by Olivia Black
“Please let me go.” Reyes’s eyes filled with tears, his body shaking uncontrollably. The adrenaline that had been rushing through his system crashed and burned.
“I can’t.”
After a moment of silence, Devin pulled his weight off of Reyes, and he was able to breathe a little easier. He picked Reyes up off the floor, cradling him against his chest.
“I’ll tend to your wounds and give you a nice hot bath,” Devin said, as he walked up the stairs. His tone was calm, as if nothing had transpired between them. When Devin reached the bathroom suite, he set Reyes down.
“I’ll take care of you.” Devin reached underneath the sink and pulled out a first aid kit. “It looks like you’re mending up just fine. I’ll just wipe away the blood.”
“Why are doing this?”
“I already told you.” He smiled, kissing the tip of Reyes’s nose. “Because you’re mine.”
Chapter Thirteen
Evan stared at the digital clock inside Ian’s car. With each minute that passed, his concern for Reyes grew. He was so close to his True Match, but it felt as if he were hundreds of miles away. Looking toward the house, Evan’s eyes were drawn to the window where he’d seen Reyes. He couldn’t see anything except a metal slate covering the glass. What was happening inside that house right now? Was Devin hurting Reyes? Or was he simply trying to reconnect with the brother he’d left behind?
Devin is a killer. He bled his former coven members dry and dumped their bodies around the city. He wanted revenge and now he has Reyes. Why did Reyes go with him willingly? Doesn’t he know that Devin’s dangerous? No, Reyes wouldn’t think his brother was a bad guy. Evan shook his head, regret a heavy weight on his shoulders. I should’ve stayed home. I should’ve stayed in bed with Reyes. If I had, Reyes would be safe right now.
So many thoughts ran through Evan’s head, scrambling his mind, as concern for Reyes’s well-being grew. Evan could barely draw in a breath.
“Our back-up has arrived,” Ian said, as he opened the driver’s side door and stepped out.
Evan shoved his hands threw his hair before climbing out of the car and joining the group of agents—Abram, Ranger, Max, and Reed.
“What’s the situation?” Abram asked.
“Devin Caliar is a former member of the New York City coven. He’s also the man responsible for killing vampires and dumping their bodies around the city. From the intel I gathered, Devin wanted revenge against the coven that separated him from his brother. He’s inside the house with Reyes, my True Match.” Evan wasn’t sure what Abram knew, but he made sure to add the last part so that everyone would know how serious this situation really was. They needed to tread carefully and keep Reyes safe.
“And the house may look like the others around here, but it’s not,” Ian quickly added. “It’s bulletproof. When we approached the house, Devin opened the door and started firing, shooting Evan multiple times.” The other agents looked at him as if noticing the blood on his chest for the first time, but none of them commented. “After emptying a magazine, he slammed the door as I returned fired. The bullets didn’t even damage the house. At this point, the only way into the house is for Axel to hack the security system. This guy was ready for us.”
“Get Axel on the line. Let’s see if he can work his magic.” Abram ordered and Ian pulled out his cell phone, calling the tech guru. “We need a way in.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Evan stared at the house and said a silent prayer for Reyes. He didn’t know what Reyes was dealing with, but wished there was a way that he could change places with his True Match. Evan took a deep breath, slowly blowing it out. He needed to stay calm. Right now, Reyes needed him to be strong.
It was a relief to have some of the other agents had joined him. Normally, he liked working alone, but things changed with this case. It became personal the moment his eyes landed on Reyes. And now that Reyes was locked inside the house with Devin, someone else needed to take the lead. Evan wouldn’t be able to do much. He couldn’t stay detached, focusing solely on the mission.
“Axel said he’s going to need some time. This particular security system was created to keep anyone from hacking the system to break in. The only person that knows the codes is Devin. The security company doesn’t even know that information.”
“How long?”
“Not sure.” Ian shook his head. “He’s calling in a couple of his hacker buddies to assist. One of the men used to work for the security company, installing these systems, so he might have more information for us soon.”
“Evan.” Abram turned toward him. “There’s a clean shirt in the back of my SUV. Why don’t you change and hang out here, while we look around the property.”
Evan wanted to object, but refrained. Instead of answering, Evan gave a jerky nod in response. He dragged his feet, walking toward the rear of Abram’s vehicle as the other agents took off, moving toward the house to inspect the property. He hated being left behind, but he trusted Abram. The grizzly bear shifter was a good leader. Pulling his T-shirt off, Evan balled the material in his fist. He opened the trunk and tossed the blood soaked shirt inside. He found a clean black shirt, and pulled it on over his head.
Waiting took a lot of self-control and Evan’s was wearing thin. His vivid imagination played out horrible scenarios of Devin hurting Reyes. Evan watched the agents disappear around the side of the house, and held his breath, hoping they would find something.
After several minutes, the agents jogged back toward him.
“Axel did it.” Ian grinned. “He was able to hack into the security system. He’s going to disengage the lock on the back door.”
“Remind me to get Axel something nice.” Evan pulled his 9mm Beretta out of his holster.
“I think you should stay here, Evan.” Abram held out his arm, stopping him.
“You can’t ask me to stay behind, not this time. My True Match is in there. He needs me. If it was Ranger inside there…”
“Okay…fine.” Abram nodded. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”
“I won’t.”
“Let’s move out. I’ll take the lead. When we get inside, we’ll go through the house room by room. Stay alert. With the security system, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were traps.”
Holding his weapon at the ready, Evan followed Abram, jogging toward the house with the other agents. When he reached the side of the house, they got in a single line formation, cautiously moving in the direction of the rear of the house. At every window, Evan tried to take a peek inside, but the windows were covered, blocking his view.
When they reached the back door, Abram turned the handle, and the door opened. Thank you, Axel. Evan needed to send Axel a present. The man was an amazing agent and a technological genius. Evan was so grateful that the man was on their team, now more than ever.
Evan pushed Reyes out of his mind. He wouldn’t be able to concentrate on this mission otherwise, and Evan didn’t want to be a liability to the team. The smart thing to do would be to stay back and let the other trained agents rescue Reyes. Unfortunately, Evan wasn’t that smart.
Abram gave a signal as he stepped inside the house, followed by the other members of the team. The team moved like a well-oiled machine, which wasn’t surprising since they had done this many times before. With his weapon at the ready, Evan stepped inside, sweeping his eyes and gun side to side. The interior of the house was just as manicured as the outside, everything crisp and sterile. It didn’t look like anyone really lived here. Evan followed the team, moving through the house, one room at a time.
When they reached a staircase, Evan tilted his head. He could hear voices coming from somewhere above them. Evan signaled Abram, and his boss nodded. Evan took one stair at a time, careful not to make a sound. Lifting his weapon, he pointed the gun up as he ascended. Broken glass lay scattered on the ground of the top floor, but the droplets of blood caught Evan’s attention. He couldn’t tell if the blood belonged to Reyes or not which
was concerning. There was also a crack running down the length of the wall. It looked like there was some sort of a struggle.
Evan walked around the shards of glass. He glanced back at the other members of the team and nodded. He wasn’t sure what he was walking in on, but he did his best to mentally prepare himself. He paused when he reached the open doorway, took a deep breath, and stepped inside the room. Evan came to an immediate stop, his heart dropping. Devin was holding a gun, aiming it at Reyes’s head. Paranormals might be immortal, but they could still be killed and a bullet to the head would definitely kill Reyes.
Evan slowly holstered his weapon as the other agents rushed into the room, fanning out.
“Put the gun down!”
“Drop your weapon!”
The agents shouted out various orders, but Devin didn’t comply. He just stood there, completely calm beside Reyes, a gun in his hand.
“Drop. The. Gun,” Abram said, his voice clear and concise.
“They did this!” Devin shouted. “That fucking coven, they sent me away. They turned something beautiful into something ugly. It wasn’t ugly. Our love was pure.” He tightened his hold on Reyes, forcing him against his side. Devin lifted the gun, pressing the barrel against Reyes’s head. “It was beautiful. And because they thought we were doing something wrong, it became sick and disgusting. They took my brother away from me. Nobody will ever separate us again. He’s mine.”
Reyes didn’t move or try to fight. He stayed frozen, his tormented eyes staring straight at Evan. Evan’s brain shut down. He couldn’t think like an agent. Right now, his heart beat for his True Match. If anything happened to his Reyes, Evan knew he’d die right along with the man. He wouldn’t be able to survive without Reyes.
“He’s not yours,” Devin spit out, shouting at Evan as he jerked Reyes backward.
“Devin.” Evan spoke calmly. Every instinct inside of him said to protect his True Match, but he wasn’t sure how to accomplish that task. “You don’t want to hurt Reyes.”
“I would never hurt him.”
“But you are. Look at him, you’re breaking his heart.”
Devin tilted his head and looked at his brother. “Everything is going to be okay, Rey-Rey. Don’t be sad.” He wiped Reyes’s tears with the side of his hand.
“Devin.” Reyes’s voice shook. “Let me go. I don’t belong with you.”
Devin’s facial features hardened. He pressed his cheek against Reyes’s. Lifting the gun, Devin put the barrel of the gun against his own head. All he would need to do was pull the trigger and the bullet would go through both of their heads, killing them.
Evan raised his hands, surrendering. “Please, please don’t do this. Don’t hurt him.”
“If I can’t have him, nobody can.”
“He’s yours!” Evan cried out. He would turn around and walk out of the house right now if it meant that Reyes would live. “You can have him…” Evan’s eyes jumped to his True Match, watching as tears streamed down the man’s cheeks. “Please, put the gun down. You don’t have to do this.”
He’d never felt so powerless in his entire life. All Devin needed to do was pull the trigger and Reyes would be gone forever. His eyes filled with tears. He couldn’t lose Reyes.
His heart, his life, everything he is belongs to Reyes.
Bang…
Evan’s heart stopped.
Chapter Fourteen
Reyes sucked in a mouthful of air as he swayed on his feet, the room spinning. His heart pounded so hard, Reyes was sure the organ was going to break through his chest. Blinking rapidly, Reyes tried to make sense of what had just happened. I’m not dead. His ears were ringing from the gun blast, but he wasn’t dead. Reyes looked down at the floor in shock. A puddle of blood slowly spread from a bullet hole in Devin’s head. His brother’s body lay unmoving, at Reyes’s feet. The color drained from Devin’s face, turning pasty white. His eyes were open and glassy, the pupils dilated, blocking out any color.
He’s dead. Devin’s dead. Lifting a shaky hand, Reyes wiped the moisture from his face. He took his hand away and saw lines of smeared blood all over his fingers. Devin’s blood.
Slowly lifting his head, Reyes looked around the room. His eyes were unfocused, everything blurring together in a large mass of colors and shapes. He tried to lift his foot, wanting to move away from the blood, but he was frozen in place. His breath came out in shallow pants, as panic consumed him.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around him, pulling Reyes into a tight embrace, and he collapsed. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, as tears spilled down his cheeks. Reyes sobbed openly, letting go of his emotions, as fear gave way to relief. I’m alive. Evan’s lips brushed the side of his neck, tightening his hold. Reyes fisted Evan’s T-shirt, holding on for dear life as his entire world tilted, unraveled, and fell apart.
“It’s okay, love. I’ve got you.” Evan lifted Reyes into his arms. “I’ve got you Reyes and I’m never letting go.”
Reyes went limp. He didn’t have the strength to even lift his head, not after the emotional rollercoaster he’d endured at the hands of his brother.
What happened to the brother he loved? How could Devin have distorted their relationship? Why would Devin do this to him? He’d held a gun to Reyes’s head and he knew that Devin was willing to pull the trigger and kill them both. Reyes had never been so scared and to think, his brother did this to him. The only family member he had. The only person he’d trusted growing up.
A loud sob was ripped from Reyes’s throat, and he buried his face against Evan’s neck. He inhaled, pulling the man’s intoxicating scent into his lungs, letting it consume him completely. It helped to calm him a little bit. His True Match was here, holding him.
He was safe.
Evan carried Reyes out of the room and away from the putrid coppery smell of Devin’s blood. Reyes bounced in Evan’s arms as the other man jogged down the stairs. Evan sat down, and hugged Reyes as if he were afraid that someone might rip him out of his arms at any moment. Reyes moved his head along Evan’s shoulder, wiping his face, removing the tears.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner.” Evan said, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” There was nobody to blame but Devin.
After a couple of minutes, Evan eased his hold. He brought his wrist up to his lips and bit down. Reyes’s stomach clench with need as the scent of Evan’s blood tickled his nose. The man placed his wrist against Reyes’s lips and he opened his mouth, drinking his True Match’s blood. Reyes groaned.
* * * *
Evan grabbed a small blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around Reyes while he fed. He was still shaking, his entire body trembling. Evan held his True Match as the man cried, tears dripping down his cheeks. Reyes held Evan’s arm with both hands, his eyes closed, and Evan wiped each one away.
“It’s okay, love,” Evan whispered.
Within a couple of minutes, Reyes calmed down. The shaking eased and he started breathing a little easier. It was the blood and their bond that soothed them both. Having Reyes at his vein, feeding, brought him a certain amount of peace. They were together, and Reyes was whole and healthy, even if he was still hurting. The cry of pain and the tears broke Evan’s heart. How could he possibly comfort his True Match? Reyes had been held at gunpoint by his brother, his life threatened, and then Devin had been killed right before his eyes. It was too much for anyone to have to deal with.
Reyes licked Evan’s wrist, his tongue lashing the bite mark and the wound closed.
Situating Reyes on his lap, Evan stood in one smooth motion. He marched out of the house without looking back, and climbed into the backseat of Abram’s SUV.
Evan stared down at Reyes, combing his fingers through the short black strands, massaging his scalp. Evan rocked Reyes, gently swaying side to side. He couldn’t believe how close he’d come to losing the man in his arms. It opened his eyes and made him realize that their lives could
be cut short. As a vampire, he often forgot that life was fragile.
Evan wiped away the man’s tears with his thumb. Leaning down, he planted his lips against Reyes’s, moving his mouth. The kiss was slow and tender.
Slowly pulling back, Evan whispered, “I love you.”
Reyes opened his swollen eyes. He looked up at Evan, tears swimming in the blue depths and sniffled. “I love you, too.” A fat tear fell onto Reyes’s cheek, rolling down. “I didn’t think I was going to see you again.”
“Nothing could keep me away from you. You’re mine and I’m yours.” Evan pressed a kiss to Reyes’s forehead.
“Devin…” He choked out his brother’s name, sniffling. “I don’t know why he did this.”
“I’m sorry, love.” Evan sighed, wishing he had the right words to ease Reye’s pain.
Reyes tried to stifle a yawn, but failed miserably. He closed his eyes, nuzzling Evan’s neck. “I’m so tired.” He yawned, his hot breath puffing out against Evan’s throat.
“Go to sleep.” Evan kissed Reye’s lips. “I’m right here. I’m never letting go.”
Reyes took a few deep breathes, his body relaxing in Evan’s arms. One moment he was awake and in the next, he was asleep.
Evan looked out the window and nodded at Abram and Ranger. The men had been waiting for his signal, and Abram answered in kind, nodding back. He appreciated the fact that they had given him a few minutes of privacy. Evan didn’t think Reyes needed an audience while he broke down and cried. Abram and Ranger got into the front of the SUV and buckled up.
“Ian, Max, and Reed are going to stay and clean up.” Abram kept his voice low as he started the engine. He put the vehicle into gear and pulled away. “I’m sorry about how everything went down in there.” He glanced into the rear view mirror.
“There was no other way.” Evan’s eyes dropped to Reyes. Just looking at his True Match brought him peace. He’s okay. He’s alive. “Devin would’ve killed him.”