Chapter Four
Silas took some time off work and took Troy camping. They needed time away together to reconnect, and Silas didn’t want Troy at the house while the police carried out their investigations around the barn. Troy wasn't a hunter as such, preferring to fish, and so they spent many hours talking quietly as they waited for the fish to bite.
At night they'd sit around the campfire talking about life in general, making s'mores as Troy opened up more about what Tina had done.
Silas would sit next to Troy and let him tell Silas both the good and bad times. And there had been good times. When Troy was first born, Tina had loved him so much and showered him with attention and presents. She adored Troy but somewhere along the line that changed.
Silas couldn't even pinpoint the time when everything had changed. It had come on so gradually, and by the time he'd realized something was wrong, Troy had ended her life.
No child should have to go through what he had, and no matter what the future held, Silas would always carry the guilt with him. Troy was his son, and he hadn't protected him when he needed him the most.
It felt like a weight on his shoulders, a heaviness across his chest, and every time he looked at Troy, he saw the son he loved more than anyone else, but also the child he'd failed.
Chester continued to message him, asking how they both were and if they needed anything. He always made sure Silas knew he was there for both of them, not just as his mate. He also informed him that a counselor had been assigned to Troy, but Troy was adamant he wasn't going to speak to her.
He didn't want anything to do with vampires.
When they discussed his feeding, Troy lost his temper, screaming that he didn't need to feed. Troy told Silas that he’d manage, but it soon became apparent, a couple of days into the camping trip, that Troy did need to feed and when he saw the bag of blood Silas had packed, he'd stormed off, screaming at Silas.
He did eventually return to feed, but the glare he threw Silas' way told him exactly how he felt about it.
"Troy, you're a vampire, and you need to feed. It doesn't matter how many times you deny it, it's genetics. It's who you are."
"I don't want it," Troy screamed.
"I can't change it," Silas said wearily. "It doesn't matter to me. Human or vampire. You are my son, Troy, and I'll do whatever I can to protect you."
"Well, you've shown how fucking good you are at that, haven't you?"
Troy stood over him where Silas sat on a log, glaring down at him.
Taking a deep breath in, Silas ignored the comment. "Troy, you’ve fed before."
"Well, I don't need to, so I'm not going to and you can't make me."
"For the love of..." Silas muttered. "Troy, you're eighteen, not eight. Stop acting like a child and feed."
"Fuck. You." Silas stood watching Troy storm off through the trees. "Fuck you, Silas!"
Silas gritted his teeth, hands clenched into fists, and counted to ten and then to twenty.
"Fucking kids." His cell beeped, and he glared at it. "Fucking Chester and his supernatural shit."
He stormed over to it and dialed Chester's number. "What?" he shouted.
"Hello to you too, Silas. Such a lovely, warm greeting. I'm fine, thank you. How are you? Oh, things aren't too great-"
"Shut it." Silas ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry."
"What's wrong?" Chester asked quietly. "Tell me, Silas, let me help."
"He's refusing to feed."
He heard Chester's sigh. "Have you made an appointment with Gloria?"
Gloria, the vampire counselor assigned to Troy.
Silas snorted. "What do you think? He's more likely to scream abuse at her than sit and speak."
"Then let him. Keeping it all bottled up won't help him. I thought you were having a good time."
"We have been, Chester, but as soon as the feeding issue comes up, it sets him off."
"He fed a couple of days ago, so why the issue now?"
"I think every time he needs to feed, he's going to go through this. No matter how hard he tries, he can't deny what he is, and he hates it, Chester. He hates being a vampire."
"It will become easier. Troy needs to feed more at the moment because of everything he's going through. Give it time, Silas."
"Once a week was okay, but every two days is too much for him right now."
"Then he needs to calm down and talk to someone. His body is out of whack, and that's why he’s feeding more."
"I know, I know." Silas sat on the log and dropped his head into his hand.
"Do you want me to come out there?"
"I don't think that's a good idea right now, but thanks for the offer."
"You need to calm down too, Silas." There was a pause in the line, and then Chester said, "I wish I was there."
Silas closed his eyes, feeling Chester. "So do I," he whispered.
"Soon, baby."
He looked at the cell in his hand and watched the screen darken to black. He did want Chester there, and Silas swallowed, his stomach developing butterflies. This must be the bond. Since the blood exchange which saved Chester's life, it had grown stronger, and Silas was struggling to hold back his own needs.
He needed Chester, but he had to be there for his son first.
Troy walked through the trees at that moment and sat next to Silas on the log. "Sorry," he muttered.
Silas put his arm around Troy's shoulder and hugged him to his side. "Nothing to apologize for."
"I need to feed, Pops."
"I know. It's in the tent for you. I set it up earlier."
"Pops, I... I don't know..."
"Shh, we'll get through this together, Troy. Go and feed."
Troy left him, and Silas heard the zipper on the tent being pulled down. Troy would need several minutes to get ready to feed, so Silas walked towards the lake they'd camped by, to give him the space and time he needed.
"Why, Tina? Why?"
Silas sighed, knowing he'd receive no answer, and stood waiting for his son to finish.
❊❊❊
Chester closed his front door behind him and dropped his bag to the floor. Rescue Inc had been called in when a river had burst its banks, and it had been a long, hard three days.
The new team had arrived the day after they had when they'd realized the enormity of the situation they faced. Everyone had worked well together, like a well-oiled machine, and Chester was proud of Rescue Inc’s great reputation. They'd worked hard to earn it, and now, all that work was paying off.
If they continued to be this busy, it wouldn't be long before he and Alejandro had to consider more people.
Ale was now office based. Even though he'd recovered from the gunshot to his thigh, they’d both realized they needed to have their own command set up. Ale came to the locations with them but remained behind, setting up base command and helping with the overall operations to ensure the right information was passed on to the team.
After the shootout that left three of them injured, they knew they couldn’t put their lives into the hands of others any longer. It had been close, too close, and next time it could be fatal.
That was how they'd managed to get the other team pulled in as quickly as they had. Ale had seen how the situation was developing and called them in, for which Chester was grateful. Too many civilians had been caught up, and if the other team hadn't arrived when they did, more lives would have been lost.
The weather hadn't helped. Between one minute and the next, it had deteriorated to the point that they had barely been able to see through the deluge. They themselves had been forced to pull back at times until there was a lull and it was safe for them to go back out and continue.
Now he was home, but it wasn't the place he wanted to be. Silas and Troy were his home. That was where he wanted to go, but he couldn't. Troy was nowhere near ready for him to be a part of their lives and even though Chester understood, he was desperate to be with his mate.
His house felt cold and empty, devoid of life, and as he walked through the rooms, his footsteps were the only sound he could hear. One day, he would leave here and be with his mate, his family, but sadly, that day wasn't today. Chester didn’t want to be here. He wanted to go to the place in his heart he called home.
Silas must have sensed his loneliness as, seconds later, his cell rang and Silas' name appeared on the screen.
Grinning, Chester answered. "Babe."
His grin widened when he heard Silas' sigh. He hated Chester calling him babe and had told him not to call him that. "Chester."
"I've just got back. Wanted to come to you."
"I know."
"How is he? Has he been to see Gloria?"
Two weeks had passed since the camping trip, and Silas had worked hard to change Troy's mind about seeing a vampire councilor.
"Twice now. Troy screamed at her for a full ten minutes during the first session and the second session, he sat in sulky silence."
"All I'm hearing is that he went."
Silas chuckled. "He certainly did, and I actually think he felt better after screaming at her."
"How was she?"
Silas laughed outright. "She patted him on the back and said she looked forward to seeing him again, so of course next time he said nothing."
"Kids." Chester laughed too, shaking his head at Troy's behavior.
"Troy. He can be a stubborn kid when he wants to be."
"Like his dad." Chester grinned. Damn, Silas could be just as stubborn.
"Chip off the old block."
Chester sighed. "When can I see you?"
"Chester-"
"I know, Silas. I'm just asking for a few minutes… just to see you. It's been close to three weeks since we last saw each other. I need to see you, Silas, and I know you feel the same way."
"Troy's back at high school tomorrow. Come over then."
"Tomorrow then." Silas hung up, leaving Chester with a smile on his face.
Chester threw his cell on the sofa and fist pumped the air, and then quickly looked around to make sure no one saw him. He laughed, happiness flooding through him. He was finally going to Silas. His body felt so light, he was sure he was floating, the huge crushing weight he'd carried lifting from him.
He was seeing his mate tomorrow, and Chester couldn't wait.