Turned

Chapter Seventy Six

I kept Matt away from him as much as possible, especially after Leo figured it out for himself. The look of shock and horror on his face was horrific, I'd never wanted to cause someone so much pain, yet I had to try and work out who made him into a monstrous creature.

He had so many questions, for both me and Matt. I understood why he would, why he was angry we'd hidden it from him but what choice did I have? If he knew, got drunk and spilled my secret, there would be a few who would believe the 'unbelievable' tale, something I was more than worried about.

"Why didn't you tell me, Jack?!" he screeched, pushing me into the wall. Matt tried to pull him off but the sheer strength that flowed through Leo's veins made it impossible to pull him off. I stood, motionless, never once taking a breath as he pinned me by my throat, up against that very wall. "Damn you!" he snapped, throwing me off, or at least trying. 

"Matt, back away" I hissed.

I used my strength to pull him off me and onto the ground but the anger in his eyes burnt brightly, I could see it, I recognised it... in myself. I pinned him to the ground, hoping I'd see it pass but he tried to throw me off, his strength surprising to me. He pushed me off, punching me in the face quickly. I took it, but he wouldn't stop trying to hurt me. I ducked one of his blows, only for Matt to be on the receiving end.

I smelt his blood as he held his nose. I grabbed Leo and threw him into my room. I texted Caleb, begging him to take Leo in, I hoped he'd accept, surprised and actually happy when he came to pick Leo up.

"You owe me" he warned as he left the house with Leo.

I knocked on the bathroom door. Matt kept it shut as I knocked again. "It's me, can I come in?"

There was an eerie silence as the door creaked open. He back up away from me in a slight state of fear as his nose poured with blood. I didn't feel too tempted, I just cleaned it up, tilting his head back.

"I am so sorry"

"It isn't your fault" he insisted as he spat blood. "It must be quite tempting for you, I'm quite surprised you're okay"

"I'm more concerned about you" I replied gently. 

"It isn't broken" he promised.

I held the tissue in place, washing my fingers off as the tissue soaked with blood. "You're losing a lot of blood, be very careful"

"Shame you can't heal me" Matt commented, half-jokingly as he held his nose. 

I wished for the same thing, to be able to heal him but without turning him, I couldn't. He held his nose as I handed him tissues, holding them on his nose as they turned from white to red. 

"It's slowing" I promised as I held the tissues in place.

"Are you sure?" Matt asked.

"I can feel it" I replied. 

"Can I ask you... is it tempting for you?" Matt asked.

"No, I'm not... I'm not tempted, I have to look after you, that's all I care about right now... I'm just sorry you've had to experience two newly turned vampires"

"Jack... you were nothing like Leo, you never hurt me"

"I bit you" I pointed out.

"I let you"

I didn't know what to say, I just hugged him, smiling a little bit. He did let me bite him, he let me drink but I couldn't kill him, I wouldn't do it.

I tended his wounds, thankfully they weren't too bad but bad enough for me to feel ashamed of Leo, all his aggression was coming out, all of it was being aimed at me, for whatever reason.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I think it's stopped" he commented.

"Almost" I replied with certainty.

I binned the bloody tissues and fetched him a new shirt. I didn't know if he knew all there was to know about me, but I was scared, I was scared of losing my balance, unable to stop myself from biting him or anyone but I was getting better, much better.

Sometimes, I felt like a monster, sometimes like a man. I didn't tell him that, I didn't want to scare him, especially after Leo... what happened to him, what he did to Matt. That was mean, cruel, no other way to describe that. He was a monster now, the outside matched the inside and what I peeked at, was a monster.

I hoped that Leo would learn, under Caleb's wing but a part of me couldn't see Leo changing, if he was evil in the human life, they were probably worse in their immortal one and I didn't see Leo as being much, if any different. I was scared of losing Matt, if Leo's hunger grew too much but admittedly, I was surprised Caleb even cared about what happened to me, he was a strange creature, a very strange one.

"Jack, are you feeling okay?" Matt asked as he looked at me.

"Fine, thank you" I replied with a gentle, persuasive smile.

He put his new shirt on and emptied the bin. He didn't need to, I was fine, better than I used to be. With age, thankfully came control, something I desperately needed, something I couldn't be me without. Without control, I'd become a monster, without control I'd be evil, I'd feed daily, I'd kill the innocent and monsters.

"Do you need me to take you to the hospital?" I offered.

"No, not at all" he replied.

"My brother, I love you like one" I promised.

"And I you, like a brother" he replied.

"I just don't want you to get seriously ill, because of me" I replied quickly.

"It's just a nosebleed, it's not your fault and it wasn't you who did this, Leo did. Besides, I've had enough of hospitals, I hate them so much"

"He is your friend, I know but if I have to, I will destroy him, to stop him hurting anyone else" I promised.