Recover: Book 2 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

22: Take Him Out

The door was unlocked when I arrived, so I entered into the foyer, removed my jacket, and walked in, waiting for the wrath of my friends to overwhelm me.

And it only took a moment.

"Lukas!" Ivan exclaimed as he descended the stairway to the ground floor.

"Lukas?" I heard Loren's voice call from the top floor.

"Did someone say Lukas?" Jayce's voice echoed from the first.

I heaved a sigh. "Yes. I'm here," I said a little louder for the whole house to hear. At once, they all appeared in front of me. Ivan ran at me, throwing his arms around my shoulders. Then suddenly Drake was embracing me from the side. Jayce and Loren joined the pile at another stage. "I'd like to breathe," I managed to get through my windpipe.

"Vampires don't need to breathe," Jayce said from behind me, but he stepped back, letting me go. And as he pulled away, everyone else finally did too, allowing me to get more air into my lungs.

"We missed you," Loren said. "You should have called."

Shaking my head, I replied, "I needed the break."

"Well... It seems to have worked. You're glowing," Ivan said.

"That's something you say to pregnant people, Iv—" But as I started to joke with him, the two reasons I left the house emerged from separate areas of the house. Erica, coming up from the basement, first looked at me with a myriad of emotions—wistfulness, sadness, and joy. And Ben, coming down from the stairway sported that same yearning he always had... even though six months had passed. Thankfully, they stayed where they were on the other side of the room.

"Where's your dad?" was the first thing I said to Ben, and he flinched in response, evidently wanting more from me.

"He will be here any minute," he mumbled.

"Lukas?" Erica's voice popped out through the crowd of boys, causing everyone muttering to fall silent. "Can we talk for a moment in private?"

Meeting her crestfallen gaze, I gave her a small nod and followed her down to the media room.

Alone, she casted a deadening spell, ensuring it was just us privy to the conversation.

"You look great," she said, meeting my eyes with earnestness swirling in her stare.

"Thanks," I mumbled. "You too." But as my eyes trailed over her, I felt nothing. No longing. No sense that I missed her. She was just another person who lived in this house... an old friend.

"Where have you been?"

"In London."

"Where?"

"I can't tell you."

"What about your studies?"

"I've been studying."

"At what university?" But as I opened my mouth to speak, she answered for me, "Let me guess... you can't tell me?"

Pressing my lips together, I nodded.

"You know... I saw you that night."

I already knew when she was referring to. Nonetheless, feigning ignorance, I replied, "What night?"

"Who is she?" Erica asked, not playing my game.

Heaving a sigh, I said, "Just some human."

Erica looked to the ground. "Ben told me you ran from here because you couldn't stand facing me anymore."