Teeth

Chapter Nineteen

August had left the house shortly after sunset and Thomas spent the entire night waiting for him to return. He stalked the corridors, paced in front of the front door, sat on the steps and stared at the few stars he could see through the city lights. His stomach tied itself in knots and gnawed at him in hunger despite having drained half a football team the night before. He ignored the pain. He wasn't going to risk hunting only to miss August's return. Anyway, he'd not been out without Spencer's guidance and he wasn't about to start now.

A fire of orange and pink lit the sky as dawn approached. He'd moved away from the door after being glared at and stood on the opposite side of the road, watching, waiting. Spencer liked to smoke before dawn. He had his spot out on the balcony with a much better view of the approaching sun. Thomas probably would have been there but he wasn't going to miss August's return for a red sky and a mouthful of smoke. He didn't smoke anyway, it was bad for you. Death was bad for you too but that didn't seem as important somehow.

It didn't matter. Spencer was not on the balcony. For some reason he was enjoying his cigarette somewhere else this morning. That fact only made Thomas's stomach clench all the harder because he knew that reason was named Paige.

He took a seat on a bench on a small patch of grass opposite the house. His knee bobbed in an irregular rhythm and his fingers drummed against his arm. What if August wasn't returning today? What if he was taking over the watch on Paige and Thomas wouldn't be able to find him until it was too late?

Sure enough, the moment he began failing to formulate a plan, a man appeared at the end of the road, jogging along the sidewalk, blonde hair lit peach by the sunrise. He glanced over at Thomas as he came nearer and, with a roll of his eyes Thomas spotted even from his distant position, he stopped.

"Get it over with, Tom," August drawled. "I've had a long night and I doubt you would like to enjoy the day as a lobster."

Thomas got to his feet and hurried across the road. Shadows spilled and spread the closer the sun came. August stopped at the bottom of the stairs and waved his hand for Thomas to speak. The door opened a crack at the top of the stairs but Thomas paid it no mind.

"You can't kill Paige," Thomas said quickly.

"Oh, is that so?"

He shook his head. He didn't want to anger August and he knew that the man was perfectly capable of killing Paige. The fact he was so capable of the act was what had him so worried in the first place.

"No, you... you can, I mean, you could. Please don't!"

August brushed his thumb across his bottom lip with a smile.

"I meant what I said. I'll turn her. I'll take the punishment," Thomas insisted, stepping forward. August held his hand up, halting him.

Taking a deep breath in through his nose, Thomas could smell the dry grass, ready for cutting. The open air was fresh and clean. Sweat and skin came from August but underneath that lay something else. There was another scent, another person. After the jokes about stealing Spencer's man as well as his clothes, Thomas wondered for a second whether it was the young vampire he could smell but that wasn't it. This scent was sweeter, softer, feminine, and made his mouth water with the taste of elderflower and warm honey.

Thomas's gaze snapped to August's eyes. He gritted his teeth.

"You saw her?"

"Good, you're learning," August replied with a broad smirk. "After the fiasco with the drug binge, I thought perhaps you were not being taught properly."

"What did you do?" Thomas demanded. He balled his hands into fists, his breath coming sharply.

"You knew I would never be able to accept your offer to take her place, Thomas."