“I have no idea what’s going on with him,” Connor admitted. “He’s been pretty withdrawn since the attack, which is strange since he seemed fine at first. Hell, he was handling it better than I was when we left the hospital, but acting off when Raven checked on him later that day. Today, he won’t even let Danny in the house. I was planning to go by there this morning, but I’ve been running from one problem to the next while trying to set up a meeting with Abram.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Ian offered.
Connor laughed. “That might be enough to make him suicidal.”
“I can do comforting,” Ian insisted. “Just ask Kyleigh.”
“You can’t do comforting, but maybe Mark doesn’t need comforting,” Connor said thoughtfully. “Maybe what he needs is a swift kick in the ass to get him out of this funk.”
“Just get the key from the nymph, and I’ll let myself in so he can’t refuse to open the door again,” Ian suggested, anxious to get to Mark’s house. There was no reason for his unease, but he had this nagging suspicious something was wrong with his friend.
Connor hesitated before nodding. “Much as I hate to invade Mark’s privacy, we need to find out what’s going on. He can’t just stay locked up in his home and feel sorry for himself, or whatever it is he’s doing. Just don’t be too much of an asshole.” He held up the key. “I had it with me in case he refused to let me in when I stopped by.”
Ian snatched the key from Connor and left without a word. There was no way he was agreeing to rein in his asshole tendencies. When he made his way into Mark’s house, he expected to find his friend wallowing in self-pity, perhaps even eating a bunch of those cookies Layla was forever baking. He did not expect to find Mark bent over the counter in the kitchen, panting as fangs poked their way through his gum line.
“Fuck!” Ian spat out. Well, now he knew why Mark was acting strange. When someone became a turned vampire, they died within an hour and rose in three days. There was no variation. Becoming a born vampire took longer—anywhere from twelve hours to a week for the entire process. People would get weak, like they were starving no matter how much they ate. Ideally, they were diagnosed early and given blood, because that’s what their body was craving even before the fangs popped out. Once the fangs popped out, it was really important to get them blood since the hunger quickly reached a point of causing excruciating pain.
When Mark’s gaze met Ian’s, he looked confused. It was obvious Mark hadn’t guessed the reason he’d been feeling off since the attack.
“Don’t worry, my friend. I’ll take care of everything,” Ian assured him, grabbing his phone out of his pocket and dialing Danny since his home was closest to Mark’s. “I need blood at Mark’s house, now. We’re in the kitchen, so come in the back door.”
He didn’t wait for an answer before ending the call and moving to Mark’s side. “You should sit down. The change can be a little rough if you don’t get blood earlier. Don’t worry. I’ll wait to kick your ass for not telling me you were having problems until you’re a little stronger.”
“What’s happening to me?” Mark asked, as blood and spit sprayed out of his mouth, a common occurrence with new fangs. The gums bled like a bitch for several minutes, and the addition of the fangs made people salivate more. It went away, but it was usually disturbing to the new vampire even when they were expecting it.
“Guess you weren’t in very good health, my friend,” Ian told him as he helped Mark to the table. Connor would be proud of how nice he was being when he was still pretty pissed at Mark for going through this shit alone. Yeah, he was definitely kicking his friend’s ass later, but it could wait until tomorrow.
Danny burst into the house with Zane right behind him. Zane’s arm was wrapped protectively around a woman Ian assumed was Zane’s mate. The woman looked horrified by what she was seeing.
“I was at Zane’s house on guard duty, so I just grabbed him,” Danny explained. “Shifter blood will make the transition easier.”
Ian was somewhat shocked by how well Danny was handling the change of one of his best friends, since Danny’s own transition had been really hard on him.
“I don’t want blood,” Mark insisted with a shake of his head.
Ian was amazed by the woman’s sudden transformation. Mark’s desperation triggered something in her, and her features hardened into a mask of determination as she pulled away from Zane and approached Mark.
“Just try to calm down,” she ordered in a tone that was both soothing and no-nonsense. Ian’s own tension eased at her command. Whatever she was, this woman was not human, and he’d guess she wasn’t a vampire either.
It wasn’t until she gave Ian a quick glance that he recognized her, and he had to bite back a curse. She was so much more dangerous than Connor could possibly guess. Those eyes he’d recognize anywhere, and it was insane that this woman with the ability to soothe those around her was the daughter of an evil fuck like Arawn. That was something he’d have to worry about later. For now, they needed to take care of Mark, and Arawn’s daughter seemed to be helping.
Mark leaned into the woman. “I was vaccinated against the Moon virus. This shouldn’t be happening.”
“But it is,” she replied with a shrug. “Seriously, I know all about crazy stuff that shouldn’t happen, and sometimes, we just have to deal with it. Can Zane feed you?” When Mark hesitated, the woman continued. “He’s your friend, and he’s worried about you. I can sense his unease along with yours. You’re actually worrying all the people in this room, and you don’t seem like the type who would want to cause your friends any distress.”
Ian wouldn’t have thought about using that tactic to get Mark to do what he wanted. The woman apparently figured Mark’s desire to make his friends comfortable would outweigh his anxiety, and based on Mark’s contemplative expression, she was probably right. Ian had to admire her for fighting a little dirty.
Zane had glided forward with the woman, and at Mark’s nod, he moved closer, wrapping them both in his arms. “It’ll be okay, Mark,” Zane assured him. “I know how this works, and I’ll be here for you the whole time. Besides, it’ll make you much stronger to have my good shifter blood instead of that weak human blood most of the vampires get.”
Mark nodded again. “I’m acting like a little bitch, right?” he asked, trying for humor.
“Yes,” Ian responded, which earned him a scowl from Arawn’s daughter.
“You’re doing fine,” Arawn’s daughter soothed, still pressed against Mark’s body by Zane’s embrace.
“This’ll work better if we go up to your room,” Zane suggested. “Feeding is easier lying down at first.”
“He’s right,” Danny agreed from Mark’s side. “Let me help you up the stairs.”
“I got it,” Mark argued.
Ian’s phone rang for the third time since he’d walked into Mark’s home. Whoever was calling really wanted to talk to him.
“Why don’t you answer that?” Danny suggested over his shoulder as he followed Mark up the stairs. “With everything going on lately, Connor is getting pissy when people don’t answer their phones.”
Ian hesitated because he felt like he needed to be there for Mark, not that it made any sense. Danny was there, and Arawn’s daughter seemed to have everything under control—as crazy as that seemed. He was also worried the call might be about Kyleigh or Mitchell. “I’ll see what they want and stay here to help if I can.”
Danny just nodded and continued up the stairs.
Walking back into the kitchen, Ian checked his phone to see that the missed calls were from Connor. He had no idea why Connor would be calling him when it had been maybe twenty minutes since they’d last talked.
“What took you so long to call me back,” Connor snapped impatiently when he answered Ian’s call.
“Like I told you before, I stopped by to check on Mark,” Ian reminded him.
“And you can’t answer my call while you check on him?” Connor interrupted.<
br />
“There’s a situation at Mark’s house,” Ian explained irritably.
“What kind of situation?” Connor demanded.
“The kind that has Zane upstairs giving Mark blood,” Ian replied and waited as Connor let out a long string of profanity. “He’s doing fine, Con. Well, as fine as he can be, considering I don’t think he realized what was going on when I first showed up at his house.”
“Sure, he’s fine, except for becoming a vampire when he didn’t want to,” Connor muttered.
“Maybe he did want to,” Ian said. “Hell, we never asked him how he felt about it. Just because he was freaking out doesn’t mean he’s gonna act like a pussy the way Danny did. Either way, he’s a born vampire, so he had something that was probably going to kill him sooner rather than later. Personally, I’m glad he’s going through the change. Much as I hate to admit it, the annoying asshole is my friend, and I don’t want him to die. Besides, he’s getting shifter blood first, so he’ll probably have some kick ass skills like Danny. Zane and his brothers like Mark, so he might even get more shifter blood in the future.”
“I’ll have to worry about everything with Mark later,” Connor said. “For now, I need you armed and ready to go in ten minutes. Everyone else should be at the training center by then. That is, except for Danny. I sent Quinn over to relieve him on guard duty for Zane’s mate, but I’m assuming he’s at Mark’s house.”
“Yeah, he’s here. Why are we all gathering?” Ian asked.
“We’re heading to Treasure Island to have a word with Abram,” Connor explained. “The bastard hasn’t responded to any of my messages about meeting, and one of our patrols just stopped an attack on a small human settlement. The attackers were turned vampires who seemed too coherent to be the result of the original Moon virus strain. Our patrol in that area was able to capture two of them and determine that they were in fact undead. That means we need to figure out what Abram is up to right away.”
“I’m on my way,” Ian assured him. “I’ll make sure Quinn knows where to find Danny, and he can head over once she gets here. Danny wants to stay with Mark as long as possible, so he may as well stay on guard duty until Quinn arrives.”
“Good call,” Connor agreed.
He’d have to tell Connor about finding Eleanor’s daughter later because he figured Connor didn’t really need one more thing to worry about at the moment. He still couldn’t believe that asshole Arawn had just dropped his daughter here. That fucker had better not be using her to hurt any of the people Ian cared about.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Lexi hurried in front of Zane to open the door to Mark’s room, surprised she’d managed to get out from between them to do it. Despite what Mark had said, he was in no condition to walk, and he was leaning heavily on Zane with Danny trailing close behind them. How she’d managed to walk up the stairs squished between Zane and Mark, she had no clue.
When Danny had pounded on the door, she and Zane had just dressed, which was a good thing since Danny hadn’t been in a patient mood. He’d insisted that Mark needed blood, and Zane had raced out the door with him. Lexi hadn’t realized what Danny had meant until she’d gotten to the house and seen Mark struggling to talk around the blood coming from his torn gums. It had been easy to spot the huge fangs, and she’d known right away that Mark was a newly turned vampire. It was not a pretty sight, and one she’d rather never see again. In fact, she’d been ready to slip into a corner and let the guys deal with what was going on. That’s when the strangest thing had happened. Mark’s need had called to her, and she’d been helpless to resist that call. Immediately, she’d calmed and known exactly what needed to be done. Later, she’d probably panic about how her ability to sense other’s emotions was now controlling her actions.
“You doing okay?” Zane asked as they settled Mark onto the bed, pulling Lexi from her thoughts and back to what needed to be done.
“Yeah,” Mark slurred. “I didn’t see this coming.”
Lexi was drawn to Mark’s need, but she was also being called to Danny’s need. Putting a hand on Danny’s arm, she tried to offer him the comfort he needed “He’s going to be fine,” she assured Danny. It was strange how she was becoming so touchy feely with people. Zane must be rubbing off on her. When Danny looked down at her, she was suddenly lost in his gaze, falling into images which she knew were Danny’s memories. Flashes of death, fear, and the utter loss of control he’d felt as the needle had been plunged into his arm, made her want to jerk away while also wanting to sink deeper into those memories. Some part of her knew she could dull the pain, but the idea of doing something like that scared her too much, so she refused to go deeper. Still, her need to comfort him was strong, and her hand remained on his arm. “It’s not like what you went through,” she assured him softly.
Danny’s hand gripped hers tightly, pulling it away from his arm. “How do you know what I went through?” he demanded, sounding angry, even though what she sensed was more like fear.
“Let her go,” Zane growled, suddenly on his feet.
This time, Danny glared at Zane. “There is something off about her, Zane. First, she’s supposed to come from the past. Now, she knows what happened to me? How do we know she’s not playing us all?”
“Let my mate go,” Zane ground out.
“Stop fighting like children,” Lexi ordered. “We need to take care of Mark. I was just trying to be nice, but I should have known what a mistake that would be, you ungrateful ass.”
Zane grinned at her. “You tell him, angel.” Then he looked at Danny. “Friend or no friend, I will kill you if you put your hands on my mate like that again.”
Lexi reached back and pinched Zane’s thigh. “Knock it off!”
“She’s a very powerful Fae,” Quinn said, and all eyes turned to her. They’d all been so caught up in arguing, no one had noticed her enter the room. “That’s how she knows what happened. When she looked into your eyes, I felt her power flare. It was. . . intense.”
Lexi had to agree that intense was a good word for what had just happened.
“What are you doing here?” Danny asked Quinn.
“Connor called and asked me to take over your guard detail,” she explained. “He needs to talk to you.”
“He can wait,” Danny grumbled.
Mark’s groan brought their attention back to what needed to be done.
“You should wait outside,” Lexi told Danny. “This is too much for you, and it’s adding to Mark’s stress.”
Expecting an argument from Danny, Lexi was surprised when he nodded and turned to leave. He didn’t face her again, but she heard his words clearly. “You’re right about me being an ass. I’ll apologize later when you’ll believe it’s not just to get back on Quinn’s good side.”
“I already believe you,” Lexi assured him and watched as Danny and Quinn left the room before returning her attention to Mark.
Zane climbed onto the bed in front of Mark, and Lexi watched as he cradled his friend’s face almost lovingly. “Are you ready to do this?”
Mark gave a weak laugh. “About as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Zane looked over at her. “Can you get on the bed behind Mark? Your touch seems to comfort him, and this can be stressful the first time, from what I’ve heard.”
Lexi hesitated for a moment before climbing onto the bed and settling herself at Mark’s back. Zane caught her hand and pulled her closer until she was pressed tightly against the much larger vampire. Surprisingly, she felt no unease about her proximity. Of course, Zane had a way of making her feel safe.
Moving up the bed slightly, Zane put his throat close to Mark’s mouth. The image was strangely intimate.
There was no hesitation and no more coaxing needed. Mark’s fangs sank into Zane’s throat, and Zane’s eyes drifted closed on a moan. Lexi would be lying if she didn’t admit to being a little aroused by the whole thing. Zane was sexy as hell, and Mark was also pretty damn attractive. Lexi scooted up Mark’s bo
dy so she could reach one hand forward to stroke Zane’s cheek as he fed Mark.
When Zane’s eyes opened and locked with hers, she couldn’t miss his arousal. Zane was turned on by feeding Mark, turned on by the intimacy of the moment they were sharing, and it was making her achy and wet.
Mark pulled his fangs from Zane’s throat, no longer looking weak.
“Thank you,” Mark said to Zane before rolling to face Lexi while Zane cuddled against Mark’s broad back.
Things just kept getting stranger as Mark leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers before giving her a teasing smile. “I also want to thank you for the comfort you offered me, and for loaning me your mate.”
Lexi wanted to argue that Zane wasn’t her mate, but it seemed silly to argue when no one believed her anyway. “You’re welcome,” was all she said.
“If you get tired of Zane being a pain in the ass all the time, let me know. I’d love to see what your eyes look like when you come,” Mark murmured, cupping her cheek in one of his large calloused hands.
Lexi looked over at Zane, fully expecting him to be pissed. Instead, he was grinning. “What do you think, angel? Should we invite Mark to watch us so he can see how gorgeous you look when I make you come? Or, did you want him to play with us?”
Lexi’s eyes widened. “No! I should go.” She scurried out of bed and raced down the stairs and out of the house. Naturally, Quinn was waiting outside the door and followed her as she fled down the street.
Chapter Fifty-Six
“Shit!” Zane nearly shouted when Lexi ran out of the room. “I just fucked up big time.”
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