Duncan straitened. “Where?”
“At the far-left end.”
The cop swung his binoculars in that direction. “The one with the spiky green hair?”
“Yes, that looks like him, although he was a redhead when I treated him.”
Duncan tapped an ear bud with his finger. “Demi, head all the way down. Paz says the boy at the very end who looks like The Joker stuck his finger in a light socket is our guy.”
Of course, the Stelalux family hadn’t sent their precious boy into possible danger without as many safeguards as possible. Demi also had an ear bud that allowed Duncan to speak to him. Although no one had explained it to Ric, he assumed Demi could also communicate back.
Demi nodded his head as if to some musical beat, then slung an arm around Damien and leaned in to speak with him. They sauntered away, passing other kids and heading toward Mateo. Duncan followed their progress through his lens. Ric did the same. His heartbeat ticked up to a more rapid pace. Likely nothing of consequence was going to happen, yet he felt more primed to react to trouble than he had in the ED.
Damien and Demi took their time, not making it obvious that they had a destination in mind. He had to admire how cool they played it, when Ric figured he’d be a bundle of noticeable nerves if he were in their position. He supposed Damien had learned to hide his feelings and intentions on the street. While Demi’s sangfroid was innate to his species, from what Ric had seen.
It felt like forever, but eventually, the pair ambled up to Mateo. Damien greeted the boy with the usual multi-stepped handshake that was popular with those far younger and hipper than Ric. Demi hung on Damien, as if they were lovers, and waved in a flirty way at Mateo. The boy had a joint, which he offered to both of them. Damien took a quick hit. Demi demurred. Smart kid. Duncan uttered something like ‘good call’ at Demi’s refusal. The brief interaction made Ric wonder if aliens got high. He knew they drank, although he’d never seen any of them drunk or even tipsy. Maybe that was something they did to blend in with humans, yet remained unaffected. He’d have to ask Harry. After tonight, he figured they owed him something. It would give him a chance to casually ask about Dafydd, and maybe if he were lucky, run into him.
Another few minutes ticked by while the three boys chatted, seemingly amicably. Ric was about to lower his binoculars when another boy came into the frame. At least, he thought it was a boy. Hard to tell when the kid was dressed all in black with a watch cap pulled down to his eyebrows. He was riding a bike slowly along the path where the rest of them sat. Although Ric couldn’t be sure, he thought there was a subtle shift in everyone’s demeanor. It was as if a ripple of unease ran through them, where each person in turn went on guard as the bike rider rolled by.
As he approached Damien and Demi, Mateo’s gaze shifted. Like the others, his body language indicated he’d gone into high alert. Damien turned to see what Mateo was looking at. It was something out of a movie where the frames are slowed then sped up for dramatic effect. Damien’s reaction to the newcomer was at first nothing more than he’d done for everyone else since he’d arrived. In an instant it changed. The boy’s expression morphed from friendly to furious in a blink of an eye. He shouted, pointed then sprinted toward the bicycler, shaking Demi’s arm off in the process.
“Fuck!” Duncan and Anderson both swore in unison before Anderson grabbed the binoculars out of Ric’s hands to get a better view.
Ric leaned in farther, as if that would help him see better. “What’s going on?”
Even as he asked the question, the kid on the bike sped past Damien, who swiped and missed stopping him. There was a moment of almost pandemonium as the others tried to distance themselves from what was unfolding. It gave the newcomer a chance to avoid Demi, too, by swerving onto the street before returning to the walkway.
There was another one of those weird slow-down, speed-up moments as Demi’s head swiveled from one direction to the opposite way. Then he took off after the bike boy.
“Goddamn son-of-a-bitch.” Duncan’s swearing rocketed out of his mouth. Banging his binoculars onto the hump between the seats, he said, “Demi, stop!” The cop’s head shook. “No, don’t go after him. Do you hear me?”
Duncan pushed something on the consul and suddenly Demi’s voice was coming through the speakers. “He’s riding Father Ted’s bike. We can’t let him get away.” Christ! The kid didn’t even sound winded, even though he was sprinting down the path alongside the Charles River.
“You fucking well can!” Duncan’s fury was impressive. He started the car and had it leaping forward like a gazelle. “I’m going after him. Stand down.”
“Can’t drive on the Esplanade,” came Demi’s retort.
“Watch me. I mean it, Demi. Stop chasing him right this goddamn minute.” Now there was fear in the man’s tone.
There was no reply, only the sound of breathing. Smart kid. He knew he wasn’t going to win the argument, so he had elected not to have one at all. Meanwhile, Duncan was doing the reputation of Boston having rude, aggressive drivers proud. Ric slumped against the back seat as the car swerved into traffic on Storrow Drive. He fumbled with difficulty to get his seatbelt back on as horns blared and Duncan swore ripely over and over again.
“That cocky brat. Friday can’t come a moment too soon. Once that ceremony is over, I’m going to lock his sweet ass in chastity and board him in his room for the next fifty years.”
Anderson clung to the handle above his door. “You might be dead by then,” he noted mildly.
“I can only hope so,” Duncan sneered.
“What ceremony?” It was stupid to be asking such a mundane question under the circumstances, yet his curiosity had been piqued and it was better than pissing his pants in fear.
Duncan barked out a laugh. “Demi’s manhood initiation, if you can believe that. As if this kid has any business being treated like an adult. When this night is done, I’m going to turn him over my knee and…”
While Ric understood the man’s feelings and saw it for the hyperbole that it was, he couldn’t help thinking that Duncan was underestimating Demi. From what Ric could see, the boy was more man now than kid. And as he caught sight of Demi chasing the bike rider closer to the river, he figured right now, he was their best hope of winning.
Chapter Six
Catching the kid on Father Ted’s bike would have been dead easy if not for the irritating need to hold himself back. As he closed the gap between them, Demi fought a constant battle with his muscles’ natural abilities and his cerebral understanding that with so many humans in sight, he couldn’t give them a show that was unexplainable.
He had to block out, as well, Trey’s haranguing through his earpiece. He’d known the second he’d taken off after this guy that Trey would have fits. It was no surprise that he kept ordering Demi to stop, to let him handle it, to stay away from danger. Except that way was doomed for failure. If Trey risked driving onto the Esplanade, the chances of an innocent person getting hurt were unacceptably high. The man was too good a cop to do that, yet the boy on the bike had the advantage of being able to evade capture by going where the car couldn’t.
Whoever it was, he was skilled, commanding the bike as if it were an extension of his own body. The small compactness of the rider allowed him to crouch low over the handlebars to cut down on wind resistance. He seemed utterly unconcerned with falling over, which made him harder to catch because he treated the trees and other people like pesky obstacles to maneuver around with ease.
Demi, of course, was equally facile. His agility was inhuman and his ability to keep himself falling, cat-like. He always landed on his feet. The speed with which he ran didn’t even strain his lungs. The only thing bothering him was Trey’s stream of furious orders to stop. While he could have turned the earbuds off, he didn’t. In a strange way, the sound of the man’s voice buoyed him. He felt connected to him and it was almost as if they ran side-by-side. Any fear he might have felt chasing someone tied possibly to Dracul
’s men eased with the knowledge that he wasn’t alone. It might be crazy, but he had an unwavering belief that Trey would always keep him safe.
The least he could do was help by catching this asshole. His chances increased as they sped past the bulk of people around and headed into a more secluded part of the Esplanade, given that it was night. There were so many paths along the grassy route, the bicycler had no trouble forging ahead. Except he didn’t stick to the parts designed for his ride. Instead, he cut closer to the river, bouncing along the uneven grass. The obstacles didn’t seem to bother him, and they for sure were no issue for Demi.
He took the risk of picking up the pace and closing the gap between them. The boy he chased rose up off his seat and dared to turn his head to look at Demi. It was a stupid move because no one retained complete control by doing something like that, and it served to slow him down, as well. When the bike wobbled, the kid overcompensated and headed straight for the river bank. Then he hit a big bump and went head over heels past the handle bars and straight into the water.
Demi didn’t hesitate to follow. Kicking off the ratty sneakers Damien had made him wear, he catapulted himself off the ground and dove into the river. He deliberately overshot the spot where the other boy had made his splash. The half-formed plan was to loop back underwater and grab him by the legs. He took a deep breath as he went in, unbothered by the coldness that enveloped him. Like all of his species, it was heat that bothered him, and in the last few months, particularly so. And swimming came easily to him. He had no trouble opening his eyes and peering through the murkiness to catch sight of his quarry.
The human flailed in a clumsy effort to get back to the surface. The moment he broke through, however, Demi was already on him. He wrapped one arm around the boy’s thighs and propelled them forward by kicking and take long strokes with his free arm. His captive wasn’t going down without a fight, though. Demi grunted out precious air when a knee rammed his chest. He had to contain the thrashing boy with a bear hug, leaving only his legs to finish the journey. It wasn’t hard. This kid was small and skinny. A stray thought crossed Demi’s mind that there was no way this was Father Ted’s killer. The priest had looked like a pretty big man. But, if the boy had the man’s bike, he’d been a witness to the murder or arrived shortly afterward. Either way, Trey would want to question him.
Thinking of the cop goosed his efforts. He definitely didn’t want Trey jumping into the river. Getting soaking wet wasn’t going to help what was likely an already bad mood. Better if Demi could present the kid in a nice package on the bank. With that driving intent, he hauled the still-squirming boy up onto the grassy slope. He flipped him onto his stomach and kneed him in the back.
“Knock it off!” Demi issued the command in as stern a voice as he could manage.
“Fuck you!” The pinned boy threw his head back to hit Demi’s face. Demi was too quick for him, though. “I’m going to scream for the cops if you don’t let me go.”
Demi pushed him down by his shoulders. “No need. They’re here.”
That was no lie. Trey had jumped the curb in the car and come to a screeching halt. He was out of it and running toward them before the wheels stopped spinning. The look on the man’s face was glorious—a thrilling combination of pissed off and relieved. What it wasn’t was indifferent. Knowing that Trey cared enough about him to feel such strong emotions was worth sitting on top of a wiggling body with water dripping everywhere.
Trey slid beside them like a rookie making his debut at Fenway Park. He yanked Demi off the prone body and rolled him away. Anderson replaced him before the kid could mount an escape, but none of that mattered because Demi ended up lying under Trey. The man he loved held him down by the shoulders, much as he’d done with the boy, except in this case, they were face-to-face. Demi’s breath caught as he looked up.
“Are you all right?” The way Trey snarled out the question, it sounded more like an accusation.
“I-I’m fine.” He tried for a pretty smile.
Trey bared his teeth, obviously not charmed in the least. “Are you sure?” When Demi nodded, Trey shook him once. “What the fuck were you thinking? I told you not to chase that punk.”
“He was getting away and on Father Ted’s bike. He’s obviously a witness or something. You need to question him.”
“You think?” He roared out the response loud enough to send a shiver through Demi.
“He was getting away.” His tone sounded petulant to his own ears. He slapped his palm against Trey’s chest. “Let me up.”
Trey leaned in closer. “Not until I’m sure Karl has that fucker secured. Christ Jesus, Demi, are you trying to give me a heart attack? You were supposed to watch Damien’s back, not go all Die Hard and tackle a suspect. In the fucking Charles, no less.”
“Um…”
Trey deflated in the next instant, his shoulders sagging and he sat back on his heels. “You scared the crap out of me.” He stuttered out a breath. “I couldn’t stay with you while driving the car, and I sure as shit couldn’t run as fast. Then I saw you go into the water and…goddamn, I thought you wouldn’t come out again.”
“Oh.” Seeing how almost defeated Trey looked made him feel bad. He reached up and ran his fingertips along the man’s jaw. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to frighten you.”
Trey sighed. “Demi, you scare me witless. Always have.” Slinging his leg over, he stumbled to his feet and held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
Demi allowed himself to be pulled upright. “What about the kid? Aren’t you going to question him?”
“Of course I am. Later.”
Karl had the suspect standing and handcuffed. The hat had come off, giving Demi a clear view of who he’d been dealing with. A jolt hit him when he saw that it was a smaller version of himself, part-Asian with long, dark hair plastered around his pretty face. Various piercings winked in the moonlight and he stared at Demi with utter hatred.
“You’re going to regret this,” he spat. “My man will tear you apart.”
Karl shook him by the hand holding his shoulder. “Shut up. You can do your talking after we’ve booked you.”
“For what? I didn’t do anything. This crazy cunt chased me right into the water. I’m the victim here.”
Pointing to where the bike lay on the ground, Trey said, “That right there says otherwise. At the very least, it’s stolen property.”
A couple of patrol cars came racing up and soon a uniformed officer was hauling the kid away. Trey left Demi to speak to the others while Paz came ambling up with a blanket.
“Here,” he said, shaking it out and wrapping it around Demi. “Are you okay? Did you hit anything, like your head, when you dove in?”
“I’m fine,” Demi reassured him, his gaze still on Trey. “Nothing hurts.” That was mostly true. The kid had managed to get a few licks in. Demi’s stomach ached a bit where the guy had kneed it a few times.
“Come back to the car. I need to check you out anyway.”
Demi wanted to argue the point, wanted to stay within sight of Trey. Knowing that Paz had been brought into the whole thing to reassure his fathers, he gave in instead. He followed Paz to the unmarked car and sat in the back with him. He sat patiently through the doctor’s exam, allowing his wet shirt to be pulled off, hissing only a bit when sore spots got poked.
Paz hummed. “Not bad. Nothing that requires treatment anyway.” He pulled away with a sigh. “Not that my assessment is going to placate your fathers.”
“They worry too much,” Demi said absently. His focus remained on Trey, who was supervising the removal of the bike, as well as the perp.
“That’s what parents do—at least, good ones. From what I’ve seen, your two fathers are the best. You may not appreciate that now, but you will in a few years. You’ll see it for what it is.”
Karl peeled away from Trey and followed the uniforms back to their vehicles. Damien appeared out from the gloom, having followed apparently at a
slow, human pace. Trey met him, clapped a hand on the boy’s back and headed over, his face not quite so grim as he said something to the sous chef. Demi tried not to feel jealous, failed then stewed for a half-second before reminding himself that Trey saved his harder side for Demi because he cared about him. He loved him. Maybe. Hopefully.
He had to look away. “Actually,” Demi said turning to Paz, “after the way they acted when Papa and I were snatched by Dracul, I appreciate how badass they are.”
The doctor grinned. “They are definitely that.”
Trey opened the driver’s seat door and slid in. “I’m taking you all back to the club.”
Damien took Karl’s old seat. He twisted his head around and grinned at Demi. “Dude, that was awesome. Thanks for catching him.”
Demi shot him a smile. “You’re welcome. Glad someone appreciates my actions.” He tapped Trey on the shoulder. “What about…” Demi shut his mouth when Trey glared at him through the rearview mirror.
“Do you want me to drive so that you can go with Karl?” Paz offered.
“No. Thanks. I promised I would see Demi safely home, so that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll go question the kid afterward. Buckle up.”
That was all he said before starting the car and driving away. Demi did as he’d been told, snuggling into the blanket and waiting for his body to calm down. He was thirsty, though. Not for water. His dry throat yearned for blood, the need almost overpowering. His gaze homed in on Trey’s neck. Although he couldn’t see the pulse, he could imagine it. Opening his hearing, he focused on the beat of Trey’s heart. Paz’s and Damien’s intruded, though, confusing him and making it less enjoyable. He wanted a connection with his lover, because after what happened in the pantry, that’s what they were to each other.
Soon, they’d be engaged, then married… His cock stiffened at the idea. He had to be patient. It was only a few days away now. He would have to settle for the bags of blood his fathers gave him and finding pleasure in his own hand. Except shit, with Quinn sharing his bed, he was going to have to do both in the bathroom. Not the sexiest place. He’d have to deal with it unless and until Alex came to his senses. He snorted inwardly, as if that were even possible. The captain had risen to his high rank by being determined and he was not one prone to second-guessing himself. Demi rather expected that poor Quinn was going to have to be the one to give in.
Mating Dance Page 10