by Lynn Hagen
He glanced down as Dillon bent at the waist, picking up Tulip’s droppings in a small plastic bag. His face screwed up in disgust.
“That’s gross.”
Dillon shrugged. “It’s part of being a responsible pet parent.” He carried the tied-off bag over to a trashcan and dropped it in. Rainerio could feel his body shudder at the idea of picking anything up that came out of a dog’s rear end.
Tulip began barking, pulling at her leash when a two-headed poodle passed by. The vampire walking the dog smiled at Dillon and walked his poodle closer. “I’ve never seen a one-headed dog before.”
His fangs gleamed as he smiled.
Rainerio’s hackles rose as he stepped closer to Dillon. “And I’ve never seen a two-headed one before,” Dillon said with delight. “Do they have two separate personalities, or is it one dog with two heads?”
Dillon bent over and scratched behind the poodles’ ears, all four of them, as Tulip sniffed every inch of the damn dog.
“Mitzy and Mickey are two separate personalities,” the vampire stated proudly. “I’m Peter.”
Dillon straightened and shook the vampire’s hand. “I’m Dillon, and this is Tulip.” He pointed down to the terrier, who was licking both the faces on the poodle. Rainerio watched Peter closely. Being a demon warrior, he had enemies aplenty and he trusted no one besides the demon warriors.
“So is your poodle a he or a she?” Dillon asked.
“Both.” The vampire looked surprised. “Isn’t Tulip?”
“Holy guacamole. You have a transgender dog?” Dillon walked around the two-headed pooch, trying to peek at the dog’s underbelly.
Rainerio wanted to laugh. He had to admit, Dillon’s manners were refreshing to see. He was used to everything in the demon realm.
Looking at things through Dillon’s eyes made him see the world as if he were a new spectator as well.
Living as long as he had, things had become mundane and stale.
That was why Rainerio enjoyed his hermit status. There wasn’t anything new out here. But being around Dillon was changing that, and the change was making Rainerio uncomfortable.
Peter stared at Tulip, tilting his head sideways, trying his best to be nonchalant about his curiosity. He straightened when he saw Rainerio watching him, his pale face turning slightly red.
“This is so cool.” Dillon giggled. “Maybe we can make a playdate for them.”
“A play what?” Peter asked.
“You know, get together so the three can play together.”
Peter nodded as he smiled. “I think they would like that.”
Rainerio didn’t. He stood there fighting the protective and possessive feelings that were making him want to step in and grab Dillon, showing the vampire who the human belonged to. Rainerio took a step back, exhaling slowly. First Jake, and now Peter. Why the hell was he feeling so jealous? Dillon wasn’t his and he had no right to feel this way.
“I have to work tomorrow. I start my first day at Jake’s Java. If you come by, I can let you know my schedule and we can set up their date from there.” Dillon looked pleased as punch…and so did Peter.
“I’ll do that,” the vampire practically purred.
Rainerio felt a growl trying to rip from his chest. He placed a hand on Dillon’s shoulder, something out of character for him. Since when did he try to show ownership over another?
“See you tomorrow, Peter.” Dillon waved as he walked Tulip from the park. “Okay, hottie. Take me back in.”
Rainerio slid his hand around Dillon’s, taking him back to Kane’s apartment where he temporarily lived until it was safe for him to go back home. Rainerio was still fuming that two of Marino’s men had found out where Snooke lived and tried to go after him. When Dillon witnessed it all, they had no choice but to bring him here.
Until they knew Dillon was out of danger, he was stuck here, under watch and protection.
Rainerio wanted to argue about Dillon’s new job, about the human being out in public, but Dillon had gone to Panahasi about it, and the leader said he didn’t see a problem with Dillon working there. Jake would protect the human and Chris, Hondo’s mate.
Once again Rainerio felt the green-eyed monster trying to break free when he thought of how Dillon and Jake had hit it off. He released Dillon’s hand when the little guy’s cheeks puffed and his hand slammed over his mouth. His complexion was viridescent as he ran to the bathroom.
Lightweight.
Rainerio knelt by Tulip, scratching behind her ears while Dillon came out of the bathroom and sat down, taking deep breaths to still his queasiness. “I have ears as well. Want to scratch behind mine? I’ll even tap my foot out as you do it.”
“We’re not sleeping together, Dillon,” Rainerio stated. He had to protect Dillon. What if anyone connected him to Dillon? His skin crawled at the thought of the little bugger being harmed.
“So your lips say, but your body knows it wants me.” Dillon sighed as he turned the television on. “I wish your brain would catch up with your cock. I’m horny as hell and tired of waiting.”
Rainerio had to breathe through that statement. It was true. His body wanted Dillon in the worst possible way. He could feel his cock growing erect as he imagined filling the uninhibited human’s mouth with something other than words.
“I’m heading out.” Rainerio stood and walked from the apartment.
If he stayed, he might just take Dillon up on his offer. Why couldn’t he understand that Rainerio was just looking out for him? He’d never seen anyone as persistent as Dillon.
Rainerio walked with Hondo to Jake’s. The other warrior was going to check on his mate, and that was the perfect excuse for Rainerio to check up on Dillon without the human knowing what he was up to.
He had paced half the morning worrying about Dillon being out in public on his own. Okay, maybe not on his own, but Rainerio wasn’t there to make sure no harm came to him.
He walked into the shop to see Dillon working with Chris. They were laughing and making coffee as Snooke, Kane’s mate, was chatting with them from the customers’ side of the counter.
To anyone else, it looked like a normal day at Jake’s. To Rainerio, he saw trouble lurking in every corner. There was an older human woman sitting and chatting with a shifter, very suspicious. There were two elves reading over in the corner where two sofas sat, very suspicious. Rainerio growled when he spotted Peter standing off to the side talking with Jake. Very fucking suspicious.
The poodle wasn’t with the vampire, so why was he here? Dillon smiled at him and shot around the counter, carrying a cup with him. “I have a cup of green tea for you. I hear it’s great for the libido. I don’t know how true that is, but maybe it’ll get you off your ass and make you take me to bed.” Dillon beamed at him, a hopeful gleam twinkling in his cobalt-blue eyes.
Rainerio took the tea as he leaned close to Dillon’s ear. “We’re not sleeping together.” He wanted only Dillon’s ears to be privileged to his words. Jake and Peter didn’t need to know his stance on things.
He needed everyone to think he had nothing to do with Dillon, but the thought of either of those men pursuing Dillon made his blood boil.
“So your lips say,” Dillon sang. “You’ll tap this ass, and I can’t wait,” he announced as he sashayed back behind the counter, throwing Rainerio a come-hither look.
Rainerio didn’t know what the hell to do about him. Dillon was impossible. As Rainerio took his first sip of the tea, he had visions of fucking Dillon for three straight days. He mentally chuckled. No tea could help him. He was already in a constant state of readiness around the little bugger. The tea was good though. Dillon seemed to know what he was doing here.
Hondo walked away from the counter after talking with all three men. He had a satisfied look on his face as he approached Rainerio.
“All’s good.”
Rainerio nodded, hating to leave the coffee shop. Peter was still talking with Jake, but they both looked over toward the co
unter. The urge to yell “mine” was strong, but Rainerio hurried away. No one could connect the two. It wasn’t safe for Dillon.
“I’ll never understand why you just don’t go ahead and tag Dillon. He can’t stop talking about you, and you seem to have that hungry look in your eyes every time you look at him,” Hondo commented as they walked the streets in hopes of hearing anything about Marino.
“I won’t have him used like Chris and Snooke were.”
Hondo snorted. “No matter what you do, he’s associated with us now. If our enemies want to use him, they will, whether you sleep with him or not.”
He knew what Hondo was saying was true, but he wouldn’t risk it.
Besides sex, Rainerio was starting to feel something toward the little human, something other than lust. The emotional ramifications of a relationship terrified Rainerio all the way to his core.
Liking Dillon was one thing. Falling hard for him was another.
Rainerio couldn’t understand how one man had such a devastating effect on him. Dillon wasn’t even his type. Rainerio like his men quiet, and Dillon was anything but. Still, he knew deep down he was interested, more than interested.
“I say you should fuck him and get it out of your system. It just might help you. Lord knows you lead a monk’s life as it is. Maybe it’ll get that stick out of your ass.”
“I do not have a stick up my ass.”
“Right, you’re the party animal. Maybe fucking Dillon will help your sense of humor. It seems to have dried up with your balls.”
Hondo laughed as he dodged Rainerio’s flying hand.
Rainerio had no intention of justifying Hondo’s vulgar mouth with an answer. It wasn’t anyone’s business what was happening between the two, or not happening, and he wanted to keep it that way, for Dillon’s sake.
“All I’m saying is, if the dude is willing.”
Okay, now Hondo was baiting him, and he knew it. “Do what? Fuck him just because he is offering? Chris was up under your nose for one hundred years before you even thought about making a move. Everyone saw how he felt about you, everyone but you.”
“Don’t bring my mate into this.” Hondo stopped walking and turned to face Rainerio. “Keep him out of this.”
“Why? You don’t seem to have a problem bringing Dillon into this.”
“He isn’t your mate.”
“So that makes it okay to treat him like a Saturday night special at Diablo’s?” Rainerio could feel his self-control slipping, and that was never a good thing. He took a deep and cleansing breath, purging his anger. “Look, just drop it, okay?”
“Fine, whatever,” Hondo groused. “But you need to talk with Dillon. He thinks the moon shines just for you.”
Rainerio ignored Hondo’s exaggerating ass. Sure, Dillon had the hots for him, but it didn’t go any deeper than that, and he was glad it didn’t. Things could get complicated if he did feel that way.
“This walking the beat shit is boring. How the hell are we going to find out anything by just strolling around?”
Rainerio was thankful for the change in subject. His bark of laughter surprised them both. “Maybe we could go rough up Torky and Ace Boogey. They seem to know everything that goes on around here.”
Hondo chuckled. “We could, but Panahasi said they were off limits. I’ll never understand his bizarre-ass relationship with those two. It’s as if he’s their father the way he protects them.”
“I guess we could go around and ask the business owners if they’ve seen anything suspicious going on around their place.”
Hondo grabbed the door of Eryck’s Electronics, holding it as Rainerio passed through. “That’s a good idea. It’ll keep you busy while Dillon goes out on his date with Peter.”
Chapter Three
Dillon hurried from Jake’s as Kane took him, Snooke, and Chris through the shadows. He fought the queasy feeling as he ran to his closet to find something to wear. It wasn’t every day that he was asked out to dinner by a vampire.
Would Peter even eat? Dillon realized he didn’t care. He was finally going out somewhere—besides to the grocery store.
Something he had been dying to do since he had arrived in this topsy-turvy world. With his clothes laid out on his bed, Dillon ran to take a shower. He was to meet Peter outside in thirty minutes.
The vampire hadn’t told him where they were going. He said it was a surprise. Dillon felt giddy as he hurriedly scrubbed his body. It didn’t sit well with him that Rainerio wasn’t the one taking him out, but the warrior had made it quite clear that nothing was going to happen between them. So why should he wait around?
Peter was a nice guy, funny and warm. There was no reason he shouldn’t take the man up on his offer. If he waited around for Rainerio to ask him, he would need a cane and dentures. Pampering himself with lotions and spritzes, Dillon declared himself sexy and ready.
“I won’t be long,” Dillon said to Kane and Snooke as he walked by them. They were in their usual spot, Kane in the chair and Snooke sitting at his feet. They seemed at peace that way. Dillon wished Rainerio would come around in his way of thinking, but it seemed hopeless.
“Phoenyx will be keeping an eye on you at a distance,” Kane informed him.
“What! I don’t need a damn babysitter. I’m twenty-four years old. That’s old enough to know whether I want to get fucked or not.” He huffed as he walked toward the door. He wasn’t planning on sleeping with Peter, but the news of a chaperone ticked him off.
“You’re still getting a sitter,” Kane called out as Dillon slammed the door behind him. Lo and behold, Phoenyx was waiting in the hallway.
“Ready?”
“Hell no. I don’t need anyone watching me and my date. What if he makes a move on me? Are you gonna cuff him?”
Phoenyx burst out laughing. “Not likely. I won’t say I’ll look the other way either. Just don’t fuck on the restaurant table, and it’s all good.”
“What if I do? You gonna pull his cock from my ass?”
Phoenyx stopped on the stairs as his mouth dropped to his chest.
“You really do have a brain-to-mouth deficiency, don’t you?” he asked in astonishment.
“I’ve been called worse.” Dillon knew what he said was crude, but he was trying to make Phoenyx turn around and walk away. Too bad it didn’t work. Dillon stepped outside, seeing Peter waiting for him with a smile.
He knew they wouldn’t be getting intimate. As handsome as the vampire was, he wasn’t Rainerio. His heart wouldn’t be in it. “You look edible.” Peter held his arm out for Dillon to grab hold of.
“Thanks. Just try not to eat me.” He giggled.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Peter patted his hand as they walked down King Kennedy. His eyes rounded when they ended their walk at a restaurant called Malcor’s Melting Pot. It looked very expensive and fancy.
“Are you looking to get laid?”
Peter chuckled as he held the door open, Dillon walking through.
“I wasn’t, but I wouldn’t turn you down if you offered.”
“I just might if you keep treating me so special.” He beamed at Peter as they were seated.
They looked over their menus and ordered their food as Dillon chatted away. “So how are my favorite two dogs?”
Peter sat back and smiled, his arms lazily perched on the back of the booth. “They’re fine. I have to say, they were quite taken with Tulip. Mickey kept barking and scratching at the door once we arrived back home.”
“Tulip fell over and conked out. She gets that way after a potty walk.”
Peter leaned forward, staring Dillon directly in his eyes. “I’ve never met anyone like you before, Dillon. It’s refreshing to meet someone so honest. I’d love to get to know you better. Too bad someone has already stolen your heart.”
“Are you talking about Rainerio?”
Peter nodded as he slid his hand across the table and took Dillon’s into his. “I can see how he looks at you. As if you are the only
man in a one hundred mile radius. He’s got it bad for you, Dillon.” Peter gave a soft laugh as he went on. “Why are you out with me?”
Dillon smiled as he squeezed Peter’s hand. “For one, you’re a damn fine looking man. Grrr.” Dillon suppressed the chuckle. “And to be honest, I wanted to get out. You probably won’t score with me. I only want one man. But the problem is, he has made it clear that he doesn’t want me.”
“Have you told him this? Were you clear about your intentions?”
“I think telling him how many ways he could fuck me was very clear.”
Peter threw his head back as he laughed. Dillon laughed right along with him. “You are refreshing, Dillon.”
“Thanks, I just showered,” he teased the vampire.
Rainerio was consumed with rage as he paced in front of Malcor’s. He saw Peter take Dillon’s hand and the way his eyes softened as he spoke with the human. They were looking awfully cozy together.
“So are you going to go in there and get him or wear the sidewalk out by pacing the whole time?” Hondo asked as he leaned against the building, Phoenyx standing off to the side smirking.
Rainerio’s fists clenched when he saw Peter lean into Dillon, whispering into his ear and then Dillon blushing. He tore the door open, stomping across the restaurant.
Dillon’s eyes grew wide as he noticed Rainerio. “You have a date here, too?” Dillon asked sarcastically.
Ohhh, was he asking for a spanking. Dillon’s lips stretched into an indolent smile as he stared up at Rainerio. His blood pounded in his ears as his eyes locked onto the entwined hands. Rainerio stormed back out of the restaurant as he began to pace again.
“Damn, I’m glad I wasn’t on the receiving end of that glare of yours.” Phoenyx rolled his eyes as he crossed his ankles. Hondo snickered.
“Shut up,” Rainerio snapped as he tried to figure out what to do.