Dead by Midnight

by Kelex

  “I have a team myself,” Noah said. “The illegal portals being closed are even more important right now. If the vampires are planning a full-scale attack, then we need as many boots on the ground as possible.”

  “I can handle things,” the king admonished.

  “You’ve been the focus of both attacks,” Noah said. “You need to go underground. If anyone needs to remain in this space, it’s you.”

  “I will not show weakness now,” the king cried. “I will lead the charge against this threat.”

  “We don’t even fully know what the threat is,” Eilam growled, rising to his feet. “And I won’t allow you to be harmed.”

  “Won’t allow?” the king asked, looking incensed. “You have no right over me.”

  “As the head of your security, I would think he does,” Noah spat.

  Eilam took a step toward the king. “As your mate, I will protect you. Regardless if you’re willing to accept our claim or not, it changes nothing. I would die to protect you.”

  “You almost did,” Noah muttered.

  “And I won’t let there be a second time!” the king cried. “I cannot lose you, Eilam.”

  Eilam grew quiet. Noah felt the tension between the two of them. All the months they’d been in close proximity… when he’d been forced into semi-exile… they’d forged a bond. No matter that the king had pushed Eilam away, they’d still spent hours together.

  Time Noah had lost.

  He watched as an outsider as Eilam cupped the king’s cheek.

  “I heard the things you said as I lay dying on that floor,” Eilam said. The huskiness in his voice wasn’t from his injury. It was pure unadulterated lust. Noah felt his own body react to the sound of it.

  Yet he couldn’t help but feel he didn’t belong.

  He took a step back, feeling as if he witnessed a moment he shouldn’t. The king was theirs… not only Eilam’s, but the bond between Adriel and Eilam was unmistakable.

  His heart clenched in his chest, wondering if he’d ever have that same connection to their mate… or would he continue to feel like the third wheel?

  On the outside, looking in.

  * * * *

  Eilam held the king’s gaze as he cupped the man’s cheek. For once, the warlock wasn’t pulling away from him. Fear almost made him freeze where he stood, scared to push any farther. “I heard the things you said as I lay dying on that floor.”

  A hint of panic crossed the king’s face.

  “I heard the words I love you.”

  “You didn’t,” the king said… but he didn’t back away. “I never said that aloud.”

  Eilam lifted a brow. “Aloud?”

  The king’s face turned red again. He took a step back.

  “Adriel,” Eilam murmured and the king froze before moving any farther.

  “You push too far, Eilam.”

  “Perhaps I haven’t pushed enough.”

  The king lifted his stare. Eilam captured it and took a step closer to close the gap. “I love you, too,” he whispered, caressing the back of his hand against Adriel’s face. “And all we want to do is protect you.”

  “And who protects me after you’re gone?”

  “I don’t plan on going anywhere. Do you, Noah?”

  Noah didn’t respond.

  Eilam turned. He paused, sensing not all was right with his brother bear. And then, when he caught Noah’s stare, he sensed it. He urged Noah over, but the male didn’t move.

  They were three. Noah had been left out too long.

  “Together, we are stronger,” he murmured, holding Noah’s stare. He turned to the king. “Together.”

  “No,” the king murmured, backing away. “Not together.”

  Eilam sighed, dropping his hand. Months of denials were tearing him apart.

  “You don’t understand… there’s a reason I can never surrender to you,” the king said.

  Eilam met the male’s stare.

  The king sighed. “If the witch surrenders, Midnight will fall…”

  “You can’t think that old mumbo jumbo has anything to do with you surrendering to us,” Eilam said. “Surrendering the city is one thing… yielding to a lover is another.”

  “Every king of Midnight before me has been the dominant lover. They were bound to other witches, men like themselves. They did not surrender. Now I have two strong bears and all I desire is to yield.” The king lowered his stare. “What if my surrender takes my focus away from where it needs to be? The vampires have been a threat since you arrived in Midnight… the two coincided.”

  Eilam shook his head. “Coincidence.”

  “My desire grows untenable, and I consider giving in… then suddenly, I’m attacked,” the king continued. “You’re nearly killed and it sends me running to save you both instead of standing up for my city. So, yes, I fear surrendering to you will bring Midnight’s downfall.”

  Eilam looked away and captured Noah’s stare.

  “I will return Noah to Midnight to lead his team. You’ll remain here another day, at the very least,” the king said, an invisible veil coming over his face. No emotion showed through it, leaving Eilam more confused than ever.

  He had promised the king he would do everything in his power to protect the city. Walking away from his mate wasn’t a sacrifice he planned to make.

  “I should be at your side, trying to protect Midnight,” Eilam stated.

  The king ignored his comment. “I’ll return to check on you tonight and make sure you have all you need.”

  With that, the warlock spun his hands and created another portal. The king entered it without another look to either of them. Noah stepped forward to follow, avoiding Eilam’s stare.

  Eilam captured Noah’s arm and forced him to stop.

  Noah turned to gaze at him.

  “He’s ours… ours. Protect him.”

  “Is he ours?” Noah asked, a frown etching his handsome face.

  “Yes!” Eilam said.

  Noah was silent. “I should go before the portal closes.”

  Eilam released his hold on Noah, feeling like he’d just lost them both.

  Chapter Nine

  Noah entered the warehouse his team had been given to use as an office on the outskirts of the industrial sector. After sending out a text message the second he’d gotten back into Midnight, he expected his men to be waiting for him.

  As he approached, two of the five males rose from their seats, watching him come closer. The other three turned in their seats, silence coming across the large space.

  “Eilam make it?” Chris, a shifter and detective from the Midnight PD, asked he took a half step closer.

  “He’s nearly back to fighting form,” Noah said.

  One of the other shifters, Angelo, sighed with relief. “We’ve been worried about you both. Heard there was a second assassination attempt that you were a part of, but information has been thin, at best. The guardsmen are staying tight lipped.”

  “We got both assassins… Eilam the first, me the second… but we’re not sure if there might not be more on the way.”

  “How’d they get to the king?” Chris asked.

  “Magic… dark magic they shouldn’t have had.”

  “You think this could be payback for what we did last week?” Las asked.

  “Have you heard anything that makes you think that?” Noah asked the witch. If the witches were connected to the attacks, Las might be one of the best ones on the team to ferret out the information.

  “It’s been super quiet, so no,” Las said. “But vengeance is kind of their thing.”

  “And the fact they failed, not once, but twice, will only add to their anger. The next time they lash out, it will likely be more deadly,” Kane, the half-vamp said.

  Noah stared at Kane. The guy was young, a beat cop Noah had taken a chance on. He hadn’t been on Eilam’s list, but had approached Noah as soon as he’d heard about it. Kane’s human family had been murdered by the Midnight Suns, a vampire ga
ng they thought responsible for all the chaos. Kane had been left for dead along with the rest of his family. He’d somehow survived the attack without feeding off another vampire’s blood—and found his way to Midnight seeking vengeance of his own.

  The man had never taken another’s blood, yet had much of the strength of a newly turned vamp. Somehow, he fought the bloodlust… perhaps focusing on his need for retribution.

  “Not to sound stupid, but if we were the cause, why not go after us?” Donovan asked. “Why attack the king?”

  “The king ordered the closure of the portals,” Angelo offered. “Skip the middlemen and go straight to the head of the food chain.”

  “Possibly. The thought had occurred to me, too,” Noah said. “Regardless, we have a job to do and it’s even more important now. You guys find anything while I was away?”

  “We did find two more possible portals,” Chris said as he walked over to one of the three white boards they had for planning. He pointed to a map of the city. “We believe they’re both in this vicinity.”

  “Deep in vampire territory,” Noah murmured as he moved closer to take a peek. “You haven’t made confirmation?”

  “I know they’re there, I just can’t get close enough to pinpoint a dot on the map,” Las said. “If only my magic was stronger.” Las was a failed warlock, but he still had a little magic in him. It was one of the reasons Noah had picked him for the team. “The others we’ve closed down were bullshit, little side mom and pop illegals. Families who needed the cash and were willing to step across the line to put food on the table. They weren’t pros, and they weren’t smart.”

  “These guys are,” Angelo said. “They’re strong… moved every few days… and controlled by the vamps.”

  “So the ones we shut down were likely not even ones the Suns used,” Las offered.

  “It’s been hard to get too close, being so deep in their turf,” Chris added. “I’ve made a few inquiries… paid off a couple of feeders to get some info.”

  Noah felt the revulsion hit him. The thought of offering up his veins to feed one of those bastards gave him the willies. He’d heard it could be quite the aphrodisiac and that most feeders ended up as sex playthings for the vampires they fed. It became an addiction for some. A deadly one—as sometimes the play went too far and a feeder was drained of too much.

  A few were fed on for so long that they forgot to eat or drink—and ended up dying from starvation or dehydration.

  With the growing illegal vampire population, came the side effects. Midnight news had recently done a story on the growing numbers of feeders dying in the clinics and hospitals around the city.

  Yet none of that stopped those too far gone.

  They continued to offer up the vein, seeking the highs and desire that came from a vampire’s bite, and ignoring the chance it could be the last thing they did.

  Chris peeked at his watch. “Speaking of feeders… I’m supposed to meet up with one in a few minutes. You want to ride along?”

  “Sure,” Noah said. He turned to the rest of the team. “You four pair off and see if you can get any more information. If they’ve got portals, we need them closed ASAP.”

  After he made a stop in his office where he added a holster and a UV gun and grabbed a light jacket to cover them, Noah began to walk toward the door where Chris waited. “You carrying?”

  “One of those ray guns?” Chris asked with chuckle. “No.”

  “If they kill vamps, I’m willing to give them a try.” Eilam had had a case of the new weapons sent over just before he’d been hurt and the team hadn’t had a chance to test them out that he was aware of. Eilam had wanted Noah’s team to test them out and see how effective they were.

  “I don’t do guns,” Chris said. “I fight with my hands.”

  “And who else gets hurt along the way?” Noah asked.

  “I don’t do guns,” Chris reiterated. “I don’t need them.”

  Noah didn’t argue. Chris’ animal was twice as strong as a bear with a bite force that could easily snap a vampire neck or two. “Well, I’ve got one, just in case.”

  “Have at it,” Chris said as he opened the creaky, rusted door to the outside. “Now, about this feeder. He’s paranoid as all get out when he talks to me, so you’ll have to take a seat close by and listen in,” Chris said as they headed out. “If he even gets a whiff that you’re there with me, he might bolt, so be careful.”

  “I can do that,” Noah said before he climbed into the passenger side of Chris’s unmarked cruiser.

  Once the gorilla shifter was behind the wheel, he turned to Noah. “I’ve barely seen hide nor hair of Valen these past few days. Have you?”

  “He was at the hospital when the second assassin showed up,” Noah said. “He helped bring the vampire down.”

  Chris frowned. “And no one thought to tell me? Did he get hurt?”

  “He was fine when we left the hospital,” Noah answered. “And I left Midnight with the king… so I was incommunicado.”

  Chris turned over the engine. “I got a text from him that said he was working a case and not to expect him home. Not one word about an attack or what he’s working on.”

  “The guardsmen are stretched thin.”

  “Yeah… I know,” Chris answered as he pulled out into traffic. “But I got a call from Theis about you being gone and the bastard didn’t say a word about anything else. He could’ve at least let me know.”

  “And say what? That Valen had been involved in an attack but was fine? Get you all riled up for no reason? It was done, over.”

  Chris pressed harder on the accelerator. “I guess… I suppose I would’ve liked to hear that from Valen.”

  The silence in the car was deafening. Noah could sense Chris’ concern and it was almost humorous given the tough guy show he’d just made about carrying a weapon. Noah had already sensed the macho act was just that—an act. But Noah liked Chris… act or no, the guy brought results and was a natural leader. “He’s okay. You’d know if he wasn’t.”

  Chris nodded. “True.”

  Noah sensed there was more to Chris’ ire, but now wasn’t the time. And he didn’t know Chris well enough to dive into personal shit. He turned and watched the city from the passenger window. They were approaching the downtown area. Hundreds of citizens walked the streets, going about their day, unaware of all the turmoil going on behind the scenes.

  And hopefully it would stay that way.

  A few minutes later, Chris pulled off the main avenue and onto a side street. A few more turns had them coming closer to a small run-down diner. After the car was parked a block or so away, Chris turned to him. “I’ll go in first and see if he’s in there. You wait a few minutes and take a seat nearby.”

  Noah nodded.

  Chris climbed out of his cruiser and ambled on down the dirty sidewalk. Once Chris disappeared from the rear view, Noah peeked at his phone for the time. He scanned the streets, searching for anyone who might be watching, but saw no one.

  Yet he couldn’t get rid of a feeling of unease.

  After a few minutes, he climbed from the car and scanned the area. He moved beside the door to an apartment building and lifted his phone to his ear, mimicking a phone call so he could stand there and observe without calling attention to himself.

  Down the block, he saw a large, black car come to a stop. The windows were blackened so dark, he couldn’t see who was inside it.

  But his gut told him it wasn’t anyone good.

  A few minutes later, both front doors opened and two large vampires emerged. They headed straight for the diner.

  Noah reached into his jacket and released the snap over his weapon as he moved closer.

  A few feet away, he could see their teeth elongate and their claws lengthen.

  He drew his weapon. “Hands up!” he cried.

  Both vampires turned and rushed him.

  He took aim at the closest one. A light pulse hit him, eliciting a scream. The vamp’s skin
turned a bright shade of blue as he fell to his knees. It was enough for the second vampire to stop dead in his tracks.

  Noah trained his weapon on the second male. “Hands up, I said!”

  Just then, Chris rushed out of the diner and surveyed the scene. As Noah turned his attention, the vampire lunged.

  Noah hit the male with two shots—and the vampire disintegrated into ash.

  The first vampire fell to the pavement, crying in agony.

  Chris moved closer and pulled out a set of cuffs. He bound the moaning vampire and then looked up at Noah. “Maybe I should reconsider that gun idea.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Noah said, shoving the weapon back into the holster.

  Just then, a scared looking male exited the front door of the diner, his pale skin and deep-set dark circles under his eyes made it apparent he was likely Chris’ informant. He turned tail and ran down the street in the opposite direction.

  “Seems I might’ve scared off your feeder,” Noah said.

  Chris rose to his feet and hefted the mewling vampire, too. “No worries. I got what we needed.” The gorilla shifter smiled widely. “I know where we need to go.” He forced the vampire forward. “And this guy just might give us more details.”

  “Die, pigs,” the vampire cried before crying out in pain again. His skin looked almost aflame with blue fire. There were burns all over his flesh, and the smell wasn’t great, either. “I ain’t telling you shit.”

  “My friend over there can just shoot you again,” Chris said as he shoved the vampire down the street and closer to the car.

  “Fine. Kill me.”

  “Oh, those guns have lower settings… we don’t have to kill you. We can just hurt you until you talk,” Chris said.

  Noah opened the back door of the cruiser and let Chris shove the vampire inside.

  “Ready to play pin the UV on the vampire?” Chris asked with a grin as he shut the door.

  “You bet,” Noah murmured. “What about the location?”

  Chris fished a piece of paper out of his pocket. “My feeder drew me a map. With the added descriptions he gave me—I’m fairly sure I know where these buildings are.”