by Alice Cain
"Is he?" Anaedra asked again, this time more aggressively.
"It's under control, Anaedra," Adrian said in the usual exasperated tone he used for the goddess, but at the last moment he pulled his irritation back. "Derek would be more comfortable if you could transport us to my place."
"Of course," Anaedra answered scornfully, obviously irritated that he would ask. "I'll just stop everything to play travel agent." She gave him a very fake, but sweet looking smile. "Shall I make the first stop your bed? I'm sure your little submissive morsel wouldn't mind."
"Anaedra," Adrian said, trying to contain his own emotions, "it would be best if you transported us straight to the medical room." They hadn't used the room for quite a while, but he was certain it was stocked with everything they would need. Anaedra thankfully had them there almost immediately, the painful feeling of being in two places at once quickly subsiding as Adrian turned his attention to treating his brother's wounds.
"Still with us?" he asked Derek as he glanced up and realized Gavin was already in the room. Apparently Adrian's new sub wasn't very good at following directions. He must have gone looking for Gavin almost as soon as Adrian had left with Anaedra. Despite Tyler's defiance he was grateful for the man's intervention. This time.
"I'm still alive," Derek said, sounding almost bored. "Anytime you want to hand over some painkillers, just let me know."
"Asshole," Gavin said affectionately as he injected his brother with the only painkiller on the planet that worked for any of them. Judging by the goofy smile to grace Derek's face a moment later, it seemed to be working.
Gavin's agitation showed his increasing concern when he finally removed all of the bandages Adrian had used. It was clear that he was worried what they would find when they pulled the stake free.
"Do me a favor, Derek," Gavin said, clearly forcing himself to be jovial, "don't bleed too much. I have a brand new vampire in the next room. He probably thinks you smell as sweet as cotton candy."
"Sweet," Derek said in a slurred voice with another goofy grin. They waited a few more moments to make certain he was fast asleep.
"Ready?" Gavin asked Adrian as he gathered huge handfuls of gauze to pack the wound.
"As I'll ever be," Adrian said with a nod. Gavin eased the stake out of Derek's flesh, the bleeding thankfully not nearly as bad as they'd been expecting. They wiped away the blood and irrigated the wound several times, trying to check for internal damage, but it seemed that the stake had pushed aside the bowel rather than pierced it.
"Looks like he was lucky," Gavin said. "We'll pack the wound and monitor for a fever. His natural healing will do the rest."
Adrian nodded and glanced up at his brother. It was a complete surprise to realize Anaedra was still in the room. She rolled her eyes at his raised eyebrow and then she quickly disappeared.
~*~
Tyler and Logan had been waiting nervously in the living area when a man they didn't know used a key to come in the front door of the house. He was with a woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenties.
"You must be Tyler," the woman said as she approached them. "Lilly Alateeka."
"Oh," Tyler said as he glanced at Logan. In a very broad sense he and his friend were similar in looks—both rather tall and slender, with dark hair, and comparable facial structure. Many people they knew had commented on how they could pass as brothers, so it was a little surprising that someone who hadn't met them would be able to tell the difference.
His surprise must have been written all over his face because Lilly leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "I can sense vampires."
"Oh."
"I'm Brody Alateeka," the man said as he took Tyler's hand in a friendly grip. "Have Gavin or Adrian given you any word on how Derek is?"
Tyler shook his head. He was still having trouble processing the fact that a goddess had apparently transported Adrian and Derek straight into a room Gavin had referred to as the medical room. Tyler could hear them talking on the other side of the door, but if he hadn't seen Anaedra's power for himself, he would have just assumed the room had another way in.
"I'll go check," Lilly said with a decisive nod. She stepped into the room without hesitation and Brody held his arm out in a gesture that suggested they should sit back down.
"How are you adjusting to life as a vampire?" Brody asked Logan.
Logan gave Brody a defensive look that Tyler had seen on many a teenage school student, and then crossed his arms. "Fine," he said in a tone that suggested it was none of Brody's business.
Brody just gave him a friendly smile and turned his attention to Tyler. He got the impression that Brody already knew he was involved with Adrian just by the suddenly wide grin on his face. Thankfully Tyler was rescued from having to answer any questions when Adrian came out of the medical room.
"Derek's going to be fine," he said to his brother. "I don't suppose you have room for him at your place while he recovers?"
"Hell, no," Brody said with a laugh. "I still remember the gunshot wound he got nearly fifty years ago. Derek is so not a good patient."
"Besides," Lilly added as she also walked back into the room, "you are far better equipped, big brother. Your ceilings are at least high enough in case Derek decides to wander around in shifted form."
"High enough?" Tyler asked. "How tall can a werewolf be?"
"Derek isn't a wolf," Adrian said as he moved to wrap his arms around Tyler's shoulders. Tyler leaned back against him, sensing Adrian's need to hold him close. "Fine, okay, I'll keep him here, but I expect both of you to help me out. Tyler has agreed to train as my sub for a few months. We were planning on being very busy." Tyler's heart leapt at the idea of spending months with this man, instead of the few weeks he'd been expecting.
"Fine, we'll do what we can," Brody said in a tone that suggested he wasn't quite as upset as he was making out. Both he and Lilly gave Tyler a happy smile. He wasn't certain but he got the impression he'd gained their approval somehow.
"But for now," Lilly said with a wide grin, "we're going to get while the getting's good. Lots of sleep to do, you know." She even pretended to yawn.
"Sure," Adrian said with a laugh, apparently not convinced that Lilly was going back home. "Call Troy and Kyle and tell them Derek's going to be okay, so there's no need to rush home."
"Will do," Lilly said with a wide grin.
"Don't work too hard, sis."
"Me?" she asked with a wide-eyed, innocent look. "Never."
"Please be careful."
Lilly apparently took pity on him then. "Always. I'm just going to check around the club. Hopefully I'll see something you might have missed. Brody will be with me the whole time."
Brody and Lilly left soon after, but Tyler could feel the tension in Adrian increase. Tyler glanced worriedly at Gavin but he didn't seem overly concerned.
"They'll be fine," Gavin said calmly.
"You saw what one of these humans did to Derek."
"Lilly and Brody are careful and they have that spooky twin thing going on. They'll be fine. You know they'll shift if they have to."
"Yeah," Adrian agreed quietly. "I'd feel a lot more comfortable if we had any idea who was behind it all. I recognized the attacker's scent so I should probably go with them."
"Relax," Gavin said, giving Tyler a quick glance. "Brody's sense of smell is almost as strong as yours. They'll call you if they need your help."
Adrian nodded. If there was anything to find at the scene, Lilly and Brody would find it. His biggest fear was that none of them would be able to use the information to track the man. "Flying blind just isn't my idea of fun."
"Not mine either," Gavin said, again glancing at Tyler as if he could sense his fear. "Go get some sleep. Logan and I will keep Derek company if he wakes up."
"Okay," Adrian said, his arms tightening around Tyler's shoulders for a moment before releasing his hold and reaching for his hand. "Come on, little sub. Let's go to bed."
Tyler whispered a g
oodnight to Gavin and Logan and then followed his Dom into his bedroom. Adrian helped him get undressed and then made love to him slowly, his gentle caresses and soft touches at complete odds to their earlier violent coupling. Adrian held him afterward, curling around him protectively as Tyler closed his eyes and gave in to his need to sleep.
Chapter Ten
Adrian woke with a startled jolt. He wasn't quite certain what to make of the fact that he'd fallen sleep with Tyler in his arms when so many other things were going on. Just remembering what had happened to Derek made him tense up.
He wanted to wake Tyler and lose himself in the man's sweetness all over again, but Adrian's phone rang and he reluctantly rolled over to answer that instead. "Okay, I'll be right there," he whispered a few moments later before closing the connection and rolling out of bed. Tyler was right behind him and Adrian knew it was useless to suggest he go back to bed. The man cared about the people, and he simply wasn't the type to stay in bed and let everything happen around him.
"Gav," Arian called as he headed down the hallway. "Lilly and Brody may have just caught a lucky break. They found a young, overweight man snooping around the backyard of Logan's house. They followed him back to his place of residence and want me to confirm that he is one of our suspects."
"Okay," Gavin said with a half smile, half yawn. "Logan is already asleep for the day so it will give me a chance to get to know Tyler."
Adrian's fingers were curling into fists before he managed to pull back the unexpected reaction. He and his brothers were experienced Doms and had always looked out for each other's subs. Gavin knew Tyler was Adrian's sub and would act accordingly.
Gavin's smart-ass grin was almost enough to make him change his mind about not hitting him though. Apparently, goading Logan into a couple of tantrums wasn't enough for Gavin. He clearly courted Adrian's wrath as well.
His brother apparently read him easily. He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Go. Tyler and I will have a lazy breakfast and then watch some TV. I won't even tell him you bark in your sleep."
Adrian shook his head, grateful now that he'd mentioned his wolf side to Tyler. He knew Gavin wouldn't actually spill his secrets, but he'd have fun teasing them both with hints.
As stupidly macho as it was, Adrian couldn't stop himself from lifting Tyler to his feet and kissing him hard. His eyes were glazed with passion by the time Adrian let him up for air.
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
Tyler nodded, apparently unable to form words as Adrian helped him back into his chair.
Of course Gavin's laugh followed Adrian all the way out the front door.
~*~
"He's got it bad," Gavin said with a final chuckle.
Tyler wasn't quite sure how to respond to that so he changed the subject instead.
"Is Logan okay?"
Gavin's demeanor suddenly grew serious. He nodded. "Logan is through the worst of it. It will still take several more weeks for him to be fully vampire, but he's no longer in danger of dying."
Tyler breathed out heavily, grateful to have that confirmed. He'd felt that Logan was getting stronger, but he truly had no way of knowing if his assessment was accurate or not. Of course, along with the relief came exhaustion. He tried to hide it but Gavin apparently could read him as easily as Adrian could.
"Why don't you go get some more rest?" he suggested with a kind smile.
"To be honest I don't think it will help. My body clock is all messed up."
"Yeah, feeding a new vampire will play havoc with your sleeping arrangements for a while. The good news is he should only need to feed once a night now, so that will give you more time to sleep." He tilted his head, perhaps wondering if he should ask his next question or not. Tyler almost laughed when Gavin asked it anyway. Apparently he wasn't one to tiptoe through conversations. "Did Adrian help with your arm? From what I saw it was a pretty ragged bite."
Tyler blushed but nodded, memories of what had followed filling his mind.
Gavin sat back and assessed him as if he'd somehow given him more information than he'd intended.
"So he told you about his alter ego?" he asked in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer. "Things must be pretty serious."
Tyler blushed again and shook his head. "He only told me because he had to heal my wounds. I'm just a sub in training."
Gavin shook his head and laughed softly.
"No, sweet Tyler, you're much more than that."
~*~
Adrian met his siblings out the front of a very luxurious home.
"Are you sure this is the right place?"
Somehow the surroundings didn't fit the profile he had in his mind. Overweight and unwashed just didn't conjure images of wealth and prestige.
"It's the right place," Lilly said as she checked details on her cell phone. "3B Watson Street is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and currently occupied by their nineteen-year-old son, Chester." She tapped a few more buttons and grinned. "It would also appear that Mom and Dad are currently out of the country."
"Perfect," Brody said. "Let's go check some scents and then have a little chat to our new friend."
Adrian nodded. "The scent matches the suspect in the attempted murder. He's not the one who attacked Derek, but he's human so our recourse is going to be limited."
"He's still a suspect in a murder case," Lilly said in annoyance. She knew as well as any of them that life was damned unfair, but prosecuting humans for attacks against vampires would mean revealing the existence of paranormals to the wider community. Then they'd have a lot more than a few murders to deal with.
"Come on, sis," Brody said with a wide grin. "There's no rule says we can't scare the hell out of him."
Technically there was that rule, too, but if it helped them figure out why people with no apparent connection could be committing the exact same crime it was worth bending just a little.
The unimpressed teenager who answered the door wasn't a shock but the smell of blood was. Adrian pushed his way into the kid's home, confident that Lilly and Brody would keep their new "friend" corralled.
He followed his nose straight into a bedroom that smelled of old blood and stale sweat. The blood he could smell belonged to a vampire, of that much he was sure, but since vampires technically didn't bleed during the day he couldn't determine if the smell was new or not.
Adrian turned and grabbed the kid by his collar, furious enough to not care if he revealed just how much stronger he was than he looked. "Whose blood is this?" he practically growled as he pushed the kid's face toward the two scalpels that took pride of place on a display shelf.
"What the hell?" the kid said in a shaky voice. "There's no blood on it."
Adrian knew that wasn't true, yet the kid's reaction surprised him. He seemed frightened enough to spill details, but he seemed genuinely confused by the accusation.
"What was this scalpel used for?" he asked aggressively, keeping the kid very much intimidated.
"It's just a game. We…we play online."
"How does that lead to scalpels?" Brody asked in a far more reasonable voice than Adrian could have mustered. Hell, William's death was playing havoc with his emotions. Maybe this was one investigation he should have let his siblings handle. He glanced at Brody, easily read the anguish on his face, and realized that they were all badly affected by the loss of their friend.
Adrian let go of the kid's sweater, eased him onto the seat in front of his computer, and took a step back.
"Look, Chester," Lilly said, moving a little closer, "we just need to know what's going on. Can you tell us about the game you've been playing online?"
The kid nodded effusively. "Sure…sure…it's…" He swung his chair around and started to tap buttons on his computer. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he worked his way through several passwords, including one that was verified by a code sent by text to his cell phone. Finally he rolled his chair away from the screen and pointed to it in a bizarre "ta-da" sort of triumph.
Adrian shook his head and started reading some of the in-game messages that Chester—or should he say bigdick14—had received.
"What's the final quest?" Brody asked, obviously having used his superior eyesight to read the messages far faster.
"That's the coolest part of the game," Chester said, warming to his subject as if he didn't have three huge, uninvited intruders crowded into his stinky bedroom. "When we pass this final wicked-hard level without taking any damage the quest master sends us an address and a code. It takes the game to a whole new level. Man, the adrenaline rush is incredible."
"So what do you do at this address the quest master sends you to?" Adrian managed to ask while grinding his teeth. He didn't like the sound of this one little bit.
"We jimmy the back door open, find the safe, use the code, and then destroy the vampire. I got a fail on my first quest. Apparently I didn't slice the veins on the dummy properly. The quest master said if it had been a real vampire, I would have been dead."
"So the second scalpel?"
"I did a better job. Well at least, I think I did. Man, it's so sick slicing those dummies open. I don't know what they make 'em out of, but they look just like the vampires on the game. It's so wicked cool."
"When?" Adrian asked, his voice a low growl in his throat.
The kid finally remembered to be scared. "W–When?"
"When did you go on this quest, Chester?" Lilly asked quietly.
"Oh, this morning."
"Show us where," Brody said as he apparently realized the same thing Adrian did. Adrian wanted to shake the kid, but Lilly stepped in and calmed the situation again. It made Adrian smile just a little. Lilly's temper was legendary. The fact that she was somehow managing to hide her anger in what was essentially a good cop, bad cop scenario was quite impressive.
Too bad the kid was such an idiot. He took the opportunity to smile at Lilly before dropping his slack-jawed gaze to her breasts. Lilly raised an eyebrow but the kid was too transfixed for him to notice.