Augie sauntered into the room and almost tripped over himself as his eyes fell upon Jack. "Kyle. Good afternoon. I thought you were busy with Kieran," he said in a friendly tone.

There was no hint of bitterness, and it was a punch to the gut that Jack hadn't been expecting. Was he that insignificant that he didn't even register as a romantic threat to Augie? The thought made Jack bristle in defensive irritation. "I don't do busy," he all but growled. He looked up and stared pointedly at Augie's neck. "How's your neck."

Augie looked from Jack to Benoit, his rising panic becoming obvious as he shifted his weight and forced a smile. "A good rest fixed my unfortunate tumble."

Benoit sipped her tea and slowly raised her eyes to Augie. "You fell? My dear, you must tell me when you have an accident. You know I worry so."

"A misstep on the stairs. Nothing to worry about, I assure you. All is well, and no threat of any lingering effects," Augie said, staring pointedly at Jack. "I'll be avoiding stairs for the foreseeable future. Perhaps five years? Shall that work?"

"You can't put a fucking time stamp on my goddamned relationship!" Had Jack been holding a dish, he would have chucked it at Augie's head. He wasn't temporary. He wasn't a bandaid. He had to believe he meant more to Kieran than that.

"Now, Kyle—"

"My name's not Kyle!" He looked away and crossed his arms, clutching tightly at his elbows, nails digging in through the fabric. His audience of two wasn't ideal, but at least they knew him on some level. The thought barely kept the rising edge of panic from overtaking him.

"Augustin, meet Mister Jack Elster," Benoit said with an elegant wave of her hand. She met Augie's eyes and raised a brow. "I'm sure you've heard whispers of him. I know I've mentioned this bright flame the world wishes to dim."

Augie swallowed and nodded shallowly. "Oh. I see. Yes. May I be excused?"

"No." Her reply was short yet carried the weight of what the future held for Augie.

"Please forgive me, Mother," Augie said, moving further into the room. He cautiously approached Benoit's chair, shoulders hunched in a failed effort to appear smaller and vulnerable.

Benoit sniffed and looked away. "You'll not win me over with sweet sentiments this time, Augustin."

Jack's phone vibrated against his hip, and he surreptitiously pulled it out to peek, hoping for an excuse to leave or a decent distraction from the overall tightness in his body. He was greeted by several incoming texts from Tara.

raidraidraidriad!!

RAID!

NOW!!

ur myhealer!!!!

bring all ur honey n pollen

b ther soon

He sighed and logged into the game as he half-listened to Benoit and Augie. It wasn't the distraction he wanted, but he'd take it.

Augie knelt beside Benoit, gripping the arm of her chair as he stared up at her pleadingly. "I swear, Mother, I had no idea. Kyle, Jack was properly covered in another scent, so I couldn't have known. I was just after a pretty face. Er, a handsome friend. A companion for my visit."

"And you happened to run into O'Byrne?" She didn't look at him as she poured herself more tea.

"I may have chosen locations that he would be tempted to visit, yes," he admitted. "Nostalgia is a—"

"Nostalgia?"

It was becoming too much for Jack. Sure, he'd listen in on conversations going on behind him at a cafe, but a front row seat felt like it called for audience participation. Especially when he was part of the subject being discussed. "Just say your dumb horny ass was horny," he said, hoping that cutting to the chase would end the whole thing.

Augie glanced at Jack then to Benoit's lap. "Ahah… Yes. That. You had mentioned Kieran, and I've been missing him terribly."

The smooth drawl was too much for Jack to just snidely poke from the sidelines. He was receiving constant texts as he waited for the game to load, and it was grating on his last nerve.

"Oh, shut up!" He sat up and lightly laid his hand across his chest as he affected his best southern accent. "I've been missing him terribly. Oh, I do declare, this dungeon is missin' a sex swing. And fancy that! Here's a tasty little snack I can strap right on into it. He won't mind!" He glared at Augie before returning to his game. "Am I wrong?"

"I don't sound like that."

"Yes, you do! You are straight up Southern Comfort, and, yeah, it's nice and flattering, and I fell for it. I admit it. I was hurting, and I gave another bloodsucking leech a chance for all the wrong reasons, and Tara is—"

He broke off as he jabbed at his screen. Dividing his attention between Augie's idiocy and the need to strategize was not something he was good at. He glanced up and caught Benoit's concerned gaze. He didn't need prying from people who didn't know him well. He should have kept a tighter lid on his feelings.

"Are you well, Jack?" Benoit asked, leaning forward. She made a shooing motion at Augie's hands, to which he happily obliged until she snapped her fingers, pointing to the space he just vacated.

Jack nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry. I had way too much coffee, and Tara's been hounding me on every raid that pops up since I don't have a real job. I'm being punished for something. This is the sixth time today." It was mostly true. No one needed to know exactly what was going through his head.

He looked up in time to see the interested look cross Augie's face. "Oh, no, you don't. You stay the fuck away from my friend. And my boyfriend. I can't believe I thought we coulda been friends." He finished in a mumble, cringing at the thought that his taste in men was awful. Even Kieran wasn't amazing, so what did that say about Sam?

Augie leaned against the back of Benoit's chair, casually stuffing his hands in the pockets of his slacks. "I'd be more than happy to pursue friendship with you, darlin'."

Jack glared at the hidden hands. Perfectly pressed pants without a speck of dirt and perfectly tucked in shirt with all the buttons in their proper holes. Perfect. Every last bit of Augie was put together and an awful reminder of what Jack could never hope to deliver.

What was worse, was that Jack wanted to take Augie up on the offer. He wanted more friends. He wanted friends he could actually talk to about the weird turn his life had taken. Why couldn't Augie be a normal, non-manipulative asshole?

"Let me extend an invitation for lunch," Augie eagerly added. "You needn't come alone. I've found The Vault has a delightful casual atmosphere and is rather chic."

Jack pointed at Augie as he looked to Benoit for help. "This is what I put up with while I was kinda dating him. He doesn't listen. In one ear, out the other, and he latches onto whatever's good for him." He was aware of his voice cracking as he tried to remain calm. He couldn't break down. Not now, and definitely not surrounded by vampires. He focused his attention back on his phone, breathing as slow and deep as he could manage.

"A character flaw I once found endearing." Benoit slowly turned her gaze to Augie. "We'll speak more of this later, Augustin."

"Now, Mother—"

"Augustin." Benoit's voice was quick and sharp and held no room for argument. "Do not make this worse for yourself."

Augie sighed, his perfect posture dropped as he stared at the floor in defeat. "Yes, Mother."

Benoit eyed Augie for a moment before turning her attention to Jack with an air of satisfaction. "Is there anything else you would like to say to him? I assure you, there will be no retaliation."

Jack quickly shook his head and stared at his phone, tapping through a battle and doing his best to assist Tara. "I think I'm good," he forced out. He could visit it later or write a letter. He could have sworn one of his therapists had mentioned writing letters would help sort out his thoughts.

Besides, he wasn't the one who needed to get off his ass and properly kick Augie to the curb.

Benoit nodded as she stared at the fire in thought.

Jack glanced up and back to his phone, closing out of the game after the battle finished. He shot a text to Kieran, begging for a rescue. "Can… Can I go?"

Benoit nodded and gestured to the doorway. "Hilda will show you out."

Jack stood, keeping his eyes on his phone and Kieran's reply to the jumble of letters he'd sent.

xmbgrt me

Are you well, or was this a mistake?

He breathed in slowly and took a moment to retype his message.

im ok just get me

not bad not good

sry if i freak out

I'll be there momentarily.

Jack looked up to see the maid from earlier waiting by the door for him. He swallowed and looked back at Benoit. "Thanks. Um, my ride's on the way, so… Cake was good?"

"You are welcome in my home whenever you wish, my dear," Benoit replied. "The gate will be open for your ride." She reached up and grabbed Augie by the sleeve. "This one will remain here."

It was an ominous promise, and Jack was eager to leave Augie to his fate. As long as he got to leave. "Right. Bye."

The door closed behind him, and he shot a look over his shoulder to find the butler leaning against the door frame with an air of smugness. He was going to be jumped by a pair of vampires, and there was nothing he could do to defend himself. He gasped and cringed against the wall when a voice spoke softly beside his ear.

"I apologize, Mr. Elster," Hilda said, her voice still soft. She motioned to the hallway. "Please. This way."

Jack ducked his head and nodded, hating the heat that stung his cheeks and ears. He collected himself and pushed off the wall. If Benoit or her cohorts wanted to hurt him or drink him dry, then they had the chance the last time he was dumb enough to serve himself up on a silver platter. He didn't know if it would be worse if he'd always had a lack of self-preservation skills, or if it had been instilled by Farragut. He didn't want to think about it.

"Thank you," he said as he followed Hilda down the hall to the entry. He concentrated on the wallpaper, hoping to calm down. It was a light pink with a repeating print that he could barely make out behind all the photographs and paintings that cluttered the walls. It was like walking through one of Kieran's filing cabinets.

"Um, you made the cake, right? It was nice. Good. It was good," he said. It wasn't the most eloquent compliment, but it filled the silence.

Hilda looked over her shoulder with a bright smile. "Danke," she replied. "I love to bake, and Madam enjoys entertaining. We hope to see you more often."

"Er…" They reached the front door, and Jack didn't have a reply or an excuse. He looked around awkwardly, his eyes landing on a crucifix with a chain hanging from it. He squinted and leaned in to get a better look at the pendant that hung from the chain. He drew back in shock when he recognized the shape as a pair of overly sharp fangs.

"What the fuck?"

"Madam's sire. I never met him, but it is my understanding that he was a terrible man," Hilda said. She came to stand beside Jack and looked at the crucifix.

Jack refused to give the fangs another look, and already he could feel the image wavering in his memory. He pulled out his phone and almost made a note, but changed his mind. Things that were almost snake-like had no right being in anyone's mouth, and he didn't want his happy fantasy image of Kieran ruined.

Not when Kieran was capable of ruining that image all by himself.