Page 56 of Wounded Soul
Jesse automatically stepped in front of Ian and narrowed his eyes. Peter had more reasons to want Ian dead then he did for keeping him a vampire. “Stay the fuck away from him.”
“Or what?” He smirked. “You’ll kill me?” He looked amused rather than scared. “My, my, Jesse, how you’ve changed in the last few hours.”
“That’s what you get for killing someone I care about.”
Peter scoffed. “You knew him for like ten minutes.” Jesse wasn’t fooled. If Peter truly believed that, then Ian would still be alive.
“Sometimes that’s all it takes.” Jesse wanted to check on Ian, make sure he wasn’t coming round yet, but he daren’t take his eyes off Peter.
“My offer of help still stands. It’s in my interest to make sure his transition goes smoothly.”
Jesse wasn’t convinced. “You want to keep an eye on him.”
“That too.”
“So you can kill him again?” Jesse took a step towards him, tension rippling through him. “Like you said, he’s walking proof that you broke the agreement.”
“That we both broke it,” Peter reminded him.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” Jesse muttered, repeating himself, but the idea he was as much to blame as Peter wasn’t something he wanted to think about.
Peter sneered. “You turned someone without their consent. That’s just as bad in the eyes of the VLCD.”
“He was already dead,” Jesse hissed. “I couldn’t exactly ask him.” He didn’t bother adding that it had been a mistake of sorts. That he’d never meant for this to happen.
“Semantics. You broke the agreement and that’s all the vamp cops will care about.” Peter’s smug look grated on his last nerve. Especially because he was right.
Ian twitched, fingers flexing against the concrete, drawing both of their attention.
“Do you want my help? Yes or no? Because soon we’re going to have a bigger problem if we don’t get him locked away with some blood ready.”
It wasn’t what Jesse wanted, but with Raph away, what fucking choice did he have? He didn’t want to involve anyone else, and Peter already knew... “Fine.”
“Don’t sound too grateful.”
Jesse stared at him, incredulous. “It’s your fault we’re here in the first place.”
Peter’s eyes darkened for a moment. “I couldn’t help myself.” He darted forward and stroked his hand down Jesse’s cheek, gone again too quick for Jesse to react. “I’ll go get the blood from the kitchen. You take him to your room.” He disappeared, leaving Jesse seething, the touch of Peter’s fingers like a stain on his skin.
As Jesse lifted Ian into his arms once more, he realised that Peter hadn’t answered his question.
Did he mean to kill Ian?
To get rid of the one person who could implicate them both.
Of course he fucking did.
He’d have to keep an eye on Peter and make sure he was never alone with Ian.
How he was going to do that was another thing entirely.
Opening Lys’s door, he slipped inside, pulling it quietly closed behind him.
Her room was conveniently located next to the staircase, with Jesse’s room almost immediately above. He’d never been more grateful for having inhuman speed as he swept up the staircase and finally into the safety of his room, locking the door behind him.
Ian’s hand clenched, his fingers curling in, then opening as though he was grasping for something.
Jesse laid him out on top of the bed. His clothes were filthy from the alleyway, and Jesse bit his lip wondering whether to change them or not.
