Reckless Soul

by Lynn Hagen

  “Because the vampire is here to kill me, and since you’re my mate, I have to protect you.”

  “Mate?” Roy furrowed his brows. “I told you that I’ve heard that word before. What does it mean?”

  Calhoun sighed and scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “It means fate handpicked you for me, Roy. Soul mates. Destined to be together for the rest of eternity.”

  Roy backed away. This guy was off his flipping rocker. Although Roy believed in soul mates…no. Calhoun was lying. But why would he lie? He could do so much better than Roy. Was this some kind of sick game?

  “Jet isn’t Raven’s boyfriend. They’re mates. If you want to talk to Raven, he can tell you about other mated couples who live here.”

  Roy shook his head. He didn’t want to talk to Raven. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to get into his car and drive until all of this made sense. From the way he felt, he would have to drive around the world a few times.

  Calhoun looked around before he turned his attention back to Roy. “It isn’t safe for us to be out here. I need to make a phone call, so come back inside.”

  “I-I have to work.” Roy turned and tried to run to his car, but Calhoun easily caught him and curled a beefy arm around Roy’s waist.

  “Don’t ever run from me,” Calhoun growled softly in Roy’s ear.

  “Let go of me!” Roy didn’t stand a chance against Calhoun’s strength. He was pinned to the guy’s chest, and trying to fight him was futile. Roy hated feeling helpless.

  “Normally, I would let you go. I don’t like holding you against your will, Roy. But you have no clue just how dangerous it is out here right now. We’re going back inside, and you’re going to park your ass on a stool while I make a phone call.”

  Dangling from Calhoun’s arm, Roy relented.

  * * * *

  Calhoun didn’t like the defeated look on Roy’s face as his mate sat on his stool, ignoring the soda in front of him. He wanted to pull Roy into his arms and apologize to his mate for being so curt with him.

  As he dialed Ethan’s number, Calhoun reached across the bar and slid his hand over Roy’s. Just because things were going to hell didn’t mean his mate had to feel scared and alone.

  And pretty pissed off judging by the scowls Roy threw at him every few minutes.

  “Miss me already?” Ethan asked when he answered. “I know we work well together, but trust me, there is no chemistry between us.”

  Calhoun rolled his eyes at what Ethan had said before his gaze dropped to his hand. Roy was brushing his thumb over Calhoun’s knuckles, and damn, why did Calhoun’s heart skip a beat?

  “I’m not calling for your fantasies,” Calhoun said. “He’s here.”

  “Who?”

  “Are you fucking serious? Do I have to spell it out for you?”

  Ethan’s tone instantly changed. “How close?”

  “My mate spotted him in town. I don’t think Merk knows exactly where I am just yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

  “First, congrats on finding your mate,” Ethan said. “Second, get someplace secure. I’ll grab someone and head your way. Just tell me where you are.”

  Even though Ethan couldn’t see him, Calhoun shook his head. True, he’d worked with the annihilator, and Ethan was damn good at what he did. But the guy was also a vampire. Calhoun didn’t know him well enough and didn’t want to add another bloodsucker to the list.

  “I’ll call you if things get nasty, but until then, I’m still keeping a low profile. I just wanted to let you know he hit town.”

  Ethan was quiet for a moment, but when he spoke, his voice was low and irritated. “Don’t trust me, I see. I would’ve thought better of that, but I see I was wrong.”

  Calhoun didn’t like hearing the hurt in Ethan’s tone, but he was gonna follow his gut. “It’s not like that, Ethan. We’re cool. I’m just following Panahasi’s orders.”

  Not a complete lie.

  “Right. Call me if you need me.” Ethan hung up.

  The vampire was old as fuck and would get over his crushed feelings. Calhoun had Roy to worry about, a human who wouldn’t be able to defend himself against such a threat.

  Taking his mate to his motel room wouldn’t work. If Merk brought the other two men who had run the drug lab with him, Calhoun would need a fast exit.

  He just wished to god Merk hadn’t taken notice of Roy when his mate had driven by that alley. Calhoun couldn’t be certain the deputy had caught Merk’s interest, but could he really take that chance?

  Calhoun pulled his hand from Roy’s. He’d wanted to keep their lives untangled, to keep his distance because of his nightmares and dark past, but he had to put Roy’s safety first.

  “Come on.” Calhoun headed down the bar and waited for Roy to join him before he walked through the kitchen and knocked on Mike’s office door. His boss wasn’t going to be happy that he had to head out, especially after he’d told Calhoun that he needed someone reliable, but Calhoun had no choice in the matter.

  “He’s not here.” Reese was leaning against the counter, typing on his phone. It really was a slow night. Calhoun had kept busy by wiping down shelves and rearranging the stock under the bar. He’d served only a handful of customers so far.

  “I have to take off with my mate,” Calhoun said to the cook. “Give Mike my apologies, but this can’t be avoided.”

  Reese looked up and gazed at Roy before the guy smiled. “No shit. Hey, Deputy Benton. Congratulations on your mating.”

  Roy looked at Calhoun with furrowed brows. Calhoun wasn’t sure what that look was about. Maybe Roy was shocked to find out Reese wasn’t human. He had to have come to that conclusion when Calhoun had spoken openly about mates.

  “He’s a rhino shifter.”

  Roy’s brows went from furrowed to rising close to his hairline. But he didn’t say anything as Calhoun used the back door to leave. They needed to get back to Roy’s house, and Calhoun needed to contact the sheriff to let him know one of his deputies would be taking some time off.

  “Whoa.” Roy tugged on the hand Calhoun had clasped firmly around his. “Where’re we going?”

  They didn’t have time for this. If Roy hadn’t mentioned the scar on the jaw of the man he’d seen, Calhoun would’ve simply thought two vampires were having a heated debate in the alley.

  But how many vampires had that scar? None. It was hard to leave a scar on a preternatural. Silver was usually involved when that happened. Or in a vampire’s case, they hadn’t drunk blood in enough time to heal. Merk could’ve gotten it another way, but Calhoun didn’t give a rat’s ass how he’d gotten it.

  A twisted black heart beat in the man’s chest. He got off on making people scream and beg for their lives. Calhoun thought of Merk capturing Roy, and his stomach lurched at the nightmarish image.

  “We’re heading to your house.” Calhoun started away again, but Roy kept tugging at his hand.

  “I’m on shift,” Roy argued. “I can’t just go home. I have a responsibility that I don’t take lightly.”

  Calhoun let Roy’s hand go. He was afraid his mate would try to pull his arm off just to get free from the way he was yanking. “And I have a responsibility, too,” he said. “Your safety is my number-one priority.”

  Roy glared at him. The skinny little shit straightened his shoulders and puffed his reedy chest out. “I don’t need anyone taking care of me. I’m an officer of the law. I can handle any problem that comes my way.”

  If there had been nothing but humans in this town, Calhoun might agree. Might have. Roy didn’t strike him as the kind of person who could tackle a guy much bigger than himself. If he went on courage alone, Roy would be a beast at his job. His deputy had that in spades. Most of the time.

  Now that Calhoun looked Roy over, really looked at him, why on earth would someone so diminutive be a cop? He could understand if Roy manned the desk at the station. That would be perfect for him. But patrolling the streets and arresting people?

&n
bsp; Then again, he’d seen small guys take down massive men. It happened. But Calhoun highly doubted Roy had the skills and know-how. He was starting to understand his mate, though. Roy didn’t like to be perceived as weak, so Calhoun had to handle this carefully so as not to offend him.

  He just couldn’t think of a way to say what he had to say without doing that. “Look, I know you’re a capable deputy. I have no doubt your coworkers and the people of this town respect you. But we’re not dealing with a human, Roy. This guy, Merk, he’s what goes bump in the night. He’s the monster in the alley waiting to lure his victims in. He’s a vampire, with inhuman strength and speed.”

  Roy’s green eyes erupted in flames. “And that is the very reason I became a cop. To take men like this Merk guy off the streets.”

  God, Roy was so goddamn infuriating. Calhoun was trying to spare his mate’s feelings, trying not to make him feel inept, but Roy just wasn’t getting it.

  Calhoun hadn’t wanted to take this route, but he felt as if he had no other choice. He couldn’t let Roy get killed. “He’ll crush your fucking bones and savor your screams, Roy. He’ll feed from you until you’re an inch from death, then he’ll pass you around to his buddies. There will be no mercy. There will be no begging or pleading for your life because he’d only orgasm from those pathetic sounds.”

  The color drained from Roy’s face. Calhoun felt like a rank bastard for terrifying his mate. He’d never wanted that. Calhoun had wanted Roy to accept his world, to accept him, not scare ten years off the man’s life.

  “Why are you saying those things?” Roy looked toward the tavern door when it opened and a guy walked out. Whoever it was got into his truck and drove away before Roy gave his attention back to Calhoun.

  “Look,” Calhoun said as he rested his hands on Roy’s upper arms. “I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m really not. But I need you to be aware of what you could potentially be up against. Walking away doesn’t make you any less of a man, Roy.”

  Those were the wrong words to say. Roy sneered as he jerked away from Calhoun and stormed to his patrol car. Calhoun had no idea what the fuck to do, but letting his mate drive around town when Merk was in Maple Grove wasn’t going to happen.

  Chapter Four

  Roy’s hands shook so badly that he couldn’t get the key into the ignition. Jesus H. Christ. Had Calhoun been fucking with him? Was that type of monster really in Roy’s beloved town?

  In truth, he didn’t want to go on patrol. If Calhoun had been out to terrify Roy, the man had succeeded. He couldn’t get the image of Merk’s red eyes out of his mind. They had been pure evil, and Roy shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if he’d gotten out of his car and gone into the alley.

  “He’ll crush your fucking bones and savor your screams, Roy.”

  He rested his head against the steering wheel as he tried to control his breathing. Roy screamed and jerked his head up when someone tapped on his window.

  Calhoun stood by the driver’s door staring at him with concern. Roy managed to get the key in the ignition, but he couldn’t bring himself to start the car.

  “Just let me ride along with you,” Calhoun said through the closed window. “I won’t interfere in anything you do. I promise.”

  Roy slowly nodded. He’d spent his entire life trying to hone his machismo, trying to be exactly like his father. He’d failed more than he’d succeeded. Roy might have accepted who he was if he hadn’t been harassed so badly in school. He’d been shoved into lockers, called all kinds of cruel names, and made fun of for his diminutive stature.

  And he wasn’t even going to get started on the gay slurs the football team had called him for years.

  High school had been a living hell for him. What made matters worse was having Lacey run to his rescue, even though he’d begged her not to. That had only made him look weaker in everyone’s eyes.

  He’d joined a gym when he’d gotten older, but no matter how much Roy had worked out, no matter how much sweat and pain he’d suffered through, the sad fact was he would always be the little guy.

  Roy hated that fact. But he was nobody’s fool. There was a psychotic vampire on the loose, and as badly as Roy wanted to prove he could handle himself, Merk would kill him if he faced the guy alone.

  Calhoun climbed into the passenger’s side. The guy didn’t say a word as Roy pulled from the parking lot and headed down the street.

  “Why do you think Jude was in the alley with Merk?” Roy asked.

  “I have no idea. If Jude is a resident, then I think he needs to be checked out. No good can come from getting mixed up with Merk.”

  Roy looked at Calhoun. The interior of the car was dark, except for the dash lights and the soft glare from the open computer, which illuminated the guy’s face with an eerie glow. The shadows made Calhoun’s blue eyes seem darker, deadlier.

  “You want me to question Jude?”

  “No.” Calhoun shook his head. “I know there’re some shifters on the force. No offense to you, but I’d rather have them talk to Jude.”

  The lights from the streetlamps rolled over the windshield every few seconds. They were still in the heart of Maple Grove, where lighting made Roy feel somewhat safe. A few cars passed him in the opposite lane as he slowed at the stop sign then turned right.

  He spotted a couple in their driveway arguing. Roy realized it was Fred and Heather, siblings. He slowed and flashed his searchlight on them. Heather held her hand up to ward off the brightness. Fred simply glared at Roy.

  After rolling his window down, Roy asked, “Everything okay over there?”

  “Get that fucking light out of my eyes,” Heather sneered.

  “Mind your own damn business,” Fred shouted.

  Roy put the car in Park and started to get out, but a hand on his arm stopped him. Calhoun’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Fred and Heather. “I’m gonna slap him in his goddamn mouth for talking to you that way.”

  The threat should’ve had Roy’s hackles rising. He didn’t need anyone defending him. But instead of being pissed, he hid his smile. “Why don’t you unleash your tiger on them? I’m pretty sure that would shut them up.”

  Calhoun smirked. “Don’t tempt me, sweetheart.”

  Roy wasn’t sure if Calhoun was joking or being serious. He looked out his window and said in a loud voice, “Take your argument inside, or I’ll have to give you a ticket for disturbing the peace.”

  Fred looked as if he wanted to argue but grabbed Heather’s hand and pulled her into the house.

  Roy knew the truth. If Calhoun hadn’t been sitting next to him, Fred would’ve popped off at the mouth even more. Fred loved to let Roy know that he held zero respect for him.

  “I can still go inside and slap him in his mouth,” Calhoun said.

  This time Roy chuckled. “Trust me. I would love to see that.”

  They spent the next hour driving around, but all was quiet. No vampires, no red eyes, no pervert breaking into some woman’s house for her panties. Roy told Calhoun about the sick bastard.

  Calhoun’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you kidding me? Someone is really doing that?”

  “Yeah, and he’s escalating. He touched the last victim while she was sleeping, but he took off when she woke up and screamed. Techs dusted the place, but there weren’t any prints.”

  “Small towns,” Calhoun said. “They harbor the sickos and weirdoes.”

  “So do the cities,” Roy said as he pulled into the gas station. “They just stick out in a small town because everyone knows everyone.”

  “Why are we here?”

  There were no cars in the gas station. All Roy heard were crickets as he looked around. “I need a snack. I always get the munchies when I work third shift. I mainly survive the wee hours with a can of Red Bull and some beef sticks. One day it’ll catch up to me, though.”

  “Not really.” Calhoun stared straight ahead, and Roy wondered if the guy would explain what he meant when he turned to look at Roy. “We�
�re mated.”

  “You told me that.” Which Roy was still trying to come to terms with. He had a lot of questions about being mated, but until he could accept that fact, he kept them to himself.

  “When I claim you, you’ll age more slowly. You won’t get sick, either.”

  Roy gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Could you please stop dropping those bombs in my lap? I haven’t recovered from the first one.”

  Calhoun held his hands up in a placating gesture. “My bad.”

  With a roll of his eyes and a grunt of irritation, Roy got out and headed inside. He walked to the cooler as he listened to the tiny television Baker kept behind the counter to stave off boredom. Roy grabbed a can of Red Bull and had walked to the snack aisle when Calhoun moved quickly toward him with a look of determination.

  “What?” Roy looked around, but he didn’t see anyone else in the store.

  Calhoun tapped the side of his nose. “Blood.”

  Roy set the can down and drew his weapon. He followed behind Calhoun as the guy made his way to the counter. At least Calhoun was smart enough not to touch anything. He simply pointed.

  With his heart in his throat, Roy rounded the counter. White spots filled his vision. He slapped a hand over his mouth and backed away as the tiny television burped out canned laughter from the sitcom.

  He stared down at Baker. There was a tiny trail of blood on the floor. But that wasn’t what had Roy ready to vomit. It was the fact that Baker’s throat was torn out.

  At a touch on his shoulder, Roy shouted and whipped his gun around, pointing it at Calhoun.

  “Whoa.” Calhoun threw his hands up. “Easy now. I just touched your shoulder. I didn’t mean to frighten you. May I?”

  Shaken to his core, Roy numbly nodded. Calhoun moved past Roy and hunched down. He didn’t touch anything. Calhoun simply studied Baker.

  When the guy stood, he tilted his head back and sniffed. As terrified as Roy was, he was also fascinated. “Are you sniffing like a dog?”

  Calhoun’s eyes narrowed. “I’m a tiger. A cat. Not a dog.”

  “Sorry.”