[kiasusam]

Ben eyed him for long moments as I moved away from the two friends. Finally, Ben nodded and took his hand. Ben stared at that hand while Teren effortlessly pulled him up. “I really am sorry about flinging you into a wall,” Teren said sheepishly.

Ben didn’t respond to that, just kept staring at Teren’s hand after they separated. Finally he pointed at it. “Is that why you’re always so cold?” Teren shrugged and nodded. Ben ran a hand down his face as he slowly shook his head back and forth. “I can’t believe this.” He looked over at me, slowly buttoning back up my shirt. “And you’ve known about this?”

I bit my lip and then nodded. “From nearly day one.” I walked over to Teren and grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together and gazing up at him adoringly. He looked back at me, adoration clear on his face too, although, I could see the worry in there. He’d really loved his time with Hot Ben. I looked back to Ben, my voice as confident as my gaze. “Believe me, when I say that you don’t have to worry about him hurting you…or me…or any human.” I shrugged as Ben’s mouth dropped open a little. “He doesn’t eat people.”

Ben’s still startled face shifted to take in the embarrassing stain right over my breast. Damn, I’d really liked this shirt too. Teren followed his gaze and coughed once, a little embarrassed. “Um, that wasn’t really eating…” He looked back at Ben, a devilish half-smile on his face. “That was more…foreplay.”

Ben’s eyes widened again and then he shook his head, running both hands down his face and then back through his hair. He seemed a little confused as to how drawing blood could possibly be erotic. Oh, if he only knew…

Teren put a hand on Ben’s shoulder and Ben looked up at him, his beautiful face an odd combination of horror and wonder. As I thought of his panicked reaction, I started remembering my own initial reaction. Teren had always said I was rare. As I watched Ben’s eyes slightly widen as they focused on where Teren was touching him, and I remembered Teren telling me that nearly every other girl he’d ever told, had had much the same reaction as Ben, I came to appreciate just how rare and odd my initial reaction had been. And what a relief that must have been to Teren. I squeezed his hand tighter.

In a soothing voice, Teren spoke to Ben, as one would a person going through shock. “Ben, I know this is hard to take in and I’ll admit, having you know about this, would make our friendship so much easier…” he shook his head, a heavy sadness in his eyes, “but, if this freaks you out too much, you don’t need to remember it.” He shrugged on the end of that and looked resigned that, either way, things would be different. And I suppose they would. Ben would either remember, and have to come to terms with Teren’s reality, or he’d have his mind wiped, and Teren would have to deal with the fact that his best friend couldn’t accept him for what he really was. I squeezed his hand even tighter and he lightly squeezed back.

He dropped his hand from Ben’s shoulder as Ben gave him a blank look. “What do you mean?” Ben backed up a step, like Teren was about to do something. “What are you gonna do to me?”

Teren sighed, cocking his head and muttering something under his breath. I wondered what, but figured he was probably speaking to his family. They had to know what was going on. Well, maybe not Halina, since she was probably still sleeping. Teren sighed again before answering him. “I won’t do anything… but when Halina wakes up-”

“Halina?” Ben interrupted, his eyebrows furrowing into perfectly attractive points. “Your step-mom’s hot sister?” Teren started to speak, but I could see the light go off in Ben’s brain as his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. “Oh, god…she’s one too.” He cocked his head at Teren. “Did you turn her?” His eyes hardened just a bit at that, like, if Teren said yes, then he was going to kick his ass. I bit my lip to stop the inappropriate laughter that was bubbling inside of me.

Teren gave him a half-smile and shook his head. “No, actually, she’s my great-grandmother, and she’s the one that…spawned all of us.” Teren chuckled lightly then and I couldn’t help but match him.

Ben gaped at us. “All of…” His mouth dropped open further as more lights clicked on. “Oh god, they’re all…the whole family?”

Teren shook his head, still chuckling. “No…my dad is human.”

Ben looked pale, and I released Teren to help him sit on the bed, sitting beside him and stroking his broad back soothingly. Ben ran his hands through his hair repeatedly, before slumping his head in his hands over his knees. “All of them…” He looked up at Teren. “It’s all a lie?” His face looked incredulous, and a little hurt.

Teren sat on the other side of him, careful to keep his distance. “Yes. But you can understand why we have to, right?”

Ben nodded woodenly, still looking lost in thought. He stared at his knees for a moment before looking over at Teren again. “Then, Alanna…?”

Teren smiled widely for the first time since this little fiasco. “Is my mother, my birth mother.”

Ben looked incredulous again. “Vampires can have children?” I giggled, my hand going to my stomach reflexively. Ben caught the movement and blushed, realising that of course they can, since I was expecting. It wasn’t that simple, but Ben didn’t need to know all the gory details. “Oh,” he muttered, looking between my stomach and Teren.