Brother Blood

Chapter 15: love and snowdrifts

Mel handed me the bag of beans and I poured them into the grinder as she got the water ready.

"Do you love her?" she asked as soon as the grinder was finished.

"I don't know," I replied.

"That's not an answer," Mel observed.

I shrugged, pulling coffee creamer and sugar out of the cabinet and onto the counter, moving them around the counter absently before Mel put her hand on mine.

"You should have come to us the moment you realized she was here," Mel told me. "And I'm a little upset that you didn't. You haven't been the same since you've been back; I don't blame you, but," she sighed. "I'm disappointed. I think of you as a son, Conor. I just wish you thought the same."

I grabbed the mugs, lining them up on the counter. I didn't what I could say. This kind of conversation was hard to have and I didn't have the ability to articulate what I wanted.

"I'm sorry, Mel," I replied and left the kitchen.

She didn't come after me and so I made it back to my bedroom downstairs without any problem. Stefa rose from my bed but didn't approach. Grant had managed to convince her to wear a pair of my shorts. It reminded me of our time in the cell together.

"That didn't go well," she noted. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Grant snorted, folding his arms over his chest.

"So Conor can run back to your arms because you understand him? Really?"

"I do understand him better then you people here," Stefa replied. "And I don't have anything to lose; I've already lost Conor once. So back to the previous topic; what happened?"

"Nothing," I grumbled. "Look, I'm tired. I'm dehydrated. I'm being questioned constantly. I'm going to sleep, wake me up when someone else wants to yell at me."

I stepped past Stefa and curled up in my bed, pulling the covers over my head. I could hear Grant and Stefa talking about me. I didn't pay much attention to what they were saying, but I did listen when I heard a soft knock at the door.

"Conor?"

"It's a party in here," Stefa drawled.

The door opened. I didn't move from my spot in bed.

"Conor, hiding under the covers like Susie Lynn in trouble isn't going to solve anything."

"He's a wolf, what do you want?" Stefa grumbled.

This got me out of my bed faster than anyone in the room expected. Grant had to duck the flying pillows. Stefa and Mel seemed a little startled.

"Stop it," I ordered. "Grant doesn't..." I sighed. "Stop speaking for me. I don't need any of you to answer for me."

"Grant doesn't know, does he?" Stefa sniggered.

"Stop it," I pleaded.

She grinned at me. I wanted to run again; I wanted to leap out the window into the snow and run as far as I could away from Stefa and the rest of the mess. Grant had the good sense to not question Stefa, but Mel stepped in between the argument.

"Okay, I don't know what I just walked into, " Mel remarked. "Conor, running away from our conversation isn't productive. Talk to me. And not to be rude, but vampires no talking or you're both going out into the snow."

"Talk to you about what?" I questioned.

Mel rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Conor, I would accept anything from you because you don't talk to anyone but Grant these days."