Vulnerable: Book 1 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

57: Have Violent Ends

An hour had passed and the roast had finished in the oven, but we had heard no word from Christina, Josef, or Stephen. Ben, Lukas, and I sat on the couch, staring out the front window, almost counting the seconds as they ticked by. Ben had his arm over my shoulders as his other free hand played with a lock of my hair.

"Should we call them?" I asked.

"They will come eventually," Lukas mumbled.

"What else can we do to pass time?"

"Just sit here..."

I couldn't help but sigh. "How long are you going to stew in your misery and not talk to us?"

Lukas finally met my eyes, a flicker of annoyance passing over his face. "Excuse me?"

"I get you're sad about something, but tell us. Vent. Get it off your chest. You have two people here who care about you, but all you're doing is sulking. You wouldn't let me do this." Ben had dropped my lock of hair now, eyes flickering between the two of us.

Shaking his head, he looked back away. "Well I don't feel like talking."

"You're being selfish."

"Excuse me?" he said for the second time, head whipping back my way.

"Olivia," Ben warned.

"Your mopey attitude is rubbing off on us and making us feel like we've done something to upset you. All we have done is been there for you and I don't get why you can't even explain it. You always insist I tell you about every single detail of my feelings when I'm down, but the moment I want to be there for you, you shut me out."

"I think I've told you plenty."

"About your past. But here I've been, venting every single feeling and worry. Just before my change, I told you everything. Each fight Ben and I have, I turn to you to dissect it. I even confessed I had feelings for you the other day, but you can't even tell me the name of the damn girl you like. I've trusted you with every single thing about me and you can't give me a shred of information when it counts. Just because you told me about Anja, a person who died forty damn years ago, doesn't mean you've actually opened up to me and I'm sick of it."

"I would love to tell you her name, but I can't."

"Lukas..." Ben warned, his hand clamping on my shoulder.

"Why not?" I demanded. "You call me your best friend, but best friends tell each other this stuff. I want to be there for you, but all you do is shut me out."

"Of course I do. Because you can't handle it. Ben can't handle it."

"Why can't Ben handle it?"

"If I told you who she is, you'd both hate me. So I need to bottle it up."

"Why on earth would I hate you? What have I ever done that has given you the impression I could ever hate a thing about you? You literally confessed to me the other day that you watched and let your first love be tortured and murdered in front of you. Did I run from you? Did I blame you? No. I listened and I understood because I know in your heart you did everything you could at the time."

He had gotten to his feet now, eyes glowing with rage as they flickered between me and Ben.

Ben had gone silent, extreme worry and anxiety permeating through his touch.

"I promise you I'm over the feelings I had. They were a flicker and they are gone. So if you tell me, I won't get upset. I will support you no matter what."

"Olivia, I cannot and will not tell you."

I got to my feet now, jumping out of Ben's grip. "You told Ben! And you don't even like him!"