“No jobs. Business is slow.”
“Hmmm.” Matthias says nothing more, but his gaze is incisive, dissecting me. He knows I’m not telling him something.
I've got to fess up. “There's more. Another… complication.”
Matthias stiffens. “Have you noticed any more bleeding?”
“It's not that.” I signal him to leave the cabin. He washes up in the kitchen, packs his bag and exits quietly ahead of me. I take a deep breath of pollen-scented air as we walk out into the spring day. The meadow in front of my house is in bloom. Bees browse over the white and pink flowers my younger brothers planted for them, against my wishes. The female’s honeyed scent follows me out here. It’s so sweet the bees will be trying to get into the house soon.
Fuck. What have I done? It doesn't feel like my whole world has tilted on its axis, but it has.
Once we're to the edge of my wildflower-filled yard in view of the beehives through the trees, I stop and face my brother. Matthias and I are only a few months apart. Ma adopted us both around the same time. I’m closer to him than any of my other brothers, even my twin.
I still don’t want to admit my fuck up to him. “I made a mistake.” Damn, it’s hard to get the words out. “She was unconscious and…I panicked. One second, I was in bear form, and the next…I couldn’t stop the change. And…I think she saw me turn.”
Matthias adjusts his glasses. I’ve studied interrogation techniques, so I know what he’s doing, but after a minute of Matthias’ silence, I crack and explain.
“My bear just forced me to turn. In front of a human. I’ve never been out of control like that.”
Matthias’ expression is thoughtful—not judgmental. “Has it happened before?”
“No, never.”
“Maybe it’ll be all right.”
“If she saw me…”
“Then we deal with it. There’s a protocol.”
“Yeah.” Protocol means marching the human to a vampire and holding her down while the leech hypnotizes her into forgetting our secret. “I was hoping to avoid that.”
“It might be necessary.” In light of this serious subject, Matthias’ calm tone sounds cold. I stare at my reflection in his fake glasses. He acts so kind and gentle, I forget how ruthless he can be. He was the one who stood by my side when I had to deal with this situation before. He knows the depths of my pain and shame.
And now we’re traveling down the same road. Still, I have to ask. Something makes me protective of the little human sleeping in my bed. “Getting mindwiped after a head injury… won’t it mess her up?”
“It’s not ideal. I can’t promise it won’t result in memory and cognitive problems.” He sounds so clinical. What he’s really saying is the cost of preserving our secret might ruin this human’s life. This is the real Matthias, and the Mr. Rogers’ cardigans and gentle bedside manner are all part of an act. The kindly doctor meant to lull humans into a sense of security as false as his glasses. He’ll do what it takes to ensure our family survives. So will I. If the honey-scented human in my bed is collateral damage, so be it. It’s a choice I’ve had to make before.
Family first.
“I don't know if she saw me change back to human. I don't know if she saw me changing into a bear in the first place. I guess I’ll find out soon enough when she wakes.” If she saw everything, she'll run screaming to the nearest newsroom. Just like Tiffany did.
“If you don’t know if she saw anything, you’ll have to keep her here until you’re sure.”
I grunt assent.
“Or you could take her to the nearest leech and get her mindwiped now. Preemptively.”
“No,” I snap.
“You want to get to know her before you mindwipe her?” Matthias asks, but it’s a loaded question. My answer will tell him more than I want him to know.
Instead of answering, I glare at him.
“Or you can wait and see. It might not come to that.” Matthias shoulders his black leather bag. “Call me the minute she wakes up, and I’ll come back to do a proper exam.”
“You can't stay?” As much as I want Matthias gone, it’s good for him to be close, in case the human starts convulsing or something.
“I have a house call scheduled.”
“Who?”
There’s a ghost of a smile lurking in the corner of Matthias’ mouth. “Daisy.”
I snort. “Daisy's healthy as a horse. She hasn’t had so much as a cold in twenty years.”
“She's eighty-nine. She says she wants to live to her 150th birthday.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Thanks, I'll need it. Other than a bite from a vampire, I have no way of granting long life to anyone.”
“If anyone can live that long, it would be Daisy. But don’t tell her about vampires. She might get ideas.”