Soren (Vampire's Mate, #2)

by Grae Bryan

“Do you know what, in my very long life, I’ve considered the most troubling of human emotions?” Gabe stared back at him. “What?” “Shame.” Gabe’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Had he been expecting Soren to condemn him for his anger? “Shame infects every other emotion it touches.” Soren squeezed the back of Gabe’s neck again. “What I’ve just heard is the story of a boy—because fourteen is still a boy—forced to grow up too fast. To become a pseudoparent right after the loss of his own. Your anger at your mother is justified.” Gabe opened his mouth to protest, but Soren cut him off. “It is. But because she’s sick, because of the responsibility you feel toward your brother, you’re ashamed of that anger. You try to bottle it up, to guilt yourself out of it. But that’s no way to heal. All it does is allow things to fester. You can be angry and still love your mom. You can hate seeing her like this, hate that she’s forgotten you, and still do right by her. You’re not a bad person.”