“There you are.” Came a booming voice from behind him. “Where have you been hiding?” Will walked up and stood next to Ashton’s table and leaned his palms down on the surface, getting his face into Ashton’s space. Ashton did not respond.
Will didn’t like being ignored, and his frustration grew. Taking a swipe at Ashton’s cup, he sent it sailing across the room, dumping the remaining coffee everywhere and smashing the cup upon impact. “Clean it up!” he screamed into Ashton’s face. “And when you’re done, you can clean the windows and scrub the marble tile of the display floor on your fucking hands and knees.”
“Fuck you,” Ashton said with calm and purpose. The serenity he was feeling helped him to see the man as unhinged and of little consequence. He didn’t fear this man, and he wouldn’t cower before him. This job was not worth his self-respect.
“You’ll do as I say, or you can get the fuck out! You’re nothing but a liability here with no skill or ambition. You’re a waste of space.” The attacks got more personal, but they still failed to land as Will had hoped they would.
“At least I don’t have to drug my dates.” Ashton caught his gaze and held it.
“You’re fired, get out, get out!” Will grabbed him by the upper arm and pushed him towards the door. “Get out!”
“Of course, and maybe I’ll stop off at the police on my way home and let them know what happened at the Dark Side Friday night. Expect a visit.” He dropped that bomb and then left with Will yelling profanities and threats while smashing things in the break room. Well, that went a bit worse than expected but, whatever.
Ashton stormed out of the store and headed down the street, unsure where he was going but needing time to compose himself. He stopped at the park a few blocks away and found a bench and sat down. He was so angry he was shaking; the calm that saw him through the confrontation had deserted him now, and all his pent-up emotions came rushing to the surface.
…
Logan got out of his car and headed across the street to Knight’s Jewelry. He was nearly at the door when a sense of despair hit him. He walked in and looked around, needing to see his beloved and know that he was well. The feeling of anxiety weighed heavily on him, and he knew that Ashton was the source.
“May I help you?” A young woman approached him with a fake smile on her face.
“I’m here for Ashton Webb.” He said and took another glance around the room. Before she could answer him, Will Chandler came walking out of a doorway off to his right, and when he saw Logan, he charged towards him. The move was overconfident, arrogant even because he knew Logan would not kill him in front of all these witnesses.
“Ashton doesn’t work here anymore.” He spat, and the young woman took her leave, walking back over to stand behind one of the glass cases. “I fired his ass, and if you don’t leave immediately, I’ll have security throw you out.” Will moved closer.
“Ashton, that fucking loser thinks he’s someone now that he has a brute like you protecting him. Well, he’s nothing, and if he ever comes back here, I’ll beat the fucking shit out of him, maybe even kill the little bastard.”
Logan’s eyes turned red, and his face took on a malevolence that had Will taking a sudden step back and glancing around the room looking for support. But he found none even the security guy looked away, not interested in whatever drama Will was manufacturing.
“You and I will discuss this later, and that’s a promise.” Logan hissed, baring his teeth, and spit on the floor in front of Will’s shoes.
“Get out.” He stammered, all red-faced and sweaty. “Morgan, throw this man out.” He spoke directly to the security guy who once again ignored him and stayed by the door. “Throw him out, or I’ll have you fired.” He yelled.
“Calm down, or I’ll throw you out,” Morgan stated to Will flat and firm.
Logan turned, nodded to the security guy, and left. He checked up and down the street, but was not sure where Ashton would have gone. His car was still in the lot behind the store, so he went on foot wherever he went. He pulled out his phone and called.
“Hello,” Ashton answered immediately. Logan’s relief was total when he heard his beloved’s voice. He sounded stressed but well, not scared and not defeated.
“Hello, my love. Where are you? I stopped by the jewelry store to see you, but they said you’d left.” He didn’t want to get into the specifics while on the phone.
“Yeah, it’s a long story.” He said with a sigh. “I’m in the park a couple of blocks down from the store. I’m sitting on the long bench just inside the gate.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Logan stated and closed the call. It wouldn’t take him minutes; it was mere seconds before he entered the park and saw Ashton sitting a few yards away. He stood as Logan approached and looked excited to see him just the expression Logan was hoping for.
Logan opened his arms, and Ashton flew into them. “I’m so glad to see you, sweetheart,” Logan said against Ashton’s ear. “I missed you so fucking much.”
Ashton wrapped his arms around Logan and pressed his face to his chest. “I missed you too. I really like you, you know, and I like having you around.”
“I like you too, a lot.” Logan chuckled and kissed the little scar eliciting a lovely moan from his beloved. Logan moved him back towards the bench, and they both sat down. Logan kept his arm around him and pulled close to his side.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened at work.” Logan opened the conversation.
“Did they tell you anything?” Ashton hedged.
“Will said he fired you. He sounded and acted like he’s lost his mind.”
“Yeah, I think he’s always been a little unhinged,” Ashton told him the things Will had said and also told him of his accosting him at lunch the previous day. “He thinks I’m responsible for his ruined reputation.”
“He managed that all on his own,” Logan commented. “I know he’s been banned from quite a few bars and clubs, including the Dark Side. He’s probably angry that his hunting field has been diminished. He’s nothing but a predatory piece of shit,” Logan hated that man, and if he could, he’d go back to the jewelry store and gut him. The man deserved more than what Lewis was going to dish out, much more.
“Do you think he’s hurt people before? Do you think he’s used those drugs on people other than me?” Logan could hear the sadness in Ashton’s words and wished he could tell him this was an isolated incident, but it wasn’t.
“Will had a reputation long before you came along. We weren’t aware of it at the Dark Side until he drugged you. We have a policy of not getting into people’s business. As long as they abide by our rules, we leave everyone alone.” It wasn’t much of an explanation, but it was all he had.
“I’m glad you noticed me,” Ashton whispered.
“I noticed you the moment you walked through the doors. Everything about you called to me, sweetheart, and I couldn’t take my eyes off you.” Logan kissed the side of his head and pulled him closer.
“I noticed you too,” Ashton admitted.
“You did?”
“I did.”
“Why don’t you let me take you to dinner,” Logan suggested. “I hate to say this, but I have to go into work for a few hours this evening.” Logan felt rather than heard the deep sigh from Ashton. “John asked me to cover from eight till two. I’ll get out of there as quick as possible and meet you at your apartment, and then I’m off for two days. Since you’re currently unemployed, we can spend two days together, hopefully in bed.” Logan was laughing as Ashton pulled away with a skeptical look.
“You’re leaving again.” He barked. “We get a few hours together, and then you have to go back to work.”
“One of us has to work, honey.” Logan continued to laugh as Ashton punched him in the side.
“That was low; besides, I have other offers. I won’t be unemployed for long.” Ashton stuck his nose in the air.
“I had no doubts.” Logan moved Ashton t
o the side and took his lips in a suffocating kiss that drew every ounce of desire to the surface and had Ashton holding on for dear life.
“I love how you kiss me, Logan,” Ashton whispered against his lips.
“I love you, Ashton.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
It was nearing ten o’clock. Logan was gone and wouldn’t be back until late, and Ashton was staring at the tv, which was just a dark, blank screen. They had dinner and made out and talked. It had been a fantastic few hours, and then Logan had to go. He hated being away from the guy, and he knew it was probably unhealthy to feel this connected, but it was how he felt. It didn’t seem to be a bad thing. He really liked and maybe even loved this man.
Logan had let the word loose and allowed it to linger in the air all evening. Ashton wanted to ask and go deeper but did not, and now he felt like a coward. Did he love Logan? If he couldn’t say it back, in all honesty, he didn’t feel he had the right to question. Now all he wanted was to talk to Logan about their feelings. He wanted this man more than any man in his life ever, so if it wasn’t love, it soon would be.
You’re a fucking coward, Webb. He said and stood to pace the living room for a while. Logan wasn’t afraid or uncomfortable even after Ashton left him hanging. He felt an overwhelming need to talk to Logan, and he didn’t want to wait. Suddenly filled with a newfound confidence, Ashton hurried to his bedroom to change and head over to the Dark Side. He would find Logan, and he would tell him straight out how he felt.
…
Logan settled another dispute by slamming on vampire off the bar headfirst and kicking the other across the room. This night was high energy with everyone enjoying themselves, even the ones being roughed up. It was the way with some paranormals; when they partied, they partied hard.
If it weren’t for the fact that he had a gorgeous man waiting for him, Logan would have appreciated the crazy, rowdy, and nearly feral clientele. He and Lewis ran the bar and the main floor, with several guarding the area and a group supervising the back rooms. They had things well in hand, with only the heartiest of humans being allowed in with such a crowd of paranormals.
He was wiping the bar down after a few drinks went flying when he noticed someone walk in. It was someone he knew. There standing tall and looking like a perfect dream, was his beloved Ashton. He looked gorgeous with tight black jeans that hugged everything to perfection and a thin white t-shirt that molded to his chest. He was delectable, and Logan felt himself begin to drool at the sensuous sight. His beloved was so hot.
At first, Logan felt elated that Ashton had stopped in. He missed me. Then it hit him what was happening there. Ashton had no concept of the paranormal, or would he be able to handle himself in a room full of lewd, crude, and looking to get laid paranormals.
Logan leaped over the bar and caught Ashton before a large vampire standing behind him, scooped him up in his arms. It was close, and Logan held Ashton in his arms and brought him over to the bar before setting him back down on his feet. Logan stayed close, blocking all the hands that sought to caress what was his.
“Wow, it’s really wild in here tonight,” Ashton commented as his eyes darted around the room. “I never knew Mondays were so popular.”
“What are you doing here, baby?” Logan didn’t mean to sound harsh, but he feared for Ashton’s honor and safety.
“I wanted to see you.” Ashton sounded suddenly unsure of himself, and Logan quickly softened his tone.
“You look amazing, and normally I would be thrilled, but as you can see, the customers tonight are not for the weak or faint of heart. These people work the docks, and they’re here for a good time.” Logan turned abruptly and punched a guy in the face who was trying to cop a feel knocking him back onto the table behind him. “Keep your fucking hands to yourself.” He told him and then turned back to a shocked Ashton.
“I should go home.” Ashton deflated, looked around, purposely avoiding Logan’s gaze. Logan pulled him behind the bar and sat him on some boxes before kissing him thoroughly.
“Stay, please. I’m just worried that someone might put their hands on you, and then I’d have to kill them.” He smiled and kissed Ashton again. “You look like my most perfect dream.” He reached down and cupped Ashton’s growing hardness beneath the fabric of his tight jeans. “I fucking love these jeans. I can’t wait to get you home.” Ashton finally smiled, and Logan was satisfied. “I have to work, so you sit here, don’t go out on the floor; these guys are pigs. The Dark Side on a Monday night is no place for humans.”
…
Ashton saluted and made himself comfortable on the boxes tucked safely behind the bar out of the way of wondering hands. He watched the action play out and was glad he was safely behind the protection of the bar with Logan.
This turned out to be a spectacularly bad idea, although being with Logan even in a situation so volatile was still better than being home alone. He hadn’t been able to speak to him since the bar was in an uproar since he’d arrived. No wonder they needed someone capable of handling the bar tonight.
Logan handed him a soft drink and some chips, and he tried to settle in and not be any more of a bother than he already was. Looking around the room from his safe perch, he noticed the wanton savagery going on. Men were beating each other to a pulp over some pretzels or stroking each other off with such vigorous aggression that Ashton found himself cringing.
There was something about the whole scene that seemed off. These men were not your typical partiers. They were hardcore and seemed impervious to pain. A vicious elbow to the face was followed with laughter and a back slap. These men were insane. Then he saw it, something so carnal that he could not look away and could not comprehend what he was seeing.
Two men were over against the wall; the area was dark, but Ashton could clearly see that one man was biting the other. It looked like an intimate kiss at first, and then he noticed it was the man’s neck, not his lips, and the other man was feeding from him like a bloodsucker. The teeth, the eyes, the focused, feral expression he’d seen it before. As if in a dream, he looked around the room again and this time saw what he’d missed. The things he’d overlooked and assumed as fighting or making out were, in many cases, feedings. These men were preying on each other.
The large ruthless one who held an equally large euphoric looking man against the wall turned his head and looked right at Ashton. His teeth still dripping blood as he ran his tongue across them. His eyes red and savage, nailing Ashton to the spot. Ashton wanted to run, but where? This place was a mass feeding ground. Going by the hungry looks coming his way, he knew he wouldn’t last two seconds on his own.
He didn’t want to say the word, didn’t want to acknowledge what he knew was true. Rationalizing, he looked at Lewis, who was leaning across the bar at the moment, breaking up a couple who were fighting. One was trying to get away from the teeth of the other. Lewis knocked him backward onto the floor, and the man was instantly back on his feet, pursuing another victim.
Were they victims? They all seemed to be participants in this brutality; they seemed to be entertained by it all. Excited exuberance teamed with vicious carnage, and it didn’t make sense.
Yeah, the large dark vampire, he went with that description and moved towards the bar, still holding Ashton in his sight. He came flush to the bar and spoke to Logan.
“Is he yours?” The man asked, his voice like butter—a complete contrast to the destroyed manner of his appearance.
“Yes.” Logan was clear, and his voice boomed.
“Let me have a taste. I’ll pay you handsomely.” The guy’s eyes got redder, and his teeth began to show at the corners of his mouth.
Logan grabbed him by the front of his torn shirt and brought his face up close. “Touch him, and I’ll kill you.” He tossed him back and continued serving drinks. Ashton was flabbergasted because when Logan got in the guy’s face, Logan’s eyes shifted to red, and a dark expression spread across his features. Ashton had seen this before. He had see
n Logan’s eyes turn red, and his teeth show. Twice, it happened when he was angry and when they made love. Heightened emotion was the key. Logan was one of them. He felt like his eyes were suddenly open to a reality that he just could not accept.
He felt the breath catch in his throat as the truth of his situation set in. This was a horror show, and like an idiot, he walked right into the middle of it. Logan bit him just as these men were biting each other. It was ridiculous, incomprehensible, but it was right here in front of his eyes. Was this a coven, a fucking coven of vampires? It was too ludicrous to imagine, but it was right here in front of his eyes.
Suddenly a violent scuffle broke out, and Logan leapt over the bar and right into the middle of it. This was the Dark Side; these were the stories he’d heard. Fear spiked through him, and he fought to settle down. His fear was something they’d sense he knew that, somehow, he knew that. He looked to his left and saw the short hall that led to the bathrooms, and just before that, a door an exit door.
If he could get out that door, he could get to his car. He was parked in the lot. The desire to escape was overcoming his fear of moving. What was this night to hold for him? He knew their secret now; they had to know, so how would that work out for him? He had to get away, leave the city, the state if he had to. This was beyond his ability to comprehend or handle; he saw running as his only option.
Logan was still in the thick of it breaking up the fight between four men. Several guys from the front of the bar also jumped in to help get things back under control with minimal damage, but the room was getting trashed. Most of the attention was on the fight, so he stood and started moving towards the left side of the bar. Lewis was handling drinks and drunks and didn’t spare Ashton a second look as he slid past him.
Once on the far side of the bar, he started walking fast towards the exit. He knew if he made eye contact with anyone, he was finished, so he kept his head down and moved like the devil was after him. He pushed the door with his shoulder and stepped out onto the asphalt drive that ran along that side of the bar. It wasn’t really an alley, more like a short driveway because it ended at the garages attached to the bar about a hundred feet to his left.
Logan's Love: Dark Side Vampires Vol. 2 Page 7