by Holly Day
Ivan didn’t reply. He had no idea if there was a blanket. He didn’t know whose car he was driving.
As he drove and no sirens sounded, no fireballs came flying, and no army of vampires chased them, he blew out a breath. Little by little, his shoulders sank to their normal position, and he actively searched for a drive-through.
Silence spread in the car, and when a neon sign claiming there was a drive-through open around the clock, he signaled a turn. “Raina, you need to come here so you can pay.”
She patted Zev on the head before climbing over him and squeezing through between the front seats.
Ivan looked at her. Normally, when they rushed out of a city, it was only the two of them. They took turns driving and didn’t stop for more than a few minutes to grab something to eat and use the bathroom at some gas station or similar place. Now they had the car filled with vampires and werewolves, and they were all covered in blood. “I wish we could keep going.” Why he whispered, he didn’t know. Everyone in the back had excellent hearing.
“Yeah.” Raina grimaced. “We’ll act as normal as we can.”
He hummed. “Yeah, that’ll be easy. How many burgers does a wounded werewolf need?”
“Twenty.” Malik’s deep voice made him grin.
“Yeah, we’ll melt right in. And how many burgers do you guys want?” He glanced into the dark backseat.
“We’re used to going without food.” It was Dante answering, and Ivan glared in his direction.
“It was not what I asked. When did you last eat?”
Silence stretched.
“A couple of weeks. We’re fed after missions. It’s fine.”
Ivan growled, not as impressively as Zev could do, of course. “It’s not.” After missions. This was after a mission, and while Dante hadn’t been shot, his knee had been out of commission for a time before he managed to heal it. He needed food, maybe even blood.
He rolled forth and ordered forty burgers, fries, and five milkshakes. He didn’t know if anyone liked milkshake, but he was in the mood for one. The woman handing him the food didn’t comment, but she sent a couple of curious glances into the car.
Once they’d paid for everything with Raina’s card, he drove to the farthest corner of the parking lot and handed out the burgers. Raina climbed back and fed burger after burger to Zev.
“Whose car is it?”
“Zev’s brother’s.”
Ivan blew out a breath. At least, they wouldn’t be stopped for driving a stolen car.
“Where are we going?”
Zev changed back to human form. Sweat was coating his skin, and he gritted his teeth. “Ashfield. I know a guy…” He hissed.
“South, right?”
“Yes.” He changed back into wolf.
When Malik opened the door, Ivan almost yelled at him to get the fuck back into the car. He did without Ivan having to say anything. He opened the door and sat on the passenger seat.
“Hiya, darling.” Ivan pulled him close and gave him a quick kiss. “Ready for a road trip?”
Malik gave him a short nod.
“Anyone needs the bathroom before we go? It’ll be a long night.”
Epilogue
Malik stood on the porch and stared at the snowflakes falling from the deep blue sky. It was the first time he’d been able to stand and watch snow fall without fearing reprimand for not doing what he was told. He ran a hand through his hair. He’d never had hair before.
For as long as he could remember, his head had been shaved every day.
“What are you doing?”
Malik didn’t startle. He could always sense when Ivan was nearby, and he’d known Ivan had been standing behind him for a while now.
“Admiring the view.”
“So am I.” He chuckled and wrapped an arm around Malik’s middle. Malik pulled him closer.
“I wonder what they’re doing? What Remington is doing.”
Ivan sighed. “I’m sorry, babe. I know it must be hard.”
It was. Not one single day went by without Malik thinking about those they’d left behind in the basement. For months now, he’d lived as a free man. He had his mate. They’d bought a ranch in the middle of nowhere. Malik didn’t know anything about running a ranch, but it was what Zev wanted to do, and since Zev was the one with the money, they did what he wanted.
Both Ivan and Raina had found work in Ashfield, but Malik, Urien, and Dante worked with Zev. With cows. None of them had ever seen a living cow before, but Malik didn’t mind. It was hard work, but he didn’t have to sleep in a cage, he got to shower in warm water, and Ivan was teaching him how to read. Everything was great, better than he’d ever dared dream about, except…
“What if they know we left them?” He often thought of old Cassius. With regular feeding, warmth, and fresh air, he could live for a long time. Now he didn’t know if Cassius would survive the winter.
“Buy them.”
“What?” Malik grabbed Ivan’s shoulders and leaned back so he could see his face.
“You get paid for the work you do for Zev.”
“Yeah, but…” Could he buy his family members? A knot formed in his gut. It was wrong, so wrong to buy someone, but…“Remington would never sell them to me.”
“Not if he knows he’s selling them to you, no, but you can always send someone else.”
He could? “Is it legal?”
Ivan raised an eyebrow at him. “It is, but if it wasn’t, we’re talking about Remington Redwood. Raina bought you, Dante and Urien with a stolen diamond.”
Malik snorted. Raina had stolen them and then sent the necklace as payment. No one had been more surprised than Malik when Remington had sent papers, stating Raina now owned them. “Yes, but we don’t steal diamonds anymore.”
“But we could.” Ivan grinned at him. “Seriously, Malik, can we, please? I hate working in an office.”
Malik stared into his odd eyes. Every time Ivan left the ranch, he wore his contacts, but more and more often he went without when they were at home.
“It’s not safe.” Malik never wanted to see Ivan covered in blood again. It didn’t matter that it had been his blood and not Ivan’s. He wanted Ivan safe and unharmed.
“Babe…Safe isn’t in our cards. We’re on the run, remember?”
Malik gestured at the house and the barn in the distance. “It’s hard to run with all this.”
“Yes, but…” Ivan sighed. “If we’re not stealing diamonds, can we steal vampires instead?”
Malik laughed. It wasn’t until he noted Ivan’s frown, he realized he was serious.
“You can’t be serious. We can’t steal vampires.”
“We could. They trust you, Dante and Urien. If we learn Remington’s plans, we can grab them one at a time.”
“Are you insane?”
Ivan popped his hip. “You know I am.” He threw his hands in the air. “I’m going out of my mind with boredom. Please let me steal a vampire.”
“I’m in.” Raina joined them on the porch, tilting her head to watch the sky.
“No, it’s…Remington is a day’s drive away from here.”
“All the better. He won’t know it’s us.” Raina grinned at him. “I want to crush the bastard. Please, Malik.”
The breath caught in Malik’s throat. They were asking him for permission, him. A slave. “I…eh…”
Ivan grinned. “I love you.” He pulled Malik down for a quick kiss before turning to Raina. “There is this fancy Christmas dinner, and I saw Remington’s name on the list of attendees.” He hooked arms with Raina, both of them heading for the door.
Malik wanted to get back at Remington for all he’d done. He took a deep breath. Stealing vampires. It was insane, but at least he’d had a shadow walker with him.
THE END
ABOUT HOLLY DAY
According to Holly Day, no day should go by uncelebrated and all of them deserves a story. If she’ll have the time to write them remains to be seen. She lives in
rural Sweden with a husband, four children, more pets than most, and wouldn’t last a day without coffee.
Holly gets up at the crack of dawn most days of the week to write gay romance stories. She believes in equality in fiction and in real life. Diversity matters. Representation matters. Visibility matters. We can change the world one story at the time.
For more information, visit hollydaywrites.wordpress.com.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
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