Page 24 of Fangs with Benefits

I sit down at the table with my coffee cup pressed up to my lips and stare at the kitchen doorway.

The knocking stops.

When it starts up again for a third time, it's so loud and sudden that I jump and spill coffee on my thigh.

"Ow!" I shout. I slam my cup down on the table in frustration and watch as the brown liquid sloshes over the rim. And then I worry that maybe there is some other sort of emergency. Maybe something bad has happened.Oh God, maybe something happened to Treyton.

I race to the door with a lump in my throat, hoping I won't hear any bad news. Much to my surprise,Treytonis standing there.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, visibly caught off-guard.

"I'm sorry, I would have come sooner but the clan has been keeping a tight eye on me," he says. He sounds exasperated and looks worried.

"You can't just show up here at my apartment." I scowl at him. I'm stillsoangry at him. I wish we could go back to the night of the party,beforehe said all those terrible things.

"You haven't answered any of my messages," he says with narrowed eyes that look both hurt and angry at the same time. "What else was I supposed to do? I was worried about you."

"I'm fine." I push the door closed, but he puts his boot in the way to stop me.

"You'renotfine," he says. "And we need to talk."

"Well, if it was anything that important then you wouldn't have waited five days to see me, so I'm pretty sure you can wait a little longer." I realize how just how dramatic and petty I sound right now, but I can't help it.

"I couldn't leave the den," he says. He looks almost as frustrated as I am. "I had to stay and keep playing my part so I wouldn't give the clan any reason to suspect me. I was leaving the den to come and see you. I tried leaving several other times before now, but each time I could tell I was being followed. Today is the first time I've been able to lose them and make it all the way here to your apartment. I've been keeping an eye on you from afar this whole time."

"Am I supposed to be grateful for that? Is that supposed to make me feel good?" I'm trying to make my voice unaffected, but instead it sounds indignant.

"No, none of this is supposed to make you feel good, Blair. It's just supposed to keep yousafe. Don't you understand that the clan will come after you if they think I'm prioritizing you over my duties as leader? You're the one who talked me into being their leader to begin with. I never wanted to be clan leader, remember?"

I huff and divert my eyes from his.

"Well, just because you came here doesn't meant I want to see or talk to you," I say stubbornly.

"All I want to do is explain what happened at the party. I know you overheard me, and I know that's why you left."

"So?"

"Flirting with that vampire meantnothing. I was simply trying to throw the rest of the vampires off the scent."

"And those terrible things you said?"

"They weren't true. It was all just an act. Why would I choose the clan over you, when you're all I've ever wanted?"

"I'm just not sure what to believe anymore," I whisper. I so badly want to believe he's telling me the truth. But I'm still so upset. I want him to hold me and just stare into my eyes for hours upon hours, but I don't know how to let go of the hurt that I feel, and I don't know if I can trust him. After all, the vampire woman he was flirting with was beautiful, and it would be a whole lot easier for him to just be with someone from his own clan rather than going through the trouble of being with a witch.

For a moment, I consider letting my hand off the door so he can come inside. But I can't. I'm too emotionally unstable right now. I need more time to calm down before I accidentally pop a magical fuse. The downside of emotions being able to influence a witch's magic is that when your emotions are unstable, so is your magic.

"Please move your foot," I say calmly. "I need more time to think. Alone."

I know for fact that Treyton could force his way in. Hell, he could even force his way in after the door is closed and locked. But he moves his foot like I asked.

"I don't want to upset you even more," he says. "But I really do want to talk when you're ready."

I don't say anything in response. I simply rest my gaze on him for a moment, long enough to see that his eyes aren't glowing and there is true sadness in them, and then I close the door.

I walk to my couch, sit down, and bury my face in my hands as I start to cry.

Maybe I'm wrong about all this. Maybe it'smewho's screwing things up and Treyton is just trying to carve a safe path through the mess so we can have another wonderful night together.