The Blood of the Soul

Sharp Edges of Darkness

A/N: Please note that this chapter includes a non-detailed suicide attempt, suicidal ideation, themes of depression, survivor's guilt, and PTSD. Truly, this took a much darker turn than I anticipated, and as always, please take care of yourself first.

Theo had seen Liam furious before, but this was something else entirely. He was a thoroughly unhinged ball of fury, and Theo sent a silent thanks to the universe that he didn't have goddamn claws.

Theo dove to the side, but nearly choked—Liam had snatched the back of his shirt, keeping him in place. It ripped beneath his grip as Theo ducked away from Liam's incoming fist.

"I'm going to fucking kill you," Liam snarled, flinging himself at Theo again.

Theo leapt back, but tripped over the rug and fell into his bedside table. It snapped beneath his weight and the lamp atop it clattered to the floor. He wrapped his hand around the cool metal base. He didn't want to hurt Liam, but he would if he had to.

Theo gasped for air as he scrambled to his feet, brandishing his makeshift weapon. "You keep saying that, Slayer. But you're the one who came to see a vampire without a stake."

And then Liam stooped, picking up a long sliver of wood with a sharp fracture, and dread prickled across Theo's skin.

"Good thing I'm resourceful."

In a blur of movement, Liam advanced. Theo swung his lamp, but Liam sent it flying out of his grasp with a carefully placed block and then pain erupted in Theo's chest.

He gasped for air, barely able to fill his lungs around the wood.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" he hissed. "All those times you saved me, saved Mia, you didn't care about us at all. It was just your guilty conscious."

Liam twisted, leaning all of his weight into it now, and Theo spasmed. Pure agony seared across his chest.

"No—" Theo croaked, but Liam barreled on.

"You made me care about you."

Theo had once thought that Liam's eyes were the color of waves crashing into the ocean; now, though, they swirled with the same devastating rage of a hurricane slamming into shore.

Liam released him, and Theo slid to the floor amongst the shattered glass from the lightbulb.

"Liam—"

"Don't." Liam's chest heaved. The rain still clinging to his skin may as well be evaporating into steam. "I thought you were different. I thought maybe my father was wrong about vampires. You made me believe that!"

Theo's mind was melting around the thing in his chest. He might as well have been human again, unable to breathe no matter how hard he tried.

"I bet you're not even sorry."

The slayer's eyes went wide as Theo yanked it free.

"You missed."

Liam moved, but Theo was already on feet, ignoring the sharp pains coursing through his body as he managed to get an arm around the slayer's throat.

Liam thrashed beneath this hold.

"You're right," Theo hissed against Liam's ear, ignoring the dizzying way Liam's pulse leap out against the side of his neck. "I'm not fucking sorry. I never will be. Your father killed the only living family I had left. He took everything from me."

Liam pried at Theo's elbow, but his grip was unyielding.

"The way I see it? We're even. I meant what I said. As soon as you stop trying to kill me, I'll let you go. We'll go our separate ways and that'll be that."