Marcus focused on getting Bel set up on the larger sofa and then carefully tucked the blanket around his brother. He could feel Ethan standing just behind his shoulder as if he were waiting for the chance to jump in.
“Comfortable?” Marcus asked, his eyes skimming over Bel.
“As much as I’m going to be.”
“Do you need anything? A glass of water?” Ethan offered.
Marcus stepped back and looked over at Ethan to find his teeth worrying his bottom lip. He looked nervous, as if the confidence he’d shown outside the library had dissolved as he climbed the stairs.
“No, I’m okay. Thank you for my bow.” Bel lifted the bow in his right hand and smiled a little.
Ethan nodded before looking over at Marcus again. “I’m going to go downstairs and finish cleaning up the kitchen and hall. Then I can—”
“Stay,” Marcus cut him off and not just because he didn’t want Ethan going into the library. He wanted him close. “If you’re not returning home, then stay. Rest.” He motioned to a smaller loveseat that was positioned next to Bel’s couch. “I don’t mind an audience.”
Ethan’s smile doubled in size, and Marcus felt an answering skip of his heart. With a nod, Ethan darted over to the sofa and made himself comfortable.
Marcus turned to the gleaming black grand piano. He had three pianos in the house, counting the old upright in the basement and the smaller baby grand in his own bedroom. But the piano in the music room was his favorite. He’d had her the longest, spent the most time with her.
His fingers easily danced over the ivory keys as he mentally shuffled through the mountain of songs that he knew by heart. He played nearly every day and had since he was a boy. It was as much a part of his daily routine as getting dressed or reading the morning paper.
After a moment, he decided against the tried and true concertos written by the old masters and settled on something different, something original. Taking a deep breath, he started on a song that he’d been tinkering with for the past few years. It was a slow, haunting song that always made him think of a fox sniffing its way through the underbrush of the forest, slinking along in the low-lying fog until finally catching the scent of a hare. The chase was on. The notes sped up, nipping on each other’s heels, darting here and there. But the hare escaped. The fox looked up, finding himself in a new pasture, the night sky spread wide above him with stars sparkling. The fox felt small and alone, the world pressing down. He slowly slunk back into the safety of the cover of the woods.
Through the song, Marcus never thought about the notes or the melody he was crafting. Just the lonely fox.
When his hands lifted from the keys, Marcus took a deep breath. He was exhausted, but there was a deeper sense of peace that went with the sadness he could never shake. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been playing. Longer than a couple of minutes.
His smile returned when he looked over at Bel. Long enough for his brother to drift off into sleep.
Hesitantly, he turned his gaze to find Ethan watching him. His wide eyes were a little glassy, but there was a beautiful smile on his face. Marcus watched as Ethan quietly crossed the room and came to stand next to the piano.
“That was gorgeous, but I didn’t recognize it,” he admitted, looking a bit sheepish.
“I’ve never played it for anyone before,” Marcus said.
Ethan’s brow furrowed and he cocked his head to the side. “You…you wrote that?”
“Yes.”
Ethan gave a little shake of his head. “I think the goddess has met her match.”
“I don’t think so, but I’m flattered. I’ve listened to more of her work. She’s quite amazing.”
“And so was that.” Ethan surprised Marcus by extending his hand. “But that’s enough for tonight. You need some sleep.”
Marcus reached for his hand but stopped at the last second when he saw that his were still covered in blood. He started to pull back, but Ethan grabbed his hand, pulling him up to his feet. Marcus didn’t know what was happening, but he was willing to follow Ethan wherever he wanted to go.
Chapter Eleven
Ethan wanted to feel panic and fear when he stared at Marcus. There really was no doubt in his mind that Marcus and his brothers were vampires. A sane person would have taken his brother to a hospital. Ethan hadn’t seen the actual wounds, but just the amount of blood he’d cleaned up meant that Bel had been seriously injured. No one could heal from that without medical assistance.
And yet, just an hour later, Bel’s color was starting to improve. He was resting on the couch, his breathing falling in a steady rhythm.