Boris and the Vampire (Legends of Pinewood 2)

You Have To Keep Him

Etienne was still fast asleep in the dark long after my alarm clock rang.

I, on the other hand, got little sleep. Every little sound outside had me wide awake and fighting the urge to run to Etienne's room to check if he was still there and safe. At one point, I almost snuck into his room to sleep on the floor just so I could calm my frazzled nerves. But that was ridiculous and definitely wouldn't make my situation any better. The longer I spent with Etienne, the stronger the mating instincts (that I refused to call mating instincts) would get, and the larger the chance that the other werewolves would notice before I could nip it in the bud.

I had to stop this. There was an important meeting coming up that could mean the difference between fighting the vampires or not, and I couldn't be distracted.

Thankfully, I could leave Etienne behind in bed for now with an excuse that he was too tired to attend. It wasn't even a lie. He was too tired, and he did need rest.

That was why I didn't feel too bad sneaking out the backdoor in the morning before the sun was even out, and heading to the meeting place alone without taking Etienne with me. It worried me I had to fight myself once again, even harder now, because my body told me to stay home and protect him.

It was for the best that I went alone and left Etienne. When I arrived at the meeting place, our pack's community center, I immediately noticed it had been the right call. With one sniff I realised Nathan was there and a jolt of anger coursed through my body. My heart raced. How could Ivana allow Nathan in the building when she knew there was a chance I'd bring Etienne with me?

Before entering the building, I took a few deep breaths, knowing I needed to control myself. I needed to believe Ivana had a reason to invite Nathan.

When I had finally gathered the calm I needed for the meeting, I walked inside and found only two people waiting for me: Ivana and Nathan. It seemed this wasn't the official meeting yet, but something even more terrifying. A tribunal in which our pack leader was going to decide who of us was guilty of causing this mess.

I ignored Nathan, only nodding in greeting at Ivana. and took a seat at the table. From her, I had maybe expected anger, something, but the silence and blank expression I got was somehow worse.

Clenching and unclenching my first under the table, I waited for Ivana to speak. The silence lingered for a while longer, and then Nathan was the one to speak, not Ivana.

"Well?" he asked. "Do you want to explain what the fuck happened in that factory, Boris?"

"Me?" I bristled. "What happened is that I found Etienne more dead than alive, even for a vampire, on the floor! And I had to hear it from a toddler who should've never been exposed to this scene!"

Nathan and Ivana glanced at each other. I suddenly felt like an outsider.

"And I have Etienne accusing you of doing this to him," I added sharply, looking at Nathan.

Nathan's eyes went wide. "I didn't!"

His heart started pounding. I couldn't tell if that was because he was lying or angry about being falsely accused, because Nathan was always quickly agitated. He also seemed to notice my pointed silence.

"You don't believe the leech, do you?" he asked incredulously.

It was clear Nathan expected me to say no right away because when I hesitated for a moment, he got even more visibly upset. Furrowed lines appeared on his forehead. "You are truly believing him over me?"

"He was in the factory with claw marks and you already came to my door once to threaten him with your friends," I reminded Nathan, to which he raised his hands in a helpless gesture.