Daddy's Bite: Paranormal Age Play

by Jayda Marx

  Chapter Nine

  Izzy ended up snoozing for about two hours. I didn’t sleep quite as long, but I was perfectly content with lying next to him and admiring my beautiful boy. When he finally awoke, I wasn’t a bit surprised to hear that he was hungry again.

  But before I prepared him some dinner, we took a shower together and I scrubbed his body carefully, giving extra attention to his sore bottom.

  Once we were clean, I combed his hair thoroughly and gently, being careful not to pull too hard or catch his ear. I dressed him in zip up purple fleece jammies printed with yellow stars. It wasn't time for bed yet, but he just looked so damn adorable in them. Plus, he was warm, cozy and happy.

  "What sounds good for dinner tonight?" I asked Izzy as I helped him up onto the kitchen counter.

  "Hmm…" He opened each cabinet and looked through all of the new food we bought. "Mac and cheese, please," he answered with a smile. "And can we have oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert?"

  "Even though you just had ice cream earlier?" I asked with a chuckle.

  "But Daddy, these have raisins in them; they're much healthier for me."

  I snorted a laugh but couldn't argue with his sneaky logic. "Okay, little one, we can have the cookies."

  "Thank you Daddy!"

  "If you eat some peas with your macaroni," I added after some thought.

  "Deal."

  I popped a kiss to his lips and helped him off of the counter. "Why don't you go spread out your blanket in the playroom and we can have another picnic?" He enjoyed our first one so much, and after our roller coaster day, I wanted to treat him.

  "Yes!" Izzy punched the air and hustled towards the playroom as I chuckled at his excitement.

  I pulled a pot from the cabinet and filled it with water. Just as I placed it on the stovetop, a knock sounded on my door.

  "Good evening," I greeted Jett when I opened the door to find him on the other side. "You didn't bring my boy another tower of ice cream, did you?" I teased, but my friend didn't laugh. Instead, his expression was…worried. "What's wrong?"

  "There's been an incident downtown. A fire was set in a building close to the library, and shifters were seen in the area. I know you asked not to be disturbed during your time with Izzy, but I thought you'd want to be informed. Soren and Remus left just a few moments ago to check out the scene."

  Shit. I hated to leave Izzy, but I didn't want my men to go alone, either. Plus, I worried this attack could be retribution for what I'd done earlier; payback for killing one of their kind. The fire in one building could just be the beginning; what if they wanted to burn down the whole town? They had to be stopped.

  "I need to go. Will you stay with Izzy for a while? I need to make sure he's safe, and you're the only person I trust." And Jett was the only one I imagined that Izzy would be comfortable staying with.

  "It would be an honor."

  I gripped his shoulder in thanks and hooked in my earpiece and mic before calling Izzy out into the living room. He gave a big smile and wave when he saw Jett in the doorway.

  "Izzy, Daddy has to go into town to take care of some coven work. It might take a while and it will be very boring, so Jett has offered to stay and play with you while I'm gone." I hated to lie to him, but I didn't want him to worry. The last time he was concerned for my safety, he followed me into trouble and risked his life. I couldn't allow that to happen again. "What's wrong?" I asked when Izzy's face drooped.

  "I'll miss you, Daddy."

  "I'll miss you too, but I bet you'll have so much fun with Jett that you barely notice I'm gone." He gave me a tiny smile and I kissed the tip of his nose. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

  "Be safe," Jett whispered, and I gave him a nod before heading into the hallway. I heard my friend ask Izzy, “So, what would you like to play?”

  “Daddy and I were getting ready to have a dinner picnic.”

  “Well, I got here just in time; that sounds like fun.”

  “It is! He was making mac and cheese; can you cook that?”

  “You’re in luck, buddy; I make killer mac and cheese.”

  “Yummy! Daddy said I had to eat peas too if I want cookies.”

  I smiled at my sweet boy’s words as I lifted the window at the end of the hall and stepped out onto the ledge. I didn’t have time for elevators or stairs; I needed to get to the blaze as quickly as possible to hopefully catch the shifters before they caused any more damage.

  Once I was on the overhang high above the city, I breathed in deeply through my nose and caught the faint scent of smoke in the air. When I focused my eyes, I saw a gray cloud billowing on the other side of town.

  I leapt from building to building, racing across rooftops and scaling down walls. When I neared the library, I saw Remus and Soren in the distance ahead of me. I pushed harder to close the gap between us, and we dropped to the ground together.

  The building that was burning was an abandoned storefront, whose structure had been deteriorating for years and was unsafe for business. It was an odd choice for an attack, as it probably helped the city clear the space for something new. Nevertheless, I knew this could be only the beginning, and we needed to search for the culprits. Firefighters were already on the scene and nearly had the deserted building extinguished, so I turned to my team.

  “Remus, you search the streets in the north and east; Soren, you take south and west. I’ll search nearby buildings; it wouldn’t surprise me a bit for these fuckers to be hanging around to watch their handiwork.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The two of them sprinted off in different directions, and I went to work searching the rooftops and alleyways of the surrounding area. I explored the buildings nearby that had the best vantage point, but I found no sign of shifters.

  “Report in,” I requested into my microphone.

  “I’ve found nothing,” Remus’ voice responded.

  “Same here,” Soren agreed. “Everything’s clear. Why the hell would they light up a decrepit old building and bolt? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Just to be assholes?” Remus suggested, but it didn’t feel right. We had to be missing something.

  Fear gripped my heart when realization dawned on me. My blood ran cold and my breath was sucked from my lungs. “Because they didn’t give a shit about the fire,” I struggled to whisper. This was a ruse to draw me and my security away from the building; to clear their path to my mate. This was payback for taking the life of one of their own, and they were hitting me where it hurt most.

  Izzy’s human body was weaker and easier to harm. If they could take him out, they’d destroy me too. The shifter that ran away earlier had seen both of our faces, so our identities were clear...and he had Izzy’s shoe to track his scent.

  “We must get back to the coven house,” I demanded. “Israel’s in trouble.”

  I darted back along the path I took before, moving so quickly that I was just a blur and a gust of wind. My lungs burned and my legs ached, but I pushed myself to be faster than ever before. My need to protect Izzy drove my feet forward.

  I scaled the coven house wall and dove in through the top floor window; I closed it behind me when I left, but it had been busted open and glass littered the carpet of the hallway.

  My heart dropped at the sight of our apartment door hanging from its hinges in pieces. I rushed inside and found more broken windows in the living room and removed air shaft covers. The rogues had burst in with incredible force at every opportunity.

  My head whipped towards the sound of snarling and shuffling in the kitchen, and I arrived in a blink. The towering asshole from before hadn’t come alone; he brought five other shifters, his entire pack, with him.

  They were in human form and gathered around Jett, attacking him in a flurry of fists, claws, and teeth. Jett’s clothes were shredded and drenched in blood, but he fought on, holding his own against the group of powerful shifters that were each nearly double his size.

  And then I saw why; he was in
a defensive stance, fighting with everything he had within him to protect Izzy, who was lying on the floor behind him, unconscious with a trail of blood running from his temple. My best friend was willing to lay down his life to try and save my mate.

  Pride, fury, and sorrow blazed within me. I clenched my fists and tipped my head back, releasing a roar louder and more powerful than I knew myself capable of. The floor shook beneath my feet, and all remaining windows shattered at the sound.

  The shifters went still in shock, and I didn’t waste a moment. I zeroed in on the pot of boiling water on the stove and jerked my head, sending it flying onto the face of the largest man. He yelped and fell back onto his ass, and the rest of the group turned to me with growls and snarling teeth, but I was ready for them. Lord have mercy on the souls of those who mess with a pissed off master vampire.

  With another twitch of my neck, the refrigerator flew from its position against the wall and slammed into another one of the shifters, knocking him to the ground. It hovered above him and when I released my mental hold on it, it slammed down onto his head, leaving behind nothing but a bloody puddle.

  Two men charged me, looking like feral beasts as they snapped their fangs and foamed at the mouth. I caught each of them by the side of the head and slammed their skulls together. I kept applying pressure until their bones crumbled and my hands sank into their pudding-like brain matter. I shook my wrists and let their bodies tumble to the floor.

  Two more of the shifters gave up their siege on me, instead turning back to Jett while trying to get to Izzy. If the bastards thought they could kill the two most important people in my life, they were dumber than they looked.

  I telekinetically yanked open a kitchen drawer and sent its contents - an assortment of butcher and paring knives - soaring across the room and into the body of the closest shifter. He looked down and blinked in shock before he collapsed onto the tile.

  I made quick work of Jett’s second attacker by stepping behind him and twisting his head until he looked back at me. The life dulled in his eyes and he slinked to the floor.

  The last living shifter stumbled to his feet; his face was melted and blistered from the boiling water, but it was slowly mending itself. He looked around at his fallen companions and growled with rage.

  He stormed towards me in a flash, but I was quicker. I ripped a long knife from the shifter on the floor and plunged it into the charging man’s chest when he reached me. He grunted and clawed at my back in a final attempt to harm me, but it was no use. I twisted the knife inside him, and he fell at my feet.

  I turned to check on Jett and he began talking quickly. “I’m so sorry Izzy was hurt. These bastards burst in and I started fighting them off. Izzy tried to help and they knocked him out. I wasn’t quick enough to shield him. I-”

  He stopped talking when I wrapped him in a fierce hug. “You saved my mate,” I told him before pressing a firm kiss on his forehead in a show of gratitude and respect. I looked into his dark eyes and said, “I owe you everything.”

  “You owe me nothing,” he argued, and we shared a quick smile before I hurried over to my boy, who was still lying motionless on the floor.

  I dropped to my knees and ran my hands through his hair. “Izzy? Izzy, wake up for me.” He groaned in pain, but his eyes remained closed. “You’re going to be okay. I’m taking you for help.” I scooped him into my arms and stood up, and when I turned around, I found Jett on one knee, breathing heavily. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” he assured with a wave of his hand.

  “No, you’re not; you lost a lot of blood. You need help too.” I bent and wrapped an arm around his waist before hoisting him over my shoulder. “I’ve got you.”

  “Thanks, Nikolai,” he mumbled into my back. He had no reason to thank me. Despite his insistence, I did owe him everything; my mate, my joy, my very life.

  Before I made it to the doorway of the kitchen, Soren and Remus rushed inside, looking ready to kick some ass. Their eyes bulged as they looked at the carnage around them, and they lowered their fists to their sides. “Jesus,” Soren whispered.

  “They harmed my mate,” I explained, and both of them shrugged and nodded like this was a completely rational response.

  “Are they okay?” Remus asked, motioning between Jett and Izzy.

  “They will be. I’m taking them down to see Dr. Bentley.” Dr. Bentley was the head of the medical team in charge of the blood substitute corporation, and an expert in all things health, including for humans. “Will you call him to let him know we’re coming?”

  “Of course,” Soren replied. “And I’ll get a crew up here to start cleaning up this mess.”

  “Thank you.”

  I stepped into the elevator, wanting to give Izzy and Jett a smooth, calm ride down to see the doctor. When we stopped at floor 39, I stepped out and found Dr. Bentley standing in front of his open apartment door, motioning us inside. The actual blood bank was located on the fourth floor, but the doctor kept supplies in his apartment in case of an emergency.

  “Come in, come in.” I walked into his place and he shut the door behind me. “Soren told me what happened; they’re lucky to be alive.” He led me into his living room and pointed at the couch. “Place Jett there.”

  I did as he asked, gently resting my friend on the cushion. “Oh good, you’re awake,” Dr. Bentley said with a smile when he saw that Jett’s eyes were open. Jett didn’t look well, though; his skin was very pale and he seemed to be having trouble holding up his head. “I take it that all of your injuries have healed already?”

  “Yes,” Jett replied in a weak voice.

  “Excellent. A couple of pints of blood will perk you right back up. Excuse me for just a moment.” He hurried from the room and returned carrying a large bag of the blood substitute he helped develop. He shoved a straw in the top and passed it to Jett, who took it and sipped greedily. I smiled at the sight; it looked like he was drinking one of the juice pouches that Izzy enjoyed.

  “Now let’s take a look at this little one.” I flinched at his use of my nickname for Izzy, but I bit my tongue; the doctor was just a friendly old vampire. I didn’t know his age exactly, but the gray hair on his temples suggested that he was older than anyone else in this coven. He had kind icy blue eyes and a patient demeanor; what made him happiest was caring for others.

  I shifted Izzy around on my lap so that the doctor could see him clearly. “Ouch, that’s quite a bump he’s got there,” he said as he inspected the bloody goose egg on my boy’s temple. He grabbed a first aid kit from his coffee table and rested it on the couch cushion beside me. “I need to clean that up to make sure there’s no damage hiding under that dried blood.”

  I nodded and watched as the doctor cleaned Izzy’s wound with an alcohol swab. “It looks okay; there was a small scratch in the center, but it should heal up nicely.” He looked to Jett and asked, “Did he receive any other injuries?”

  “None that I saw.”

  Dr. Bentley turned his attention to me again. “If it’s okay, I’d like to check him over. I don’t want to miss anything that could cause a problem.”

  “Of course. Whatever you need to do.”

  He held Izzy’s eyelids open and checked his pupils with a small light. I assumed it was good news because he smiled and nodded at whatever he saw. He felt around on Izzy’s skull, and my boy groaned again, but didn’t wake up. When Dr. Bentley saw Israel’s cut ear, I told him, “That’s an old injury,” before realizing how dumb I sounded. Izzy was a human and didn’t heal as quickly as we did; of course it was old.

  But the doctor just nodded his thanks and continued with his examination. “Could you please unzip his pajamas?” It took a minute to convince my hand to do so; I didn’t want anyone else to see Izzy’s body, but I knew it was imperative to have him checked out, so I pulled the zipper down its track until it stopped right above his knee.

  Dr. Bentley felt along Izzy’s ribcage and stomach. He didn’t mention the diaper
that my boy wore, but he did smile at the jewel on his belly button.

  “That’s cute,” Jett offered, looking at the gem as well. He appeared to be fully healed, which was great because I was about to knock his teeth out. No, you can’t do that, Nikolai. It was just a compliment. Your boy is cute. Instead, I nodded at him with a tight smile.

  “He looks great,” Dr. Bentley smiled. “It’s just the knot on his head. His pupils were reactive, so we shouldn’t have to worry about any long lasting effects, though he will be in considerable pain when he wakes up.”

  I zipped his jammies back up and asked, “Is there something you can give him?”

  “I have some tablets he can take when he wakes up, or I have a shot of pain reliever I can give him now. It will hit his system and help him feel better more quickly. It’s up to you.” The doctor probably knew the reaction my body would have to him drawing blood from my mate; especially when he was already injured, but I wanted Izzy to be better as quickly as possible.

  “Let’s go with the shot. I’ll try to keep my shit together.”

  “I appreciate that,” he answered with a chuckle. He drew up clear liquid into a syringe and flicked it with his finger. “I’ll need the top of his arm, please.” I unzipped Izzy's pajamas a few inches and pulled the collar to the side, exposing his shoulder.

  “Should I hold you down?” Jett asked seriously.

  “Probably.” I didn’t want to risk hurting the doctor or Izzy. Jett hurried around to the back of the sofa and wrapped his arms around my chest, pinning me to the cushion.

  “Here we go,” Dr. Bentley announced. I closed my eyes so that I couldn’t see him piercing Izzy’s skin, but when the scent of his blood hit my nose, a growl rumbled in my chest. My body lurched forward, but Jett held me back to keep everyone safe.

  “You good?” he asked a few moments later. I nodded and opened my eyes to see the doctor placing a bandage on Izzy’s shoulder. I smiled when I noticed it was tie dye, just like his favorite blanket. Damn, his blanket; I should have grabbed it. It could have comforted him.