Sanctuary

Chapter Ten

Note - gets a little heated towards the end of this chapter, but just kissing. Like I said, no nsfw content in this book

Jake slept for three days straight. During that time, Daegel only left his side when the others pried him away to feed. At first he refused to move, snapping at them and growling protectively over Jake. They had finally gotten him to move by convincing him to do so for Jake's safety. If Daegel went long enough without feeding, who was to say he wouldn't try to eat Jake? When true hunger took over, Daegel's vampire body would look for any source of food. Any. So he relented, with Onyx often being the one to watch over Jake. The rest of the time Daegel curled up around Jake's form like a puppy, cradling the human like he was the most precious thing in the world.

Waiting was agonizing. The vampire constantly went over what happened in the movie theater. Jake's staring, the awkwardness, the blushing, the kiss...

Daegel liked Jake, a LOT. Everything about him was great, he was absolutely adorable and funny. Beneath the broken, damaged kid was a hilarious, sweet young man who wanted nothing more than the family he had always been denied. In the short time he had been with them, Jake had gone from depressed and suicidal to having a reason to smile every time he woke up. It truly was beautiful.

That is until Daegel broke his heart.

He would never forgive himself. Even if they were together and happy a hundred years from now, Daegel would still despise himself for the day he hurt Jake so badly. Despite the progress Jake had made, he was still damaged. Constantly he still doubted himself and questioned when good things happened to him. Part of him still believed that he didn't deserve to live, let alone be happy. When Daegel had paused, a reaction of shock and pure joy, had been interpreted as a rejection and it had torn the teen apart. Daegel pulled him closer. When Jake woke up, Daegel was going to make damn sure that Jake never doubted himself again, never felt so much pain he took the only way out life offered.

Jake groaned softly and started to stir, causing Daegel to nearly fall off of the bunk from surprise. Quickly, he sat up, cradling Jake's body against his own and stroking his hair. "Jake? Jake! Please, open your eyes." Clutching the pale man's hand desperately, Daegel comforted him as he whimpered. "Shh, it's okay, I'm right here."

Jake's eyes fluttered open, hazy with confusion and disorientation, not quite registering anything. "Dae... Daegel?" He whispered, looking around the small bunk. "Wh... what..."

Daegel bit his bottom lip, which was raw from doing it so often. "I... we're back at the bus... you've been asleep for three days. Do you... remember what happened?"

Apparently he did. Jake paled and his eyes widened as clarity hit him. Daegel felt him stiffen, his hand pulling away from Daegel's grip. Briefly, he met Daegel's eyes, before looking away. The vampire's heart jerked sharply as he saw the familiar look of misery and self-loathing on his face.

"I-I'm sorry." He muttered, already cringing away from Daegel, expecting some kind of retribution for not only what happened in the movie theater, but also for causing so much trouble with yet another botched suicide attempt. Why was Daegel even here... wait, this was Daegel's bunk. Why was he here? Surely Daegel was disgusted with him. Why was Jake here, being held by him? Strong fingers grasped his chin, turning his head so that he was looking right up at the vampire. He gasped. Daegel's eyes were bloodshot and he looked absolutely miserable.

"Jake, I'm the one who's sorry. I did this to you, it's my fault." Jake was speechless as Daegel stroked his hair. "I didn't mean to hurt you. When you kissed me in the theater, I couldn't have been happier." An awkward yet adorable smile graced Jake's eyes. "I've been thinking of doing that to you since I saw you in that bar. I held back because... I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to push you into something you weren't ready for. When I almost lost you... Jake I am so sorry."