Recover: Book 2 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

48: Fairness Is a Fickle Feeling

The first night on the outskirts of Dublin was pretty uneventful. Jayce, Ben, and I ducked out to the shops to get us some food for our AirBnB. Then we spent the night chatting, playing games, and eating.

When Ben whisked Ollie away to their room, I decided it was time to throw my headphones in and try to sleep myself. Though trying to fall asleep with headphones on was more than a little difficult... Especially when I knew what I was trying to block out.

The next day passed almost just the same, though this time we ventured out for a while to walk the surrounding area before retreating when the drizzle came in.

Curled up around the fire, we spent the afternoon in one long, intense game of monopoly. Erica and Jayce weren't talking by the end of it after much magical cheating was used. I was mostly glad Erica didn't flip the board to be honest...

As Jayce sat on the couch, watching a movie on TV, and Ben and Ollie busied themselves by half watching the movie, half gazing at each other or lacing their fingers together, I decided to excuse myself to my room to turn in for the night for a shower, a book, and then bed. I was hoping I'd fall asleep before Ben and Ollie started their night time intimacy—which was becoming a regular occurrence the more she started to let him in. Though they still hadn't gone the whole way by the sounds of it...

But as I climbed into bed after my shower, ready to finish reading my original edition of Jane Eyre for the last time, a knock sounded on my door.

Putting my book back on the bedside table, I got up and walked over to the door to open it.

Erica stood on the other side, hair damp, already in her pyjamas as she blinked at me in an unamused manner.

"What's up?" I asked.

Rolling her eyes, she placed a hand on my shoulder, shoving me to the side as she strolled into my room and sat on my bed.

My brows furrowed in confusion, but she simply said, "Close the door."

Hesitantly, I did as requested then gingerly padded across the room, taking a seat next to her curious as to what this could be about. Did she want to talk about something in private?

Next I knew, she thrusted her arm in front of my face, the delicate underside of her wrist right under my nose.

Heaving a sigh, I grabbed her hand and moved her arm out of the way, back into her space, knowing without her words what she wanted.

Nonetheless, she insisted, "You need to drink."

"I'll go find an animal," I replied.

But she shook her head at me. "I'm not cleaning up more messes, Lukas."

"It was one lapse in judgement," I breathed, feeling the shame wash over me that she was still hanging it over my head.

"I know you won't talk to me about what caused it, so all I can assume is next time will be worse. Next time I won't be there to stop you, and you will have a death on your hands." Then she thrust her wrist in my face once more. "So drink."

As I watched the ever so slight pulsing under her skin, I could already feel my mouth watering at the idea of drinking warm blood again. But knowing it would be witch blood and not human (even animals tasted better than witches—mostly because witches were my kind, so it tasted a little wrong), I felt a little turned off at the idea of drinking from Erica as I remembered what that man's blood tasted like instead. But echoing in louder bursts through my brain was that I had promised myself I'd drink from Ollie next.

As I took a moment to close my eyes and take a deep breath to quell the tears that threatened to sting my eyes again, the gentle thud up the stairs followed by Ben and Ollie's whispers brought me back to reality.