When Lines Blur

Chapter Twenty-Four

Salem shook his head, "No. Jaxson realizes now that it isn't the same. Jez, Seb and Kal are much different than what you were involved in when you and him broke up. He knows that you did get out of that. Besides, he told me that when he's around you with them he loves it more than when you two are around us."

"How do you get everyone to open up to you?" Levi asked, "Is it a spell you put on us?"

"The only spells on you guys are protection ones. I don't need you guys getting hurt if I get hexed or something," Salem said, "I don't use witchcraft to do things against other's wills. I won't even do love spells most the time unless it's between an already established couple."

"You do spells for others?"

"It's how I make my money," Salem said, "Hell, I scam a lot of them."

"Salem, when I was in the hospital that first night and you stayed there... you were more exhausted than me. Did you do something?"

"Not by choice," Salem said, "All of you are leeches. You all borrow energy a lot."

"Sorry..?"

Salem shook his head, "Don't be. I'd rather you steal my energy to help save your life than to have it but for you to have issues recovering... Honestly Adrian steals the most."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Salem said, "Gabe is a close second. He needs to figure out ways to handle his own without spending extra in small things."

"Good luck with him then," Levi said, "You're dating a human golden retriever."

Salem chuckled, "Yeah. You realize that Jaxson really does adore you right?"

"I'm sure it's a pity," Levi said, "When I begged for him back, he didn't seem to care until I was crying. Afterwards it was almost like nothing had happened. As though we picked up right from the day we broke up."

"He doesn't pity you Levi. One of us would've noticed the difference," Salem said, "I mean, Adrian is so protective of you when Jaxson was around at first I'm sure that Adrian somehow found a way to hack into his brain like it was a computer."

"I don't know why he is so protective of me," Levi said, "He knows first hand how I can be in danger."

"He cares about you," Salem said, "Adrian would lay down his life if it would keep you safe."

"He'd do that for all of us."

"So would I, and Brax, and Zeek, and Maddox and Lucas... all of us would die if it kept the others safe. Levi, we're more than friends."

"Yeah, some of them were your fuck buddies," Levi joked.

"No," Salem said, "That's not what I meant. Not to be cliche or anything, but we are family. How many teenage boys actively want to live with their friends forever?"

"How many live lives like us?"

"You have a point, but you know what I mean Levi," Salem said, "Hell me and Adrian stood in front of a loaded gun for Maddox before we ever met him. When Adrian's leg got damaged it was us to help him through it. Some of us have family, you and Braxton have amazing parents. But... we're still a family. I don't think I would be willing to keep going without you guys."

"You have Gabe."

"Gabe wasn't the person to wake me up from night terrors for years on end."

Levi sighed, "Anyone would do that."

"Gabe wasn't the person to clean the blood off my face when my father beat me."

"He would've."

"But he didn't," Salem said, "Gabe means a lot to me, but he wasn't the person to save me from myself most nights. He wasn't the one to keep me safe. He wasn't the one who fed me when my father wanted me to starve. Wanna know who did most of that Levi? Mostly you. Sure, the others too. But Levi you were always there, even when I didn't want you to be. I could wake up at night and wouldn't be surprised to see you in my room Edward Cullen style."