by Rayna Vause
Kier took a long sip. “No, you’re just being honest. You don’t like vampires. You don’t want to be a vampire. I get it.”
“No. That’s not it at all. I mean it is, but it’s not. I don’t hate vampires. Not all of them. But you can’t blame me for being reticent after what happened to my older brother.”
“What exactly did happen? You never told me.”
“Kevin was out at a club one night with friends. It was getting late, and he had a final the next day. He was always super focused on his studies. Had great grades through high school and managed to make being geeky cool. So, one night toward the end of finals week, his roommates decide they’re done studying—they either know it or they don’t at this point—and they wanted to blow off some steam. They head out to a local club, but after a few hours Kevin decided to head back to his dorm. He wanted to be well rested for the exam. God, he was such a dork.” Danny smiled at that and rolled his eyes. “Anyway, the rest of his friends decided to stay and party a bit longer. Kevin, the idiot, decided to walk instead of calling a cab or a damn Lyft.”
Danny paused and stared at the counter. A red flush spread up his neck as his jaw clenched, as anger flared through his body. “A pair of vampires grabbed him off the streets, and for two days they beat him, fed from him, terrorized him, and raped him before he finally managed to escape.” Danny paused, sucked in a breath. When he spoke his voice came out rough, strained. “He was never the same after that. Who could be? My brilliant, Tolkien-loving brother died that night.”
Kier set his cup down. He couldn’t breathe past the lump in his throat and the pain in his chest. He inhaled long and slow. Blew it out. When he looked at Danny again, he hadn’t moved. His gaze remained fixed on the counter. The muscles in his jaw, arms, and hands clenched and unclenched.
Kier crossed to him and laid his hand over his fist. “I-I don’t know what to say, Dan. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that happened to him. I’m sorry about everything your family had to endure as a result of the attack.”
Danny shook his head and gripped Kier’s fingers. “It’s not your fault, but thank you.”
“Is he doing okay now?”
“Living with the trauma of the attack has been hard on everyone. It was devastating watching Kevin struggle with the nightmares and the anxiety. We tried to get him help, but at first, he refused. He didn’t want to talk to anyone about what happened. Slowly he started doing everything he could to hide away. At first, he avoided leaving the house alone. Then it progressed to not leaving at all. The PTSD got so bad he wasn’t safe at home. He became a danger to himself and to Mom and Dad. The breaking point was when I got home one day and found him with a razor blade in hand.” Danny paused, swallowed. “I found him curled on the bathroom floor, blood running down his arms.”
“Please tell me he didn’t kill himself.” Kier dropped his chin to his chest, his dark hair falling over his forehead.
“No, he only made a few superficial cuts, but I think if he’d been left alone for much longer, he would have slit his wrist. I’ll never forget the look of terrified hopelessness in his eyes.” He took a long, slow breath. “I talked him into dropping the razor. Then I bundled him into my car and took him to the ER. We got him admitted inpatient and started getting him the help he needed. He attempted suicide once more. Thank God he never succeeded. He’s been in and out of inpatient facilities. Now, he’s a million times better. He still has some bad moments, occasional nightmares, but he’s managed to get his degree, got a job, and he’s starting to contemplate trying to live on his own. It’s taken six years to get him to this point.” Danny looked up, his eyes meeting Kier’s.
“Did they ever catch the vampires who did this to him?”
“They did, and I think that’s one of the things that helped him the most. Kevin wasn’t their first victim. They’d done this to three other people before they were caught. Purity found them and stopped them. It helped Kevin to know that they could never get to him and hurt him again. One of his doctors gave information about the support group. The group really helped and, as luck would have it, led me to you.”
“I’m glad it helped you. I really am, and I’m glad the vampires were caught.” Kier wanted to take Danny in his arms and just hold him. Offer him strength and love. Just as he reached the brink of giving in to the urge, Danny’s stomach grumbled again.
KIER SMILED and released Danny’s hand. He crossed to the refrigerator, pulled out a packet of a deep-red liquid and a shaker bottle.
“Are you making Sharon’s special shake?” Danny eyed the bottle, then looked back at Kier. Kier didn’t answer; instead he cracked open a bottle of a high-protein nutrition shake and poured it into the shaker.
Danny shoved off the stool.
“Stop.” Danny froze. “Sit.” It never occurred to him to protest, so he hopped right back up onto his seat. A moment later he frowned, not sure what had just happened.
Kier continued to work. “What exactly are you adding to that? Is it what I think it is?”
Kier glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. “I can either walk you through the recipe and you can do this yourself, or you can shut it and let me finish so that we can both eat.”
“So, what you’re saying is I’m better off not knowing.”
“What I’m saying is sometimes you talk too much.”
When he’d completed the drink, Kier grabbed a large mug, set it in front of Danny, and poured a thick liquid that looked like strawberry milk into it.
Danny stared at the mug. His mouth went dry even as his stomach growled again. “There’s blood in that, isn’t there?” He wiped a hand over his mouth as bile burned its way to the top of his throat.
“You have two choices. Drink it or starve. As I recall, starving wasn’t your preference. Hurry up either way. You need to get dressed so we can head over to your place.”
Even knowing he had no other choice, he still couldn’t make himself readily accept that he needed to drink blood to survive. Vampires drank blood, not humans. But you aren’t exactly human anymore, are you, Danny? He gripped the mug with clammy hands, sniffed. It even smelled a little like a strawberry shake, with a faint hint of metal.
“All right, Danny, you’ve got this.” He suppressed a gag, held his nose, and chugged like a frat boy at a kegger. “Oh God.” He gasped out the words and hung his head as he set down the mug.
Kier raised an eyebrow at him. “Nasty? I followed Sharon’s instructions explicitly.”
“No. It actually tasted good, and I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that I enjoyed that. Give me a second here.” Danny went quiet and took a moment to assess. The gnawing ache in his gut disappeared, and energy infused him.
He looked up at Kier, who leaned against the kitchen counter, ankles crossed as he sipped from his cup of coffee. Nothing about flannel should be attractive, but the black-and-gray button-down with two buttons open at the collar with the low-rise jeans and bare feet had heat pooling low inside Danny.
He swallowed hard and rubbed at the back of his neck as he gave Kier a slow once-over. Despite everything, Kier could still make Danny’s brain go fuzzy. With six feet of solid muscle, tousled brown hair, and blue eyes that could never quite mask his irritation, Kier made him want to forget everything and lose himself in Kier’s kiss. Danny licked his lips.
Kier’s lips twitched as though he fought back a smile.
“Dan, finish your drink. I don’t have the time to stand here all day for your viewing enjoyment.” Kier turned to rinse out his cup.
“Are you sure? Because that sounds like a fun way to pass the day.”
This time Kier gave in and smiled.
“Tell me something. How old are you? Something you said made me think that you only look like you’re in your thirties.”
“I was born in Philadelphia in 1875. My parents immigrated to America about five years before I was born. My father worked on the railroads.”
Danny blinked. “So that
makes you what, almost one hundred and fifty years old. Wow, dude, you are seriously robbing the cradle with me.”
Kier choked on his coffee. “Shut up, annoying child, and go get dressed. We’ve got things to do,” he said, dabbing at the few drops of liquid that had sprayed on his shirt.
“But wait, I want you to tell me about the old days. What was it like to be alive to see the telephone invented? Did you ever wear a zoot suit? If so, are there pictures?”
“You’re an ass. Have you always been this annoying?”
“Probably.” Danny flashed a bright smile at Kier.
“What happened to the scared human who was revolted by all things vampire?”
“I told you, a lot of things about me changed in the time we were apart; I’ve been reconsidering a lot of my beliefs. I’m slowly coming to terms with everything. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still terrified of everything that’s happening to me and I’m still not sure that being a vampire is something I want for myself, but I’ve got you to help me through it. That means a lot to me.”
Kier looked away from him, and any trace of humor disappeared. “Yeah, well. We-we have a lot to do tonight. We’ve got to stop by your place, pick up some of your stuff, and bring it back here. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together for the foreseeable future. You’ll want your own stuff.”
Like the flip of a switch, Kier went from open to closed, hidden back behind some metal shield he’d erected. For the life of him, Danny couldn’t figure out what he’d said to cause Kier’s defenses to reengage. Some of the pleasure of the shared moment dimmed for Danny. He ran back through the conversation in his head, and with it came the memory of other conversations they’d had, things he’d thought and said. Kier was right. He was an ass. It never once occurred to him how Kier would feel hearing him refer to vampires as vile creatures, for justifying his break-up with Kier because of the lies. He’d never given Kier one reason to think he’d be receptive to learning the truth. He knew deep down even as he and Kier had their final fight that Kier didn’t fit the stereotype of vampires he’d built in his mind, but at the time he couldn’t move past it.
His heart squeezed. He couldn’t blame Kier for his caution. He’d hurt him. Hell, they’d hurt each other, but if he could convince Kier that he really wanted to start over, maybe they could repair some of the damage.
Kier walked past Danny, heading toward his room. “Kier?” He blew out a breath and then pushed himself up and out of the chair.
“Yeah?” Kier stopped and looked back over his shoulder.
“Thank you for everything you’re doing.”
“You’re welcome, Danny. Now stop thanking me.”
Danny watched the long line of Kier’s back and the roll of his hips as he walked away. Everything about the man was sexy. He huffed out a laugh. Who’d have thought he’d owe that crazy fucking vampire a debt of gratitude. He had no problem being stuck with Kier for a while. Maybe, just maybe, he could convince Kier to give him a second chance.
THE SILENCE abounded during the short ride to Danny’s apartment. By the time Kier pulled into a spot in the parking lot behind his apartment building, Danny all but vibrated with tension.
“I’ve been thinking—”
Danny jerked at the sound of Kier’s voice.
Kier raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just stressed. Nervous, I guess.”
“About what?”
Danny barked out a laugh. “Seriously? Sorry. When things get quiet, I get lost in my head thinking about everything. I mean, I’m about to move in with you. I just wish that the reasoning behind it was different.”
“Right. I….” Kier flicked a glance at him and then shook his head and fell back into silence.
“What?”
“I’ve been thinking. You’ll need to request leave from your job while we’re figuring your situation out.”
“Oh God. I haven’t thought about work. I didn’t even call in today. I’ll email Brenda tonight. That’s all I need is to lose my job.”
“That may still happen.”
Danny frowned at Kier. “Thanks for pointing that out, Captain Pessimism.”
“I’m just trying to be real. We don’t know how long this is going to take, but I don’t expect that Sharon’s going to have the answers overnight.” Kier pulled his car into a spot at the rear entrance to Danny’s building and cut the ignition. “Come on. Let’s go in and grab your stuff.”
Kier climbed out of the car and headed for the building entrance, leaving Danny to scramble behind.
Danny coded them in. They made their way up the back stairs and then into Danny’s apartment. “We can get Sharon to give you whatever type of paperwork you’ll need for your job.” Danny remained silent as he and Kier entered, shutting the door behind them. “No matter how this gets resolved, you’re going to need some time to recuperate.”
“You’re probably right.” Danny took calming breaths. He got overwhelmed every time they discussed the next steps in this process. He could handle the moments, but the bigger picture weighed a bit heavy and kept knocking him off balance. He headed for his bedroom.
“Kier, can you do me a favor and throw away any of the perishables? We can toss the bag in the dumpster on the way out.”
“Sure.”
Kier disappeared into the kitchen as Danny entered his room and crossed to his closet. He pulled out a duffel, tossed it on the bed, and started grabbing clothes out of the closet, folding them and placing them in packing cubes. Then he headed for his chest of drawers. When he glanced over at his desk, he paused. Had the photo of him and Kier been moved? He frowned and then moved to the bathroom. He started to gather toiletries from the cabinets. He paused when he turned to toss an empty box into the trash can. The bloody bandages were gone, and he damn well hadn’t emptied the trash. The beat of his heart sped up.
“Kier? Can you come here? Something’s wrong.” Danny stood and backed out of the bathroom, bumping into Kier.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think someone’s been in here.”
Kier went still. “Why?”
Danny gripped his arm. “My bandages are gone, and one of my pictures was moved.”
Kier’s taut muscles relaxed beneath his hand. “Missing trash and a moved picture frame. That’s what you’re basing your assumption on? Couldn’t you have bumped the desk or just that frame? Have you searched through the whole trash can? Maybe the used gauze fell to the bottom.” His tone dripped with doubt.
Danny stepped over to the trash can, lifted it, and dumped it on the floor. “No bandages. And I didn’t bump the desk.”
Kier laid his hands on Danny’s shoulders, rubbing them as though attempting to soothe a freaked-out pet. “All right. Let’s get your stuff and get out of here. Just to be on the safe side.” Kier followed Danny into his room and stopped next to the desk, going very still. “Uh, which of the photos was moved?”
Danny’s cheeks warmed as he glanced back at Kier. “The one of us.” He studied Kier staring at the image of them smiling into the camera. One of the harried amusement park employees charged with taking group photos as people rush in to conquer roller coasters and churros had taken it. In fact, they’d made him retake it three times.
“I remember that. I had a great time riding the rides at night when they were all lit up by dancing lights.” Kier picked up the photo, and a brief smile lifted the corners of his mouth before he schooled his expression. “We look happy, but then both of us had a different idea of where our relationship would go back then.” Kier set the photo down and then moved to the window.
Danny went back to packing. His throat burned. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Nothing about our relationship seemed to go as expected.”
When Danny had nearly finished, Kier stepped over to the window and peeked through the blinds. Danny’s head jerked up when the metal slats snapped closed. Kier rushed to him and started zipping his bag shut.
�
��We have to go. Now. We’ll buy you what you need. Don’t ask questions. Just move.”
Danny snatched up his laptop as they rushed from the room. They left the same way they entered, which put them out on an exterior walkway that led to the stairs down instead of trapping them on an internal staircase. Danny ran into the back of Kier, who froze in place. He glanced around and saw another individual approach the stairwell. “Shit.”
“We’re going to have to jump.”
Danny’s heart pounded, and his breathing sped up. “Are you nuts? I’ll break a leg at best, kill myself at worst.”
“No, you won’t.” Danny met Kier’s confident gaze. “Trust me.”
Danny couldn’t speak, couldn’t catch his breath. He nodded in response. In a blur Kier disappeared over the railing. Fuck! Danny rushed to the handrail and looked down to find Kier standing on the ground gesturing to him to follow. He dropped his duffel first and then swung one leg over and looked down at Kier, sure and strong and ready to catch him. He braced himself as a wave of nausea rolled through him, but he clenched his stomach muscles, tamping down the sensation. I must be out of my fucking mind. The door at the end of the landing opened and an armed man rushed through.
“Stop right there!”
“Dammit, jump!” Kier yelled at him.
As the men raced toward him, Danny stifled a scream as he pushed off the railing and into open air. In a matter of seconds, Kier held him clasped to his chest, but only for a moment before Danny was dumped on his feet. “Move it,” Kier barked. His commanding, brook-no-arguments tone got Danny moving. They stayed under cover as they rushed toward the car.
“There’s no way we’re going to get to the car without them seeing us and likely shooting at us,” Danny said.
Kier pulled out his key fob and started his car. “Give me your bag.” In a blink, he disappeared from his spot next to Danny and reappeared next to the car. He tossed the bag in the passenger seat and jumped in. He gunned the engine and hopped the curb up onto the grass, pulling up right next to Danny. A shot whizzed by Danny’s head. He glanced back to find another of the fatigue-clad men charging toward him.