In His Taste | MxM

☠︎︎🩺 twenty four

"And you don't know me." I interrupt him, grabbing his arm tightly as he glares at me. "You're still as dumb as ever. You went from being attached to our mother, to me, to William. To the person who took you from me, you know? I did everything I could for you and you betray me by doing this? You speak to me like I'm the stranger, like I betrayed you?"

Jerome doesn't say anything, just continuing to glare at me. He wasn't saying anything and I knew that he wouldn't. Once he goes silent, he won't contribute any more than that.

Because he has nothing.

"I think there's a big misunderstanding," I hear William chuckle, his hand resting on my shoulder and I pull it off since I am aware what he can do now, "your brother was dying from a sickness. It was something no vampire or human could understand. This was the best choice. He's still your brother, just a vampire. You two should be looking at each other with happiness and rejoicing in meeting once again."

I don't say anything now, glancing back over at Jerome. He was looking at William and quickly glanced at me now.

"How can I do that when you killed him already?" I ask him sharply, William frowning. "He's not human anymore, so I'm not really seeing him again. I'm seeing the part of him that comes from this. He's already...gone."

"No, I'm right here." Jerome snaps, rushing to William's side. "And William isn't the one who changed me. It was Aleksandr, he helped me."

Right in that instant, I felt my heart beginning to race. William's eyes setting right onto where my heart was and I felt so much anger at that very moment. The absolute resignation that took me over was impossible to ignore.

Vampires have now taken everything from me.

"Damon...I am sorry about me snapping at you, I just-."

"Stop." I interrupt him, and he now looked like that little brother I knew. Looking at me nervously and with fear, his eyes lowering some and warily looking back into mine. "I don't know you, and you don't know me. You're not my brother, but something else. My brother died, you're just another version of him. Can you really say you're living?"

"Yes-!"

My hand rests on his chest, right above his heart. I wait to feel it beat, to know blood flows through his veins. For his body to be cold and stiff...his heart not beating once.

"Seems like you're dead to me." I say calmly.

Jerome's lips tightened together and I could tell...he wanted to cry.

"Aleksandr was right...you wouldn't accept this." He breathes, shaking his head as he was suddenly no longer in front of me.

I now saw William just looking up at me, grinning at me still. I sigh, shaking my head at this predicament.

"So...I assume you had Jerome all this time because you called yourself trying to 'save' him from being sold to another. He was with you and became attached, and was sick in the process. You made him seem like changing was the final answer, had Aleksandr do it because what?" I narrow my eyes onto him and saw his grin slowly grow bigger. "What's wrong with you? All you can do is smile. This is serious!"

"I know it is, I respect your conversation and your assumptions. Your assumptions are pretty spot on, Jerome has grown quite attached to me. Despite what was told to him, there was a cure; but there are no medicines present in this day and age now that could help him. They're all gone. He would have died, honest. He wanted to change, I gave him permission as the head of the Regularity. If any human wishes to be changed, they must speak to us and give me their hand. If their intentions are pure and have no evil intentions, I change them. I read their everything...and if they are worthy, I let them have this blessing and curse. Jerome was blessed and cursed, I know."