“Aki—”
Aki raised his hands in protest. “Just hear me out. How many times have one or the both of you got yourself into a seriously messed up situation for the other? That’s not healthy—for you, for him, or for your relationship.”
Nate swallowed. He couldn’t forget Ben’s expression as the elevator doors had closed. He’d already shut himself down. “I don’t think there is a relationship anymore.”
“That might be a good thing. Yeah, I know—he’s totally changed your world, and shown you stuff about yourself you never knew, but—there has to be a point where enough is enough and if almost killing you is not that point, then I don’t know what is.”
Nate hunched his shoulders. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Just think about it, okay?” Aki didn’t move. Nate could feel his gaze, studying him intently. “Is this why you’re so down on Hunter? All vampires, by extension, are now bad news?”
Nate groaned. “Aki!”
“What? I had to ask!”
Nate took another sip of the sugary water. It tasted cloyingly sweet, but he thought his head was beginning to feel less cloudy. Too bad it couldn’t do anything for the gaping hole in his chest. “What happened to your chiseled hunk?”
“Who?”
“The guy in the park?”
At the mention of the park, the dog’s ears pricked up and its tail began to wag.
Aki snorted. “Don’t get your hopes up, Fido. It’s two in the morning. The park is locked—even if anyone wanted to take you for a walk. Which we don’t.” He settled back, drumming his fingers against the edge of the coffee table. “Chiseled god turns out to be a chiseled creeper. He—” Aki broke off suddenly. “You didn’t tell him about me, right? This isn’t some attempt to matchmake me against my will?”
“Aki, you told me that if I tried to set you up with anyone again you’d exorcise me.”
“Eviscerate you. And I will.” Aki frowned. “So you didn’t communicate with him at all?”
“I’ve never seen the man. All I know is what you’ve told me.”
“Right.” Aki was silent, his fingers continuing their rapid beat. “So. After I went by Ben’s apartment to see if you were up for taking responsibility for the dog you adopted and learning you were hungover—shit! You weren’t, were you? That was when—”
“It’s fine, Aki. Ben took care of me. Go on.”
Aki looked like he badly wanted to argue but continued. “So, anyway, I take the dog to the park and immediately he runs away. I am super pissed, because just once I would like to be able to run without worrying that he’s going to run into traffic or commit some other form of canine suicide, and while I’m looking for him, super bod appears.” Aki pursed his lips. “I—might have run into him at the park again yesterday. He was nice then, seemed pretty happy to see me. But this time, he’s really intense. Almost angry. He’s trying to have this full-on relationship conversation with me, and he’s talking like he knows me—like we’ve had more than an hour and a half of interaction, tops. So that was danger signal number one.”
Nate set the glass down, staring at Aki. “Go on.”
“He says he wants to talk to me alone and hauls me into the bushes. Which—yeah, I know, really bad idea—but I figured he was hot and at least I’d get something out of the time I spent crushing on this guy. Anyway, talking to me alone involves just about as much talking as you’d expect, and I’m up against a tree, his hand is on my cock, and I’m thinking that maybe he’s just totally new to relationships and I can forgive him his assumptions when he says something about the vampire having no right to even look at me and that if he comes back, he will destroy him. Which is pretty messed up for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that I didn’t tell him about Hunter, and you didn’t tell him about Hunter, which means—”
“The guy was stalking you?” Nate’s voice rose. He saw the dog flinch back out of the corner of his eye and held out a hand to pat it.
Aki’s lips pressed together. “I really know how to pick them, don’t I? This is what—the third time?”
Aki had been in serious trouble, and Nate would have had no idea. He swallowed. “What did you do?”
“I asked him how he knew about the vampire. And he stared at me, and his expression said he knew he’d messed up. So I kneed him in the groin and ran.”
“Aki—”
“Nothing wrong with my self-preservation instincts! In fact, you could learn a lot from me. I was out of the trees before he’d even managed to get back on his feet, and I made it out of the park and back here in what I’m pretty sure is my best time ever.”
Nate hesitated and then reached out to pull Aki into a loose hug. “I’m sorry, Aki.”
Aki went with the hug with an eagerness that surprised Nate. “So am I. The guy seemed cool and he was hot—not Hunter level hot, but hot.” He sighed. “And now—I’m just, like, fuck dating. I only ever seem to attract creeps and predators.”
“You sure there’s no other explanation?” Nate winced at the look Aki shot him. “Yeah, I know. I just hate seeing you unhappy.”
Aki sank his head back against Nate’s chest. “Better unhappy than dead. I’m a realist, Nate. I’m not so involved that I’m going to overlook the warning signs, even if it does mean that it’s back to square one.”
Better unhappy than dead. Nate tensed.
“Shit.” Aki drew back, peering up at him anxiously. “I didn’t mean it like that, Nate. I just—”
“No. You’re right. I could learn a lot from you.” Nate squeezed Aki’s arm before sinking back on the sofa.
“At least you admit it.” Aki ran his hand through his hair, frowning down at Nate. He looked absurdly delicate, with his carefully gelled hair awry and his clothes rumpled, and he was strong enough to escape a stalker and go to work as if nothing had happened. He’s strong. Stronger than me. Nate hadn’t even noticed the warning signs, too involved with Ben—
“You sure you’re not going to pass out again? You’re looking at me weirdly.”
“Just thinking how glad I am for your self-preservation instincts, Aki. If anything had happened to you—”
“Don’t think about it. I’m trying not to dwell.” Aki stood, stretching. “But just so you know, we’re going to need to find a new place to run.”
“Agreed.” Nate noticed the dog, hunched miserably by his feet, and scratched his ears. “How did the dog get home? You didn’t—”
“No way I was going back to the park. But the dog’s imprinted on us. When I went to leave for work, he was there at the door— Oh man, Nate! I didn’t give you the good news.”
“There was good news?”
Aki plonked himself on the sofa beside him. “You won’t believe this. As soon as I arrive in Century, I’m called up to the office—like the instant I arrive. And Denise grills me about what happened and insists on checking that I wasn’t fed on. And after an hour of this, she’s finally convinced that, despite my best efforts, nothing happened, and she tells me that the club got an anonymous payment for me, covering last night and tonight.”
“What?”
“And there was one for you, too. Twenty thousand each, Nate.”
“What?” Nate shook his head. “Who—Hunter?”
Aki grinned at him. “Who else? It’s got to be—and you don’t drop that kind of money on someone you’re not interested in, right?”
“Hunter’s definitely not interested in me,” Nate reminded Aki.
“Which is even more of a sign he could be into me. Trying to make nice with my friends.”
“Or trying to pay off his debts. Vampires don’t like owing anyone anything.” Nate frowned. “Can we give it back?”
Aki gaped at him. “You’re not serious. You’re still sick, Nate—do you realize how much that is? I’m going to have my student loans paid off this year!”
“I don’t know. Something about it doesn’t sit right with me.”
“You
’re just miffed because it’s Hunter and Hunter has history with Ben that you don’t.” Aki said. “Besides, Denise already accepted the payment.”
Nate frowned. His stomach growled, and he remembered the wrap Aki had brought him. “You’re sure that’s it?”
“Positive. I mean, how many rich people do we know? It was either him or Ben, and it’s not Ben.”
“No,” Nate agreed. “It’s not Ben.” He took a bite and immediately managed to spill sauce on his T-shirt. “Fuck me. This was my last clean T-shirt.”
“Not anymore.” Aki had his phone out, skimming his messages.
Nate set the wrap down, pulling the T-shirt over his head. “Got any washing you need done?”
“You’re kidding, right? You had a near-death experience. The laundry can wait.”
“This can’t. I’m seriously running out of clothes.”
“So give it to me and I’ll do it.”
Nate stared at Aki. He could not remember seeing Aki ever wash an item of clothing. “Do you even know how?”
“You are so rude to me.” Aki stood. “It’s not rocket science. I can Google a tutorial.”
Nate still hesitated, but he was too tired to protest. “Are you sure you don’t mind? Because you had a crazy stalker to deal with.”
“It’s cool. Matter of fact, there’s still so much adrenalin in my system that I need something to do. Trying to sleep now would be an exercise in frustration.” Aki wandered into the bathroom, and Nate could hear him thumping around the laundry hamper.
He looked down. His wrap was there on the table, unattended, and in full view of the dog—who hadn’t even given it a glance. He lay at the base of the sofa, looking mournfully after Aki.
Really odd. Nate stared down at him. Maybe he’s not hungry? But the dog was always hungry. Nate stroked the dog’s head, but the gesture didn’t even produce the usual wagging tail. Maybe he’s sick— “Aki, did you feed the dog anything weird?” Nate looked up and saw Aki standing in the bathroom doorway, his face pale and contorted by rage. “Aki?”
“You said you’d never seen the guy in the park, right?”
Nate nodded. “Yeah. That’s right.”
Aki took a step forward, brandishing a photograph. “So why do you have a picture of him in the pocket of your jeans?”
Nate stared at him. “I don’t.”
“Evidence begs to differ.” Aki waved the photo at him. “Look at this, Nate! It was in your jeans!”
“But I don’t—wait.” Nate shook his head. “You remember the werewolf at the club, the guy who started the fight? He was showing everyone a photo. I figured it must be that missing werewolf they’re all looking for. After all the excitement, I saw a photo on the ground and picked it up. I thought I should give it to Department Seven. Then it just went out of my head.”
“This is that photo?” Aki stared down at it.
“Don’t you recognize it?”
“I guess. I didn’t look too closely at it at the time.” Aki frowned, holding the photo up to the light. “I did notice that there was something familiar about it, but I didn’t put it together. The first time I saw crazy stalker guy he was—not clean shaven, but respectably unkempt, you know? This photo looks like the missing link.”
Nate heaved himself off the sofa, looking down at the photo. He’d barely glanced at it when he’d picked it up, the gesture automatic. The guy scowled at the camera. His beard was, if not out of control, rapidly approaching dangerous levels, and his eyes caught the flash the same way deer’s eyes catch headlights. “A real winner.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Aki’s hand tightened around the photo, crinkling it. “So not only am I being stalked, but the guy doing it is a werewolf. And not just any werewolf! The same fucking werewolf that’s got the entire city by its balls—”
“Sit down.” Nate pushed Aki back onto the sofa. “Let’s think about this.” He could see that Aki, already upset, was going to work himself up into a state.
“What is there to think about?”
“Let me see the photo again. There was something about it.” Nate smoothed it out.
“Something stalkery?” Aki curled up. “Department Seven doesn’t sleep, right? Ring your friends there, and tell them—”
“Wait.” Nate swallowed. “This is the guy who helped me—when I passed out in the kitchen. You remember I told you?”
Aki stared at him. “Nate—there was nobody in the kitchen. That’s impossible. The only people in this apartment are you and me.”
“And the dog.” Nate looked down but the dog was no longer at the base of the sofa. He looked up, seeing it slink through the door into Aki’s room.
“What are you suggesting?”
Nate lowered his voice. “The entire city is looking for this werewolf, and they can’t find him, right? What if he’s been hiding here? Right under our noses. It would explain how he got into the apartment—and how he knew about you spending a night with a vampire.”
Aki stared at him. “That’s impossible Nate. Werewolves turn into wolves—not dogs.”
“Can you think of another explanation?”
Aki stared at him and groaned, running his hands over his face. “I cannot believe this. Wasn’t getting attacked by a werewolf enough without adopting one?”
“What do we do?”
Aki dropped his hands. “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do. We’re going to handle this my way. The selfish way. No one is going to put themselves in the firing line unnecessarily, and no one is going to get hurt. You got that?”
What about the rogue wolf if Wisner got his hands on him? Nate bit his lip. Thinking like that is what got me dead and Ben poisoned. “Okay, Aki. We’ll handle the werewolf your way.”
Chapter Fifteen
THE PHONE RANG. Long, strident rings. Ben lay on the sofa and counted them. Eight, nine, ten… At ten, his answering machine took over. After a pause, the phone started again.
I should see who is calling. Or at the very least, put it on silent mode. Ben made no attempt to move. He hadn’t stirred since he’d entered his apartment and collapsed on the sofa. It had been dusk then. In the time since, the dark shadows of the apartment had increased with night and retreated again with day. And he hadn’t moved.
Bang! The door shook. Someone was intent on getting his attention.
Ben lay where he was. He knew only too well who was on the other side of that door, and the thought of facing Nate was too much for him to bear.
The pounding at the door continued.
He’s not going to give up. Nate was quite capable of standing there all day, despite his injuries. He was going to attract attention, maybe even make himself sick… Ben pushed himself upright. He swung his body over the edge of the sofa, shuffling toward the door. Mentally he prepared himself for the barrage of conflicting emotions that was Nate. I have to be firm. If I don’t send him away— He swallowed back the rush of fear at the memory of touching Nate’s clammy skin, knowing he was dead—
The banging stopped the moment he pulled back the bolts. Ben took a deep breath before undoing the lock. He pulled the door open. “Nate. I—” He gaped at the woman standing in front of him. “Diya?”
She looked incongruously normal, wearing a black blazer over a bright-orange shirt and holding a briefcase in hand. “Hello, Bennet. I’m glad to see you out of bed. Are you feeling better?”
Ben stared at her. It took him a moment to remember her phone call. “I, um. Yes. Thank you.”
Diya motioned to the apartment behind him. “May I come in?”
Ben stepped back automatically. It wasn’t until Diya was inside, looking around at his furnishings, that it occurred to him how unusual this was. “What are you doing here?”
Diya turned her attention from the painting hanging over the dining room table to him. “You missed a counseling session yesterday, and an appointment with a legal representative with experience in supernatural rights. You’re not answering my e-mails or my calls.
”
“I was sick.”
Diya walked across the room to stand in front of him. “Not sick enough that you couldn’t go to Department Seven yesterday.”
Ben winced. “Wisner’s spies?”
“He’s making the most of your ‘calculated disobedience.’” Diya paused to adjust her scarf, her eyes still watching Ben. “You must see how bad this looks?”
“I really was sick,” Ben said. “Going to Department Seven alone exhausted me. I’ve been lying on the sofa ever since.”
“I believe you. But we can’t be sure the judges will. Not unless we can get this Nate to vouch for you?”
Ben leaned against the back of a dining room chair for support. “No. He—I refuse to let Nate be drawn into my problems.”
Diya crossed her arms. “Even if it means that you fail your appeal?”
Ben gripped the back of the chair. “Even if it means I fail my appeal. Yes,” he said, as Diya sucked in a sharp breath. “I know what that entails. But I stand by that. Nate’s got no part in this.”
Diya frowned. “But to remain Class Six—or even worse—be entered into the Final Register—”
Ben found the intensity of her gaze hard to bear. He looked down at the smooth dark surface of his table. It looked like a pool, reflecting the dining room lights, and dimly, Diya and his outlines. “Maybe that’s for the best. I’ve spent so much time around, or as, a vampire. I think—” He swallowed. “It’s changed me. Deep inside.” He remembered the scar he’d glimpsed on Diya’s neck and decided not to tell her about the vampire within. “I don’t think I could ever be normal.”
Diya eyed him in silence. When Ben glanced up, he saw that her lips were pressed together firmly and that she looked—upset. “I have no idea what this Nate guy said to you, but before you give up on your future, there’s something you have to see.” She marched over to the sofa, picking up Ben’s jacket. “Put this on and follow me.”
Ben was too surprised to argue.
BEN COULD HAVE easily picked out the car that was Diya’s. The Ford was a bright, cherry red, perfectly suiting its owner’s love of sleek design and eye-popping color. As she searched her handbag for the key, Ben couldn’t help glancing up.
Life After Humanity Page 25
