Chapter 37: Unburden
"Luke," Greg began, "I need you. I need you here and in the circle. You know me well enough to know I don't say that lightly. It hurts me to know I made you think you were replaceable or not enough, even for a moment."
Greg sighed. "I've always hated what happened during our childhood, so I wanted to take care of you. I didn't want you to ever feel alone again. But I pushed too hard." He slumped forward, clasping onto the desk with his palms to support his torso. "I wanted you to live your life as a child should, and then as a vampire should be able to. If you wanted money, women, fun, entertainment, whatever, I wanted you to have that. I wanted you to be able to enjoy your life with no attachments or responsibility, with nothing but support from me while not needing to concern yourself with me. That's the reason I haven't given you circle responsibilities, like Mya or Merida and Dom. But that doesn't mean I could ever replace you. You are irreplaceable to me."