Basic Need

Ch 6: About Love

"The motherfucker got into her head and made her think she was a burden somehow," Harry complained to Maria while dropping on the sofa.

After driving Alice home, he had prepared tea for her, added two sugars and some milk to it as she liked it. He then stayed with her as she told him all that had transpired, before finally suggesting that she goes to sleep at 2 pm since she was tired.

And that was when he went to the house he shared with Maria, Blake and his two bodyguards, which was just next to Alice's.

Although Alex and Nick had already told the couple a part of the story, Harry came to explain it all.

"Language!" Maria hit him lightly on the back of his head, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"She was already thinking that actually but had never acted to confront her fears," Blake told him as he sipped on his coffee.

"What? Why would you think that?" Harry exclaimed, rising to his feet, worry etched on his face.

"Because she told me once," Blake responded in an unnervingly matter-of-fact tone.

Harry shook his head disbelievingly, "Why didn't you tell me?" He rasped out.

"What would it have done?" Blake raised an eyebrow in question at him, "You would have told her she wasn't and she would have felt she was a bigger burden than she believed she was before."

"You're not making any sense," Harry told him.

"That's how women think, not my fault," Blake shrugged, trying to lighten the mood.

His mate threw a pillow at him, which he blocked with his free hand while sipping on his coffee yet again.

"Admit it, Maria," he told his mate evenly, "that was how she would have reacted or rather felt."

The brunette sighed at that and then nodded begrudgingly.

"That's insane," Harry drawled, running his hand through his already messy hair, "I never once felt she was a burden to me. Hell, I reveled in the fact that she needed so much... as selfish as that may sound."

"Love is selfish," Blake told him simply, a small smile adorning his face.

"No, it's not," Maria argued right back, rolling her eyes at Blake's input.

"Yes, it is. You can barely stand the idea of sharing your loved one even with mere friends." Blake stated flatly, "although that's how us, vampires and supernatural beings in general, feel... I don't know how it is with humans."

"Oh, puh-lease," Maria rolled her eyes at him anew, "You were about to leave me because you thought I was still hung up on Tyler."

"He did what?" Harry's eyes bulged.

"I was wrong," Blake conceded with a tight smile. "Don't remind of that night."

Maria smiled at her little brother, "He was ready to make me forget all about him just so I could be with Tyler – my ex – because he thought through a misunderstood conversation that I was still in love with him... that, mon chéri, is love."

"Don't mind her," Blake told Harry, "when you love them, don't let them go. I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life."

"I agree," Maria nodded with a knowing smile, "Whoever said "when you love 'em let 'em go" was wrong."

"Enough about your old days," Harry huffed after a while, "tell me what I could do to make Jeremy pay."

"What? You want to start a war with a mafia heir?" Maria slapped the back of his head. "Don't be an idiot."

"I didn't say that," Harry started on a heavy sigh, "but Blake told me the guy must be after me, and trying to get to me through Alice because he has done his research."

"Well, you can always ask him straight out what he wants with you." Blake told him flatly, "I think that's the best way."

"I thought you told me to avoid him," Harry told him, perplexed.

"Yes, I did." Blake nodded, "But in just one day, he made a move on Alice. What would he do given the time? I'd prefer we deal with this punk right away."

"We?" Both Maria and Harry repeated incredulously.

"Yeah, we. Obviously, he's not after you for the money..." Blake deadpanned.

"So?"

"He must be after you because of the lawsuit in which you had a non-lieu three years ago."

"What?" Maria exclaimed. "But you were the one who killed that vampire."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that. Remember Jeremy Butler is from the mafia not from the other world. He must think you have some very good hitman or a very skilled lawyer. What does he want with either is what you're going to find out."

"Roger that." Harry saluted in a military way.

He then looked at his watch and told them hastily, "I will go check on Alice."

"Yeah, you do that," Blake chuckled.

"Not gonna do anything," Harry blushed.

"I know. I know."