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I hurried up to our penthouse and pushed open the door It was so hard leaving Ben at home while Derek and I attended to the affairs of the island My stomach was in knots because, even after all this ti, Ben still hadn’t come to Jason and Ariana had recoveredthe door, peered inside

I gasped to seeon the edge of his bed, his eyes fixed on the ister my entrance When I recovered frohover to him

His eyes remained fixed on the mirror It was the first time I’d seen them open fully My breath hitched Now, as a vareen eyes were just as intense as Derek’s blue ones

I touched his arnored me "Ben, are you okay?"

He seelassy They were quite focused, staring at his reflection in thehis view of it, and forced his head to face ?"

He raised his eyes toWhen he spoke finally, it was through harsh, uneven breathing "I… need… blood"

I caught his hand and pulled hi hi throughhim finally, recovered and fully transfore and poured hilass and took a sip, then dropped it, doubling over and coughing It was disgusting, and it would be torture for Ben having to drink this when all he craved was fresh, hot huet used to it

"I can’t drink this," he gasped

He staggered back, away fro his mouth on his sleeve Then he , I rushed toward him But it was too late In barely the blink of an eye, he’d ripped open the door and leapt off the veranda

Chapter 16: Ben

I landed in a tree opposite our own and leapt froround

My brain was in a fog I didn’t knohat I was doing or why I was doing it All I kneas that I needed to get away from the stench of the blood my mother had just passed to me It made my stomach turn I heardafter ht iht the scent of hot blood in the air, coh every fiber ofto run in that direction, I couldn’t allow myself to--at least I had that much presence of mind