I nodded and shifted my attention back to my phone to send Julian another text.
Ridley just sent a text. She said Benji is awake. — Mina
I knew he would be soon.
Where do you think your brother went from Love Street? — Mina
No telling. He won’t go back to the game. Not after he was spotted there. That much I know.
“Julian says he doesn’t think Roman will come back here,” I said, relaying the text to Eli.
“I don’t think he would either. He’d either return to his hiding place, or try to grab someone from somewhere else.”
A new text came through from Julian.
What does Eli want to do?
“He wants to know what you want to do next,” I said to Eli.
He sighed. His hands moved to cup his head, and he spun around searching the area as though he were out of ideas.
“All I can think to do is keep someone here, a group maybe, just in case, and send another group to search around Love Street for him.”
“That’s probably a good idea. Are you staying here?”
Eli nodded. “Yeah. I’ll call Dorian and tell his group to move to Love Street. Then I’ll tell Tate to head my way with his, and we’ll make sure Roman doesn’t come back.”
“You sure you’re going to be able to handle being around all these people?”
“When I’m here in the parking lot, I’m okay.”
“All right, just checking,” I said.
“Julian should go with you to see Benji,” Eli suggested. “I’m sure he’ll be looking for answers to what he is and what happened.”
Crap. I hadn’t thought of that.
I shot Julian a text.
Care to head over to visit Benji with me? — Mina
Eli okay with that?
It was his idea. — Mina
What’s he doing about Roman?
Continuing the search. — Mina
Okay. Yeah, I’ll come with you. Benji will be confused. He may also be aggressive.
I didn’t want to think about an aggressive Benji. He was too sweet of a guy. However, I knew waking as a vampire might make another version of him shine through.
Meet me in the parking lot of the high school. — Mina
I tucked my phone away and glanced at Eli. He stood with his arms folded across his solid chest. His eyes darted from person to person as he continued to search for Roman.
“Julian is coming with me. He’s meeting me here in the parking lot.”
“I think that’s probably for the best,” Eli said. His gaze softened as his eyes locked with mine. “Look, I know Benji is your friend, but please be careful around him. He’s new to the vampire thing and might not be able to control himself.”
I stepped closer and placed a kiss to his lips. “I will be. Promise. You be careful too. If you find Roman, text me.”
“I will.” Eli grabbed my waist and pulled me flush against his body. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” I said just before Julian appeared at our side.
“Ready?” he asked, oblivious to the moment Eli and I had been sharing.
I nodded. My teeth sank into my bottom lip. An empty feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Eli behind when he seemed to be having such difficulty being in a crowd of this size. However, the feeling was also because I had no idea if Benji would be the same person now that he was a vampire.
Would he be out of control and consumed by bloodlust? Would he remember who everyone was? Would he be pissed because of what happened? What would he say to Ridley when he found out she’d been the one to give the go-ahead? Would he try to hurt her for what she’d agreed to?
God, I hoped not.
As I walked with Julian to his car, my insides quivered with more what-ifs surrounding Benji. I prayed he would still be the same guy I’d always known.
For Ridley’s sake.
3
Julian cut the engine of his car when we pulled up in front of the Caraway Inn. I stared at the house, looking for any indication of what was happening behind its closed doors. Everything appeared calm. Normal. As though there wasn’t a newly transitioned vampire somewhere within its walls.
It was funny how looks could be so damn deceiving, especially in the supernatural world.
Benji had been here the entire time. Ridley had wanted him close. Besides, with the Montevallos helping to find their brother and the rotations the pack were placed on, Benji being at the Caraways’ had seemed like the best idea. At least someone would always be with him.
“Are you ready for this? I know you and Benji were close. I can sense how anxiety-ridden you are right now,” Julian said.
I was over the whole empathic thing. It was becoming a privacy issue at this point between him and Eli always knowing what I was feeling.
“We are close. Not were. He survived and is alive. Sort of,” I said.
“Right. Sorry.”
“And, yeah. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” I gripped the passenger door handle and popped it open.
My lungs pulled in a deep, greedy breath. After I exhaled, I slipped out of Julian’s car.
Regardless of what I saw once I stepped inside the house, I knew I had to remain calm. Freaking out wasn’t going to make the situation any better. I needed to be calm for Ridley too. As hard as it might be for me to see the new Benji, I knew it had to be ten times harder for her.
I wondered how she was handling everything. She’d been the one who agreed to allow Benji to be turned. I knew all about the level of guilt that came with a decision like that. I knew about the worries that crept into your mind and took over. I’d been there. My situation had turned out okay, and I hoped Ridley’s did too.
My palms grew clammy as Julian and I neared the house. Before either of us reached the first step to the porch, the front door opened. Rowena Caraway peeked out. Her eyes seemed glazed over and wild-looking. Her hair was a mess, and her face was free of makeup. It was the first time I’d ever witnessed her look so rumpled.
The night at the Pendergrass farm came flooding back. She’d looked distraught then, but it had been because of her concern for Ridley. What I saw on her face now wasn’t concern or worry—it was fear.
Was she afraid of Benji? Was he freaking out in regards to what he’d become? I imagined he was, but was he being violent?
My throat grew dry. If Rowena looked this bad, then how was Ridley doing?
My feet faltered. Did I want to step inside the house? Did I want to see a completely different version of my friend? Was I strong enough to pretend it didn’t faze me if that was the case?
“Thank goodness you’re here,” Rowena whispered. Her voice quivered when she spoke. It amped up my anxiety tenfold. Whatever was happening with Benji couldn’t be good.
“Where is he?” Julian asked. His tone was low like hers, but it was firm and in control.
Rowena stepped out onto the porch and closed the front door behind her. Her arms folded over her chest.
“In the attic. I’m glad we placed him there because when he woke he went into a blind rage.” She blinked rapidly as though fighting against the memory or quite possibly tears. It was hard to tell. “He seemed to be reliving the moment he was attacked by Roman. I didn’t know if we would be able to calm him down. Thankfully, I’d placed a cloak up from Jasper Ward to keep my guests from hearing noises in the attic. That being said, I’m not sure how much longer my crystals will stand up against his strength. He wants out of that room, but I’m afraid he’ll hurt someone if he escapes.”
My heartbeat grew sluggish as her words replayed in my mind. I couldn’t begin to imagine how scared Benji was when he woke thinking he was still back at the farm with Roman tearing into his throat.
“Is Ridley okay?” I asked.
Rowena shook her head. “No. I tried talking to her, but I can tell she doesn’t hear a word. Seeing him so hysterical caused her to shut down.”
An ache for her built in my chest.
“Where is she? Can I talk to her?” I stepped forward.
“She’s just inside the door.” Rowena motioned for me to head inside the house.
“Take me to the attic. Let me talk to Benji,” Julian insisted. “Maybe I’ll be able to calm him.”
“How do you plan to do that?” Rowena asked. I continued up the porch steps and slipped past her.
When I cracked the front door open, Ridley was perched on the bottom step of the staircase leading to the second floor. Her eyes were unfocused and her face pale. She looked like a hot mess. My heart bled for her.
“Hey,” I said, but she didn’t seem to hear me. “You okay?” The words came from my mouth automatically, even though it was clear from one look at her she wasn’t okay. She was far from it, actually.
I crept to her. She didn’t move.
“I’ll explain what’s happened to him. Focus on what he’s feeling,” Julian said. He and Rowena stepped inside. “He’s most likely confused and scared. He needs to understand what he is now. What he’s feeling and why. While he might be awake, that doesn’t mean he’s completed the transition. He has to feed first. Did you give him the bags of blood I had Ivette bring over?”
“I did. I left them in the room with him,” Rowena said.
“Good. Has he tried one yet? The scent should have called to him.”
“I’m not sure.”
“He hates me,” Ridley whispered.
I placed a hand on hers. “He doesn’t hate you. He just doesn’t understand what’s happened. Like Julian said, he’s confused.”
“No.” Her eyes lifted to mine. Guilt and pain radiated from her. “He hates me. You didn’t see the way he looked at me. I swear he wanted to kill me, Mina.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“He’s not himself right now,” Julian insisted. He crossed to where Ridley and I sat on the bottom step. I watched as he knelt down in front of her. “When a vampire first wakes, they’re disoriented, distraught, and plagued by the memories of their death, especially if it was brought on by a traumatic event. It plays on repeat, making them think they’re reliving it. They wake in fight or flight mode. Combine that with heightened senses and an insatiable hunger for blood, and it makes for the perfect cocktail of rage.”
My stomach flip-flopped. That sounded awful. I hated that Benji was going through it.
“So when I say he doesn’t hate you, I mean it. He just needs time,” Julian said. “He needs to be told what’s happened to him and to decompress. Think you can give him a little time for those things to happen?”
Ridley adjusted her glasses. “Yeah.”
Julian patted her on the knee before standing. “I should head upstairs and see what I can do to help calm him down and get the Benji you know and love back.” His attention shifted to Rowena. “Care to take me to the attic?”
“Absolutely. Right this way.”
Ridley and I moved aside so the two of them could ascend the stairs. We didn’t follow. Instead, we remained at the base of the stairs. Neither of us spoke. I listened for noises coming from the attic, but the cloak Rowena got from the Ward witches must have been working well because I heard nothing. In fact, the entire inn was eerily quiet. Weren’t there guests staying here? Rowena had said she feared one of them would be hurt if Benji escaped her crystal barrier. Did that mean she’d sent them elsewhere?
“Do you want some tea?” Ridley surprised me by asking.
“Uh, sure.”
She headed to the kitchen and I followed.
The last time I’d been in her kitchen, Eli was telling Rowena his dad had been killed and warned her of the message left on his arm. Now I was here while my friend learned he’d died and then transitioned into a vampire.
Would I ever sit in this kitchen with good news lifting me up instead of bad news pressing me down?
I watched as Ridley went about making us both tea. Once she was finished, she passed me a mug and sat on the barstool beside me. She took a sip and fixed her eyes on me.
“Do you think what Julian said is true?” she asked.
“Which part?”
“The part about Benji being back to his normal self after he’s completed the transition and been told what happened.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I think so. I mean, it makes sense.”
While I didn’t want to give her false hope, I didn’t want to cut what little hope she had to shreds either. I had to be careful with my words.
“Yeah, it does.” Her gaze dipped to her tea. She took another sip and shifted around on her stool. “I want to see what’s happening upstairs.”
“Are you sure?” Wouldn’t it be best if we waited for Julian or Rowena to come down and tell us how things were going? That way she didn’t have to see it firsthand again, in case things weren’t going well.
Ignorance was bliss after all, right?
“Yeah, I’m sure.” Ridley nodded. She set her mug on the counter. “Hopefully Julian has been able to get through to him. Maybe he understands why I did what I did and accepts it. I know it’s a long shot, but I’m hopeful.”
I understood where she was coming from. It was how I hoped Eli felt about my decision when I’d told Julian to give him his blood to heal him.
“Benji will understand.” My words held conviction within them because I believed them wholeheartedly. Once Benji was back to his normal self, he would understand why she’d done it. However, who knew how long it would take him to get back to normal? Ridley released a breath and I placed a hand on her shoulder. “He would have done the same for you if the situation were reversed.”
No truer words had ever been spoken. Benji loved Ridley. He’d do anything in his power to save her life, even risk turning her into a vampire without her consent. I knew this. And, Ridley needed to as well.
“Thank you.” She flashed me a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’m glad I’m here too.” I was. I’d have to thank Eli again for pushing me to be there for her. “Come on, let’s head upstairs and make sure that boyfriend of yours is all right.”
Ridley inhaled a deep breath before slipping off her stool. “Okay.”
4
I sent out a silent prayer to the goddess of the moon as we climbed the stairs, asking that Benji be okay. My heart hammered against my chest, and even my wolf seemed out of sorts from the worry flickering through me.
Ridley’s feet faltered at the top of the steps. Neither Julian nor Benji were in our line of sight, but Rowena was. She stood, leaning against the frame of the attic door. Her body blocked our view inside. Maybe that was a good thing. Ridley seemed to need another second to prepare and so did I.
Rowena glanced over her shoulder at us. Her eyes fell to Ridley and remained. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine,” Ridley said. “Is Benji okay now?”
“I think he will be. He’s not as crazed as when he first woke. Julian has explained some things to him.”
The tension squeezing at my muscles loosened. Maybe this meant the old Benji wasn’t too far away.
“Can I see him, or would it be better if I waited until he’s adjusted more?” Ridley asked.
Julian appeared behind Rowena. He said something, but his words were eaten by the cloak. At the confusion on our faces, he took a step forward and entered the landing with us.
“Sorry, I forgot about the cloak for a moment. I said he’s asking for you.” Julian nodded to Ridley. “I’ve explained everything to him. He’s aware of what happened at the Pendergrass farm and what he is now. While he’s still shaken, I was able to get him to drink a bag of blood.”
“Does that mean his transition is complete now?” I asked.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean he’s stable yet. Things look and sound different to him. His senses are hypersensitive right now.”
Basically, he wasn’t in control yet is what Julian was saying
and to be careful. At least that’s what I gathered.
“Is he upset with me?” Ridley asked.
Julian shook his head. “He understands why you did it. I explained the state he was in after my brother attacked him and reiterated that he would have died otherwise.”
“Okay, good.”
“Like I said, he wants to see you. Think you’ll be able to handle it?” Julian asked.
Ridley nodded and then followed him into the attic, stepping over Rowena’s crystals. I leaned against the doorframe opposite Rowena and glanced at the crystals lining the floor there. They were made of various colors, sizes, and textures. While I had no idea what each was called or what they stood for, I did know they were there for protection.
Movement in the depths of the attic captured my attention. I glanced up and spotted Benji for the first time. His lips were moving. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but I didn’t need to. It was clear from the look on his face it was something about him being excited to see Ridley.
What they had together hadn’t been broken because of Benji stepping into the supernatural world; it had only been bent into something new.
This made me happy.
I skimmed Benji, looking for any differences in him. The blood that had coated his mouth and neck from back at the Pendergrass farm had been cleaned away. He wore a gray T-shirt and a pair of crisp dark-washed jeans that looked brand new. His bottom lip was free of dip and he looked happy.
But, there was an unfamiliar air about him.
It was to be expected considering the change he’d gone through, but it still had me staring. He looked physically the same, but I could sense the vampire in him. It was strange.
Ridley inched toward him. I could see his face but not hers. The muscles in his body and face seemed to relax at the sight of her. Ridley said something, and he shook with laughter.
I moved to step into the room, but Rowena placed a hand on my arm.
“Give them a little more time,” she said.
I nodded and remained where I was. When Ridley was a few feet away from Benji something in his expression changed. The glimmer of excitement in his eyes dulled and the muscles of his face grew tense again. My wolf noticed it as well and went on high alert.
Moon Captured Page 2