BANE

CHAPTER EIGHT - BLEED (Part 2)

Holden remembered once his mind cleared late the following afternoon what Corbin and Victor had told him about tracking the GPS on his phone. Although he had almost confessed to Corbin about his deal with Lorelei the previous day, Holden was now relieved that they had been interrupted. Still, he worried about how Corbin would react if he discovered it on his own, and had to admit that the violation of privacy bothered him. Holden decided the best course of action for the time being was to replace the phone Corbin had given him with one of his own. /New phone. I need to see you./ He texted Lorelei as he rode the elevator back up to the apartment.

He entered to find Victor eating takeout food with Layla at their dining room table. "Vic?"

"Where were you?" Corbin entered the room when he heard Holden come home. He turned to his sister and best friend. "Did you two know he was gone?"

"I assumed you were both still napping," She shrugged.

Victor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? They nap together often?"

"If one falls the other usually follows... Like puppies," Layla said with a cheeky grin in her brother's direction.

"Shut up both of you. Holden?"

Holden tossed his old phone on the dining room table and it landed with a clatter. "I got a new phone."

"What? Why?"

"Well for one thing, it's old. More importantly, so that I don't have you tracking my every move," Holden stared him down.

"I don't. Yesterday was the first time I ever used it, I swear."

Victor came to his friend's defense. "And it was a good thing, too! There's no chance in hell that I would have found you yesterday without it. Lord knows when anyone would have found you on that road."

Corbin gave a nod in agreement and turned his attention back to Holden. "The only reason I did it was because you texted me that you were with Blake and then went silent. No more texts, no answering my calls, nothing. I was worried, and rightly so. I trust you, Holden, you know that."

Holden's guilt swelled once more, particularly because he got this new phone to as a way to hide his communication with Lorelei and Stella. "You still should've told me. You drugged me for the first month that I lived here, so I'm not really sure how low you might go," Wrong, wrong. Holden was angry at himself for saying those words, he hadn't meant to attack Corbin like that, especially not in front of the others. "... Sorry, I guess I'm just tense from yesterday."

"Both of you, come sit and eat. The four of us should talk about what's been going on," The men obediently followed her orders, and Layla turned to Holden. "Here's what I know so far... I've been drawn to you like a magnet since the first night I met you. I've taken in half a dozen humans over the years, but you were definitely different. Not to mention that Corbin attacked you within minutes of meeting you – my brother is impulsive, but that was unusual, even for him. He's been drinking your blood since you cut your hand the following day, right?"

Corbin and Holden exchanged uncomfortable looks. "Right..."

"And when did you start? Around the time you asked me if our bites were contagious like in vampire stories?"

Holden was stunned into silence. Had Layla been aware of it the entire time? What else did she know, and how? "How did you...?"

"I have been getting stronger, but you're actually incredibly easy to read into. My guess, you're probably a high level empath," She explained.

"Does that mean that Callie and Gordan can pick up on things going on with him too?" Corbin asked and his sister nodded in response. "Oh God that makes so much sense now..."