BANE

CHAPTER THREE - BLAME (Part 2)

"I was going to see if you wanted to join me for a run, but maybe another time. I'll let you get back to your company," Grace said with a sweet smile. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure. See ya then."

"Great. It's a date," She winked before jogging off down the hall.

Victor turned around with a smile on his face to find Holden grinning at him. "What?"

"She's cute."

"Like you would know," Victor laughed and poured his own coffee. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Like crap. Don't change the subject—who was that?"

"Grace, my neighbour from two suites down."

"Looks like someone is going to break his dry spell..." Holden winked and carried his coffee to the living room to drink.

"It's not like that. We're just friends," Victor followed after him. "And she's a nice girl – don't talk about her like that."

"What? She clearly likes you. She's tall, beautiful, athletic... probably perfect for you."

"I've already told you, I'm a relationship guy. I'm not going to hook up with my neighbour."

"So 'relationship' her, then. Relationship her brains out," Holden laughed.

"You're a pervert," Victor laughed back. "I can't date her now, anyways."

"Why not?"

"Do you even need to ask? How could I get her mixed up in all this? Look how dangerous it's been for you since joining our lives, I can't wittingly bring another innocent human into this..."

"So you're never going to have sex again? That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard. I've adapted pretty well to everything, give her a chance. A few dates won't hurt..."

"Sure you won't get jealous?" Victor teased.

"What?"

"You kissed me last night."

"You're such a liar!"

"It's true. You get very touchy-feely when you drink, did you know that? It was pretty good, but you need to shave, dude. The whiskers were a major turnoff."

"I'm so embarrassed..." Holden covered his face with his hands.

"You called me 'Corbin' too."

"Oh God..." He groaned. "Can you please just kill me now?"

"Sorry buddy. I can't today. Corbin's expecting you home," Victor grinned and took another sip of his coffee. "He came here last night to apologize to you, said he couldn't sleep until he did."

"Really?" Holden dropped his hands from his face.

"Yeah. What is going on with you two? Is he drinking your blood still?"

"No, I swear. None since that night we went to the warehouse."

"Good. He seems fond of you, at least fond enough to want to keep you around. I'm happy Corbin felt the need to apologize, looks like he has a soul after all."

"Apparently so," Holden chuckled, gulping his hot coffee.

"Still... be careful. You could still get accidentally hurt. You're the last person I need to warn that Corbin can be unpredictable."

"Tell me about it," Holden carefully raised one hand to feel his neck. "Am I bruised?"

Victor squinted to get a closer look. "A little bit, it's barely noticeable."

"Good," He quickly finished his coffee and stood. "I should head home."

"You probably need pants first," Victor laughed.

"Good call," Holden excused himself to the bedroom and quickly finished getting dressed. "Thanks for letting me crash here last night. I'm gonna head out now."

"Right now? Want me to walk you? It's usually dangerous when you go off alone."

"It's been equally dangerous when I've had company – I'll take my chances," Holden laughed. "I'm fine, I can handle myself. I want to stop by the butcher shop for a peace offering. To show there are no hard feelings."

"The butcher shop? You're definitely not going alone – it's way too dangerous in there."

"I've been there before, don't worry. Allow me one shred of my masculinity and please don't escort me around town like I'm an eight year old girl."

Holden's reassurance was less than reassuring to Victor. He grimaced, but yielded to the stubborn blond. "Fine... but text me the second you get home safe. If I don't hear from you in half an hour I'm tearing that shop apart."

"Understood."

Holden arrived at the butcher shop and took a deep breath before going inside. The air inside the small shop felt thick and smelled lightly of smoke. He noticed the same thin man behind the counter as last time, and cautiously approached.

"Can I help you?"

Holden noticed the nametag on the pale man's chest read "Lucas" and realized he was the one that had tipped off Corbin the day before. "Yeah, um..." His confidence faltered, the atmosphere made his skin crawl.

"Is the pet running errands now?" Lucas smirked, his words dripped with disdain.

"Yeah, look..." Holden choked back his uneasiness and continued. "I'm not sure exactly how to say it, but you know what I'm here for, right?"

"How many?"

"Three."

Lucas walked to the back of the shop. Holden could hear him talking to another man, but couldn't make out the words. He returned a few minutes later with three small bottles which he wrapped in brown paper and carefully placed in a bag. "You're an unusual pet for a guy like Corbin..."

"I'll be sure to pass on the message," Holden paid and left in a hurry. Once he was a couple blocks away, he ducked into an alley and hastily opened the bag, tearing the paper from one bottle and discarding it on the ground. He stared at the dark liquid as it sloshed inside and contemplated what he was planning to do. "Am I really doing this?" He asked himself aloud. Holden raised one shaking hand to bring the bottle to his lips. Squeezing his eyes shut, he threw back his head, emptying the bottle in two quick gulps. He immediately wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and threw the bottle far down the alley.

He shuddered, re-tied the bag, and continued his walk home.

********** 

A/N: Fun fact time: Name edition!

Layla is named after an Eric Clapton song, Holden is an homage to "Catcher in the Rye", and Corbin's name comes from the older brother of one of my best friends when I was little. (I think his name was spelled with a 'K' though, I could be wrong on that one.) As far as pronunciations go, Lucas sounds like "Loo-kah" and the B-i-r of Birgitta is pronounced more like "Byeer".

That being said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please read and review! Stay tuned for the next chapter to learn more about what the heck is going on with dear Holden. Cheers!