren was about to do something. "What are you gonna do to me?"
Teren sighed, cocking his head and muttering something under his breath. I wondered what, but figured he was probably speaking to his family. They had to know what was going on. Well, maybe not Halina, since she was probably still sleeping. Teren sighed again before answering him. "I won't do anything... but when Halina wakes up-"
"Halina?" Ben interrupted, his eyebrows furrowing into perfectly attractive points. "Your step-mom's hot sister?" Teren started to speak, but I could see the light go off in Ben's brain as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. "Oh, god...she's one too." He cocked his head at Teren. "Did you turn her?" His eyes hardened just a bit at that, like, if Teren said yes, then he was going to kick his ass. I bit my lip to stop the inappropriate laughter that was bubbling inside of me.
Teren gave him a half-smile and shook his head. "No, actually, she's my great-grandmother, and she's the one that...spawned all of us." Teren chuckled lightly then and I couldn't help but match him.