by Alice Cain
Adrian managed to wrap a towel around Tyler's beautiful body, without waking him, and then turned to carry him toward the guest room. At the last moment he changed his mind and doubled back to his own bedroom. He removed the wet towel and tucked Tyler under the covers before stepping back and watching the man sleep. It wasn't until that very moment that Adrian realized his own discomfort. Hell, not only did he have the hard-on of his life, but he was standing there in soaking wet denim. Getting his jeans off was going to be one very uncomfortable process.
"Goddess, what did you do to me?" he whispered breathlessly as he stepped away from Tyler and turned back to the bathroom.
"You called?" Anaedra asked as she appeared in his way.
"No, I didn't." Annoyance stole through him. Her timing couldn't have been worse.
"I could have sworn I heard you call my name," she said with a wide smile and a wicked giggle.
"What do you want, Anaedra?" Adrian asked quietly. Tyler might not be able to see or hear the woman but his sub would probably wake to Adrian's voice if he truly let himself show his exasperation.
"Can't a goddess just drop by to say hello once in a while?"
"You tell me," Tyler said, stepping out of the bedroom and forcing the woman to follow him. "You've never dropped by without wanting something."
"I'm hurt," she said with a mew of disappointment. Adrian shook his head and continued walking. Anaedra could stop him anytime she liked, but she seemed amused by his protective behavior over the man currently sleeping in his bed.
"If you're capable of basic human emotions, Anaedra, I've never seen any evidence."
She pouted, her perfect red lips showing her annoyance as she tilted her head in the direction of Adrian's bedroom.
"He's certainly very loud," Anaedra said with an exaggerated attempt to stop her ears from supposedly ringing.
Adrian growled and led her into the kitchen, the room farthest away from where Tyler was sleeping. "Get to the point, Anaedra. I've got a lot of work to do, and I would like to get some sleep tonight."
She looked as if she was going to say something else about Tyler, so Adrian gave her a hard look, crossed his arms, and waited. Uncharacteristically, Anaedra seemed to interpret his anger correctly and changed the subject instead.
"I want to know who killed William Danker."
"We don't know yet," Adrian said not giving Anaedra any more information than he had to. They were watching several possible suspects, but until they knew something for sure he wasn't telling her anything. Anaedra was a volatile personality. With so much power, she was liable to do something Adrian would regret.
"Well maybe if you spent less time fucking around…"
Anaedra disappeared before he could respond to that unfair accusation so he was left with angry words and no one to yell them at. She'd probably hear him if he uttered them, but without being able to see her it felt too much like talking to himself. And of course, Anaedra knew that. She'd been pushing his buttons for a very long time. There was zero chance she would give up her games now.
Adrian rubbed at the headache forming behind his eyes. Hell, his brother had been right the other day. He'd been so busy working that he'd forgotten how to have fun. Having Anaedra interrupt the only down time he'd taken in months was fucking annoying. Perversely he wanted to go and do exactly what Anaedra had accused him of.
Enjoying Tyler all night long seemed like a very good way to start.
He was almost to the point of blowing off his responsibilities when reality intruded and his cell phone rang.
Chapter Seven
"Her donor found her before she woke and he managed to prevent the worst of the bleeding."
"Lucky lady," Adrian said as he nodded a greeting to the man current cuddling a very tightly bandaged vampire. She fed tiredly from his throat as he rocked them both slightly back and forth. The poor thing looked like an Egyptian mummy, but at least she was still alive. "Do we have any leads?"
Brody nodded and tilted his head for Adrian to follow. He scented the air, at least trying to determine if this had been done by the same perpetrator who'd attacked William and Logan less than five days ago. He growled in frustration when he caught the scent of yet another human—five identical attacks on vampires made by five different attackers in less than three weeks. The only thing he knew for certain was that the people who'd committed these heinous acts were human.
Adrian followed his youngest brother to the internal door that hid the safe-like room that all vampires in this area installed. It was a recommendation of Alateeka Security. A damn good one, Adrian believed, but it also had a downside. Vampires tried only to deal with other paranormals and a handful of trusted humans, but sometimes it simply wasn't possible. Sometimes a human stumbled across their secret.
"The killer knew the code," Brody said leaning down to point to something that Adrian had no hope of seeing. As a werewolf his eyesight wasn't that much better than a human's, perhaps worse in some conditions, but his brother's animal gave him eyesight that seemed almost beyond Adrian's comprehension.
He turned to Brody, raised an eyebrow, and waited for him to explain.
"There are two sets of finger prints—the vampire's and the donor's—and a set of smudges, probably from latex gloves, in between. But they all only touched the correct buttons. The killer only touched them once indicating that he or she not only knew the numbers but the sequence as well."
Adrian glanced around the small area. This door and the panel that activated it were completely protected from prying eyes. Either the killer had somehow learned the number or they'd watched someone punch it in.
"Did you do a sweep for electronic surveillance?"
Brody gave him an irritated look. "Yes, I checked for bugs and cameras. I've been doing this as long as you have."
"Sorry," Adrian mumbled as he stepped into the unlocked safe-room. Brody was good at his job. He'd grasped technology a lot faster than the rest of them, so he was quite entitled to his annoyance. Hell, if Adrian wasn't currently half thinking with his dick—he could still smell Tyler's sweet arousal in his mind—he wouldn't have even asked such a stupid question.
"I called our resident computer genius hoping he could explain how someone might have gotten the codes," Tyler said. "Brian admitted that there may have been a hacker in our computer systems."
"Fuck," Adrian grumbled. They were a security firm for heaven's sake. Keeping hackers out of their computer systems was supposed to be something they were experts at. "Why didn't he say anything?"
"It was a global issue, and we weren't the only ones affected. Some of the world's biggest companies faced the same problem…something about a single line of code creating a vulnerability in a common piece of freeware." Maybe Adrian was too old to truly embrace technology, because he was sure that very little of that explanation made sense to him. "Brian said he couldn't find any evidence of information having been stolen, so he updated everything, closed the vulnerability, and went on with business." Brody shrugged and grimaced. "We don't even know for sure if that was how the codes were stolen."
Adrian rubbed a tired hand over his eyes. He was truly beginning to hate the modern world. They'd spent a long time hiding in plain sight, but the last couple of decades of technological advancements had made that nearly impossible. It was disturbing to think about where society was heading.
"You okay?" Brody asked. Closing his eyes for a moment, Adrian inhaled deeply, trying to get his mind back where it should be—investigating a crime scene.
"I'm fine," he said absently. He could still smell the killer's mixture of excitement and fear, the acrid scent burning his nostrils as Adrian stepped closer to the bed. The killer was definitely male and probably overweight. The smell of sweat was stale, as if the guy hadn't bothered to shower in the past week or that maybe the stench was imprinted permanently in his clothes. For Adrian's heightened wolf senses it was quite unpleasant.
"Same wounds, same time of day, same method of
entry—jimmied the back door open, used the code to get in, took his time slicing and dicing, packed up, locked up behind him, and left," Brody said in a casual voice. Adrian knew his brother well enough to know that he was trying very hard not to think of the victims as actual people. If they got emotionally involved in every murder, or attempted murder, they wouldn't be able to do their jobs properly. Humans called it "professional distance." Adrian and his family considered it a survival instinct. There was no way they could have done this job so long otherwise.
Yet he'd broken all of his own rules when he'd invited Tyler and Logan into his home. Hell, no wonder his brothers and sister kept asking him if he was all right.
He shook his head, trying to erase the sexy images of Tyler and the arousal just thinking about him had caused. He had it bad, for a human no less. Hell, the kindest thing would be to walk away. No, he'd agreed to train Tyler as his submissive. Adrian would train him, find him a suitable Dom, and then he'd walk away. He discreetly adjusted his jeans around the hard-on that wouldn't quit and tried desperately to get his mind back on work.
Five unsolved murders, but at least he had a pattern now. They were all using the same method and apparently had some very accurate information on vampires—how their metabolisms worked, where they slept and the security systems they used, and what they needed to recover from such horrific wounds.
"I think we need to put out an alert to all known vampire donors in the area. They need to check on their vampires at least an hour before the sun goes down."
"You'll likely cause a panic," Brody said thoughtfully, "but it might save lives. I'm getting sick of seeing good people die."
Adrian nodded in agreement.
Chapter Eight
"The Vampire Council will shit a brick," Gavin said as Adrian let himself back into his apartment.
"Can't be helped," he mumbled, nodding in agreement. The whole function of the "Vampire Council"—a self-elected group of three vampires who thought way too much of their own importance—was to inform the other vampires if, although lately it seemed to be when, there was the potential for a problem with humans. Their e-books were actually pretty clever, and it sure as hell was faster than the word of mouth they used to use, but Adrian often worried they were making a few too many details public. Thankfully, though Adrian would never say it out loud, the e-books were also rather overpriced and poorly written so it was usually only the people who knew what they actually contained who were willing to buy them. The stories were presented in the form of fictional tales but every new member was advised what coded information to look for.
Adrian didn't really agree with the way they seemed determined to perpetuate the idea that vampires were fast, mean, and deadly. Considering the reality, it seemed self-defeating to play up the mythical stereotype. "How's Logan doing?"
Gavin gave him a cocky grin and winked. If Adrian knew his brother at all the man was having the time of his life. He loved dealing with bratty subs. With Logan's hormonal fluctuations as he slowly changed into a vampire he was probably the exact type of challenge Gavin thrived on.
"Anaedra dropped by earlier," Gavin said in a low voice. It was clear he hadn't been any happier with his visit than Adrian had.
Adrian nodded. "She's looking for information."
"That's what I thought," Gavin said, shaking his head tiredly. All of the years they'd been dealing with the woman who called herself a goddess and they still had no idea what she could or couldn't do.
The only thing they knew for certain was that she was dangerous, her decisions seemingly made on a whim, her reactions often over-the-top or inappropriate. If dealing with a newly made vampire was like dealing with a woman with a severe case of PMS, then dealing with Anaedra was like dealing with a newly made vampire with PMS on steroids carrying a machine gun and a rocket launcher.
The word "volatile" took on a whole new meaning when applied to Anaedra.
"Any leads?" Gavin asked. They knew there was a chance Anaedra could be listening in, but they'd long ago realized that she had a rather short attention span. She'd probably done a round of the Alateeka brothers, stopped by to bitch about them to Lilly when she got no useful information, and then promptly moved on to something else.
"Same technique as the others. At least this one survived."
"And with the alert, hopefully more will as well."
Adrian nodded. He hated the necessity, and he sure as fuck hoped there weren't any more attacks, but at least they might reduce the risk. The vampire earlier tonight had been saved because the man who loved her had gone to lie beside her while he waited for her to wake up. Thankfully he'd known enough about his lover to call the right people and get urgent help before the sun went down.
"Did Tyler wake up?"
"No," Gavin said with a shake of his head. "Can't say I'm surprised. A guy who screams like that during orgasm uses an awful lot of energy."
"Get out of my house," Adrian said with an exasperated shake of his head.
Gavin just laughed, knowing the words weren't truly meant. "Go crawl into bed beside your sub. I'll keep Logan out of trouble."
Adrian wanted nothing more than to do just that, but it wasn't really fair on Tyler. Adrian had a job to do, a sacred calling. He couldn't offer Tyler anything more than a quick roll in the hay. Hell, he couldn't offer him a future, couldn't make any promises, he couldn't even give him the stability he most likely wanted. As relationships went, Adrian was fucking useless.
Gavin watched him almost as if he could hear Adrian's confused thoughts. Eventually Gavin shook his head. "Don't think so hard. Just go hold him."
It was selfish and unfair and probably misleading, but that's exactly what Adrian did.
~*~
Tyler woke surrounded by hard, warm muscle. There wasn't any confusion. He knew exactly where he was and who was holding him.
And he knew exactly what he was doing when he wriggled closer and rubbed Adrian's hard cock with the cheeks of his ass. The hard pinch on his nipple had him gasping in surprise.
"Behave, little brat."
"But I want—"
"I know what you want, Tyler, but I can't offer you anything in return."
Tyler rolled over, ignoring Adrian's attempts to hold him still. If he'd truly wanted to immobilize him, he easily could have.
"What is it you think I expect?"
Adrian shook his head but didn't stop holding him close. Tyler took that as a good sign.
"I can't give you the future you deserve."
"What?" Tyler asked feeling a little bit shocked. "I don't remember asking for a ring. Hell, you offered to train me as a sub. I know how this stuff works. I'm not expecting anything more from you than a few weeks of kinky fun."
He wanted way more than that, but if Adrian only had a few weeks to give, then Tyler planned to build happy memories to last him a lifetime. There was something unique about Adrian Alateeka—werewolf part aside—that made Tyler feel certain he would never meet another man like him.
"So you just want to be my sub for a few weeks?"
Tyler nodded, sincerely hoping that werewolves couldn't smell lies. Adrian seemed to be battling some sort of internal war. He closed his eyes, let out a deep breath, and finally nodded in agreement.
Adrian climbed out of the bed, planted his feet in a wide stance, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared down at Tyler in such an intimidating way that he had the sudden childish urge to hide under the covers. If it wasn't for the fascinating sight of Adrian's cock growing harder even as he watched, Tyler probably would have done just that.
"What is your safe word, little sub?"
Tyler swallowed hard and tried to convince himself that he hadn't just bitten off more than he could chew, figuratively speaking of course. Just the thought of taking Adrian's hard cock in his mouth filled him with aching need. But with the way Adrian was looking at him, he knew he wouldn't be doing anything that Adrian didn't order him to. Fuck, if he'd thought his last Dom was stri
ct, how the hell would he describe this guy?
"My safe word is 'tomato,' S–Sir," he said with a slight catch in his voice.
Adrian smiled and nodded, his sudden approval warming every part of Tyler.
"Come here, little sub." Adrian indicated where with a tilt of his head. Tyler moved quickly, kneeling beside Adrian the way his former Dom had instructed. He was surprised by the warm hand that cupped his head and pulled his face against the side of Adrian's thigh. It felt like a very possessive move and he couldn't help but sigh in contentment. "Tell me your hard limits, Tyler."
"Ah…" Did it say something about him that he couldn't remember any of the hard limits he'd made with his previous Dom? Strangely, he trusted Adrian far more than the man he'd known for a long time and had once thought himself in love with.
Adrian caressed Tyler's face with his callused fingers for a few moments before starting to talk.
"My hard limits," Adrian said in a quiet voice. "No permanent damage, for either of us. No piercing, tattooing, or deliberate scars. No scat play, or golden showers. I will not humiliate you, but I won't tolerate bratty behavior either. Deliberately embarrass me at the club and I will punish you in front of everyone." Adrian continued to caress him as he let that list sink in. "And I don't share, ever. If you're looking for a ménage experience you'll need to find a different Dom."
"Yes, Sir," Tyler whispered with more than a hint of relief. Adrian had covered many of Tyler's hard limits in that list as well.
"Would you like to add anything, Tyler?"
"I don't think so, Sir." He was shaking nervously so he knew he wasn't thinking very clearly at the moment. He wanted this man more than he could explain but he was sane enough to realize his list with his previous Dom was much, much longer. "Oh, condoms," he added quickly.
"Good," Adrian said in a deep, approving voice. "It's a very strictly enforced rule in the fetish rooms at Santutegia. Everyone uses a condom no matter how long they've been together." Adrian caressed Tyler's face again and he got the impression the man was again fighting that internal war. "However, with me being a werewolf and you being human there are no diseases we can give each other. If you agree, we can forgo condoms everywhere except the club."