“Then how did you feed?” Abaddon asked, his tone one of shock. “Since you are a Halfling, your vampire heritage had to hit you at puberty.”
“I was starving and didn’t know it,” Justin admitted as he ran his fingernail over a loose thread on the thigh of his pants. “I was sick all the time until…” Justin paused. “Until I was badly injured, and then it was Demetri who figured it out.”
“You are placing me in his debt,” Abaddon said with a click of his tongue. “A place I would not rather be but seem to be held to.”
“You don’t have to be,” Justin said. “Demetri and Caleb looked after me out of kindness.”
“And yet he has turned you into his mistress,” Abaddon pointed out with an acidic tone. “It seems he is looking to finally be paid back for his kindness to you.”
“It’s not like that!” Justin raged and then gritted his teeth, trying to bring his anger back under control. “And what you did to me was okay?”
“I did nothing,” Abaddon said, his voice growing quiet. “It is an effect of being so close to me. You were in the presence of your Master. Your hunger grew, and it seems my sensitivity to the sun passed on to you.”
“You’re not my Master,” Justin snapped and then frowned. “Wait, so you’re saying that because I was in the same room with you I got crazy hungry?”
“Unfortunately, yes. That is why I encouraged you to feed.”
On my best friend. But Justin didn’t say that out loud.
“Will it be like that every time I see you?” Justin asked.
“So, you do plan to see me again?” Abaddon asked, and Justin wasn’t sure how he felt when he heard the hope in the man’s tone.
“Answer me,” Justin insisted.
“No. Now that I know how I affect you, I can rein in my influence on you,” he said.
“My mother,” Justin said and left it at that. He didn’t want to say anymore. Justin wanted to know how Abaddon felt toward her, if Demetri had been right.
“She was my mistress, son. When she became pregnant with you, she began to withdraw, to babble about giving birth to a monster.” Abaddon’s tone seemed far away, as if he were mentally reliving the past. “I tried to stop her from leaving. She told me she was going to kill the demon inside of her. She escaped before I knew she had gone.”
Justin felt the tears slide down his cheeks as he closed his eyes. His mother had hated him and tried to abort him. His breath hitched, and Justin had to bite his lip to stop himself from sobbing. Demetri had told him that she’d tried to kill herself twice. But to hear that she’d wanted Justin dead… Now more than ever he was thankful for the Frost family. They had given him love and a place in their family, had made him feel not so lonely in his lonely life. His heart ached to tell Caleb about this conversation. But his best friend was angry and wouldn’t talk to Justin. He wiped the tears with his shirt and cleared his throat.
“I am truly sorry, son. I wish it had been different. I loved her and had anticipated your birth with great joy. That is the truth.” Abaddon sighed. “Would you have wished me to lie to you about her?”
“No,” Justin said as he rubbed at his eyes again. “Thank you for being so honest.”
“I only want what is best for you, Justin. I have missed out on so much of your life as it is.” Abaddon paused. “Are you truly happy with Demetri?”
“I am,” Justin answered without hesitation. “I’ve loved him for a very long time.”
“And he treats you well?”
“He does,” Justin said and smiled as he thought of the man who had been an integral part of his life. “What about you? Do you have a wife or any more kids?”
“Neither,” Abaddon said, and there was slight bitterness to his words. “I could trust no one after your mother stole you from me. I have had many lovers but have been careful not to create another life.”
“TMI,” Justin said before he thought better of it.
Abaddon chuckled. “Yes, I guess a child does not want to hear how his parent still enjoys carnal lust.”
“You wouldn’t dazzle me in order to get me to come there, would you?” The guy might lie, but so far Justin felt as though he’d been telling the truth. He didn’t know Abaddon so he was going off his gut feelings. Hopefully they weren’t steering him wrong. Justin desperately wanted things to work between him and Abaddon, but he wouldn’t go into this blindly. If Abaddon was truly evil, as much as he didn’t want to, Justin would cut his losses and never speak to the man again.
“I’ve thought about it,” Abaddon admitted. “But you tell me you are happy, and I do not want to separate you from the man you love.”
“Are you really that selfless?” Justin couldn’t imagine a master vampire being an altruist.
“No,” Abaddon said. “I’m far from a saint. I wear horns more often than a halo. In all honesty, if I thought I could get away with dazzling you, I would. But I saw how hard you fought it at the asylum, and the last thing I want is for you to hate me.”